Final Blog Reflection

A) What was your most favorite topic, activity, subject matter or technology we did this semester?
Throughout this entire semester we have used so many new technologies and programs and covered a different space-related topic with each of them, no two projects were the same. Overall, I enjoyed doing so many projects one after the other instead if simply doing worksheets or labs, it allowed us to work at our own pace and find our own researching methods. My favorite topic this semester would have to be working on the moon projects, mainly because that is the most recent topic we learned about so I remember the most about it. Other than it being recent, I also enjoyed it because I got to use PowerPoint and I really like to use PowerPoint because i believe that you can personalize your presentation so well by using that application. The one technology that was new to me this semester was VoiceThread and Glogster. I will probably use Voice Thread again in my life because I like how it is such a different presentation tool.

B) What was your least favorite topic, activity, subject matter or technology we did this semester?
My least favorite topic to learn about this semester was the EM spectrum because I was absent that day we took notes so I didn't fully understanding by having to teach it to myself. I also didn't like the Big Bang Theory because I thought it was too far fetched to believe. The one technology I won't be using again is Glogster because I prefer creating posters with paper and a glue stick.

C) What is one thing you would change to make this class better?
I found it difficult to research and then more difficult to compile the notes in a way I could use them in a project, so I think it would be helpful for future classes if at the beginning of the year you had one class where you did an example researching process where you showed how to browse the internet for good websites and how to take good notes.

D What was the hardest thing for you to grasp or believe of all the things we talked about in class? Why?
It was hard for me to grasp the EM spectrum mainly because its something I cant see, so it was harder to remember things that went along with that. It was also hard to grasp the Big Bang Theory because I simply can't believe something without absolute proof that it happened, and I just can't believe that the universe just appeared.

Return to the Moon: Blog Reflection

1. Summarize the Return to the Moon Challenge

For the Return to the Moon Challenge Project, the class was split into four groups and then those groups split into two sub-groups to better get the job done. The objective of this project as a whole was to realistically select a location on the moon that was suitable for future human settlement and then create a realistic model and plan of a moon base. The two sub-groups in each group were the Geographic Site Team and the Design Team and I was on the Geographic Team. The Geographic Team was assigned to find the location that the moon base would be on with information backing up that decision, for instance the natural resources that are found on that part of the moon and how those resources could be used to their best extent. The Design Team’s job was to take the basic information from the Geographic Team and use those facts to construct a scale model of the moon base. Their job was also to gather more information on how the best moon base would be built and what materials would be used as well as the weight and accurate dimensions. The end products of this project was the PowerPoint that held all the information regarding an efficient moon base and a detailed model of the moon base as well as professional blueprints.

2. What did you like about the project?

I really did enjoy this project and I enjoyed working with a group to distribute the workload. I very much appreciated the list of requirements for each group as well as the PowerPoint element. I liked working on the PowerPoint because it helped me review the information I was putting on the slides which gave me a better understanding of what I was saying during our presentation. I also got really excited when I found a video on fuel cells that I actually understood; it was a real thrill finding it and watching it which made the facts cement into my mind.

3. What didn’t you like about this project?

I didn’t enjoy the lack of communication between Design Team and Geographic Team in my group. It stressed me out not knowing what the other team was working on and if it corresponded with the information we were gathering and putting on the PowerPoint. At the beginning I had a very hard time working with Google Earth, making it difficult to select a moon location in a good amount of time.

4. What would you do to change the project to make it better?

I would have liked to have set days on which both Teams in a group would have to get together to share information, just to know everyone is on the same page. I think it would also be helpful if we had a list of moon locations to choose from, or a map with easy-to-read locations so selecting a location wouldn’t take a whole class period.

