Who Do You Think You Are

• This is the interview I did with my mom, Alyson Burnett-Rawitch, over her side of our family and her childhood. Click here to see what she has to say!

• This is my interview with my dad, Bruce Rawitch, over the information he has over his side of the family and his life. Click here to see what he has to say!

• I wrote this email to my only living grandparents, Pat and Allen Rawitch, asking for more information on our family. My family knows the least about my grandparents extended family and I thought it'd be interesting to see if I could learn any more from them. Click here to see the email.

• I completed my family tree through Family Echo. I put together all of the family that I could link to one another on this site. I have not been able to trace my family extremely far back on my own and used all the information that I knew by myself to put together this family tree. Click here to see my family tree!

• This is the Prezi I made over 15 members of my family. While I didn't have plenty of pictures available of older family members that are no longer living, I did manage to find a few interesting pictures. This includes some interesting information on 15 members of my family.

• This is my infographic I made about my family. I used several different facts I knew about my immediate and extended family to create a visually pleasing presentation about the Rawitch and Burnett families. I used information such as where my family lives now, where we originated, family disease history, and more.

• I made this five-frame storyboard over my dad, Bruce Rawitch. His hobby is fighting in armor (interesting, I know) and his day job is working at a software company. I showed him transforming from his day job to his hobby. Bruce calls it  "Corporate Warrior". Click here to see the story!

Monday, December 2nd

Journal - Where are you right now on your "Who Do You Think You Are" project? What did you do over the break for the project? Did you interview anyone? Use the checklist below to figure out what you have finished, what you are still working on and what you still have to do.

At the moment, I'm on track. I have my email done and part of my interviews. I've also finished up my familyecho, I just need to add a few more details to it. Additionally, I have begun work on my prezi and am coming up with ideas to do for the story board or stop-motion animation video. I plan to start my infographic soon as well. 

Stop Motion Animation Ratings

#1: Ian Whelan.
 Idea: Space Legos
Reason: I thought his video was very well done and was easy to follow. The camera was steady for most of the time and it followed a story line.

#2: James Metcalf
Idea: Beads
Reason: I thought that James' video was extremely creative. I saw no other videos like it and it was very well put together. It captured the watchers eye.

#3: Abigail Krump
Idea: Rock-climbing
Reason: I thought that her video showed that she put in a lot of work into the project and I saw no others similar to it. Additionally, it was very well put together and not at all jumbled up.

Wednesday, November 13th

Journal - How did you stop motion animation turn out? If you could give it a grade, what would you give it out of 60 points? What did you learn from creating this video?

I think that my stop motion animation turned out quite entertaining. It was a very interesting project. If I could give myself a grade out of 60, I would give myself around a 56 because I didn't use a tripod and that would've helped quite a bit. I learned from creating this video that a tripod is quite important while taking pictures for stop motion animation. 

Monday, November 11th

Journal - How far along are you on your stop motion animation? What did you do over the weekend to work on you stop motion animation? Do you have all your pictures today? Will you have all your pictures by the end of the hour? Give me a detailed updated.

I have taken all of the pictures for my stop motion animation and just need to put together the video to finish the whole project up. Over the weekend, I turned into an adult officially! On Sunday, I turned 18 and went out to dinner with family. On Saturday night I hung out with a group of my friends and we did lots of adventurous things, such as setting drum sticks on fire and eating wonderful pizza, and it was a wonderful time. 

Friday, November 8th

Journal - What are you planning on doing for your stop-motion animation video? What story are you going to tell? How will your video be fun and different? Who is taking your photos? When are you taking your photos?

Well, for my stop-motion animation video, I'm taking pictures of Christine Flaspohler dancing on pointe. If you wanted to make a story out of it, you could say that it's a ballet dancer dancing at the ballet. Mine will be super fun and different because not a lot of people do dance at the level of Christine, so she's quite good and impressive. Also, she has the tutu and the whole nine yards. I took my own photos on Thursday after school already. 

Wednesday, November 6th

Journal - What story will your storyboard tell? Explain in detail.

