Día De Los Muertos (Circuits)
Overall, the Dia De Los Muertos Project was probably the hardest, longest, and most complete project we've done all year. During this project in Physics, we were learning about electricity, simple circuits, and resistors in series and parallel circuits. So for the Physics aspect of this project, we had to design, model and build our very own circuits that we would use in our play. First, we had to brainstorm as to what we wanted our circuits to be. Then, once we knew what our circuits would be, we had to model them in the official way to draw a circuit, and calculate the voltage to find out what types of bulbs and resistors we would need to build our circuits, also keeping in mind that different colored lights use different amounts of voltage, and therefore may need stronger or weaker resistors. Next, we had to place our order for our products, using only the money that was in our budget. Finally, we had to build our circuits that had to include the lights, at least one resistor to keep the voltage at the right level, a battery to power the circuit, and a switch that could turn it on and off so that it didn't run constantly and waste battery. It was a very fun challenge, but not as difficult as some people may believe, although it caused no shortage of headaches.
In this project, I was most proud of the way that our group came together and worked as a team when it came to brainstorming, designing, and building these circuits. Especially because our group was divided and had conflicts at times, and because I was project manager, it was really one of the highlights of the project. Building the circuits really made us feel like a team, and I think it was a fantastic way to start the project. If I could change or revise something it would be the design of our first circuit because it broke just before our second performance. Maybe if we would double checked our calculations on the voltage or used a different type of resistor, or simply had more resistors, we could have prevented it from breaking, but mistakes are meant to happen so that you learn from them. I truly believe I used all seven Habits of the Heart and Mind (Compassion, Cooperation, Evidence, Mindfulness, Perspective, Perseverance, Refinement) during the course of this project. I used Compassion by being there, and being calm, for those in my group when they got stressed out or angry about something. I used Cooperation throughout every part of the project because everything required working together as a group. I used Evidence when revising my work, and checking my work and budget when we were building the circuits. I used Mindfulness when we were thinking of ways to be able to stop the conflict within our group. I used Perspective when listening to the reasoning and arguments of my group members when we were in a standstill about something. I used Perseverance throughout the project by being Project Manager, which required getting involved in everything, and by being to two plays. Finally, I used Refinement when editing our circuits, play, script, backdrop, and the drafts for everything else.
In this project, I was most proud of the way that our group came together and worked as a team when it came to brainstorming, designing, and building these circuits. Especially because our group was divided and had conflicts at times, and because I was project manager, it was really one of the highlights of the project. Building the circuits really made us feel like a team, and I think it was a fantastic way to start the project. If I could change or revise something it would be the design of our first circuit because it broke just before our second performance. Maybe if we would double checked our calculations on the voltage or used a different type of resistor, or simply had more resistors, we could have prevented it from breaking, but mistakes are meant to happen so that you learn from them. I truly believe I used all seven Habits of the Heart and Mind (Compassion, Cooperation, Evidence, Mindfulness, Perspective, Perseverance, Refinement) during the course of this project. I used Compassion by being there, and being calm, for those in my group when they got stressed out or angry about something. I used Cooperation throughout every part of the project because everything required working together as a group. I used Evidence when revising my work, and checking my work and budget when we were building the circuits. I used Mindfulness when we were thinking of ways to be able to stop the conflict within our group. I used Perspective when listening to the reasoning and arguments of my group members when we were in a standstill about something. I used Perseverance throughout the project by being Project Manager, which required getting involved in everything, and by being to two plays. Finally, I used Refinement when editing our circuits, play, script, backdrop, and the drafts for everything else.