Final Reflection

     Overall 20 time this year for me, was very surprising and educational. Before venturing to discover the world behind people who go on vacation for a job, I had many preconceived assumptions about this line of work, one being that it was easy and carefree. Unfortunately, like any job, travel blogging requires a lot of work to be put into it, in order for it to function properly as a paying job. Through researching and talking to the bloggers themselves, I discovered that the traveling is fun and well worth it, but in order to maintain their statuses, they must constantly be online, updating, blogging, writing, responding to followers and keeping up with the latest. 

     As for what I could've done better, I believe I could've tried to contact a few more PLN. I'm happy with the people that did resond, but I had a lot of other, not as famous, bloggers follow me as well that I had a feeling wanted me to ask them questions as well. Unfortunately, specifically because they wanted me to contact them, I did not:) I see now I might have benefited from their input as well.

     Overall, because this was a self made project, I do not believe there is anything more you could've done to help us. The student, in this situation, is solely reliable for the outcome of his work. 

     I'm not entirely sure what you mean by self directed, but in relation to twenty time I do enjoy being my own boss of the project and having the freedom to include any and all information I deem important and reasonable. 

     I could've tweaked my PLN plan by reaching out to more people. There weren't too many travel bloggers that I found, that I actually liked. Therefore the ones I did like were limited to 5-6 and only half of those got back to me and answered the questions. I could been a little less selective in the people I chose to contact.

     I would change my approach by working more during class than out of class. I tend to get my best work done outside of the classroom, and that results in me wasting class time. I would also change my approach by starting earlier and contacting more people.

     I would have to say that school in general prevented me from making this project better. With so much else to do what with thesis, finals, and all the end of year projects as well it has been hard to find the time to wrap this up. Not to mention senioritus is making me lazier than usual...

     I utilized my technology skills by reaching out to people on Twitter and connecting with them through email. I gained skills by learning new things about travel bloggers and how their line of work, although initially appearing rather laid back, requires an engaged, tech savy, adventurous person. I strengthened those skills by creating a better presentation than previous ones and by gathering more PLN.

     Overall I feel like the 20 time project is fine the way it is, Although I would recommend several of them in a school year rather than just one. 

The Final Blog

     Well its been a long past 13 years but the time has finally come. My senior thesis is next Monday, graduation is 2 weeks away and my grad party is 2 weeks after that! I honestly thought this time would never come.

     Overall this year has been average. I was expecting a bit more, being senior year and all, but it wasn't all bad. I've met a few new people, have been a few more places and experienced a few more things. My highlight of it all was Costa Rica. I wish we had been able to stay there as long as last year's class did. I definitely feel like we could've done even more had we stayed longer. But I did enjoy the time we were there. Being able to help the kids and witness to them was incredible. I loved being there and serving them. I also liked spending time with my classmates in a different setting. Up until Costa Rica I literally only saw some of them while at school. Another thing I enjoyed was praise team this year. Last year I only played for about two chapels but this year I did almost all of them. I really liked playing guitar for chapel, youth group and youth Sunday's. One of the cons of this year would include the complete lack of senior lunches. I was expecting to have a lot more of those but we ended up only doing one and it wasn't even on a day we had school. Another one, (and believe me I'm not surprised since our class is pretty lazy), is that we never did a senior prank...but there's still time...

     Overall I would say you could have explained the coding and how to navigate the websites better. I know a lot of that stuff we can find if we look it up online but even reading it online it didn't make sense. I would suggest showing rather than telling.

     I feel like I could have started my 20 time project earlier I waited a little later and I know if I had started earlier I could've gotten a few more PLNs than I now have. I also could've taken greater ownership of my learning by working more in class. I tend to only get the most work done outside of class since I hate working at school. 