Well, my storyboard tells the story of dat dance life. Basically, it shares my night of going to dance from putting hair into a bun, picking out stuff to wear, driving to dance, dancing, and then coming home and sleeping because I'm exhausted. Essentially the best storyboard you'll ever see.

Friday, November 1st

Journal - What are the pros and cons to photo editing? What are some examples of when photo editing is fun and appropriate? When can photo editing be inappropriate or too much?

The pros of photo editing are that you can make a photo look very professional looking and smooth. Also, you can get rid of things such as red eyes. Cons include that you can make the subject of your photo look unnatural or take away from the original subject. Some example of when photo editing is fun and appropriate are when you're taking something like senior pictures and want to look fantastical or are taking some selfies and want to look not completely ridiculous. Photo editing can be inappropriate or too much when it takes away from the original subject, like a model in a magazine where just about everything is changed, like hair, eyes, skin color, and even the size of someone's body. At times, that can make it look very unrealistic. 

Monday, October 28th

Journal – What is your favorite web tool that we have used in class so far this year? Why is it your favorite web tool? What do you like about it? How can you use it again in the future?

I really enjoy Prezi. I enjoy it because it's a very cool tool that has tons of cool transitions and effects. It lets you zoom in on exciting stuff and you can use it for any presentation. It's very versatile. I can use it in the future for most presentations I'll need to do, especially those where I have the freedom to do whatever I want to make my presentation. Then everyone will be all "wooaaaahhh" at my presentation and think Prezi is real cool.

Water Pollution Digital Presentation

Monday, October 21st

Journal-Tell me about your weekend.

Well, this weekend I went to the magical place of St. Louis, MO with the band for BOA! We performed in the Edward Jones Stadium on Friday night in prelims and did fairly well. The bus ride there was a fantastic time, and we stopped at the Columbia Mall on the way. After we performed, we had a pizza party at the hotel and on dance team we found out that our couch, Katie, is having a girl in March! Also, I was thrown into the hotel pool in all of my clothes so that was quite a blast. On Saturday, we went to the magical land of Demolition Ball and Adrenaline Zone and had the whole afternoon to play games. We then went and watched awards at the dome and went to the St. Louis arch to eat dinner. We then went back and watched finals and got home at 4am on Sunday. Also, WE DID SUPER DUPER AWESOME AND PALCED 22ND OUT OF 64 AND 7TH IN OUR DIVISION, AND ALSO GOT A "I" RATING SO THAT WAS COOL. 

Thursday, October 17th

Journal - What makes a presentation memorable? What makes a presentation stand out and not boring? How are you going to make your presentation better than anyone else? How will you make it unique? Explain.

There are many things that can make a presentation memorable. When people project their voice rather than talking in a monotone voice helps to keep attention. Also, having eye contact with the audience and not reading directly off of a screen makes for a good presentation. Being lively and having good visuals helps to grab peoples attention better. Also, it can make it more memorable when the audience has opportunities to get involved. I'm going to make my presentation unique from others by not reading directly off of a screen and making the visuals lively and exciting. Putting in dramatic facts that catches people attention also is something that I think would be good to include. 

Tuesday, October 15th

Journal - What did you learn from the Ted Talk yesterday? Did you find it interesting or accurate? Explain

I havn't watched Ted Talk yet as I wasn't here Monday but it does sound like it was very interesting in the side it took of technology and how it has effected our lives. 

Monday, October 14th

Journal - What do you love about the "digital age" that we currently live in? What do you dislike about it? What are positives ways you use technology in your life? What are some things that come along with technology that you don't like? Explain.

The "digital age" that we live in, I think, makes life easier. I like that you're able to connect with just about anyone you would like and that you can look up almost anything you want or need at your fingertips. This is especially handy in school. It can also be negative because at times people can get fairly lazy. I use technology in a positive way to keep in touch with people all over the country and world. I also use it for news and keeping up to date with current events.  What I don't like about how technology has come along is that if you don't have the most up-to-date device, people judge you. and that's not so cool.

