It was incredible the interest they showed towards the Academy, continuously asking several questions about our independent projects and the process we have followed since the beginning of the school year. We had a long talk where we basically explained the most important steps to be successful with project based learning. One of the students wanted to have more interaction regarding their class in Guadalajara and the Innovation Academy, so that we could make sure that our independent projects were succeeding. Reflecting as a group before we answered that questions, we said that it would be great for them to check out our blogs constantly and explore all about our projects and what we learn daily. It could be amazing for them to have blogs as well, so that we in Lima, can give them feedback about what they are doing. Since this program is also new in Guadalajara I believe it would be a great experience for us to keep contact every once a while and share our new adventures as we go through the Innovation Academy.
What a great opportunity we had, a google hangout with kids form a school in Guadalajara, who have chosen to take a class based on the idea of the Innovation Academy. It was incredible the interest they showed towards the Academy, continuously asking several questions about our independent projects and the process we have followed since the beginning of the school year. We had a long talk where we basically explained the most important steps to be successful with project based learning. One of the students wanted to have more interaction regarding their class in Guadalajara and the Innovation Academy, so that we could make sure that our independent projects were succeeding. Reflecting as a group before we answered that questions, we said that it would be great for them to check out our blogs constantly and explore all about our projects and what we learn daily. It could be amazing for them to have blogs as well, so that we in Lima, can give them feedback about what they are doing. Since this program is also new in Guadalajara I believe it would be a great experience for us to keep contact every once a while and share our new adventures as we go through the Innovation Academy. As a whole we learned a lot through the talk, especially deducing that most of us need to work in communication skills. Now a days the media of Skype or Google Hangout is extremely important, because it is one of the easiest way to communicate with anyone around the world. We should be practicing this skill every once a while because it is crucial in such a competitive world. As for me, I need to improve in having a clearer communication and expressing my ideas better for others to understand what I say. It all takes practice, and for being our first virtual talk we did a great job.
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Fanny Alva, is the creator of Sweet Fann, a cupcake virtual store in Lima, Peru that bases their products in innovation. Currently they have developed a moist and amazing Burger Cupcake, which we had the opportunity to try. The interpretation of this product was mind twisting, not only because it seemed as an actual hamburger, but the taste was impeccable.
She was able to come to school, and brought with her the summer, lovely, burger and red velvet cupcakes for all of us to try, they where MARVELOUS. The visit was magical, and not only we enjoyed having a talk about cupcakes, but also learned the vital steps to succeed ina business, and the process of its creation. "I was about to quit, but then I said to myself, this is my dream, I've always wanted to be a chef, and so I started again with patience". She said For Fanny, entrepreneurship is extremely important, because by herself she has been able to make this business successful, which I admire. Not only she has developed a greater passion for cupcakes but also has created perfect ideals to have customers and grow the business throughout the years. When you want something, it needs to be something you like, create because you want to not because it will benefit you. Focus on what you like, on your passion, even in moments where you feel like heading back and quitting, there is a time where you notice that what you do is part of your soul not an obligation. After reflecting on my blogs I noticed that many of them are tons of information about what I did and not what I learned, or vise versa. I've learned today thanks to the videos of Ira Glass that in order for you to keep on reading this post I need to combine two extremely important factors ANECDOTES AND REFLECTIONS. Anecdote: So.. watching four amazing videos that taught us the vital keys to succeed in story telling was the heat of todays lesson. Being engaged by four videos filmed in the same location with only one person talking, is usually hard to follow, yet Ira Glass was experienced enough as to convince me that there are only two meaningful points you need to follow to have an outstanding story. Reflection: I believe that having a clear idea of what you want from the beginning to end is the only way you can have an engaging and powerful story because it allows you to understand that the beginning needs to match with the end. In other words you can not only tell a bunch of events throughout your lifetime, you should explicit your thought and actually expand your reflection in learning to your audience.
