Who Do You Think You Are?

Interview questions with Grandma Ardie Pinkerton
Pinkerton Interview Questions

Interview questions with Grandpa John Hagel
Hagel Interview Questions

Email written to Aunt Jane Tobias about the Pinkerton family tree

Persuasive Letter

Hagel/Pinkerton family tree on Ancestry.com (click on the green arrow below Cynthia Pinkerton or Keith Hagel to see the opposite sides of the family tree)

Family Tree

Looking through the Hagel family descendants book
StoryBoard

December 2nd, 2013

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.

So far on my project I'm probably about halfway finished. I need to get some more of my interview questions done with different family members so I have different view points for my family tree. I need to collect more photos and try to see if I can go back one more generation in my family tree.

November 15th, 2013

Collin Wolfe - Skittles - I think that this idea was creative and unusual

Katie Gemperli - Drawing - This was just really cool

Emma Friedlander - Moving school items - I thought this was unique and I would've never thought of it

November 13th, 2013

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?

I think my video could have turned out a little better than it did. I cropped all of my pictures and they ended up going back to the original photo so it was kind of unexpected. I think I would give my video a 45 out of 60 because the quality wasn't as good as I wanted it. I learned that it's probably better to take photos on a regular camera with a stand rather than taking them on my phone.

November 11, 2013

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.

As of now I have about 50 pictures and I am going to try to be finished by today. Over the weekend I tried to get my pictures edited and cropped so it just shows the square of sticky notes. I think that if I'm not done by today then I will be done tomorrow and ready to upload them to my computer.

November 8th, 2013

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 My stop-motion animation video is going to be a sticky-note square and I'm going to move certain sticky notes around to create a picture. I think my animation is going to be a story about a flower blooming or I might just make kaleidoscope designs. I think my video will be different because no one would really think about having different colored sticky notes for a design. I am taking my own photos and I am going to take them during class.

November 6th, 2013

 What story will your storyboard tell? Explain in detail.

My storyboard tells a story about a boy who thinks he can fly and climbs on top of a really high place and spreads out his arms but but ends up tragically failing. He falls face first to the ground and then sits up and starts to cry because his dreams of flying have been crushed. The first few pictures are in black and white because it represents the boy reflecting back on what he has just done. The last picture is in color because it represents the present.

November 4th, 2013

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.

So far I have used pixlr and photoshop on my project. Pixlr is easy to use and I really like using it because the editing steps are simple and aren't hard to find. I think the easiest part of using Pixlr is the editing tools because they just drop down from a tool bar and you don't have to go searching for them all over the place. Photoshop has been a little more complicated and I didn't save my picture on it because I didn't think it turned out very well. I just find it to be more confusing so I'll probably end up using Pixlr again.

November 1st, 2013

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?

Some of the pros of photo editing can be making pictures look neater and cleaner. Photo editing helps magazines and other advertisements look better than the original picture. Cons of editing can be using pictures to deceive another person and make them think that the picture is not what it seems. Photo editing can be fun when you use it on social media sites like instagram, twitter, etc. A person can use it too much when they start to trick other people with editing or they use it in other ways to make people think that it is not what it seems.

October 28th, 2013

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?

I think my favorite web tool so far has been prezi because it's really easy to use and it's efficient. It's much better than just using a powerpoint because it has better transitions and it also lets you adjust your slides. A lot of other presentation tools are exactly like powerpoint and I don't like to use them. I think I can use prezi in the future for more projects and to maybe help with college materials.

One-Child Policy

China's One-Child Policy on PhotoPeach

October 21st, 2013

Tell me about your weekend.

Over the weekend I had to get allergy tested to see what kind of things I'm allergic to. After that I went out to dinner with one of my friends on my soccer team and then hung out with another one of my friends. We watched a movie at my house. I also had a soccer game at the Overland Park Soccer Complex which my team won. My family then went over to our neighbors house to carve pumpkins and have lunch which was really fun. Lastly I had a study-date with one of my friends from school and we went out to eat and do our homework together.

October 17th, 2013

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.

