Project X-51 was one of the best projects we did this year. The goal of the assignment was to create a mars rover that was capable of running an obstacle course, and collect balls. This was all done in a company format. Each group came up with a company name, and was assigned a budget of "$1,000,000" to buy parts from "NASA" so we could build our rover. It was a really fun and challenging experience, especially on the budgeting side of things. In my group, I was the budget manager, meaning I had to come up with the total cost of materials for our group, then write out "checks" to NASA so we could buy the materials. Each company first had to come up with a design and material list to present to the class and NASA to have our ideas approved. However, the top three designs were awarded extra money for their budget, with the first place getting and extra million. X-51 was probably the best put together project that we had the opportunity to do this year. Its cool twists and challenges made it really fun to do. I hope something like this is done again next year!
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This year has hands down been the best year I've had in a school setting. This is almost entirely due to the Mechatronics Academy. This academy has taught me many things, from how to code a simple program, to how to build and program a massive robot to do anything. These things I would never have learned in any other high school course. This program has multiple benefits to someone like myself, who wants to have a future career in this field of work. For starters, having this program on an application for a college or university could help in deciding whether you get in or not. Likewise, having this program on an application for a job in this field, may help in getting you hired. Having “Completed Mechatronics 20” on an application to a post-secondary school, or for a job, sounds impressive. This Academy can teach you so many things that can help you in a future career. From computer sciences, to robotics, to engineering, to mechanics. This academy will teach you how to take an idea, expand on that idea, improve on that idea, and finally, make that idea a reality. You get to go through the design process, and draft or blueprint the idea. Then you get to put that idea into a modelling program, and visualise your idea in 3D. It's something that many other programs don't offer, especially in high school. The world is moving in a very technology focused way. This program has the ability to teach people how to think creatively and outside the box, as well as prepare them for future careers, some of which don't even exist yet. This academy has helped me prepare for the future. Will it help you? This year, we got the experience of creating a passion project. This was a project that we got to plan, design, and create on our own terms. For our group, we designed an app that was able to store and track all of your daily tasks and reminders for daily life. We designed and programmed the app from the ground up. We first had to learn how to code in JavaScript so that we could create the app. The reason that we built an app is because we wanted to have the experience of creating an app that anybody could download, use, and benefit from. We have plans of adding the app to the Google Play Store later this year.
This year, my class and I were assigned to make S.M.A.R.T. Goals. A S.M.A.R.T. Goal is a goal that is made based around the acronym, S.M.A.R.T. :
Specific Measurable Attainable Relevent Timely Today I will share with you what I have decided to make as S.M.A.R.T. Goals. My first S.M.A.R.T. goal is to get a job. Preferably, a job at the grocery store near my house. This is because it is close enough to walk or bike to and from work. I would like to accomplish this within the first 3 weeks of October. I want to get a job because I would like to have some money to buy Christmas gifts, and also to just make money. I hope to work this job for a long time. I think that this is a attainable goal. I will attain this goal by writing a resume, applying for the job, and hopefully getting an interview. This is also a worthwhile goal to me as I need to get money in order to buy Christmas gifts for my family and friends, and I would like to have some money for myself as well. My second S.M.A.R.T. goal is to get good grades in school this year. Specifically, I would like to get at least 80% in all of my courses by the end of this year. I think this is a reasonable goal for me to accomplish, especially if I apply myself and finish all my assignments. This is also a very worthwhile goal as it will help me in the future of my schooling, and help me get a better job in the future. Today at school, we had a presenter come in to talk about internet safety. Paul Davis, the presenter, talked to us about how the internet works, and haw to be safe on it. For example, any wifi network that you connect to, is able to see anything that you do on it. So, make sure that you be careful with what you do, especially on public wifi networks. A good rule of thumb is to never sign into any accounts on a public network, to ensure security of your accounts. He also taught us that the word "delete" is a total myth. Nothing you do online is ever truly "deleted". Everything you do online is attached to a thing called your "digital footprint", and everything you do can all be tracked back to this digital footprint. Also, any photo, video, or anything stored on your phone, deleted or not, can be accessed in minutes. Here is a TED Talk that Paul Davis has done: In conclusion, make sure that you stay safe online. Don't do anything now that you wouldn't want to show up down the road. Stay smart, stay safe.
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