Outdoor Classroom Pt. 2
Project Description
This was the meat of the project. All the stuff we learned was then put into use in designing and creating our outdoor classroom. We took a survey of the students and teachers, asking them what they wanted in an outdoor classroom. We then used this information to design our outdoor classroom. There is a link to the survey below. This was what we based our entire design off of. A majority wanted either amphitheater seating, so we gave them that. People also wanted WiFi and whiteboards, so we included both of those in our design.
This was the meat of the project. All the stuff we learned was then put into use in designing and creating our outdoor classroom. We took a survey of the students and teachers, asking them what they wanted in an outdoor classroom. We then used this information to design our outdoor classroom. There is a link to the survey below. This was what we based our entire design off of. A majority wanted either amphitheater seating, so we gave them that. People also wanted WiFi and whiteboards, so we included both of those in our design.
The next part was actually designing the classroom. This was what took the longest. We came up with many different ideas, but in the end, only a couple actually made sense. Once we knew what we wanted, we had to make the blueprints. We had to redesign our classroom so many times. We tried using TinkerCad to model it, and eventually did end up using that in out presentation. Our main design was based off the blueprints. We decided to go with amphitheater seating that followed the natural slope of the hill behind the art building. We designed a shade structure to cover it, and to let in sun at the right times. We also had a whiteboard in the front of the class, to make teaching a lot easier. Once we had all our blueprints, we had to make a materials list. We had a budget of $3000, but a cap of $5000. There is a link to our materials list below. The final element of our project was the presentation. We had to create a presentation showing off our design, and answering all the key points of the project. When we were done, we had to present our design to a panel of judges. They consisted of people from students, to teachers, to engineers. They were the people who would decide whose design would be built. Our finished presentation is below. The day after the presentations, we were told that there was no one winner, but many different good designs. The judges would continue to talk, and parts of different projects would be used for the final design. This project was very fun, and although long, a very good experience.
Reflection
I thought that this project went reasonably well. As always, there were things that I did well, and things that I did not do well. One of the things I need to work on is getting on top of things sooner rather than later. In the beginning of the project, I slacked off a little, and did less work than I could have been doing. I think this was because I thought we had a lot of time left, and I though I could get things done later. It got better as the project went on, but it still left for a little cramming at the end of the project. One of the things i did well was that I was able to lead our group in what we were doing. This helped us a lot, especially at the end of the project. I think that was part of why we were able to finish and not have to do any work outside of school. Another thing I could have improved on is how i talked to my fellow group members. If I was in a bad mood, which I sometimes was, I would snap at them, and it would make for a hard day's work. I need to work on not letting my mood control how I treat others. That would have made it nicer for me and my group. One more thing that I thought I did well was how I presented our project. I was nervous, but I thought that I presented myself well. I also thought I was able to answer the judges questions very well. Overall, I enjoyed this project, and am glad I was able to learn a lot from it, both about myself and physics.
I thought that this project went reasonably well. As always, there were things that I did well, and things that I did not do well. One of the things I need to work on is getting on top of things sooner rather than later. In the beginning of the project, I slacked off a little, and did less work than I could have been doing. I think this was because I thought we had a lot of time left, and I though I could get things done later. It got better as the project went on, but it still left for a little cramming at the end of the project. One of the things i did well was that I was able to lead our group in what we were doing. This helped us a lot, especially at the end of the project. I think that was part of why we were able to finish and not have to do any work outside of school. Another thing I could have improved on is how i talked to my fellow group members. If I was in a bad mood, which I sometimes was, I would snap at them, and it would make for a hard day's work. I need to work on not letting my mood control how I treat others. That would have made it nicer for me and my group. One more thing that I thought I did well was how I presented our project. I was nervous, but I thought that I presented myself well. I also thought I was able to answer the judges questions very well. Overall, I enjoyed this project, and am glad I was able to learn a lot from it, both about myself and physics.