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INNOV8 Project - NuFriend Prototype Progress

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INNOV8 Project - NuFriend Prototype Progress

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Working on the NuFriend prototype , trying to make it as realistic looking as possible

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Example of the pitch cards that I used during the pitch - this was refined after, due to the unessescary amount of information on just one card. These cards were also always updated each time we practiced, to ensure that our communication was continuously refined each time we presented.

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The rubric above was the one we received with feedback about our Pitch presentation. Overall, I was quite satisfied the result of the presentation, and as a group we were extremely satisfied with the result. However, a lot of the feedback that we got from the judges made us question our solution, and it allowed us to make some changes to it. We were questioned about the reliability of an A.I in reading the behaviours and actions of animals, and this, we decided to back up with further research and by specifying the capabilities (and limitations) of the NuFriend. We were also asked about the prices, which were actually changed very last minute before the pitch, due to feedback from peers. However, the judges found that our prices may have been too high for the shelters to purchase. We actually strongly agreed with this feedback and were quick to amend this before our Expo.
I think our Communication skills during the pitch were quite good, and I was proud of my ability to memorise most of my script. However, I still found that our group could have sounded a bit more confident, fluent and coherent with our product, especially because people were a bit confused between the product and service that we provided.

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This formative task was a part of our ideation process. Through this task, we were given prompts to align our potential solutions, and we had to come up with as many solutions as we could think of in the limited time provided. This divergent thinking task allowed us to come up with as many ideas as possible - the good and bad. Critically thinking as a group allowed us to actually choose the solution that we all had the most faith and passion in.

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The above page is a rough plan of what our final product was going to consist of. After a lot of Critical and Creative thinking, we were able to compromise (if necessary), ideate and decide on a product that we all thought was applicable to helping our issue of Animal Euthanasia. We focused on all the 8 areas that were established in the INNOV8 pitch scaffold, which allowed us to divide up the roles and work as effectively as we could as a team to come up with the perfect solution.

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INNOV8 Project - Developing Understanding through Empathy Map

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INNOV8 Project - Developing Understanding through Empathy Map

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The above images show our completed empathy map, which allowed us to explore our problem to a deeper level. The different subtopics of the empathy map allowed us to see the needs and wants of our target audience, who may be experiencing the problem we are trying to solve. This problem helped us to develop our Critical Thinking skills, but also our Creativity and Collaboration. Our ability to think critically about different perspectives, by also collaborate in being creative about our responses was extremely useful as well.

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INNOV8 Project : Partnership with Boston Dynamics

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INNOV8 Project : Partnership with Boston Dynamics

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After communicating with peers and also by receiving teacher feedback, we found that it would be beneficial to partner with another company to make our product the NuFriend robot. Research into the company allowed us to find that something as realistic as a robot dog actually already exists, and that with the partnership of Boston Dynamics, our product will seem more reliable and more functional. This will help us to impress the judges and make sure we sound as confident as possible in our product.

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Spot is an agile mobile robot designed automate sensing and inspection, capture limitless data, and explore without boundaries.

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This above website takes you to RSPCA, and takes you to the adoptapet pages, where you can find information about the pets at their shelters.
Currently, we are trying to use our skill of Creativity and Critical Thinking to make sure that we have properly planned out what makes our product unique from others. We have used the RSPCA website as an example of our differences between competitors and our potential product, which will provide far more detailed profiles of the dogs, in comparison to current shelter profiles. We aim to improve our Communication skills with the development of the product, and by identifying each specific feature and factor of the product, we will be able to enhance the effectiveness of our communication of the product

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Choosing the right pet for you is fun, but takes time, planning, and lots of research. To make this process easier, the RSPCA has introduced Adopt A Pet, a national website that lets you view some of the animals waiting to be adopted at RSPCA locations across Australia.

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INNOV8 Project : Pitch presentation script

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INNOV8 Project : Pitch presentation script

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Above was our first refined pitch for the presentations that we did in class. This document was used as the script document but also a place where we would make sure that we had done everything we had to do, and was our go-to organisation page.

