Netbook Reflection 2012

This generation our learning has been enhanced with better technology, and Pt England students were fortunate enough to be gifted with learning devices such as the Netbook. It worked magic for us then because it had easy access to the Internet and easily filed google docs.

Fast forward 2 years later and these little Internet devices are still working magic for us. This year, our netbook has helped us with our learning a lot. Since using this device, I have improved in Math and have even begun to enjoy learning about Maths with the learning application which we use to enhance our learning. Studyladder is also another application that helps me with my Maths and reading.

Going back to pencil and paper is probably the last thing on my mind right now, but I feel as if we kind of need to go back for a period of time during the day. Why? Well because I think that our handwriting is lagging. it looks as if it is not at the standard as it is meant to be, especially for our age. Probably half and hour a day would be an appropriate portion of time but that is not up to me.

So netbooks have helped us in a lot of learning areas and have helped us reach our learning intentions. These devices have helped us a lot in this past year. So this year of the netbook has been successful.

Welcoming the ... NINJA LEI!

Lei's are a popular island accessory, but when you are chosen to make it into a toy, THAT'S a different story. Pt England's year 7 & 8 extension group were told to choose a random number between 1 and 20 so we could be given an item to make into a toy. I chose the number 6, and I got given a lei. Now don't get me wrong, they are a lovely decoration, and if you were not to know what it is, you must have been living under a rock.

After a few days of researching,  I finally came to a conclusion: to make it into a Ninja Lei. It has super elasticity and it also has a lasso attached to the end. It is made for any ages from 8-13, because they have more fun with fun gadgets. The great thing about this is that you don't need to spend money on batteries because there is no need. Only one person can operate it at a time, and the aim of the toy is just to have fun, whether it's just grabbing things that are too far away or you just want to bring your dis-obeying brother back into your room when he's not listening to you. There are many things you can do with this amazing contraption!

History of the 'Slinky'.

“What walks down stairs, alone or in pairs, And makes a slinkity sound?
A spring, a spring, a marvelous thing, Everyone knows it’s Slinky...
It’s Slinky, it’s Slinky, for fun it’s a wonderful toy
It’s Slinky, it’s Slinky, it’s fun for a girl and a boy

That is the Slinky’s catchy advertisement jingle. Slinky is a contraption which was made by Naval engineer Richard James. The birth of this toy is pretty simple but amazing. Richard was working when a spring fell to the ground. He was fascinated by how the spring kept going, moving. He then had a wonderful idea for a toy and,  so that is how Slinky was born. The Slinky toy debuted at the Gimbel’s department store, during the 1945 Christmas season. Even though it held a simple concept, 400 were sold during the 90 minute Gimbel demonstration. After a while, Richard got a bit tired of going around, promoting his toy, so manufacturers made a Slinky dog, which was the birth of Slinky the dog (Toy Story).

The BAR concept, is when you make something bigger, add something and replace something. This is really hard seeing that my toy is just a simple contraption. I would make the whole body bigger, I would add human features like a face, legs and arms, and last but not least I would replace the material from metal to CHOCOLATE!

So the Slinky toy has a very funny way of coming to fame. It only took a simple spring to spark up a moment of inspiration, which just shows that a silly idea might even become a worldwide sensation.

Film Festival

Walking into the crowded dark theatre, I saw endless rows of red plush chairs waiting for us to sit on them. While I was walking up the lit stairs, I heard the crunch of the buttery popcorn under the soles of my shoes. Looking down a dimly lit aisle, I went and sunk into the chairs and got ready to enjoy the 5th annual Film Festival on the biggest movie screen in the southern hemisphere.

The bright light shone on the small stage. As the two college kids walked up, the whole crowd started cheering and whistling at these two courageous men. They recited their speech and walked off excitedly, probably eager to get off the stage. All I heard later was One Direction’s song ‘One thing’ and I immediately was screaming. If you haven’t noticed I am a fan of One Direction. As the movie wore on, the crowd erupted in laughter every five seconds because of the comedic creativity this movie had. As the movie faded off I awaited the arrival for my friends Toreka and Makerita, who were presenting a movie that the extension made.

Our movie is based around the everyday choices that an ordinary person makes. IT was a walk through of the day of a Pt England school child, who is faced by a series of tasks and if forced to make a good choice or a not so good choice. There are two paths but both of them have a mixture of good and bad decisions because no one is perfect, we all mistakes and that’s what makes us human. You can watch the movie at this link: http://talanoamai.blogspot.co.nz/2012/11/pick-path.html

So as the Film Festival came to an end, everyone was instructed to exit the theatre. Everyone lazily got out of their seats and quickly made their way out of the movie theatre. We looked like a swarm of red ants, pushing and shoving each other. The experience was great, because we got to see how other schools in our Manaiakalani cluster work with cameras and how they do their movie making. So it was a great learning experience for all our schools to come together and learn from each other.

