Practice Exam Reflection

What did you find challenging about the practice exam?

While giving the practice exam, the most important issue with me was formatting. I usually now the format for writing essays but for letter, I completely forgot the format. I then checked in Google. By doing this a lot of time was wasted and a very little amount of time was left. Not only this, the citations were very important as well. I had to look up for somethings which didn’t know in order to do the correct citation. So there were many challenges which I faced but afterall I have got experience now about how the real exam is going to be like.


What did you learn about the real exam by doing the practice exam?

I think the real exam is going to be not that difficult now. We have practiced from the past exam so I think now I have a little bit of idea about how the exam is going to be like. There are going to be some difficulties so it would be better for me to prepare beforehand.

What are you going to do to prepare for the Semester Exam?

For Semester Exam I will revise everything we have learned and especially the superpowers. There are other kind of stuff we learned as well such as - databases, in which we further learned about Newsbank, Worldbook and Questia. I would also prepare myself by improving upon my writing skills. The more I practice, the better I would be. So in nutshell, I will try to improve upon my weakness and I will work hard to prepare for Semester Exam.

Essential Questions

How do we see things in Science?

         We see science as a utility tool for advancement in life. Basically, whatever we see around compels us to question and get answers. Science helps us to study and provide answers to the happenings around us based on observe ( visual observation), studies,(text books and case studies) experiement (through laboratory- use of microscope, simulation techniques, applicability of laws of science)and research(to find answers to the unsolved questions with the help of principals of science and hypothesis). For example formation of clouds and rainfall which is a natural phenomena helped us long time back to explore the reasons and thereby study climate and weather pattern. This has immensely helped farmers in selecting cropped pattern and ecologists in studying natural habitat.

While we have progressed in Science to suit our requirements, however, there are still very many questions whose answers are required to be found out. Therefore, continuos study, testing of hypothesis, and research is the way to see and explore things in science.

How do we know if something exists? If we can’t see it?

         Human beings is gifted with senses which help us in detecting things around us. We might know if something exists by the five senses which gives us clue to the existence of something. For example, mild blow of breeze can be felt by our sensory nerves. However, very distant and extremely minute things largely goes unnoticed by human beings because of limitations of our sensory qualities. Therefore, such things require additional effort ( in the form of experiement and deeper study through use of technical gadgets such as telescope, imaging, use of satellites and use of alpha beta and gamma rays.) to know more about them.

Redo for Q1.

              As we all know that science helps us to see and analyse various happenings around us. We see things in science with the help of (a) observation - through our eyes which helps us to visualise dimension, distance and other  identification features (b)  senses - things which cannot be  seen and  touched but only felt e.g., phenomenon of hot/cold, taste, smell and intensity of noise, (c) use of technical gadgets  when we cannot see/feel  something with our eyes/senses,  and also for accurate measurement of weight,dimension and composition of objects  - e.g., use of microscope, telescope, weighing instruments, recording meters, other technical instruments recording for interpreting  mathematical/statistical data and for  recording physical and chemical changes in objects for transformation from one state of matter to the other ( for example, conversion of water from solid to liquid to gas and reconversion into solid form), (d) quantitative techniques - e.g., hypothesis, simulation, mathematical models and theories, and experimentation. In fact quantitative techniques constitute an important proponent of how we see things in science. Various unexplained happenings all around us and in the universe is first put to test through hypothesis and based on results  obtained,  we propound theory and explanation to the happenings which is then experimented to determine accuracy.

Reflection

      In this unit, we focused on many different things, such as - locating and managing books in library, using Google in a way that can improve your search results and etc..

     Let me start off with finding information in library. First, there is a Non - Fiction section where you find books based on the facts. Books are organised using Dewey Decimal System. It’s a numerical arrangement in which books are put on the same subject together and are sorted alphabetically.

     Next is Destiny. Destiny is an online library database. Its an easier way to find books online. When you log onto destiny you just have to write any keyword for ex - title, series or author’s name and it will find the book for you including other search results as well.

