Julien Caron C.A.S: October 2012

Saturday, 27 October 2012

Soirée

Today, my parents were planning to invite some friends of theirs over however, they couldn't organise everything by themselves therefore they needed to rely on me to help them a little for the organisation. They wanted me to make a playlist of music which they could play in the background to create a relaxing atmosphere so I had to search for music which could be used for that. I also had to burn the songs onto a CD so that they could play it with the loud speakers we have at home.
The problem was that my parents didn't specify what kind of music they wanted so there was a slight misunderstanding since my mother ended up changing her mind with what she wanted however I did act reflectively and quickly came up with a different set of songs which she liked so I had the job done quite quickly. If I was to do this again, I think I would ensure that I know exactly what people want and be sure that they are sure about what they want too before I actually get going with what I have to do.
This was a new challenge for me since I hadn't done this for others before merely for myself as a source of entertainment and it taught me more about working with others and communicating well.

Friday, 19 October 2012

International Day

Today's International Day was a lot more entertaining than I actually expected since being in charge of an activity and entertaining other kids from different year group was an interesting experience. I think we were very reflective and quick-to-act since we tried to find ways to make our activities last longer so that the children wouldn't be bored and we kept on evolving on that so that we filled the whole time without any long pauses and I think that is one of the reasons we had so much positive feed-back from the students. We were well-organised since we had all the equipment we needed for our activity and we knew exactly what we were going to do. Our activities were well chosen since it provided knowledge as well as entertainment which is what we had to do and it proved very successful.

I think that if we were going to do this again, we should plan everything out since we changed the planning of activities several times before International Day and that caused some confusion and waste of time. I think that if we were going to test others with their music knowledge, we should have a collection of songs that they would know since most of them they had no idea what the name of the song is and that was one of the problems we had which the students found not so good. Also we should be more focused on decorations as well since our room wasn't as colourful as others e.g. the group next door to our room which was very well decorated and very attractive.

Considering the reaction of the people we were entertaining, we did a good job since throughout the day as we developed techniques to improve our activities people seemed to really enjoy the time they had with our group since we were all laughing and having a good time. The music we put on in the background kept a dynamic atmosphere which was very pleasant to work in since I think all of us were motivated by it, including the students.

Overall, I look forward to doing this again next year cause it was an amazing experience which taught me new skills, to work well with others, to consider the cultural background of others and I undertook a new challenge.

Thursday, 18 October 2012

"Experience" vs. Youth

At lunch, some of us IB students were selected to play against the teachers and I was the only one in my year so that is something to be proud of. We beat them with a score I can't remember because I stopped counting after a while and I was able to score one goal. I think I should have been more offensive since most of the time I was back in defence which I think was a waste since I could have been very useful up-front since I do have a lot of skill on the ball and my finishing is good. If we have another match like that I will try to be more of an attacking player rather than always staying in defence. I think that sometimes I should have looked for a pass on the floor since I tried to lob it several times and most of those times we lost possession even though some of those long passes were very successful.

As for after school, needless to say the ones that play at lunch were exhausted which is probably why this week wasn't as intense and our team didn't do as well; we were all tired. I think that I should have been more energetic since sometimes my game was sloppy and I wasn't very concentrated so next time such a thing happens I think I should remain focused no matter what the consequences. I didn't score as much as I usually do but I got a lot of assists since instead of mostly going for a shot, I decided to pass to a player in a better position than me. The week after the holidays, I will try to get my striking boots back on and put my game face on, so to say. I hope to be more energetic since I will try to go swimming during most of the holidays.

Wednesday, 17 October 2012

BIS: because you're worth it

We went around school to look for any boards which could use an upgrade and my group and I decided to modify the one in the stair case towards the Maths and English rooms. We knew exactly what we needed to do so there was no time wasted in thinking things through. We got the material we needed and when we ran out of something we asked where we could find some more instead of just standing there doing nothing. So our group was efficient. However, when we needed more staplers there was only one person needed to carry this task but three people went to ask which isn't very efficient since two of those people could have been helping out to do something else.