You can watch all the Film Festival entries by clicking on this link:
http://www.manaiakalani.org/film-festival/2011-film-festival/2012-film-festival

How to make Homemade Play Dough

How to make Homemade Play Dough

You will need:

• 2 cups of flour
• 2 cups of warm water
• 1 cup of salt
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 Tablespoon cream of tartar
• Food colouring
• Glitter- Silver, purple and blue

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients and stir over low heat. The dough will begin to thicken until it looks like mashed potatoes. When the dough pulls away from the sides, and clumps in the middle, take it away from heat and leave to cool, enough to handle.

2. Place the dough on a silicone mat, or on a clean counter and knead until smooth. Divide the dough into equal proportions ready for colouring.

3. Make a little well in the middle of your dough and drop some food colouring in the center. Knead the dough so the food colouring can be evenly distributed.

4. Place in airtight containers if you are not playing with it.

The Enchanted forest

“COME ON JESSE!” I shouted. My friends and I were out on a walk. Jesse rejoined Tiffany and I, as we continued our quest for something to take a photo of for our University photography class. Walking along the path, we heard a scream. Jesse and I immediately looked around and there was no sign of Tiffany. “TIFFANY!” Jesse screamed in his low monotone voice. “Down here” she replied, her voice barely audible. We glanced at the concrete and saw a secret passageway. Bending over to investigate this trap, my foot slipped on a rock and I went tumbling down.

Landing on a dirt road, I glanced up, seeing nothing but pure black. Then all of a sudden I was hit by a large object. “OWW!” I screamed. “Sorry...” replied Jesse. Regaining my balance, I took out my flashlight. Maybe this will help with the light problem, but I was wrong. My light was swallowed up by the conquering darkness. My fingers traced the bumpy walls, as I navigated myself through this tunnel. Then I felt steps, walking up the steps I saw a bit of salvation. Opening the hatchet at the top of the staircase, It revealed a beautiful scenery. “Guys, up here!” I screamed down into the tunnel, I heard shuffling and footsteps then I saw the scared faces of Tiffany and Jesse.

Hopping out of the passageway, we saw nothing but forest. My companions and I were covered in cuts and bruises, with dirt smothered on our clothes. We stood up, examining our surroundings. We saw birds in a flock, flying overhead, dropping unwanted body fluids everywhere. We were snapped out of our daydream by a low growl. We cautiously twisted around and saw a bull. It’s eyes were bloodshot red and literally popping out of it’s head, it’s nostrils were huge, while steam was practically, shooting out of it’s ears. “RUN!” Tiffany squealed. We spun around and sprinted. We had no idea where we were going, just that a bull was chasing us. We swivelled around the trees, while thin branches kept whipping us in the face. Glancing back, I saw that the bull was no more, so I stopped. “Well, that was a great exercise!” I exclaimed, sarcastically. Tiffany and Jesse chuckled under their breath. We started walking for what felt like hours, until we came to a road.

A beautiful scenery greeted us. We saw lush forest, heard birds chirping and saw no sign of human interaction. The trees towered over the rest of the forest while, insects scuttled around on the forest bed. We started walking, while the gravel crackled under our feet, then to our amazement we came face to face with a beautiful misty city. The white transparent mist hugged the city, almost like a blanket, and faded off into the sky. “CLICK!” was the sound of the camera when we took a photo. We admired the scenery for a bit longer until we saw an old friend: The bull. He was staring angrily at Jesse, who was wearing a red shirt. “Oh no. Here we go again!” Tiffany said. The bull chased us all the way back to the passageway.

“FASTEN THE HATCHET!” Jesse screamed. Fastening it as fast as I could, we all were panting heavily. “Thank the lord we made it out alive!” Tiffany exclaimed. We retraced our steps back to where we came from, and happily made our way back home.  That was our University assignment complete.

Olympic reflection!

Term 3 has been another fun packed term filled with joy, schoolwork and A LOT of stress. We learnt about the amazing Olympics being held in the majestic city of London. The Olympics have been great to write about, because we are learning about great achievers who have accomplished great things in this worldwide competition.

Even though Term 3 was a great term, I am hoping that the last term of the year will end with a BANG! So get ready for a term full of learning and excitement as we get educated on the wonderful and majestic world of toys!