The Journey To Being A Archnophobe

For the elective STEAM course Game Changers. In the course we learned about board games from designers. We even designed our own prototype board game. As the weeks went by, me and my partner made adjustments to the game making sure it worked when played play testing the game multiple times.For this action project we had make sure that our game was official we had to make a how to play video and a slide to explain how we changed the game over time. I struggles with making the video and the slide show for this action project, I didn't really know how to explain the process of how my game had changed. I also had trouble with making the video because pictures I needed weren't uploading so I had to improvise. I took a clip made it a few seconds long of what i needed from it and as far the slide show I just had to think about all the trouble me and my partner went through to make this game. I had a lot of fun making the game, its self see what ideas me and my partner GM could come up with.


Hi, my name is GM, and my partner AL and I designed the game Arachnophobe where you are a fly trying to get your baby from the big bad spider. You can move in and out of the web by rolling dice and drawing cards. One player also has the option of being the spider. The spider’s job is to try to keep the babies in the middle of the web by drawing cards and rolling dice. The flies and the spider use the same mechanism to move around the board but they each have their own set of cards.

                                                        How to play, AL, (2016)

Set up:

Place the board out
Pick which player you want to be (either fly or spider)
Place player at the start (if you're the fly)
Place maggots in the middle
If you're the spider you are placed in the middle with the maggots on the white dot

How to play:
Roll the dice and move your player token
Pick up a card
If you’re a fly pick from the pile with a spider web on the back & If you’re the spider pick from the pile with the spider on the back)
Follow the action on the card
If you pick up a card and it says “Pick A Spider Card” you pick up a card from the pile of aggressive or non-aggressive spiders
If you pick an aggressive spider card you move back three spaces
If you pick a non-aggressive spider card you move forward one space

How to win:
To win you must make it to the center of the spider web and back out with your baby maggot in the shortest amount of time
                                                     

 

                                                             History,AL,(2016)

Hi I am AL. I am in the class Game changers in this class we made a board game. Me and my partner GM had a hard time agreeing on and idea to base are game off of. First making up games with catapults and scream the TV show as a theme.We eventually came with an idea based off of our fear of spiders. We called Arachnophobe. My job was to make the board for this game. I made the first model with a spider web that started from the left corner and ended on the right bottom corner. It didn't work because, we didn't know how the player would move around the board when play testing this version of it. We didn't have game pieces either. We used marbles from the classroom as game pieces. I made adjustments to the board based off the feed back from my classmates. We later made the spider web on the board a spiral because it made it easier for the players and the spider to get around. Making this change worked the best for the game it made it easier to see where we would place the flies and the maggots and which way the spider would go. We made the cards for the flies first to give them special moves that can either help them win the game or make them fall behind. We later on decided to make cards for the spider also making it a player as well instead of the players just moving it around randomly. We had a lot of fun making this game it was a fun and hard experience we both learned from and i would definitely design a game again if I could see the finished project without all the stress of making an idea.

Who is the Werewolf? Chose wisely.

"The game ain't always fair and that's the thing though. You can play your heart out and everyone don't get a ring though"- Drake.

For the elective STEAM course Game Changers. In the course we learned about board games from designers. We even designed our own prototype board game. As the weeks went by,we played multiple games that some of us knew and some we didn't know. We played games we didn't like and games we loved from Pandemic to Scrabble. For this action project, we made recommendations for board games for a scenario. I found it easy to pick a scenario, but picking game I thought met all my needs for my scenario was hard to do they either met only one or two of my needs. I eventually learned to just make do with the games that met only a few of my needs for my scenario till I found games that met at least four of my needs(Outburst and Werewolf). I am very proud of myself for finished product.

In my scenario, a high school swim team is on a road trip for the a competition. They need a game that can be played on the bus and can have as many as 12 players.

The biggest needs are:

• Capable of having more than 12 people
• playing at once 
• 10 minutes or longer 
• Easy to travel with 
• Easy to play 
• 40 - 100$
• Cover to so that if a player who is wet plays it doesn’t get messed up

• I have chosen two games (Outburst and Werewolf) that fit what the needs for my scenario.

