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What have I learnt so far?:

For the first few lessons, there has been a particular focus on thinking methods, including divergent and convergent thinking. Divergent thinking is a free-flowing and unstructured thinking process where you generate as many ideas and solutions as possible. On the other hand, convergent thinking is the process of refining such ideas to create more effective and meaningful solutions. Understanding these two processes will play an imperative role later in the course when I will be required to think of ideas/solutions regarding real-world problems.

What do you think your biggest challenges are going to be in Action Project?:

As of right now, I believe the biggest challenge will be trying to balance the different ongoing activities/assignments involved in Action Project. For instance, still trying to add to my padlet will be difficult when there is another assignment at hand.

What are you excited about in Action Project?:

In Action Project I'm most excited about working with my groups to share our thoughts and interpretations regarding the tasks/activities in progress. Moreover,

working in a group provides an intimate, collaborative environment where each member can actively contribute to share their insights and creative thinking.

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Ways to shave a monkey

Throughout this task, my partner Nate and I used divergent thinking to come up with as many ways to rid a monkey of hair. Via effective communication and collaboration, we were able to facilitate the exchange of diverse perspectives and insights, leading to the generation of unique and innovative ideas. These ideas include giving the monkey a hard and long noogie as well as pulling each individual hair out with tweezers.

30 Circles

The 30 circles task was another activity that involved divergent thinking as we had to draw as many things that have a circular/spherical shape in 2 minutes. The task proved to be significantly harder than it seems as after drawing all the different sporting balls my mind went blank. This is when I had to think outside the box and create faces that varied slightly each time. Although this may be considered cheating, each face was different. This method allowed me to be the only one to fully complete all 30 circles.

New method of communication

When creating a new method of communication we wanted to stray away from reinventing other technology and devices. Therefore we first began by collecting a random assortment of objects that would be difficult to create a communication device with. At first, our group was meaninglessly playing around with the different objects which led to little progress. This is when we realised we should target the device to a certain demographic as this would then lead to a more purposeful construction progress. We ended up creating a device that used touch to communicate with people as this allowed for seamless and easy communication, particularly for those who are deaf.

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Redesign your partner's Lunch Experience - 5-8/2

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Redesign your partner's Lunch Experience - 5-8/2

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Our project for the week was to redesign our partner's lunchtime experience. This was a rather lengthy process as it involved meeting with my client(partner) to understand where they thought lunch could be improved. The timeline on the right represents different moments of lunchtime which have been rated according to how the client felt in that instance. This played an imperative role in allowing me to pinpoint where I thought the lunchtime experience fluctuated, so I could then take the necessary steps to improve the problem. However, before I dived into finding a solution I conversed with my client in an interview-based format to further outline his thoughts concerning the lunchtime experience. Following this, I completed an empathy map which allowed me to understand where my client was coming from by putting myself in their shoes.

My conclusion was that my client's least favourite aspect of lunch was navigating the stampede of students, all just to get out onto the oval to see his friends. When walking through the corridors he probably felt impatient and maybe slightly erratic as he couldn’t wait to get outside. This is when I decided to think of solutions through the process of divergent thinking. The solutions I came up with were not feasible or realistic which was the whole point of the activity. Thinking of such unrealistic solutions, led to more creative and innovative ideas. After selecting my top 5 favourite solutions, I was able to narrow it down to just one idea which was to build underground passages around the school which would minimise congestion in the hallways. The image to the right shows where the passages would be and where they would lead to. My thought process was that there would be two main expressways that provide direct access to the oval and connecting passages that lead to all the main buildings. Overall I was pleased with how I approached this activity and how I was able to create a solution/product based on client intel.

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In a group of 3, we were asked to use the persuasive device, 'a list of 3' to respond to the statement, 'Globally it is estimated that approximately 52% of all sea turtles have eaten plastic.' We began by employing divergent thinking to come up with 3 words that described turtles. This process involved collaboration and communication as we needed to share our thoughts and insights. By having open communication we were able to offer suggestions concerning our group members' ideas. Moreover, through sharing ideas and inviting feedback, we were able to come up with the 3 words, 'ancient, serene and endangered' to describe turtles.