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INNOV8 Research: Animal Euthanasia causes

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INNOV8 Research: Animal Euthanasia causes

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One of the websites that was used in our research. It went into quite depth into why animals are euthanised - one of the main reasons is usually when animals are actually suffering to the extent that they are unable to survive anymore. However it stuck out to me and my group members that animal euthanasia still occurs in over-crowded animal shelters - which is far more unethical than death due to medical conditions.

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Animal shelters face a lot of hurdles while caring for and rehoming unwanted pets.

The most difficult hurdle is euthanasia.

Every year, 2.7 million pets in animal shelters in the United States are euthanized - that's around 36% of pets who enter the shelters.

Those are difficult statistics to swallow for an animal lover, and it's natural to want to place the blame for those deaths on the shelters. Before pointing the finger, though, consider these 3 major reasons why shelters have to euthanize pets.

1. Illness

Animal shelters are breeding grounds for diseases. Even the most meticulously cleaned kennels and sanitized cages cannot keep illnesses from sneaking in.

Although keeping the shelter clean can help avoid an outbreak of the worst diseases, it still can't prevent them all.

Have you ever seen signs in a shelter requesting that you keep your hands out of the animal cages? One of the reasons is to prevent the spread of diseases, such as upper respiratory infection and kennel cough, which are spread rapidly through direct contact.

Although a simple infection is easily treatable in our pets at home, a massive outbreak in a shelter environment can be financially crippling and almost impossible to get rid of.

Other serious diseases, such as feline panleukopenia and canine parvovirus, are highly transmittable and deadly. Lyme disease and heartworm are expensive to medicate and common in pets who aren't treated with tick and heartworm preventives.

Because most shelters operate on tight budgets, the cost of treating every animal's illness is impossibly high.

Many shelters have veterinarians to prescribe medications and perform exams for sick animals, but the decision to euthanize must still be made sometimes after considering several factors:

The severity of the illness

The chance of recovery

How infectious the disease is

The cost of treatment

The length of treatment

The adoptability of the pet

2. Aggression

Pets of every disposition enter animal shelters daily, including highly aggressive animals.

Each adoptable dog undergoes a temperament test before going up for adoption. The dogs' behaviors are assessed through standard testing in a controlled environment.
Generally, the dogs are checked for the following:

Food, toy and treat aggression

Reaction to touching

Reaction to body language

Reaction to certain noises

Interaction with other dogs and cats

Depending on their behavior and the staff's comfort level with the dogs' temperaments, the dogs are made available for adoption, placed on hold for more assessment or potentially euthanized if they pose a threat.

Most shelters allow pets to acclimate to their new surroundings before they make them available for adoption. This time also allows the staff members to assess the pets' behavior and watch for any aggressiveness.

Occasionally a pet becomes aggressive after spending weeks, months or even years in a cage. This is essentially a reaction to the continued confinement and is usually referred to as "kennel crazy." Although an animal who has gone kennel crazy can exhibit signs ranging from depression to anxiety, aggression is often the least treatable and may lead to euthanasia.

3. Overpopulation

The most obvious reason for euthanasia in animal shelters is also the most preventable. Pet overpopulation is a serious problem in the United States, leaving animal shelters over capacity and overwhelmed.

When the number of incoming homeless pets far outweighs the number of eligible adopters, shelters have few options. They have to make the heartbreaking decision to euthanize less adoptable pets to make room for the never-ending influx of unwanted animals.

7.6 million pets are taken to U.S. shelters annually.

Of those 7.6 million, only 10% have been spayed or neutered.

Twice as many stray pets are in shelters as those signed over by families.

The number of dogs bought through breeders is roughly the same as the number adopted through shelters.

You can help make a difference. Consider these options:

Have your pet spayed or neutered to prevent unwanted litters.

Put an ID on your pet in case she goes missing.

Don't buy from a pet store. Adopt your pet to save a life.

