Science light project summery
By Owen.w January, 13th, 2017
1A)
2A) My group consisted of 3 people Gavin Peterson, Liam ------and I Owen Wotherspoon in the start of this my class were put in groups of 3-4 to brain storm some ideas to make lights for the Dominican Republic. I was grouped with Liam and Ashiana (sorry if I spelt her name wrong) and the 3 of us spent 3 days before we decided on a light we could make. We chose a rechargeable hand crank flash light that was lightweight and efficient. But when we got back together the next day we learn that Asiana is leaving to join a different group. So it was then Liam and I, we were figuring out what to do when Gavin comes over and asks if he can join we asked him what he was doing and he said a solar panel light but we wanted to do a hand crank. So we got back the next day and start arguing what we should do,then we finallygo with a hand crank light. So we started to design it on a piece of paper; we planned out all the parts to it and I had a hand crank light so I started to bring it and the next 3 days we spent talking about how we could get money. But after the weekend we got back together and Liam and Gavin came up to me and said we were doing a solar panel flash light. So we started designing a solar light and after we trashed about 13 designs we made one with a detachable battery and solar panel to that they could Velcro strap to their heads. We then spent the next few days we spent not really doing anything because Gavin was designing the lights body in his first block. And we had nothing else to do. Finally the day rolls around where Gavin tried to 3D print the body but in his rush he did not make a supported for it and in the presses it fell over but the computer kept going so it was ruined. So we learned from our mistakes and if there is a next time we will add supports.
3A.) The skills I feel I gained are, I learned that supports are needed so you don’t mess up with a project when 3D printing, and I know I’m always told that I have it good and to finish my food because 3rd world countries don’t have this. But when you are told about it so much it kind of lose its influence, but when I heard and saw how they have no electricity and that there is a flood near their school right now.
4C.) the Connections-based learning was definitley interesting considering that I have never done anything even close to it. It was helpful when talking to the teacher/students in the Dominican republic because we got to have some 1st/2nd hand knowledge on what it is like there and what conditions the light would have to got through. It was also helpful talking with the class for New Brunswick because they have been doing this longer than we have and we got to hear about some failed light experiments like their 3D printed hand crank and how the crank tended to break. It was also nice to hear about an experiment that was going well with their head band light. In the proses even we had a failed experiment when gavin was making the 3D printed light shell he forgot to add supports so it fell over as it was going. But he was able to make a better one after that.