Family History Project

Click here to read the interview with my mom.

Click here to read the interview with my dad.

Click here to see the letter I wrote to my family.

Click here to see my FamilyEcho outline.






Click here to see the five frame storyboard I made about my family.

Monday December 2nd

I am doing a lot of things at once on my project, but am making pretty good progress. Over break I found this big file my paternal grandparents made a while ago on their family history, which has thorough family trees and short histories. That should help bunches. I didn't interview anyone because we were kept a bit busy with my mom breaking her foot and I had to write five thousand college essays. I will soon though!

Friday November 15

Best Stop Motion Animation Movies

1. Luke Slagle - racing cars. This movie was very fluid and well-made. The movements all flowed together as if in a live action film.

2. Matt Farrahi - peppermint. I liked this movie because it took a concept that sounded boring in theory and made it entertaining. The movements all flowed together well and stuff actually happened in the movie.

3. Collin Wolf - skittles. Once again, all the pictures flowed together to create an impression of constant, fluid motion. It took a boring-sounding idea of moving skittles and made it interesting and entertaining.

Wednesday November 13th

My stop motion animation video turned out better than I thought it would, but still could have been cleaner and more thought out. I would give it a 55 out of 60 points. From creating this video I learned that making stop motion animation videos can be frustrating but can be done by anybody if they try. The hardest part is taking pictures that flow together well and all stay within the same frame. Once you have the pictures taken, though, creating a simple movie is pretty easy.

Monday November 11th

I know what I'm doing for my stop motion animation video and will be able to get all my pictures taken today. I just fleshed out my ideas over the weekend because I was really busy with a debate tournament and two AP Government papers. I don't have all the pictures right now, but if everything goes according to plan I will by the end of the hour. If for some reason something goes awry I will still definitely have them at the beginning of the hour tomorrow.

Friday November 8th

I am going to take photographs of books so that it looks like they are opening and closing by themselves and moving around and stacking on top of each other. The story will be about the objects coming to life - how books have a life and mind of their own. The video will be fun and different because it will show a completely inanimate object come to life. I'm taking the photos and will probably take them this weekend.

Monday November 4th

I used fotoflexer.com to edit my five photos. I like this tool because it's really easy to use but also has a variety of options. Every tool and effect is clearly labeled. There are useful tools, such as auto-fix, contrast, hue, lightness, and saturation. Such tools can be used for any photo. There are also interesting effects and decorations that could be used for more creative projects. The downside of this tool would be that it is not especially professional, but this is not a problem for a student or amateur photo editor. 

Friday November 1st

Photo editing can make things pretty but it can also make things TOO pretty if you catch my drift. It can distort the truth and flatter or not flatter people or things. It's fun and appropriate when it's for lols and doesn't go too public i.e. in a magazine. If you edit selfies a lot that is not fun and appropriate but rather sickening. It's too much when people aren't themselves anymore or are show in false compromising positions. That happens a lot in the media these days and creates body image issues, especially for young girls.

Monday October 28th

My favorite web tool we've used so far in class this year is Google docs. I've used it in other classes and it's a good way to both keep track of your own stuff and collaborate with others. Google drive is a good alternate for a pesky little flash drive because you are less likely to lose it in the mall, although who knows. I like the editing future of Google docs too because it's an easy way to work on group projects. Also, it says who edited or commented what so it's easy to pinpoint who the idiot in the group is. I think this web tool can be used in a myriad of situations, both for school and also to keep track of your own business.

Global Conflict Presentation

Israel and Palestine

More PowerPoint presentations from Emma

Monday October 21st

The beginning of my weekend was not great because I had a debate tournament that did not go very well. I am not sure why my partner and I had such a tough time this particular weekend but I am fearful of my debate coach's wrath today. After that, I spend most of my weekend working on homework and college applications and researching other random things as I do in my spare time. I researched Grinnell College which is a college I'm applying to and visiting this Saturday. It seems like a nifty place.
Last night we had to take my picture for the PSAT but I hated them all and then my parents got mad at me. This is why I avoid taking pictures.

Thursday October 17th

A memorable presentation is one what blows your mind. It presents new information in new and exciting ways. Good presentations don't have lots of words on a slide because that doesn't get information across very effectively. My presentation will be better than anyone else because I know what I'm talking about. I'll figure the rest out when I get there.

Tuesday October 15th

While I was already aware of most of what was discussed in the Ted Talk, it explained the content in a very clear, cohesive manner that articulated what technology is doing to us and the reasons behind it. I thought it was accurate for those who are sucked in by technology, but I do no think all are. For example, I do not consider my phone my friend because I like to think I'm slightly more stable than that.

Monday October 14th

The digital allows us to connect with the world and garner information instantly. In the past people had to to send telegraphs and go to the library for that, which took so long that they would be dead before they gathered as much information as we do in a day. One thing I sometimes dislike is that technology sucks you in and keeps you occupied for hours upon hours with meaningless things. I use technology to connect with friends, get information to people for the various activities I'm an officer for or member of, and to do homework. Homework, especially that which involves research, is a lot easier now that technology is accessible to everyone. So are college applications, wheeeeee! 