No animal shelter takes the topic of euthanasia lightly. The shelter business is one of rehoming and happy endings. The devastating reality of needing to humanely kill companion animals is the most difficult part of the profession.
In the video below, a former shelter worker who performed euthanasias explains the toll it has taken on her:
Ending the need for euthanasia doesn't start in the shelters. It starts in our own homes.

Each of us needs to take responsibility to minimize the pet population, help fund our local animal shelters and promote responsible pet care.

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3 Big Reasons Why Animal Shelters Euthanize Pets

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Animal shelters face a lot of hurdles while caring for and rehoming unwanted pets. The most difficult hurdle is euthanasia. Every year, 2.7 million pets in animal shelters in the United States are euthanized - that's around 36% of pets who enter the shelters.

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Above is the link to my final reflection on the Action Project course

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INNOV8 Expo Task | Images for Board display

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INNOV8 Expo Task | Images for Board display

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All images and the QR Code put on display on our board

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Check out this presentation designed by Dewwandi Wijekoon.

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INNOV8 Expo Task | Infographic poster on Animal Euthanasia

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INNOV8 Expo Task | Infographic poster on Animal Euthanasia

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INNOV8 Expo Task | Elevator Pitch + 5 minute Pitch Document

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INNOV8 Expo Task | Elevator Pitch + 5 minute Pitch Document

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INNOV8 Expo Task | Pitch Presentation Slides

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INNOV8 Expo Task | Pitch Presentation Slides

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Check out this presentation designed by Maahee!!.

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INNOV8 Expo Task | NuFriend Prototype Design Process

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INNOV8 Expo Task | NuFriend Prototype Design Process

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Reflection of creating the first NuFriend prototype
- Before we created the actual model/prototype of the NuFriend robot, we decided that it would be good to have a prototype model in our pitch presentation
- I was assigned this role of designing the product because I had taken a course last year where we learnt how to use Fusion 360, which helped me to design the product and make it look quite professional.
- This process took quite a bit, because I had to refresh a lot of my Fusion 360 skills from last year but I persisted and ended up creating a really nice looking model which I was really proud of.
- Everytime I created part of the dog, I wuold then ask for feedback on it and ask what I should add/remove and change. This feedback prcoess was what allowed me to improve the dog from its initial look, and allowed me to make it look more professional.

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-> Image of our Expo Stall

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website for action project - nufriend

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The Nufriend Bot, designed for use in animal shelters, is an intelligent robot that records data about the characteristics and behaviours of animals in shelters.

A new Artificial Intelligence system that makes the animal adoption process far more efficient and trustworthy.

You deserve a NuFriend today.

What Our Happy Clients Say

"The Nufriend Robot, and the app, have completely revolutionised our adoption process. Our adopters have never been more satisfied with their choices and decisions than with the NuFriend system".

"Working with the NuFriend system has made our lives much easier, and made our furry friends happier as well!"

Paws & Claws Adoption, Hahndorf

Innovative, modern and perfect. The team at NuFriend have truly pulled through in the world of robotics and animal care".

Animal Welfare League, Wingfield

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The Nufriend Bot, designed for use in animal shelters, is an intelligent robot that records data about the characteristics and behaviours of animals in shelters. A new Artificial Intelligence system that makes the animal adoption process far more efficient and trustworthy. You deserve a NuFriend today.

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-> brochure presented during Action Project Expo

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Check out this Trifold Brochure (EU) designed by Dewwandi Wijekoon.

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Above: Research document on Animal Euthanasia
Over our time researching the topic of food insecurity, our group had to collaborate respectively and came to the conclusion that the topic itself was too broad, and it was difficult to focus on one issue when that issue was interconnected with multiple other issues. furthermore, we found that finding an original solution to this problem would be quite difficult.

As a result, we started to focus on Animal Euthanasia, which resonates with us more, and we find is not an extremely broad topic. However, it still requires a significant depth of research that will allow us to truly understand the issues behind animal euthanasia.
We have already communicated effectively with each other to split up the research among ourselves, to make sure that we find a high level of information that will allow us to ultimately prevent an increase in animal euthanisations. Researching has allowed us to use both critical thinkings skills and communication skills - ie, being able to understand the complex information and break down the main concepts in this, effectively summarising this information.

