Cosmic Chemistry
Introduction
The Cosmic Chemistry TicTacTo project was designed to display our understanding of the essential standards of cosmic chemistry across three unique platforms. We were given 12 project ideas and our goal was to select three that covered the main points of the topic. My group chose the kinesthetic, verbal and movie makers to showcase our research and understanding of cosmic down
Kinesthetic
The guidelines for this project were "create a model that demonstrates the changes in the composition of the nucleus of the atom and the energy released during the processes of fission, fusion, and radioactive decay." Since we decided to divide up the work amongst the 3 group members, this was the project I was in charge of. We were limited in our resources so we came up with something that would be easy to do at home...Cupcakes.
The shape worked perfectly to represent all the parts of an atom and its nucleus. I had to label the cupcakes as protons, neutrons and electrons, then I placed them strategically to represent the nuclear processes we were trying to explain.
Movie Makers
We were supposed to "write a skit about the life span of the sun and the role of nuclear fusion in the sun’s core to release energy in the form of radiation" This worked out perfectly since the week we did this project, the sun was acting up because of the nearby wildfires. This allowed for a new connection on the role the sun plays in our solar system.
The skit shows Dominick asking the sun questions about its formation and the process of radiation emitted from the sun's core. The banter creates a nice flow of the information with a mix of comedy to capture the audience's attention
Verbal
For our verbal project we had to Make a podcast “radio hour” in which you interview the scientists who came up with the big bang theory. Q & A about how they used the 3 pieces of evidence to create the big bang theory. I was the host and my other group members were scientists who discovered the Big Bang.
First we had to write a script, which was a lot of fun since we had full creative control. Next we recorded the "podcast", which we were able to accomplish in one take (with a few rehearsals) This was difficult since it was recorded through ZOOM on the computer. In the end we were able to get it done and we are very happy with the final product.
Reflection
As we know, this year is anything but normal. At first I was worried that it would difficult to complete a group project when you can't be with your group members. In the end we were able to make it work with some extra problem solving which allowed for our creative juices to flow more than they may have otherwise. Since I was in charge of the cupcake model, I have the most to say about the process for that one. (We also collaborated equally on the podcast) Something I am very proud that our group did was our ability to equally distribute the work between three people. Since we are distance learning, it is difficult to hold my other group members accountable, but both of them did what they had to in order to get the job done.
I am satisfied with my collaboration and communication skills during the cosmic chemistry project. I have a tendency to take control in group projects because I want to make sure the quality of work is up to my personal standards. Luckily my group mates shared those values so I didn't have to worry about them. This allowed me to focus on sharing ideas and hearing others' as well. We collaborated on the main ideas for the three but had creative control on the individual aspects of each part. My communication was improved because it was crucial to the value of our work. We had minimal class time so it was up to us to communicate outside of then. The three of us created a group chat and shared our progress of our assignments to keep each other up to date. This meant no surprises and it was good to be in the loop of what other people were doing.
Two improvements that could have been made in this project centered around conscientious learning and critical thinking. I would attribute these "pits" to the time constraints and not being in person. Since each group member was required to do an entire project on their own it meant we couldn't go too big with the projects. I needed to make sure my model was something that could be made with materials I had at home and I wouldn't need too much help. This meant I had to simplify all of the ambitious ideas I wanted to pursue hindering my critical thinking throughout the project. The second "pit" was time management. I had to complete the entire project on my own and had to make time in my schedule for all of the baking, decorating and clean up. I underestimated the amount of time it would take for decorating portion, and that could have been easily avoided with better planning on my end. Overall I could improve these skills in the future because now I have experience with distanced group projects. Next time I will be able to learn from my mistakes and continue to succeed in this class.