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Field trips might seem boring, but what if I told you they were to learn about innovation? After attending two presentations, one in Innova Schools with the General Manager Jorge Chessman and the other in Interbank with the leader of the innovation committee, Chantal Le Bienvenu Velaochaga, I collected several pieces of information that I found useful for future projects. The presentation at interbank was really exciting and I learned a variety of steps you need to follow in order to succeed. FIrst, I noticed that as a group they always tried, constantly finding solutions for their clients but always following vital steps: investigation through surveys, pictures, comments, prototypes and interviews, followed by designing all the store and the new objects included. Another point that stood out, was how all the new products they created for INTERBANK EXPLORA such as the coffee, couches, and kindness of workers, was meant to satisfy others, the clients, but always keeping the mentality that it all returns to them as a benefit. I noticed that Chantal was really confident about the changes she had made, due to the hard work of keep trying new products adjusting them if they didn't work at first, but definitively would work after. In fact all the ideas that where proposed throughout the creation process, where amazingly thought through, and developed in precise detail, which gave them the result of having happy customers because they felt as if being at home, a cozy environment, and a pleasant place to wait. I was really surprised by this presentation, especially by the hard work behind it. I believe that as a innovative group they definitely succeeded, and it is amazing how they have future plans of implementing this same ideas in other locals.
Learning how to use the camera was crucial for the interviews conducted about the Innovation Academy. At first I only managed the camera in the automatic function, and I had no idea how light worked and the importance of it for a good shot. In a camera, ISO is always the first function you need to check, which is basically used to darken or clear the image. The limitation of using a high ISO is the grain of the image once in the computer. In other words the higher the ISO the worst the shot, that's why having the ISO in 100 is always the best because less light is needed. You could also use the wheel beside the shooting button, giving more light when spinning to the left and less light when spinning to the right (Shutter Speed). Finally, with the same wheel you could also increase or decrease the light but clicking at the same time the zoom in button (Aperture). This were all the techniques I learned when managing the camera in manual, which I applied throughout the whole filming time. While filming of interviews I noticed a really important factor when being the person being interviewed. At the beginning the people who were going to be interviewed were trying to memorize what they had written down, however when being in front of the camera this didn't work, it didn't look natural, and everyone confused in some point. When this happened we simply changed everything, we began making a lot of questions and interacting as in a real interview. Instead of having a planned answer you had to think about it while being filmed, and it looked real because it was a true opinion of the moment. THE RELEASE OF OUR FIRST VIDEO... STORY TIME! Discovering TRELLO saved the Innovation Academy. TRELLO is a new program developed to help everyone with organization. Basically it allows you to separate events and ideas through the boards section. You can create aboard for every little thing you want so that it creates an agenda. Once you create a new bard, you can add different people for them to see what you are doing, and they can also edit anything they want.
This is very helpful for the Innovation Academy especially because it allows us to organize ourselves being connected at the same time. For instance, we use it as an Agenda, were we all have access to it, and we are able to plan what we will do next day. We have it separated in different days so for Mondays we do a certain thing, Wednesdays another, and Thursdays as well. We have created 8 boards, and another one which we use frequently is THE BREAK. In the break we separate the articles by ideas, stories in progress, stories ready to be edited, and stories ready to be published. This helps the entire group organize better and it is a vital key for everyone to understand what we are doing. If you want tot organize yourself, I highly recommend that you create an account in TRELLO as soon as possible. I will give you lots of benefits and no limitations!.
FIrst time publishing as a class!. After being assigned different sections to write about: People, Life, Sports and What's hot, we finally brought all of our articles together and edited them to publish them in THE BREAK. I was in charge together with Daniela Delgado to interview one of the best culinary masters in Peru, Gaston Acurio. We interview him via email, were we sent him eight solid questions about entrepreneurship, his restaurants and visions. Through the answers of Gaston, I understood the process of creation for a restaurant, and how the actual system works. The responses of Gaston were fantastic due to the honesty and dedication he showed when answering with personal experiences each question. A lesson from the interview I formulated was that many people think that being a cook is easy work, but once you become part of the gastronomical life you need to dedicate a lot of your time, because when people are having fun you cook for them, and you need to be extremely dedicated and be sure that cuisine is what you really want. Apart from this according to his advice, in order to be an entrepreneur in the future: " Be extremely curious, be a perfectionist, understand what surrounds you, explore and prepare constantly; there’s going to be a moment where your voice will tell you: “I’m ready”. But for this, you need to explore your likes and passions every day". You can check out the article we published in THE BREAK, and be ready to become an entrepreneur through his recommendations:
Leaving aside the article published, I learned a really important lesson. When you work as a team you need to be 200% committed, because if you don't follow the requirements and the dead lines you then prejudice others, causing them not to finish their work on time. This is exactly what happened when working with THE BREAK. As a team we were punctual and the articles where given to the editors on time for them to publish all in the website. Yet, if the articles would have NOT been given to the editors we would have failed our job as writers because the news page wouldn't have had articles for people to read.
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Barbara AveggioCurrently a Junior at the American School of Lima. "The essential part of creativity is not being afraid to fail" Archives
June 2015
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