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INNOV8 Research : food security research - war on waste 

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INNOV8 Research : food security research - war on waste 

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The topic of food insecurity allowed me to connect to past tasks that I had done in school. It also reminded me of an episode of War on Waste I watched in Year 9. Returning back to this video was significant research that shone a light on another aspect of food waste. The video above discuss the topic of over-shopping, and how most of the food that we buy is unnecessary and will just end up being wasted. This further critical thinking and connection-making have allowed me to highlight further significant problems in the broad topic of Food Insecurity, as over-shopping can result in over-wasting food.

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https://www.fao.org/hunger/en/
Above: A link to an Australian Government website clearly outlining the issues surrounding Food Insecurity, and a link to the United Nations article about food insecurity.

Starting with our INNOV8 project, we had to focus on a problem before thinking of a solution. In my group, we all agreed on choosing 2 topics that we felt were extremely important, and we came to the conclusion that food insecurity was the one we wanted to focus on.

By collaborating on a shared doc, we investigated the main issues in Food insecurity, as it is a significantly broad topic. We cut down our research to these two main issues within food insecurity)
- Increased food wastage whilst more and more of the environment is still being damaged to obtain food.
- Food is being wasted/thrown out instead of being given to those who may need it.

> We are still in the process of choosing which issue within this topic we want to focus on, and if creating a solution for this issue would be realistic.

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Food insecurity in Australia: What is it, who experiences it and how can child and family services support families experiencing it?

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Explores food insecurity in Australia with a focus on identifying those most likely to suffer it as well as considering its impact

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Above is the feedback my group and I received from our Spin-Off Project presentation. Overall, we were extremely happy with our results and we were quite confident in presenting to the class.

Overall, I feel as though our Spin-Off presentation was a success, as we were able to communicate our idea in an extremely creative way, through the use of footage and clear audio (evident through the rubric feedback, and the feedback from peers). Another significant indicator of a successful presentation was our ability to answer the questions given to us at the end. On the day, after our presentation, we were asked specific and critical questions from the audience (regarding a variety of issues and wonderings about our presented product). I was extremely proud of my group's ability to critically think about the feedback given to us, and to communicate answers back in such short amounts of time. The communication through acting, audio and film techniques (in our Spin-off video) was a clear reflection of the creative thinking behind our project and the effort that we put into it.
Regarding the critical feedback we were given, they were usually questions questioning the functionality and technology of our product. Reflecting back on this, I realise that I should have researched more into the actual technology behind voice recognition and adaptive AI. Furthermore, one question brought up the fact that our product would have difficulty picking up specific languages in loud crowds. This challenging question raised concerns that we hadn't actually covered or researched, which further shows that more technological research would have benefitted the effectiveness of our product.

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> new patient form from Hughes Medical Clinic in Unley
- the form is around 5 pages long, however, not a single part of the form asks if the patient requires an interpreter, and does not provide information on such a service.
- However, it does ask for ethnic background. This is interesting as it does not leave room for the fact that some of those who may come from a non-english background may require assistance speaking english.

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needs for interpreters in medical centers in Unley

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needs for interpreters in medical centers in Unley

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- we looked at the 3 top medical centers in Unley, and found that only one of them has a proper interpreter service on their website.
> I assume that the others may also have interpreter services, or doctors that are bilingual, however, this is not clear on their websites, which is quite inconvenient for people who are actively seeking translator services.

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- another solution that we looked at was creating an educational program for people to look into interpreter careers
- interpreters are really important for intercultural communication, so I thought we could start up a business that provides online access to interpreters (by those who need translating services), and simultaneously have online courses for people learning how to become translators.
this is very similar to the degree/program provided by Uni Adelaide, so we researched into what the degree provided to see if we could incorporate this into our business idea.

