
Final Blogpost: Learning outside the classroom
I think that I graded myself too well at first because in looking back at my self reflection I gave myself the highest you could get in some before the end of the year so even though I thought I improved I couldn’t show that because it already looked like I had the highest score. I think I Improved a lot in listening and feedback, my mind set opened a lot during WTS. I feel like I can listen and take feedback and make my work better. When someone would give me feedback, such as my teammates or other groups about our documentary I could listen and take that feedback to better my film. We got feedback that our films flashing pictures at the beginning wasn’t flowing as well as we thought so we worked through it and got it to work really well and after the celebration we got a lot of good feedback on that part of our documentary. I think WTS really improved my team working skills, I learned how to make sure we were all working equally and being a good combination of a leader as the only upperclassmen but at the same time not dictating. I was pretty good at storytelling but I think I also grew in that category because we had to tell a compelling story that would speak to people and would make an effect or at least stick in their mind. It was important that we had good storytelling in order to make a change or make people listen and be engaged. I think this prepared me for the future if I am to make another documentary in another class or if I am to make any type of video that requires storytelling. I would like to continue to work on aspects such as manage learning, analysis and pursue refined questions. I think WTS has prepared me for teamwork and work outside the classroom setting because most work after high school and college is not a classroom setting and yet we spend most of the time preparing for the future in a classroom. I gained a lot more knowledge about technology and Wevideo. I can now edit videos pretty well and make sure things flow smoothly and everything looks presentable. I think that even though I learned a lot about editing that was definitly not my thing within the group. I learned how to do it but I was no master like some of my other group members. I think my thing was coming up with ideas and being able to explain them just not execute them. So in the future I would like to work on executing my ideas. Being able to think of an idea is good but I also need to know how to make my ideas not just ideas anymore but actual things. I have gotten more organized throughout the year and managing my time because we aren’t in a classroom being told my a teacher that we have to do this this and this in a certain time but instead we have to make our own schedule and make sure we get things done by ourselves and that is very good for the future when I will no longer have my parents or teachers telling me when I need to do things but rather I will be on my own and having to make those decisions by myself. I learned good people skills too because we had to be able to communicate to our interviewees but also communicate to an audience and not seem too aggressive but also get our point across. It is important that people like you as a speaker or else they won’t want to listen and will lose interest. Even though I learned how to manage my time better it is still something I need to continue to work on because it is a very important skill for the future. I am a master of procrastination which is a habit I need to work on. It’s really hard for me not to procrastinate and WTS has helped me a little but it’s going to take a lot of practice until I get good at not procrastinating, it’s one step at a time. All in all I think WTS helped me a lot and I grew a lot both academically and personally. I hope to take the things I learned in WTS like people skills, team work, time management and sharing something I am passionate about with people in hopes of making a change. I think that our documentary was really well put together and had a nice familiar feel that mothers and daughters could connect with and therefore feel something when they watched the documentary. It helped me to get good and honest feedback from individuals.
I think that WTS taught me a lot of stuff however narrowing it down to a few existential not curriculum points is hard. I learned that in order to get help when you need it, you have to ask. People are willing to help and want to help helpful but you have to ask for the help first. I also learned that you won’t get help unless you ask. You can’t keep stumbling around in the dark until you dig yourself an even bigger hole that you just never crawl out of. I learned this with one of my blog posts. I was having trouble with a lot of stress in life and I didn’t have a chance to do my blog post of the week however instead of just stressing about not meeting the deadline and pitting myself I talked to someone and told them I was having trouble and they were very understanding and gave me more time so I didn’t have to rush it and do a mediocre job but instead I could actually do my best. I think this is a good lesson to have not just in school or work but also in personal life. Not everyone is going to know what you’re thinking all the time so you have to communicate your feelings or else they will just be left in the dark. It is a great lesson for future relationships in life whether that be personal or business. Another lesson I learned is that if you’re passionate about a topic you tend to work harder on it and therefore have a better outcome. I was very passionate about my topic so I worked harder on it then I would have if I had a topic I was not so into. I think that is important in life to be doing something you love because ultimately the outcome will be better if you are working on something that you want to rather than something you don’t. One of my goals in life is to do something I love, not something for money or that someone else thinks I want, I want to be happy. I think WTS reinstated my idea that I have believed because I loved my project and that why I was so passionate and it’s also very important that when you want to make a change to be passionate because it will speak to people more. I think it is hard to find the things that will keep you happy in life but also make sure that you can live a healthy happy life. For some people happiness is money and retiring early even if it means that they have to work in a job they don’t like for the first part of their life. But others, like my dad, are fine with having to work for the rest of their lives because their job gives them the freedom of having fun and doing the things they love. I think that one thing I will take away from WTS is my reinstated belief that I should do something I love. All in all WTS helped me grow and learn in many ways and I am grateful I did it.