WHAT W ORKS-Media -Responding the questions -Dividing up the presentation between us both -Using different types of media (text, images and film) -Engaging the audience (asking questions) -Knowing our topic -Going back to our theme | wHAT NEEDS wORK-Not being nervous before presenting -Speak concisely and straight to the point-speak fluently and clearly -Practice more -Timing the presentation (especially in the video part) -Reflection (go more into reflection instead of just having it be content based, especially near the end when there was a lot of content on taxes) -Practice while passing through the slides |
Karen and I spoke well through out the presentation, the media we had in our keynote presentation was purposeful even though we should have limited the amount of text. I believe that I could have done better while presenting. I think that my nerves took over when I started to speak, so I rambled on about the topic, especially in the beginning. Looking back onto the presentation, I am proud of what we accomplished and for getting through it successfully, but, through this presentation I've also learned what I need to personally improve on, and the only way to get better at my weaknesses is to
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P O L P R A C T I C E P R E S E N T AT I O N
In class today we each had a time to practice our POL drafts. Each of us had a certain time to present in the little theater to Mr. Topf and one other group, where they would give us critical feedback on our presentation so we could build upon our ideas and create quality work. Karen and I had part of our POL done, but we still needed a lot of structure to our presentation and time to put thought into what we wanted the audience to get out of what we presented. We hadn't realized what we were missing until we had started to present what we had. This practice was extremely useful because it made us realize that we needed a stronger and more focused theme. Our theme was present, but not constantly seen in the presentation, which is what we had to change. This presentation both has to be a balance between content and reflection on what we learned. This practice was supposed to be a first run through of our presentation, instead, we used this time to explain how we were going to structure the POL. This was a big mistake we made: not balancing time between creating the POL and creating the documentary. We were more focused on the actual documentary, that we quickly ran out of time when the moment came to make our POL. For the next time we make a POL I will be S U R E to have a very clear organization of how we want to present it and of what the theme is, having everything in the presentation to connect back to the theme. I wish we would have had more to actually present today, instead of just going over what we were going to cover in the future; it would have saved us time for not having to go back and re-structure our POL. But, we did take away a lot from the feedback we received, and now we have to apply it.
Sometimes what you perceive as enough, just isn't quite enough. While editing the film you have is when you can truly tell whether or not you have missing areas to fill in. Sometimes it may seem that you have enough b-roll, but that's not always the case. Most of us in the IA have had to go out a few extra times specifically for filming b-roll. Today, Karen and I did that. We took the morning to film around the nicer areas of Lima, focusing on brighter looking houses so it can give contrast to the impoverished houses which seem to have no color other than a brown tone. So, what did we do? We grabbed a camera and the monopod and headed out into the streets of Lima. We took still shots and rolling shots of houses of the nicer areas of Lima. For that, we went to Las Lagunas and La Estancia; we filmed the lagoon, houses and the roads. Once we were done there we were thinking of other places we could go, we remembered that by the derby there was construction, so we headed over there to film the construction representing the growth of Lima. Headed back to school we decided to get one more shot of the city. We went to a friends apartment to film from the garage, club house and from the elevator on the way up. B-roll seems to be easy to film, but we always had to keep in mind that everything we put into our documentary has to have purpose, so we had to put purpose into what we filmed; we had to be smart and technical about what we were doing. Also it's important to keep in mind that while you are filming b-roll you are either in motion or doing still shots, so it's important to always keep in mind the motion of the camera. While filming b-roll from the window of the car we noticed that the camera would start moving a lot, especially since in enclosed housing areas there are a lot of speed bumps. We did our best to keep the monopod as steady as possibly as well as going by slowly with the car, instead of going at a normal speed. Today's b-roll was in my opinion extremely useful. We got a lot of footage that we will use through out the video which will help us make the contrast between the rich and the poor. Within two hours and a half we went to three districts to film. All of which were a success, the footage that we got was filmed in really cool ways, and we chose to b-roll in great areas, which helped of course. So, what's next? -Continue editing the film we have sorted out
-Finish sorting out the film footage (both b-roll and interviews) -Finish the documentary -POL
How many people get the chance to travel and explore the world? Not that many if you actually think about it. Being able to go see and experience new places is a privilege. That doesn't necessarily mean that whoever doesn't travel can't afford it; many people are capable of traveling who never do. But then again, there are those who simply can't afford to travel elsewhere; some who can't pay for essential things such as running water or electricity in their homes. Count up the number countries you've visited throughout your lifetime. I did so myself; I counted up 19 countries without counting two of which were just layovers at the airport. I've traveled to more places in the world than the number of years I've been in it. Only then did I start thinking of where I lived, and how others live around me. Yes, Perú is a growing country and poverty is diminishing little by little. But when you actually come to think about it, around 28% of Perú's population is poor, and probably will remain poor for a long time until the government starts