Self-Reflection; Reconstruction Debate

1. How did I feel during planning this presentation? Why did I feel this way?
1. I felt really good planning this presentation. My entire group was in a unanimous decision about who was going to do what. Oliver would do the opener, I would do the closing, Tyera the flaws, etc. I was very excited that I got to do the closing.
2. How did I feel prior to presenting? Why did I feel this way?
1. Before we presented I was confident in what I was going to say. I was a bit nervous presenting for the first time for some of the 8^th graders, but I was confident in my speech. I practiced over the weekend, and it helped tremendously. It made it less stressful when the time came.
3. How did I feel while I was presenting? Why did I feel this way?
1. I felt very confident. I was a tiny bit nervous but I had my speech memorized. I also learned that memorizing something, or knowing it very well, makes the entire presentation better.
4. What did I personally do well?
1. I think I projected my voice, summed all the topics up, and ended on a true strong point.
5. What did not go as desired in this presentation?
1. Lisa’s had a bit too much content, and the things we fixed with the technology went back to what they were originally. Oliver was also not very confident in what he thought.
6. On a scale from 1-10, how well do I think I understood the content? Explain.
1. I think that I would rate myself a 7 on the content, because I understand the flaws, benefits, and most of the content.
7. How do I think my group members perceived me? Why do I think this?
1. I think all my group members perceived me as someone who would get their work done, get it done right, and do a good job doing it. Based on my previous projects.
8. How do I think the 8^th graders perceived me? Why do I think this?
1. Going into this I knew a majority of the eighth graders. Them being 6^th graders when I was a 5^th grader, out teachers had our classes do a lot together. Hopefully they thought that I knew what I was talking about, and hopefully spoke loud enough to everything to a close.
9. Knowing that I can only control how I act and react, if I could do this presentation again, what would I change about my actions to make it a more ideal experience?
1. I would help Lisa pick out the main things from the Wade-Davis Bill, and take some of it to present it, so she doesn’t have to memorize everything.
10. What are my strengths in groups?
1. I’m usually a pretty good task manager, and a good leader most of the time. And always get my work done on time, and done right. But this was a project that didn’t need a leader; we each did our own thing.
11. What areas do I need improvement?
1. My public speaking could use some work. I need to have more, different, gestures, move around, and interact with the audience more.
12. What is the most important thing I learned about myself? Why is this so important?
1. I learned that, the more I know the topic, and the more I practice, the MUCH better the presentation will be. If you’re more confident in yourself, you sound more confident to the audience.
13. Are there any other things that I need to express?
1. None that I could think of at this time. 

Reflective Blog Entry

I came into the DLC with almost never using a Mac in my life. Now I mostly know how to successfully use Keynote, iMovie, etc. Also for the first month, I had to ask Ms. Bailin about everything, is this okay, how does that look, etc. It was not knowing how to use the programs, but it was also because I was insecure about what I was doing. After that project was done with, over the next few projects I started asking less and less questions. And now I’m pretty confident in my own work, most of the time, and make the decisions based on what I think, usually. I also used to take criticism very badly, now I have finally realized it is just to help me, they’re just giving advice, and sometimes very useful advice. 

I’m most proud about the Stephen Crane project. It was a group project but I had to do a lot at the end. I had to sit with my father for hours while we narrated it, fix all the timing, add things in, cut things, etc. As well as working on the rest of the project with my group. But in the end, the pictures, the movies, and the narration were great. And all together, the project turned out wonderful.

The most challenging project was probably the Thematic Causes of the Civil War project, only because I time managed horribly. I only did about half of it, then waited until the last night before the project was due to do the other half. Luckily it turned out pretty good still, but it was literally a last minute project. 

My hopes for 2^nd semester is that we get to do Survivor, because I’ve heard a lot about it from the 8^th graders. I heard that is was really fun, and exciting. I also hope that I do not lose the game. Not the game that you're thinking of, the game of DLC, second semester. 

My favorite moment in the DLC was when I was an evaluator and we were hanging out going through the groups scripts. There was one script I was grading that had a quote that was the size of half the page, and I didn’t want to highlight it perfectly line by line. So, I scribbled through it with a highlighter. Ms. Bailin picked up my paper, walked into the other room where everyone was, held up the paper and said, “This is what happens what when you give a gifted kid a highlighter!”