Week 7: So, How Did The Pitch Go?

So...you've done "The Pitch". You created a killer brochure and shared your genius project idea with an audience.

How did it go?

As you sit down to write a new blog post, consider reflecting on doing "The Pitch". You may answer any or all of these questions below:

• How did you decide who to speak with?
• What was the overall impression of those you asked?
• How will their feedback help you improve your project? 

We are close to the halfway point in our #20time project and it's time to see what everyone is creating. 

Take a few minutes and browse through your classmate's projects. Leave positive comments of support and if you can help them with their project, let them know. 

Use this link here to see all the projects. (HINT: If you don't see your blog on there, that means you didn't submit it. Do so here. 

And last but not least, I need your help. I need help creating my #20time Project and am in between two ideas:

1. Create an affordable stand-up desk alternative for students and get students from another school to use them.

2. Write the book I've been holding off on called "The Hero's Journal."

What do you think I should do? Last year, I raised money for Charity Water and this year I'd like to ask your help to decide on my #20time project. 

Use this link to vote on which project you think I should do. 

And, last but not least, here's the poodle picture of the week. After all, it is Halloween.

Week 6: Are You Inspired? The Pitch!

Some food for thought (and what you could write about for this week's blog post) before we focus on your #20time pitch. Ask yourself...

Are you inspired?

The word "inspired" comes from two words "in" and "spirit". The word literally means "in spirit." In other words, when you are inspired by something, it means that you are living in line with your spirit. 

Yes, I know this is kind of spiritual and may make you uneasy, but think about. Are you inspired by your #20time project? If not, you may want to shift into something that inspires you. 

The idea goes that if you are inspired, you are walking your spirit's path, and that is when things just click. Work is easier. Coincidences happen that help you move further down the road.

It's just that simple.

On to today's focus....

You've spent several weeks mulling over an idea and now know what you are doing with your 20% Project. Now, it's time to pitch your idea to the public and get feedback. This feedback is vital to your project. It gives you holistic feedback on your project.

What to do

Create a tri-fold brochure and print at least six copies. Give one copy to me and the other five to other people asking for their feedback through a questionnaire (can not be students in Mr. Guay's class). 

Criteria:

• A quick summary of what you are doing
• Why you want to do the project
• How you are doing it (write down the SMART goal)
• What you want to accomplish from it 
• Include a few photos to show 

Print this questionnaire and give it to the five people you share your project with:

What to hand in?

Hand in the brochure and the five completed questionnaires to me on October 30th! Please staple them all together and make sure your name is on it.

Here are some helpful links to make a tri-fold brochure:

• Using Word
• Using Google Docs 
• Google Docs brochure template

You can do it! Remember to stand tall and proud! Posture can often say more than words. 

P.S. Yes -- you are writing a blog post this week and completing The Pitch. Embrace your inner awesomeness.

Week 5: Take the Leap and Face Your Fears

Thomas Edison once said, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” 

Going with Edison logic, let’s talk a bit about fear. 

Enter the resistance… that scoundrel of a plague that stops creators from creating, stops writers from writing, stops changemakers from changing, and stops student entrepreneurs from launching.

What is resistance?

- Self doubt

- overthinking

- not knowing where to start

- questioning your purpose

- fear

- feeling overwhelmed by responsibilities 

- time 

The resistance is the voice inside that says, “Well, that will never work” or “That’s just stupid,” or it’s the friend who literally says that to you.

Resistance is the fear of failure, of falling on your face, of being told no, of feeling stupid.

When I was at Stanford’s design school where I learned the design thinking method, they had us jump on a little trampoline when we were thinking of ideas. This helped us think more like a little kid and shut the resistance down because well, when you’re jumping on a trampoline, you look ridiculous already so why not spout out any ideas that come to your head?

To help you all get over fear and push through to create something extraordinary, I’d like to introduce the #20time text:  Start Something That Matters. 

For a few weeks, I will ask that in your blog post you answer a few questions which are based off this book. The book is written by TOMS Shoes founder, Blake Mycoskie, and it’s one of the best resources for teens to create entrepreneurial projects. 

