Projects – Abhinav Kolachana

Specialised Basketball Theory Assessment

Posted on November 8, 2023 by Abhinav Kolachana

Part A: Weekly Program

To assist my Weekly Program I have created workouts that illustrate exactly what I am doing in each of these sessions.

Endurance Activities:

40 Minute Circuit to build endurance (Cardio)

SET 1 – 5 minutes (2 minute break)

3 minute skipping

1 minute circular jog

1 minute wall squat

SET 2 – 5 minutes (2 minute break)

20 star jumps

40 ankle taps

20 burpees

40 mountain climbers

40 second bridge

SET 3 – 5 minutes (2 minute break)

1 minute sideline sprints (x15)

1 minute circular jog

1 minute defensive slide

20 push ups

SET 4 – 4 minutes (2 minute break)

1 minute line jumps

1 minute stair jumps

20 squats

20 lunges

SET 5 – 4 minutes (2 minute break)

1 minute cross overs

1 minute two ball dribble

1 minute over head passing (close)

1 minute figure 8s

SET 6 – 4 minutes

1 minute skip

1 minute jog

2 minute full court lay ups (partner)

Swimming:

Set 1 – 100m

25m Freestyle Sprint

30s break

50m Freestyle Sprint

1 min break

25m backstroke cooldown

Set 2 – 125m

50m Butterfly Sprint

45-60s break

25m Breaststroke cooldown

30s break

50m Butterfly Sprint

60s break

Set 3 – 150m Full Out set

50m Freestyle Sprint

45s break

25m Backstroke Sprint

45s break

50m Freestyle

45s break

25m Breast Stroke

45s break

Set 4 – 75m Cooldown set

50m Backstroke

1 min break

25m Any stroke

Cycling:

10km bike ride around neighbourhood

Recovery Activities: Static Stretches, Recovery Products, Hydration, Sleep

Static Stretches:

UPPER – Arms, Neck and Shoulders

Deltoid and rotator cuff stretch (arm across chest)
Pectoral stretch (hold arm horisontally, pull back against wall)
Bicep Stretch (fingers locked, arms straight behind body)
Triceps and Lats (elbow to the sky, palm of hand on back)
Neck and Upper Traps (hold neck to side)
Exercise band for shoulders (place between wrists and pull out and in moving arms up and down)

BACK – Upper and Lower

Lower neck and upper back (arms infront, fingers interlocked)
Overhead arm reach (fingers interlocked, hands to sky and bend left and right)
Midback Stretch/Child’s Pose (knees to chest, arms infront and palms on floor)
Seated twist (grab side of chair and twist back)
Supine knees to chest (on back bring knees to chest)

LOWER – Groin, hamstrings, quads, glutes, calves

Butterfly stretch (soles of feet together, bounce knees up and down)
Standing hamstring stretch (bend over hips, let arms hang above toes)
Standing quad stretch (hold ankle to glute)
Brace calf stretch (place foot on wall at 45 degree angle, other leg straight)

Skill Development Activities: Dribbling, Shooting, Layups/Finishing

Dribbling:

PART A – STATIONARY – Follow The Leader

Figure 8s

Speed Dribbling – fingers

Power Dribble (Left & Right)

Power Dribble (Cross)

Power Dribble (Between Legs)

Hand Switch between legs (no Bounce & Bounce)

Behind Back (defensive stance)

PART B – WALKING

Up court between legs

Backwards between legs

Free Lance Change Direction (cross, spin, behind back, inside out)

PART C – PARTNER

Two Ball Dribble

Two Ball Cross Dribble

Half Court 2 Ball Dribble with Defense

Shooting: 150-200 Makes

3’s:

5x 3’s from around arc
Catch and shoot from 3

Mid range:

15x from elbow (each side)
Fadeaway in post

Free throws:

Free throws 10x before practice, 10x after practice

Everything above:

Ray Allen Shooting Drill
All around the world drill

Layups and Finishing:

Layups:

Full Court Layup Drill

Floater series (Same foot same hand, left, right)

