Blog 16: Independent Component 2 Approval

Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.

• With advice from Mrs. LaRussa I have decided to create a booklet that I can pass out when I do my final presentation. This booklet will cover the very basics of car maintenance with a lot of pictures that can help the audience visualize and maybe relate. This book will cover everything as early as buying the car, as that is a crucial step to obtain a car. the majority however, will be how to perform general replacements and diagnosis. 

Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.

• Writing the content of the book will probably take up the most time. What I feel will take the longest is making diagrams, going out to take pictures, or actually doing a repair to be able to use it as an example in the book.

 Explain how this component will help you explore your topic in more depth.

• This topic will be helpful because I would be able to explain one of my answers better. One of my answers is to use resources you have like this booklet to then yourself decide what you want to do. 

Post a log in your Senior Project Hours link and label it "Independent Component 2" log.

• https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JL8Sx99_TAFKScbWBYbJydHOt9JNlGt6Ni1-uLkj5WU/edit#gid=0

Independent Component 1

Write: “I, Salvador Vargas, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents >30 hours of work.”


Cite your source regarding who or what article or book helped you complete the independent component.

• Angel Rienteria, Works at Ameca Auto Electric, my mentor. 

 Explain what you have completed?

• I have fixed my moms car which has had problems up until this project. 

Defend your work and explain its significance to your project and how it demonstrates 30 hours of work.   Provide evidence (photos, transcript, art work, videos, etc) of the 30 hours of work.  

Here me and Angel were checking a rear brake light that didn't illuminate. 

We checked the lights with this tester. If the tester would tell us if the problem was a blown light or a short somewhere in the way.

Some codes the car was giving off.

Some codes the car was giving off.

Some codes the car was giving off.

This is dirt and leaves that I talked about in my 2nd lesson plan. The problem with the dirt it that it can interfere with any sensor. In this case it would mark that the trunk lid was open when it was shut tight.

This picture still has dirt, but thats as much as I was able to get out It fixed the problem we were having . Also I didn't want to use a wet towel because I could have shorted a circuit.

• My moms car had a a lot of problems. Through out this project I have not only learned how to work on this E53 but also some tricks and tricks I could use later in life. Since my essential question is about maintaining cars I have brought this car back to normal with the help of resources. Some of the resources I used were the internet and my mentor Angel Rienteria. With a combination of these I have brought this car to 100% running condition, and is a safe car that my mom will be able to rely on for a couple of years without touching it majorly.

How did the component help you understand the foundation of your topic better?  Please include specific examples to illustrate this. 

• Working on cars isn't easy and its a skill that comes over time. When I started this presentation I had a belief in which working on a car was simple and easy. However the detail about not being able to find the foundation of the problem was driving me crazy

Lesson 2 Reflection

What are you most proud of in your Lesson 2 Presentation and why?

• I am most proud of the fact that I used experience based research because I feel like it showed my audience a real life application of what I was talking about.

A) What assessment would you give yourself on your Lesson 2 Presentation (self-assessment)?

• I would give myself a P grade

 B) Explain why you deserve that grade using evidence from the Lesson 2 component contract..

• I feel like I deserve a P is because of the examples and ways my activity and props complimented my presentation. I also has a well put presentation with lots of pictures that were relevant but at the same time attention grabbing.

What worked for you in your Lesson 2?

• What worked for me in lesson two was my prop and my slide show, I feel that both really complemented me while performing. 

What didn't work? If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your Lesson 2?

• I would of removed some slides because it was long. Since I was worried about not meeting time, I had too much to talk too. Therefore, I ended up talking really fast to a point were people perhaps got lost. So, my hardship this presentation was time.

What do you think your answer #2 is going to be?

• Using resources like the internet to decide what to do about a problem.

Blog 14: Third Interview Preparation

How can a first time car owner maintain a car?

Who do you plan to interview?  What is this person's area of expertise?

