Reconstruction Self-Reflection

1. How did I feel during planning this presentation? Why did I feel this way?
1. In the planning of this presentation, I felt commanding. I felt this way because I would make the due dates for close to everything and I believe that this made my group run like a well-oiled machine, even if some people in my group could have thought that I was a little too commanding.
2. How did I feel prior to presenting? Why did I feel this way?
1. I felt stable and proud prior to presenting. I felt stable because I felt that my group did a great job and we really made an effort to do well in this presentation. I felt proud of my group because they did such a wonderful job with their presentations and learning what they were to say.
3. How did I feel while I was presenting? Why did I feel this way?
1. I felt dominating while I was presenting. I felt this way because I was pushing my words out of my mouth and I was really using the content to my team’s advantage.
4. What did I personally do well?
1. Personally, I directed my team well. We all knew what we were to do and when to do it. I was sure to take the initiative in this debate. My group dealt well with my intensity.
5. What did not go as desired in this presentation?
1. Something that did not go as desired in the presentation was that maybe we would stumble a bit with our words, and sometimes be a bit repetitive. This was the worst thig that happened in the presentation. Otherwise, everything went smoothly.
6. On a scale from 1-10, how well do I think I understood the content? Explain.
1. On a scale of 1-10, I believe that I understood the content as a 8.5. I knew the important facts that are key to know of the Wade-Davis Bill and the Proclamation of Amnesty, but I did not study exactly what each section mentions. I am not an expert at this information, but I am good at understanding it.
7. How do I think my group members perceived me? Why do I think this?
1. I think most of my group members perceived me as their leader. They knew that I was the one (of two other group members/leaders) making final due dates and making sure that everyone was doing what they were supposed to. I think that a few of my group members might have thought that I was a little too commanding. I could have been more flexible with the decisions.
8. How do I think the 8^th graders perceived me? Why do I think this?
1. I think the eighth graders perceived me as a good public speaker who knew the content well. They might have also thought that I get caught up in debates (as I do think that I was a bit competitive in the conclusion statement). I think this because they complemented me on my public speaking throughout the day of the debate, and they also voted for my group to win (without counting up the points). They might have thought that I was competitive because I had a HUGE dramatic affect with the point that I made in the conclusion and I asked the eighth graders a question when I was finished. This question was a bit pushy: “Do you REALLY want to follow a policy written by people who do not trust their OWN decisions?”.
9. Knowing that I can only control how I act and react, if I could do this presentation again, what would I change about my actions to make it a more ideal experience?
1. If I could do this presentation again, I would change how I feel during prep for the debate and really focus on the content, not winning. This is because I need the content to win! If my group was to have more content, we could have won the vote of points.
10. What are my strengths in groups?
1. I am an intense person in groups. I always want to be the leader, and I often am. When I have group members that are okay with that (like I did for this debate), I really do enjoy being in a group. When I do not, it’s a different story.
11. What areas do I need improvement?
1. I need to improve on my tendency to dictate a bit in the groups that I am in. I am a good leader, but I want everything the way I want it. I should work on being more flexible to the people in my group.
12. What is the most important thing I learned about myself? Why is this so important?
1. In this presentation, I learned that with direction, projects can run smoothly. This is important for future projects. If there is a lot of direction toward what we are to do, this puts a lot less stress on me as a group leader.
13. Are there any other things that I need to express?
1. I need to express the way I felt right after my group (Block I Lincoln A) presented in the debate. I was so proud of all of the work that we accomplished! We had run trough with ease, until the questions from the eighth graders came along. I learned from these questions that, when presenting, I need to know anything about everything that we cover, plus more (if I want to win).

Reflective Blog Entry

Being in the DLC has really changed me. I have grown from what I was a year ago to someone who actually feels prepared for the highly technological future. I am beginning to notice how much of a perfectionist I am, and that this is not always a good thing. I am so proud of myself, though. I had never thought that I could learn so much about technology and the old, current, and future world so quickly. I have learned more this year in tech than I have in my seven years of elementary school! To achieve success, though, you have to face challenge. The main challenge in this year for me was definitely the “Thematic Causes of the Civil War” digitally narrated product. It wasn’t that the project itself was hard, but that I made it hard for myself. I remember staying up all throughout the night, just to discover that I had done something that I didn’t even need to do! This project was challenging because of my horrible time management. This was also my favorite project, just because of the way it turned out. The product looked really nice. I also loved how my second Stephen Crane product, a poem with a Ken Burns movie to go with it, turned out. My entire class could not believe that I wrote the poem (in a good way) because it was so dark and sad, the opposite of me. I hope that in the second semester I will manage my time better. This will take a LOT of work, though. I will need to accept the fact that not everything can be perfect. Project wise, I hope that we can do something like make the plays that we are making for Ms. Binder into a presentation. We could create our own characters and script and make the play look spectacular! The great thing about this idea is that we could do things that we would not be able to do on a stage.