Power to the people week 9 reflection

 1. Planning

Our Project Planner (Milestone 1)

Looking back at the planning we did at the start, I think that we should've thought more about what our presentation was going to look like and put more effort into it.

Having had the experience of this project, if I was planning another project I would create more sub questions at the start and do more research.

2. Process

Links to our Group Planners:

• Week 5

• Week 6

• Week 7

• Week 8

• Week 9

Time management and workflow

Looking back at how well we planned and then recorded each week's and day's work and managed our time, I think we did well.

Another time, I would Put more effort in.

Collaborative skills

Considering how our group managed our relationships, discussions, decisions, and the way we shared out and contributed to the work, I think our team worked well together.

In future, I would get bill to communicate more.

4. Planning and Preparing our Presentation

Our Presentation Ideas (Milestone 3)  - link or embed the doc

Looking back now at how we planned and prepared our presentation, I think we did an alright job but it was hard to use google docs in some parts.

Another time, I would put more effort into it.

5. Showcase Day

My positives for Showcase Day were the complements we got about our display because it made it feel more worthwhile.

Another time, I would do more research into specific windmill models.

6. Reflection on the Project

a) What skills did you use, learn or develop during this project which will be helpful in your life beyond school?

the six C's

b) Would you like to do more of this kind of learning next year?

Definitely not, it was a complete waste of 2-3 periods a day for nine weeks, I learned nothing accept for how windmills work and what would be the best power source for Otaki. I think I could've used my time a lot more wisely and learned many more useful things that I could've used.

c) What did you learn from this process that will help with future projects?

I really hope that there are no more future projects this was a waste of everyone's time, I would much rather prefer traditional learning.

d) What advice would you give to the teachers if they are running this or something similar in the future?

Give less time to students to complete their projects and pick a topic that is not so specific so that students can have a better chance of being able to learn about something that interests them.

NPDL week 6

 

1. What have you achieved/learned/found out since your last post?

We've decided on what electricity source will be the best for Otaki and I've learned more about the electronics inside of a windmill and how they function.

2. How effectively have you used your time this week?

I would say that I've used my time well this week as I've gotten a lot of research done but I have gotten distracted a couple times as i'm not used to having two or three periods in a row working the the same subject.

3. How have you contributed to your group’s progress?

I've helped fill out our conclusion for our recommendation for the best electricity source for Otaki, I've also helped with the research for our conclusion slide. I've also helped with the research and filling out of a pros and cons doc for each electricity source.

4. Glows: something that is going well in your project:

we are working well together.

5. Grows: Something you need to work on:

Stop getting distracted.

6. Where could you get help with this? 

We do't need help we just need to concentrate for longer.

7. What are the next steps for your project?

Creating a small windmill model.

NPDL week 5

This week we started of in the staff room deciding on preferred teachers and finding a question that we will spend the next six weeks learning about. I have used my time well although I did get distracted a couple times as I'm not used to spending two to three periods in a row on the same subject and I was also on study leave this Wednesday so didn't do any work. I contributed to my group well by researching our question and putting all the information I found onto a google slide. Something going well in our group is the speed that we've gone through our work. I think I need to work on my concentration span and i can get help with this form Mr O'leary. We haven't decided on our next steps for our project but for now we're just expanding and improving our slide.

The boy in stripped pyjamas esaey.

 In John Boyne's novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, an important relationship is the one between Bruno and Shmuel. This relationship helped me to understand a key message, which is how hard it was to survive as a Jewish person in World War Two. While most of the Jewish people were running and hiding for their lives, Shmuel had unfortunately already been captured and sent to Auschwitz with not much hope of escaping. While Shmuel was scared to death Bruno was as happy as could be, playing in the streets with his friends all day. This has helped me to understand some of the poor and cruel events Jewish people had to go through in order to survive compared to the Germans which I think was horrible. Unfortunately there were a lot of children in similar situations to Shmuel who didn’t know what was happening around them. 

While Auschwitz is no place for children to grow up, and Bruno has also been through many painful weeks of isolation from other teenagers, Bruno has still made Out-With (Auschwitz) his home. When Bruno was forced to leave Berlin because of his Fathers new job he also left behind his friends and family; although this was difficult for Bruno he still thrived at Auschwitz by cultivating a relationship with Shmuel. The two boys would meet each other at the same place in the fence each day not knowing that they were supposed to hate each other because of their ethnicity, ‘''Ah, those people,' said Father, nodding his head and smiling slightly. 'Those people ... well, they're not people at all, Bruno.''’ (Boyne p.53.) This helped me to understand a key message of the vile hate Hitler and the Nazis had for Jewish people. I think the standards set for Bruno to hate Jewish people are terrible, I’d hate being punished for having friends of a certain religion or race.

At first the relationship between Bruno and Shmuel, like every other relationship, is weak, as Bruno is a very curious person and Shmuel is a very fearful person, ‘'I've never spoken to him,’ said Bruno immediately. ‘I’ve never seen him before in my life. I don’t know him.” (Boyne, p.172.) From this quote you can tell that Bruno and Shmuel's relationship isn’t very strong as Bruno wasn’t prepared to admit his friendship with Shmuel, he was hoping to avoid being punished as he was scared of what Lt. Kotler would have done. Even though Shmuel has been forced through many painful things like being pulled out of his home and then being put into Ghettos and being transported to different places without having time to think about what's going on. Even this small act has helped me understand what the Jewish people had to go through to survive in such cruel circumstances.

Later we see the relationship between Bruno and Shmuel blossom and get stronger as they tell each other about their life stories, “Before we came here I lived with my mother and father and my brother Josef in a small flat above the store where Papa makes his watches.” (Boyne, p.126.) This quote shows how the two children are evolving their relationship by sharing their life stories with each other. This has helped me to understand how even two people whose countries are at war with each other can still be friends. I think that the way the two boys have bonded is great as they're supposed to hate each other.

At the end of the novel, we see that their relationship is now stronger than ever as Bruno is preparing to risk his life intending to find Shmuel's father on the other side of the fence, ”Bruno had an urge to give Shmuel a hug, just to let him know how much he liked him and how much he'd enjoyed talking to him over the past years.” (Boyne, p.206.) This quote has helped me to understand the strong bond between the two children that has been formed over the past years. I think that very few things would be able to fracture Bruno and Shmuel’s relationship because of how strong it is.

Through the novel, the relationship between Bruno and Shmuel develops from being weak and fragile to being strong and sturdy due to the many things the boys went through together. For instance both the boys were isolated from having fun with other children their age which ended in strengthening their connection as their friendship was rare. This relationship helped me understand a key message in the novel, that the Jewish people were substantially discriminated against throughout the Holocaust. In my opinion, the vile conditions that the Jewish people were forced to go through in order to survive were inhumane and disgusting. I don’t think anyone should be forced to go through what the Jewish people endured.