If we were to do this sometime again, I think we should think about the positioning of things more carefully so that we get the best satisfaction out of our work and that things plan out exactly as we want them too.

This activity helped me develop skills in creativity and service since I was able to help the school community by using my imagination. I undertook something I had never done before and I learnt how to collaborate with others more effectively.

Saturday, 13 October 2012

What a way to finish the season

Todays match was an elimination one since if we won we'd be competing for 3rd place but if we lost it was over, so as you can probably imagine we lost 5-3 unfortunately but I have to say it was the most amazing match I have ever played.

Our coach put me as a striker since last weeks match against each other showed my talent as an offensive player and I scored 2 goals. One of them was a beautiful turn against a defender and a volley into the back of the net. The second one was me getting the ball because of the pressure I put on the defenders who had the ball, then I dribbled through 2 and slide it past the keeper's reach. I had numerous other opportunities to score and if I talk to you this week you will hear me complaining about the fact I didn't score 3 since I once headed the ball and it just when over the bar and the other times were when the keeper dived to the ball before I got a chance to tap it in.

Overall, I think I should have gone into space a bit more and called for the ball rather than expect it to come to me. There were some moments I think I should have passed it instead of dribbled it but that was only once or twice.

Even though we lost, we got trophies for being "the best sportsmanship team" since out of all the teams competing we weren't too violent and aggressive and we respected our opponents unlike other teams.

Since the season is over for us, I plan to go swimming on the weekends for an hour each day since I finally got the health certificate.

Friday, 12 October 2012

Showing Yr 9s how it's done

I played a football match which was part of a tournament with Yr 13s and we played against Yr 9s which we easily beat without trying our best, however, we did support them and tell them that what they did was good to give them a bit of confidence in themselves. If anything I think we should have played more seriously so that the lower year would get the idea that we are trying our best and not treating them as a sort of joke. Next week, we are probably gonna play against Yr 10 or 11 and I think we should be fully focused during those matches so that we assure our victory.

Considering preparation, I think I should be more prepared since I forgot my kit so maybe I should give myself reminders or something because I ended up borrowing shorts and uncomfortable shoes and played shirtless which prevented me from playing to my best.

Thursday, 11 October 2012

Week 5

This week I think our team didn't play as well as we used to for a reason I'm not too sure of but one of the reasons could be that we were all to offensive and wanted to score. I, honestly, was too offensive and the times I was defensive I wasn't as enthusiastic and hard-working and that let me down and I feel like I disappointed the team indirectly. Even though I scored a lot of goals I think I should try more to stay in defence so that others have a chance to go up front ( I did it occasionally but not often enough). However, my man marking was good, I communicated more and I tried out a lot of new skills which actually paid off so I hope to try some new ones next week as well. My aim for next week is to keep my position as second top scorer but I should stay in defence a bit more even though I play very well offensively. Also, I should keep my cool more since this one person kept on fouling me and I did get pretty angry at him for doing so, so my other aim is to calm down and just take the foul that is given to me rather than get upset about it.

I decided to also expand my creativity since when editing I decided to not only put some effects and music but also narrate through everything with music in the background to make the video more interesting which I hope it will be for you guys.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIRucow1Cdw&feature=youtu.be

Wednesday, 10 October 2012

C.A.S Movie

For C.A.S, we were told we had to make a 3 minute silent movie and I decided to be in a group which included Han and Benny. We evaluated possible ideas we could all participate in and be good at so that we would find it possible to do. We set ourselves particular dates where we would meet so we would be able to film things and I also did a bit outside school since that would help with time management.

I think we should have been more organised since some of it was improvisation and we should have maybe considered a wider variety of ideas which would require less skill from us so that we could spend more time on the editing. Also, I think we should have left ourselves more time to edit since we only finished filming the day before we had to present the final product. I think that the editing could have been a bit better since there was an issue about fitting the music and the film together which kind of ruined the film itself. The major problem was the text we put in because it wasn't well positioned and the credits were too long but that was to fix the music and film issue.

