Tara's Portfolio

What did you do?-

We learned how to swim simple strokes (breast stroke, freestyle, backstroke, etc.) non-stop for 100-200m. It was very tiring, but in the end, it made my swimming 10x better, and I got fitter just by doing this. For snorkeling, I almost drowned 2 times, but in the end of the day, I would rather drown than having to swim until my face turns into my favorite food-which is a tomato. I might sound a little harsh, but being in the highest level was NOT FUN! Snorkeling in the other hand, when I wasn’t drowning, it felt like I was in the ocean towering over all the beautiful corals, and fish. I recommend NOT

-Diving underwater if you don’t know how to snorkel

-Racing

Feedback-

Maybe practice more often, and maybe try your best more.

What did I do?-

We did a challenge, where we had to make a car made out of three sheets of A4 paper, one meter of tape, four rubber wheels, and two straws. We then had to put a real raw egg inside, and run the car down a high ramp to see if the egg would crack at the end of the ramp, where there stood a concrete block. Moreover, to be successful, you need a crumple zone (not too hard, not too soft), you need a seatbelt for your egg (the egg needs to be able to get out easily), and a soft airbag.

What did I learn?-

I learned how to show Newton’s laws with an egg car challenge. For instance, Newton’s first law takes place when the car hits the concrete block, the egg keeps going forward because of its inertia. Another example is that you can see Newton’s second law because if your car is very heavy, then you would need more force to make it go down the ramp. The last example is Newton’s third law, where when the car hits the concrete block very fast with a lot of force, the block would send force back to the car.

What worked?-

I feel that the little tuck that we made together was really helpful. It was helpful because it really helped the egg not fly out. We made sure there was a little space around the tuck, so we added a little airbag, so that the compact force isn’t so strong.

What did not work?-

I feel that we could’ve made our crumple force a bit better. In this video, you can see that the compact force is really strong, and our egg ends up cracking a lot. I feel that we definitely could’ve made our crumple zone a lot better.

IMG_0314.mov

Personal Relevance-

I know now that if you want your egg car successful, you will need:

1. A sturdy frame (carefully folded paper to support the structure during a crash.
2. Add a little tuck for the egg (so that the egg doesn’t fall/roll out).
3. Some Cushioning (stuff the car with crumpled paper).
4. Add suspension (If possible, add some form of suspension to the car to absorb the impact before it gets to the egg).
5. Create a “crumple zone” (not too hard and not too soft).
6. Make a seatbelt (so that the egg doesn’t fly out from its inertia).
7. Use a fake egg and some washers to test out your design, then test it on the ramp.
8. Lastly, you need to analyze the results (observe what happens during the crash and make adjustments to improve the design).

I now know why automotive engineers build a crumple zone, a sturdy frame, a little tuck that come with the seat, seatbelts, airbags and why they do a lot of crash tests with the car. I used to think it was a waste of money to do so many crash test, but now I know the reasoning.

What did I do and what did I learn?-

What worked?-

The model in general worked well because I feel that I really was able to design it with my partner so that it can go fast even though if there was weight also on it. We had to design a balloon car that can go fast, and win races. We also had to later in the unit add washers to the balloon car, and see how far it still can go. I had a balloon strapped to the top of the balloon car, the car was made out of styrofoam, and there was a straw inside the balloon connecting to the car so that the air could go out fast and push the car. there where also wheels added to the car, so that the car could easily move. I thought my partner and I did a great job with the design. With this design, it was easy to briefly describe all of Newton’s laws.

What did not work?-

It was a struggle when in the start we didn’t know how to make the air from the balloon car come out fast and strong so that it can push the car. To resolve this problem, we found out that if we make a little opening for the straw so that it is slanted, it would flow out faster. This made it a lot easier to win races, to make it stronger when there is washers stacked on it.

Personal Relevance-

The Balloon car was like when me and my friends tried making this soda can move with a little barbie in it using a balloon filled with air. That was a lot easier, because we had adults helping us. I feel Newton’s 1st law when I’m in a car, and suddenly the driver hits a really sharp stop and my whole body falls forward, but the car is stopped. This can also show Newton’s 3rd law, because first my whole body falls forward (which is the action), and then it yanks backwards because the car stopped(which is the reaction). Newton’s 2nd law is when I’m pushing someone on a couch, and they need more force to push the couch, than when they aren’t in it. It is important to know, because then we know why for example, when we are in a car, and when the car stops, we just keep going forward.

