TEDxCL Reflection

Above is a TEDxCL Talk that reviews the benefits of reading and why it is cool! 

What I Knew (And didn't know about my topic when I started out). 
I knew a lot about this project when I started since I had done a twitter campaign covering most of the material already. What I did not know was some of the stuff that I found out about why people did not like to read. I also found some of the statistics that showed why people did not read very interesting and made the project really fun to do.

Why I Selected This Topic 
I chose this topic because I was very interested in some of the benefits I would receive if I did read more. I also chose this topic because I knew that I would have some fun while I was doing the project because it involved things that could directly affect me if I put in the work.

What I learned--Research 
I think that the most rewarding part of the research process was all of the facts that I learned about reading and the amount of information I gained throughout the process. The most frustrating part about the process was the fact that although I did a bunch of research, I still felt a but unprepared when I was presenting in front of people. I would advise not only practicing some of the facts you need to know but also practicing the actual presentation of the facts and information.
I found most of my information on websites. Mostly those that had information about studies that had been conducted with statistical outcomes. I also had some personal experience for some of the points.
My favorite source was myself. I like having some general information that I have acquired in the past and was really happy to be able to infuse some of my personal experiences into the talk.
I learned a lot through this project. Some of the most memorable things were that "1 in every 5 middle school students think 'Reading is not cool'"(smothering). I also learned that "Reading is proven to reduce your chances of getting Alzheimer's Disease" (Leakly) and that " 2/3 of children that can not read proficiently but the end of 4th grade will end up in jail or on welfare" (USfocus)
My work ethic was good but could have been better. I did spend a lot of time on this project but did not really take advantage of the class time that Mr. Davidson gave us. I think that if I did take advantage of that class time then I would have have a slightly better project, but overall I think the differences would be very minimal since I spent so much time out of class for this project.

What I learned--Presentations 
I mostly learned that when you are going to give a presentation, you should definitely practice the presentation in front of a mirror or a friend. Knowing the facts is simply not good enough since you have to present them in a way which is entertaining and grabbing the viewers attention.
This was my biggest problem because I feel that I did not rehearse enough vocally. I practiced in my head a lot but that did not completely work.
I think my presentation was okay but the execution could have been better. Also my fidgeting needed to stop. I tried my best for how much I practiced and feel good about my performance.
I really need to work on fidgeting and having a point ready after another when I am speaking so I don't get these blank spaces in my presentation. Also, transitions.

Advice for future Students
REHEARSE REHEARSE REHEARSE
Make sure you practice your Ted Talk out loud either in front of a mirror or a friend. If you don't have anyone to practice with you can also try recording yourself with a camera and watching it over so that you know some of the physical attributes you need to change for the actual performance.