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This two-year degree is for students fluent in both Chinese and English seeking a career as a professional interpreter and/or translator.

It has received qualification endorsement of the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI).
What will you do?
In our Master of Arts (Interpreting, Translation and Transcultural Communication) you'll:

take courses in cultural and social studies

explore approaches to cross-cultural communication

build practical interpreting and translation skills

undertake a professional internship

complete a research project in transcultural communication and/or translation.

Where could it take you?
When you graduate, you'll be eligible to take NAATI's Certified Interpreter and Certified Translator tests. From here you might become a medical, judiciary or literary translator. You could pursue interpreting roles in business, tourism, education or public relations. Perhaps you'll work with government alongside foreign affairs ministers. You may also continue on to do a PhD in the Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics.

^ Imip.gov.au, Job predictions

Please note: For programs including placements and/or study-related activities in settings where COVID-19 vaccination is mandatory, it is an inherent requirement that all students be fully vaccinated prior to undertaking the placement and/or study-related activity.
For our students who are studying offshore in 2022, the University will continue to offer high-quality access to the learning resources remotely for most programs. This includes all lectures, tutorials and other support material. Students will be advised in advance if there are course components that cannot be provided in remote mode and, wherever possible, offered alternative courses.
Please refer to the COVID-19 FAQ page for further information and a list of programs where in-person attendance is required.

Choose your applicant type to view the relevant admissions information for this program.
I am a:

Domestic applicants

Selection Criteria

Higher Education Study

A completed Bachelor's degree or equivalent in any discipline, with at least a credit average, with an advanced level of proficiency in both Chinese (Mandarin) and English; or a completed Graduate Diploma in Interpreting, Translation and Transcultural Communication from the University of Adelaide.

If previous tertiary study does not include Chinese language studies, please submit a 500 words essay/writing in Chinese about study/life/work experience and 5 minutes of recorded speech in Mandarin. The topic can be any but must reflect Chinese proficiency level.

How to Apply

Choose your applicant type to view the relevant fees and scholarships information for this program.
I am a:

Domestic applicants

Where the standard duration of the program is less than one year the full cost of the program is displayed.

Scholarships

These scholarships, as well as many others funded by industry and non-profit organisations, are available to potential and currently enrolled students.

Find a Scholarship.

There has been a significant increase in the demand for Chinese-speaking, transcultural and transnational professionals in the global market. The program complements this demand by providing students with the skills and knowledge to work and communicate effectively in an environment requiring translation and cross-cultural communication expertise. The program prepares students for a career as a professional translator and/or interpreter working in a range of fields, such as government, business, commerce, law, international relations and other specialised areas.

The substantial research component in this program makes it possible for aspiring graduates without an honours qualification from an Australian university to undertake PhD study, thereby providing a career path for them to pursue research careers at a global level.

The degree is endorsed by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI). Students who successfully complete this program will be eligible to undertake the Certified Interpreter and Certified Translator tests conducted by NAATI.

You will complete courses to the value of 48 units: 30 units of core courses, 6 units of Arts elective courses, then 9 units of research equivalent courses (a research thesis) plus 3 units of Arts electives, or 12 units of research equivalent courses (an extended research thesis).

The standard duration of the program is two years of fulltime study. This program is available part time.

Students who have completed the Graduate Diploma in Interpreting, Translation and Transcultural Communication will be granted 24 units of credit towards upgrading their qualification to MA (ITTC).

The comparative study on different cultures helped me develop into an effective transcultural communicator.

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Master of Arts (Interpreting, Translation and Transcultural Communication)

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This two-year degree is for students fluent in both Chinese and English seeking a career as a professional interpreter and/or translator. It has received qualification endorsement of the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI). What will you do?

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> the above article was researched and read to find out more about in-ear translators.
- I've deduced that this might be useful as a solution for our issue regarding translation.
- However, the idea of creating such a product is quite unrealistic, and requires a lot of high level programming and high level sound recognition technology.
- It would be beneficial if our product knew how to learn new vocabulary through an adaptive system.

