Category: Passions

In my Digital Learning 10 course, I did an assignment called Break the Fake; where I had to find a piece of media that seemed suspicious, investigate upon it and “break the fake”. This was an excellent example of critical thinking because I demonstrated that I could ask questions and consider options, I considered whether this article was true or false and acted on my opinion. I demonstrated that I could use my observations, experience, and imagination to draw conclusions and make judgments. I had to use my brain in ways that I haven’t used it before. Since I am in a generation where mostly everyone grew up on the internet, I have learned that not everything on there is going to be true. I grew up with my parents always telling me to never believe everything on the internet. I’ve grown the most in critical thinking because I learned various things that I will actually use every day and in the future. I learned how to analyze and use my own judgment (with the help of a fact-checker) to prove if the article was true or not. Next school year and semester, I will focus on developing communication by sharing and absorbing ideas with my peers. Also, lately It’s been a little hard for me to ask for help from my teachers when I need that. Honestly, I have always had trouble with that, and I feel like that’s an important thing for life. So, for the next school year, I will put myself more out there to collaborate and engage with other students and teachers to expand my learning. 

To choose my spirit animal, I answered the few questions on the paper we received with the assignment. Although, I took these questions into deeper thought. I chose the fox because I feel that it connected with me the most. I thought about what it meant to me and why it was significant. Ever since I was a child, I have loved foxes. Whenever I had the chance, I would draw them. I personally associate my spirit animal, the fox, with playfulness, cunning and resilience which really resonates with me. I like to do things while having fun but also using skill and not being completely reckless. At first, foxes are quite timid and shy but become affectionate once they get comfortable and you get to know them which sounds a lot like myself. Seeing a fox is believed to bring good luck and fortune, and I really like that. Foxes make very funny noises that sound like giggles and I laugh a lot, especially with my friends. This process pushed me to think about myself, different spirit animals, their meaning, and if they connect with me in any way. I learned a lot more about myself and the way I think.  

While surfing the web, I came across an article from 2016 stating that Coca-Cola had issued a recall on Dasani water after there were many reports of a clear parasite inside of them. Apparently, many individuals were getting sick and had to be hospitalized after drinking certain bottles of water from this company. I wanted to get to the bottom of this and find out if this is TRUE or FALSE.

• To start, I searched up the news network that posted this article, News4KTLA. This site is not trustworthy and completely mimics the aspects of a real news network. They have been known to publish fake news and hoax’s throughout the internet. I couldn’t even find an article on Wikipedia about it.

 

• Next, I went to snopes.com on the hunt to see if they had fact checked this article!

• And just as a thought- It was fake! Absolutely none of this article was telling the truth. The so-called “parasite” in the water bottles is actually and image of a transparent eel larvae, called a Leptocephalus. The original image came from fishery research institute.

• I even did a quick Google search about it and many other fact-checking websites alongside snopes.com came up explaining this hoax.

• In conclusion, this article about how Coca-Cola having to recall Dasani Water products because of a clear parasite is FALSE.

On November first, I went to work with my mother, who is a mixed media artist. Her studio is at 1000 Parker Street Studios in East Vancouver. She runs her own business completely on her own. To start off the day, my mom and I went out for lunch on Commercial Drive at this place called Thai Basil. We walked around for a short amount of time, then made our way to her studio. During my time at her studio, I got a good look at it, and I really enjoyed that. I hadn’t been there in a while, and it was nice to look at the new things she had added and all of her decor around the space. Later on, I observed while she cracked tile grout. She uses this in her artwork as one of the layers that she paints on top of. I wanted to help her, but she knows what she’s doing so I wouldn’t want to disturb her work. I also prepped some wooden panels for her by painting them with either white, or black gesso. After, I worked on the questions under this paragraph! After we were done working, we decided to end the day with a well-deserved scoop of ice cream at La Casa Gelato. Overall, I had a wonderful day going to work with my mom and I was really amused by her artwork and the process of making her pieces.

1. What did you hear, see, smell, and feel in the work environment on Nov. 1st? 

Heard: City noises, birds, footsteps, a heater, construction, cars, the sound of my mom cutting, weaving, painting, cracking tile grout 

Saw: many pieces of art (my mom’s and her studio mates’), pictures, paintbrushes, rocks, shelves, books, drawers, fake plants, wooden pieces, paint splatters, picture frames, lots of scissors, thread, paint swatches, brooms, hung paintings, pipes 

Smelled: paint, dust, stale air, chemicals, tile grout 

Felt: cold, inspired, enjoyment, artistic

2. What about the environment would motivate you to wake up every day to attend work? 

The environment was very colourful and there are many pieces of nature in here (plants, seashells, wood, rocks, sticks). There are also many artworks, and they are very entertaining to look at, there’s so much room for creativity. There is also a corner in the studio that is very cozy where you can rest.  

3. What about the work environment would discourage you from waking up every day to attend work? 

The area it is in (East Vancouver- It’s in a kind of unsafe area especially when its nighttime.), how far away it is (45 minutes- 1 hour commute)  

4. What is ONE thing you found interesting about your workplace visit?

This place is over 100 years old and used to be a mattress factory. It has a real freight elevator that has been here since the place opened. Sometimes the elevator breaks, and it constantly must be fixed. I remember going on it when I was younger, I was afraid that it would collapse.