Plan- Time

Design

Design One:

      The design cycle is difficult enough to understand, but even harder to use and use properly. For this design I would create a story book in which the design cycle is fully used so that he process is easier to comprehend.  For example, I would make a story depicting the full process that I'm doing now.

Design Two:

       For my second design, I would make a humorus story to engage the students learning an interests. It would be something relating to what they understand. I might do it using something for their age group like a famous person.

Design Three:

      The third design is simple; I would basically create a story of someone asking someone else what the design cycle is. Then I would create the book relating to that. 

Design Brief and specification

1. I am going to make a storybook simple enough to teach sixth graders the Design Cycle, so that they can fully understand it.
2.

• simple enough for a sixth grader to understand
• must present the topic clearly
• 1-3 minute presentation
• 5 page long storybook 

3. The limitations of my project are mainly not having enough time to make sure the sixth graders fully understand the Design Cycle while I am presenting, and I am not that great with computers.


4. I will test my project by making the 6th graders rewrite the Design Cycle steps and their purposes and then evaluate how well they answered it.  Prior to doing this, I will discuss and summarize what I taught them to better further their understanding and ensure they are able to accomplish the written paragraph of the design cycle that I am giving them.


Any changes?
I decided to turn my "storybook" into a story through a newspaper. This will be a newspaper feel with stories and pictures to teach the design cycle. This is because I wanted to make a story, but wasn't comfortable using the tools online. This is the best of both worlds. 

Investigation Reflection

If there were a 4-5, I wouldn't hesitate to chose that. Unfortunately there is not so I'm forced to chose between a 3-4 or a 5-6. I rate myself this because I did everything that was required and I did them well, but i didn't do them to the best of my abilities. I began and I acknowledged the sources but, I could have analyzed them more and in more detail. I did all that I needed to answer the problem and how it can be solved, but I needed to have researched more at the beginning to better my end results. The outcome came out well, but not extraordinary. 

FlipBook



Pictures:

       There are not many pictures. This is because you are able to draw them by yourself using the mouse. This is an interesting way to do it, but it might be difficult for someone that isn't good at art like myself. You can chose from a variety of colors and then delete or start over at any time. It also gives you the option to preview what you have made, which is a good tool to have. I gave it a three because the storybook examples have pretty pictures. 
Text: 
        After searching the site, I did not find a way to put in words. I assume this is because it's a storybook. this is not good for the idea I had in mind, but is fine because you can do a story with pictures. There are no way to put in words that I know of. 
Background:
        The backgrounds that are given are none. The flipbook does not give you the option of putting in a background. The background is white with the drawings in the center. When you look over a flipbook that was already created,  the white background really makes the pictures stand out. I don't think I will use the storybook because I don't even get to tell a story. instead , id be forced to do it through pictures.
 Simplicity:
         I gave the simplicity a two. Its a two because it seems simple to create the actual storybook. What i meant by this was that the tools are low in amount and are easy to use. However, there is not much to offer you so it makes the actual outcome simple, and I would wan't my project to look better. I liked how at the top of the site they give you five easy links to go to that help you with the storybook. Those links are make, gallery, popular, podcast, find, and info. I like this so it gets to the point, but when I first went to the site it was difficult and I still have questions.

ComicMaster

Pictures:

         The pictures are essentially the characters or pictures of them that I could chose from. At first I had some trouble locating where they were, but when I did I was not impressed. The reason being was because they were all in graphic form and I was looking in ding something that wasn’t cartoon like. Unfortunately that was not possible with this website, so I was forced to look at the ones given. Because of this, I changed my mind and really liked the characters and pictures that were given to me. There were four main ones, and they intrigued me enough to want to look at the site more. I rated them three because although they were nice, I wish there was more a variety such as girl pictures to chose from. 

Text:

         The way that text could be put into the comic strip is in caption boxes. I like it, but I wanted to do a more serious story and I feel as though the representation requires the story to have a more humorous feel. Looking over the way they can be shown, I enjoyed it. There are many different sizes and froms that the capitions could be placed into. This also makes me question weather or not I would be able to write a long story.  

Background:

         The backgrounds were the things that amused me the most. There were many differnent and sinteresting choices. I don't want to have to draw at all so I like that I wouldn't have to. The site offers alot of choices that look like they make sence, and also look easy to understand. Again, i'm not sure if the pictures are what I want to represent my project. The reason being is because I don't want to be stuck with having to do a comedy.