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To refine our solution of having a dedicated day where school students come together to revitalise unappealing/overgrown we employed the SCAMPER thinking routine. It helped in refining our solution by providing a structured framework to stimulate creative thinking and identify areas for improvement. By applying each element of SCAMPER (Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, Reverse/Reorder), we were able to explore alternative perspectives and generate innovative ideas. This process encouraged us to enhance various aspects of our solution, ultimately leading to a more effective and thoughtful solution.

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Outlining our problem and finding a Solution - 27-29/2

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Outlining our problem and finding a Solution - 27-29/2

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To first come up with our problem we collaboratively thought of ideas that personally affected us in our communities. By sharing this personal connection, this fostered a deeper attachment to our problem which would then eventuate in more thoughtful solutions. We concluded that overgrown and unappealing areas were a problem that affected us all and should be fixed or worked towards to improve the quality of life. After analysing our problem we then found evidence of this by looking through Google Maps and conducting our research. Following this we began to come up with solutions by using the divergent thinking routine. We were then able to narrow it down to just a few solutions which we conducted further research upon. Our final solution was to have a dedicated day where school students were to redesign and revitalise these areas as apart of a school project/lesson.

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Creating the script and video for Spin Off - 4/3

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Creating the script and video for Spin Off - 4/3

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In creating the spin-off script and video, communication played an imperative role in allowing us to all be on the same page. Moreover, by having open and direct communication, we were able to express our thoughts and ideas. This further helped in writing a script that flowed seamlessly which is often hard when you have multiple group members writing at the same time. Not only was communication essential, but, creativity was important as we needed to create a script and video that was both informative and engaging. We did this by employing a wide variety of persuasive techniques including pathos/logos and elements of humour.

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Final Video - The Student Sustainability Project

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Final Video - The Student Sustainability Project

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https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bZ9VuRnAFnTeV1RdemWcfHpmgMtMVQH1/view

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Where did our group do really well in the Spinoff task?

I think our group used our time extremely effectively throughout each phase of the Spinoff task. Our ability to quickly complete the ideation and creation phases is a testament to our explicit communication and active collaboration.

What improvements would we make if we had the opportunity to do the task again?

To improve our final product, I think the execution of our video could have been slightly different. We could have focused more on logos to improve the credibility and factuality of our information. This could have been completed by conducting a class survey which would provide us with statistics to analyse.

What Elements of Collaboration were successful?

Our ability to delegate responsibility across the project was very successful. We decided to delegate roles based on our strengths, for example, Steven is proficient in video editing so he did a lot regarding that. Furthermore, as we are all friends there was mutual trust and respect among the group which provided a strong framework for the rest of the assignment.

What improvements could have been made in terms of Collaboration?

Personally, I think there wasn't much to improve in terms of our collaboration. Over the course of the assignment there were minor disagreements however that is expected considering we each have our ideas and opinions. We were able to overcome these small disputes by meeting in the middle.

What Persuasive Techniques did we use? How effective were these? What evidence do I have of this?

Rhetorical Question - Do you think your parents pay thousands of dollars a year to live in the suburbs where the footpaths look like this?

Incentives - 10 SACE credits

High Modality

Strong and Appropriate Language

Alliteration - Pursuing predicament

Anecdote - According to a local news report in 2022, a dog owner lost their dog due to a snake attack at Hazelwood Park.

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Initial Thoughts:

After being introduced to the task I felt pretty confident as I had a sufficient understanding of what was required and the necessary steps that needed to be emplaced to complete the assignment. Following on, having completed tasks like this before such as the $20 Boss project I knew where to start and how to structure the project.

First Steps:

The first step involved outlining which local council each member belonged to. After completing this we then brainstormed different issues that affected our local council. This included problems such as excessive rubbish and fallen branches. To have a wide variety of suggested problems we challenged ourselves to think of 50 problems in 5 minutes through the process of divergent thinking. We then refined our suggestions through the process of convergent thinking, selecting our top 3 and completing a small amount of research on each.

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For the first lesson of the week, we all watched each other's final spin off project videos. This experience provided me with valuable insight into how others approached the task. Moreover, it allowed me to gain new perspectives which all in all promotes growth and helps improve my learning.

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This web page provides information about the environmental sustainability of the Burnside area.

