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Ballyhass Trip - 23/09/2020
Ballyhass Trip - 23/09/2020
Description
Ballyhass is an Adventure Centre located near Mallow in Co. Cork. This centre offers many activities such as water sports, climbing activities and much more in the lakes and surrounding area.
Rating
5 Stars (an amazing day)
3 things I enjoyed
The bus ride on the way there. Everyone felt a bit excited and couldn’t wait to get there.
I really enjoyed the aquapark. Being in the water was so much fun.
The crate stacking too. It was fun having to work as a team, and our two instructors were both really nice and easy to talk to as well.
2 things I learned
It started to rain when we were in the aquapark and the instructor told us that since the temperature had dropped outside, this is why the water felt warmer than at the beginning. I found this interesting.
I learned how to work as a team for the crate building activity, with one person climbing up the crates, one helping stack the crates, one pulling a rope when the first person climbs higher and one pulling the "slack" of the rope to keep the first person secure.
I thing I might change
The only thing I would change would be the amount of time we spent there. I would have loved to spend a few more hours there trying out more activities and stuff. Overall it was a great day and I would love to go back there another day later in the year again.
Cycling Trip - 12/10/2020
Cycling Trip - 12/10/2020
Description
On this trip, we went cycling on the greenway from Barna to Abbeyfeale. A bus took us to a house outside Newcastle west where we got the bikes and helmets. After that we started cycling. In total, we cycled nearly 30km! Everyone had a great time and enjoyed it a lot.
Rating
4.5 stars
3 things I enjoyed
I enjoyed actually being able to go for a cycle, since my bike at home is too small for me!
I really enjoyed going downhill at the end. We had to be careful since we were travelling at such a high speed, but it was really fun and gave our legs a break from going uphill!
Being able to relax on the bus on the way home. I could finally rest my legs and have a bit to eat!
2 things I learned
You have to be very careful and not pedal going downhill, since you are travelling so quickly. I learned this the hard way! On the steepest part of the trail, I was going too fast on the bike. There were people walking on the other side of the path, and I was more concerned about not hitting them so I automatically went into the wet grass. The bike slipped and I went flying, leaving me a bit battered and bruised! The worse thing was that this happened near the beginning, so I had to put up with being covered in mud with a cut knee and a hole in my pants for another few hours!
It's easier to travel at a constant speed rather than going quickly then slowly and quickly again.
1 thing I might change
The only thing I would change would be the amount of time we had to do the cycle. We didn't get much of a break, so basically had to be constantly cycling for a few hours. We would have been under as much pressure if we had more time to do it.
Health & Safety Course - 15/10/2020
Health & Safety Course - 15/10/2020
Description
On Thursday 15th October, we spent most of the day completing the second unit of our "Young People at Work" book. This education programme is based on the principles of health and safety in the workplace, and was published by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA).
For the first 6 classes we went to the same teachers as normal, but we worked on the HSA programme instead of doing normal work.
The second unit focused on workplace hazards. The knowledge that we learned from this unit will be of great benefit to us when we are doing work experience as part of our TY programme. We will have the opportunity to put our learning into practice, and make sure we are as safe as possible in the workplace. Your safety is your own responsibility, so you always have to be careful when working, especially when introduced to a new environment.
Rating
3 stars (the programme was very knowledgeable and made me notice things I didn't notice before. Most of the teachers made the class engaging and fun, but it wasn't as enjoyable as some of the other activities we did. Still I would recommend to do it again)
3 things I enjoyed
Learning new things about hazards in the workplace
Doing something different to our usual everyday classes
Most of the teachers made the class enjoyable, using examples and relating them to school in order to make them easier to understand, such as slipping in the corridor if the floor was wet and there wasn't any signs up.
2 things I learned
I learned about different hazards in different workplaces such as machinery on a farm, as well as risk assessments, which are simply used to make the workplace as safe and low risk as possible.
I also learned about
Ergonomics
Fire safety
First aid
Most common types of workplace accidents
1 thing I might change
I found it interesting and thought that all of the teachers made it some bit enjoyable, but maybe if the work included some more physical examples or activities such as acting out a workplace accident or getting someone to put a blindfold on and be able to walk straight through the room without tripping over any hazards or something, then more people might have found it more interesting and enjoyable.
Microsoft Dreamspace - 23/10/2020
Microsoft Dreamspace - 23/10/2020
Description
On Friday 23rd October (last day before midterm) we did a Microsoft Dreamspace workshop for about 2 hours. The three TY classes were divided into two computer rooms, with either Ms. Cregan or Ms. Griffin.