Inside glide lay up

Finishing:

3 dribbles max, then score

Under hoop finishing

Part B: Skills

Triple Threat:

One of the valuable skills I acquired through my training in Specialized Basketball is the mastery of the triple threat technique. This offensive manoeuvre empowers a player to be in a strategic position with the ball, enabling them to execute dribbles, passes, and shots with minimal motion and effort. To accomplish this, the player holds the ball close to their hip, maintains a bent elbow, and positions themselves to explode from this stance. The triple threat technique proves exceptionally versatile, enhancing a player’s capacity to execute all these offensive actions from a single stance while also consistently gaining an advantage in one-on-one situations. When the defender fails to commit to either defending against the shot or the dribble, the player can effortlessly score. I’ve successfully incorporated this skill into my gameplay by practicing it in both training sessions and actual games. By honing my ability to read my opponent’s movements, I can now execute the triple threat technique effectively during game situations.

Full Court Layups:

Another valuable skill that is not looked at in enough detail are full court layups. During the games sessions at Willeton, our warm up was a full court lay up drill where we pass the ball along the side of the court and lay up on the other side of the court. During the drill, we really emphasised taking our time on the lay ups as they should be easy points that can give you a boost during games. Before learning this skill, I would get fantastic steals only to miss the easy lay up at the other end of the court. I would either be going too fast or my driving angle would be incorrect. The way that I fixed this was taking my time on the lay ups and controlling my speed to allow myself to be in control and score the lay up. After learning this skill I have been able to support my team on fast breaks and scoring easy points which otherwise would have lost us games.

Part C: Courses

Strapping Course:

Among the courses offered in Specialist Basketball this year, the one I found most valuable was the Strapping Course in Term 4. This course revolved around mastering the art of strapping common basketball-related injuries and learning techniques for strapping ankles, fingers, and wrists. It provided a comprehensive understanding of the strapping process and emphasized how it contributes to injury prevention and management. This newfound knowledge empowered me to assist both my teammates and myself, whether in a competitive game or during off-court situations. Given my tendency to injuries, this course held particular importance for me, and it equips me with a highly practical skill applicable in various scenarios. Moreover, as I continue to learn additional strapping methods and how to strap other body parts in the future, I’ll be well-prepared to offer assistance to both myself and others. In summary, the strapping course in Specialist Basketball proved to be the most effective and beneficial aspect of my training, promising utility in the times ahead.

Recovery Course:

Another course that I found really valuable and practical was the recovery course, which focused on various ways to recover after physical activities. This course covered key concepts such as active recovery, proper nutrition, good sleep habits, and the use of technology to enhance recovery. It emphasized the importance of letting your body recuperate and heal after intense physical activities like basketball training and games. I learned about the advantages of activities like stretching, foam rolling, and low-impact exercises for boosting recovery and reducing the risk of injuries. Additionally, we explored the use of technology, such as wearable devices and apps, to monitor factors like sleep quality, heart rate variability, and training load, which can help in making informed decisions about recovery strategies. The knowledge I gained from this course will significantly impact my future in sports because I can now apply effective recovery techniques and make informed choices about my diet to enhance my performance, prevent injuries, and maintain my overall well-being.

RAC BSTREETSMART Event

Posted on May 17, 2023 by Abhinav Kolachana

During my first term in Year 10, as part of our 2023 health curriculum, our school received an invitation from RAC to participate in their annual ‘BSTREETSMART’ event held at RAC Arena. This event, attended by numerous schools, focused on educating students in years 10-12 about the serious consequences associated with distracted driving, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and speeding. One of the highlights was a live demonstration showcasing a real-life incident caused by factors like peer pressure, alcohol consumption, and socializing with friends. Following the re-enactment, several guest speakers shared their personal stories and insights regarding the dangers of reckless driving. The event concluded with frontline workers sharing their firsthand experiences and offering guidance on how to easily avoid such behaviours.