     Another one is Reference section. From reference section you can find quick and accessible information on any particular topic. They are accessible to everyone. Reference sections are divided into 4 parts -

1- Atlasis - Mostly it is used for maps, places and address of different places.
2- Dictionaries - List the words of the language and give their meaning.
3- Yearbook- Gives information about school.
4- Encyclopaedias- Gives information on many subjects and basic concepts.

     Last is about Journals and Magazines. Journals are mostly written about particular subject and contains no advertisements. Journals are meant to keep the readers informed of the latest development in the relevant field. This way the reader is always aware of the latest happenings in the relevant field and therefore suits requirement of the readers. On the other hand, magazines are periodical publication containing articles and illustrations, besides advertisement.

     They both communicate information for their intended readers such as they write their articles in a way that is understandable to the level of their readers.  For example magazine articles write their articles for a reader with different reading levels and who are not specialised in the subject written about. Journal articles are written for people who are specialized in the subject written about.

      Both are periodical publications which means that both the publications could be brought out on weekly, fortnightly, monthly, quarterly, biannually or  annually.
       
      In addition to this we also learned about popular search engine, Google. Google is an American multinational, publicly-traded organization built around the company's hugely popular search engine. 60 billion dollars is the annual revenue of the world’s largest search engine. Now how does Google makes a huge amount of money? They make money from advertisement. It works in this way that a large number of persons make use of Google. So whosoever advertises on Google or puts a sponsored link then the concerned  company or person is required to pay Google a certain sum of money which is Google’s revenue. Another way is Google encourages persons to click on various sites and they infact pay a portion of revenue generated to the person who clicks, subject to certain conditions. This is more popular method because besides Google whosoever clicks certain sites also gets paid by Google.

      Next we learned about some Google Techniques which are very useful in our day to day life. The Google Techniques include- Exact phrase, site specific, excluded words, numerical ranges, multiple words and etc..All these superpowers are very useful and saves time as well. For example, if we have to find information about anything then we just need to type keywords and Google will automatically give us information about our subject area. Another thing which Google does is ignoring words like - a, the, an, if, are etc..


      In the Ted Talk video he talk about how Google sees the caption of any image and name of the file uploaded through the websites, by these two indications we get the search results in Google. However he questioned whether the search engine is exactly unbiased. He explained that it is very difficult to judge whether Google is an unbiased search engine. He explained by giving two examples - one of Michelle Obama who’s one morphed image  was uploaded in 2009 by a racist group. Immediately thereafter Google realized its sense of responsibility and deleted the image manually. Andreas Ekstrom explained another example of a dreaded terrorist Anders Behring Breivik who killed about 80 persons in Oslo and went on to magnify his achievement. However a sensible Swedish site prevented from glorifying the terrorist. But Google did not take any action. Andreas Ekstrom tried to convince the audience that behind the algorithms in which programmes are written on Google and other sites there is always human brain which is involved and which weighs sensibilities and impact on the society about each piece of data which is uploaded. Therefore, he emphasized that in order to build a civilized society we need to make sure in what way the data and images uploaded on various sites shape the minds of society.

      All in all, I learned how Google can save our time just by applying some few techniques and not putting every single word in Google but rather than just typing in few keywords. In this unit I learned a lot and I can see improvement in my search results, how they changed and made my work easier.

Google superpowers video!

Google Super Powers from Aayushi on Vimeo.

Google's Superpowers

Google Technique Exploration 

Themes

Theme
A theme is a idea or a concept in which the yearbook is based.

Why do we need one?

It is important to use a theme because it tells something that is being repetitive. It looks good and interesting and also help the book flow from one section to another.

An idea for the yearbook?

I think a theme should be something which adds a meaning to our life. Such as a "colourful life" whih means life is full of colour and so many other things on our way, colour has a meaning. 

Capitalization Rules

First words of a sentence -

Let me finish my homework.

I like to play.

The pronoun I

My sister and I went to watch a movie.

I don't like to eat vegetables.

Proper Nouns

Eiffel Tower

Taj Mahal

Family relationship (when used as a proper noun)

I managed to do all my homework, before my mother came.

