This is a podcast project where Ava and I discussed the short story, The Veldt by Ray Bradbury. In this episode, we discussed two different themes that we thought fit well with the story.
Book Talk Podcast: The Veldt
on Category: ADL 10 Assignments
on Community Connections
on 
The person that I interviewed was Rebecca Hanover, author of a YA book called The Similars. I chose to interview her because reading is one of my favourite hobbies, and I enjoyed her book a lot. Something that I learned from the interview was how it can be difficult starting out writing, as it is a very competitive industry. Another thing that I learned is that one of the biggest obstacles that Rebecca Hanover had to overcome was self-doubt. I can relate to this on a more student level, as I tend to be very critical and hard on myself. Some advice that she gave me was that it is very important to read when you are trying to write something, as you can always learn from reading.
The Interview:
1.Why are you passionate about your job?
I absolutely love being a writer and storyteller. It’s what I’ve wanted to do since I graduated from college – longer, probably! – and I feel so lucky every day when I sit down in front of my laptop that I get to tell stories for a living! With that said, being a writer has many challenges (many!), but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Every phase of writing can be difficult in its own way, but each phase also offers so many surprising and wonderful moments too — from getting to see the cover of your book for the first time, to hearing from readers that they connected with your work. (That last one is the literal best).
2. What obstacles have you faced to get where you are today?
The biggest one (and I doubt I’m alone in this!) has been self-doubt. Writing and publishing are such competitive industries, it can be hard to see your own path to success when you feel like there are already so many talented folks out there — and there are! But there is only one person who has the vision and voice that you do. I’ve always tried to remember that even though there’s so much noise out there… I have something to and stories to tell, and all I can do is focus on those, and try to drown out the noise. Other obstacles… well, life in general, and life with kids (I have three little ones!) can definitely offer physical challenges that make finding the time and headspace for creativity difficult. (Hello, pandemic – and remote learning anyone?) Protecting your headspace and quiet time for creativity has to be a priority when you’re a writer. That can often be hard to do, but it’s critical!
3.What advice would you pass on to someone interested in what you are doing?
An easy one to answer — READ, READ, READ. You will never NOT learn something from reading. Even when it feels like you’re just reading for fun, or avoiding doing your own writing… that’s okay. You’re learning something. It’s part of the craft. You can’t be a good writer without being an excellent reader. And the great part about this? Reading IS fun, even when it’s “work”. And a second piece of advice — write the stories you want to read. Period. Don’t try to write for anyone else. Write for you, and those who love the same kinds of stories you do will come.
4.Why did you start doing what you do?
When I was growing up, and throughout college, I was a theatre kid — I loved performing, telling stories, taking on different characters’ identities. That eventually morphed into playwriting and eventually, TV and book writing. I realized pretty quickly that I would not become a professional actress (ha!) but that channelling that energy into my writing was my ultimate path. I now seem to have developed stage fright, so it’s a good thing I pivoted! 🙂
5.What is your favourite part about your job?
Taking the characters and stories that live in my head and getting them down just right on paper so that I can share them with the world (or, at least, some of it!) And getting to connect with readers. There is NOTHING like hearing that someone loved your book — or had any sort of reaction, good, bad, or in between! It’s such a thrill to see your own writing interpreted by another person… it’s the whole reason to write, really. To connect. And so… that’s definitely one of my favourite parts of the job.
She is very busy and would prefer to have someone reach out personally if they wanted to, rather than through the school. They could go to her website which I have linked below. 🙂
This is Rebecca Hanover’s website: https://rebeccahanover.com/
This is my Instagram account that I contacted her on https://www.instagram.com/ellaturnspages/
Electrical Innovation Project
on Introduction
This project is centered around our unit on electricity. We have been working hard on coming up with an innovative and theoretical circuit, or micro: bit, to solve a problem in the world, big or small. My group has chosen to focus on overfishing in rivers. This is a problem that not a lot of people are aware of, and it can greatly impact the ecosystem. Using websites and information that we know about circuits and micro: bits, we must solve our problem.
