Approaching the end!

Well right now everything is finished. I have the tangible project complete and it is up and running, along with presentation out of the way...Now I am working on my electronic portfolio...my final paper is turned in and the last two things that have to be done are the portfolio and then our final reflection. The website is really easy because I am using my actual website that I created for my project as my outline. The only difference is the information that is on it. In my website there are tabs for:

• Proposal
• Action Plan
• The Process
• Interview
• FAQ
• Sources
• Contact

I am using 350.com to build again and I am so happy that I discovered that tool because without it, I wouldn't have a very good website! So right now I am just working on the portfolio because it is due next week and then I plan to start the reflection. We only have eight days of school left so it is down to the wire! I'll put the link up for the portfolio when it is done...but until then I have to get to work!

I AM DONE!

Okay everyone, I am finished! There has been so much going on let me take a minute to catch everyone up!

• On March 12th I presented my project, and I got a 96% A! I am so excited because I was so scared to present and I thought that I did really bad...and to make matter worse I didn't get my results back until the next day. Everyone else that had presented on previous days had gotten their results back on the same day but for the people who presented on my day we had to wait! Talk about nerve wracking :-/ But the results were really good and I am really happy with how things turned out. The panel was really awesome and the one girl even offered to write something to put in the newspaper because she was a PR major. I was really honored that they were so interested in it that they would offer to do that :-) So I will take them up on that offer!
• Next, I am going to put the link in here so that if anyone wants to go and check out the website they are able to...so here it is! For Teens By A Teen
• Feel free to leave comments on my blog and let me know what you think about it!

So now that everything is presented and complete it is time to finish all of the other stuff that we need done. I am in the process of finishing my tangible product paper and there are only a few final edits that I have to do on my final paper. The final draft is due this Thursday but I am not worried about that. Then I have to do my electronic portfolio which is going to be really easy because I plan on using the same website builder that I used for my project. Everything is going great and we only have 11 more days of school! So it is a huge relief that it is almost all finished. I will post tomorrow and let everyone know how far I got. Until then...

Woo Hoo

Alrighty guys here is the latest of what has happened:

• I finished my website and message board
• I present on March 12th at 8:45am
• I am working on perfecting my powerpoint
• I am ready to get this over with!

Time has seriously flown so quick and I cannot believe that it is already March 7th! I never thought that they end of this trimester would come but it is quickly approaching. I am really excited/nervous to present. I am excited because after that I know that I am going to graduate and I don't have to worry about it anymore! I am so glad that I didn't end up with graduation project the last trimester because otherwise I would be so worried about time. Everything really did come together but this powerpoint has to be perfect and I am trying really hard to make sure that the presentation goes off without a hitch. I have practiced once and the only real thing that I had to fix was some of my slides had a bit too much text on them. So I went through and I redid some of the slides and made them much smaller and condensed. The presentation is going to be awesome and I am not going to stress over it.

I am going to work on my powerpoint and get it all finished up over the weekend, therefore it is ready for my next presentation on Tuesday and then on my official presentation on Wednesday the 12th!

I will let everyone know how it looks and upload the file when it is complete!

Until then....

As of now!

So right now....I have my website pretty much done...I think that with a few more edits it will be really amazing for an amateur that has never created a website before.... here is the link to check it out.... For Teens by A Teen

I plan to eventually really make is something spectacular and perfect it, but right now it works for what I need it for. From the website you can check out the message board and other links that help out teens who are grieving. This is something that I was really excited to see come together.

Now I am working on my powerpoint presentation and I plan to do that tonight for some homework that way I have a step ahead for when I am in class. The powerpoint will be just as great as my website and I am actually excited to present I am really not that nervous :) I just hope that they like everything that I have done and put forth an effort to have today. I will make sure to let you know how the powerpoint is going later in the week. Until then...

Woo Hoo

Alright so things are falling into place....check out my message board at: http://forum2.aimoo.com/peertopeer08

I know it is still a work in progress but once some members join in the conversations, I know that the message board will be amazing. The set up is really easy for everyone to use and join in on. Also the actual website has more information on it. Over the weekend I am going to insert all of the information on the sources, supporting the cause etc. But as of right now my biggest plan for next week is to start my powerpoint presentation and get that out of the way. That will most likely take me a class or two to perfect but after that it will be smooth sailing. I really hope that my website will help others in the future, it's something that I am so passionate about and I just hope it becomes a success.

Once I finish filling in the information to the site I will post the link in my next blog so that everyone can see what I have going on. I will continue to just work and work and even though it was a two hour delay today I feel that I got alot finished and I am on my way towards graduation!

Until then.....

At the moment

Well at the moment I have a lot going on. As of right now, I have a decent amount done....there is still a lot to be done but slowly day by day I am reaching the point that I need to be at. Since Ms. Fossum told me that I present on March 12th I know that I need to get everything done now!

