Post-TED Talk

The Morning Of

The morning of the TED Talk I was really stressed  out. Being honest, I didn't get a lot of sleep the night before, but lately I haven't been getting a lot of sleep, so it wasn't unusual, but it was something that could increase my stress. I woke up early, or at least early for me, considering that I usually get up at 6:50. I picked out a dress to wear, and I listened to my speech with an app on my phone that would replay recordings. I took countless deep breaths to calm myself even before I got to school, although nothing could calm me except for the completion of this project.



At School

I had a French test the period before gifted, and was really stressed from having both the test and the project on the same day. I felt so much better once French was over, because I knew that similar to the test, the TED Talk would be over soon. Don't get me wrong, I was excited for it, but the nerves sometimes override excitement, and turn it into fear. I went into the audion, and took a few more deep breaths. I looked at the stage, and realized that it wasn't that big of a deal. It wasn't that big physically, and the crowd doesn't even fill up 5 sections.



The Problems Start

After Matt's presentation, I went up to the computer to put in my flashdrive. I was hoping that my video would work, but because of previous malfunctions, decided to test out my video. Of course the video didn't work. Lucky me, right? I decided that I could open it up on YouTube, and was very scared when it wouldn't open up on internet explorer. Google chrome saved the day when Perlman suggested that I try to open it on other programs. Luckily, the video worked, and I could start my project.



During the Presentation

Honestly, the wait on stage before you present drags on so long. It gives you the right amount of time to be stressed again. I took a deep breath, and tried to stay calm as I waited, and finally I heard a voice telling me I could go. I went through my presentation as I talked, and was a little disappointed with the amount of times that I looked at my notecards. I didn't expect to look at them at all, but I felt like I had to look at something, and I was really worried that I would mess up. I did have a few speaking errors, like stutters or what-nots, but I think, out of the very few that I've given, it was the best speech that I have done. Having a mess up that isn't your own can calm you, and that's why I'm kind of glad that the buzzfeed video ads popped up, because it lightened the mood up a little. At last, I heard the applause, and was done, well besides the questions. There weren't any that I didn't expect, or couldn't answer, so I was glad that that part of the project went pretty smoothly.

The Aftermath

When I finished, a lot of my friends told me that I did well. I'm not sure how well I did, because obviously friends wouldn't say something hurtful, even if it's true. However, I was pretty proud of my project, and I think that I got out of it what I put into it, which was a lot of hard work. It feels really good to finally be done and able to just watch other projects. Now that it's over, I kind of want to give another speech, just because I've been enjoying watching everyone's lately. This has quickly become my favorite part of this week, and everyday I look forward to the wonderful things that my friends have prepared.

Looking Back

I'm really glad that I did this project. I'm glad about the way that it went, and I'm proud of myself. I'm not going to lie and say that everything went smoothy, because that never happens. I think that I shouldn't have been as nervous as I was, and I know that you cannot control that, but it still did make me a little more cautious, which isn't a bad thing. I think that putting a lot of time and effort into something like this really shows off at the end. The project in general was an amazing experience. I'm glad that I chose to learn Latin, because it was a little bit of a challenge, but I still enjoyed it. I will continue to learn and improve Latin, and look forward to the benefits that it will bring. The project did meet and exceed my expectations, and although it wasn't ignitus, it was something that I enjoyed.


Comments


David's Blog - http://dwmagicgenius.blogspot.com

Jason's Blog -  http://hebrewwithhaste.blogspot.com
Avery's Blog - http://learningtofouette.blogspot.com

Pre-Ted Talk

Salvete!

I already did my Ted Talk, but I realized that I never discussed what happened leading up to it. I knew that having to speak in front of a lot of people would be hard to do, and it would require a lot of practice. With this knowledge in mind, I decided to complete my presentation a few days before the project is actually do so that I wouldn't have any last minute worries.

A week before

I decided that I wanted to write my script a week before I presented, setting a due date for myself on the Monday before the project was due. I realized that it isn't easy to write a Ted Talk, and it would take a lot more time than I originally expected. I didn't have any creative ideas that would go along with my subject. Thankfully, during gifted IE on Friday the 13th, I was able to, with help, come up with the idea to have the bucket story. I read this inspiration story on a Chipotle bag about two water buckets. (sounds familiar?) One was old, and one was new. The old bucket lost half of its water on the journey from a watering well to a house, and was ashamed for doing so. The bucket then found out that because of the water that it lost, it gave the flowers along the road something to drink, and the ability to live. I had this story in the back of my mind for a while. When I was trying to think of something that could be used to relate to Latin, this came to mind, because both Latin and the bucket were able to have a positive effect while dying. I knew that I would have to show my product in some way, and I thought that the best way was to have a conversation in Latin. I decided to combine the two ideas together, and have the dialogue of the story be in Latin. I was very excited to write out my script, and it instantly took off, making meeting my goals of finishing my script by Monday very easy.