One of the biggest things that I learned at the RAC ‘BSTREETSMART’ event was particularly from Dr. Sudhakar Rao, the Director of the Major Trauma Unit at Royal Perth Hospital. Dr. Rao provided detailed insights into the physical injuries resulting from crashes, as well as the short- and long-term repercussions that can profoundly affect both individuals and their families. Additionally, representatives from organizations like Headspace and Happiness Co. shared their perspectives on the personal, social, and familial consequences of dangerous driving. These stories deeply affected my perception of how a single moment can drastically alter one’s entire life.

What advice would I give younger drivers?

If I were to offer one crucial tip to young drivers, it would be to carefully consider every decision, regardless of its magnitude, while behind the wheel. Cultivating patience while driving can significantly diminish the chances of finding oneself in a precarious situation. By doing so, not only do you ensure your own safety, but you also contribute to the safety of others sharing the road with you.

My Pledge

I, Abhinav Kolachana, commit to being a responsible driver by adhering to traffic regulations, refraining from driving under the influence of alcohol, switching off my phone before starting my journey, and maintaining a speed within the legal limits. I picked these things as they are the main issues of interest among young drivers. Following these things will help me become a better and safer driver on the road. I plan to stick to these commitments by remembering that I control the lives of others on the road from my actions. If I choose to break a road rule, someone else’s life will be in danger whether it be a pedestrian, passenger or a car on the road.

My Campaign

Spaghetti Tower Earthquake Science Task

Posted on November 25, 2022 by Abhinav Kolachana

Earthquakes are natural disasters that happen in our planet and cause tragedy and death to people and structures. Designing an earthquake-resistant structure that can survive the enormous vertical and lateral pressures produced by an earthquake has been a challenge for experts for a long time. Surface waves and P waves (principal) are the seismic waves that cause the most damage. In contrast to surface waves, which produce rolling forces like an ocean wave, P waves produce lateral forces. In science this term, we have been challenged to make a spaghetti tower that will withstand an earthquake and is over 60 cm tall using spaghetti and bluetack. We must follow the costs of $1 for 10 cm of spaghetti and $1 for 1 gram of bluetack. The project was flexible, which really put our ability to work in a team and solve problems to the test, just like an average engineer.

Engineering Process

We first started by doing a quick design sprint and building a tower with whatever design came to our mind. We soon found out that our design wasn’t holding well and collapsed within seconds of testing. Even though this was heartbreaking we learnt a lot about what we couldn’t do and what we could do. In the next lesson we went back and spent some time researching potential designs and reinforcement strategies. Next we tested our research and chose the main parts which helped us a lot and seemed to be of good use. We landed on our design of using triangles for the middle base and using the double reinforcement strategy to make certain that our structure didn’t collapse.

Brainstorm

Above is a picture of our brainstorm which included some of our first ideas when we thought of this project. We made this brainstorm before our first test in the design sprint phase of the whole project and looking back on it, this really helped us now. We were able to see where we were coming from and some ideas we could go back to if others didn’t hold up to par.

Research

This was the idea that we used in the end but instead of the faces being squares we made them triangles.

Cross Bracing

We found that this option was very time-consuming and required a lot of precision to carefully put the blue tack on the pasta and repeat it over again.

Weight Distribution

People make compact areas and then open areas throughout buildings with supports around it called load paths which take brunt of the impact and then is absorbed by reinforcements. Weight distribution is important especially when making this as pasta is very fragile and even with the slightest load it will crumble so distributing the weight into the right places and adding supports in the right places to maximize the height and the sturdiness of the overall structure is key. We do not want to break the budget by just supporting the building so making the structure of the building based of a sturdy foundations is essential as it determines where the centre of gravity is and whether one side has more pressure or not.

Our Design

The picture on the right was our first design and saw many improvements over the next few days. Our base was the structure of our design and we had to invest a lot of blue tack and spaghetti into it. We also ran into a lot of problems and things we needed to change around which I will address later.

Our first design testing P waves and S waves!