I think that the quotes I put on the film were good because it was motivational and it made people think about what was written. The choice of music was also good it was just the fitting in which caused a problem. The slow-motion effects put in made people able to enjoy what was being done more than if it was at normal speed. The skill in the movie was pretty impress especially when Han solved the rubics cube in under a minute.

If we have to do this again sometime soon, I think we should spend more time thinking about what we could do and communicate better so that we know exactly what we want to do. Also, planning exactly what will be done will help us keep on track and save time so that the editing will be more precise and the final product will be more satisfactory.

Sunday, 7 October 2012

Win by forfeit

Today, the team we were supposed to face didn't show up therefore we won by forfeit and I think we made it to the semi-finals. Instead of just wasting time by doing nothing we decided to pick teams among us and play a small sided game which my team ended up winning. I scored 3 goals most of which were power shots I prayed to go in, however, I did put a good trajectory in my shots so there was no surprise they went in. I think I should have played with more motivation instead of not trying my best since it is still a match and my team mates were counting on me to play at my best. I tried out some skills which turned out pretty well and I hope I will be able to do them next week since I was told I'd play midfield after the performance I showed on the pitch today as a good offender and defender. I tried to do some long passes since that is something I want to be able to do more of since I do them well. The thing that let myself down the most was my own determination since I was taking it easy instead of trying but this was only because I didn't consider this as serious which I think I should have.

Thursday, 4 October 2012

Week 4 - Sorrow

I decided to put some slow-motion moments in the video to make it more interesting and to show the most amazing parts of the video so that people can see what the person did which is so special. It takes me a long time to edit these but I believe I get better every time I make a new one.

This week, I think I played too offensive and I should have played more defensive even though I scored a lot of goals which helped my team to victory this week once again. I tried out some skills as you will see in the video so that I can improve my talent on the ball and control of the ball. I tried to put my head up so that I was more aware of my environment but in my opinion I didn't do that enough and next week I will try to fix that. Instead of going for the goal I quickly looked up to see if I could make a pass to a team mate which was in a better position than me. I was more communicative than last week which helped out my team since they were aware of a "man on" or that I was open for a pass. I think we played well as a team but our defence was a bit weak since everyone wanted to go up front and score goals sometimes, however, there was always at least one of us covering deep so that we could stop any counter-attack which is what made our offensive play so deadly.

Next week, my aim is to score a minimum of 5 goals so that I stay in the top 3 goal scorers and to help my team once again. I will also play more defensive so that others can have a chance to go upfront and score. I think I will try to do a skill I love doing at least once, the 360 spin, since I am really good at it and it would look good on video.

Wednesday, 3 October 2012

Planning for International Day

For International Day, I am in a group composed of a Bolivian, and Italian and a French. One of the options which was proposed to us was to take turns in learning people things from our country but we thought that that wouldn't bring the objective of working collaboratively with others so we made the decision to rule that out. Instead we decided to make an activity which was both fun and educative and that involved all our nationalities. We are going to divide people into houses and then they have to answer a quiz which shall have questions on all of our different countries. Before that we shall teach them how to make paper pellets since that brings a more interactive part to the quiz. Once they know how to do them properly, they will be able to test them out on a target we will set in the room so that they have the hang of it. After that is when the quiz starts. At the same time as the quiz we will be playing music from our different countries to create a relaxing atmosphere. We will make sure that the quiz doesn't hold too many questions so that we have time at the end to count up the points and see who is the winner. If there is still time at the end, we will use the skill we taught them i.e. paper pellet making, to kill the remaining time by, for example, letting them test out their skills on whatever/whoever they want.

As for decoration, we plan to put our 3 flags on the door and put pictures around the room of our traditions and things like that e.g. for Bolivia a picture of someone wearing a sombrero or a French person wearing a barrette.

All of this will involve creativity since we need to imagine this and organise this well so that it works out. Also, action will be involved because we will be teaching skills to others and organising our part of international day which combines with service. Working together, undertaking new challenges and developing new skills will be part of the outcome of this event and what it will teach us.