My Findings and Final Thoughts

          The genius hour project has come to an end; and it was quite an exciting journey. I chose this topic since it was a great relatable topic to not only myself, but also all individuals. Since Canada is becoming more and more multicultural, learning about new cultures and languages is a great way to expand the knowledge one has about the world. 

          Overall, we can all note that one’s heritage plays a large role in comprising one’s identity. Heritage allows an individual to view their history in a different light. Whether it’s through family recipes, the language or languages that are spoken, pieces of artwork, architecture, or the beliefs that people have in correlation with their traditions and/or religion, everyone has a story to tell. In my opinion, I believe that this is an important task to pass on this story from generation to generation. As time passes, small aspects will be lost but it should be up to each generation to make an attempt to pass on their rich heritage in order for generations of people to benefit and attain a lifetime of knowledge.

          I believe that my next step, to further develop this project, is to introduce the the concept into the classroom. This is a topic that can be relatable to everyone. Therefore, I believe that, if given the chance, students will tremendously succeed in finding new and interesting facts about themselves and their peers. This is a great way in which students may get to know a new culture, language, traditions, etc. that they may have no known before. Searching for an answer is a great activity to promote an engaging an active learning environment. It should be a fun learning experience; and as educators, we want to promote a safe and comfortable learning environment for the students. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog posts and happy learning!

Extending Knowledge

          This week has been greatly informative for my genius hour project. My goal for this week is to further investigate more resources that could help myself better understand various outlets people may take in order to ensure the livelihood of their heritage.  

         So far through various sites and resources, such as Pinterest, I have developed a general idea of some of the main components of heritage. In addition, it is also evident that I have a general idea of different outlets that people may use to keep their heritage alive over generations of individuals. These outlets include: language, art, architecture, cuisine, beliefs, values and customs. To further expand my knowledge, I wanted to find more sources that would help these outlets to be reinforced.

          One source I found is on a website called Ancestry.ca; here is the link to the site http://ancstry.me/2em1aH8. This site is a great opportunity for individuals to trace their family's lineage in order to figure out exactly where you came from. We see many commercials for this site on the television during our primetime shows. It has a strong presence through this daily recurrence during television shows. The site provides a great outlet that individual's may use in order to continue learning new interesting aspects about their lives. 

Glendale California. Ancestry Library Edition. 2016. Online Image. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/1nAZBD2

          In short, I have learned there are many ways in which people can keep their heritage alive. Learning about the different components of heritage is very important. We must all strive to continue along in this educational learning in order to better our own understanding of our culture; which will help in the development of one' identity. 

          For next week: I hope to obtain a good grasp on this interesting genius hour question and I cannot wait to report back on my findings. 

The Quest Begins...

          This week, I began to research aspects of my genius hour question. Just to reiterate, my genius hour question focuses on how individuals attempt to keep their heritage alive. One's heritage serves as a great portion of his or her own identity. Each individual has their own experiences which help to construct their identity. Therefore, my main objective is find out what type of experiences or activities do people use in order to preserve this important aspect of their life.

         The first task  I completed this week was obtaining a thorough definition of what heritage actually is. According to the Oxford dictionary, heritage is described as art, architecture, traditions, and beliefs that a society considers important to its history and culture; a manner in which to describe or connect to one's identity. However, this connection to one's heritage is not an immediate development. The process is gradual; over a period of time. The following link leads to a great website that helps to explain the concept of culture and heritage. The link also provides supplementary sources from which one is able to further research the concept. 

http://www.cultivatingculture.com/2013/04/05/the-importance-of-cultural-heritage/

         One of the supplementary sources I explored was a Pinterest page. I found this source to be a great visual way to express how people view culture. In this case, the focus of this Pinterest page surrounded the importance of art in order to express culture. There were many boards on this page separating the different forms of art and the various places one can find art; such as in museums. Here is a link below to this innovative resource:

https://www.pinterest.com/cultivatingc/

          Overall, art and technology have proven to be great ways in which the transmission of heritage can be done through generations.  I believe that through continued research I'll be able to find more ways in which this transmission can be done. 

Cultivating Culture. The Importance of Cultural Heritage. 2013. Heritage Cycle [Online Image]. Retrieved from http://www.cultivatingculture.com/2013/04/05/the-importance-of-cultural-heritage/