                   (Game Recommendation Reference Sheets below)

The swim team would benefit from either of these games. Since both are party games and both can be player for more than 10 minutes. Outburst has the positive of the red card holder which will protect the cards from getting wet. They are both fun games that connect the players in a fun and easy way and both would be suitably for the needs of the swim team.

If I had to chose one of the these games I would chose werewolf even though Outburst cost wise is better and has multiple cards to play which can last for hours. Werewolf has many other characters that can be added to the mix and make the outcome of the game change by just adding the seer or the town idiot to the game. The game is better for travel all you need is the cards and the a solution to the cards getting wet is to get covers for the cards. While Outburst would be hard to bring. You can easily lose the cards since there are so many. Outburst is really met for only up to 4 players while werewolf can have up to 16 or more players. This game is easy and simple and makes you think of ways to prove who the werewolves are by determining who is to quiet and who is talking to much. This game is the best choice in my opinion.

The People We Always Forget

For the Junior Humanities class called Rhetoric .We learned about the different techniques and appeals of Rhetoric. For example, the appeals for Rhetoric are Logos which is an appeal to reason, Ethos which is showing credibility and Pathos which is an appeal to emotion. Techniques are devices like, anaphora which is when you make a certain word or phrase repeat in one or more sentences. Simile is making a comparison using the words like or as. For this action project we had to make an artistic piece that represents something that we feel strongly about. Me and my partner decided to make a voice over of the train to make people realize who rides the train, for example homeless people. It’s called ‘The Voices Of The Lost.This piece makes people realize that not everyone around them has what they have. To be blunt it is a piece about the homeless that go unnoticed in Chicago. This piece breaks the barrier of the status quo by putting people through the experiences they live through every day and make them realize what they have so blindly forgotten or ignored. When hearing this recording we want the listener to think about all the different people that struggle through life. We wanted to unite all of the people in Chicago to help those who can’t help themselves. This artwork is original except for the sounds my partner found on the internet to make it sound like the listener was actually on the train. He made a script that would get the attention of people.

            

                                      (LS,The Voices Of The Lost Ones"(2016)






Our rhetorical appeal in this piece is pathos. Throughout the recording , we were trying to get people to feel like they were on a train and then make them think about questions asked by my partner LS. Ethos was also a part in the piece as well. If people were to come up to each other on the train an repeat what the recording is saying, it would not have the same response. This message coming from the intercom, which is always spitting out stops about the train plays a huge part of the response to people. If you look at any map of the racial boundaries of the city, it is obvious that there is a strong divide ,where the groups of color live in Chicago. Many people may even feel that they live in a completely different city. In most cases, people that live up north aren't even aware that problems happen as far as racism as frequent as it does. This is why instead of attacking the people that are unaware, we want to make aware of there mistakes.



Often, we don’t care to think that there are homeless people that live on these trains. When we do see them, we complain behind the safety of our computer screens about them sleeping on the seats of the train. One well known homeless person is Freddie the homeless man ("Forgotten"). He sleeps on the Redline all day until the beds at a shelter open up at night. There are 2,055 people that live on the street or public transportation and parks in 2015 (Rianne). We want people to want to get involved on their own accord, not because they got ideas shoved into their head.




Citation:

Coale, Rianne. "As Homeless Numbers Rise in Chicago, CTA Is a Place of Refuge | Transit Diaries." Redeyechicago.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

"The Forgotten Passengers." A Red Line Project Special Report. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

Christine's Way Out.

In the Junior class Design & Engineering, we learned about different types of bikes, We learned different math concepts such as finding the radius of a circle and different shapes like a cone. We also learned about Kinetic and Potential energy. Another, topic we learned about gears and the effect they have on the different type of bikes depending on the terrain of where the bike is going. We even had a Divvy representative come and see us for a field experience to learn about the different parts of the bike. Lastly we had to interview someone that biked at least once a day to learn about the likes and dislikes of their bike I asked my older brother questions like what he wanted to change etc he answered by saying “I love my bike, but riding around downtown with a seat that hurts you every time you petal sucks” For this action project we have been given personas to adjust a bike to their needs.I have learned about the different needs of other people, and about the gears that are on a bike. I learned that a bike doesn’t have to have a chain.

