Genius Hour Reflection
Genius Hour Semester 2 Reflection and Evaluation
Your Name: Caroline To
The Title of Your Genius Hour Project: The Cosmos
Summarize the purpose of your Genius Hour project in 140 characters.
The purpose of my Genius Hour was to gain a better understanding of the Cosmos and to spread that knowledge to my peers.
Explain the process of your Genius Hour project. Be reflective. Be contemplative. Explain and describe your journey. (No Less Than Three FULL Paragraphs.)
My Genius Hour Project consisted of doing extensive research, blogging, presenting my research, and star gazing. On about every weekend I would go home and watch one episode of the “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey”. The “Cosmos” is a Netflix series hosted by Neil Degrasse Tyson. During the series you are taken on a trip throughout our universe and our taught the history of astronomy. When I watched these episodes I would take extensive notes on the most important facts. On the weekends I would also like to take note of some of the constellations mentioned in my research by watching them shift throughout the night sky over these past months. I began to notice and appreciate the different phases of the moon too.
The other component of my Genius Hour Project was the blog I did in class. The blog posts I made greatly helped me keep on track and helped me record my findings. On my blog I posted links to videos and websites that I found helpful while doing research. I also added some space related pictures that I found inspiring and some fictional space photos that I found humorous and decorative. Before I officially started my project I read Stephen Hawking’s “A Brief History of Time” and mentioned my findings in some of my earlier blog posts.
The final component of my Genius Hour Project was sharing my knowledge to my peers. To determine what information I would present I looked back at my notes from watching the “Cosmos” and I chose the facts that were not well known but still easy to grasp. After completing a powerpoint I gave a presentation to my A.P.U.S.H. class. My class was extremely receptive and glad after my presentation. Many were unaware of how enormous our universe really is and were intrigued when I showed them the theory that our universe is really the size of a marble in a waterfall of other marble-sized universes ( an infinity of universes!). I believe that I ended my Genius Hour Project on a successful note.
The intention For Genius Hour is NOT only to learn, but ALSO to share your knowledge with others who can and will benefit from your learning. How did you share your learning? What do you hope the result might be? (No Less Than Two Full Paragraphs.)
Today, I believe that our society does not sufficiently stress the importance of space exploration. Therefore, I wanted to inform my fellow classmates of my findings in the hopes of inspiring them to look to the stars. I accomplished this goal by condensing my findings into a basic lesson on the Cosmos. After I did that I presented it to my A.P U.S. History class.
I hoped that after my presentation students would have realized the grandioseness of their existence. Yes, I did want them to be inspired to learn more about the Cosmos, but I also wanted them to realize how special life here on Earth is and that they should not waste a precious moment doing anything detrimental to their lives. I believe I accomplished these goals after hearing the feedback from my presentation.
If you could do anything different with your Genius Hour project what would you do differently and why? (No less than two full paragraphs.)
The only thing I wish I could have done differently with my Genius Hour Project was how I presented it to demonstrate my knowledge. Looking back on it, I wish I would have presented it to more classes, founded my own club, or even collaborated with the Rockets club. I believe I did sufficiently achieve my goals of spreading my knowledge and inspiring others, but I wish that I had reached more people.
The other only thing I wish I could have changed about my Genius Hour Process was that I did not get a telescope. I have used high-tech binoculars in the past, but I believe that a telescope really would have enhanced my experience. I stargazed frequently during my project with just my natural eyes and still saw some incredible things. Hopefully, this summer I will be able to get a telescope.
Reflect on what you did well during this Genius Hour process? Note your successes and accomplishments. (No less than two full paragraphs.)
Include any videos, pictures, presentations, or artifacts that will document your journey.
During my Genius Hour process I believe I that my most successful accomplishments were my research, my presentation, and my blog organization. Research is usually hard for me to do because it usually involves searching for hours on end for reliable and intriguing resources. However, this time I found countless of reliable and exciting resources. Most importantly, I had fun watching the “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey”, reading “A Brief History of Time”, and looking up videos online for my blog.
I believe my presentation was another great success for my Genius Hour Project. My presentation lasted for almost ten minutes and was given entirely without a note card. I spoke clearly and did not forget any of the major points that I had rehearsed earlier. My final success of my Genius Hour project was my blog organization. My last Genius Hour page had lots of resources, but barely any decorative pictures. However, this time my blog page was attention grabbing and was a lot more fun to look at.
