Andrew Tran
01/23/2018 - 02/20/2018
Mythological Mobiles
The very beginning of this project started off being partnered with Kaden Dusharme, a partner I frequently choose to do assignments with. Kaden is a very well rounded student, but he doesn’t utilize most of the skills that he has and I believe that I can help him exhibit his best qualities. Throughout the projects Kaden and I have been partnered together, I can slowly feel as though he is improving on each trait that sets him back from being the best he can be. Our work together is very structured and satisfactory. Even though the work might not be split evenly, it’s because either side is willing to do extra work for their product to turn out well. In terms of collaboration, I feel as though both of us did well for a group with only 2 members. Something that I could work on as a member is being decisive. Often, Kaden and I would propose ideas to which we couldn’t or wouldn’t choose which one is better and resulted in other groups opinions.
In terms of what we learned in Humanities in the project, I learned a tremendous amount from reading the class books and researching a region. The class book, Eurydice is a story with a lot of morals. Reading Eurydice was really informative because we got to learn the basic lessons from back then to present day. Eurydice is an inspiration to my writing as it is a really creative fantasy piece and origin story. As for our mobile, our region was Asia and the specific country was Vietnam. Kaden and I compiled a couple of stories from Vietnam and learned about the origins of things in the culture of the Vietnamese. Especially a weird and quirky one about why ducks sleep on one leg which we chose to base our mobile around.
Things that I learned in physics are the standards when creating and balancing a mobile. That includes the physics on torgue and the forces on an object. Physics is usually composed of math to which proves why a certain action is the way it is. For our situation, we had to find equilibrium so that each tier would be balanced. Some of the specific math we used was conversion, isolating a variable, and substitution. All of the units of measure were hard to remember thoroughly as they change quite often. Although it was difficult, my understanding of general physics have been broadened from this project.
The type of knowledge gained in Engineering is a bit like improving skills in general. In Engineering, we all learned about tools to which we could use to make our mobile. Some tools included the laser cutter, scroll saw, drill, and spray paint. I feel as though the most important thing I was presented or taught was the different perspective of teaching. Our teacher, Mr. Mike has a kind of unique teaching style as he is very thorough and includes all factors. It might be overwhelming, but for others the concept might click easier for them, which is very important in learning.
Exhibition was an interesting experience. From what I experienced, it taught me new skills or gave me sudden realizations on whether we can produce an interesting product and explain the reasonings behind it. All of the content had to explained in a simplified version because our audience was in the fourth grade. The other groups exhibition varied greatly in ages and sizes, and I would have to say we got lucky and landed in a very interactive group to which some weren’t afraid to throw jokes and ask questions. I feel like what I had to offer to the group was an ample amount. I wanted to see my partner, Kaden take charge and lead us to an excellent product because I know he’s capable of that. I feel as though all of the 9th grade learning outcomes we excelled in except for our oral communication. The main downfall was not explaining enough in the timeframe given, so a solution would be always be more prepared. Other than that, our collaboration was spot on with the tricky work with equilibrium on the mobile. For the outline of our mobile, Kaden and I decided that we would try to make the pivot points in really wonky places. The only difficult part was needing extra hands which Kaden helped greatly in. The class values are things that our story highlight greatly. As most origin stories have lessons, morals, and values, our story used empathy, responsibility, and grit. With the jealousy of others, the actual reason why ducks sleep on one leg, and the lengths they had to go to get their second leg. They all demonstrate values which we can learn from. Integrity and respect are values you should use on a daily basis which I also displayed when helping out others and my partner. Overall, This project and exhibition has displayed many of the major obstacles and successes you may face on the journey of life.
Photo used under Creative Commons from KimCarpenter NJ