Improvements

Testing P waves and S waves after our improvements

The main improvement that we made was adding support sticks in the middle of our base as we noticed the base flexing a lot. Because we added these support beams the flexing of the base stopped and the tower was no longer in danger of suddenly breaking. We also added some more stability to the top 5×5 platform as we felt that it was going to fall off or break. Something else that we noticed was that over the duration of building and testing our structure we noticed that the pasta was getting old and cracking. If the whole tower would have broken when we were testing it in front of the entire class we would lose the challenge. We ended up changing the pieces of spaghetti that looked as if they would have broken. The final change that we made was removing some of the bluetack as we felt that we didn’t need it and increased the height of the tower to get more special points for the tallest tower. The improvements definitely helped and too a lot of stress off of our chests as we were worried of the base snapping while in the earthquake test.

Problems we faced

One of the main problems that I think other groups faced during the span of this project was collaborating as a team to an extent. I think that we actually collaborated quite well, although there were some times when we would get on each other’s nerves. We evenly distributed the workload by allocating positions to people in our team. For example, I was the Project Manager (makes sure that everyone understands the challenge and keeps the team on track), Seth was the Equipment Manager (makes sure that the materials needed for the task are available and that everyone cleans up after each session), Mayeul was the Speaker (seeks help from the teacher, other class members or outside experts) and Charlie was the Reporter (makes sure that the final presentation is ready by the deadline). Using this method we were able to plow through the project and have fun at the same time.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this project was really fun for all of us and we ended up spending $60 in total ($47 for spaghetti and $13 for blue tack). I think that we used our time well and we didn’t fall behind in any of our lessons. I would definitely recommend this project to anyone who is looking for a challenge and having some fun with friends.

Andrew Mallard: Case Study

Posted on June 9, 2022 by Abhinav Kolachana

Australia’s Principles of Justice ensure that we receive a “fair share” of benefits and burdens and that all are treated equally. Examples of Principles of Justice are the Right to a fair trial, the Right to an appeal, Equality before the law, the Judiciary being independent and impartial, etc. This case is about a man named Andrew Mallard who in 1994 was convicted of murdering Mosman Park jeweller Pamela Lawrence, who suffered severe head injuries. He had been out on the street and had been questioned due to his peculiar behaviour (later it would be found out that this was due to his mental state/illnesses), becoming one of the 136 early suspects.

He was sentenced to life in confinement due to evidence/information being concealed by Police. In the case of Andrew Mallard, the Principles of Justice were upheld to a limited extent. Examples of Principles of Justice being upheld include the right to appeal, being that he was able to appeal the decision of the Judiciary. Examples of Principles of Justice not being upheld include the right to a fair hearing and that all individuals are equal before the law. These laws were not upheld meaning that Andrew Mallard did not have a fair hearing and he was not equal before the law.

The right to appeal allows the defendant or prosecution who is dissatisfied with the outcome of their case to appeal the decision made by the judiciary or have their case reviewed by a higher court, providing that they can prove reasonable grounds for an appeal to be granted. This is important as people who did not commit the crime (in their case) or feels that their case was not reviewed correctly, can file an appeal and have their case looked at by a higher court rather than spending time in confinement or losing a case and jeopardising someone else’s life. For example, in the Andrew Mallard case, after many failed attempts he was granted an appeal after the court acknowledged that “the case was riddled with inconsistencies” and on the 15th of November 2006, the High Court of Australia overturned Andrew Mallard’s murder conviction. But, because of evidence being withheld by police, Andrew Mallard wasn’t able to justify his case and file an approved appeal. Only when the High Court of Australia acknowledged that “the case was riddled with inconsistencies” did they accept his filed appeal. A way of protecting the right to appeal is to not conceal evidence from the judiciary. These instances show that the right to appeal was upheld and undermined in the Andrew Mallard trial.