Water Pollution Infographic

Tuesday, October 8th

Journal - Tell me about your Homecoming weekend (whether you went to the activities or not!). Tell me about what you did over the weekend.

I didn't end up going to homecoming this weekend but I did have quite a fun weekend. On Friday, I had to homecoming game, but because of lightning our band director didn't have the band or dance team perform at half time, so I didn't end up doing a whole ton at the game. On Saturday, I had the Blue Springs Marching Festival and had to make up nice and early. We did really well there and got second in 5a, best drum major, best percussion, best music, and best colorguard. We didn't stay for finals though because of homecoming. On Saturday night, I hung out with one of my bestest friends, Jackson. He was home from college for fall break so that was fairly exciting. On Sunday, I went to the Big Biscuit with a few friends and ate plenty of delicious food. And then I had the exciting opportunity of spending the rest of my day working on a very long research paper. Quite a weekend. 

Wednesday, October 2nd

What do you know about infographics? What do you know about them? What are their purpose?

Well, I know nothing about inforgraphics. Therefore I do not know their purpose. But if I could guess, I think that they have something to do with showing information through graphs and other visualizations of sorts. 

Friday, September 27th

Journal - What are you weekend plans?

Well, this weekend I'm working and then hanging out with my friend Christine on Friday night. Aaaand then on Saturday I'm getting my senior pictures taken AND I'M HANGING OUT WITH MADELYN AND WE'RE GONNA GO CRAY CRAY AND EAT PIZZA AND...STUFF. Also, I have plenty of homework to do. And college application essays. So yeah, I'm livin'  a rockin' life this weekend. 

Wednesday, September 25th

Journal - Most students view siting work as 'a pain in the butt'. How do you feel about it? Is it necessary? When is it appropriate to cite work? What's the importance of it?

I'd have to agree that siting work is, in fact, 'a pain in the butt'. But, I do find it a necessary thing to do. It's necessary because if you don't cite where you got all of your information from, it can be considered cheating, especially if you copy word for word from a source. It's appropriate to cite sources in any type of project where you have to do research for information. 

Tuesday, September 24

Journal - What is your favorite book, magazine, or publication? Why?

My favorite book is the Harry Potter Series. As a small child, my older brother decided to traumatize me with the gigantic spiders in the series that appear in the movies. But, as I grew older, I overcame the fear of the giant spiders and read the series. And dang, they are FANTASTIC. and magical. 
I don't really read magazines much, unless they have entertaining pictures to look at. Then I find it enjoyable. 

Monday, September 23rd

Journal - Do you enjoy writing? What kind of writing do you enjoy? Why is writing an essential skill in life? How will you use this skill in the future?

I enjoy writing on occasion, it usually just depends the topic. I don't really enjoy most of the stuff I have to write about in school. It's usually not something that interests me. Writing about what I think the blue curtains in some book really means usually get me more enthused to do anything but write. But when I have the opportunity to write about a topic that grabs my attention or a topic that I'm passionate about, I'm usually more interested in writing. I find it a very interesting way to find new information on a certain time. Writing is also a very important skill in life. It's not like you're never going to have to write again once you get out of high school or college. You will always need basic writing skills. They'll be important in whatever profession you end up going in to. Whether you need to write a resume or write an email to your boss or family member, it is key to know the basics of writing. 

Tuesday, September 17th

Journal - What is creating an outline for a paper important? Do you think it helps you personally? How would you prefer to outline a paper - pen and paper or an online tool? Is there a different way you know if that would prefer to organize your thoughts?

Creating an outline for a paper is important for several reasons. For starters, it helps you to know your main points of your paper. Also, it helps you to be organized with all of you information in front of you. I do think that an outline helps me personally. It helps me write out my thoughts in an organized manner. I prefer to write out my outlines on paper or type them up in world. I never really use any online tools. 

Monday, September 16

Journal - Tell me about your weekend. Where did you go? What did you do?


