Tuesday, December 16th

Emerging Technology Final Project

For my final project, I created a set of interview questions that I then gave to my parents, Kim and David. These interviews gave me information for the whole project, such as relatives that I didn't know, past locations and just general information that would help me complete my assignments.I also created a Persuasive Email that I sent out to my family for more information. With this information, I made a family tree with Family Echo that is easy to look at and gives lots of information quickly. I also had to complete another family tree, but instead, I used Prezi. This allowed me to be more creative, and put more information than the Family Echo family tree.



For part of the project, I had to make an Infographic. An Infographic is a creative way of putting down information that is easy to see and use. I created my about my family history and how they migrated to the United States.



Finally, I created a 5 Frame Story Board of my Grandfathers adventure to the United States.

Monday, December 2nd

Journal - Where are you right now on your "Who Do You Think You Are" project? What did you do over the break for the project? Did you interview anyone? Use the checklist below to figure out what you have finished, what you are still working on and what you still have to do.

With my Finals Project, I am on time, maybe even a little bit farther. I have been following the calendar, and I am all the way through with my prezi, and am starting my infographic.

Finished with

• Interview #1 – 25 question transcript on Google Docs 
• Interview #2 – 25 question transcript on Google Docs (opposite side of family) 
• Persuasive Letter/Email – typed in Google Docs (sending is optional) 
• Simple FamilyEcho Family Tree Outline 
• Creative Prezi Family Tree – At least 15 family members, do NOT use a template

Friday, November 15th

Top Three Best Stop Motion Animations


1. Katie Gemperlli
Drawing of Girl
Really cool, did a line at a time.
2. Matthew Farrahi
Sexy Peppermint
Thought it was creative, and funny.
3. Tyler Geiman
Shoe Adventure
Thought it was cool how it went up the stairs.

Wednesday, November 13th

Journal - How did you stop motion animation turn out? If you could give it a grade, what would you give it out of 60 points? What did you learn from creating this video?

So far, I think it is pretty good. I still need to put music in, so until then, its not complete. It hits all of the requirements about length, credits, title screen, so I like it. If I had to grade myself on this project, I think that I deserve a 95. The camera was not zoomed in right, and its a little out of focus in some places, which I could have changed.

Monday, November 11th

Journal - How far along are you on your stop motion animation? What did you do over the weekend to work on you stop motion animation? Do you have all your pictures today? Will you have all your pictures by the end of the hour? Give me a detailed updated.

I have all of my pictures in a CD. So all that I have to do is just download the pictures from the CD. I worked yesterday with my brothers friend on the project, which is involving skittles.

Friday, November 8th

Journal - What are you planning on doing for your stop-motion animation video? What story are you going to tell? How will your video be fun and different? Who is taking your photos? When are you taking your photos?

I am planning on doing a stop motion animation video of someone laying down on their side, and putting their foot on the curb so it looks like they're standing. They will walk around, and do random activities. Maybe I could draw things with chalk on the ground. I am not sure who will take the pictures, or how I will keep the camera steady.

Wednesday, November 6th

Journal - What story will your storyboard tell? Explain in detail.

My storyboard will tell the story of Tyler, who is going to his class, but realizes right before he enters his class, he does not have his backpack. He is immediately disappointed, and sets out to find his backpack. Eventually, he finds his backpack and is able to go to his class and is able to go to his class.

Monday, November 4th

Journal - What photo editing tool(s) have you used so far on your 5 photos project? Do you like the tool? Is it easy to use? Hard to use? What's good about it? Whats bad about it? Give a detailed review of the tool.

My favorite too that we have used so far is pixlr.com. I like it because it has multiple effects that I can use and it is very easy to try them all. You can just slide the effect on and it will preview what your picture will look like. The only thing I don't like is that you cant fine tune the brightness or the contrast.

Friday, November 1st

Journal - What are the pros and cons to photo editing? What are some examples of when photo editing is fun and appropriate? When can photo editing be inappropriate or too much?

Photo editing will allow you put effects, and tweak your pictures so that they look better. You can also use different websites or applications to try and find which one you like best. When someone goes on a vacation, and takes a picture, but its too blurry or dark, you can bump up the contrast or brightness and try to get it to look more clear to the audience.

Monday, October 28th

Journal – What is your favorite web tool that we have used in class so far this year? Why is it your favorite web tool? What do you like about it? How can you use it again in the future?

