Creating our Magazine

What have you been doing?

In art, we have been learning how to make our own magazine using the techniques we have learned. Some of the techniques we have used on our the magazine page above is leading lines, focal points and so on.

Does your design reflect your thumbnail sketches so far?

Yes, I think the design above has reflected the thumbnail sketch that we all chose. This is because it includes the leading line and the focal points we wanted.

Does your design reflect the feeling of your topic?

I think it does reflect the feeling we were trying to show but I think there is room for improvements. By this, I mean changing the picture on the right to something else, because I think that since we're the introduction team we should portray more stuff about the school than just what we have, so maybe changing 1 of the pictures to something else would be better.

Do you know where your leading lines are?

Yes, I think our leading lines are clear to see. Our leading line/lines is the light blue line that goes across the 2 pages, and the border of pictures that are overlapped.

Do you know what your focal point is?

Our main focal point is the title as it is the biggest text there, our next focal point are the 3 pictures on the left page as it catches the attention more than the 1 picture on the right page.

Have you played with layering your visuals?

As you can see, we have layered the 3 pictures because this makes it look neater and it consumes more space than it would separately.

Have you figured screenshotting your progress?

Yes, we have but it required help from the teacher because our team wasn't really familiar with using the Macbooks.

Is there a 'thing' you want to know how to do, but don't? Have you googled it or asked?

Our team had trouble with learning how to change the background colour, but after asking for help for the teacher, we learned that we need to make a rectangle that covers the whole page and use that to change the background colour.

How does this help your learning?

This helps my learning because it shows what we have learned like, leading lines, focal points, and fonts, and it also shows that we can create our own magazines.


Though we have not finished explaining what the magazine is going to be about, I still think we did a good job of putting leading lines and focal points on our magazine.

Sphero (Spin the Magic 8 Ball)

Sphero Edu App

In DTE we were given the project of making our own game using skills we have learned from previous lessons. We created programs like Spin the Top, Hot Potato and Toss game to learn different blocks to use. Spin the Top taught us how to spin the sphero multiple of times, Hot Potato taught us how to put random sounds, and the Toss game taught us how to make variables.

 We created our game using the Sphero Edu App and used block coding for our program.

I decided to make a game called 'Spin the Magic 8 Ball'. In this game, you will be able to ask Sphero questions like you will with a magic 8 ball, but instead of the answers being given out through a device or a talking voice, the answer will be given through 2 colours (each meaning 2 different answers) once shaken.


My Plan:

Spin the Magic 8 Ball

(Block Coding)

In this game, you will be able to ask Sphero questions like you will with a Magic 8 Ball, but instead of the answers being given through a device, the answers will be given through colours once spun, just like the Spinning Top game.

Before you start using your blocks and coding you must first create a program and name it. Something like 'Spin the Magic 8 Ball' should be a good name as it says what your program is going to be about, but you can name it anything you want.

Spinning Top  (Instructions)

1. Go to Movements and select a ‘stabilization’ block.
2. Turn the stabilization off
3. Next, go to Lights & Sounds and choose a ‘back LED’ and set the brightness to maximum.
4. Then choose a ‘speak’ block.
5. Type in “Spin sphero like a top to get answers.”
6. Now go to Controls and choose a ‘loop forever’ block
7. Also, choose an ‘if true then else’ block and connect it inside the ‘loop forever’ block
8. Go to Comparators and choose a ‘basic comparator’ and change the value to ‘>’. A basic comparator is a block where you can change the value to greater than, less than, and so on.
9. Replace the ‘true’ on the ‘if true then else’ block with your ‘basic comparator’.
10. Now go to Sensors and select a ‘pitch gyroscope’ block and put it on the left ‘0’ in the ‘if > then else’ block.
11. Click/Tap on the ‘pitch’ and change it to ‘yaw’
12. Go to Lights & Sounds and select a ‘main LED’ block and connect it under the ‘yaw gyroscope’ block.
13. Now go to Operators and select a ‘color from’ block and connect it where the colour shows on the ‘main LED’ block.
14. Put the colour as green.
15. Go to Sensors and choose a ‘main LED’ block and connect it where the colour shows on the ‘colour from’ block.
16. Go back to Operators and choose a ‘basic operator’ and connect it to the right of ‘channel of’.
17. Change the + sign to a /
18. Go back to Sensors and choose a ‘pitch gyroscope’ block and connect it on the left 0 of the ‘basic operator’
19. Change the ‘pitch’ to ‘yaw’
20. Click on the right 0 of the ‘basic operator’ and change the value to 7.84
21. Go back to Lights & Sounds and choose a ‘main LED’ block and add it under the ‘else’
22. Go to Operators and choose a “colour from’ block and add to the colour on the ‘main LED’ block
23. Go to Sensors and select a ‘main LED’ block and connect it to the colour shown after ‘colour from’ is written.
24. Go back to Operators and choose a ‘basic operator’ and add to the 0 after ‘channel of’ is written
25. Again change the + sign to a /
26. Choose a ‘square root’ block and connect it to the left 0 of the ‘basic operator’
27. Change the ‘square root’ to ‘absolute value’
28. Go back to Sensors and choose a ‘pitch gyroscope’ block, connect it to the 0 after ‘absolute value’ is written, and change the ‘pitch’ to ‘yaw’
29. Go to the right 0 and change the value to

