Module: AI Journalism
Module: Over Under: Air, Water & Physics
Module: The Last Samurai
In the AI journalism in module in Bosnia and Herzegovina, I worked on learning three different types of journalism; investigative, solutions based, and opinion, and wrote about Bosnia and Herzegovina through these articles. My summative product was an opinion article about transparency and human rights in AI, which we learned throughout the module. We went on different module experiences, such as going to Lukomir village, talking to Bosnian war survivors who had been journalists at the time, and going to the Al Jazeera Balkans office.
In this terms module, Over Under: Air, Water & Physics, I got to learn trapeze and water safety while looking at my performance in them through the lens of a physicist. I expected to not enjoy trapeze but love water safety, but in the end this turned out to be the opposite, as being deep under water with no air did not make me feel comfortable, and surprisingly flying through the air did. We went to Cairns for the water safety portion, which was a beautiful opportunity, as Cairns is gorgeous. I absolutely loved this module, and would 100% do it again.
In the Last Samurai module, I explored samurai history and how this connects to the modern day. Through excursions to castles, shrines, temples, live Kenbu and Bunraku performances, and learning karate and how to use katanas and nunchucks, I had the opportunity to learn about how samurai used to live and their practices. We then applied this knowledge to a theater piece, working collaboratively to write and perform our one act play, "The Next Last Samurai."
For my mastery project, I wrote and edited a 100,000 word young adult dystopian fantasy novel. This process was quite exhausting, particularly the editing process, as looking over your own work is very tiring. I learnt the importance of grit and perseverance in this project, as well as the significance of reflection.
For my mastery project I conducted interviews in Canada, Brazil, and Vietnam on the significance of stories told to us in our childhood. I then compiled these interviews into a 45 minute documentary which explores the meaning of story and how they can influence us.
For my service learning, I started a pen pal program between seniors and elementary school students. The aim of this program is to reduce depression and other mental health problems in seniors, and to increase literary rates in elementary school students by fostering a love for writing.