Progress Reports 8P4

• Using the Cricut Explore 3, I created a blue heart sticker because although I had intentionally wanted to make a Christmas mug sticker, when I heard that Adella's mom's valentines day coffee mug had been fading and she needed a new one, I decided to take matters into my own hands and make her a new decal for her mug. I believed that she'd enjoy a surprise in which her mug be re-decorated and brought bake to life using something her own daughter helped make. The plan was to surprise her, putting the mug sticker on and decorating it for her before school and then putting it back on a counter for her mom to see when she finally gets up in the morning to come. Despite the fact that this could technically be called an inconvenience considering that it completely strayed from the goal of the original project, we were still able to use the knowledge we gained making the original project for the new one, it it felt much better making this for someone else who needs it compared to a simple sticker to make for fun. I truly hoped this saved her some of her money and her precious time.

• During this process, I learned how to make stickers, operate a Cricut cutting machine, and how to be better in terms of asking for help. The entire time, the project felt almost impossible. The Cricut was very picky, and wasn't cooperating what so ever. Drawing out weird, unrelated shapes to anything that were were doing in the first place. It took a very long time of convincing to mustard up the courage to actually ask people how it worked, what I was doing wrong, and how to fix it. It was definitely humbling and embarrassing, no doubt about it, but in the end I believe it was worth it to learn something new that I may also use in the future. Either way,. it shouldn't hurt to ask for help, and it's okay if it does. Everyone needs to be humbled every once and a while.

• The 7 standards of the class are Empowered Learner, Digital Citizen, Knowledge Constructor, Innovative Designer, Computational Thinker, Creative Communicator, and Global Collaborator. My project ties to Creative Communicator because  during this project, the entire time were trying to solve a problem using the Cricut. This problem being that Addella's mom's mug design is fading and needs to be replaced, and buying a new one would be quite expensive. So, because of this we create her a new mug sticker to go with the design that Addella is later going to be making on her mom's mug, creating a lovely surprise for her mother and helping her in the long run. Not to mention, using a Cricut isn't easy, it comes across son many issues and is very stubborn. I'll admit, I didn't exactly enjoy using it, but regardless, like the name and goal of innovation, we found our ways around the problem and took care of them to the best of our ability, giving us the end product we deserve.

• A challenge I overcame on this project was the fear of having to ask for help. I'm a mostly independent person and feel like and idiot having to ask someone else how to do something. I was able to do it by, despite my fears, forcing my self to ask for help in times of problem, and it worked fairly well. I still felt like an idiot, but at least asking managed to get the job done in the end, which is what really matters. When I really think about it, if I hadn't asked for help, I would've never finished the project- even if I managed to, I would've gotten it in extremely late and there wouldn't be much quality to it. So it's true, sometimes a little embarrassment is worth it for the result you get in the end.

• Given a chance to do this again, I would change the project we decided to do from the beginning, because although we would've ended up with the same end result, we would've had an easier time, more free time to spare, and a more fulfilling experience. The reason why I would change it is because if we had changed it, thew project wouldn't have been is exhausting and frustrating, and I also wouldn't have had wasted more time and materials, which makes a big difference in the end. If I really had to change the project last minute, I could've at least focused a little more on what I was doing. Although I feel like I did that alright, maybe I didn't do it well enough. Either way, the project was indeed frustrating, but it calms me knowing there was ways I could make it a little better.

• Hastings High School Career and Technical Education Program offers Agriculture, Business Management, Computer Programming, Construction Trades, Culinary Arts, Digital Multimedia, Engineering Design, Finance, Insurance, Marketing.  My project connects to the Digital Multi-Media CTE program at Hastings High School. This is because using the Cricut is digital, and is making different types of media by using it, taking it straight to the definition. All of the things you do on there are done using digital graphics, and then printed and cut out using the Cricut machine.  This is exactly what digital multi-media is, and fits the definition perfectly. 

• My project connects to careers in careers in graphic design, entrepreneurship, and small-scale manufacturing because it involves using software like the Cricut app to design the print you want, and also having great protentional in marketing, making it a target and a skill useful to entrepreneurs. It also involves taking a client's small sized request and turning it into a reality, requiring technical skill using a machine in which they all relate to in some way shape or form. As the world continues to evolve, machines are becoming more and more relevant in today's businesses, making jobs like these very well paying and very high in  demand. That's why creating skills like this is most definitely important, especially if you desire a job even remotely relevant to this.

Finished Sticker (we couldn't include the mug, as Adella's mom had been working overtime that day and brought it with her).

The video/how we did it: