Wednesday, 26th September

As the Investigate section of the project is due on the 3rd of October (the coming Wednesday). Therefore, I had to work hard on the task. Today, however, I feel I could have done better, as I didn't concentrate on my task and didn't get much work done. I regret this, nevertheless, but my aim is that next class I will have completed until at least point 4.

• http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blcoston.htm
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morse_code

Monday, 23rd September

Today, I worked on the second task on the investigate section. In my opinion, this task was very interesting to learn about, for I did not know how communication at sea was done, and especially how it worked (relating to the design of the devices). The following sites were ones that I used throughout this lesson:

• http://hmsbelfast.iwm.org.uk/upload/pdf/signal.pdf
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semaphore

I believe that I was on task, as I spent the whole lesson working at my best, and I did not get distracted. I think that I developed a great deal on project. Nevertheless, I did not manage to complete this task for lack of time. My aim is that next lesson I can complete the second task and at least get half way through the third one. More information on the project I am currently working on is on the following blog

• http://year10itblog.blogspot.com

Wednesday, 19th September

Today, I managed to complete my timeline. I think I was on task, since I did not speak to my friends of an unrelated situation and I worked thoroughly for the whole time.

Monday, 17th September 2007

Today, the 17th of September, I continued with my timeline on the history of communication. My aim is that next lesson I can complete the timeline with the most facts and detail I can get. I believe I was on task today, as I was always working and looking for information on the various records of communication.

Wednesday, 12th September 2007

Today, the class worked on the Communication in History Timeline researching various URL's and coming to a positive result. I found the use of the search engines very easy in this subject, as several good sites were presented to me. While doing my timeline I found that the most useful web sites I went to were the following:

- http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bl_history_of_communication.htm

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_communication_technology

In this class I learnt the many forms of premature communication used by the Ancient Greeks, Egyptians, Phoneicians, Sumerians, Chinese, etc. Throughout the research for this assignment I also acknowledged how, if only a slight difference had occured throughout history, our life as humans from the XXI century could be totally different.

Design Brief

Year 10 Unit of Work - Communicating Information
( Duration : 12 Weeks )
Investigate
 Research the history of communicating information and produce a
timeline of landmark developments
 Research current methods of communication employed at sea
 Research current methods of communication employed by lifeguards
 Research methods or systems from other areas ( e.g. tic-tac, sign
language ) which could be adapted or replicated
 Investigate different number systems ( binary, octal, etc. ) to
ascertain how many instructions could be generated for certain
methods of communication
 Research alternative methods of communicating information other
than visual or audible
 Investigate different methods of 2-Way communication
 Find contact details of beach guard service at Guincho
 Record research findings in your Process Journal
Challenge
Create a new method of communication that could be used by
beach guards or the general public. The system should be cheap
to produce, easy to learn but complex enough to communicate a
range of instructions. The system can be visual, audible, sensory,
or a combination of these
Problem
Guincho is considered both one of the best and most dangerous
windsurfing beaches in the world. How can we better
communicate to people, once in the sea, about changes in
weather and sea conditions?
once in the sea, about changes in weather and sea conditions?
Evaluate
 Comment on the effectiveness of the solution using the feedback from
the class and Guincho contact person
 State any problems you encountered and how you managed to solve
these
 Suggest ways ( if any ) that the solution could be improved
 Did the final solution differ from the actual design? If so, why were
these changes necessary?
 Comment on your own performance in the task

Monday, 10th of September 2007

Today, the tenth of September, year 10 visited the blog made for information on the project. The blog is named http://year10itblog.blogspot.com and it features the design brief of the project, the project completion guide, the Investigation help sheet and an example of a process journal. After this I started the project by searching in a Search Engine (Google and Ask.com) and I obtained the following sources.

Introduction

My name is Carolina and I am a year 10 student at St. Dominics International School, Portugal. Currently, I am taking an Information Technology course which will take all first term. Our first project is an investigation for safety processes on dangerous beaches such as Guincho. This investigation will be held throughout the first eight weeks of the first term. Every lesson, a new posting will be made with information on my project. This blog will be used as a progress journal.