I had always been interest in the environment and especially the different ecosystems that the world has. I was later more intrigued when I learned that scientist had created different ecosystems in different places. This meant that you can have a desert ecosystem in a dome, where it was too cold for anything that lives in a desert to live. It was very interesting to see where my capstone ended considering where it began in my head. At the very start of this capstone process, my capstone idea was to create a seven feet tall ecosystem set-up that would be in SLA for the rest of the years. It did not hit me that it would cost nearly $2,000 and that I simply did have the time and or space to house the supplies. I then began to think of alternative ways to produce my capstone.  A way that was cheaper and that anyone could do. I went to my capstone mentor, Ms.Dunda, and she asked our capstone group what they thought. Eventually I was given the idea to make my ecosystem set-up a kit that anyone could make. 

I created a couple of mock ecosystems and learned what worked best and what really did not. Through this experience I gained valuable like skills, like time management and collaboration. Without the constant advice and help form my mentor and capstone group, I feel as though I would not be here with such a concrete final product. I hope that by making this kit, it will intrigue future generations to think about earth’s ecosystem and help protect them. 

The picture above displays my kit. 

Annotated Bibliography. 

1. 

Citation - 

Nelson, P.. N.p.. Web. 27 Jan 2014. <http://aquaponics.com/>.

This website mainly inspired me to do my capstone idea. The website’s information about aquaponics. It tell the viewer how aquaponics are used and give examples of some systems. The website also allows the viewer to buy some supplies to build their own aquaponic system. The Nelson Pade website also gives chances for the viewer to sign up for classes in aquaponics. The website taught me that depending on the size of the system, depends on what kind of plants and fish you should use. 

2.

Citation - 

. N.p.. Web. 27 Jan 2014. <http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/>.

This website brought the homestyle feeling to my capstone. The most helpful thing about this website is it’s information on the different fish you use in a aquaponics. This information is useful because until now, I thought that any fish could be used but with the website’s specific information about each fish and what each needs, I now know what type of fish I need to invest time into. Lastly, the design tab on the websites is very useful. The website explains the different designs for a aquaponic set up. With this information I would recommend this website for anyone wanting to find more information on aquaponics and or start their own. 

3. 

Citation - 

Leineriza, L.. N.p.. Web. 27 Jan 2014. <http://agverra.com/blog/soil-types/>.

The information that the website contains is useful for understanding the different types of soil. The description of the soil is not as detailed as it could be but if a person wanted to just get a general idea of what each type of soil was then the website is a good source. The website could have also included diagrams and pictures to show how the different types of soil look. From a scale from 1 to 10, I would rate this website a 6 because it’s information is not as informative as it could be but still is useful. The design of the website is simple and that was refreshing because it wa not difficult to find certain information. 

4.

Citation - 

Davis, M.. N.p.. Web. 27 Jan 2014. 

<http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Your-Own-Worm-Compost-System>.

This wiki on how to create a worm compost bucket is useful. Even though the instruction are not for creating a aquaponics system with worms but the information that is in the wiki can be used in a aquaponic set up. The information on the website is useful for knowing what kind of environment is needed in order for worms to grow. The design of the website is a simple scroll flow and its information  is simple for anyone to understand. What I like best about the website is that the author gives reason behind many of the things that are explained in the directions. To me that is something that some websites miss and that makes them less informative. 

5.

Citation - 

Bernstein, Sylvia. n. page. <http://theaquaponicsource.com/2010/08/09/aquaponics-how-to-guide-part-1-why-aquaponics-and-what-type-of system/>.

This webpage was extremely useful in understanding the flow of a aquaponic set up. It has a diagram that clearly shows how each component of the set up and how it feeds into another component. The information in the articles is very useful because it gives the factor about why aquaponic gardening is much better than the regular method of gardening. Even though some of the reasons are very environmentally impactful , some of the reasons are more for comfort. for example since aquaponic gardening is done at waist level, there is no bending down. As for design, the information is mostly just in one big paragraph s it is not really organized well but is good for a general read about aquaponics. 

6. 

Citation - 

Diver, Steve. Aquaponics-Integration of hydroponics with aquaculture. Attra, 2000.