The Monday before

I decided to film a video for my project. I knew that I had some buckets, and it was very easy to fill it with water and watch it drain out the water. It was not easy to carry a bucket full of holes from the hose to the camera, on a cold day especially. I had to fill it multiple times before I finally was able to film, and it was simply a mess. However, I was finally able to get the footage, and record my voiceovers that day. I also completed a Prezi and Powerpoint, in case one of them didn't work on the day of.

The days leading up to it

I wanted to make sure that the script that I had written in Latin was correct, so I decided to talk to two of my friends about it. I knew that I would probably have some errors, because I was a beginner and it's very easy for even someone who has studied Latin for a year, two, or ten to make mistakes. One of the replies that I got was:

 (I just wanted to mention that both of my friends used lol at the end of their text, the other one being "That's bad no offense lol" They were both trying to hide how bad my grammar actually was by using the "lol" to make the text seem lighthearted.) I went through this project oblivious to the fact that my grammar was so atrocious. I didn't even know what a case is. I however wanted to focus on the problem at hand, which was my incorrect script for my Ted Talk. I decided to worry about my grammar after the project was over. She and my other friend were able to help me fix my mistakes and rerecord the correct version of the script.

I wanted to practice my script during the week so that I didn't have to do it all in one night. I downloaded an app that records one's voice, and then has options to play it back on repeat. I did exactly that, and was able to memorize most of my script through the week. 

The day/night before

I was excited to be done my powerpoint/prezi/script. I thought I could relax and just continually run through the script as I had been doing all week. However, one study hall changed my project. I asked Jacob to watch my project and give me feedback. Having honest feedback is a little rough, but I'm glad that he gave me honest feedback. He told me frankly that the presentation was boring. And was able to help me come up with some transitions between ideas that would interest the audience a little more. I decided that I had to change at least some of my project to make it interesting, and decided to add some interesting facts about Roman culture, and a little bit of humor to the section where I talk about my mistakes. However, this changed up my script, and left me a confused mess. I was determined to memorize all of my script, and I kid you not, I recited my script over 30 times that night. When I got home, I recited it 10 times. I then took a break to study French, then recited my script three times after that. I then took a break to have dinner, and recited my script three times after that. I took a break to take a shower, then recited my script three times after that. After that I did my math homework, and of course recited it three times. I then put my powerpoint and prezi on a flashdrive, and then recited my script three times. Before bed I also recited my project 5 more times. I know that that's a lot of repetition, but it's what helped me to feel comfortable with the changes that I made right before the project.

The day of

I got up early to find an appropriate outfit for the presentation and to look over my notes one last time. I had my Fruity Pebbles with whipped cream, and was off to school. I had a French test that day, and was nervous all throughout it. Finally the Ted Talk came, but I'll save more details about the actual Ted Talk and the aftermath of it for my next blog.

All while still
using Rosetta Stone. I did have to cut back a little, because I focused on the project so much, so my time was reduced to half an hour on some days. The night before, being honest, I did not do any Rosetta Stone. There wasn't anything exciting or new about Rosetta Stone, but I am planning on finding another program to use in addition to Rosetta Stone, and will update you on how that works.

All in all it was a crazy week, but worth it in the end. Thanks for reading my blog, valete!

Comments
Noah's blog - http://symponytosonata.blogspot.com/
David's blog - http://dwmagicgenius.blogspot.com
Jason's blog - http://hebrewwithhaste.blogspot.com

Vlog

 
Rosetta Stone edited from Toni McFarland on Vimeo.

Thank you so much for watching! Valete!

Comments: Ruby Lee http://rlgeniushour.blogspot.com
Liliana Xu http://lilgeniusproject.blogspot.com
Jason Smith http://hebrewwithhaste.blogspot.com

Almost done CD 1!

This week I have continued with Rosetta Stone. I am almost done the 1st CD, however, due to the lost time of the CD being in the mail, I don't think that I will be able to finish the CD by the next block day. I have changed my goal to finishing the 1st CD by Thursday. I have been spending a little over an hour everyday working on Rosetta Stone, but I think that if I spend more than an hour on the language I will have a hard time processing all of the information, and the time wouldn't have been as productive as it would have if I had just spent an hour working with Rosetta Stone.

The application has been very helpful with me learning vocabulary. My goal even beyond this project is to be able to use Latin as a basis for learning other languages. With the vocabulary I learn, it will help with figuring out English words. I am now even able to understand sentences in Latin because of the vocabulary and grammar that I am learning.

Including all of the vocabulary that I have learned would take way too much time to write, so here are just some examples of what I learned. I have learned other topics, but again it would take too much time to write it all out.

