We started working with TakingITGlobal in October but at that time, all we did was just browse around the web site. When the working with TakingITGlobal crew brought us the laptops we thought they were just for our convienence. I was partially right. We didn’t know that TIG was really preparing us for the pilot class project. We worked along, just reading articles on the understandings, finding out what links were on TIG, writing on our updates page, writing responses on TIG articles, did an art contest and we were on the TIG web site practically every single day. The TIG crew, somewhere at the end of October told us we were the pilot class. We took that to mean that we were the guinea pigs and that we didn’t have to do a lot of work-since it was their first time having a pilot class. (Also partially true.) they told us abut the film project at the beginning of November but the work load didn’t hit us until the end of April. We were told that the project would be due in the middle of May and 7 months seemed like enough time to finish the project. We weren’t officially assigned the project until the beginning of January- a little bit after the winter break. The work load though, didn’t hit us until the middle of February, but anyway, I was actually quite excited. It didn’t seem like so much work. Finally, as I said before in January we got the details. We would be making a Film for our own Film Festival on one of the 10 subtopics. We would be in groups of 3. At that point I was excited. I wanted to work with my friends... but then, Mrs. McDonald (our homeroom teacher) told us that she would be choosing our groups. My “excited” level went down. Now I was worried about who I would be put with. I prayed I would be with a friend. Ended up, I didn’t get the answer. I was with 2 people I didn’t know. They were like the most quiet people in the whole class, and me, I’m practically the loudest in the class. I wasn’t happy with my group but then things got worse. I was assigned the topic “Media”. I didn’t like that topic. By “excited” level went from a 10 to a 2.
Then, when we actually started the work process. I soon know why they had only concentrated on one class- because it was a ton of work. For the first month, all we did was research our topics which wasn’t very difficult. It was simple and it wasn’t hard at all. The work got harder and harder. What seemed like an easy task 3 months ago, turned out to be a lot of work and a cause of a lot of stress. Researching my topics wasn’t very hard and there wasn’t really a lot of work to do. All we had to do was read about the articles and write summaries and responses on it. Me, having an opinion on everything- I wrote those responses quite quickly and it didn’t take me a lot of time to do and because TIG was “an important project” we didn’t get a lot of homework on top of the TIG homework and I had a lot of free time. I soon lost that free time one month later. We were pretty much forced to write responses on almost 3 articles and art pieces per day. TIG also took up a lot of school time, and I was actually pretty glad because while the other Grade 8 class had to bring home 5 textbooks, and all we had to bring home was our TIG folders I was glad that we were the pilot class. Although sometimes TIG seemed like a way to get out of doing homework, it also gave us a lot of work too. TIG was like a major part of our lives. The TIG people came like twice a month and aught us how to use things like FlashMX and Windows Movie Maker. To be able to use a program like flash is actually pretty exciting. It was hard at first but once you get the hang of it, it isn’t that hard. The film though, was more work that I first thought it would be. We started to make a storyboard of how our film would look like, but we kept changing the focal point and we ended up changing the whole entire film 3 times. The film itself was hard enough and then we found out about the other things we would need for our film festival. We would need brochures, display boards, and articles about our topics done by the 2nd week of May. Even though we kind of slacked off in the beginning, we repaid our slacking off time with work done from 8:00am every morning until 5:00pm for the last 2 weeks of the project. We finally, after 7 months of TIG, finished our film and our Film Festival went well. A lot of people asked us questions about Media and it was fun to converse with people about their opinions on Media.
Now that we’re done TIG, although during the 7 months of TIG it was quite stressful but now, looking back at those 7 months, I wish I could do it all over again. I thank TIG for giving our class the opportunity to do this film and to learn these skills. I feel somewhat proud of myself. I made a whole film with my two new-made friends. I guess TIG just helped me go through this year and kind of “grow up”. TIG has taught me a lot and I know I will always remember this project. 10 years from now, when I’m getting my first job, I can say: “I made my own film in Grade 8 when I was 13 and it was in a film festival.” This project has taught me a lot. It has taught me how to work with people I’m not very close with, to deal with stress, to use programs like Movie Maker and Flash. This project was memorable and I’m glad we were chosen to be the pilot class.

We started TIG in October but at that time, all we did was just browse around the website. When the TIG crew brought us the labtops we thought they were just for our conveince. I was partically right. We didn’t know that TIG was really preparing us for the pilot class project. We worked along, just reading articles on the undertstandings, finding out what links were on TIG, writing on our updates page, writing responses on TIG articles, did an art contest and we were on the TIG website practically evey single day. The TIG crew, somewhere at the end of october told us we were the pilot class. We took that to mean that we were the guinea pigs and that we didn’t have to do a lot of work-since it was thier first time having a pilot class. (Also partically true.) they told us abut the film project at the begining of november but the work load didn’t hit us until the end of April. We were told that the project would be due in the middle of May and 7 months seemed like enough time to finish the project. We weren’t officially assigned the project until the beginning of January- a little bit after the winter break. The work lod though, didn’t hit us until the middle of Febuary, but anyways, I was actually quite excited. It didn’t seem like so much work. Finally, as I said before in January we got the details. We would be making a Film for our own Film Festival on one of the 10 subtopics. We would be in groups of 3. At that point I was excited. I wanted to work with my friends... but then, Mrs. McDonald (oru homeroom teacher) told us that she would be choosing our groups. My “excited” level went down. Now I was worried about who I would be put with. I prayed I would be with a friend. Ended up, I didn’t get the asnwer. I was with 2 people I didn’t know. They were like the most quiet people in the whole class, and me, I’m practically the loudest in the class. I wasn’t happy with my group but then things got worse. I was assigned the topic “Media”. I didn’t like that topic. By “excited” level went from a 10 to a 2.
Then, when we actually started the work process. I soon know why they had only concentrated on one class- because it was a ton of work. For the first month, all we did was research our topics which wasn’t very difficult. It was simple and it wasn’t hard at all. Thw rok got harder and harder. What seemed like an easy task 3 months ago, turned out to be a lot of work and whoa! was it stressful or what!

... I think I'm supposed to write about our TIG project... which is making a film on one of the 10 subtopics... and mines is Media. When I first got assigned my topic I thought it would be really easy, but now, i realize that ALL teh topics are difficult. Its difficult to expand on only 1 subtopic... when you think they're all important.

Today the TIG group is comming to teach us flash. Ben,Alberto and Sushela should be arriving in the next 30 min. I'm actullly really excited that we will be learning how to make our flash intro's to our films tommorow. We're going to have so much fun! I'm excited to know that in about an hour, I may be able to make a flash intro all by myself! this is totally a new learning oppourtunity. I'm also kind of scared that I wont understand what they're teaching me about flash. But hopefully I'll be able to pick it up quickly. I think we're also going to learn about how to use MovieMaker and Photoshop but Im still looking most forward to learning how to do flash. With the new skills we learn today we will be able to make our understanding films really good! BTW, we're making films to broadcast our ideas and information on the TIG understandings. (click the understanding tab if you want to know more). All of these programs will help to enhance our films and make them better.

I dont's get it... why do people have to die bacuse they are starving. These people don't live a life full of love. Thier parents are either too busy to show them love, or they don't have parents at all. They envy people like us, with food and shelter and we just complain about every single thing without even thinking about how people living in poverty wouuld do if they had the chance to get these items. We are so spoiled that we wouldn't eat vegatables and people that have nothing to eat are dying. well... i'll type more later. I kind f have to go.
--JustinE