For our Graphic Design Unit we created a personalized product for the client we chose to make the product for. First, we decided what we wanted our product to be (ex. Coaster, Fridge Magnet, Keychain Design, or Earrings. For me, I chose a magnet for my client because I know that she really wants a magnet for her locker. Next, we learned about the ‘Design Concept’ of our unit (empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test). Then, we created an idea in our head for what our partner might like by using “Flint AI Tool.” Therefor, it was easier for me to think about how my partner might like her product. After, we looked at different possible designs on the internet for our client. For this, we made sure we explained in detail how it would look. After all of that, we finally drew out some designs for our client. That made me sure of what design my client would’ve loved. Finally, we printed out the design, which in the end, when I finally showed my client, I knew it was all worth the wait.

Underhand Serve

First, you have to position your right hand and arm straight. Form your right hand into a ball, and position your left hand with a ball. Throw the ball up (not too high), then, hit the ball with the bottom side of your wrist. I think I know how to serve really well. I can hit the ball with control, and aim it at the target I want to serve it to. I can also serve with power and hit the ball over the net. It was challenging at first when I didn’t know how to control it. Before, I would just hit the ball with power, and hope for the best that it would go over. But now, I know how to hit it accurately. I tried to straighten my arm as much as possible, and try to aim better. Standing in a wide stance helped me gain control, and aim. It also made me feel less squished. I still need to work on a little bit of control because sometimes I can accidentally hit it a bit too hard.

What did I work on? –  

During the Campaign for the Olympics unit, I worked on creating a presentation about why my city should host the Olympics. I really made sure I worked on my stuttering, “uhm” and “wait…uhhh” because sometimes I’m in my own world, and I don’t realize I just guessed the whole script. I also made sure I worked on eye contact, but I still need to fix that a little bit. I made sure I put useful words on my screen after a little bit of feedback. I also made sure the information in my scripts and paragraphs is useful because usually I don’t include useful information, and then when it comes to my presentation, I guess the whole thing. For the introduction, I think I still wrote a little too much for the script. I tried deleting some sentences, but there were still too many sentences on the script for the intro. It was so much, I couldn’t memorize all of them in time and had to write all of them on the note cards. For Climate/Land and Food, I think it was a reasonable amount of information. Maybe I still didn’t need to write that much on the note cards, but I think it was fine. I really liked the conclusion; I think I did a good job in that one. 

What did I learn? – 

Global sporting events exist because they bring countries together to create soft power. I also learned why we have the Olympics, and why people do it. I also learned that the Olympics isn’t all for money, and more about collaboration and competition. Lastly, I learned the benefits of a lot of countries hosting the Olympics. 

What worked? – 

I am proud of my conclusion because I feel like it really wraps up the whole presentation, and I love how the ending is just so beautifully written. For example, “From Roman emperors to modern-day legends like Nikola Tesla, Serbia reminds us that greatness is born not just of a place, but of a persistent spirit.” I also really like that during the presentation, I don’t say “we think”, or “we believe” because when we say those words, it sounds like you’re a bit hesitant, or unsure about what you’re saying. Also, it doesn’t sound like you’re stating a fact, and it’s more like you don’t know what you’re talking about. I also did a good job not using “uhhh” and “wait…uhm”, or “oh! Wait, no.” It’s important that I didn’t do that because it makes you pause a lot during the presentation, which is a bad impression on the IOC. 

What did not work? – 

I feel that I wasn’t that clear about my statements because I felt like I was always skeptical about the things I was saying during the presentation. I always had to search and double-check my reasoning and evidence to make sure I comprehend all the information. I also wasn’t sure why I chose the topic of food. I wasn’t satisfied with that topic. I felt that I was only doing the topic because there wasn’t anything else. Next time, I really need to think before I’m convinced that it’s good. 

Personal Relevance – 

Collaboration and communication skills are important for my future because they benefit from the drive of building new ideas and methods in the future. It could also lead to creative solutions by combining diverse perspectives. Collaboration skills are important because they can enhance strong trust and achieve better outcomes. Communication skills are important in the future because they’re crucial for leadership and innovation.