I created a totally different gmail in order to keep everything organized and seperate. That way this email is centered around my project and it is all together. My website is coming together but right now I need to focus on correcting my paper again and having that second draft done by Friday. Really the only thing that I need to do with my website is edit it to where there are no mistakes, make sure all the links work and the pictures are there and everything is 100% correct.

It really is coming together and to see it makes me really happy. I hope that everything continues to work out and I have an awesome presentation. I need to start my power point and just get everything done that way I don't have anything to worry about...So I am just going to keep working on everything and try to get it done asap! As soon as I can i'll get all of the links up so everyone can check them out.

Eh

So, today I am back after missing two days...I am still really sick with the flu :( I feel horrible and I am trying to stay on track and get some stuff done. Today I really attempted to work on my message board and get it all set up but the internet is running super slug slow and it is causing major issues. Today is a really a bum day and Ms. Fossum is also out sick and it seems that everyone around is sick : / I have to work a little extra on my website and try to get more information put in. Today is just a hard day to focus especially when your head feels like it is going to explode. I will update later in the week on how things are coming along.

Next Step

Alright, well today I turned in my research paper and had my meeting with Mrs. Fossum. Progress continues to go smoothly and I am happy with how everything has been working. I think that all of my work is going to pay off in a timely manner. I hope to have everything done by mid February. My website is coming together and I now have a message board to either put in or link to. The way the message board will work is people who are interested in talking to other teens and asking questions will just have to sign up and create a login for free. Once they create their login they will be able to search for the community name and start communicating...things seem to be flowing nicely and I hope that they stay this way! Next step is putting everything together and building the complete product. Once I have the complete message board design I will post it on here so that everyone can check it out.....until then it's time to work once again....

Deadlines Approaching....

This Friday is when our first draft of our research paper, but I am not stressing because I am done! I have had the paper edited by two people, done my own edits and made sure that as a first draft it is perfect. Also since Mr. K has left us, I had to figure out how I am going to get my message boards into my website....lucky for me I have an AWESOME friend TR who is great in the world of technology and websites! TR found me a message board website where I can either link it directly to it or I can have it in the website. I plan to start setting up my message board here today after I am done blogging....Also I need to start inputting information into the website set up that I have....Everything is going very well and I am still in the Green! I hope to be done with my whole project by mid February but nothing is certain...if something goes wrong then it will cause delay but right now there is no reason for delay. My paper is done, I have a rough set up of the website, and I have a message board place now! It seems to be coming together, I just hope that I don't get overwhelmed and freak out...I am going to make my message board now...I will post a link to it tomorrow....

Thus Far....

This week is shortened already and to make matters worse I was sick yesterday :( I am still sick at the moment but I am working really hard to get my research paper edited once more. Ms. Fossum was so kind to go through all of the pages and practically use a whole red pen to correct the mistakes. I am making sure that I get all of the edits finished and handed in on time. It is a big relief to see things coming together. I do have a rough template put together for my website, the only thing that I have to figure out how to add is message boards. Mr. K said that there is some way that we can just kind of stick them in there and they will work. So, we will have to wait and see about that. But until that project comes about I am just going to continue working on my paper and the website. I really am not stressing, because compared to some projects I have all my ducks in a row and am on the right track. I should be finished with the edits to the paper by tomorrow and once I publish the website rough draft I will be sure to put a link onto the blog....

One Step Ahead....

So my research paper is in progress towards being completely finished! I have finished with the peer edit, and now Ms. Fossum has possession of the paper. Luckily for me my project that I am completing is the same project that I am using for my Governors School SLP. While I was at GS we were required to write an 8-12 page research paper and it just so happens that since both of my topics are the same regarding my SLP and graduation project, I am able to use the same paper. This paper was one of the most in-depth research papers that I have ever written in my life! It is a big relief though to have a foot ahead, that will make things a lot easier and less stressful.

To just give everyone an idea of what my research paper is about... it deals with the whole concept behind my graduation project, helping teens deal with grief. The research was conducted through books, websites, interviews and self experiences. After all the time and effort, about an 11 page research paper was formed... now just comes the time for some more edits and correction to make sure it is flawless.

Along with the research paper, the website is really starting to take form. The tiny details just take a considerable amount of time to master...But today I am going to continue on the website because I cannot turn in my paper until Ms. Fossum completes the teacher edit...

I know that I am on a good track and I just need to stay there along with a few steps ahead, because it will just make things a lot easier in the end....

What's Going On...

Well last week, I didn't get to blog too much due to the fact that I was really busy getting everything together. For starters I found a free web hosting place that even has templates to help an individual build their own website. It has been frusterating but it is coming together. The website that I have been using is www.350.com, it has templates and help for any of your website building needs. For a person like myself who really doesn't know how to build websites it has been a life saver! So as of right now I have a few pages built and it is coming together.