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Each year, Council publishes an Environmental Sustainability Review. The Review includes details about Council's actions and achievements over the year.

2022-2023

Highlights:

Powering Up: New solar panel systems were installed at Council's Swimming Centre, Depot and Dulwich Community Centre. Over time, these systems will save Council money and reduce carbon emissions.

Prolific Planting: Council planted over 9,000 plants in Burnside, including over 1,300 trees along streets and in reserves. Council also gave over 7,000 plants to private landholders in Burnside to increase canopy cover and improve habitat. Additionally, the Burnside Carbon Offset Scheme (B-COS) funded the seeding of over 5,000 trees near Kapunda.

Less Waste: Compared to the previous year, there was a 236-tonne reduction in landfill waste collected through Council's kerbside bin service. This reduction is good for the environment and saved Council over $45,000 in landfill levy and fees.

Better Bins: Council is working with East Waste and bin manufacturer MASTEC to trial bins with up to 80% recycled plastic. This project is part of a commitment to Circular Procurement, buying recycled materials to reduce Council's environmental footprint.

Water Wise: Council installed over 80 new verge soakers. These devices capture water, allowing it to soak into the soil, supporting street trees and reducing stormwater runoff.

Reports from previous years

2021-2022

2020-2021

2019-2020

Related reports

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2023 Burnside Sustainability Review

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The main focal point for today's lesson was generating ideas for our chosen obesity problem. We enabled the 50 in 5 thinking routine to quickly come up with ideas/solutions that were potentially farfetched but could later be modified by employing SCAMPER. Despite using this divergent thinking routine, it was quite difficult to think of solutions as we were trying to be conscious of ideas and products that had already been done. One of our personal goals for this INNOV 8 project is to come up with an original idea which is both innovative and purposeful.

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Over the past two weeks, we have proposed 3 potential solutions which we are not set on as of now. The first solution is to create a service where individuals or families can hand in their groceries to a kitchen where the chefs will make healthy meals with the available ingredients. Not only would this be cheaper for the consumer, but as our research told us, a lot of Australians do not know how to cook and thus revert to easier alternatives like fast food. Having a professional who specialises in creating healthy meals, could hopefully decrease obesity among Australians. Our second idea was to create a healthy alternative to fast food. This idea has the same premise as the previous one as the intention is to diminish obesity rates among Australians by providing them with healthy food. The third idea strays away from the problem of obesity and leans more toward wastage. We came up with the idea to have interchangeable midsoles to reduce the number of running shoes thrown away each year. Often when people throw out a pair of running shoes it is because the tread on them is worn out and the midsole is no longer supportive, however, the upper part of the shoe is completely fine. Therefore by having interchangeable midsoles, wastage is significantly reduced.

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In today's lesson, we were introduced to the INNOV 8 task. As part of the introduction, we completed an activity that involved outlining a problem through statistics and then creating a solution based on the listed problem. I focused on UN sustainability goal 15, life on land and began by addressing the questions on the task sheet. In Thursday's lesson, we then presented our findings in the form of a pitch which we read to our group members. This process involved collaboration and communication as we needed to communicate our ideas by first establishing a safe and respectful environment.

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To start our INNOV 8 projects we first needed to select a problem that affected a community or on a broader scale, society. The problem my group selected was obesity as we found some shocking statistics regarding obesity among Australians. After further analysing the data we noticed that obesity was particularly prevalent in older Australians who were no longer able to be as physically active as they once were. From here we began to deduce why this may be the case which when the time came, would help us create a specific solution that served a positive impact.

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Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

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Living with overweight or obesity can have major impacts on a person's physical and mental health and wellbeing. It is the second leading risk factor for ill-health and premature mortality in Australia. It increases the risk of many preventable chronic conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and many types of cancer. This web report provides an overview of the prevalence of Australians living with overweight and obesity.

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Living with overweight or obesity can have major impacts on a person@s physical and mental health and wellbeing. It is the second leading risk factor for ill-health and premature mortality in...

