Chemical Equilibrium
May 2, 2016 - May 26, 2016
In the last month before our lives are thrown out of equilibrium by becoming seniors, the focus of our chemistry class was maintaining equilibrium. Typically, when chemicals are involved, equilibrium is balanced through reversal reactions. The main concept in this unit was Le Chatlier's Principle-- the idea that a chemical reaction shifts in a direction to relieve stress. Stress can come in the form of temperature, pressure, or concentration of ions.
Each person individually chose a topic depending on interest. This step was probably the most challenging for me. At first I chose to research the changing levels of blood sugar involving insulin and glucagon. However, I already learned the basics from biology and going further in depth would have required graduate school level research. Also, although I was interested in physical health surrounding diabetes, I wasn't ebullient to really research the subject. At this stall in my progress, I turned to the idea of health revolving around a new trend-- tattoos. With an interest in getting a small one in the future, I wanted to learn more both about the conventional ideas and the scientific background.
Through the project I learned about a slightly different application of the immune system. I also discovered the diversity of ink pigments and the various effects each one has regarding the enzymes that break down the molecules. Through this project, I was surprised by the multiple approaches science took towards researching both tattoos and equilibrium. The final objective of the project was to use articles and research to create a public service announcement using a social media platform. I decided to create an infographic and then share the work through posters, slideshows, and links on several accounts or websites. She wanted to do more graduate research because she only had an ink-ling of what design she wanted.
Each person individually chose a topic depending on interest. This step was probably the most challenging for me. At first I chose to research the changing levels of blood sugar involving insulin and glucagon. However, I already learned the basics from biology and going further in depth would have required graduate school level research. Also, although I was interested in physical health surrounding diabetes, I wasn't ebullient to really research the subject. At this stall in my progress, I turned to the idea of health revolving around a new trend-- tattoos. With an interest in getting a small one in the future, I wanted to learn more both about the conventional ideas and the scientific background.
Through the project I learned about a slightly different application of the immune system. I also discovered the diversity of ink pigments and the various effects each one has regarding the enzymes that break down the molecules. Through this project, I was surprised by the multiple approaches science took towards researching both tattoos and equilibrium. The final objective of the project was to use articles and research to create a public service announcement using a social media platform. I decided to create an infographic and then share the work through posters, slideshows, and links on several accounts or websites. She wanted to do more graduate research because she only had an ink-ling of what design she wanted.
Annotated Bibliography and Sources:
Reflection: This project differed from typical project based learning in several ways. This allowed me to both succeed in unexpected areas and also struggle through a couple various issues. The main change from this project compared to the previous ones was the fact it was more individualized and not group based. This factor lead to my initial challenges.
The biggest issue that I faced was the fact I had to rely mainly on myself. There was no peer pressure for me to stay on task so I would often be able to procrastinate. I found that I would typically push back my goals and accept that I could spend time at home to finish the work. This decrease in work efficiency taught me to set clear deadlines so I would be forced to be more productive. The more isolated feeling led to another challenge I faced during this project; it was harder to overcome the points when I was stuck or unsure of what to research. Since everyone had an different specific topic, there was little to no intraclass collaboration or idea sharing, which stunted the creativity aspect.
Positive aspects surrounding this project was the introduction to new social media platforms. The most important take-away from this category was to use less words and more graphics. Not only is it more appeasing to the eye, but it also captures the audience's attention better. Another point regarding the social media aspect is to share it in a variety of ways. Instead of only presenting to a single class, posters can be set up so the entire school can see. Or links on different webpages such as Facebook, tumblr, or on my own website can increase the sharing of information. My second major peak of this project was being able to be unique. I really enjoyed using a platform that I don't normally consider. The user friendly website taught me to find new programs and expand possibilities for future assignments. For example, I am also using Piktocharts to create a playbill for my English class.
The biggest issue that I faced was the fact I had to rely mainly on myself. There was no peer pressure for me to stay on task so I would often be able to procrastinate. I found that I would typically push back my goals and accept that I could spend time at home to finish the work. This decrease in work efficiency taught me to set clear deadlines so I would be forced to be more productive. The more isolated feeling led to another challenge I faced during this project; it was harder to overcome the points when I was stuck or unsure of what to research. Since everyone had an different specific topic, there was little to no intraclass collaboration or idea sharing, which stunted the creativity aspect.
Positive aspects surrounding this project was the introduction to new social media platforms. The most important take-away from this category was to use less words and more graphics. Not only is it more appeasing to the eye, but it also captures the audience's attention better. Another point regarding the social media aspect is to share it in a variety of ways. Instead of only presenting to a single class, posters can be set up so the entire school can see. Or links on different webpages such as Facebook, tumblr, or on my own website can increase the sharing of information. My second major peak of this project was being able to be unique. I really enjoyed using a platform that I don't normally consider. The user friendly website taught me to find new programs and expand possibilities for future assignments. For example, I am also using Piktocharts to create a playbill for my English class.