I remember Aunt Jones, who used to play with me when in my childhood.

The names of God, specific deities, religious figures, and holy books

The Jewish Torah

Lord Krishan

Titles preceding names, but not titles that follow names

Jesus Christ, his life and teaching is way to peace and happiness.

Directions that are names

James used to live two miles away from me.

That tower is in Northwest direction from your house.

Days of the week, months, holidays (no seasons) 

Eid

January

Members of national, political, racial, social, civic, and athletic groups

The Vegans

Legislative Assembly

Periods and events (not century numbers)

Russian Revolution

Vietnam Era

seventeenth century

Trademarks

Pepsi

Lays

Words and abbreviations of specific names (but not names of things that came from specific things but are now general types)

CNN

IBL

Is it Science

 Essential Oils Stops Cancer
  
   The article on this topic should have been supported by very many sources so that it would have appeared convincing to readers. Moreover, because not many persons know about the use of essential oils for therapeutic purposes, therefore, more sources of information would have convinced readers  about the benefits of essential oils for human body.

     The main claims by the article are about the  use of  most popular essential oils in current use, such as mint, ginger, lemon, grapefruit, jasmine, lavender, chamomile, thyme, rose, and cinnamon in combatting cancer of various parts of  the body. The article is based on results published by  a few journals, claims of a few individuals, and opinion of  authors of certain books.

 The claims appear to be valid in view of the fact that  a lot of information about essential oils  for therapeutic use is available in books and Internet.

In Article 1, they also talk about some stories of people who have been benefited from these oils but it seems like they didn't give a strong support or evidence to the readers. Therefore, the article wasn't much convincing. 

The article, however, raises questions (a) as to why the medical use of essential oils was not known before – is it because of  limited use  of oils or the oils have to be used under  certain conditions to make them effective, and (b) whether the essential oils would work on persons of all age groups, with various eating habits and across all regions of the world.

The vast amount of information available on the Internet does point out to the importance of essential oils for medicinal purposes.  It seems that the use of essential oils for treatment of ailments including cancer is gaining momentum because of  the limited use/ill-effects of other sources of  medical treatment including the much sought after Allopathic medicines which are mainly used in western countries.

      After having read the article, I am convinced that it is very   much science which needs to be explored more, especially we should take clue from the Eastern countries where this system for treatment of chronic ailments like cancer has been practiced since many decades. But essential oils alone would not work. This has to be used in conjunction with regulated diet, living style and positive thinking.

Part II- 

      Whereas in part II, the source of the article is based on work of  many persons, many of would have based their work on  studies and experiments. Moreover, as the article is based on works of  many persons/journals, therefore, the validity of claims made in the article could always be cross-checked with the references made.

       The main claim in the article is about  anti-bacterial and anti-cancer properties  of  essential oils of certain herbs and spices used by us  in every day life viz.  mint, ginger, lemon,  grapefruit, lavender,  thyme, and cinnamon.

      As already explained in Part-I, this article is definitely science, though it is a different matter that the benefits of essential oils is being studied  now  and therefore, needs to be researched more to determine  extent of  its applicability.

            The civilizations of many countries, especially which have  been known to exist since thousands of years, such as in the countries of Indian sub-continent, Middle East and China have a known history of  using  many herbs, plants and their fruits/seeds in their regular diet with a view to ward off  ailments. However, in view of the fact that  medicinal use of such herbs and plants were either not documented properly or the documented material has been destroyed with the passage of time, not much is known from ancient documented material. This has given rise to the suspicion whether the use of  certain herbs and plants and their essential oils are indeed capable of curing various ailments, and more importantly diseases like cancer. While a lot of studies are being undertaken in this regard, there are many persons who consider the study on this topic as a pseudoscience. Whereas this appears to be not the case in view of  proven record of certain essential oils such as mint, ginger, lemon,  grapefruit, jasmine, lavender, chamomile, thyme, rose, and cinnamon. Just because the present day generation does not know much about the scientific benefits of such herbs and plants  it does not mean we label it as pseudoscience. A pseudoscience is indeed dangerous because it has no universal applicability. Whereas the use of certain herbs and plants in various civilizations and their gradual acceptance world over now proves that the article is a scientific method of curing ailments, including chronic ones which needs to be studied more.