We then joined a zoom call with "Corie" who works at Microsoft Ireland in Dublin. We took a virtual tour of the Microsoft building and it was amazing! Well it had to be I suppose, considering that €134 million was spent on designing and building the campus. The employees refer to its layout as "an island". It even has an LED waterfall! She told us about the facilities available in the building (such as a gym and massage room) and the many job opportunities at Microsoft, as well as some of the technology used there (such as AI and Mixed reality experiences)
We then made our own arcade game using code on the website https://arcade.makecode.com/
Rating
3.5 stars (interesting and enjoyable)
3 things I enjoyed
I enjoyed watching the virtual tour of the building. It looked so cool. I couldn't believe the amount of facilities available there. Who usually has a wellbeing studio and nail salon at their workplace?! It seems like Microsoft really looks after its employees and has great trust in them. It must be a great place to work.
I enjoyed making and playing my own arcade game.
I found it funny when Ms. Cregan accidently left the zoom call .... twice! She found it funny herself too so it was ok. To be fair, the zoom actually worked out really well and there were only a few minor issues throughout the 2 hours which was very good.
2 things I learned
I learned about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how it works, as well as mixed reality which is a blend of digital virtual reality (a computer-generated simulation where a person can interact with an artificial three dimensional environment using goggles, gloves etc. - like visiting a street in Paris) and actual reality.
I also learned about the basics of simple coding.
1 thing I might change
We ran out of time at the end but that was probably down to the technical issues we had at the beginning with joining the zoom call and stuff. If it were possible, I would like to go up to Dublin to actually see the Microsoft campus in person.
Podcasting Course - 11/11/2020 & 12/11/2020
Podcasting Course - 11/11/2020 & 12/11/2020
Description:
We did a podcasting course with Createschool in November 2020, which involved us making our own podcasts! Over 2 days, we had meet calls with the people running the course, who gave us tips and showed us how everything works with the app,"BandLab" we downloaded to produce 2 podcasts each - fictional & non-fictional.
Rating:
4 stars (it was very good)
3 thing I enjoyed:
Creating my own podcast
Playing around with the music section of "BandLab"
Editing and putting all the podcast together
2 things I learned:
Podcasts are enjoyable to create and listen to. Since doing the course I've listened to a lot of podcasts. They can relaxing sometimes and give you a break from looking at a screen. Duolingo do podcasts in different languages which are very useful to try improve.
I learned how to use the app "BandLab"
1 thing I would change:
The only thing that didn't work was trying to record yourself doing the podcast when the room was full of people. Everything was quite so people just whispered when recording! Other than that it was good.
Roller skating & Shopping - 18/12/2020
Roller skating & Shopping - 18/12/2020
Description:
We went to the Crescent shopping Centre and then went Roller skating at Roller jam in Limerick.
Rating:
4.5 stars (great fun, but could barely get out of bed the next morning!)
3 thing I enjoyed:
Being able to shop before Christmas
Getting hot chocolate
Not being the only person falling all over the place
2 things I learned:
If you keep practicing, you will get better. At the beginning I found it difficult to even stand up, but I got the hang of it after a while!
When holding onto the wall make sure you're feet don't start rolling away or else you'll end up clinging on for dear life!
1 thing I would change:
Next time I would wear knee guards, elbow guards, helmet etc. because I came home covered in bruises, my knees were especially destroyed so even wearing knee guards would make a difference!
Kayaking - 30/03/2021
Kayaking - 30/03/2021
Description:
We went kayaking on Lough Gur at Kilfinane Outdoor Education Centre.
Rating:
5 stars (a great experience)
3 thing I enjoyed:
Being able to go on a trip after a long time
Racing in the canoes
Swimming in the water near the end (even though it was a bit chilly!)
2 things I learned:
To make a sharp turn in a canoe, you can paddle forwards instead of backwards at the side you want to turn)
You should never go canoeing on your own. Always have at least 2 if not 3 people together, so that if someone gets hurt, one person can stay with the injured person and the other can go get help.
1 thing I would change:
I wouldn't really change anything. Maybe if we had more time to just mess around in the canoes it would have been even more fun.
Ziplining - 11/05/2021
Ziplining - 11/05/2021
Description:
We went to Zipit Forest Adventures in Aglish, Farren Woods, Co. Cork where we took part in the highropes/ziplining activities. There were 5 different circuits - green, orange, white, blue & red. We went on the first 4 of these, which were between 1m & 15m metres in height!
This was my favourite trip during the year. We had a great day, even though it was nerve-wracking at times!
Rating:
5 stars (would give it 6 stars if I could)
3 things I enjoyed:
Trying to get past all the obstacles
Going down the long ziplines
Touching the ground again after finishing a circuit!
2 things I learned:
I learned about the different circuits (height, suitability, obstacle difficulty etc.)
I learned how to clip myself in and out throughout the course to get from one obstacle to the next. It was confusing at the beginning but I got the hang of it after a while
1 thing I would change:
I had a brilliant day! The only thing that went wrong was that some of us didn't get to finish the end of the blue circuit, but besides that it was a really really good day and I'd love to go back there again!
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