Final Thoughts

 Final Thoughts Presentation link: https://tcu.box.com/s/i4gkmhp9c6hc3k5hbempkpyrsr1ysglk

Final Presentation

Emily Dillon, Abby Sellers, Brianna Ross, Jack O’Neill

For our final project, we completed a video project in which we outlined our four key takeaways

from the semester as a whole. To structure this project, we used a combination of voice overs, key            quotes, and photographs that we believe visually depict the stories and experiences that we are

sharing. We decided to make our project photograph oriented because nature photography has been

a key theme for each of us throughout this semester, as it has been a component that has allowed us

to better connect with nature. Additionally, photography has challenged us to capture different

perspectives, such as choosing to focus on one tiny bee rather than an entire garden. We believe

that our photography shows how our perspectives have changed this semester, so that in

combination with other photographs depicting the quotes and authors we are referencing is the

most powerful way for us to get our message across. 

Our four key takeaways from this semester include: Re-evaluating our relationship with nature,

gaining a better understanding of our role in environmental issues, understanding that there are

different ways to view nature, and acknowledging that all of life is united and connected. These

takeaways were identified through reflecting and synthesizing our semester experiences to identify

the most significant lessons we learned that we will carry with us long past this course. Additionally,

we also referenced the course outcomes when identifying these takeaways to ensure they were the

most relevant learning experiences from the course. For example, we have gained a great

understanding of current and historic environmental issues and movements, which we referenced

in our video through our discussion on transcendentalism, conservation v. preservation, and

Standing Bear v. Lewis. Additionally, throughout our takeaways we synthesized information from the

variety of authors and genres that we learned about this semester, analyzing their similarities and

differences to connect the common takeaways that we could learn from all of them. Lastly, we also

referenced our personal outdoor experiences and observations and the roles they played in our

learning, such as in discussing the bison roundup, walking, and canoe trip experiences. 

Overall, we are confident that these four key takeaways encompass the most relevant learnings we

had this semester, and show a thorough completion of the course outcomes. We all had an incredible

experience connecting with our fellow classmates through our nature opportunities, and are excited

to carry forward these learnings and new perspectives on nature going forward. Thank you for

watching our video and for an amazing semester!