     One of the biggest highlights of my year was, as I said before, Costa Rica. I really loved being there with my class and going to the schools. I liked the fact that we really were able to make a difference. There aren't too many days in the school year where I really feel like I've made a difference. We're kind of sequestered away here, when I was in Costa Rica we were meeting new people everyday and actually making a difference in their lives. Another highlight of this year was being able to drive myself to school everyday. Up until this year I had to wake up early with my mom everyday to go to school. Driving to school this year meant I got to sleep a half hour more and go home right after school instead of waiting for my mom to finish working or catching a ride with someone. The last highlight of my year was being able to play guitar on the worship team for a full year. 

     My summer plans are working at Goddard preschool. I also have a graduation party planned for June 29. After that I'm going to Rome, Italy with my mom for a month! We're going to visit some of her cousins while we're down there, tour a bit. My aunt and cousin might be coming with us too but the plan is to hang out with distant family members and see the Colleseum and stuff. After that I'm going to Assateague island for a week with my whole family and then I'm just going to work for the rest of the summer.

     Overall my years at MACA have been educational and very supportive of my relationship with Christ. Although it has sheltered me from a lot, I'm thankful for the setting I have been given and the wonderful examples I have had to follow.

April 21, 2015

So last week was a really crazy week! Between all the work I had from school and all the places I had to be this weekend it was really crazy. Firstly I did get to work on the website on Sunday. I downloaded the pin board theme, put in the slideshow, added some pictures and worked on the about page. I would have to say it has been a much easier theme to use than the one we were trying to use at first. Also last weekend I went to the beach for Friday into Saturday. However not predicting the weather, I brought no sunscreen and got extremely sunburned on my face:/ other than that I had a pretty good time, the water was absolutely freezing and even with a wet suit I could only catch 2-3 waves before I had to come back in and warm up again. After that we had to drive back on Saturday afternoon so I could be back to play for youth Sunday the next day. Overall youth Sunday went very well for the worship team, there were a few minor mistakes but we did it. Lastly this week I was able to meet a travel blogger in person, (that's why I wasn't in class on Monday). On Monday I was able to meet a man who used to work for my parents when they owned a rafting business in West Virginia. He's actually pretty famous, he used to own an outdoor wear company and still sells a popular cooling vest that he invented. He also blogs and travels 8 months out of every year. His greatest accomplishment was riding his motorcycle from the tip of Alaska to the tip of Argentina. It was definitely cool to talk to him about his experiences as a traveler.

Challenges of this past week would include getting the website to work, it was very difficult for me to get the slideshow to show up. Another challenge was driving to the beach, I took a wrong turn while driving and accidently lead us an hour out of the way-_- My last challenge was playing guitar on youth Sunday since we were playing in front of a lot more people than we usually do. 

Successes of this past week include getting to meet and talk to a blogger that I can include in my 20 time project. Another success was youth group and the beach trip. Lastly we had succes with the website this week. 

My plans for the upcoming week are to continue cretiqueing and editing our site to make it look more professional. I'm also planning to work on my 20 time presentation. Lastly I'm planning to visit my sister in New York City this weekend and see the billboards she designed. 

April 15, 2015

Overall this past week has been one of adjustment. Getting back into the swing of things since Costa Rica and Easter break. This week I was able to get a lot of work done on the website with kara, that is until we were told we had to use a different domain, so now we're starting over from scratch.....still trying to figure out how I'm supposed to get a slideshow in and why it won't let me use the example one we donwloaded. It's definitely going to be a busy week for me. Babysitting tomorrow, to the beach on Friday and Saturday and then playing guitar for youth Sunday on Sunday. 

Challenges of this past week would include the website which was coming along fine.... But for some reason the new one we made won't let us use the template thing I used before so it's basically a blank slate. Another challenge of this past week was all the quizzes I've had the past few days. Way too many....

Successes of this past week include almost finishing phase 4. We just need to figure out the website dilemma. Another success was hopefully passing all the quizzes I've taken the past 3 days. A last succes would be in worship team we are all set and prepared for youth Sunday finally and I think it's going to be really great. 

