Two days left. Presentations, Final Touches, Storytelling, Roles, Responsibilities…So much to do still. Luke R. picks it up from here:
Luke R., Junior
Hello friends. Today in Nova Lab, we were submerged in the Test phase of the Build Design Process, where each group refined and practiced pitching their projects to other groups. My group first actively listened to a pitch from a few peers, and when they were done presenting their idea, the 3 members of my group gave them feedback on it. One of my peers was adamant about speaking after the feedback, but she had to hold it in and accept what was given to her. This helped her, as well as me, come to the realization that you know more than anyone else about your project. If feedback is given to you about something that wasn’t interpreted right, then you as the presenter did not make it clear enough when pitching it. This caused me to take a step back and think about what would be unclear to other people in my own project, and how I could take a step back and see from those perspectives to improve my work.
We pitched our project to another student, and the experience enlightened me that I need to work on my body language and flow of language when I speak. I have to remain passionate about what I am explaining, so that I can instill passion into my audience. After our presentation, we moved forward with the “prototype” phase, revising our idea. We have most of our actual content figured out, at least the base level prior to revisions. We have been working on putting everything into a slide show, creating a storyboard, and making our prototype, which was a drawing on a poster, more refined.
This entire process has me extremely excited for our presentation Friday, and I think it is important to note that enjoying something makes it much easier to work towards. During this project so far, me and my two group members have each had a moment where we say to ourselves or each other, “this is actually going to be really good.” That sentence means a lot for a highschool student, because for many, school isn’t something people enjoy or want to work towards. Just today, one of my peers in my group texted me about how this project was actually really exciting and that they couldn’t wait for Friday, and that made me super happy to see that it was being treated seriously, because I had the same realization earlier in this process.
“I’m tired of people saying, ‘that’s not how it is in the real world’.
Mr. Heidt
Excitement needs to be a tool though, not a distraction. It is important to realize that our ultimate goal is to help our client, and to learn while doing it. Today Mr. Heidt said something that stuck with me. “I’m tired of people saying, ‘that’s not how it is in the real world’. We ARE in the real world.” He’s right. The world isn’t the same as it used to be, and in a week it will be completely different than it is now. The real world is what we’re living in, and we have to take advantage of every opportunity, because opportunities only knock once.
One last thing that I’d like to mention is that this project has helped me grow closer to my peers, especially the ones I’m working with. I have friends in Nova Lab that I knew previous to the class, but the two people that I am in a group with, I did not know prior to taking this class. I can now say that I say hello to two new people in the hallway when I see them, and that has been one of the most valuable aspects of this class for me. Our group has merchandise, a solid team name, and the majority of the time in class is spent smiling and laughing, while getting significant work done. Life can go by fast, but living in the moment with people you genuinely enjoy being around can help slow things down.
Peace out innovators, go change the world.
Signing off,
Luke (Team Bean)
Innovation Lab 