This publication offers the reader an insight on aquaponics and the history behind the actual aquaponic. Even though the publication does contain information on aquaponics and how it works, the publication focuses more on sharing stories about aquaponic set up that have already been done. this gives the reader a feeling that expresses aquaponics is not a myth but an actual process that has been done. the publications hold some information about the types of plants and fish used in an aquaponic but does not go in depth about how each specific plant and fish work in an aquaponic system. 

7.

Citation - 

Jones, Scott. "Evolution of aquaponics." Aquaponics J 6 (2002): 14-17.

This publication is very organized with its information and i very detailed. This publication focuses less on the actual construction of an aquaponic but more on the history and the cost of the aquaponics. The history of aquaponics section is very informative when it talks about how aquaponics got started and its implications on the rest of the world. The publication also does an average job at relating the information back to present day. As for the cost section, the publication does not give exact numbers but does display a diagram that represents what the person would be spending their own money on and what will the person get out of the aquaponics set up. In a nutshell, the publication is good for information about the history about aquaponics but not good for information about specific aquaponic set ups. 

8.

Citation - 

Wolford, Ron, and Greg Stack, eds. "Worm Facts." . urbanex. Web. 28 Jan 2014. <http://urbanext.illinois.edu/worms/facts/>.

The website is very informative about facts that include worms. Even though the facts are very useful there are many things about the website that could help improve it. One thing is that the information could be organized and grouped so that it just appears to be more organized. Also, including the anatomy of the worm would help the website a lot. Just having some facts about worms can not really be that useful. As a whole I rate this website a 4 out of 10 because the information on the site is useful but not presented well. If a person is just looking for some random facts about worms,then this website is very useful and could be a big help. 

9. 

Citation - 

Perlman, Howard. "The Water Cycle." ga.water.usgs. N.p., 05 11 2013. Web. 28 Jan 2014. <http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycle.html>.

The main thing I can say about this source is that it has a great diagram that illustrates the water cycle to its fullest. The information is portrayed on the diagram and with the diagram make it very easy to understand the water cycle. The other thing about the website is that the diagram that shows earth’s water and how it is distribution. The website is useful when a person wants to understand the water cycle but that is simple it. The information on the website is useful for understanding how water travels through a system but not specifically in the aquaponic set up. The information on the site can be implemented and used in a aquaponic set up.  

10.  

Citation - 

. N.p.. Web. 28 Jan 2014. <http://aquaponics.com/page/recommended-plants-and-fish-in-aquaponics>.

The websites information is useful and simple for any to know what kind of plants and fish go in to a aquaponic system. That is the only information that is on the specific page of the website. The design is not so pretty but it is organized and that is something that some websites lack. Even though the information on each fish and plant is not as detailed as it could be, 

In these selfies I try to present myself as a person who doesn't just pose for the camera to look good but also to show my emotions in pictures. I always felt as though that pictures should save the moment but also save the emotions and feelings of that moment. Selfies are no different. In each of these pictures I am showing a different emotion and or feeling. Of course though in the pictures I still do a pose but that is because that is a part of the emotion. In the picture where I am holding a sword, I felt empowered when I was holding the sword so naturally I took a picture with a facial expression that expressed this. My picture in class was suppose to represent my feelings that day. As for the picture of me half sleep, although it was not taken by me I feel as though I could not have done a better job. 

Michael Hall                                    Process Paper                                                            3-20-13

            My groups topic was housing infrastructure. Housing infrastructure is basically just talking about how a community is set up effects a cities all around economy and growth. My group members were Korah, Tsion, and Anthony. In general we all worked well together and agreed on a lot that we talked about. The first things we had talked about was the way we can present this to people in the public and have it actually work the way we want. In the end we had came up with five different ways to present this and they were a website, video,  poster, letter, and a birdhouse display that would represent our idea. The birdhouse would be about 5 to 6 birdhouses lined up and one of the birdhouses would be in bad condition and that would symbolize how one abandoned house can mess up a whole city block.

