The Impact Changemakers had on America (Post #2)

Dylan Revollo (Group 2) Post #2

Blog #2

Every presentation was amazing and enjoyable to watch. I could tell how much research and effort each person put into this project by seeing their slides and the way they spoke. I liked how everyone had different styles when presenting, which could be of use in the future. I was nervous at first when this project was mentioned, but as I was researching and became more knowledgeable, I grew more confident that when I needed to present, I wasn’t nervous anymore. Each of these presentations helped me understand the changemakers that made an impact on America.

Group 4 was the one that presented first since they had the constitution authors, allowing me to learn more about our democracy and founding fathers. Rosniel was the first in the group to go, and I liked how he added a brief introduction on how a group of leaders built a nation from nothing with the making of the United States Constitution, which still follows their vision today. The quote he used was very thought-provoking, and the way he explained the U.S. Constitution was simple to follow. His changemaker was George Washington, and he explained how he had an impact on American democracy by saying that he was the first president of the United States, helped create the U.S. Constitution, set standards for future presidents, and advocated for a unified national military and stronger executive branch. I loved how his slides had points that were short and concise with pictures as well. He spoke very well by expanding from the points on the slides. The next one to go was Yubisleidy, and she had the same changemaker, so she expanded further. Her slides were amazing, and she spoke with confidence while explaining each of her points. Sebastian went next, and his changemaker was Benjamin Franklin, and talked about how he helped prevent the Constitutional Convention from collapsing, strengthened unity among the states, promoted compromise as a foundation of democracy, and increased public trust in the Constitution. The slides were easy to follow with clear points, and he spoke with confidence, showing that he was knowledgeable in his changemaker by talking more than what the points said. Sofia was next, and her changemaker was Alexander Hamilton, who was one of the Founding Fathers; the nation’s first Secretary of the Treasury; helped establish the country’s financial system and national bank; and was the author of the Federalist Papers that argued for the ratification of the Constitution. Her slides were easy to follow, and she was able to expand further on the points, allowing me to understand the impact Alexander Hamilton had on America better, and the video she had was interesting. Yordanis was the last person in the group to go, and his changemaker was James Madison, who was known as the Father of the Constitution, the architect of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights; influenced American ideas about checks and balances and federalism; and had a role in shaping the government of America. His slides were good, and he was able to communicate his points clearly; however, I believe he can improve by talking beyond the points on the slide. Everyone in group 4 did an amazing job explaining the importance of their changemaker, which made everything easier to understand.

Group 3 had to present changemakers from the 1800s. Roger was the first in the group to present, and his changemaker was John D. Rockefeller, who founded the Standard Oil Company, influenced the 1911 Sherman Antitrust Act, and forced the government to instill laws that prevented full control of power in set sale. His slides could be better with more pictures to make each slide more appealing, and he should stop writing paragraphs onto the slides and make short and clear points. Also, he shouldn’t read off the slides too much and instead try to expand further from his points. The next one to go is Roberto, and his changemaker was Nikola Tesla, who laid the foundation for communication and modern technology, created AC electricity and the Tesla Coil, and made electricity safer and cheaper. His slides were remarkable, and he was able to speak with confidence, showing how thoroughly he researched his changemaker. Ginan was the next one, and her changemaker was Jane Addams, who contributed to the creation of child labor laws, improved the working conditions for women, and helped develop the first juvenile court system. Her slides made everything easy to understand, and she was able to expand on her points clearly. Julian was the next, one to present and his changemaker was Thomas Edison, who helped modernize urban infrastructure, expand access to electric lighting, and advanced motion picture technology. His slides were incredible, and he can improve by reading less off the slides and talking beyond each of his points. Guiliana presented next, and her changemaker was Harriet Jacobs, who gave a voice to enslaved women, exposed the cruelty of slavery, and influenced the abolition movement. Her slides were simple to follow, and she spoke clearly, showing that she knew her topic. Milca presented next, and her changemaker was Harriet Tubman, who fought for women’s voting rights, freed many slaves, and opened a home for elderly African Americans. Her slides were interesting to follow, and a way she could improve her speech would be by speaking with more confidence. Irene was the last one to go, and her changemaker was Abraham Lincoln, who issued the Emancipation Proclamation, supported the 13^th Amendment, and signed the Homestead Act. Her slides were nice and easy to understand, and she spoke clearly. Everyone in group 3 did a fantastic job, and it made me learn new things about those changemakers.