to put order in the country and people start to pay more taxes. In class the other day, it was mentioned that we are capable of traveling to see the amazon river, the beaches of northern Perú, the mountains, the pyramids of Egypt, the great wall of China; all these places which we can see in person. Meanwhile, others can only see it through a plastic screen dreaming and imagining what it would be like to step foot out of the bubble they live in and step foot into the warm sand where the waves would be crashing upon their feet. Even though the wealth gap is still considered immense in Perú, progress is being made; it's slowly shrinking. Even though it's shrinking, it seems as if a dent hasn't even been made in the impoverished class; it seems to be remaining the same, and students aren't being given opportunities to excel. They aren't being given the technology they need or the resources they need to go above and beyond. With the world as it is today, you are either born well off, or born into poverty. Sad to admit, but it's reality. Not everyone is given the same opportunities from day one; some people struggle to get a great education, while others are already assured their entrance into a good school. Colleges are more and more out of reach for those who can't afford them; prices are rising and so are their expectations. So, I ask myself, what happens to those who can't afford to travel, those who can't afford to go to school, those who can't afford electricity or running water, those who can't afford a home, and those who can't afford to feed their families? Then, I ask myself, why are there some people who have it all, or all that they need, and some who have nothing? It's inhumane for us not to share what we have--that doesn't mean share money--but sharing our time will make a difference to an individual who needs attention or help. Having grown up in a "third world country" where you turn a corner and see some of the poorest areas of Lima, you see children beg at your car window for some cash, you see poor living, dirty areas, mountains which seem to be multicolored for all the houses built right next to each other. I grew up around poverty, I grew up knowing what it was like to see poverty daily and understand what it was and what it meant. I grew up helping others, serving them whether it was donating clothes and toys or it was visiting them for a day to spend time with them and have fun with them. I grew to be knowledgeable of what was around me, making me think less about myself. I've traveled around the world while others haven't even been to the beach which is 20 minutes from their home. My dream vacation is Greece, theirs may be different. Everyone lives their lives in different ways. I am not one who will go and end poverty; that simply can not be done on an individual level. Fortunately, the amount of poverty is shrinking little by little, but we have to help it happen. The wealth gap won't shrink on its own. Things have to be done for it to happen, for everyone to have their dreams come true, for everyone to have an opportunity to study and have the life they want to have.
If we want human capital to grow, then we have to invest in the people. Chapter 12, Naked Economics, is all about trades and globalization. How you choose to synthesize what we learned depends on you. Today we had the challenge to.... D R A W I T O U T Revolve your work around what you do best. Karen and I based our drawing on specialization; "specialization is what makes us productive... provide goods to us so that we can spend our time specializing at whatever we do best." In this chapter, specialization came up. Wheelan mentioned how we should be doing the jobs that we are good at, that we can do. Karen and I drew a doctor building a house, leaving the constructor without a job. Everyone should stick to what they are good at and have a profession in that field. Contributing to help others is always important, that doesn't mean a doctor can't ever build a house, because they can, but what I am saying is that they should just contribute as service to others instead of taking up the job of a skilled constructor. C h e c k t h e m O u t Here are some other drawings made by the class.
Now it's your turn to try and guess what trade topic they drew! We felt very comfortable around him and felt like we could ask him to do different things with ease. While at his office, we found out that the tripod was incomplete; it was missing the correct piece to mount the camera onto it, so Mr. Cusman offered us books to use as an improvised tripod. You have to be ready to expect the unexpected and work with what you have. The books ended up working really well. Karen was interviewing her uncle, while I was the cameraman for this interview. It was the first time I had actually filmed an interview. I experimented with the zoom and made sure the focus, the ISO and the aperture were on the right numbers for the room. We were very lucky that there was no outside noises, it was quiet, so the sound quality was great. Filming was a cool experience, previously today I had filmed some b-roll with Karen through the streets behind the school. I learned that with different filming techniques (b-roll, sit-down interview, walking b-roll) you have to make each one have a feeling you want to evoke when it is watched, but when you are b-rolling you most likely aren't going to zoom in on something to emphasize it, unlike in an interview where the closer you are to the interview, the more intimate it becomes.
Mr. Cusman gave us incredible information; he gave us important, and interesting facts on the wealth gap, as well as telling us his personal anecdotes related to wealth gap's around the world. One anecdote he told us that stuck to me was about his trip to chile in the 80's. He took the bus to the wrong part of town, and ended up in the most poor area of chile which was considered to be extremely dangerous for people with money to visit. He then told us that the houses there were brick, and all had electricity and running water. He was surprised how in a neighbor country to ours has such a small level of poverty compared to ours. It struck me and I started to wander why our country couldn't come to be the same as ours. Mr. Cusman was a great man to interview, very wise and knowledgeable on the topic. He was a great help for our documentary! |
AuthorSenior. One of the 13 students in the Innovation Academy at Colegio Franklin Delano Roosevelt in Lima, Perú. Archives
June 2015
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