Something I think makes a presentation really unique is when a presenter finds a way to connect with the audience to keep them engaged. A presentation stands out when there are memorable images, easy information to remember, and the presenter makes the information stick with the listeners. I think a was to not make a presentation boring is by getting the audience involved by asking questions. I'm going to try and make my presentation unique by adding in good information that is easy for people to remember and also making sure that the pictures I use are strong enough to make the audience remember them.

October 15th, 2013

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

In the Ted Talk yesterday I learned that technology is pulling us away from each other. Even though we might think that it is helping society grow, we are actually losing important life skills that are necessary while continuing to grow. Most of the things mentioned in the video were very accurate because all of it was based on psychology. Although we think that technology can be our best friend, we need actual human contact to be able to establish healthy relationships instead of being on our phones and other devices all the time. I thought it was interesting how she described the past and present feelings of how texting and calling works.

October 14th, 2013

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.

The digital age that we live in today is something that is so advanced that it's almost uncontrollable. One of the good things about it though is that we are able to easily contact and share things with others. I use technology in my life to communicate with family and friends easily. Technology is starting to get out of hand, and that's something I don't like about it. A lot of the time when people post things they can never get it back. I think that's kind of dangerous in some situations.

One-Child Policy Infographic

October 8th, 2013

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

Over the weekend I helped my little sister get ready for homecoming. My grandparents were also visiting from Nebraska to celebrate my birthday and my sister's birthday. We went out to a nice dinner and then hung out at my house for awhile. I also had three soccer games which went really well.

October 2nd, 2013

What do you know about infographics? What do you know about them? What are their purpose?

Infographics are used to show any kind of statistic by using a diagram with pictures and charts that are easy to read. They are often times seen online. Their purpose is to show a reader a certain statistic and demonstrate it so they can read it easy. The pictures that go with an infographic have something to do with the topic that the statistic is about. Most of them include either a percent or some other kind of number.

September 27th, 2013

What are you weekend plans?

This weekend I have a soccer tournament at the Overland Park Soccer Complex and my first game is tonight. I also plan on going shopping because I got some money for my birthday on Wednesday. Hopefully I'll find some time to go to the Legends after my games. If not though, I'm going to try and hang out with some friends or watch a couple of movies because I haven't done that in awhile.

September 25th, 2013

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?

I think it's good to cite work most of the time, but sometimes when teachers tell you that you have to have a certain number of sources then I think it's a pain. I believe that you should be able to get as many sources as you need because sometimes you find information in only a couple of places. It's important to cite your sources though because it allows you to give credit to the person who put the information out there.

September 24th, 2013

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

I don't really have a favorite book, but I enjoy reading magazines about anything that has to do with fashion. I really like looking at them because it helps me get ideas for things that I want to wear and what I should wear for each season. Even though I don't really have a favorite, I look at a lot of them to get ideas. Reading these helps me when I go shopping and when I want to look at stuff I already have to mix up my clothes. I could probably spend an entire day reading these.

September 23, 2013

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 really enjoy writing and it has always been one of my strengths. I really enjoy writing factual pieces or anything that I can research and find information on. Writing is an essential skill because it's one of the many ways that you can communicate with others. It has always been used and it will continue to be used in communication. In the future I would like to use writing as a major part of my career. I think if I really want to continue writing I will probably need to learn how to write in different situations and environments.

September 17th, 2013

Why 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 of that would prefer to organize your thoughts?

Creating an outline for a paper is important because it allows the writer to organize their thoughts into a diagram before even beginning to write. Personally my best ideas come when I'm just allowed to start writing and not create a diagram. I like being able to write a rough draft first and then adding onto it later on. I've never really used diagrams a lot. If I do have to do a diagram though then I like being able to actually write them down because I think that helps me start thinking about new ideas. I really don't have a good way to organize my thoughts besides just being able to freely write.

September 16th, 2013

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

Over the weekend I went shopping twice, once on Friday and another time on Sunday. Both times I went to the mall and then on Sunday I also went to Town Center. Also on Saturday I was able to go watch my mom compete in a fitness competition and it was really exciting for her because this was her first one. Before I left to go watch her I baked her some cookies and then bought her flowers to congratulate her for working really hard for the competition. I also babysat a family friend's daughter on Saturday overnight and she came to my 9 o'clock soccer game and watched me play. We ended up winning the game 7-0. I think overall it was a really good weekend.