Magic 8 Ball

Like a real Magic 8 Ball, when the Sphero is shaken it will give you a random answer. These answers will be given through a sequence of 2 different colours.

Yes- Green

No- Red

What did you learn?

I learned that robots can be programmed using blocks and texts as codes. I also learned different ways to use block coding to create a program or even just to change the LED lights on the sphero.

I also learned that making a game is difficult but it was somehow fun even though there is a lot of coding and instructions included. 

What will you do next time?

Next time I will create a game that is easier and also work in the time given.

I did not get to finish my whole game, because halfway through my original plan I realised I was having trouble with the codes for a certain program and so I changed my plan. Next time I would stick to something I feel would be a bit easier for me.

The Voyage to New Zealand

Hello, my name is Alorane Grayson. I’m 15 years old and I live with my family and extended family in London.

 My mother says that our house is too small for all of us, I agree with her. We wish to get a bigger house but we don’t have enough money. I also wish to go to school but my parents cannot afford to send me to one. I would work so I can pay for my school tuitions but there aren’t enough job opportunities for me.

I went outside to try and get some fresh air. As I was pacing backwards and forwards, a flyer flew past me. Being a curious person, I chase after the flyer. I grab the flyer and inspect it. Reading everything, even the tiniest of writing. The letter says ‘Tired of being unemployed? Tired of crowded houses? Tired of living this lifestyle? Move to New Zealand. Where you can start a new beginning!’ This is interesting I thought to myself as I ran home with the flyer in hand.

 I push the door open and head straight to the kitchen. “Hey, where have you been?” My mum asks me. “Just went to get some fresh air”, I reply. The silence grew and I decided to break it by giving her the flyer I found. “It’s a flyer about moving to this country called New Zealand”, I explained. My mum took the flyer out of my hand and started to read it. “I think it will be a good chance for us to get out of here”, I continued. She hands the flyer to my dad. The silence grew again and the only sound I could hear was the sound of my mum sipping her coffee. “Where’d you find this?” My dad says as he breaks the silence. “It flew past me and so I ran after it”, I tell him. “Even if it’s a good idea we cannot afford the cost of transport”, my mum says. “But we can save up for it”, I say as my smile turns to a frown. “We’ll think about it”, was the last thing my mother says as she ushered me to my room.

1 Week Later

“We’ve thought about it”, my mum says as she hands me back the flyer. I stay quiet waiting for her to continue what she’s saying. “We’ll go… Well, we’ll try to go, she continues. “Do we have enough money now?” I ask. “We’ve decided that your Uncle, Auntie, and cousin will be left behind. While me, your father, your brother, and you will be going”, she replies. “Have you told Uncle and Auntie?” I ask concerned. “Yes, we have”, my mother says.

 With that, I go back to my room and plop on my bed while thinking about the new we will experience.

2 Weeks Later

Here we are boarding the ship. We could only afford the cheapest ticket, which cost £15 each. My parents told me that we're stuck in the ship for 75-120 days and that's why the tickets cost £15.