Article Comparison

Article Name - Pluto's Icy Landscape Comes Into View 
Magazine - Science News

When the radio antenna near madrid received the first signal from the orbit of pluto on July,14, the scientists were thrilled. And why not. A 9.5 year journey across about 5 billion kilometres right upto the point which is just 12,000 and 500 kilometre of pluto speaks of the meticulous planning in lunching of the "new horizon” mission to pluto. 

We are now in  a position to study various aspects related to the five moons of pluto and the 4.6 billion year old pluto itself, So far it has appeared that Charon, the largest moon has a dark patch on its north pole with more craters and less ice. The dark patch is probable due to leakage of hydo carbons from the pluto’s atmosphere. Another moon enceladus has presence of water geysers which erupt time ad again. Whereas, Pluto displays a heart shaped landscape informally named tom baugh regio - in honour of the scientist who discovered Pluto. There are no craters. The brightest regions on Pluto appears to be cited with nitrogen, methane and carbon mono oxide. To the south of tom baugh regio are mountains of solid water ice about 3000 meters high. 

Online Article - New pluto photos show "Astoundingly amazing landscape"

Taken from National Geographic Magazine. 

         While reading the online article I found that both the articles are basically talking about the same thing. Both the articles wants to convey the same message. For example the magazine article talk about "Tombaugh Regio" which means in honour of scientist who discovered Pluto and on the other hand, the online article tells more about "Tombaugh Regio" which is a heart-shaped region in honour of Pluto's Discoverer. The online article also talks more about "Charon''. The observation made by the Scientists along with "the similarly young surface on Pluto's largest moon" is challenging and tells how icy planets try to maintain their internal heat.  

Self Critical Analysis

SCRIPT

 I think the script was well written, It included all the necessary points it needed to have. So far,  I don’t really think I need to improve upon that. However,  the more I research  about any given topic, the better it would be.

TIMING

Timing of presentation is important. During our last presentation we exceeded the allotted time by about 10 minutes. Therefore, I need to rehearse my presentation individually and along with my group for next presentations so that I am able to focus on the allotted time. This can be done in a better way if all group members rehearse collectively so that we can sort out the short comings of each group members.

EYE CONTACT

Eye contact is another point where I think I still need to work on it. During my previous to previous presentation I was mostly focused on reading through the written text. Whereas during my last presentation I improved little bit but I think I need to sharpen my understanding of the text of presentation before presenting. This way I will be able to establish eye contact with the audience in a more confident manner. Therefore, I think my plan for improvement will be to- 

Understand the text which I want to present and then practice it before mirror taking into consideration the allotted time and eye contact with the mirror . This way I will myself feel how confident I look before mirror.

BODY LANGUAGE

Body language which is an essential part of presentation is one factor where I have noticed improvement. While comparing my last presentation with the last to last presentation I noticed considerable improvement in my body language in terms of my standing posture, movement of hands and overall confidence level. However, I think there is still scope for improvement by watching presentation of professional persons on Internet and comparing myself to see what are the areas where I need improvement

VOICE TONE

Voice tone during presentation adds to  quality of a presentation. It is very important for a presenter to ensure that he/she is heard by each one. Not only this, one needs to modulate tone in such a way that important points which a presenter intends to highlight is emphasised in a louder but soft tone. After my last presentation I saw the video and realised that the voice tone was heard properly by each one.  However, I need to work on how best to emphasise strong point of my presentation which can be done only by repeated rehearsals and comparing each rehearsal with the other ones to make it perfect.

CLARITY

Clarity of my presentation though getting better can be improved further by me if I record audio part of my presentation and then listen myself again and again to see whether I was able to speak clearly. Still better, I can ask my family members to listen to my audio recording and comment on clarity aspect of presentation.