This file can be downloaded here.
2022 Reflection Essay
Thomas Montgomery
American Academy of Innovation
2022/05/11
My name is Thomas Montgomery; I am a Junior at the American Academy of Innovation. Our school offers a wide variety of unique and interesting classes. I have selected some coursework from these classes which I will share later in this essay. In addition, I have some exciting news regarding a personal project. Over the past year, I have learned parts of the Japanese language. In this essay, I would like to share my progress in both school as well as this project.
This year in school, I learned a great many things. I was able to use my personal computer to take notes, which were a great aid to me. I love using computers to do things, and so was able to enjoy my classes which dealt with computer and technology related subjects. Such classes include Gaming Development and Business Office Specialist, but use of technology was able to help in a general academic environment as well. I learn best when the topic manages to catch my attention enough that I want to learn more and put time and effort into the subject.
To show off some of what I have learned in class this year, I have chosen a selection of assignments (“Artifacts”) to shed light on in this essay. Due to space constraints, I will only be sharing two; however, the remaining Artifacts can be found on my Capstone Portfolio webpage at https://aai.ambiencetown.com. The first Artifact I would like to share is a short story written I have written for my Language Arts class. This story is in the form of a PowerPoint presentation and chronicles the adventures of an unnamed hero and their adventure in the land of Fantajia after a religious group known as Exodus attacked. The second Artifact I would like to share is regarding a sewing pattern I have been working on, inspired by the game Sky: Children of the Light. This pattern is used to create a cape. The current revision is an Adobe Illustrator file that can be adjusted to any scale as needed; however, it is likely that there will be future revisions which may take other forms. All the files mentioned in this paragraph are available on my Capstone Portfolio website.
At the American Academy of Innovation, students are required to complete a personal project for educational purposes. For the 2021-2022 school year, I have chosen to begin learning the Japanese language. I believe that learning a second language will help expand my worldview. A lot of the media I consume is in the Japanese (such as music and television), therefore it seemed like the obvious choice. I know hundreds of words as well as common greetings and how to read dates and times. My ability to understand Japanese is severely limited due to my small vocabulary. My vocabulary is constantly expanding. This is in part due to exposure to new vocabulary, but I learn most new vocabulary through the website WaniKani, which I have been using as a study resource. WaniKani is split into sixty levels, each containing new vocabulary. I have completed six of these levels. More information can be found on their website at https://www.wanikani.com/.
In the end, this school year was very educational. I was able to work on many new exciting and creative projects. Next year, I hope to continue working on more exciting projects where I can continue learning. I hope to continue learning Japanese so that I may enjoy more of the world. As the future continues into the present, I continue to grow and create. As this school year becomes the next, I will continue to learn and create.