Solution
The way that we decided to solve our problem was by coding a micro: bit, so that when a boat comes into the river, a sound is sent out, and people can monitor the fisher, making sure that they don’t over fish. In our micro: bit, we had to make it a temperature sensor, as there was not a way to make a sound sensor. The reason that we did a micro: bit to sense the boats was because fish can come and go through the river, so it would be hard to track them.
How this micro: bit works is when a boat passes through the way of the micro: bit (which would be water proof) it will sense that movement and play a sound to alert the people who would monitor it, that a boat had entered the river. this way, we could track how many boats are in the river, and check in with the fishers periodically so we know how much fish they are taking.
Define
The challenge that we have been given was to find a problem that is happening in the world and come up with a solution for it using a simple scale circuit or micro: bit.
Discover
https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/overfishing
Overfishing happens when one area of an ocean or river is fished in so much and so often, that the natural process of replenishing fish cannot happen. Overfishing is a big problem, and it will continue to be if we do not do something about it. One way that the WWF is helping overfishing is by creating new protected wildlife areas and expanding existing ones. This will help to ensure that the ocean has enough time to replenish its stores, so that overfishing does not happen.
Dream
Some of our ideas for fixing the overfishing problem were…
-make a circuit that senses fish coming into the rivers and tallying them up daily (this would be during salmon season, when they are coming in and there is lots of fishing)
-a circuit that senses the boats entering rivers and if there is an unhealthy amount of fish taken that day, they can track the boats that came in.
Deliver
Our solution to the overfishing problem was to create a micro: bit that senses when someone come into the river, and sends an alert so that people can monitor them while their fishing, to see how much fish they take. In our micro: bit, we had to make it a temperature sensor, in place of a sound sensor.
Debrief
In conclusion, we had some bumps along the way, like not having the supplies to make a real micro: bit, but we found a solution that would still get our idea across. I enjoyed coming up with solutions to the problem, as it allowed me to be creative, although it was difficult not having to much class time to work in our groups. I understand that this isn’t something that can really happen, as we have to move quickly through each subject. Overall, I am glad that I got to bond with a couple of my classmates, and be creative in an innovative project.
Digital Footprint
on 
How might your digital footprint affect your future opportunities?Â
In the future, people may look at my social platform to see what kind of person I am when applying for jobs or renting or buying a home. Nowadays, employers are looking at what your digital footprint is, to see if you would be a good potential worker. People who are looking to see what type of person you are in a professional setting, may look you up on Google, or social media, like Instagram or Facebook. This is why it is important to be careful about what you are posting and sharing on the Internet, and what you are posting for people to see.
Describe at least three strategies that you can use to keep your digital footprint appropriate and safe.
The first way that I would keep my digital footprint safe is by making sure all of my social platforms are private and only accessible to me. Another strategy I can use is to think about whether or not what I am posting is appropriate for social media, or if it is something I should just show to people in person. The final way that I can keep my digital footprint safe is by only using social media and other platforms in a positive and uplifting setting, rather than using it to negatively impact my digital footprint or others.
What information did you learn that you would pass on to other students? How would you go about telling them?
One piece of information that I learned that I would pass on to my peers was that employers look at everything about you, including social media. This is why it is so important to be careful about what you post and share. Another thing I learned was that if someone is posting embarrassing photos with you in them, that may effect your chances of getting a job or renting or buying a home, then you should approach them about it. I think that the best way to do this would be to sit down and set guidelines and comfort levels that you have with them posting photos of you. A way that I would tell other students what I have learned would just to bring it up in casual conversation. This way, if you are talking about social media or how you have to be careful with it, this topic would fit right in.
                 
Photos:
First photo: Elviss Railijs Bitans from Pexels
https://www.pexels.com/photo/footprint-on-sand-1527828/
Second photo: PhotoMix Company from Pexels
https://www.pexels.com/photo/building-metal-house-architecture-101808/
Third photo: Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels
https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-in-black-suit-hired-an-employee-3760069/
Fourth photo: Pixabay from Pexels
https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-of-human-hand-327533/
Fifth photo: cottonbro from Pexels
https://www.pexels.com/photo/two-women-and-man-talking-3201718/
Sixth photo: Startup Stock Photos from Pexels
https://www.pexels.com/photo/advice-advise-advisor-business-7075/