My favorite web tool that we have used so far is Prezi. I think that Prezi is a great way to present text, and keep it entertaining for the audience. I can see myself using it in the future when I have to present a topic to an adult audience. I like its different themes that suit certain topics, I like the transitions between slides and even how it saves online, so you can present it anywhere you are.

Tuesday, October 22nd

Monday, October 21st

Journal- Tell me about your weekend, what did you do?

On Friday, I went to the game, even though it was freezing and raining the whole time. I left at half time because I couldn't stay any longer. On Saturday, I went over to a bonfire, and we roasted some marshmallows. Halfway through the night, the fire started going out, so we had to try and keep it going.

Thursday, October 17th

Journal - What makes a presentation memorable? What makes a presentation stand out and not boring? How are you going to make your presentation better than anyone else? How will you make it unique? Explain.

What makes a presentation memorable is when the presenter projects his voice and uses eye contact. If you look around in the audience, and do not just stare at your power point, it will capture the audiences attention. If you make flashcards or have a few notes in front of you, it will make the presentation way better. Another idea is to project your voice. If you talk loudly and confidently, it will make the audience interact and listen to your presentation much more.

Tuesday, October 15th

Journal - What did you learn from the Ted Talk yesterday? Did you find it interesting or accurate? Explain.

The Ted Talk that we watched yesterday was very relatable. It was supporting the theory that eventually, the newer generations will not know how to communicate face to face. I found it very accurate, I know people who are not great in person, and are much more comfortable over text. She said the cause of this, is because people are hiding from each other behind a screen. Even in high priority situations, people will pull out their phones to check social networks so that they will not feel alone.

Monday, October 14th

Journal - What do you love about the "digital age" that we currently live in? What do you dislike about it? What are positives ways you use technology in your life? What are some things that come along with technology that you don't like? Explain.

I enjoy the digital ages social media. I think that it is a great way to connect with your class outside of school. It helps to get to know more people that you may have not known before. School is starting to get more technical as well. Many classrooms are beginning to adapt the uses of computers and more advanced technology into the subject. However, the new technology is moving very fast, and is hard to keep up with.

Wednesday, October 9th

Tuesday, October 8th

Journal - Tell me about your Homecoming weekend (whether you went to the activities or not!). Tell me about what you did over the weekend.

This weekend was Homecoming weekend. So on Friday, my friends and I went to the homecoming game. On Saturday, I got ready for the homecoming dance at six. At six, I went with my group to take pictures and eat dinner. At eight, we went to the actual dance and stayed until ten. After we left, my group came back to my house for the after party. On Sunday, I watched football and did homework.

Wednesday, October 2nd

Journal - What do you know about infographics?

Nothing. I have no idea what they are. I am guessing that it will give the viewer some kind of information, and maybe have pictures, or some kind of graphic to look at.

Friday, September 27th

Journal - What are you weekend plans?

I do not really have any plans for the weekend. I will probably go to the Blue Valley game tonight. Then tomorrow, I will probably hang out with friends. Sunday, I will watch football, do my homework, and get ready for school on Monday.

Wednesday, September 25th

Journal - Most students view siting work as 'a pain in the butt'. How do you feel about it? Is it necessary? When is it appropriate to cite work? What's the importance of it?

Siting work is great for projects, and papers, because it gives you the ability to have reliable information that somebody else approved. It does take a little bit more work, and take up more time, but is very helpful if needed. Citing work helps you understand more information, because when you cite you have to read about your subject.

Tuesday, September 24th

What is your favorite book, magazine, or publication? Why?

I do not read very many magazines or other forms of writing, so I only have a favorite book.My favorite books are the Harry Potter Series. I do not like to read, however, when I read this series I enjoyed it. I like the author, and how she writes, It makes you feel like your in the scene, and in the book with the characters.

Wednesday, September 23rd

Journal - Do you enjoy writing? What kind of writing do you enjoy? Why is writing an essential skill in life? How will you use this skill in the future?

I do not enjoy writing. Whenever I try to make up a story, I can never think of what it should be about, and always end up not happy with my work. Whenever I write school papers and essays, I always know what it should be about, but do not enjoy writing about it. Writing is very important in life, especially on computers, where most work is done. In business, you are required to send emails, and documents over work, and communicating with coworkers.

Tuesday, September 17th

Journal - What is creating an outline for a paper important? Do you think it helps you personally? How would you prefer to outline a paper - pen and paper or an online tool? Is there a different way you know if that would prefer to organize your thoughts?

It is important to always write an outline when creating a paper. It helps put all facts where they are easy to see.  I always write an outline before my rough draft. That way I can copy and paste later. You will be able to add on to your outline while you are writing your paper as well, that way you have facts in the essay, and in the outline.