EM Spectrum Blog Reflection

1. Summarize what the EM Spectrum is and why Astronomers use the EM Spectrum for objects in space.

 The electromagnetic spectrum (EM Spectrum) is a name that scientists give a bunch of types of radiation when they want to talk about them as a group. There are seven types of radiation: microwaves, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, X-rays, and Gamma-rays. Astronomers use the EMS Spectrum to observe matter and objects in space using the different types of radiation found on the EM Spectrum. Using just visible light, what we can see coming strictly from our natural sight, Astronomers are not able to see much in space. By using x-ray and ultraviolet rays in space Astronomers can detect things you cant detect with visible light like what causes bright, hot sections in space.

2. What did you like about this project?
During this project I enjoyed all of thee time available to work answering the questions and making the brochure in class. I didn't mind answering all of the questions because all of the sources I needed to use were already listed oin the research project page, making it easier to find the answers.
3. What didn't you like about this project?
At first I didn't like how we had to make a brochure for this project as I can never find a brochure that is compatible with multiple computers. Once I got a working brochure template I found it easy to add all my research and it was pretty much compatible with the school laptops and my laptop at home. That was the only that I had a problem with, which eventually didn't turn out to be a big issue.
4. What would you do to change the project to make it better?
In this project I would change the rule that you have to use the program Pages for brochures because i wasn't able to work on a Pages brochure at home because I don't have a Mac computer. it should be allowed and told to the class that a Microsoft Word template would also suffice.

Hey It's Glog Review Time! Chebow!

What was this project?
This project was all about creating a stimulating and informative Glog about a particular star during a its specific stage of stellar evolution. A Glog is an electronic poster-board where you can display all the information you would on a regular poster online without all the mess.  My group and I were assigned Pleiades, a cluster of young stars. The task then was to scour the internet for information regarding this cluster of young stars and then creatively post it on a Glog.


What did I enjoy about this project? 
I enjoyed to a full extent the complete lack of scrapbook paper and glue sticks. A Glog is a great replacement of a handmade poster and didn't loose its spark of personality because of the range of  embellishments and backgrounds available. The set of of the Glog's editing toolboxes were arranged very nicely so that things could efficiently get done. Of course, I learned a lot about the young cluster of stars, Pleiades, from browsing the internet. This wasn't necessarily my favorite part of this project, but I did enjoy working with a group, dividing the workload between the three of us.


What didn't I like about this project?
During the research period, I found it difficult to find some of the information necessary. It took a lot of searching to finally find a somewhat decent answer for several of the requirements. During this process of searching, my group and I came across a very interesting group of extraterrestrial life-forms called the Pleiadians. The Pleiadians kept distracting us with their blue tinted skin, pointed ears and alien-like features. They found it necessary to pop up on many websites, contaminating precious information. It was hard to keep the Pleiadians from our Glog, but we kept them away with our amazing detection of true and false information. 


What would I do to change the project in order to make it better?
As previously stated, my group and I found it hard to find accurate websites that contained true information. It would help immensely if specific websites for each specific star were provided before the researching process. This way, it would take less time to gather information and more time could be concentrated on using that information to write informative responses to each requirement. 

First Blog Post

1. Who am I?

My name is Molly. I am a 10th grader at GHS, a school somewhere in this galaxy. There are many things I get joy out of doing. I enjoy sharing my imagination with others through various forms such as creative writing. I also highly enjoy getting good grades and making my own jewelry. At school I am a part of FBLA and I am an officer for Peer Outreach. I love getting involved with my school and I always try to push myself academically.

2. Why did you choose honors?

I chose Space Science Honors because I feel like open isn't an option for me. I come to school to be challenged and to learn as much as I possibly can. Space Science Honors over open will provide me with that challenge and well equip me the knowledge of space for the future.

3. What do you hope to get from this class?

I would love to learn a lot about space in this Space Science Honors class. I am completely baffled by the extreme concept of ever expanding space and really how small we all are, so learning more about our place in this big universe will definitely be something interesting to learn. At the end of this semester I would like to have learned a boatload of exciting information that I can go and share with all my friends and family!

-Molly