ReFLECTION
This project was the first one I felt more comfortable working on, and it was because I did not change the code for it to do something else. I mainly focused on the woodwork, even though I had never worked with saws, sanders, or drills, I felt more comfortable doing hands-on activities. I knew I wanted to create a bunny, but did not know how to do it, so I took inspiration from Max the rabbit (Max and Sam) for the body. I wanted my bot to stand up and sit down, so I purposely did not glue the legs and made the string attaching them longer. In order to give it a softer look, I sanded the edges of each body part, which took me a total of five hours. At first I tried wood carving, but it was very difficult, so I only carved the shape and then used the sander to give it a more aesthetic look.
This project relates to belongingness because according to our level of knowledge of a specific topic, we will feel more welcomed in an environment familiar to us. In my case, even though I was not very familiar with these tools, I’ve done art projects that require building something. I also felt a sense of belongingness because I had other peers guide me throughout the steps I had forgotten form the previous woodshop with Kris. Thankfully, the wood did not break while drilling a hole for the string or when I cut it off with the saw, so there were no inconveniences.
One activity that I turned away from was volleyball in freshman year. I tried it out during the summer but I was not physically able to keep up with everyone, so I decided to quit. I had joined with a friend, so I had someone to relate to, but I felt like I was falling behind everyone. Another reason was because I wanted to try other activities/sports, and I ended up joining dance. This was an after school activity, which also required me to do a lot of physical activity, but not as demanding as volleyball, it was fun and since it was a specific dance genre, I could relate to a lot more people. In both cases I believe the environment was a key factor to my decision. In volleyball it seemed that everyone was competing to get better, while in dance we all helped each other to improve our moves and synchronize better.
Thinking back, I think I made the right decision, I would rather be in a welcoming environment than a competitive one. I would tell myself to not overthink my decision and just go with the flow and be thankful of the people I met along the way. This class for example, is very welcoming, everyone helps each other with the coding aspect and the hands-on creation. I also get to learn more things and expand my knowledge, not to mention the personal growth I’ve had with self-efficacy, self-regulation, and cognitive flexibility.
PROGRESS
https://docs.google.com/document/d/11lFIIe7veN_F1L54zrE8vHqwucy0wh1r_I9QKIREZWk/edit
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