My plans for the upcoming week are to continue working on the website and figuring out how to build it. I'm also planning to get some papers and projects turned in that are all due next week. I'm planning to babysit tomorrow and leave to go to the beach Friday evening. Saturday, weather permitting, I'm planning to do some surfing, the highlight of this week:) then I have youth Sunday on Sunday. 

Costa Rica

1. My last week in Costa Rica was amazing! Before leaving on this trip I had only been out of the country once before, and this trip was by far the better of the two. One of my favorite parts was the zip line. It was terrifying especially since I'm scared of heights, but I conquered it and was able to catch a glimpse of some breath taking scenery as well. My other favorite part was working with the kids. It was amazing to see the joy and love they had despite such poor living conditions. I was able to make quite a few friends. On the last day I hung out with a little girl named Rosa. I will admit there wasn't a whole lot of talking but we danced and smiled a lot:) Overall I will never forget that trip or the children I met while I was there. 

2. My challenges in this trip included first of all, the language barrier. I haven't had a spanish class since tenth grade so naturally my vocab and grammar skills were a bit rusty. I still managed to have a few conversations with people and kids using hand signals and the little bit of spanish I could remember. Another challenge was the cabins. Sharing one shower with 12 girls was extremely frustrating the entire week, I will admit it was nice coming home and not having to wait in line to use the bathroom. Another challenge I encountered was the zip line. The scariest part for me ended up being the beginning, walking up those sketchy steps to the top of the platform. I sincerely thought I would fall right through the cracks in the steps. After that however, the views were amazing and I ended up enjoying it. The last challenge I encountered while there was hiking to a waterfall while we were at the hot springs. For some reason, I still have no idea, me and my friends decided to follow Jonathan down this crazy path in the woods to a waterfall. All in all it was a half hour hike that went straight down the side of a mountain. One fall would've lead to an extremely long tumble.... Definitely one of the craziest things I've ever done. The water fall was nice, not that nice, but nice. The worst part ended up being the hike back up the mountain which literally felt more like a climb since at several parts we were flat out climbing. 

3. Successes of the week included making connections with several of the kids. I made a lot of new friends. Another success was the crafts. I was able to teach I don't know how many kids and adults to make bracelets. It was fun being able to watch them all successfully make the bracelets. Another success was our class growing closer. I definitely feel like this trip united us. The last success would be coming back changed. I definitely look at my life and life in general much differently in comparison to my view before Costa Rica. I am changed and I definitely feel like this trip has impacted me for the better. Hopefully one day I can go back! 

4. My plans for the upcoming week are to finish phase 4 and pick out a website theme for 'Tuft'. I'm also planning to knock out some work on my senior thesis.

   
   
   

   
   

Internship week

So internship week was interesting. I spent the whole week as a pre school teacher's assistant. Overall I'd say it was a fun job, but the kids sneezed all over me and I'm pretty sure they gave me the cold I now have:P

Overall yesterday was the first day I've been at school in like a week and a half because of snow and internships. Before internships I successfully created a logo for my groups old company from last year 'Know Dip'. Overall it was pretty easy since I just used text and pictures with invisible backgrounds. On the final logo I plan to use a variety of different tools to make a more interesting and non generic logo. Internship week overall went very well. It was fun to interact with the kids and help them with their art projects and letters and numbers. Overall I don't think it is a career I will pursue but I learned a lot and am definitely grateful for the experience. 

Challenges faced this week include working at a preschool. It was definitely not an easy job and it stretched my patience. Another challenge was the math homework I had to do throughout internship week. Apparently were so far behind that we had to do several lessons on our own last week. 

Successes of this past week would include my successful internship at Goddard. I learned a lot about my cousin's work as a teacher there and what it takes to get a job in that field. Another success was going to WV this past weekend. My mom and I were able to help my grandparents out and spend time with my aunt and cousin.

