Redesigning the Gift Giving Process Reflection

*DUE TO TECHNICAL ISSUES, I HAD TO MAKE THE VOLUME OF THE ACTUAL VIDEO LOWER. YOU MAY NEED TO TURN UP YOUR VOLUME TO BE ABLE TO HEAR. THANKS!*

     At first, I wasn't excited about doing an audio visual presentation because it was something that I didn't do that often.  Doing this project helped me to push myself to learn more about different apps (iMovie). It also made me try something new instead of just staying with what I know and am comfortable with. I still don't necessarily think that it's my favourite method to present with, however I appreciate the new experience with a method that may help me in the future.
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Concentric Circles Reflection

     One if my favourite activities that we did last week was the concentric circles exercise. In this activity, we got a partner and set ourselves up so that on partner was standing in an outer circle and the second partner was standing in a circle inside the outer circle. We were set up similar to a doughnut. Ms Lees gave us a topic to discuss with the partner that we were standing with and a time limit of 2 minutes. These topics covered things such as our fears, secret activities, and aspirations. Once the time was up, the inner circle rotated one partner to the right ( I think ) and started a conversation with their new partner on a new topic. We repeated these steps around 10 times.

     I liked this activity the most because it helped me to get to know some of the people in the class a little bit better. It also helped me because it made talk and speak up, something that I sometimes don't do to much of. Only talking to one other person made the situation seem more approachable and easier to do. It made me open up to people a little bit more because the questions were more personal, which I think was good for me. Coming up with answers to the questions helped me to think more about who I am and it was interesting to hear everyone else's answers too.

     The purpose of this activity was for us to "break the ice" and start getting a bit more familiar with each other, but it also helped us to think a little bit more about ourselves and what we think and believe. One of the harder questions for me was something along the lines of "Where do you want to go after high school?" To be honest I had to think to myself a bit because I wasn't too sure. After doing this activity, it helped me to realize a bit more of what I want to do after graduation. 

Meyer's Briggs Personality Test Reflection

Reflection Questions

1. What were your 2 main personality types and what do they reveal about you? What did the test reveal about yourself?
     My main two personality types ISFJ and ISTJ.  My primary personality, ISFJ, means that I am interested in knowledge and experience, especially in regards to family and friends.I am a quiet and serious observer of people, listening intently and getting to know a lot about them. I pay attention to other people's emotions and feelings, and am generally aware of the state of relationships between them and I take my responsibilities to them very seriously. My secondary personality is ISTJ. This means that I am interested in clarity and knowledge, kind of similar to my primary personality. I like to observe and listen, and have a particular interest in facts which help me to develop as clear a knowledge as possible. I like to know where I stand, meaning that I have clear goals that I work towards, and to know that what I are expected to do is achievable. I value my experience, and it plays a large role in my decision making.

2. Were there any surprises?  Or do you agree or disagree with the initial snapshot ?  Explain with examples from your life experience to support.
     To be honest, I wasn't overly surprised by my results. I agree with the result that they gave, I find it almost scary how accurate that it can be. From the start, I knew that I was an introvert. Both in class and outside of school, I tend to be more quiet, preferring to just listen rather than lead the conversation. I like thinking and reflecting in my head and on my own. One thing that stood out to me about my results is that I pay attention to the feelings and emotions of others. I had never really thought about myself like that, but I think that I always try my best to be aware about others because I believe that it is one of the most vital things that helps me to collaborate and work with others.

3. How might the MMDI Personality test be helpful to you in our course? in life?
     During this course, there will be times in the future where we will be collaborating and working with others. Knowing both our own personality types and the personality types of the others in our class can help us to understand each other's personalities, as well as help us find people who we may work well with. This sort of self awareness can help me when I'm dealing with people in the future because I have an idea of who I work best.

4. Look at the picture of the class results.  Make comments or observations – what surprises you? what do you think our collective results reveal about us as a group and how might the results help or hinder us in future projects this term?
     The results show how diverse we are as a class! I will admit that I was a little bit surprised the amount of introverts that there are in the class. There are certain people that I didn't see their primary results in the way that they act, but I noticed their secondary results resembled the way that they act much more. It helped make me aware of how people may change how they act when they are in different settings, such as school. These results will help us because we will be more aware of who we work best with and who we may clash with. However, knowing our results can also help us to work with people who don't work the same way as us. This is because the awareness of ourselves and the awareness of how the other person works can help us to find ways to work together that we might have not previously thought of if we didn't have an idea of the other person's personality.

Inspirational Video

The video that really inspired me when I watched it was a short clip about the Canadian ski coach, Justin Wadsworth. The rest of the post will likely make more sense once you watch the video, which is attached below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9imn3eCDyOU

There were a few things that I found really inspiring about this post. The first thing was the Canadian coach chose to give the Russian skier a new ski when he broke his own. It is often easier to stand back with the crowd and do nothing to solve a problem, even when we have the ability to help. Once the skier broke his ski, no one stepped up to help him. I would guess that Canada wasn't the only team to bring an extra ski, so it's likely that some of the other teams could have helped as well, but chose not to. I personally find that sometimes making the decision to stand out and do something is more difficult than the act of helping itself. Seeing this video encourages me to step out of my comfort zone more to help others in need.

Another thing that stood out was the fact that the Canadian coach was helping out his competition. Although Justin's aid didn't change the outcome of the race, it is still great to see that the fierce competitive spirit didn't get in the way of true sportsmanship. Alhtough competition is fun and being competitive isn't a bad thing, sometimes people can get a bit carried away and let it overshadow the true spirit of the game.

The final thing that I found inspiring about this video was when the Russian skier kept going after he broke his ski. A lot of people might say "Of course he kept going, he's an athlete and an Olympian." While this may be true, I think that it takes a lot of humility, courage and again good sportsmanship to finish with the attitude that he did. Especially since they were in his home country, it had to be embarassing and disappointing when his ski broke. When he fell a second time, he could have walked to the finish line or he could have just left the course. The skier chose to be persistant and to finish his race in spite of his misfortune, putting on a brave face and smiling with a great attitude. He inspires me to have a great attitude and to smile no matter what is going on around you because while it may not change the circumstances of the situation, it pays off personally and helps you to get through it.