Your Name: Caroline To
The Title of Your Genius Hour Project: The Cosmos
Summarize the purpose of your Genius Hour project in 140 characters.
The purpose of my Genius Hour was to gain a better understanding of the Cosmos and to spread that knowledge to my peers.
Explain the process of your Genius Hour project. Be reflective. Be contemplative. Explain and describe your journey. (No Less Than Three FULL Paragraphs.)
My Genius Hour Project consisted of doing extensive research, blogging, presenting my research, and star gazing. On about every weekend I would go home and watch one episode of the “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey”. The “Cosmos” is a Netflix series hosted by Neil Degrasse Tyson. During the series you are taken on a trip throughout our universe and our taught the history of astronomy. When I watched these episodes I would take extensive notes on the most important facts. On the weekends I would also like to take note of some of the constellations mentioned in my research by watching them shift throughout the night sky over these past months. I began to notice and appreciate the different phases of the moon too.
The other component of my Genius Hour Project was the blog I did in class. The blog posts I made greatly helped me keep on track and helped me record my findings. On my blog I posted links to videos and websites that I found helpful while doing research. I also added some space related pictures that I found inspiring and some fictional space photos that I found humorous and decorative. Before I officially started my project I read Stephen Hawking’s “A Brief History of Time” and mentioned my findings in some of my earlier blog posts.
The final component of my Genius Hour Project was sharing my knowledge to my peers. To determine what information I would present I looked back at my notes from watching the “Cosmos” and I chose the facts that were not well known but still easy to grasp. After completing a powerpoint I gave a presentation to my A.P.U.S.H. class. My class was extremely receptive and glad after my presentation. Many were unaware of how enormous our universe really is and were intrigued when I showed them the theory that our universe is really the size of a marble in a waterfall of other marble-sized universes ( an infinity of universes!). I believe that I ended my Genius Hour Project on a successful note.
The intention For Genius Hour is NOT only to learn, but ALSO to share your knowledge with others who can and will benefit from your learning. How did you share your learning? What do you hope the result might be? (No Less Than Two Full Paragraphs.)
Today, I believe that our society does not sufficiently stress the importance of space exploration. Therefore, I wanted to inform my fellow classmates of my findings in the hopes of inspiring them to look to the stars. I accomplished this goal by condensing my findings into a basic lesson on the Cosmos. After I did that I presented it to my A.P U.S. History class.
I hoped that after my presentation students would have realized the grandioseness of their existence. Yes, I did want them to be inspired to learn more about the Cosmos, but I also wanted them to realize how special life here on Earth is and that they should not waste a precious moment doing anything detrimental to their lives. I believe I accomplished these goals after hearing the feedback from my presentation.
If you could do anything different with your Genius Hour project what would you do differently and why? (No less than two full paragraphs.)
The only thing I wish I could have done differently with my Genius Hour Project was how I presented it to demonstrate my knowledge. Looking back on it, I wish I would have presented it to more classes, founded my own club, or even collaborated with the Rockets club. I believe I did sufficiently achieve my goals of spreading my knowledge and inspiring others, but I wish that I had reached more people.
The other only thing I wish I could have changed about my Genius Hour Process was that I did not get a telescope. I have used high-tech binoculars in the past, but I believe that a telescope really would have enhanced my experience. I stargazed frequently during my project with just my natural eyes and still saw some incredible things. Hopefully, this summer I will be able to get a telescope.
Reflect on what you did well during this Genius Hour process? Note your successes and accomplishments. (No less than two full paragraphs.)
Include any videos, pictures, presentations, or artifacts that will document your journey.
During my Genius Hour process I believe I that my most successful accomplishments were my research, my presentation, and my blog organization. Research is usually hard for me to do because it usually involves searching for hours on end for reliable and intriguing resources. However, this time I found countless of reliable and exciting resources. Most importantly, I had fun watching the “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey”, reading “A Brief History of Time”, and looking up videos online for my blog.
I believe my presentation was another great success for my Genius Hour Project. My presentation lasted for almost ten minutes and was given entirely without a note card. I spoke clearly and did not forget any of the major points that I had rehearsed earlier. My final success of my Genius Hour project was my blog organization. My last Genius Hour page had lots of resources, but barely any decorative pictures. However, this time my blog page was attention grabbing and was a lot more fun to look at.