Infographic

Tuesday October 8th

I did not go to Homecoming because I don't have any suitors and lead a dismal existence lurve-wise. However, I did set aside the entire weekend to work on college essays and other college application materials! Hoorah! I did make pretty good headway but it was boring as could be and at one point I just lay down on the floor in frustration.
At one point on Saturday my parentals and I went to Wayside Waifs which is an animal shelter to look at dogs because we want to get a new one within a month or two. I wanted to adopt all the dogs but my parents weren't super into that idea.
On Sunday a few friends and I went to the Big Biscuit which is a breakfast joint for the elderly. It was pretty fun even though many disturbing topics of conversation were brought up.

Tuesday September 17th

To be quite frank, I almost never outline my papers. I find it inhibits my thinking and creativity while writing. However, I definitely see the value in it and organizing your thoughts. If you are writing a 1,000 page book, for example, a rough outline might come in handy. When I do outline I usually do so with paper and pen. In most cases, though, I organize my thoughts by thinking. Maybe this isn't very efficient but when I do outline I usually find it doesn't help much or I don't even use the outline (which is probably my own fault).

Monday September 16th

I went on college visits over the weekend, although it was really Saturday through Wednesday. I flew to Washington D.C., and then we drove down to Williamsburg, Virginia and, after that, Charlottesville, Virginia. We then drove back to up to D.C. to fly home. I saw the College of William and Mary, the University of Virginia, and Georgetown University. They were all great schools with beautiful campuses, and I will definitely apply to all three. Virginia has a lot of sites of historical interest from the colonial and revolutionary period of American history, so we also visited a few tourist locations. We went to Colonial Williamsburg which was, surprisingly, not tacky at all. After touring UVa we went to Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. It was pretty interesting. When I came back to Kansas after my trip I was distraught because compared to these places Kansas is the armpit of the world.

Wednesday September 25th

I do not really think about citing work in my daily life to be quite honest. I just do it when I need to because it is pretty necessary, but it's not difficult and takes about two seconds. People who get annoyed by it should stop whinging. I have to cite work in debate all the time so I am pretty numb to it now. It's appropriate to cite work in a professional or academic setting when you would otherwise be stealing somebody else's words/research/idea. Also, it makes your work that you're using the research for more credible, especially if the source is impressive. It's important to cite work because otherwise we devolve into a society of thieves. 

Tuesday September 24th

My favorite book is The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde because I'm a pretentious jag. Actually, though, it's because Oscar Wilde was the most amazing man/writer to ever grace this planet and the collection of his writing encompasses everything writing can and should be. Whenever I feel bad or stressed I can read that massive door stop of a volume and it calms me down and makes me realize there's a lot more to life. My other way of calming myself during stress attacks is to watch T.V. I LOVE T.V. Oscar Wilde, though, always has what I'm looking for.

Monday September 23rd

I actually do enjoy writing, though it depends on what I'm writing. In school I have been told by teachers and my fellow peasants that I'm good at it so I suppose it's pretty easy to enjoy something that is a natural talent. I wouldn't say that I like writing papers and essays for school but they don't irk or frustrate me as much as they do other people. I have to write for debate and forensics a lot and I do enjoy that. I qualified for nationals in forensics with the speech I wrote last year so that was nifty. Writing is an essential skill in life because it is one of the major ways in which you present yourself. If you write poorly you present yourself as a plebeian but if you write well you present yourself as having a brain, which is always a nice feature. I will use this skill to hopefully get me into a college that is not KU and then to continue advancing my academic and professional career. I might even want to write for the moneyz some day (that was a prime example of my writing talent).

Wednesday September 11th

I look up to both of my parents in life. They are encouraging and expect a lot out of me without being unrealistically demanding. They inspire me to do my best and I think it's largely because of their influence and support that I've done well academically and in life in general. They strongly believe that I can achieve anything if I put my mind to it, but also let me know that I don't have to be the best at everything. A lot of kids resent their parents but I've never felt that way.

Tuesday September 10th

Good e-mail etiquette is important because it is a way that you present yourself to the world. That's why in the "real" world, or in professional settings, it's important to present yourself in a professional way in order to be taken seriously. If you don't use good e-mail etiquette then you won't get a job and then you will be homeless and die. And who wants that?! If you do have AMAZING e-mails, though, everyone will want to hire you and you will have money and good connections as far as the eye can see.

Friday September 6th

If I could solve one global issue it would probably be to end terrorism. This is a serious threat that has plagued the lives of millions from almost all nations and I don't think we've been going about it the right way. Force and torture aren't the right approach to ending this as they only breed more hatred. A more effective solution must be found to allow world peace. Currently, the continuation of terrorism creates a lot of fear and danger. It's also created a lot of sticky situations because in Syria the rebels, who are fighting against the government that America may be attacking soon, are partially made up of terrorists. If we support the rebels we may be in effect helping some of al-Qaeda. As long as terrorism exists and we only use force to fight against it, it will continue to be a serious problem.