The right to a fair hearing states that everyone must be treated fairly before the courts and tribunals. In the case of any criminal accusation against them or the assessment of their rights and obligations in a legal situation, everyone has the right to a fair and public hearing before a competent, independent, and impartial tribunal established by law. The right to a fair hearing is important because both sides of the case must present their evidence, otherwise, the case would sway to only one side if they were only able to speak. For example, in the case of Andrew Mallard, the judge gave him and the prosecution a chance to speak. Although this occurred, Andrew Mallard had a mental disability called schizophrenia which made his mind unable to think properly. Sadly, in the case he did not receive any help during the trial. One way of protecting the right to a fair hearing is to make everyone equal from the start. For example, if someone is incompatible of thinking among the standards of others, they can be given help from a 3rd party source. As we can see from the evidence presented, the right to a fair hearing was supported to a limited extent in the case of Andrew Mallard.

An independent and unbiased judiciary infers that the judiciary must base their decision (guilty/not guilty) on the evidence that they have been presented with from both sides (prosecution/defendant) and no other mean. Being independent implies that the courts are apart from the elected legislature and administration, allowing judges and magistrates to make judgments without interference from these authorities. Our legal system benefits from having an independent court because it ensures that no one, including the government, is above the law. This is important as if the judiciary is swayed by evidence from a third-party source, which is incorrect, it could jeopardise another person’s life. The Andrew Mallard case serves as an illustration. Because the case was made public before the trial, the media had already published blogs about it that circulated inaccurate information. The numerous websites that offer rumours and hypotheses on why he was guilty might serve as an example of this. These social media rumours are used as evidence by the authorities. Despite the fact that this occurred the judge told the jury to strictly base their decision on the evidence presented to them from the trial, judging by the fact that they clearly did not. An appropriate way to protect this right is to not make the case open to the public before the trial occurred, due to the events that took place because of this. These examples show that in the case of Andrew Mallard, the right to an independent and unbiased judiciary was mostly compromised, but supported a little by the judge.

As a result of the numerous issues with the sentencing procedure and rights not being supported, it is obvious that justice was upheld to a limited extent in the case of Andrew Mallard. This was demonstrated by the fact that just one fundamental of justice—the right to a reasonable appeal was respected, while the other two, the right to a fair trial, and the independence and impartiality of the judiciary were both violated. This resulted in Mallard’s erroneous conviction and punishment, a problem that might have been readily fixed by making small changes to the case. Without a doubt, there was a miscarriage of justice in this instance.

Media Reflection

Posted on November 30, 2021 by Abhinav Kolachana

Our idea was a magical tape that infected people as soon as they touched it, making for a deadly weapon against all of humanity. We started by looking at other videos about surrealism to get an idea and get inspired to create an awesome idea. Looking at surreal artists and filmmakers like Salvador Dali gave us an idea of what we needed to do to produce our surreal film. At first, we were having some trouble with coming up with our own original idea and trying not to copy from other sources. We all came together to create an idea using our brains.

Our planning documents enabled us to plan out what we would have to do filming wise and would enable us to be more time-efficient. We probably needed to have less detail in our scripts because we wrote too much in the script and we didn’t have enough time to film our surreal film. We used a kind of scriptwriting software called “Celtx” to write our script and make our storyboard.

The kind of technology that we used in our production was basic cameras, adobe premiere pro 2020 (editing) and scriptwriting software like “Celtx”. This technology was very important in our production because it enabled us to produce a film of high quality. If we only had basic editing software then we wouldn’t be able to do much-advanced editing. If we only have our computer cameras then we also wouldn’t be able to do much either.

Some things that went well were that we were able to finish our production to the highest standard that we were hoping for. For example, we made sure that we checked our film many times and get feedback on what we had to just increase the “watchability” of the film and make it more entertaining.

Somethings that didn’t go well was the time that we had. We had very limited time, so we weren’t able to complete the scenes that we had. For example, in one of the scenes, we needed a good scream with a video of birds flying away over top. Without the time we just had to work with what we had to produce this particular scene.

We could have improved our use of technology by learning how to use the “advanced features” in “Adobe Premier Pro 2020” and other brightness features in the recording aspect. We learned different filming techniques and how to properly position a shot. Using trial and error and looking at the shots we have filmed we strengthened our filming techniques. One thing that we would do differently next time would be to spread the work across all of our group members. This was because in editing one person had to do everything and the others just sat and didn’t do much.

