PP Adviser Meeting 5

On Monday 8 October 2012:
I was supposed to meet with Ms. Kannan on the 5th of October but due to some unexpected work Ms. Kannan had to postpone the meeting to Monday. We discussed mainly our goals which we have to be finished with by December. I planned to finish my product by our next meeting which will be on November 16. I have less than a month to work on my product. I have already started my presentation. I will be assembling my research into the PP now. I feel like I am a bit too relaxed about this and I should probably try to work faster and efficiently. I plan on working on this product during the Mid October break. 

Yavnika Kumar

18.10.12

PP Adviser Meeting 4

On Tuesday 11 September 2012:
I met with Ms. Kannan for our fourth PP Adviser Meeting. We planned many things about the coming days. I was told to print my AOI Statement and Specification to hand in to her. I still have to do that and so I will be handing this in tomorrow. Due to homework load, I have not been able to work on my personal project regularly and this is scaring me a little bit since I have to finish my project before December break. I have to decide on a catchy title for my project and a global research question such as "What are the advantages of renewable energy?". I have figured out that I will be needing two laptops during the exhibition. My goals for now are finishing the PowerPoint and research. These are the main focus of my project currently. They will hopefully be finished by December. 

Yavnika Kumar

4.10.12

Top 5 Renewable Energy Facts :)

These are five facts I found about renewable energy:

1. "The largest wind turbine in the world, located in Hawaii, stands 20 stories tall and has blades the length of a football field" (alliantenergykids.com)
2. "More than 10,000 homes in the United States are powered entirely by the solar energy"  (alliantenergykids.com)
3. "If it could be properly harnessed, enough sunlight falls on the earth in just one hour to meet world energy demands for a whole year"  (independent.co.uk)
4. "Water is the most commonly used renewable energy resource, providing enough power to meet the needs of 28.3 million people"  (independent.co.uk)
5. "In 200 B.C., people in China and the Middle East used windmills to pump water and grind grain"  (alliantenergykids.com)

MLA Bibliography:

Alliant Energy. "Fun Facts about Renewable Energy." Alliant Energy Kids. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Sept. 2012. <http://www.alliantenergykids.com/energyandtheenvironment/renewableenergy/022403>.

Arendar, Ana Caistor. "The Natural Solution: Ten Facts about Renewable Energy." The Independent. N.p., 14 May 2007. Web. 9 Sept. 2012. <http://www.independent.co.uk/student/magazines/the-natural-solution-ten-facts-about-renewable-energy-448818.html>.

Yavnika Kumar

9.09.12

Fun Renewable Energy Games and Quizzes for Kids

These are links to games for kids regarding renewable energy:
A great way to teach them about renewable energy!

- http://www.neok12.com/diagram/Energy-Sources-01.htm
- http://www.neok12.com/vocabulary/Energy-Sources-01.htm

These are links to quizzes:

- http://www.neok12.com/quiz/ENESRC02
- http://www.neok12.com/quiz/ENESRC01
- http://www.neok12.com/quiz/ENESRC03
- http://www.neok12.com/quiz/ENESRC04
- http://www.neok12.com/quiz/NATRES01
- http://www.neok12.com/quiz/NATRES02

Yavnika Kumar

9.09.12

PP Adviser Meeting 3

On Tuesday 14 August 2012:
I met with Ms. Kannan for the third Personal Project Adviser Meeting. We discussed about our progress during the holidays. I had told her that I had finished my AOI Statement and I was drafting my Product Rubric. I showed her my AOI Statement and the Rubric as well. She gave feedback on the rubric saying that I should complete it by filling in the details of all areas. She passed my AOI Statement. I even showed her my blog and the progress I have made with my Process Journal. We made some plans for me for the future. As I will be travelling this December and I won't have time to work on my product during the winter break, I will have to finish everything except the evaluate stage before I go. This means that I have to finish my research by mid - October and the product before I leave. I have approximately 40 days to finish all of the research I need for the product. And then I will have another 40 days to finish my product. We also discussed about my product type. Ms. Kannan gave me examples of PowerPoint presentations, booklets, essays and more. I am mostly attracted towards a small PowerPoint presentation and booklet for my audience. Since we will be presenting our project, I think I want people to be able to understand my topic in a short span of time and an essay does not fit that specification. We planned our next meeting which will be in the second week of September, before we leave for Week Without Walls. I still have a lot to research and so I need to provide myself with more time for this. This is all I have planned till now.    

