Month: November 2021

Hike up Eagle Rock

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Summary:
During my 4 day weekend from 18-21 November, my family went down south of Colombo, to Ella. During our stay, we hiked up eagle rock to admire the view of the valley. The Eagle Rock hike weaves between rocky terrain, forest, and tea fields. The path was overgrown and was only marked with a few rocks with painted arrows indicating the trail.

During the hike, we observed a wide range of animals, such as lizards, frogs, birds, and insects. However, the animal that we paid the most attention to was the leeches. The weather was the perfect climate for leeches, making our journey slightly more tedious.

The whole experience, while challenging, was also very relaxing. The clear air and silence was a refreshing change from Colombo. The only thing that could be heard was the light raindrops and the sounds of insects.

Learning Outcomes:
During this experience, I targeted learning outcomes 2 and 4. Demonstrate that challenges were undertaken, and develop new skills in the process. The hike was challenging, the path was overgrown and hard to follow. The path was also slippery, making it difficult to maintain your balance. I was also able to develop my skills in identifying animals, as after the hike we researched frogs and lizards we saw during the hike.

Show commitment and perseverance in CAS experiences: I was able to demonstrate perseverance by completing the long and tedious hike up Eagle rock. As I mentioned before, the hike was made more challenging by the copious amounts of rain the night before.

Prior Service Experience

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Prior Service Experience: During my 3-year experience within the MYP programme, I participated in 2 different service groups, and throughout my experience, I learned a lot of new skills, and information, that I can take with me into other situations.

Reefkeepers: The first service group I participated in was ReefKeepers. Within this service, our goal was to raise awareness about ocean pollution and find ways the school, and local community could help combat this. During my time I participated in beach cleanups, and street weeps. We collected hundreds of pieces of trash, and sorted it, identifying which companies were the largest polluters, and we sent them a message regarding that.

During my Reefkeepers experience, I learned a wide variety of things. I learned how to efficiently organize an event. I worked with my ReefKeeper peers to plan things, such as the beach sweep, or t-shirt sales. I am able to take the planning and organizing aspect of my experience and utilise it in other situations, both academic and personal. For example, I used a planning scaffold before we visited Auckland during the summer, preparing and planning all the necessary documents and procedures.

Recycling & Sustainability: During my short time with the service group Recycling and Sustainability, I learned how to efficiently work as a team. Part of the service activity is sorting through recyclable materials from the school. We were, as a group, able to sort through the entire room and have it clean within 45 minutes. I could utilise these group working skills within school projects, or within social life, with friends and family.

I plan on utilizing these skills within my DP service experience, and I plan on further developing my academic, and social skills within my service.

Upcycling an old iPad, into a desk clock

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While going through some of my family’s old discarded tech devices, I found our 7-year-old ipads, which had minimal damage. I decided to try to boot them up and use them once again. Unfortunately, since the iPad was so old, there were a lot of software and hardware defects. Despite this I decided that instead of disposing of it, I could turn it into a desk clock, upcycling the iPad so that it becomes useful once again.

Procsess: Firstly, I took measurements of the Ipad and inputed them into Fusion 360. I used the “add sketch” tool within Fusion 360 to design an housing. I used other “modify” tools to refine the design.

Then I 3D printed it in 5 parts. It was assembled using super glue, and spray painted to look aesthetically pleasing. Double sided tape was utlised to keep the iPad within the housing. And a charger was attached to the Ipad.

CAS Targets: This project targets the creativity and service aspects of my CAS process. The creativity component originates from the 3D modelling and 3D printing I did to create a 3d printed frame. I first measured the iPad to get all the dimensions and inputted them into the 3D modelling software, Fusion 360. This allowed me to design a simple and strong frame to hold the iPad in place, on my desk.

The service component of this project is in relation to my service, Recycling. Where our goal is to reuse, reduce, and recycle. I

was able to reuse the iPad, this meant that the iPad would not contribute to electronic waste. It also meant I did not have to buy a desk clock, which also reduces my carbon footprint.

Learning Outcomes: I had 2 main learning outcomes. Firstly; Identify your own strengths and develop areas for personal growth. I had strengths within 3D modeling, and 3D printing. I further developed these by applying these skills into an unfamiliar form (a desk clock).

Secondly; Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process. I had challenges with starting up the Ipad, this led me to learning how to properly reset an Ipad. I also had some challenges regarding creating inlays on my 3D design, this allowed me to develop new skills on how to use more tools within 3D modeling softwares.