We used a kind of editing software called “Adobe Premier Pro 2020” to bind all of our videos together. We used the “Ultra Key” function to use a green screen for our video effects. We used the silhouette function to create a cloudy effect on the edges of the screen, making the film more surreal. We used special effects downloaded from YouTube to make our film more surreal. Something that went well was that we learned lots about the editing software that we used and about special effects. We would have probably watched more videos about the software and asked for help.

I think the best aspect of our production is that our film turned out really well in the editing phase. Some areas that needed to be improved could be the actual length of our film. I learned about the different features that “Adobe Premier Pro 2020” has to offer.

One thing that we would do differently next time would be to spread the work across all of our group members. This was because in editing one person had to do everything and the others just sat and didn’t do much. We could do this by planning out the work and dividing it up better. We could also make a checklist or a backwards plan to show what we needed to get done in the end. If we did this then we would have less stress and we would have more time to fix up any other issues that come up during editing or if we needed to film any other things last minute.

About Me – Year 8 (Updated) Capabilities

Posted on September 20, 2021 by Abhinav Kolachana

Welcome to my (updated) About Me!

Hello and Welcome to my ePortfolio! My name is Abhinav Kolachana. I am a persistent, hard-working and caring individual, who is enrolled at All Saints’ College. I always strive to follow the Wheel of Capabilities and seek to perfect every aspect/section of it.

Leadership:

I believe Leadership is the ability to inspire others to follow in your footsteps. Influencing others to follow in your footsteps. Acting like a role model for the ones who look up to you. I must admit, my leadership skills early last year weren’t, up to “standards”. One way to put it, I was shy and didn’t really know how to lead, I wasn’t confident of my abilities and was constantly doubting myself. This semester, I had promised myself that I would take every Leadership opportunity that I had been given. I strive to perfect my Leadership abilities all throughout my school life and maybe even in my work life.

A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of concensus.
– Martin Luther King Jr
This quote really speaks to me as it is saying a leader is the one who chooses to get their hands dirty and create a way for others. Not looking for a way.

Resilience:

I believe Resilience is the ability to have the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. I feel that I have waves of resilience, meaning that whenever I encounter a problem I don’t immediately want to bounce back, other times I do. Sometimes I don’t have the determination to say that I will face this problem, other times for some reason I want to succeed and “bounce back”. For example, if I get a low score on a test I should bounce back instead of making excuses.

Success is not final, Failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.
– Winston S. Churchill
I feel that this quote provides a sense of determination, meaning that whenever I read this quote I become determined to succeed and if I fail if will “bounce back”.

My Campaign Safety/Crime Rates

Posted on August 27, 2021 by Abhinav Kolachana

I am proposing that the Electorate of Fremantle should add more security cameras and lights, particularly in public places such as parks and sporting fields. My family has been the victim of property damage on many occasions. The most recent one was where 3 alleged minors threw a rock at our dwelling’s window. They also attempted to break the driver seat window of our car with a stone, which was parked in the driveway. My house is situated on the end of a street that borders a dim lighted public park. We believe that they walked right through the dark without being seen in the park. At this time, we didn’t have any security cameras, so adding lighting and CCTV would stop this from happening to anyone else. Both could be powered by solar energy. Also spreading the message to other homes about installing CCTV would help with this problem as well.

A country that has one of the lowest crime rates in the world is Japan. Experts link the low levels of violence in Japan to the low levels of unemployment and drug use. Providing homes and jobs for the unemployed could benefit the lives of both the victim and the suspect. Promoting the use of rehabilitation centers would also benefit the lives of drug users and stop them from hurting themselves and others.

Singapore is another country with one of the lowest crime rates in the world. The reason is because it’s almost impossible to get away with. In 2016 crime reached a 30 year low according to Singapore Police. During this time there were 135 days that went by completely crime free from crimes like snatch theft, robbery, and house theft. On January 2nd, 2018, a man snatched a woman’s phone and ran away. 3 days later he was arrested and because punishment is so strict in Singapore, he faced 1 to 7 years in prison for his actions. Because of the tens of thousands of security cameras, he was caught within a short amount of time.