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The recent news of German start-up Bragi leaving the consumer hardware business -- which likely meant an end to its ambitious true wireless earbuds, the Dash -- was unfortunate. I admired the company's ambitious vision of trying to make the Dash more than just earbuds for music listening; Bragi wanted to turn them into full-fledged assistants that can offer real-time translations of different languages.

The Bragi Dash has likely reached the end of the line as a consumer product, without fully realizing its digital translator dream, but a Shenzhen-based start-up named Timekettle has created its own device that strives for that same goal. Named the WT2, the earphones are true wireless earpieces that are meant to be worn by two people who do not share a common language.

There are no shortage of apps that can translate spoken words into another language -- including Google's excellent Translate app -- but where the WT2 stand out is each earpiece can automatically identify and interpret a specific language in real time, without getting confused by other languages or sounds, and without needing the user to prompt the listening/translation process with, for example, a button tap.

Here's how it works: the owner of the WT2 first has to set the two languages being used in the companion app (available for both iOS and Android). After that, each person simply wears the earpiece and speaks in their own language. The other party will hear a translated version through their earpiece.

The video demo below shows the WT2 in action, as it was able to interpret a bilingual conversation between my girlfriend and I, with me speaking Cantonese and she Spanish.

The translator picked up our words automatically without needing prompting. Accuracy was mostly on point, though there were slight mistakes in the Cantonese to Spanish translation.

The fact that the WT2 can pick up a language as colloquial as Cantonese is impressive; when I spoke Mandarin -- which is more formal and rigid compared to Cantonese -- the translator was able to translate into English with much greater accuracy. I tried an English to Japanese conversation with a friend which went smoothly too.

The WT2 currently can handle two-way interpretation of 36 languages, including Arabic, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Portuguese, Russian, Thai and Vietnamese, as well as the aforementioned languages and dozens more. You will need internet connection for the translation to work, however.

Of course, giving a complete stranger an earbud to wear is not always an acceptable option, so the WT2 can translate the traditional way through the app; the interpreted text are displayed in text form and spoken through the phone's speakers. At least one earpiece will still need to be pulled out to use as a mic, however.

The included charging case that houses the earpieces is toppped up via Micro-USB and it can recharge the earpieces three times over. Each charge lasts for 12 hours, according to the company, though I haven't come close to pushing the battery to its limits yet. I also can't imagine you'd ever need to use these for 12 hours straight.

At $210, they are a bit pricey considering they only do one thing right now -- I would have liked for these to be able to act as a standalone earbud that can play music over bluetooth too -- but at least it does the one thing well. And as cool as being able to wear these in the ear and have real-time conversations may be, most would probably still be better off just opening up Google Translate and dictating to the phone in real-world scenarios.

Still, Timekettle is ambitious with what it's trying to do here -- just like Bragi did. That's worth applauding in itself.

Follow me on LinkedIn. Check out my website or some of my other work here.

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This In-Ear Translator Can Interpret A Bilingual Conversation On The Fly

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The recent news of German start-up Bragi leaving the consumer hardware business -- which likely meant an end to its ambitious true wireless earbuds, the Dash -- was unfortunate. I admired the company's ambitious vision of trying to make the Dash more than just earbuds for music listening; Bragi wanted to turn them into full-fledged assistants that can offer real-time translations of different languages.

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issue research (communication in australia)

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issue research (communication in australia)

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After deciding our pathway into our major topic, our group came to the decision of choosing communication - which is an issue with diversity and acceptance, because of the lack of translators and interpreter convenience in our country.
To further explore this issue, we first had to find out how in-demand translators and interpreters are in Australia. We found that in Australia, we speak over 200+ languages and that translators are clearly high in demand. More specifically, interpreters are highly in demand in the healthcare sector, as it is essential for patients to be able to talk to their doctors about significant medical conditions. We found that around 20% of those who speak a language other than English (LOE) cannot understand English, or cannot speak it. This prohibits them from actually communicating in Australia and in the communities they inhabit.

resources used
- https://www.ethnolink.com.au/blog/top-10-languages-spoken-in-australia/
- https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/do-over-a-million-people-in-australia-not-speak-english-well-or-at-all/h47jzcqk3

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Australian Bureau of Statistics Logo of the ABS with coat of arms.

