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.