• I plan on interviewing Angel Rienteria. He has experience that only comes with age and working om cars. He has actually repaired my car and the job was well done which. It has left me with out any problems.

What is the date and time of the interview? 

• I have not scheduled an appointment yet for the same reason that I have not seen him. I see him every Friday after school. Last Friday I wasn't able to go but I make sure to make an appointment with him this upcoming Friday. 

Phrase an open-ended question that will help you find research resources that would help to answer the EQ.?

• Where do you think longevity lies. Do you think it lies in the car, the person, the driving conditions, or where does it lay for you. 

Phrase an open-ended question that will help you think about other useful activities you might do to help you answer the EQ

• What do you think I can do to understand how to maintain a car ?

Phrase two open-ended questions that help you to understand your interviewee's perspective on an aspect of your EQ. 

• What can you tell me about your cars.
• Where do you think the line is when it comes to trying to fix a car that's unfix able and buying a new car?

Blog 13: 10 Hour Mentorship Check-In

Where are you doing your mentorship?

• I am doing my mentorship in a shop called Ameca Auto Electric which is located in Sylmar, California.

Who is your contact?  What makes this person an expert?

• My contact is Angel Rienteria. What makes him an expert is a lot of work since he works at an actual shop. Compared to my previous mentor, which wasn't constant work, Angel has shown to match or even surpass my previous mentors knowledge. From the few times I have gone to mentor with him, I have learned how starters and alternates work and was even able to see a truck with ecu problems.

How many  hours have you done during the school year? 

• I did he ten summer hours with my first mentor Jose and I did a few other ones during the school year. Also, I completed another ten with Angel for the first semester requirements.

Succinctly summarize what you did, how well you and your mentor worked together, and how you plan to complete the remaining hours.

• I literally follow him where ever he goes, even during lunch hour, and ask questions which he responds to with no hesitation. We work really well together since we have similar interest we are somewhat alike just with an age barrier. I plan on completing the hours with Angel in his shop because the atmosphere in there is nice and there's always something new for me to see. So far, I have done dissecting of starters and alternators, and I have seen how a simple fuse can prevent a car from stopping.

Blog 12: Holiday Project Update

What did you do over the break with your senior project?

• Since I knew I was going to be absent for break I did my work ahead of time. I went to work with my mentor Angel Reinteria. He has a shop called Ameca Electric buy really works on everything their clients bring in. There I worked five hours for two Fridays. The first Friday Angel put me to disassemble starters and alternators for the sake of learning how they work. They become familiar once you get a glance at them from inside.

What was the most important thing you learned from what you did, and why?  What was the source of what you learned?

• The most important thing I learned it that every car part has their common problems. For example, alternators go bad often, but when they do it is usually the carbon brushes which is a simple fix that mostly no body cares to attempt. 

Your third interview will be a 10 question interview related to possible answers for your EQ. Who do you plan to talk to and why?

• I plan on having them define terms in my EQ because they could open up a door for me that could shift or change my EQ but have a positive effect on my presentation.

Blog 11: Lesson 1 Reflection

What are you most proud of in your lesson, and why?

• I am most proud of the fact that I still had a whole gallery of things to talk about after my presentation was over, I could have easily talked for 20 minutes. This makes me proud because it shows that I had a lot of research done for these couple of months.

What assessment would you give yourself on your lesson? Explain why you earned that grade using evidence from the component contract.

• As for myself I deserve a P. My presentation wasn't the most glamorous but it wasn't the weakest either. I feel like I nailed the all of the P requirements because I was speaking loud enough, using adequate gestures, eye contact, using diagrams, mentioned my mentor, and even mentioned a couple of sources.

 If you could go back, what would you change about your lesson?  How can you use that knowledge to give a better Lesson 2? 

•  If I could go back I would rearrange my content. For example I would take away the talk I did about how engines work and add something more valuable like why its important to let your car warm up in the mornings.