Project Sharing and Reflection

This post will share my final exhibition on the project and reflect on the Genius Hour process as a whole in two parts-- project sharing and reflection. 

PROJECT SHARING

Visuals: 

The completed trifold

Title of the project

Presented macarons

3 interesting things I learned:

• I learned how to fix my mistakes in each trial by researching and testing each variable.
• I learned that when making anything (in this case macarons), you will get better results the more you practice.
• I learned how to confidently present my work in front of peers.

3 challenges I faced:

• Persevering through each baking trial with time and effort, sometimes more than I wanted to handle.
• Cleaning the kitchen after each test. 
• Finding the right method that made me more confident in trying over and over to get a successful bake, whether it was more research, a different approach, or even a different recipe. 

REFLECTION

     The Genius Hour experience for me was a great learning experience for myself as a person, student, and baker. There were highs and lows throughout the entirety of the project and I learned a lot about perseverance and overcoming any stereotypes and fears that came my way. My exhibit went a lot easier and stress-free than I had thought it would. I had expected a much bigger audience and a lot more formal presentation, but it turned out to be not as complicated. However, I had kind of procrastinated on the speech, so it wasn't as long as I would have liked and I had leftover time during each presentation. I saw that some students, when they had extra time, had a list of interesting facts or games to wrap up their presentation. Next time I would probably like to have a backup, or plan my speech a lot further in advance.
     Over the past six months, I was able to push myself in ways I wouldn't normally have. Leaving behind this project and my amazing Language Arts class will be slightly nostalgic for me but I am glad that I could have experienced what I did. Overall, the Genius Hour project was a lot of fun and not only tested my skills in the kitchen, classroom, and the real world, but helped improve them. 

Trial #4 LAST ONE!!

Recipe(s) used:
     Macaron: Rosanna Pansino
     Filling: Strawberry Buttercream
     Would I use it again?: Yes
What I changed: Changed nothing from previous trial.
Successes: Macarons were completely successful and looked, tasted, and baked as they should. 
Fails: Some macarons were unevenly piped.
What I would change: Be more precise when presenting the macarons at our expedition, try out different colors and flavors of macarons. 

Trial #3

Recipe(s) used:
     Macaron: Rosanna Pansino
     Filling: Regular Buttercream
     Would I use it again?: Yes
What I changed: Kept oven temperature at 300℉, after researching that higher temperatures will help prevent hollow cookies rather than lower. I also use parchment paper instead of silicon mats to help distribute heat more evenly.
Successes: Macarons looked more like they were supposed to. The rise was normal.
     Why: I did more research on hollow macarons. I think the broader my knowledge of the technique the more I will know what to fix.
Fails: Macarons were slightly overcooked. Also, some were slightly  hollow but not extremely.
     Why: I wasn't watching each batch close enough. I still have no idea why some were hollow, but I think it may have to do with the macoranage. (Folding of meringue and dry ingredients.)
What I would change: Do more research on macoranage to see if that is the cause of the problem.

Some macarons were more hollow than others. 

Trial #2

Recipe(s) used:
     Macaron: Rosanna Pansino
     Filling: Honey butter custard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JeTgZGt-p8
     Would I use it again?: Yes
What I changed: Lowered oven temperature from 300 to 280℉.
Successes: Macarons tasted better, looked better, and were more consistent in size.
     Why: I think the more practice I have the better results I will get each time, being more and more comfortable with the technique.
Fails: Macarons were STILL hollow.
     Why: The temperature still might have been too high.
What I would change: Lower temperature to 250℉?

Hollow- Rise was still too high.

TED Talks

This week we analyzed a few TED talks and reviewed characteristics of one to prepare for our own speeches we will have when presenting our Courage Project.

What are the five qualities of a great presenter?

1. Confident
2. Organized
3. Authentic
4. Generous
5. Engaging

What are five quick tips?

1. Let your passion show
2. Make the audience laugh
3. Optimize your slides
4. Use powerful visuals
5. Simplify your message

What are your strengths as a presenter?

My strengths are writing the speech beforehand because I am confident in writing well and thoroughly.

What do you think will be challenging when you do your TED Talk during the Exhibition?

I think that talking at the right speed and being confident in my presentation will be challenging for me.

What are you going to do to overcome these challenges?

To overcome these challenges I will probably have to rehearse my talk a lot to become comfortable in front of an actual audience. This way I can focus less on the words and more on connecting with the people I'm presenting to.

Trial #1

Recipe(s) used:
     Macaron: Rosanna Pansino
     Filling: Regular buttercream
     Would I use it again?: Yes
Successes: Macaron formed a skin before baking, rose and got feet in the oven. I was able to present a finished cookie.
     Why: I was more comfortable with the technique after more research and I used a recipe that I trusted.
Fails: Macarons were hollow, feet exploded, some were different sizes, different batches under cooked/under baked.
     Why: I think the macarons were hollow because the oven temperature was too high, causing them to cook too fast and the batter to explode through the feet.  I also could have been more precise with piping the cookies and baking times.
What I would change: Lowering oven temperature, keeping size and baking time consistent.
     How: Research more on hollow macarons and exercise more precision.

 
                                                                                                      
                                       Hollow cookies                       Feet rose too high        

Uneven sizes

                     

Citations

My favorite website to use for citing sources is citation machine. I've been using it since elementary school and am comfortable navigating through the site. As part of the research component of our courage project, I am citing the three sources I used.