Project Utopia was part of InnovatED, which required us to work in groups to redesign the Fremantle Port area. In the future, the government wants to move the existing port down to Kwinana where there is more space for cargo ships and containers to be stored. Over the course of about 2 terms, we worked in groups to design what the space would look like when removed. We created innovative solutions to problems that may occur and presented our final design to parents and guests at the Project Utopia Showcase at the end of the term. There were also guests from the Fremantle Planning committee who would get inspiration from our ideas and possibly implement them in the real thing. This project also tied in well with English and Humanities. In English, we read a novel called The Giver by Lois Lowry, which described the life of a boy named Jonas who was living in a ‘perfect world. This novel alerted us to the fact that a seemingly organised and controlled world does not always equal a liveable world. I Humanities, we learnt about liveability and the Global Goals for Sustainable Development, a list of goals created by the UN that will help the world become a better place. Below are some of the capabilities that we needed and developed over the course of this project.

Leadership

When working on our project design with groups, we had to work together with a plan to ensure we could complete a task efficiently, and effectively. To do this, we needed to have a leader in our group, or a manager, who will “direct” the team. This person will take charge when there is confusion, and will resolve issues if needed. Developing leading qualities is important for the future if you are in a leadership position, or are ever working in a large group.

Organisation

Organisation is vital to working efficiently for large projects like Project Utopia. We needed to know what we were doing to complete the project, and plan out our task. We also needed to know how long things would take, and prioritise our tasks to ensure our project would be completed in the most effective way. Without organisation, we would not be able to efficiantly complete the project, and may have finished with an incomplete project, or one below the satisfactory standards.

Creativity

In this project, we had to create an original and innovative design, so creativity was at the heart of our work. Because our projects were contributing ideas for the government’s Fremantle Port redesign, our final projects needed to differentiate from previous designs, and include unique, innovative solutions to key problems faced once the port is relocated. Creativity in projects and the real world is important because you can create new solutions or ideas to solve problems or create unique beneficial items.

Problem Solving

During Project Utopia, we faced many different problems or obstacles that we had to overcome. There were problems that would arise from the relocation of the port which we had to design solutions for, such as businesses and job loss. In our groups, we had to overcome friendship and colaboration issues, as well as organisation and communication problems. Problem solving is such an important skill for our lives, as it allows us to learn new skills to overcome any challenge we may face.

Collaboration

As Project Utopia involved lots of groupwork, collaborating effectively with my groupmembers was one of the most vital parts of the project. Collaboration involves lots of capabilities like leadership and problem solving to make a successful team. Without collaboration, our presentations would not connect, therefore not sending an effective message of how our ideas would work. Collaboration is also a key part of real world jobs, because people are always working together to solve a problem.

Effective Communication

Communicating effectively amongst our class was important to ensure all our presentations and props were connected. People working on virtual models had to communicate with the people working on the physical model to ensure they had the right length, height, or width of their model, and vice-versa. Within our presentation groups, we needed to make sure our speeches were connected, and relative to each other, and the area of the project we were focusing on.

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