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This week we began the script by following the template provided on Google Classroom. We started by highlighting the problem through statistics and then began to delve into our chosen solution. Clearly outlining the negative market externality was vital as this would allow those watching our presentation to see the purpose and intent of our product

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Across this week, we dedicated our time to continue building on our presentation. Each group member was allocated a part of the presentation to work on whether that regarded writing the script or creating the visuals. My primary focus was working on the visuals, which involved creating a logo and constructing a menu coherent with the restaurant's themes. In terms of the script, we honed in on the specific details relating to our service like the stakeholders and the logistical side of things.

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This week's focus was refining the presentation to ensure all flowed well. Editing and cutting down the script was a major focus as we needed to make sure it didn't go over 5 minutes. This process was quite difficult as it was hard to concise the writing, considering most of the information was valuable. After finalising the script we moved on to creating the slide presentation that not only supported but added to the information we were reading out. Having an effective slide presentation would maintain viewer engagement when we were presenting. After fixing some minute details, we then began rehearsing the script so when it came to presenting it would run seamlessly.

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What aspects did you see in other group's presentations that were really strong? Regarding the other groups, their abilities to present in both a confident and engaging manner were strong. It was obvious to which groups had rehearsed their presentations as they ran smoothly and were able to articulate their solution effectively, particularly when asked a question.

What aspects did you see in other group's less successful presentations?

In my opinion the groups which had ineffective slide show presentations were less successful. Whenever there was a large amount of text on a slide I seemed to be less engaged as it was harder to follow and connect the information which they were reading out with the information on the slides.

What were the really great ideas?

Most groups had purposeful and good ideas it was just some ideas were thought out far more than others. Some groups really considered the logistics regarding their product/service, deciding whether it was feasible or even achievable.

What feedback have you received from staff and students about your own INNOV8 Pitches? This can include self-reflection for improvement.

The main feedback I took away was that we could've compared our service of healthy fast food to competitors which shared similarities, such as Zambrero. Instead of just comparing our service to McDonald's which is considered unhealthy fast food having the comparison with Zambreros would be more coherent.

Which of the 5C’s do you feel you and your group struggled with the most? Why is this and what could you do differently?

Being close friends with my group members was both an advantage and disadvantage as we were able to communicate openly and comfortably, however, at different stages, we did clash heads due to disagreements. If we were working with people we didn't know this probably wouldn't happen as you tend to be more reserved in new environments. Anyhow, these disagreements were always going to happen and overall helped us grow and develop a better presentation.

What improvements, changes and tweaks do you need to make before INNOV8 EXPO on Tuesday 20th June?

I think the main improvements we need to make before the expo mainly concern how we present our product. This includes knowing the script better and showing more enthusiasm/persuasion when presenting. Moreover, I think our script is slightly repetitive so refining some of the information could certainly enhance the delivery of our service.

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Our goal for this week's lessons was to improve and refine our presentation in preparation for the expo in week 8. I was designated the role of revamping the logo as we had received feedback regarding its lack of relevance and applicability. Although our logo was visually appealing it failed to encapsulate what Fit Fast Food was truly about which could ultimately mislead the consumer. With the assistance of AI and Canva, I worked on a few designs whilst my other group members worked on constructing a website. James also began work on altering the menu so the nutritional values and prices were more accurate.

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In Thursday's lesson, we watched a video that focused on branding design and constructing a brand identity. The video was a good follow-on from the previous lesson, as it provided me with additional insights into the importance of creating meaningful and appealing branding that is tailored to the desired consumer. The video gave me second thoughts in terms of whether our logo not only complements but defines our brand/service as a whole, which, although maybe annoying at first stance, helped improve the design.

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In today's lesson, I looked at previous student examples of how they set up their expo stalls to gain inspiration for our own. Among the examples, I noticed all of them had posters and other visual aids hanging up that either outlined the brand/service or highlighted key statistics. As our service is targeting Australia's vulnerability to health issues largely due to our food choices, I decided to create posters that emphasised particular statistics relating to such concerns. After completing these posters, I then went on to create more which had a brand name and logo on them to ensure our stall was visually appealing.

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Poster regarding fast food consumption in Australia

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Poster regarding fast food consumption in Australia

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For this week, our group intended to finalise the visuals and other aids that we were using for our expo. This included finalising our kid's meal option to ensure we accounted for all demographics. My personal responsibility was to create a 1 minute pitch that summarises our service as a whole. Although no further writing or research was required, the process was lengthy as I aimed to best encapsulate our service using the most relevant information. After completing the pitch, we printed off the posters we had created in previous lessons to ensure there as no trouble with printing on the actual day of the expo.