Also my interview is now complete and I am on a roll. This week my goal is to try and rough out all of the pages to my website. I would like to have a rough idea of everything that is going to be on the website, and visually see how it all looks. So today I am going to work on the website layout and try to get some content in...as far as I know I believe I am in the "green" for my project which is good.

I'll blog later and let everyone know the progress that has been done....until then though I have to get to work....

Work Continued

Today once again has been filled with work. I was absent yesterday so I had to catch up on some stuff. Right now I am all caught up and started working on completing the list again. I have made it so that all of my individualized plan materials are in one folder that way when I meet with either Mr. K or Mrs. Fossum I can easily access them with no problem. Today I also started looking for hosting networks and websites that would help out with building my own site. It is all coming together slowly, and I even started researching for the rough draft that is due on February first. I really like how this class is set up because it is like everyone just works at their own pace and the teachers are there whenever you need them. I am an independent learner and I hate working in groups. This is really the project that fits my style best. I will be glad to get everything done and show how well I work on my own. If I stay on my own set tasks along with the calendar that was given to us, I should have no trouble with completing everything in a timely manner. I will post again once I have something else completed. Until then though, I have to keep working!

Oh I forgot to add, I have my interview with a woman from Highmark Helping hands tomorrow during our class...so I can check off that the interview is offically finished after tomorrow morning! Whew another relief....

Weekly Plan!

Well, today started off with quite a workload. We all discussed what has to be done over this trimester, and it seems really overwhelming! Thank goodness that we have a calendar that guides us week by week! (Thanks Mrs.Fossum and Mr. K) The calendar is going to be the biggest help, because it will let you know whether you are on track of if you are really behind. Along with the calendar we all have our graduation project individualized plan, a guide that helps us individually make sure we are achieving the goals we set forth.

As for today I just went along down the list and checked off what I know is already completed and made marks by what has to be done asap. There are certain aspects that are going to need more time than others, but having some stuff done already gives me a little time advantage. I also was able to add my webliography onto my blog, along with some websites that help support breast cancer. Make sure to visit www.thebreastcancersite.com everyday to do a "click a day". For every click you do, a free mammogram is funded so please go and click it only takes a minute! I am sure that I will find more websites along the way, so I will add them as I go. The next thing that I plan to do is start work on the research paper. While I was at Pennsylvania Governors School for Health Care, I wrote a research paper on teen grief and how they deal so I feel like I already have a considerable amount of knowledge on my topic. I am really excited to start the process because this is something that I have wanted to do for a while now. So slowly a day at a time it is starting to take shape. Until then though I still have a lot of work to do!

Current Position

So at the moment, I have an idea of exactly what I want my project to end up looking like. However, it is just going to take a little time to get to that point!

As of right now I actually have some ground work laid out towards completing the project. All of my research is pretty much complete and the hardest thing is going to be creating and designing the website. I am glad that Mr. K is going to be working with us, that way if I have any questions I can go to him. The website will include information for both awareness and support regarding breast cancer. The major point of the website is the peer to peer support group. The peer to peer support will be set up through message boards, where each individual can ask questions to others that generally occur while dealing with the grief and shock of breast cancer in the family. Sometimes it is easier to talk to someone your age than say a professional, friends are often the best therapy. So to make it easier for the teens to talk to someone their age, I plan to have two separate message boards. One will be ages 13-15 and the other will be 16-18. I believe that if you separate the ages they will communicate on a level that is more understandable for everyone. The message boards are only one aspect of the website, I will have sections that are dedicated to general information about breast cancer, cancer research, websites where professionals can be contacted along with cancer foundations to help raise money and support the cause.

Overall things are going together, and I know what I want to do with this project. Ha-ha I guess I am making good progress considering some people do not even know what they want to do yet! Yikes, that's a scary thought. I was worried that things wouldn't fall together, but they have started taking place and I am a little more relaxed now but lets see how long that lasts!

Power of Pink

So it is day two of our graduation project class, and things are coming into view. Today we made an overall rough plan of how we want things to play out...and if all goes as planned, I will have my project completed by the end of February. For everyone who doesn't know what my project is, I am planning to create an online resource where "tweens" and teens can go to receive support if they have been affected by breast cancer. This project is very personal to me because in July 2005 my Grandma passed away from breast cancer. At the time I was 15 and I noticed that there really weren't that many resources for grieving teens so I decided that I was going to create a place where these teens could go and not only get the support they need but talk to others who have been through the same thing.
It is going to be a big work in progress but eventually it will all pay off in the end. We still have a lot of time to get things done and I better take advantage of it all!