Name of Assignment: HARF Cart for Stewie Subject: Community Engagement Facilitator/Teacher: Michelle Ford (Mrs. Ford)
Description of Work/Assignment:
Sometime in the school year we had a bunch of guest speakers come in to our class talk about what they do for our community. Then we partnered up with HARF (Hawaii Animal Rescue Foundation) to rebuild their website, make social media platforms, make educational videos, and build a cart for Stewie. Stewie is a two legged (only in the back) dog that is the belongs to the owner and founder of HARF, Penny. They figured that with our new engineering room, we could design and build a cart for Stewie so he could move around on his own. We used a cart that they had given us and we just adjusted it to be compatible with Stewie's needs.
Which 21st Century Skill do you feel this assignment addresses, and why?
This assignment/project addresses the thinking and problem solving 21st century skill because we had to figure out how to make a safe cart for stewie that fit him. Luckily we didn't have to start from scratch, although we had to still tinker and design the cart so that it would fit stewie.
What are you most proud of from this assignment, and why?
I am most proud of the whole cart, even though the cart didn't end up working out for Stewie, it was a great experience.
How did you develop and/or improve upon your 21st Century Skill with this assignment?
I improved on my 21st century skill by applying it to a engineering project and using it. Sometimes just using the 21st century skill makes you grow and get better at it.
What was most difficult about completing this task?
The most difficult thing about completing this project was the whole thing, brainstorming, collecting parts, measuring, and building were all difficult throughout the project.
How could you improve this work? If you could start over, what would you do differently?
I can improve this project by measuring Stewie correctly. Buying parts that fit him instead of reusing (which totally like reusing parts) parts that don't work (these were the only parts available). If I could start over I would do exactly what I stated above.
How does this relate to what you have learned in the past?
This relates to projects where I have had to build mechanical working objects like a claw the picks something up.
How can you apply this to future learning?
I can apply this to future learning by knowing that brainstorming the correct materials can really help. Just doing things the correct way instead of half doing it will definitely make a difference.