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mid spin off project | reflections 22/08/2022

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mid spin off project | reflections 22/08/2022

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What are our initial thoughts about our Spin Off Topic?

It is a very interesting concept - I'm only really worried about making the infomercial and if we will be able to make it in time. We decided that we would look into diversity and acceptance, and are thinking of going down the race and communication route of diversity.

What do we still need to know or find out?

I want to know what a proper infomercial would include, and what exactly what kinds of information we will need to include in our final piece.
We also need to do a lot more research into the issues in our Spin off topic, and we might need to find a specific area/issue that requires a lot of attention to the people in the Unley Area.

How can we find this information?

We will most likely find this information through doing research, and going on the Unley Council website, by looking at statistics and articles about certain issues. We may also be able to find out information through general research, or by sending out a survey to the school.

What is most intriguing about this topic?

I think the most interesting thing about the topic of diversity and acceptance is that the fact that there is little research and information done on solutions to this issue. This is most likely because a lack of diversity/acceptance is an institutional problem that must be tackled by the roots. This gives me a bit of insight into how we might be able to make a solution; by tracing back to the roots of certain issues and by starting there.

What am I most concerned about?

I am mainly concerned about not being able to come up with a solution. This is because of the complexity of the topic that we have chosen, but hopefully, i think if we do enough research,we will be able to find an area of the topic that requires a tangible solution. I am also worried about completing the assignment in the time frame we will be given, and if my team will be able to produce something presentable by the end of the project.

What persuasive techniques did you find most effective?

I've found that humour and rhetorical questions are both extremely effective. This is mainly because they make the speakers at the front seem more engaged with the task, and engaged with the audience. The humour sparks a joyful attitude within the presenters, which makes the audience happy as well. The humour that is presented is contagious, and engages the audience into the information that is being presented through this humour. Furthermore, rhetorical questions are able to engage the audience into the topic as it makes them think and ponder on the information provided.

What presentation techniques where most effctive?

Presenting images and videos was very effective, because it gave the audience something to look at or watch, which kept them engaged and curious on what would happen next.

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empathy map | problem ideation 12/08/2022

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empathy map | problem ideation 12/08/2022

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The above map was made after we had chosen our main issue in the local community - which was a lack of diversity and acceptance. We decided to focus on the issue of communication because we had seen first-hand experiences of what it is like to not be able to communicate due to language barriers.
Our main 'who' / target audience for our communication problem was mainly immigrants, and we came up with the character of Baljit. We decided to make him an immigrant who was working in Australia but needed a way to communicate and understand English without having to go and learn the entire language before working.
This was a challenging task to do by myself, but it was quite useful because it allowed me to analyse our problem, and think deeper into the issues it truly entailed. This thinking process also allowed me to think about the boundaries between making a useful solution and a realistic solution. This task highlighted my ability to communicate well, and critically think about deconstructing the problem at hand.

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reflection | design a bicycle task - 8/08/2022

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reflection | design a bicycle task - 8/08/2022

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In this task, I worked with Mila and Chelsea in developing a 3D prototype of a solution for a single problem. The problem itself was that we needed to invent a bicycle for someone who was not able to use one.
We came up with the idea of creating a bicycle for an animal because we know that animals can't actually ride bikes - and so, we used the materials we had to make a 'model' of the bike.
Another aspect of this problem was that we only had limited resources to make the model. This allowed us to stay environmentally friendly and conscious of unneeded waste.
This task gave me insight into the different ways of tackling the same problem, and discussing solutions with different groups also gave me new ideas. It also helped me to understand the significance of creating products/solutions that are sustainable and environmentally friendly.
This task stretched my ability to think creatively, as it restricted the materials we had to create our final solution. This further exercised my collaboration skills within my group, as we were required to compromise and merge ideas together when we could not agree upon one thing.