Today, take a look at chapter 3, called “Face Your Fears” (pg 45), read through it, and then answer these questions in your blog post:

1. When has fear prevented you from achieving a goal in school or in your personal life? In what form did this fear come up? How did you react to it?

2. What’s the worst mistake that you’ve ever made? What was the end result? Were the consequences as bad as you thought they might be?

3. If you had no fear at all, how would you live your life differently? Would you dedicate yourself to a favorite passion? Finally ask out that special someone on a date?

4. What are some strategies for dealing with fear while you are experiencing it? In what way is fear a good thing?

One last thing: Consider what Hamlet once said, “Conscience makes cowards of us all.” Conscience, Hamlet argues, prevents action and I’d have to agree with him on that.

Take The Leap

Week 4: Achieving Greatness and Your Mentor

Dr. Wayne Dyer once said, "Doing what you love is the cornerstone of having abundance in your life." He adds that when you live from your passion, you're on the path to greatness. When you live from your passion, you're in line with your purpose and that, says Dyer, is when things just click. Things work out for you. Magic happens. As Dyer once put it, don't go to the grave with your music still inside of you.

Before we dive into the focus of the 20% time project today, ask yourself this question: "Are you worthy of greatness?" 

The answer is yes -- of course you are -- but do YOU believe it? Or are you holding yourself back?

We, as a human species, are capable of far more than we limit ourselves to and, often times, we are the ones who hold ourselves back from greatness. The trick is a subtle shift in thinking and recognizing whenever a self-limiting thought creeps up. 

Now, onto the 20% time project. 

If there's one thing I've learned from interviewing some of the greatest movers and shakers of our time, it's that no one gets to greatness alone. You need mentors. You need help. But so many people don't open themselves to help because they see asking for help as a weakness.

It's not. Asking for help is a sign of strength. 

Your focus today:

1. Who is your mentor(s) and why?

We're full swing into the 20% project and many of you have a solid idea of what you want to achieve with your project. Last week, you took a look at creating a SMART goal and that helped many narrow down their focus.

Here are a couple projects students are working on which are truly quite awesome:

• Creating a "Before I Die" Board for Ketcham High School
• Forming a band
• Gain health by losing 50 lbs
• Creating a website to showcase photography and launch photography career
• Visiting a therapeutic horseback riding center weekly or biweekly

A quick heads up: 

In about two weeks time, you will be pitching your project to the rest of the class. I'm still working out the details and will finalize it by next week.

Here's a helpful article about the power of failing forward. 

All right students, we be jammin'

Week 3: What to Blog About? Be SMART

Ladies and gentlemen, can you imagine that you're already on to your third blog post?

This week, you are to create a SMART Goal and pitch your project to your classmates.

1. Create a SMART goal for your project which covers the following,

S - specifically state what you are going to do.

M - how will you measure your success?

A - how will you start taking action now?

R - why is this goal realistic for you?

T - what will you finish by holiday break?

2. In your blog post, include the following:

- the audience (who you are designing for or the perfect avatar user)

- the SMART Goal

- the timeline of deliverables and the proposed tangible or digital results

- the supplies and funding needed

- why you are excited to do this

Once you have these down, it’s time to start canvassing. Share your project idea with your classmates and collect ten signatures from them. Use the handout provided. They must print/sign their name in approval of your project.

Spread some love for your fellow classmates and take a look at all the amazingness you all are creating this year. Click this link to view other students' #20time projects.

And here's the poodle picture of the week.

Week 2: Design Thinking Level 1 Empathy: The Need and The Feed

Dear Awesome Students,

Each week you are to write a blog post that reflects on your 20% project. You may write whatever you wish relating to your project as long as you fulfill the length requirements (150-750 words w/ engaging photo). I will provide you with writing prompts which you are welcome to use each week if you are struggling to come up with your weekly reflection.

What's the purpose of the blog posts? For you to share your thoughts and reflections on your 20% Project (much like a journal). This helps you learn, helps me understand your learning process, and also helps other students around the world create more epic projects.

The Future of Education. I, along with other teachers around the world, think that the future of education should be (and will be) a place for students to create meaningful projects that help students deepen what it is they are passionate about. I have no doubt that many of you will create a project that will inspire your life's purpose, receive major accolades in the world, or perhaps launch you further down your road to awesomeness.