Monday, September 16th

Journal - Tell me about your weekend. Where did you go? What did you do?

This weekend I hung out with friends and slept. On Friday, I went over to my dads house and had a few friends over there. Then, on Saturday, I slept late, and I went over to my moms house with my stepbrothers. On Sunday, I did my homework, and watched football.

Wednesday, September 11th

Journal - Who do you look up to in life? Why? What have they done to help you or guide you?

I look up to my cousin Zac. He is an accomplished musician and inspires me to get better every day. He got his first major show when he was 17, and had thousands of people watching him. He and his friends band is inspiring because they were only 17 when they got together and became full time musicians.

Tuesday, September 10th

Journal - What is good email etiquette and why is it essential in the "real" world? How can having good email etiquette put you ahead?

Good email etiquette is to talk like you talk in real life, but professionally. Like you are writing a paper. All sentences should be complete with no abbreviations or texting signs. When writing an email, you should start off with a greeting and introduction, and then follow with the purpose of the email. Then, depending on what the email was about, conclude it and finish it off with a goodbye.

Friday, September 6th

Journal - If there was one big global issue in the world that you could fix, what would it be? A cure for cancer? Save the rain forest? Stop pollution? Think about it and then write about it. Why would you choose that specific issue?

If I could fix one issue in the world, it would be cancer. Cancer has been a problem for the whole world for a very long time. It is the most common and dangerous disease, which is still very hard to cure. I have been around the disease and have seen what it can do. It takes many lives every day, so if the disease didn't exist, there would be no more deaths. No more families would be shaken by the horrible effects of cancer.

Wednesday, September 4th

Tuesday, September 3rd

Journal - On Friday we discussed Public Service Announcements. In your own words tell me what they are and what their purpose is. If you could create a PSA what would your topic be? Why?

Public Service Announcements are created to raise awareness about a certain subject or problem. For example, there are plenty of sad PSA's about dogs that are abused or neglected. If I had to make a PSA, I would make mine about child abuse. Child abuse is a big problem, and it comes in many forms.

Friday, August 30th

What are your hobbies and extra curricular activities? Where do you spend your free time? Tell me three of your favorite things (movies, TV show, magazine, sport, color, etc.)

My hobbies are hanging out with my friends, playing guitar or writing music. I've loved music my whole life and eventually started playing guitar when I was nine. I can also play most other instruments, but I'm best at guitar and piano. I've never had a favorite artist or a favorite song. Mumford and Sons, and Joe Purdy are my favorite though. I really don't have a favorite song, I have too many. My favorite college team is KU, because my parents went there, and my favorite color is red.

Who am I Presentation

Wednesday, August 28th

What are some qualities of a good presentation? How can you make a boring presentation interesting? Explain The most important aspect of a good presentation is how you present it. If you have a really good power point but your really boring presenting it, nobody will be interested. Ways your can improve your presentation are, you can talk louder. Nobody wants to have to focus too hard to hear a presentation. You should also make good eye contact with your audience, you shouldn't read off of your power point word for word. Your power point can also help it get interesting. You should use color and interesting words, to prevent the audience from being bored.

Monday, August 26th

Journal- Tell me if you agree with this statement and then explain why or why not. "Images on the internet are a 'free game'- if someone posted it, I can use it.

I partly agree. Anybody can use them if they want to, but it can be illegal if they do not site where they found the original image. In some cases, this can be a bad thing. People can use other peoples work without giving credit, an get away with it. However, the statement said that its a free game and I can use it, which is true. You can take any picture on the internet that you want.

Friday, August 23th

What is the importance of online safety and protecting your information? What do you do to protect yourself online? Share an experience you or someone you know has had with online safety.

Online safety is a big problem. Internet users do not know who the other user behind the computer. Live chats and talk rooms can be very dangerous because the other user can say that he is a teenager, but you never know. I have never had an encounter with this problem, but only because I do not do internet . However, I know its there. You can prevent this problem by being very careful about who you talk to and to never share any personal information.

Tuesday, August 20th

What does this quote mean to you "Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you, and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use."

Ashtons Kutcher's speech is very inspirational for teenagers because it shows that when Ashton Kutcher was our age, he was just a normal kid named Chris.  It wasn't until later in his life that he became a famous actor and influenced so many people. His point of the speech was that all of the teenagers in he world, all have potential to change the world. That the people before us created what we call life. People no smarter than us. We can change the world, just like he did when he went into acting and became Ashton.