PVU GCE Portfolio

For this unit, Treatment, in our STEAM class Cure, we studied different ways we can treat illnesses. The specifics of the unit was the difference between a medicine and a drug. We learned about over-the-counter drugs, treatments, prescription drugs, and last but not least natural remedies. I really enjoyed learning these types of different ways you can cure the human body. As an athlete, it is essential to take care of your body. We also learned a lot about what the FDA requires on packaging for medicines. For the this Action Project, we were to choose an illness or symptom and identify three ways to cure or prevent it. To make the project come alive, we made our own medicine box. On the box, we were instructed to label the three cures or preventives we had found. The last three sides were filled with our graph and our (works cited) “ingredients.” I struggled with finding putting the box together. Although I am good at assembling things, I struggled with being exact for my box. I was a...

In my second elective term for my class M.A.G.I.C., we studied who inspires us and who/what motivates us. M.A.G.I.C. stands for “Mentoring Achievement of Goals and Inspiring Champions.” We studied all kinds of different people who are our mentors or inspiration. I chose Garry Kasparov as my mentor and inspiration, I chose this due to how successful he is not just in chess but in life. Kasparov is a world-class chess player and a political activist. In 2006, he had started the Russian Opposition. The Russian Opposition is a group of various political parties, movements, and groups of citizens, who oppose the policies of Vladimir Putin. Kasparov advocated and spoke out against Putin, and as a result, he was almost killed several times. I also chose a mentor in my personal life that helped me and inspired me. I chose my teammate from fencing Cameron Woods. He inspired me and drove me to success. Although I am not perfect, he taught me to be the best I cou...

In my first class for Humanities, called Forbidden Books. We studied religions and how they take part in our daily lives. In this unit, we are studying Dogma. Dogma is a set of principles laid down by an authority as incontrovertibly true. Dogma says you have to follow only one rule, but some people disagree with only believing in one thing. In my opinion I think we should be allowed to see different views and religions. For this Action Project, we had to find a movie, book, video, or song that was banned for religious or context reasons. The song I choose was Pumped up Kicks by Foster the People. We were instructed to make a powerpoint about why the song was banned. I found out why Pumped up Kicks was banned. The reason for it was due to the questionable lyrics thought the song. I found the banning process very interesting. The hardest part of the AP was to research the lyrics and analyzing. I was able to get through analyzing the lyrics by listening to the song and write down what I ...

For this elective term, I have been taking a STEAM course called Game Changers. In this elective course, we have been learning about games and game design. Some of these games include tabletop games like a board, dice, and card games. We learned about game creation and how to innovate and invent our own games. We were also able to make our own tabletop games. One of our field experiences was to go to CHITAG (Chicago Toy and Game Fair) and present our game. While we were there we were able to get lots of feedback for how to make our games better. I was on of the lucky ones who also got an interview with a couple of different television companies. We learned about what an elevator pitch was and how it’s so useful when selling your idea. For this Action Project, we were supposed to produce our final version of our games. My game is complete but not perfect. I had a really hard time creating the physical components for my project, but I overcame it with just pushing through. I had a sign...

In my class Digital Media, in my Elective Term, we are learning about how to publish a blog post. We are learning about the proper ways to publish slide shows and projects. We took a quiz to test our knowledge about blogging. I have created a slide show about the basics of Fencing. I hope you enjoy!

In my final unit of my STEAM class Population, we discussed how life expectancy can change over time. We learned about calculating and predicting population growth. Our class learned a lot about survivorship curves, and to showcase our knowledge we went the OakWood Cemetery to collect data.  We then used that data to create our own survivorship graph. We were instructed to come up with an Action Project that compared the human population to a self-chosen animal. I chose the Wood Bison. I thought the would Bison was a cool animal, and with my limited time, I had easily accessible data for Wood Bison. I thought the hardest part of this Action Project was to shoot the video. I have genuinely had a hard time filming anything that I am in. I overcame this by just pushing through my weakness to reach the top. I am overall happy with how it turned out. Ansgar Walk. (February 26, 2006) Wood Bison  Ansgar Walk. (February 26, 2006) Wood Bison Year Bison Pop ...

In my second unit of my Who Am I, I learned about philosophers and doubt. For this Action Project, I made a slide show about "What makes us decide what's right and wrong." I thought this was a cool action project. This was pretty easy to make, but it had some troubles. The hardest part of my project was to think about my everyday decisions and the process I take to make those decisions.