            After we had came up with the ideas it was time to spilt the work up. I got the the video part, Korah got the website, and Tsion and Anthony worked on the poster, letter, and birdhouse display. At the time the project still seemed like it could happen because none of the components we had came up with really seemed to be trouble except the birdhouse thing. Time passed and things were running well, it wasn’t that the project took to much time but it was because it didn’t take up enough time is probably why a lot of things got done a little bit more later than earlier. More time passed and then the thing that I kind of foresaw happening happened. It was about a week before the last working period and we still had no birdhouse display. It wasn’t that they just refused to do it but more or less the magnitude of the idea was more of a project all itself than a component for another project.

            In the end the display was never made and what I learned form this is that over planning can lead to bad consequences. What went well was the fact that we never argued about things and always agreed as a group about the ideas. My group did do some work even though it wasn’t what we had agreed upon and the day the project was due we did have something to present. 

Reflection:

During this project I learnt many new things and skills. I leaned that garage band is a awesome application that can be useful for more projects. While editing it was hard to know when to stop so for future reference I know that in order for your final product not to sound so chopped up, you have to spend more time editing then interviewing. What was unexpected was that I could turn my garage band work into iTunes songs. That helped me understand better because I deal with music files a lot. Also the project taught me that crossing boundaries doesn’t just mean to cross boundaries that decide the world. When I heard some of the other projects one was about hair. While others were about race, so the range of boundaries that people could cross was a wide one. From this project I think crossing boundaries means to go past the normal’s of society and try to stay there. By doing this it can cause the person much pain or discrimination from peers but the effects can lead to a new social normal for society. It would cost the person many things for example, it could cost a person their job or family support but to reap the benefits of it can be beneficial for everybody. If a person were to not move from their seats when told because they are colored, they are setting new criteria that not everybody has to move. That person crossed the boundaries of race. From doing this project I learnt that not everything is important as I thought. If you don’t go to something it doesn’t mean you will not live your life or that the world will destroy itself. Even though from the project I also learned that I will be attending my prom because I cannot have the thought that something happened and I wasn’t there. Learning that I realized I’m nosier than I thought. All around this project was fun and new because I never used garage band before.

“Well son do ya know how mucha dats gonna will cost ya ?”

My dad responded with a sarcastic remark “ Well out of all de people not to know how much somehtin cost you shoulda.”

“I wasn’t talking to you I was talking to this young man right hereya” the clerk said

“Well sir, I can’t talk about business like that because its not my money” I said

“Well looky there this boy don learned how to talk “smart”! the clerk man said with a surprised voiced

As I looked back on that day I recall some things I had not noticed back then. A man about the age of thirty maybe, asking a twelve-year-old how much a cost was and that he went straight to me and not my dad. It didn’t come to mind that the few words I said to him gave that much of an impression about me. I didn’t mean to sound the way I did but it just came out that way. For example if they say “hey man, where you gonna be hangin your hat at later?” , I would say “Hey where are you going to be late on?”. It was because I pronounced every letter to the dot and didn’t stutter any words was because he probably though these things. I was a kid visiting his dad in Louisiana because his parents had spilt when he was just a baby. Any how during most of the year I stayed with my mother in Philadelphia, where I learned many habits I have now. One habit that I didn’t even notice I was getting was my “smart” way of talking.

This was not the only incident like itself.  As time went on I slowly understood what my southern neighbors were talking about. It was at one of my cousin’s house where I was visiting them. I was down there for the summer and they go to school earlier than me so while I was sitting playing the Wii , they were at the table doing homework.

“Michael you always be sounded smart , help your cousins with they homework”.

“Yea Michael come and help me wit dis stuff” my cousin said with a puzzled look on his face.

Now there’s nothing wrong with asking for help from someone but basing that help on how someone sounds isn’t the way to go. I ended up helping him but looking back I should have made him explain what he meant. I mean to think that to base a person on there intelligence means basing them on there manner of speaking just interest me. Even though just like before an much older and wiser person was around they still assumed that since I sounded smart I was smarter. When I looked at the homework it was still difficult for me even though I always “sound smart”.