Greetings and Introductions

Medica sum - I'm a doctor
Magistra sum - I'm a teacher
Toni McFarland vocor - My name is Toni McFarland


Countries

Ruthenia - Russia
Aegyptus - Egypt
Lutetia - France

Different places

Horti publici - Park
Via - Street
Pons - Bridge

Describing clothing

Tunicula eius flammea est - Her shirt is orange
Thorax laneus eius caeruleus est - His sweater is blue
Bracae eius caeruleae sunt - Her pants are blue



Different parts of a house

Fenestra - Window
Labellum - Sink
Sella pertusa - Toilet

Rooms in a house

Cubiculo - Bedroom
Triclinio - Dining room
Balneo - Bathroom




Technology

Radiophonia - Radio
Telehorasis - Television
Computatorium - Computer


Basic actions/sentences

Eae equum habent - They (group of females) have a horse
Ii edit - They (group of males) eat
Mater nostra est - Our mother




To show my progress, here is a link to a video of me learning Latin

http://youtu.be/Y1rFC2yn3ug

In the video, I am learning what languages people write, read, and speak in. Some of the vocabulary used is:

Loquitur - To speak
Scribit - To write
Legit - To read
Sinice - Chinese
Arabice - Arabic
Anglice - English
Latine - Latin

The way that the program helps me the most is by having new vocabulary mixed with old vocabulary. They give me a picture and a list of choices of sentences that match the picture. By using old vocabulary (for example there may be a man in the picture and I know that "vir" means man, if there is one choice that has "vir" in it, I would choose that sentence) I can figure out the new words. The man in the picture might be eating, so if I didn't know the word "edit" means eating, but I do know that "vir" means man (granted that this is the only sentence choice with "vir" in it), I would then guess that "edit" has to do with eating. This is a confusing idea, but essentially I am building my new vocabulary off of what I already know, as a way to test and expand my knowledge. I learned a lot because of the constant reinforcement of old vocabulary. I think that this is my favorite method of learning, because I can learn new and reinforce old ideas at the same time. The problem with this method is the assumptions I may make could be incorrect. However, the new vocabulary is introduced through different styles (pictures, sentence examples, listening) and if I do make a wrong assumption, the other methods of learning the vocabulary will help me to make sure I know the right word.

Comments:
I commented on Jacob Kaffey, Kat Saddler, and David Weiss

Unit 1

Hi guys!!

Rosetta Stone came in the mail earlier this week! I was very excited to start to use it! There are four units in the first of three CDs of Rosetta Stone. I was set-back on my goal because Rosetta Stone came halfway through the first cycle. I will have to spend a lot of time with Rosetta Stone this cycle to meet my goal of completing all four units by the next block day. I finished the first unit tonight, and hope by the end of the week to finish the next two units.

I've already learned a lot from the program, through listening, speaking, writing, and grammar lessons. Rosetta Stone has many different exercises. In listening sections, one of the exercises is that they will play a word while you pick the picture that it is associated with. In speaking sections, one of the exercises is they have you speak to complete a sentence. In writing exercises, they have you type out vocabulary words. In grammar lessons, they have you fill in a sentence with the correctly conjugated word.

With my experience of French, I was able to recognize a lot of words. I find the influence that Latin had on other languages interesting, and now it is showing it's benefits with my French and English.

I cannot bring Rosetta Stone into school, which means that I have to put in more time at home to make up for the lost time at school. That's fine with me, though, because I find an extreme interest in the language, and enjoy spending time learning it.

In the first unit, I learned basic words. I learned genders, numbers, colors, food, clothing, animals, settings, actions and on and on. Here's a picture of the program, and some of the words that I was learning.

I thought it would be helpful to translate some of the words seen:
femina - woman
ambulant - (to) walk
oryzam - rice
luna - moon
sol - sun
caelum - sky

I learned that I have difficulty with pronouncing Latin words, and am glad that it is mainly read and not spoken. I learned that my past with French helps me remember Latin words. I'm really happy with the project that I chose, and I find a lot of interest in it. I hope that I will be able to meet my goals by the next block day.

Comments:
I commented on David Weiss, Lizzy Cutler, and Christy Yang.

Ordering

Hi!

During the break I finally ordered Rosetta Stone. After first previewing the system, my mom helped me order it online. I'm upset that it won't come until the end of the week, but in the meantime I will continue to research Latin and its influence not only on the English language but on others as well. This delay in getting the program does mean that I will have to spend extra time to meet my goal of having the first level done by the block day after the next one, but I think that I can do it. I'm very excited to start to study the language itself, after researching the background of it. Of course now, because of ordering Rosetta Stone with my email address, all of the commercials on YouTube are from Rosetta Stone. The main subject being "Boring Bill" who has a choice to learn a new language. That's alright, however, because it makes me feel more accomplished with making the same choice as Bill and learning a new language. 