Well, my weekend didn't involve a whole ton. Friday night I worked and then went to my synoguage for Kol Nidre services with the family. On Saturday, I slept. It was fantastic. I also had the lovely opportunity of having to spend $107 on three new pairs of shoes for dance. Except that it wasn't lovely at all. It actually made me cringe a bit. Also, the Rawitch family moved up in the world with a new side-door fridge. I can't say I've ever been so excited as a fridge before. On Saturday night, one of my best friends dragged me to the One Direction movie that's out. I do not listen to One Direction. I'm not a huge fan of them. Yet I still went. And it was surprisingly somewhat entertaining. On Sunday I had the amazing opportunity of spending my entire day doing homework. Whata blast that was. I know, I live quite the life. 

Wednesday, September 11

Journal - Who do you look up to in life? Why? What have they done to help you or guide you?

There's no one in my life who I really look up to and aspire to be like. As I've grown older I've noticed that those who we thought of as heroes in our childhood are human just like the rest of us, we all have flaws and all make mistakes. But, if I had to choose one person to look up to in my life it would most likely be my mother. While we've had rough times together she is always someone in my life who's been here for me no matter what. She's opened up many opportunities in my life that I wouldn't have if it weren't for her. She's also someone who has been through more than most people growing up and has stayed strong and been a good mother despite all of it. Even though there's not necessarily one person alone I strive to mirror my life after, I'd hope to have the strength in life that my mom does. 

Seat Belt Public Service Announcement

Tuesday, September 3rd

Journal - On Friday we discussed Public Service Announcements. In your own words tell me what they are and what their purpose is. If you could create a PSA what would your topic be? Why?

Public Service Announcements are non-profit ads ran to inform the public about an issue or or idea that is prevalent throughout the community or even country. Some common topics of PSA's seen are ads about drug abuse, drinking, animal abuse, etc. All things that people would rather not like to see in their community. If I was able to create a PSA, I would choose to do one on the topic of animal abuse. Why you might ask? Because the PSA's already out about animal abuse make me sad and make me want to give all of my money away to the poor, sad looking animals, even though I can't. It's a topic that touches millions of peoples lives because they have their own pets and would never dare abuse them and is a cause people throughout the entire world support. 

Friday, August 30th

Journal - What are your hobbies and extra curricular activities? Where do you spend your free time? Tell me three of your favorite things (movies, TV show, magazine, sport, color, etc.)

I'm involved in dance team here at Blue Valley and also take dance several days a week at Legacy School of the Arts. It keeps me plenty busy all of the time as I have dance team every morning plus Thursday nights and Saturday afternoons on top of football games and competitions. I'm also very much involved in the youth group at my Synagogue, Beth Torah and I work. So, with all of this I don't really have much free time. And when I do, it's usually used getting caught up on school work, college applications, sleeping, etc. 
I have plenty of favorite things in my life but I somehow doubt you would like to hear them all. So three of them include that my favorite animal is turtles, specifically sea turtles. My reasoning behind this is that they're always super chill and look so content with life. Also, they're just wonderful in general. Also, I very much enjoy finding new music on a regular basis. If I don't find it, I have plenty of friends who are way in to music and always willing to share their new finds with me. If I'm not extremely busy, I like to search the interwebs for some new tunes. A third favorite of  mine would be that my favorite show is Arrested Development. Sadly, it's only on Netflix. And it's a show the whole world needs to experience. I've already gone through every single episode in all four episodes and can quote it without fail. Overall, the best show ever. 

Who Am I Presentation

Wednesday, August 28th

Journal - What are some qualities of a good presentation? How can you make a boring presentation interesting? Explain.

To give a good presentation, there are many things that come into play. For starters, it helps to sound like you enjoy what you're talking about. If you sound like you hate it, then your audience will probably hate it, too. Also, it's always a smart idea to make eye contact with your audience. Another thing is to never just read off of a screen or poster. You're audience can do all of that by themselves and don't need your help. Just summarize what's the screen or poster and go more into depth in your own words. It makes it much more interesting to look at. To make a boring presentation more interesting, it's good to include visuals. Also, as I said earlier, be sure to just point your main points on your presentation and then speak more in depth in your own words about the topic. On occasion, it can also be fun to get your crowd involved by having them get up and move or voice their own opinions.