I’m not saying that all adults are smarter than kids because I can’t say that and I’m not saying that there haven’t been times where the “sound smart” effect hasn’t been true. I was helping my uncle fix a TV but, the problem wasn’t the hardware , it was the menu on the TV. My uncle had taken the machine apart and put it back together. Then he flipped the screens and checked it for any damages. Once he had his fill of handy work I finally came from my room and read that you have to turn it on. I took the remote and did a simple motion over the button and the TV turned on.  This doesn’t prove that my uncle is a idiot but in that moment I had more power because I understood that more. It had nothing to do with the way I talked but simply because I comprehended it better.

For people from the south, they way they talk means their slower and dumber but, that’s not the only language stereotype. For New Yorkers it’s that they are rude when in truth I have met some very nice New Yorkers who could prove that old theory wrong. Its also said that New Yorkers are mean and have a short temper, this little myth could affect a New Yorkers life style. People might treat them nicer thinking that if they didn’t it could raise their temper up. This wouldn’t be giving the person any power over their life.

A quote from the article Borderlands by Glona Anzaldina , the quote says “you’re speaking the oppressors language by speaking English , you’re ruining the Spanish language”. What the quote means to me is that a language can either give or take away power. In this quote the power is being taken away because the person talking is talking the oppressors language. Oppressors are usually people who hold people down with authority so if the person is talking the language of the oppressors it means that he or she’s power is being taking away.

Another quote from the article hunger of Memory by Richard Rodriguez, the quote  “Conveyed through those sounds was the pleasuring, soothing, consoling reminder of being at home”. In this quote language gives the power of security and if language can give this power then it can also make a person feel like they do not belong in a place. Not just through words but how a person speaks can do it.

People’s own way of talking  not only gives some of their identity away but it also gives away some power by exposing that person’s way to communicate with the world. If taken correctly it could give a person a major boost in life but if that way is taken as a weakness then more than likely that person will be held back from some of their life’s goals. If talking the way you were taught is a pretention problem then people holding back from society is better than talking and being accused of “talking smart” or “speakin stupid”.  

“ Arnold Hart, Parole denied”. The words echoed and sunk into my mind like a submarine but as I looked up I remembered his face. He didn’t look mad or happy but just a look of justice. “Why did I do that!” those words were more like an explosion that just blew my mind apart but I had only myself to blame. I looked at the mirror and saw that the face that committed the crime had changed. It had grown a full beard and had few more wrinkles than I remembered. It had grown up and realized what it did was stupid and wrong. If only I could rewrite time and redo my life then everything would be ok and I would have a second chance. “Why?” that word was like a cool breeze over my mind but all I could do is sit and remember. Remember what drove me to that event. The yells of other inmates  

It was my fourth job interview and I was sure I had it. When the call came that I didn’t get the job, I was shocked and angry. “Why does this only happen to me” I thought, not fully thinking. I was at my wits end. Bills were stacking up and debt became my worst enemy. I got a letter in the mail with the big and red word “Foreclosure”. I was alone and the thoughts of me being homeless were becoming a reality. Then I saw it, the gun I had bought to protect myself at night. It had a strange color that day like for some reason it was shinning and telling me the answer to my problem.

I then thought that robbing a stupid connivance store would be a good start, but they don’t have enough money so without a thought I said “A bank”. “What was I thinking?” Now looking back it was by far the stupidest thing ever. Then I saw the bank. It looked simple enough, but as life shows nothing really is. I had the gun, ran into the bank with the feeling of excitement and regrets. I don’t know where the feelings came from but they were present. Then with the gun pointing I told the man “GIVE ME THE MONEY” but I said it with manners.

I didn’t see the alarm button behind the counter, or the nervous banker that pressed it. Before I even knew what had happened the police were already there with a gun up yelling freeze. I didn’t know what to do or how to even act but the trigger had been pulled and a policeman was on the ground bleeding. 

            It was a cool summer day in Louisiana and I was enjoying the breeze with close family and friends. The stinging feeling of soda going down my throat and mosquitoes landing on my leg were a part of everyday life there. We laughed and shared many stories that some of us were happy to forget. I of course talked like there was no tomorrow and went on and on about how things aren’t as loud as Philadelphia .

“You guys just don’t know how easy you all have it down here.“

After that we would all laugh and joke but then even in all of this, the question still was asked.