September 11th, 2013

Who do you look up to in life? Why? What have they done to help you or guide you? I have always looked up to my grandfather because he is respected and admired by many people including me. I look up to him because even as he gets older he doesn't complain about becoming more and more limited. No matter what's going on he always has a smile on his face. He and my grandmother have been married for almost 55 years and it's like nothing has even changed since the first day they met. He has guided me and all 21 of my cousins by setting a really good example around each and every one of us. Although we have a large family he still treats us like we are all individuals and spends time with every one of us. I always look forward to seeing him because I know that no matter what we do, I'll enjoy being in his company. That is one thing I hope to learn how to do someday.

September 10th, 2013

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 being able to write something better than you could actually speak. When you have good email etiquette it creates a good first impression on someone that you've never met before. It's essential to the real world to be able to do this because in our society email is one of the most common forms of communication. Having good email etiquette can really put you ahead of others because it allows the person you want to communicate with see your writing style. It makes you look intelligent.

September 6th, 2013

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 I think I would want to find a way to stop poverty. If poverty was fixed somehow I think it would help people solve a lot of other problems in the world. I think it would help stop things like hunger, crime, and obviously debt. Around the world the economy would be more stable and we could focus on other things like finding cures for diseases. I specifically chose this issue because I think it's something that the world struggles with dealing with and it has always been an issue.

September 4th, 2013

September 3rd, 2013

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 messages played to the public through radio, television, or some other form of media to make people aware of some kind of health or social concern. Their purpose is to inform large amounts of people about something important. If I could create a Public Service Announcement I would probably make mine about texting and driving because it's a big problem with teens and even adults. I think this would be a good topic because a lot of car crashes today are linked back to texting and driving.

August 30th, 2013

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.) Outside of school I play a lot of soccer. Usually my team travels at least once a month so I don't really have that much free time. I also do a little bit of modeling outside of school and I really enjoy doing that! I think it's really fun to try on new clothes and get my picture taken. I also really enjoy going shopping on my free days and trying to find new styles. Someday when I grow up my dream job is to be around the modeling and fashion industry somehow. My three favorite things are soccer, Nebraska, and fashion.

Who Am I Presentation

August 28th, 2013

What are some qualities of a good presentation? How can you make a boring presentation interesting? Explain. A good presentation requires a person's full attention towards the topic of the subject. If they're intrigued by the topic then they should make you feel like you should be intrigued too. You can make a boring presentation more fun by adding a personal experience along with your speech or show. A lot of times I feel more engaged when I can personally connect with something in the presentation's of others. An example of this is when I'm in church, I like to pick out things that the priest says and connect them back to my own life. Another good quality of a presentation is keeping things as short as possible and to the point. A lot of times people drag things on and repeat things that don't need to be repeated. This loses people's interest and attention. Keep your presentations connectable, short, and sweet.

August 26th, 2013

"Images on the internet are 'free game' - if someone posted I should be able to use it." I agree with this statement because anything you post on the internet is technically for anyone to see. If you're posting something you should realize that anyone else in the world can see it if they have the right accessibility or tools. Many people don't realize that what the post can be used by anyone else who wants to use it. As soon as people start realizing that it's not okay to post everything to the internet, the safer it will be.

August 23rd, 2013

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 important because you want to protect what's rightfully your's. If someone else has access to your things online then you have no idea what they could do with it. Even if they're very close to you, something can happen even by complete accident and it could hurt you. You can protect yourself online by creating a strong password and making sure that you are the only person that has that password. I know that one of my friends had a problem with her password where people were getting on her twitter account from several different locations and she ended up having to change a lot of her passwords just to be safe. The reason behind the hacking was because her password just wasn't strong enough. So even though you think you might not need a hard password, sometimes it really matters.

Tuesday, August 20th

"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." This quote really inspires me to want to live life to the fullest and become a better person in general. Not just towards the people I already know, but all the people that I'm going to meet in the future. I love the fact that he mentions that no one is smarter than you because it's the truth. No one is really smarter than you, people just have different perceptions in their own lives. Every person is unique from the person next to them, and that's what makes the world different. You build your own world though, don't let anyone else change how you live your life.