Research

I wanted to learn about the effects of Latin on English speakers. Latin is still used in medicine and science, for scientific names. English has Latin roots, which shows that Latin can help with the development of English vocabulary, as well as other languages. French, the language that I take in school, has Latin roots, and is the root of many English words as well. 


I also wanted to research a final book that I could read as an ultimate test of my knowledge, so that is what I wanted to spend some of my time researching. Hopefully Rosetta Stone will come soon!

Some books that came up were:

• Latin Vulgate Bible
• Metamorphoses by Ovid
• The Aeneid by Robert Fitzgerald Virgil

Benefits:

• Learning about culture (reading classic works shows the culture of the time period)
• Personal growth and fulfillment
• Helpful with other languages
• Latin grammar is helpful with English grammar
• Makes you more careful about English
• SAT scores
• English accuracy increases

Again I didn't learn about myself through the research yet.

Future

I am planning to start the Rosetta Stone application as soon as I get it, which will be my next step in learning Latin.

(Who Says Latin's Dead? Digital image. Myenglishkey.com. N.p., n.d. Web.                                <http://media.withtank.com/512c92d8b6/latin_expressions_460_wide.jpg>.)

Links:

http://education.jhu.edu/PD/newhorizons/student-voices-12/classics/

(Ruccolo, Cara. "A Case for Classics in Middle School." Johns Hopkins, June 2004. Web. <http%3A%2F%2Feducation.jhu.edu%2FPD%2Fnewhorizons%2Fstudent-voices-12%2Fclassics%2F>.)

https://www.uta.edu/english/tim/courses/4301w99/lge.html

("Latin, Greek, and Their Non-descendant English." Latin, Greek, and Their Non-descendant English. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2015. <https://www.uta.edu/english/tim/courses/4301w99/lge.html>.)

http://www.unrv.com/culture/latin-language.php

(Heaton, Chris. "Latin Language." Latin Language. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2015. <http://www.unrv.com/culture/latin-language.php>.)

http://www.slu.edu/colleges/AS/languages/classical/latin/tchmat/pedagogy/latinbenefits.html

(Pauvr, Claude. "Some Leading Benefits of Latin (and Classical) Studies." Benefits of Latin. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2015. <http://www.slu.edu/colleges/AS/languages/classical/latin/tchmat/pedagogy/latinbenefits.html>.)

The Beginning

The Beginning



When I first heard of the genius project, I immediately thought of sign language. I love to be able to communicate through my hands, and it's always been an interest of mine. However, I also have an extreme interest in Latin, and that language could help me to expand my English understanding and of course help me with learning new languages, because many word roots come from the Latin language. 

After long consideration, I realized that Latin would be more beneficial to learn now, because my SATs are coming up, and it would be wonderful if I learned something that could help me improve my SAT scores.





Here is a chart just to show the benefits of learning Latin on SAT scores.




I have decided to learn Latin through Rosetta Stone, however my decision is different from my parents. My mom is on board with me learning Latin through Rosetta Stone, and my dad knows that I want to take Latin, and has been willing in the past to buy me a language learning program. Because of this, I was not able to start to learn the actual language of Latin, but I was able to do a little bit of research about its history.

My Research



Through my research, I learned that :

Latin was originally spoken in Latium, a region around Rome. 80% of English words come from Latin. Latin was the learned language for science and politics, for over a thousand years. It was replaced however by French and English. Latin is still the formal language of the Roman Catholic Church, and is one of the official national languages of Vatican. Latin is also used for classifying living things in science. 

Some English grammar was influenced through Latin, but they don't have the same grammar rules. During the 16th to 18th century, English writers created many words through Latin roots. They were known as "ink pot" words, as if they were spilled from an ink pot.

This just gives me background on where the roots come from, and how it affects English. This shows me why it's important to learn Latin now.

Here are the links from where I found the information:



http://www.latinlanguage.org/latin/history.asp




("Latin Language." History of the Latin. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.)

http://linguistics.byu.edu/classes/ling450ch/reports/latin.html




(Hallen, Cynthia L. "Latin." Latin. Brigham Young University, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2015.)





What I learned

So far this hasn't really taught me about anything about myself, other than I find an interest in a dead language and that I like to build a foundation of learning before I expand upon that foundation. From here I want to start to learn the language, and I hope that my parents will let me download the Rosetta Stone kit, so that I can begin to learn Latin ASAP.



My goals



By every 2 block days I want to finish one of the sections of Rosetta Stone. Rosetta Stone tests your knowledge as you progress, which is my way of testing my skills. I will measure my progress through having one section finished by 2 block days. 


Comments


I commented on Lizzy Cutler, Christy Yang, and Sieanna Rahatt's blogs.