My plans for the coming week are to continue working on 20 time. I want to start making it into slides as soon as possible. I'm also planning to work on the company logo with kara in computer. Lastly I'm planning to get ready for Costa Rica next week.

Week 26

Overall this past week has been very interesting, what with all that crazy snow we got last weekend and then a sudden family trip to west virginia this week for a funeral. Im now facing two days of makeup work consisting chiefly of tests i need to make up. Overall in cs2 this past week we did a lot of work on our wordpress sites. As of the moment im not entirely sure if im doing it right?, but i got a slideshow working and added some widgets. Im using the nirvana theme which is really colorful and has a really nice slideshow on the home page. It also has a 'read more' button on the slideshow pictures that will take you to the article which is really convenient. I added a calendar on the right hand side and a search bar on the top right of the homepage, i still have to add the search bar to the several tabs i created. I decided to go with a travel theme and put in pictures of different destinations in my slideshow. Overall the site theme is easy to use and there are a lot of support forums and advice online. 

     Challenges faced this past week would include the crazy snow storm that i had to drive through on saturday which was incredibly scary and fun at the same time. The other challenge was working on my wordpress site. I had trouble getting the plugins to showup and changing the size of the pictures in the slideshow.

     Successes would include a safe trip to and from west virginia. Another success was getting the wordpress slideshow to work since at first the slideshow wouldnt automatically switch slides unless it was clicked on. I also had success when i figured how to change the color scheme settings on the site and how to change specific buttons colors and fonts.

     My plans for the upcoming week are to get caught up on school work and get all my makeup tests out of the way. Im also planning to work on 20 time this weekend. Next week im going to try and figure out the plugins thing on wordpress and how exactly that all works.

20 time progress

     My 20 time project has been coming along very well. So far I have been focusing on PLN. My PLN progress so far has been pretty good. I tried to contact 15 or so people, and 3 got back to me. Their answers were really interesting. I asked them to tell about their craziest adventure, some of the answers were really bizarre. I am slowly beginning to gain a feel for the big picture. During my presentation I'm planning to present several travel bloggers websites and show how they designed their sites to attract more viewers and followers. One of my main goals is to try to explain how exactly you get into a career like that and how you make a living at it. 

     At the moment I have been having trouble with making the presentation itself. I'm undecided on how to show the websites and make a slideshow or explain everything....still working on how I'm going to get it to all flow.

     Overall I feel like this project is going to be very interesting and educational.

Break

     Overall my break was pretty relaxing. I really enjoyed the time with my family. Most of the time I spent with friends was during the D term week where I literally found my self being drug all over creation to complete bucket list challenges and go last minute Christmas shopping since I literally had like no presents for my friends or family yet... Once break started though I got to relax a lot. I ended up only going Christmas shopping once during break with Alet which was an interesting experience what with all those crazy Christmas drivers:P 

     Christmas with my family was a lot of fun:) we went to a friend of ours on Christmas Eve and hung out with them a little. After Christmas was over me, my mom, brother, sister and my sister's dog all piled into one car and drove 3 hours to my grandmas. :P Later I ended up going shopping with my sister which for those of you who don't know her, is torture... I like shopping but not for six hours straight:P that was exhausting. Later that day though I got to hang out with my aunt, uncle and cousins and I spent the night at their house.

     The last highlight of my break was going ice skating with my friends at the inner harbor in Baltimore:) it was a lot of fun and I think we all had a great time. Luckily I never fell which is a first since I'm terrible at skating. But after awhile of that we ended up just walking around Baltimore and looking at the ships:) 

     Overall break was a lot of fun. My goals for this upcoming year are to find the right college, find the right career and grow closer to God.

     20 time has been coming along slowly, I literally worked on nothing but a physics project over break so I have a lot of work still left to do. Im planning to get caught up on twenty time stuff after midterms since I have two projects due this week and midterms next week:P