Yavnika Kumar

9.09.12

Product Rubric Reviewed

This is my rubric for assessing my product:
Draft 2 -

	Content: Depth of Understanding	Organization: Clarity of Work	Sources: Relevance of Research	Style and language: Quality of Work
Seed:	Student does not have any understanding of the subject. Student does not strive to achieve an understanding.	Clarity cannot be seen at all in the students work.	The student’s research is not at all relevant. Application of research is extremely poor.	Extremely poor – Student does not use a range of language mechanics. Piece of work is ineffective. Work is not attractive at all.
Seedling:	Student has minimal understanding of the topic. Student makes a very low effort to gain understanding.	There is somewhat clarity in the students work.	The student’s research is somewhat relevant. Student shows some level of application.	Minimal – Student uses a very limited range of language mechanics. Work is barely effective. Work is barely attractive.
Leaves:	Student has an average understanding of the topic. Student makes some effort to understand.	Student has minimal clarity in work.	The student’s research is relevant and application is somewhat average but needs more.	Average – Student uses an average range of language mechanics. Work is somewhat effective. Work is somewhat attractive.
Flower:	Student has exceptional understanding of the topic. Student has made consistent effort to gain understanding.	Student has excellent clarity in work.	The student’s research is relevant to the topic and is applied properly.	Extraordinary – Students uses a wide range of language mechanics. Work is extremely effective and attractive.

Yavnika Kumar

9.09.12

Article 3 - Mozambique Goes Green, Blindsides International Mining Interests

Oil Price:
When thinking of Africa, only words like hunger, poverty, famine, drought, and malnutrition appear in our minds. We can not really understand that Africa has after all become a developing nation. It is hard to believe what with all the conflicts and poverty which still resides in the heart of Africa.
Foreign companies invest in Africa for its excess resources which has made it a resource hub for international companies which exploit the governments desperate "for foreign revenues" (oilprice.com).

This map shows the oil activity occurring in Mozambique after the discovery of heavy amounts of natural gases in the ocean and on land as well. 
An article by oilprice.com stated the Government of Mozambique, distinctively the Ministry for Coordination of Environmental Affairs (MICOA), "has cancelled 146 investment projects in various economic activities because they failed to meet the requirements of the country's environmental laws". This clearly shows that even though the Mozambican Government could gain so much from foreign investments but they refused to damage their environment. The Zambeze Coal Project, owned by Riversdale Mining Ltd., were granted an exploration license. The originally Australian Company had proposed to transport coal to the sea by using the Zambezi river as a transport medium. They also submitted an Environmental Impact Report which concluded the this activity would not cause significant damage to the environment. The Mozambican Government, nevertheless, restricted them from doing this. If the Zambezi River would have been used to transport the coal, it would have concluded in a natural disaster as the coal would have infiltrated the water. The villagers living in the nearby small villages who depended on the river for clean water would have lost their access of water. Moreover the wild life living in the wilderness fearlessly would also have lost their source of water. The fishes in the river would have died due to chemicals and other things. This would also cause the fisherman to loose their jobs and become jobless. The Zambezi River is the largest River Basin in South Africa which flows through Mozambique, Angola,  Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, and also Zimbabwe. The governments decision has saved several lives and showed their concern for their country's growth and prosperity. 


MLA Bibliography for Article:
Daly, John. "Mozambique Goes Green, Blindsides International Mining Interests."Mozambique Goes Green, Blindsides International Mining Interests. Oilprice.com, 7 Mar. 2012. Web. 19 July 2012. <http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/Mozambique-Goes-Green-Blindsides-International-Mining-Interests.html>.


MLA Bibliography for Image:
Wentworth Resources. Mozambique Oil and Gas Exploration. 2011. Photograph. Mozambique. Oil and Gas - Mergers and Acquisition Review. Sanjay Samuel, July 2011. Web. 19 July 2012. <http://mergersandacquisitionreviewcom.blogspot.com/2011/07/mozambique-oil-gas-exploration-in-2011.html>.

Yavnika Kumar

19.07.12