“Hey man where are you from again?“

Just like that I was thrown into a mind of confusion and I didn’t know how exactly to answer the question but with a snappy comeback.

            “Well where do you think man?”

 “I don’t know, but somewhere white.”

Right in that instance everyone would laugh and I would to but after the joke I would get kind of serious. When I told them I was born in Louisiana but live in Philadelphia the silence would shift from questioning to understanding.

The question would shock me, but still I understood what they meant. In Louisiana they had a special way of saying things. For example instead of saying soda they would say cold drank or instead of saying snapping turtle they would say lodge head. It was a common for me to get mad at the question but even though you shouldn’t let some things get to you, they have a habit of doing that exact thing. This was of course not the first time I was asked this. When I was very young I remember going over to a relatives house with my dad in Louisiana. The house was located in a very rural part of the state that I never been to. There were trees everywhere, bugs of all shapes and sizes, and the houses weren’t close together but miles apart. When we came to the house I was nervous because I felt like a fish on land Now one would expect family to know about each other but this relative had never met me. When I first saw her I said hello just like any other kid would. At first I got a look that meant “what is this boy talking about and who is he” but then she looked at my dad and said

“ Who’s this boy related to because he talks proper?”

My dad told her I was his son and that I live in Philadelphia. Just like my friends her face shifted from confusion to understanding and she embraced me with an apology and hug.

The question never really troubled me until later when I started questioning myself. I asked myself who was I really and where was I truly from. Was it because I didn’t speak like them, I wasn’t related to them or was it because I pronounced my R’s? There was even a point when I tried to talk like everybody down there but that only made me look stupid and it didn’t feel right. So during the times I was in Louisiana I was given a stereotype that I was really smart because of the way I talked. I was always asked to help my little cousins with homework and always asked how much change should I get back when I went to the store with people. That didn’t bother me a lot but people didn’t get to know me but they got to know what people thought of me. That’s when I learned that people would always judge other people for what they do and say but I also learned that people judge their own people when that person is different in some way. This also means that people will not always judge you in a bad light but will sometimes judge you for being good. Judgment is not only from other people but you can also give out judgment without knowing. So be careful of this I would hate for anyone to feel the way I felt those times. 

In this project we had to learn some key things. One of those were the focus point. The focus point is drawn on the horizon line. The horizon line is draw from left to right on the piece of paper. The focus point is where all the things being drawn are drawn to. When things are drawn closer to the focus point the farther away they seem. That is true vice versa. Once we were done drawing we had to draw a box that would soon be the window. That was drawn by using the focus point as the origin point. Then you had to decide how long the tile spaces were going to be depending on how many tiles there are. Once that was done you had to decide how far the window was going to go down by using your keen eye. Once that was done all we had to do was draw everything you saw and detail it.

The easiest thing for me to learn was the concept of how to draw things that come out 3-d. For example when I was drawing the wall there was a part of it that came out of the wall. All I did was follow the vertical lines that came down from the ceiling.

The hardest part for me to learn was the math part of this assignment. What made it hard was that we used real math words in this learning process. To understand these terms you had to understand math. 

This is my Imovie project:

Public link

 http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12879994/My%20First%20Project%20-%20Large.m4v

Michael halls slide work

This is my Activity for spanish.

One of my goals are to work on my benchmarks better. Last time when i got my benchmark this time and i waited like the day befor it was due and that made it extra hard. This time i plan to start working on my benchmarks as soon as i get it. maybe like have half of it done by the third day it was given.

Another one of my goals is to become husky. i love myself for the way i am but being husky would just put icing on the cake. i plan to be able to lift 175 lbs by the end of this quarter.

One last goal is to get nothing lower than a B in any of the classes. Last time i did not get a C but  I think i might get one next time.

This was my first post and its theme was "To Be Awesome". I took a picture of me with two thumbs to represent doing a good job. The lighting was suppose to represent awe inspiring and same for the volcano.

This is my second and final version of my slide. this slide was based on the same as the first but i used the zen websites rubric. the word are bigger and in contrast to the background so that it catches the viewers eyes. I changed the background to the volcano to still represent awesomeness.