 Once we enter the ship, I see beds everywhere. Are these for the passengers? I think to myself. We make our way to some of the empty beds and set our bags down. “I guess this is what we’ll be sleeping”, my mum tells us.

As nighttime comes we were served with food. But the meat is hard, and I think I saw a cockroach just before I got my food. “Are these fresh?” I asked my dad. “I don’t think so. They taste almost like they’ve been preserved. They also taste a bit salty don’t you think?” My dad answers. "Is this the type of food we'll be eating for this long voyage?" I ask my parents. "I think so", my mum replies.

A Few Hours Later

 We were getting ready to sleep when I saw something crawling on the floor next to some of the passengers' beds. "Are ships normally infested with insects?" I ask myself. I scratch away the thought and tried to focus on sleeping.

In the Morning

I feel the cold wooden floor beneath my feet as I step out of my bed, or so that's what I expected, but instead, I felt the damp floor. "Damp?" I ask myself. "Did water get in the ship overnight?" I ask myself again. I push the thought away and get ready for breakfast.

 We were served with potatoes for breakfast. I'm a little disappointed, I was hoping for some fruit.

As days past, we were served with the same food and our beds are constantly wet. I'm also now convinced that this ship is infested with insects.

120 Days Later

We're finally here, I shout mentally. After that horrible journey, I'm glad we're here.

 My family and I started walking away from the ship. Searching for any sort of shelter, and workplaces that we could go to. “The flyer promised a new beginning”, my mum says. “Yeah, I know. But this place isn’t even full of people. I thought this place would have many workplaces and shelter”, my dad replies. As we go deeper into the country the hope of a new beginning starts to fade, we’d been walking for about 2 hours now. We kept walking until we saw a group of men that look like they’re wearing uniforms. “Hello! May we ask for help?” My dad asks them. The group of men walk towards us. “What are you here for?” They ask us. “We came here from London and we saw this flyer and it says if we go here a new beginning awaits us.” My father explains. “Well hello, you’re from London you say? Well, we’re from Europe, and oh you were talking about a new beginning? Oh, I think you’ve been fooled, my friend. There is no new beginning. This country is filled with people who cannot speak English and we are the ones that are trying to colonise them. This new beginning you speak of is not here.” One of the men says as he chuckles. “Then what about that flyer? It said that we were able to have a new beginning.” My mother tells him. “My dear, that is not true. There is no beginning, no work, no shelter. It was probably a bunch of lies.” He says. “Unless you are willing to work with us to colonise the native people of New Zealand. Help us take over this country.” He continues. “No. We will not.” My father replies. “Very well then. Get out of our sight.” He says as we get ready to leave.

 Where will we go now? I blame myself for getting my family into this. It’s just that the flyer looked so promising. I was really hoping that we’d get a new beginning.

1 Year Later

 Ever since we arrived, life has not been going good for us, though we found a small shelter fit enough for all 4 of us. We manage to get through the help of other people. We have this community where we all help each other out, and I’m glad we have it because if we didn’t then our family would never survive a year here.

 Maybe you’re thinking “Why don’t you just go back to London?” Well here’s my answer. We used all of our money to get here, so now we’re penniless. I hope someday we will be able to go back there.

Maybe, just maybe, someday our situation will get better. When it gets better we will send money to my Uncle and Auntie, and together we’d get out of the horrible situations we are in right now. I’m keeping my hopes us because I know nothing is impossible.

The World of Floor Hockey

1. On a scale of 1-10 rate yourself on how well you participated in the previous lesson. 1 being not at all. 10 being the whole time.

I rate myself 8.5/10

2. Why did you rate yourself the way you did?

I rate myself this because I think I listened well but I also think that I can listen a bit better.

3. What do you think you did well?

I think I did well on passing straight through the cones.

4. What skills did you use to accomplish passing and dribbling?

I pointed my foot the way I wanted the ball to go so that it would go directly the way I want it to go. I also used the skill of not hitting the ball too hard that the ball became too hard to control.

5. What do you think you need to improve upon for next time? What strategies will you use?

Next time I think I can pass more straight and that I can dribble the ball better.