Monday, August 26th

Journal - Tell me if you agree with this statement and then explain why or why not. "Images on the internet are 'free game' - if someone posted I should be able to use it."

I agree with this completely! And why is it I agree with this statement? Well, for starters, the internet is not a private little secret for only the privileged to use. It is something that every single person can use and can view basically anything on. If you post a picture, you're putting it out for the world to see. Even if you post it on something that is considered private, there are still ways for people to get it. If you enable only a few people to see something, they can do whatever they please with your picture. They have the ability to save it on their computer and spread it anywhere they would like. If you're posting pictures on the internet, you should be aware that you are not the one and only person who will ever see. As I said earlier, the internet is free game for everyone to use. If you want to keep your photos away from the eyes of the world, then it's best for you to never post them anywhere online. There's always a way to dig them up. 

Friday, August 23rd

Journal - What is the importance of online safety and protecting your information? What do you do to protect yourself online? Share an experience you or someone you know has had with online safety.

There are many reasons as to why online safety and protecting your information is important. For starters, you don't want someone to pose as you. On top of that, you don't want any creepy folks to come after you. Another thing is that people can steal your banking and credit card information and can buy thousands of dollars in stuff as a nice little surprise for you to find out later. To protect myself, I choose to be the bright little person I am and don't share my address just anywhere online. I also don't share any of my banking info anywhere. On top of this, I choose not to respond to the kind people sending me emails asking for my credit card information to help make my life more simple when,  in fact, they are lying. 
An experience I've had with online safety is when I first made a Facebook and didn't have my privacy settings set up to a standard. Because of this, everyone in the whole wide world could see all about the life of Sarah Rawitch. Soon after, strange people from around the country tried to add me on Facebook and I had no connections with them at all. Soon after, I learned that it's a smart idea to use privacy settings. 

Wednesday, August 21st

Journal - Tell me what you know about Web 2.0. List example Web 2.0 sites. Are you on any sites that let you “post” information? What are those sites? How often do you use them? What do you post on them?

Web 2.0 is any site that you can post information on. Some examples of this are Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, MySpace, Wanelo, Instagram, Blogspot, Pintrest, Youtube, Reddit, etc. 
I have a twitter that I never actually get on, also I forgot I had one for quite awhile until someone tweeted me this one time. Also, I have a Facebook. I can post about my all the fascinating things that happen in my life. I can also list things like work information, schools that I've attended, books and movies I enjoy and more. There, I can also look at other people's lives and see what their up to through their profile and pictures. It is also a good tool to keep in touch with people that you don't see on a normal basis and keeps you up to date on events and other such things you need to know about. I probably go and check my Facebook about once a day or so but don't post much on a regular basis. I have a Tumblr that I occasionally get on and post about anything that holds my attention for about .5 seconds and occasionally post things about my life. It's a highly entertaining website. Besides these, I also have a Wanelo account that I get on on occasion to look at clothes that I wish I could actually buy. 

Tuesday, August 20th

Journal - After watching the short clip of Ashton Kutcher's acceptance speech what did you take away from his advice? What does this quote mean to you -"Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you, and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use."

Response-  After watching Ashton Kutcher, or Chris, whatever works, receive his award chosen by the thousands of screaming teenage girls throughout the United States I took away several different things from his speech. The first being that I would rather not be stuck in a room with all of those screaming girls. But besides that, I took away that even though the road to where you want to be someday may be long and exhausting, you’ll get there through many small steps that will eventually lead to the top. I also took away that that not only does getting to where you want to be take plenty of patience, but it also takes the ability to use your mind. You have to be creative and use your intelligence to get where you want to be as it’s the best way to show who it is you really are.

The quote "Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you, and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use" can mean many things to me. One idea about the quote that stands out to me is that if you set your mind to change the world, it’s possible. Everyone is on an even playing ground when it comes to influencing the world and the one’s that work their way up and show that they’re willing to work are the ones that make it far. This quote can go on to say how you don’t have to be the top student in your class to make it far in life, but someone who has the drive to make their dreams become a reality, which is trait that stands out in few.