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First attempt at creating a kids meal promo

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First attempt at creating a kids meal promo

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After much consideration, we decided to use the template of our old logo but add a slogan to make the logo relevant to our service. Although the AI logos encompassed our service they lacked character and distinctive features that would draw the attention of the consumers.

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On Thursday the 20th of June we had our Innovation 8 Expo. Pre-Expo: Considering we had been working on creating and refining our service and presentation since the end of last term there was a notable amount of anticipation surrounding the expo. Having not attended an expo before I didn't know what to expect, but having completed 20$ boss in year 8 I was familiar with the structure it may follow. Before the expo started, my group gathered our props and pinned the posters onto the board. We then set up our laptops so parents or teachers walking by could see what fit fast food was all about. During: When parents and judges began to visit our stall, each of us was responsible for a specific part of the 1-minute script. To keep our presentation engaging and professional, we decided not to use cue cards and instead go off of the visuals we had created. At the start, we may have struggled slightly in capturing what Fit Fast Food was about, although as more people visited our stall, our confidence and ability to articulate our service improved drastically. After: Overall the expo was a success and a great experience as each of us had a great time presenting and observing what our peers had put together. One of the most rewarding aspects of the whole INNOV 8 process was to see a term's worth of work combine to create a final spectacle that encapsulated Fit Fast Food. If I were to give any recommendations to next semester's classes, I would advise them to construct props that relate to their service to serve as visual aids as well as contribute to their desired aesthetic.

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What have you gained from this experience?

In my opinion action project has allowed me to refine 4 key skills: Communication, project management, problem-solving and innovation. Through constant peer work I have been able to hone my communication skills as I have been immersed in environments where communicating with my group members was the key to success. Having to balance the padlet and other action project assignments, has led to a development in my project management skills. Moreover, having to follow strict timelines has forced me to work with great efficiency and productivity. Assignments like Innov 8 and Spin-off also required the application of problem-solving skills as I had to think of a solution based on the presented problems. This process additionally assisted in developing my innovative thinking, as I had to come up with distinct and original solutions that addressed the problems at hand.

How has Action Project developed your understanding of the 5Cs?

Prior to Action Project, I believed I had a sufficient understanding of the 5cs however the tasks I completed over the semester, certainly helped in enhancing and broadening my capabilities in such areas.

How can you use the skills developed in Action Project in other areas of your life / in the future?

The skills I developed and nurtured in Action Project apply to other real-life scenarios, particularly relating to the workplace. When I finish my studies and go into my chosen industry, the skills I developed like leadership, collaboration and project management will be imperative to my success. Whether I am in charge of a large group of people or have to work in a small team, the skills will remain applicable and relevant.

What challenges did you face in this course, and how did you overcome them? Were any of your personal Character Strengths a benefit or did you have to stretch your lesser strengths, explain how.

Organisation has been something I've previously struggled with, whether that is regarding workload or balancing extracurricular activities. Never in my time at Glenunga have I had an assignment like the Padlet that has stretched over an entire semester. As the assignment has such a lengthy duration, it is something that I have had to manage myself with little guidance from peers or teachers. Moreover because of the extended due date I could have easily procrastinated and not done anything until the final weeks, which ultimately would have led to a lacklustre and unreflective padlet. Therefore, ensuring I was organised and up to date with my padlet was at first a struggle, however, I was quickly able to overcome this adversity, overall improving my organisation skills.

How have you developed as a learner throughout this course?

This course has allowed me to develop 2 critical aspects of my learning, the first being my organisation skills. As previously mentioned the action project assignments have tested my organisational skills and underscored the importance of keeping up to date with work. The second and most prominent aspect of learning that I have developed throughout this course is my ability to reflect on my learning. Often at school, I tend to complete assignments and activities without much reflection or thought afterwards, however, the padlet has required me to continuously reflect on my work and the development of my character skills. These reflections have helped me grow as a learner as I have been able to identify areas of improvement.

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Beginning Graphic Design: Branding & Identity