MI,Demo Bike,(2016)

 My user is Christine, she is thirteen and she bikes to school from Peterson Park using the North Branch route which involves a lot of hills and dips.She also has to take her bike up and down the stairs. The bike is lightweight and it is fold able it also has a handle to carry it down while folded. We call it the Ranger .It's easy to carry. When she needs it she can change the gears depending on the path she is going and the rain shield will protect her through the weather it comes out by pushing the button on the handlebars, it has pockets so she doesn’t have to have a basket . It has quick release front and back tires to change in case of terrain. The reason to believe in our the Ranger is because it is the bike that best suits her needs, we believe that we have touched on every issue she has to the best of our ability because we don’t how much she can carry, so we made the bike out of a lightweight material. We made the bike foldable for her to take down the five steps below the ground. We don’t know her budget, we are able to negotiate with her if necessary. She lives 3 miles from her school, it would take her 19 minutes to get there according to google maps. The average speed that she goes is 8 ½ mph or 4.24 m/s. The radius of the wheels are 12inches. The Ranger show kinetic energy when they are going down a hill and show potential at the top of the hill.

AL, Bike Design (2016)

The Circumference is 75.36. The diameter is 24 inches. To figure out the rotations of the bike wheel you take D/C and divide it so it looks like this 190080/75.36 = 2522.29. The scale of the model is 6/1 . Since Christine wants to look at the scenery around her so she wants an easy ride which involves the gears which means I had to look up the best gear ratio for a bike which is 44/66.

I kept in mind her needs and what can be done without too many complications. Two obstacles were making the three-dimensional models and trying to make up a bike for her needs. I am proud of getting through this unit as it was very challenging for me because of the math portion and this action project.

Kendrick Takes Over Rhetoric With The Blacker The Berry

In the Junior humanities class called Rhetoric .We learned about the different techniques and appeals of rhetoric.For example, the appeals for rhetoric are Logos which is an appeal to reason, Ethos which is showing credibility and Pathos which is and appeal to emotion. Techniques are devices like, anaphora  which is when you make a certain word or phrase repeat in one or more sentences. Simile is making a comparison using the words like or as. We visited father Pfleger to talk to him about what he has done for his community and ask questions. The last reason that we talked to him is to have an idea of who us a rhetorical challenger for our action project. For this action project we had to chose a rhetorical challenger and use Prezi or slide to make a presentation to prove it that the person we chose is a rhetorical challenger by analyzing speeches or lyrics in my case.

   

 Citations:
"Childhood Maltreatment Experiences among US Army Reserve ..." N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2016.
"Five Points Gang - Wikipedia." N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2016
"Free Image on Pixabay - Kermit, Frog, Drink, Alcohol, Drunk." N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2016
"Kendrick Lamar @ 2016 Grammy Awards on Vimeo." N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2016.

The Handy Hoe, A Great Invention For Everyone

In the Junior class, Design and Engineering we learned to compare tools and to calculate the surface area and how to add vectors. We talked about simple machines like wedges and what they do to help people during the day. During this class we visited Home Depot.They showed us how to use each tool and what they are called. We discussed empathy, reading about a woman that dressed up as a senior citizen to see how it feels and their daily struggles. Empathy which is when you put yourself in the same shoes to understand how they feel.We are using this as our inspiration for this action project. We also had to interview a gardener for our project to learn about what could make the tools better they used. For this action project we are supposed to pick a tool we saw in Home Depot and innovate it to be easier to use for senior citizens.

TH ,The Handy Hoe,(2016) 

For my interview, I interviewed my neighbor. I learned that my neighbor started gardening as a little girl. I also learned that she liked hand tools because she could get better in the ground more. Lastly, I learned about how to pot plant.“I struggle to use tools, especially ones where I have to bend to use them if I could sit down and use it that would be way better”

TH,Vectors,(2016)

I learned that hoes are used for different reasons for gardening,like moving things or spreading dirt to making room for a plant.I learned that there are different types of tools for different uses and that each one is made from a different material. Lastly, I learned there really aren't any that would be good for a senior citizen other than the fact that it has a grip.
 