Once again, I ask you to support my campaign to add more lighting to public areas and increase the amount of CCTV in public areas too. Also promoting rehabilitation centers for drug users and providing housing and jobs for the unemployed would also cut crime rates in half. Although, WA is one of the safest places, I still think there is a lot that we can learn from other countries like Japan and Singapore where the crime rates are very low.

My Poster:

Follow these links for more information:

https://www.police.wa.gov.au/Crime/CrimeStatistics#/

Surveillance Cameras Are Everywhere. And They’re Only Going to Get More Ubiquitous.

InnovatED: Organising Chicken Shed

Posted on June 18, 2021 by Abhinav Kolachana

Term 2 InnovatED was all about Aquaponics and taking care of the chickens. This term we were tasked with taking care of the chickens and ensuring that they got the deserved care that they needed. The InnovatED facilitators divided us into groups and we all had to help each other out trusting they would help us out too. Given the task to make the chicken shed more organised we were on our way. We then decided to make a scrum chart to plan out what we needed to do to overcome this challenge. We were aiming to find a more useful way to organise the shed and use every inch of space to our advantage.

Me and my Group talking presenting to peers and considering feedback

ASC Capabilities

A capability that I learnt was being organised. Without organisation, our whole project would have not worked out. If we all split apart and did our own things then the group would not work. After all, we were the group that was keeping the chicken shed organised, so it would be in the best need that we were organised. I also learnt a lot about collaboration. We all had to listen to each other and use all the ideas that we had. I have also learnt that being ethical will be best for us but also for the chickens. We have to make sure that the chickens stay healthy and make sure that they lay edible eggs. If we added other chemicals then the eggs would not be edible and this would harm the environment.

Me and my group posing for the chicken shed

When we first opened the shed at the start of the project this is what we found. We tried to clean the shed as best we could with the resources that we had.

After doing the best that we could with the things that we had we then decided to plan out how we were going to organise the shed.

In conclusion, this project was really fun and I would do it all again if I had the chance. I would also like to experience the other projects too! Getting a good idea of what the whole InnovatED course is about would help me do better in this project. I also liked how the program forces us to work together as a team. This project was really fun and enjoyable for both me and my peers!

Christmas Market

Posted on November 27, 2020 by Abhinav Kolachana

The Year 7 Christmas Market took place in Term 4 in the common. We were tasked to create/improve on an existing product idea using pricing strategies, economic concepts and many more different and unique strategies. We were to sell our product to many ranges of students including staff. During the process, we had to use the design thinking process to make our product. We had to collect money and all the money that we raised would be donated to the Salvation Army. Our group spent days painting, producing, thinking and collecting for the Christmas Market.

We used the design thinking process to create our product. We first started with the phase of empathising. We asked a range of people questions about Christmas and what it meant to them. We then used the define phase to define what really is a Christmas present. Looking at ethical Christmas gifts we continued with our research. I and my group landed on the idea of creating Christmas wreaths, but to our unknowing knowledge, we would drop this idea later on. A product that we were satisfied with was Christmas ornaments. We then used the prototype phase to come up with a prototype of our idea. Finally, we were up to the phase where we were able to sell our product.

User Experience is … Design Thinking | by Iain Heath | UX Collective

One of the capabilities that I really improved on was ethical. Our product was made from all natural materials and was one of the more ethical products in the Christmas Market. Some of the other products used more non natural materials than ours and this was our strength. Many of our customers told us that we were one of the only stalls that were ethical and used all natural materials.

In the end, this project was very fun and stretched my circle of confidence. I will always remember this project sincerely.

Project Utopia

Posted on October 18, 2020 by Abhinav Kolachana

About Project Utopia:

Project Utopia was a school project that spanned from Term 2 to Term 3. We were tasked to create a perfect society for citizens to live in while making our city fit the standards of our citizens. I thoroughly enjoyed this project as we were always very busy. We always had something to do and there was never a dull moment during this project. There was also a lot of arguing and debating about our decisions as a group, but in the end, we all agreed on an idea. If I could do anything differently I would rehearse our whole presentation together as a group a couple more times. Sometimes we would forget when it was our turn to speak and we would just be standing there looking at the audience awkwardly.