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What tools, skills or activities did you find most useful in the redesign your partner’s summer activity?

The divergent thinking routines were mostly the most useful skills/tool in the activity. More specifically, the 50 ideas in 5 minutes task were the most challenging, but the most effective. This task allowed me to become more efficient with generating ideas, and it actually helped me develop a lot more solutions than I thought I could have made up.

How did you use or develop or grow your 5 C’s? (Collaboration, Communication, Critical and Creative Thinking, Citizenship, Character (Strengths))

I developed my understanding and strengths in Critical thinking, mainly because a lot of the tasks consisted of problem-solving and coming up with a bunch of ideas in order to solve an issue. This went hand in hand with my strengths in Creative Thinking, which were needed in order to generate 50 solutions in 5 minutes. I obviously had to use collaboration during this task, as I had to work with my partner to effectively interview them and seek the correct information I needed from them.

What did you find most difficult during the activity? How will you overcome this in the future

The most difficult part of the activity was coming up with the How Might We questions - I didn't fully understand the concepts of a How Might We question, just because I'd never done that same thinking process before. Next time I plan to overcome this challenge by asking my teachers and peers around me for help with the task, and by making sure that I ask clarifying questions before I continue with a confusing task.

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solution idea for a problem - 3 card brainstorming task

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solution idea for a problem - 3 card brainstorming task

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In this task, I was in a random group of 3, and we were given 3 different cards - 2 with two specific words, and 1 with a shape for a 'prototype' of a product. Essentially, we had to create a product after being given three prompts.
As a group, this task highlighted our collaboration skills and challenged our creative thinking skills. Overall, however, it helped us gain an understanding of how a problem can be solved when given specific limitations or standards. We had to stretch our creative thinking when trying to fit our prototype into all 3 categories we were given, and it made it even more challenging when we all had different ideas. However, through comprising and merging ideas together, we were able to come up with a decent product in the end.
This task also tested my communication skills, as I was required to present this idea to the entire class.

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So far, during our lessons, what are the concepts you have learnt (or further developed) and how are they influencing  the way that you approach problems.

We have already discussed our understanding and the definitions of what convergent and divergent thinking are. We explored both of these terms by completing a multitude of brainstorming activities, where we had to generate as many ideas as we could do a specific question/problem. This allowed us to explore our divergent thinking capabilities, whilst also allowing me to explore convergent thinking capabilities by choosing one of the ideas and building up on it. The brainstorming activities and the convergent + divergent thinking have allowed me to approach problems with a more creative mindset, and a growth mindset.

What do you think your biggest challenges are going to be in AP?

Being organised, as I find that there will be a significant amount of organisational responsibilities that I will need to take care of. I am not a very organised person, so the activities and tasks in AP might be difficult for me to tackle due to my lack of organisational skills.

I also think that a really big challenge in AP for me might also be trying to come up with solutions for problems that are specific and realistic. The expectation for realistic and specific solutions may conflict with my divergent thinking and creative ideas from brainstorming.

What are you most excited about in AP?

I'm definitely excited for the expo, and for the spin-off project. I'm also excited about working with the other class because a lot of my other friends are in it :)

What about your personality (or Character) do you think will help or challenge you in AP?

My top strength is Humour, which might help me a lot when I pitch my ideas or make presentations. An aspect of humour may be extremely engaging and interesting to the audience or the judges, which will allow us to hook them into investing in our product idea. It may also help me and my group with the stresses that might come with AP work - engaging in humour with them might help them calm down. My character strengths of judgement and curiosity are also very strong, so these two will help me to make important and specific decisions in order to converge ideas and come up with specific solutions.

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Top 5 Character Strengths

1. Humour
2. Kindness
3. Judgement
4. Curiosity
5. Perspective

Bottom 5 Character Strengths

20. Prudence
21. Zest
22. Self Regulation
23. Honesty
24. Spirituality