What do you need to do well with the 20% project? You need grit, determination, and the willingness to dig deep, be real and vulnerable. Allow yourself to experiment creating something amazing.

Before you go further:

Have you entered your blog in this form? If so, continue on. If not, do that first. 

Now, on to today's blog focus: Firstly, please say hello to Design Thinking (copy this chart in your notes):

The first stage of design thinking involves getting a greater sense of the needs of a community. 

What problems do we face on a local or global scale? 

On this week's blog post, please write about the need you may be serving. The need is the hole you are filling, the purpose you are serving, the reason your project is needed. The feed  (which we'll get to later) is how you are delivering a solution to the problem being solved. Take a look at this website for examples of how other students around the world have identified a need and created a feed.

Keep in mind that the need and the feed could be simple. For instance, I identified a need (some cancer warriors need wigs) and I fed that need by donating my hair to Wigs for Kids. 

Cheers and do continue to be remarkable,

-Mark Guay 

P.S. Here is the poodle picture of the week. 

P.P.S. Here is also a long list of helpful websites to spur your creativity:

30-Day Challenge - http://www.ted.com/talks/matt_cutts_try_something_new_for_30_days

100 Happy Days - http://100happydays.com/

Animation and Stop Motion - Resources Here

Arduino (must purchase kit/parts) - http://arduino.cc/

Curiosity.com - https://curiosity.com/

Digital Photography - Challenges Here

Digital Video - Challenges Here

DIY - https://diy.org/

DIY Science & Math - http://howtosmile.org/

The Fun Theory - http://www.thefuntheory.com/

Snapguide DIY - http://snapguide.com/

Game Making - Tools Here

GeoSettr - http://geosettr.com/

Give It 100 Challenge - https://giveit100.com/

Innovation Challenges - See them here

Instructables - http://www.instructables.com/

Jewelry Making - Tools/Ideas Here

Know More in 60 Seconds - http://www.knowmoreinsixtyseconds.com/#/

Learn Guitar - Resources Here

Legos - LegoMaster Challenges

Made With Code - https://www.madewithcode.com/

Photo-A-Day Challenge - http://fatmumslim.com.au/photo-a-day-challenge-lists-see-them-all-here/

Podcasting - Challenges Here

Programming - Resources Here

Quirky - https://www.quirky.com/

Sodaplay - http://sodaplay.com/

Spoken Word/Poetry - http://www.poetrysoup.com/

Teach Yourself Anything - http://www.webdistortion.com/2011/10/02/60-educational-resources/

The Kid Should See This - http://thekidshouldseethis.com/

The Tinkering Studio (must purchase a kit) - http://tinkering.exploratorium.edu/projects

TinkerLab - http://tinkerlab.com/welcome-tinkerlab-makers/

Wonderopolis - http://wonderopolis.org/

Week 1: Let's Begin, Shall We?

To get things started, here is your mission:

• Create a blog account and write your first post. For your first post, write about what you are thinking of creating for your #20time project. You may also write out a list of all the things you want to create in your life. From this list, you just may find one project that you could do with #20time. Feel free to also include your thoughts on what you hope to learn from this and perhaps vent some fears you have with it. 

To help you set up your #20time blog, watch this video for help (thanks to Mr. Roberto).

Before you write your blog post, you may Google around to see what other students have created with their #20time projects. 

Here are a few links you may check out, but make sure to explore the spontaneity that a Google search may bring.

• York School #20time Student Projects
• Google for Education
• 20 Time in Education

Here are two student blogs from previous years to give you an idea of what you could work on, including a video from what students at York School have built:

• Alexa's Blog
• Colin's Blog
• York School Projects 

Keep in mind:

• Blog posts should be between 150-750 words and you will need to post a blog at least once per week. 

Once you complete your blog, please visit this form and complete it. You will need to submit your blog URL to me so that I can check it out every week.


Get ready to roar with awesomeness!

P.S. I tend to have a poodle mascot for each blog post. 

P.P.S. For teachers, here is a link to the presentation I show to the students on day one.