*My group and I talking to Ken Wyatt (The Minister for Indigenous Australians)*

How this all started:

This all started when we were exposed to the novel “The Giver” by Loris Lowry in Term 2. We had to discover the problems with their “utopia” while slightly touching on S.P.I.C.E.S.S (The Geographical Concepts) and the Liveability factors. In science, we had to build a sustainable house which would save energy and water. Combining all these projects would lead to our later discovery of Project Utopia!

UN Global Goals:

The UN Global goals are a group of goals that humanity was set to achieve by 2030. These can include zero hunger, quality education and life on land. We had to find a way that we could solve one of these goals and apply them to our community. I learnt all about the different goals and real-world problems. The Global Goals are very important in sustainability and in the whole project. I also learnt that if we achieve the global goals by 2030 then all our lives would be impacted, and we would have a more sustainable life. They are trying to create a sustainable future for all of us.

Our Constitution:

In our Utopian Society, we had to write a constitution of how our city was going to be governed. I learnt about different types of governing like Dictatorship and a Commonwealth in Humanities. Our constitution was very successful as many parents congratulated us on achieving this level of writing. We were very proud of our progress in writing our constitution. I also learnt about the rights and responsibilities of the citizens in any community, city or country. In the end, our constitution turned out very successful and we are very proud of what we achieved. Down below is the Constitution of Gloposita. Feel free to browse through our constitution.

The-Constitution-of-Gloposita Download

Public Speaking Skills:

My public speaking skills started a little rocky, but I grew to become a more confident speaker with my body language and posture. I learnt that in the end, the only thing that matters is the audience. They are essentially the people that we are presenting to anyway, so their attention is the most valuable part of the presentation aspect. I also learnt about different expressions and tones while presenting. For example, you could use a convincing tone to try to convince the audience to sideways with your idea. You could also have a firm or hard tone to indicate the important parts of your presentation. This could include your best idea, an important feature or even to grab their attention and make them more interested in what you are talking about.

Me explaining our society to some parents

Resilience (ASC Capability):

Resilience is bouncing back up when things go wrong. This whole project, I had to learn that you should never call it quits before you fail. You should strive forward and achieve what you want. During this project, we as a team had to build our sense of resilience and even if we failed, we had to keep enduring and keep on trying until we succeeded. “Failure is the first step to success” I learnt that the right thing to do when you fail is to try, try and try again until you succeed. I had a lot of troubles during this project but, a few calming breaths and pep talks later I was back on track. Resilience is a very important capability that everyone should have.

Collaboration (ASC Capability):

Collaboration is the definition of working together and teamwork. I had to collaborate with my teammates and make sure that we were all on the same level with our work. We all covered each other’s mistakes and helped each other with our different parts. At the end of the project, I learnt that two heads are better than one and that you can accomplish anything if you collaborate and work with people. Additionally, I found that collaboration is a major aspect of Teamwork and working together. ‘Teamwork Makes the Dream Work’. Everything is a Win-Win situation if we collaborate and watch out for each other.

*Bird’s Eye View of our city in CoSpaces*

Showcase Evening:

I loved having the parents come and tell me about their expertise in different jobs. It was also very nerve-wracking when the parents would ask you a question about your Utopia. The question would either relate back to the script or be something about our community. Sometimes the nerves would get to me and I would mess up my script but, thankfully I could pick up where I left off. Some parents would also mispronounce the name which was funny, but irritating at the same time.

My thoughts about Project Utopia:

In conclusion, I loved doing this project as there was always something to do; we were always busy with our work. This was a great learning experience as we had experts to guide us in our thinking. This project taught me many life skills that will benefit me in my later life. These include collaboration, organisation and leadership skills. In the end, this project will stand out in my life as by far the best project I have ever done!