Group 1 had to present changemakers from the 1900s. Alain was the first to present, and his changemaker was Susan B. Anthony, who co-founded the National Woman Suffrage Association, gave speeches advocating for voting rights, and helped lead to the passage of the 19^th Amendment. His slides were good, and he can improve his speeches by being more confident and explaining his points further than what’s on the slides. The one to present was Aliyah, and her changemaker was Paul McCartney, who was in the Beatles when it was formed, made music that inspired people, advocated for animal rights, and was involved in environmental conservation efforts. Her slides were simple, which made it easier to understand, and she could improve her speech by talking about more details instead of just reading the slides. Amanda was the next to present, and her changemaker was Martin Luther King Jr., who influenced the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, influenced the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, inspired global human rights movements, and advocated for nonviolent activism. Her slides were amazing, and her speech showed her confidence from the way she was speaking clearly. Alexa presented next, and her changemaker was Rosa Parks, who started the Montgomery Bus Boycott, helped end bus segregation, and helped strengthen civil rights laws. Her slides made the information easier to digest with the short and concise points. Her speech was amazing because she fleshed out each point with confidence. Kevin presented next, and his changemaker was Rachel Carson, who influenced the government to establish the EPA and ban DDT, forced companies to prove safety before selling, and helped save the Bald Eagle population from going extinct. His slides were incredible, and his speech was good as well because he was able to elaborate more on his points. Aiva presented next, and her changemaker was Edward Kennedy Ellington, who revolutionized jazz, used his music to support the struggle for racial justice, and refused to play at venues with segregated audiences. Her slides were easy to understand, and her speech could improve if she could go into detail about each of her points. Adrian was the last one to present, and his changemaker was Frank Church, who reshaped U.S. intelligence oversight, influenced the creation of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and played one of the key roles that led to legislation introducing judicial checks on surveillance. His slides were good, but he can improve them by having pictures in them, and his speech was amazing. Everyone in group 1 did a phenomenal job with their presentation, which allowed me to understand the impact these changemakers had on America.

Group 2 was the last one to present changemakers from the 2000s to the present time. I was the first one to present, and my changemaker was Steve Jobs, who created the iPhone, revolutionized communication, and influenced cybersecurity and encryption policies. I tried making my points short and concise while making them easy to understand for the classmates looking at my slides. I think at the beginning of my speech I was elaborating on each of my points, but near the end I started to read off the slides, so a way to improve would be to go into detail through my presentation and be more confident. Ariana was the next one to present, and her changemaker was Dr. Anthony Fauci, who was an American physician-scientist, director of the National Institute of Allergy, helped shape policies about mask use and social distancing, and helped distribute vaccines for Covid-19. Her slides were clear and easy to follow. Her speech was good because she expanded from her points and spoke with confidence. Dayana presented next, and her changemaker was Michelle Obama, who created policies for nutrition and physical activities, helped turn social issues into long-term public action, and encouraged students to pursue education and to vote. Her slides were simple to follow with clear points, and her speech was good, but she could improve by fleshing out her points. Ashley presented next, and her changemaker was Edward Snowden, who was an NSA contractor and whistleblower, influenced companies to strengthen user protections, and spread awareness about digital privacy. Her slides had short and clear points, making it easy to understand, and her speech was amazing, with her going into detail with each of her points. Amber was the next one to present, and her changemaker was Betsy DeVos, who was the U.S. Secretary of Education, advocated for parents having more control over their child’s education, and pushed for shifts in how education funding is distributed. Her slides were incredible, and her speech was good since she spoke with confidence. Dayjuan presented next, and his changemaker was President George W. Bush, who established the USA Patriot Act, created the Department of Homeland Security, and made the No Child Left Behind Act. His slides had clear and concise points, which made it easy to understand, and his speech was good. Amy was the last one to go, and her changemaker was Mark Zuckerberg, who is the founder of Facebook, transformed social media, and influenced global information sharing. Her slides were simple and easy to follow, and her speech was amazing since she elaborated on her points. Everyone in my group did an incredible job with their sections in the presentation, and I believe our classmates were able to learn new things.

Overall, I enjoyed watching everyone’s presentation because it gave me new ways to improve myself in future presentations. I still need to work on my confidence when speaking in front of people and having my speech flow better the entire time. I believe that I improved from the last time we presented by making my slides more organized and even having a video to help my classmates understand my changemaker better. I have grown fonder of this class and its presentations, which is slowly making presenting into something that is fun to do. Hopefully, I can still improve and become a better presenter by the end of this class.