PSA - Texting and Driving

Tuesday September 3rd

A Public Service Announcement is a form of media that informs/sends a message to the public without directly trying to sell anything like most commercials. They are usually on T.V. or possibly the radio. They often include a famous person and/or pictures that are so sad that they make you angry. The purpose of PSAs is to inform the viewers about an important issue, often dealing with health and safety, and to tell them how to prevent it. If I could create a PSA I suppose it would be about how such a large population of American voters and future voters are ignorant bigots because it is a problem.

Friday August 30th

My main extra curricular activity related to school is debate and forensics. These activities are super nerdy and filled to the brim with nerds but they're FUN. They're really competitive and require a lot of both individual and team work and you also get to dress like a business person so it's all pretty great. I'm also  in various national honors societies and am an officer for the National Forensics League and National History Honors Society. This is enjoyable because I like bossing people around.
Outside of school I watch a ridiculous amount of TV and movies, mostly through Netflix but I also have HBO so the options are endless. My favorite movies are those directed by Quentin Tarantino, and my top three Tarantino movies are Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained, and Pulp Fiction. Movies written by Martin McDonagh are also AMAAAHZING. So far he's created the movies In Bruges and and Seven Psychopaths, but he was a playwright first so that is also some quality reading material. It seems that all of my favorite films share the general trend of being really dark comedies.
I also like reading as well though I'd like to be better at making time for it. One of the authors I read the most of is Chuck Palahniuk who is most famous for Fight Club. Other books I really like are The Bell Jar, A Clockwork Orange, and books by Jeffrey Eugenides. For the most part these books are also really dark because apparently I'm a creep? I wasn't aware of this.
I also write sometimes but I've had major writer's block for a while. College applications have been sucking out all of my creative power for the time being.
But what I mostly do in my free time is hang out with my pals. I have  a group of friends that I'm really close; they're very odd people but I love them to death. We like gossiping and watching Friends and going to the mall and eating everything.

Who Am I Presentation

Wednesday August 28th

Some qualities of a good presentation include not reading all the text on your presentation in a monotonous voice that lulls your audience to sleep. Good presenters are energetic and spontaneous and say things that AREN'T necessarily written on the presentation slide (IMAGINE THAT). Quality presentations also include information or images that interest/captivate/shock/worry(?) the viewer. Implementing these elements can make a snoozy presentation less snoozy. If the topic of the presentation is inherently boring, you can pretend that you're excited about it to trick the audience into also being excited. Think outside the box and do craaaazy things. If all else fails, pass candy out to everyone and they will automatically enjoy your presentation 750% more because unfortunately that is how the human brain works.

Monday August 26th

Journal - Tell me if you agree with this statement and then explain why or why not. "Images on the internet are 'free game' - if someone posted I should be able to use it."

Whether or not you can use posted images depends on the context  that the image was posted in. If something isn't copyrighted, then it is "free game" and there's nothing wrong with using it. For instance, if something is posted to social media like Facebook or Twitter, it becomes part of the public domain. That's why you should be not stupid about what you post on sites like these because once you basically publish them they can be shared throughout the entire Internet and seen by virtually anybody which could be pretty unpleasant.
 If the image is copyrighted, with the copyright information given, it shouldn't be used. Because of copy-paste and screenshots, though, it's hard to protect copyrighted images from being taken and dispersed throughout the internet. If a copyrighted image is used, the copyright information (who/what the photo belongs too) should also be provided. Some images are watermarked so that even if they are taken the source is plastered across it. Watermarks also sometimes deter people from using those images because they are rather obnoxious.

Friday August 23rd

The openness allowed by the online world has brought many benefits to people and society, but it comes with many increased risks as well. When we post information online, we in essence hand out this information to anybody who could wish to access it regardless of their intention. This can lead to dangerous uses of this information, such as hacking or identity theft. For these reasons it's essential to protection oneself on the internet.
I protect myself online by not posting any information that's personal or something I wouldn't want others to know in the first place, and also by using privacy settings on various social media. This is an easy thing to do and can save somebody a lot of future trouble.
My friends and I are all pretty smart about online safety so we haven't had any major incidences. However, I have experienced twitter hacking a couple of times, which isn't especially harmful and can be easily stopped by changing your password but is still a nuisance and implies that more serious infringements on privacy are possible.

Tuesday August 20th

The world around us today convinces us we need to be, think, and live a certain way. We are convinced that if we do not fit in with what an invisible audience claims is the norm, we are somehow less. Ashton Kutcher's speech at the Teen Choice Awards speaks to us, young people especially, about how we are never less. Despite what society and our peers tell us, we are just as smart as anyone else and have the ability to do anything we set our mind to.
Kutcher says, "Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you, and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use." We often marvel at our surroundings without realizing that we are just as capable as those who have created the world as we know it. We are not hopeless - we all have the ability to influence change and improvement as long as we are intelligent and thoughtful - the most important traits - as Kutcher says, "Everything else is crap." Society has skewed our views of what we value as important but it is this ability to think, influence, and create that is most vital to the continuation and progress human kind. It is within all of us, though we may not realize it.