Semester 2 Review:
Generating ideas:
I have grown substantially in my efforts to generate ideas to solve problems and create projects on my own. I am a pretty free thinker, and I had no problem generating ideas towards the end of the semester. I displayed this concept almost every day in class. An example of this would be the generation of my idea for a final project. I combined my love of trains with mathematical concepts to create an exploration about the diameter of steam locomotive tires. Below is the link to the exploration I created as the final project.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zKTG5yCOc4bRS2kiQHQtDqWsLUAzWy1MerfZyx_lSN4/edit?usp=sharing
Communicating thinking in a clear and accessible way:
I have always strived to make the work that I did understandable to others in the event that they will need help and so I can understand it 20 years down the road. Sometimes, that was not entirely easy because I had some very obscure ways of solving problems, which usually ended up wrong. I had many occasions during seminar where I had to explain the way I got to an answer and why it makes sense. This allowed me to express my ideas to the group and sometimes offer a new way to solve a problem.
Recognizing and resolving errors:
Seminars on different explorations is where I put this concept to the test many times. Although rare in the group of people that I worked with, there were a few occasions where I found subtle errors in simple math and calculations that resulted in wrong answers. Others also found holes in my math different times. One thing that I always was used for was a check for the math performed by Dylan Ridgway, as he always asked for assistance in checking the math that he had done.
Reflecting and synthesizing:
I always had fun attempting to come up with different formulas for different concepts and ideas. It allowed me to reflect on the ideas I had worked with and interpret them in a concise way. I often had trouble using the right variables and writing the formulas in the correct order, but I made it work.
Semester 1 Review:
Content Skill:
I have grown substantially at being able to graph exponential growth and decay. Throughout the unit, I learned the real life applications of exponential growth and decay. One applicable instance for these equations would be for compounding interest in banks. This uses the Pb^kt formula, which is very helpful to find out the amount of money one will have after having invested in something or put money in a bank. My understanding of this concept can be demonstrated in POW 6 below. I initially struggled with this concept, as I was having a difficult time figuring out what each of the variables were for the Pb^kt equation, but as I later grasped the variables and their meanings, I became really proficient at solving these types of problems.
POW 6:
https://docs.google.com/a/animashighschool.com/document/d/1R0FkzyqhSyWfkScF_XwRHkhMnGG-hKFvktLmGmJQCeU/edit?usp=sharing
Problem-Solving Skills:
I am really good at coming up with ideas to solve problems. Many times have I come upon a problem that I was not sure about how to start with, but I tried every tool in my arsenal to attempt to try the problem. The characteristics of this skill are being able to formulate a plan while anticipating some major intermediate steps in the problem, as well as brainstorming multiple approaches to the question. I believe I demonstrated this well in my POW 7. I tried the best that I could to find every possible way I could to solve this problem, but I was terribly confused. I eventually went to my teacher Dan and utilized his help in solving the problem. I did however try my best to formulate steps to solve the problem in many different fashions, but none to no avail. Below is the link to POW 7.
POW 7:
https://docs.google.com/a/animashighschool.com/document/d/1a636ubTyXHCijzOrfKqN5yE2OQ2eizvEpTvyKAY8Es0/edit?usp=sharing
Another skill that I have developed is the ability to clearly communicate my ideas to the class and my peers. I have done this on multiple occasions, but mainly in seminars for explorations. Usually if I got a different answer then someone else, then I have to explain why I believe that my answer is right, and usually I have been right and have helped many people understand the problems that they got wrong. I have gone about using this skill by drawing out graphs, showing my work, explaining steps, and a multitude of other ways to convey my message.
Spreadsheet Project:
In this project, we created spreadsheets in google drive that we could use as calculators to calculate certain values. We were able to put in different equations to different cells that would allow us to calculate these certain values. below is the link to the project, and you are allowed to edit certain cells in order to see how the calculations work. Enjoy!
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qYAyV6Em7uKiTz-z0lbTZ2JGWZKY3NMb_0sxauksY_E/edit?usp=sharing
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qYAyV6Em7uKiTz-z0lbTZ2JGWZKY3NMb_0sxauksY_E/edit?usp=sharing