Simplicity:

           Looking back at the time I first looked at the site, it took me a very long time to even understand how to begin. It annoyed me, so I dont think I will understand easier. After I tried it repeadetly, I began to understand more and more. It isn't very simple, so it worries me if I were to chose it. However, I finally understood most of it and it became easier.

          

Day 2: Investigation Reflection

http://www.comicmaster.org.uk/ 
   Im interested in doing some sort of short story to teach the sixth graders. The above link is a website that helps make make a short novel and decorate it any way you want; its called comicmaster. Its a good source to use, but i'm not sure if i can do it because I don't fully understand how to use it. I would like to do it, but I don't want to do a comic strip. I was thinking of doing an actual story, and i don't know if this site does that. I learned that you can choose from many different types of backgrounds, and set your comic strip to be any types of sizes.  I don't think that i'll use this source because I don't like comic strips. 
http://www.benettonplay.com/toys/flipbookdeluxe/index.php
   As I said earlier, I'm interested in doing a story. I went to Flipbook, and i think this can help me more than Comic master because it's more of a story. I learned that you could draw but I don't want to have to do that since I know it'll turn out as a lesser product than i'd hoped for. Looking at this site, I didn't really learn much because Its difficult to look through for me. 
Summary:
   I liked and disliked things about both Comicstrip and Flipbok. Flipbook can create a story more easily, but not pictures while Comicstrip can create the pictures well, but I don't like how the story would come out. All together, the first day of investigating was an efficient day to research what I'd like to do and what I'd like to do it with. As of now, I'm creating a story book; though I could also do a poem using the same tools. 

Area of Interaction: Community and Service , Approaches to Learning & Human Ingenuity

Significant Concept: Design Cycle can be used to solve problem

Unit Question: How can my learning help my community? How do I make Sound Choices?

INVESTIGATE: (Write in complete sentences) Identify the Problem

1.    What is the problem you need to solve? The problem that needs to be solved is how to teach the design cycle to sixth graders.

2. How does the Design Cycle apply to the real world? The design cycle applies to the real world in many forms. For example, when creating a new car, you first need to investigate and so on.

3. How will this project serve my community? This will serve my school community because I will be teaching students and peers what I know about the design cycle.

4. How can my learning help my community? My learning can help the community because I will be able to use my knowledge of the design cycle to better expand my skils during any other projects.

5. How do we live in relation to each other? In relation to each olther at school, we live through different social statuses, age, gender, and other things as well.

6. How does this help others? This helps others because we can use our different personal or academic experiences to help others with problems or teach them.

7. What are the requirements for this assignment? For this assignment we need or folders, and an understanding of the design cycle.

8. What is the Design Cycle? The design cycle is the key to understanding how to solve a problem; you use all four stages to solve a problem and complete a task.                                                               

REFLECT on your learning.

Day 2

9. Spend one day experimenting with DESIGN CYCLE your presentation. List five things your learned about the Design Cycle:

Day 3

Design Brief

10. Write a short statement of what you are going to make, why you are going to make it, and for whom you are making it.

Formulate a Design Specification

11. What are the requirements for this assignment?

12. What are the limitations you have with this assignment?

13. How will you "test" your presentation?

REFLECT ON YOUR LEARNING

PLAN:

14. Brainstorm ideas. Use the chart below

IB Brainstorming Chart .pdf found in schoology under “materials”& then files

15. What idea did you choose to demonstrate the design cycle and why did you choose it?

16. Does your idea meet all of the requirements?

17. Use the story board paper below to plan your presentation.  Include how many levels you will have, what will be on each level, how will you include teaching skills to young students, and what will your questions be about.

story board.pdf found in schoology under “materials” & then files.

18. Explain how you will use your time to get your project finished in 12 days:

REFLECT on your learning

EVALUATE:

20. How could you improve your presentation?

21. Does your presentation meet all of the requirements?

22. Share your presentation with at least 2-8^th, 3-9^th, 4-10^th+ friends. What did he/she like about your presentation?

23. Reflect on all the steps of the Design Cycle. What did you do well? What do you need to improve?

24. Were you responsible in using the software, Internet, pictures, and computer?

25. How can my learning help my community?

26. What grade do you deserve on this project? (1 - 6)

ATTITUDE:

27. Reflect on your attitude on each step of the Design Cycle. Did you completely answer each step without complaining, being a whiny baby, or saying "it's too hard". Explain your answer:

28. What grade do you deserve on your attitude? (1 - 6)