Our new tool is named The Handy Hoe, it moves things and lift things. The purpose is to make sure that it is not as straining on the back as a normal tool would be, but the tool is mostly used to lift things.There are joints  that bend and a grip that is rubber. The grip is better for holding the tool. The heads change so that people don’t have to buy more tools .The Handy Hoe is a wedge ,It separates dirt from the ground or rocks in a planter box. Compared to other tools ours is better because we have an arm that can bend which, other hoe's at Home Depot did not. another reason is because the material is better there is less chance of getting a splinter and it is not as heavy to carry. Lastly, there are changeable heads so as mentioned before you don't have to buy more tools.

TH. Surface and Volume. (2016)

AL ,Handy Hoe Cartoon, (2016)

Citations 

Mrs.Robinson(9,18,2016)In Person Interview

                                                        

Rising Above

"Out of suffering have emerged the strongest soul, the massive characters are seared with scars"Khalil Gibran (Criminal Minds)

In the Junior, class called Rhetoric we learned about what makes up rhetoric ( audience speaker and message).We visited the history museum seeing the exhibits The lives of objects. We learned about the effect of Rhetoric on others , another thing that we learned was the techniques that make rhetoric more effective. Lastly, we learned how does rhetoric influence.For this action project, we had to make a speech for a candidate, they have to answer my question which is Why is the murder rate rising in Chicago

                    
                                            AL Rhetoric Speech from AL on Vimeo.

In Chicago, the murder rate has been rising a lot lately due to the rate of gun violence, because a large percent of gangs in the Chicago area.This topic has been on the news more frequently in these past three years involving gangs killing little kids with parent having gang ties.Tyshawn lee a nine-year-old boy was led into an alley and murdered by two gangs members that his father was assumed to have gang ties with,a child playing ball with his friends shot for something he knew nothing about. A woman who was 49 years old an innocent bystander was and killed in a gang crossfire trying to buy coffee from Starbucks. We can't even get a latte without being killed in the crossfire.

In May of last year, it was 46 murders and 318 shootings to 66 murders in may this year and 397 shootings. This is just some of the statistics of the rate rising. in the article 10 shootings a day: Complex causes of Chicago's spiking violence in the Chicago tribune stating that,” through June Chicago has had more homicides than the two largest cities combined” mostly being in the Englewood and Harrison neighborhoods are one-fourth of the homicides in Chicago related to gang disputes. I think that this should not be something that as 16-year-old girl that i should be worrying about, I should be worried about turning in my homework and dating instead every day I see new murder victims due to gangs. I am ashamed of where I was born , this is my home I have lived her since I was in the fourth grade, to become a youthful young women worried about my brother being killed by the police or shot in the crossfire of gangs getting home from work.

We as citizens of Chicago, should better try to have our kids have activities after school to keep them from joining gangs or being victimized by one. We as citizens should help out community to get out city back to way it used to be. We as citizens should not be ashamed to say where we are from to other in different cities , we should not be afraid to say if we live in Englewood or Harrison it shouldn't matter where we are from inside we are all the same. We As citizen need to love each other and be supportive not kill little boys that barely have even lived. Loving where we from to should be like loving our parents that house and clothes us. Kids being able to go play ball with no worries is like , minorities not having to deal with discrimination for wanting a good job to support their families.

Sources:
Https://www.facebook.com/wgnnews. "Chicago Murder Rate Jumps in May 2016 Compared to May 2015." WGNTV. N.p., 2016. Web. 27 Sept. 2016.

Sweeney, Annie, and Jeremy Gorner. "10 Shootings a Day: Complex Causes of Chicago's Spiking Violence." Chicagotribune.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 26 Sept. 2016.

Nathan-francis. "Tyshawn Lee: 9-Year-Old Chicago Boy Executed By Gang Members Because Of His Father's Gang Ties." The Inquisitr News. N.p., 2016. Web. 27 Sept. 2016.

Fessenden, Ford, and Haeyoun Park. "Chicago’s Murder Problem." The New York Times. The New York Times, 2016. Web. 27 Sept. 2016