Kevin Fortin

CAD Drawing:

This draft is a working drawing for a machinery part with multiple dimensions. These multiple dimensions need to all be displayed in a simple way so a metal crafter can properly make the component. The program I used to make this drawing is Auto Computer Aided Drafting; I have come to use this program in multiple ways including designing a press for Unlikely Futures. Without improving my skills and knowledge in this program I would have never been able to develop the press for my skateboards.

Improvement in Skills and Knowledge-  In the beginning of the course there was no chance I could have created this complex of a technical drawing, but through gathering knowledge of the program I tremendously improved my skills. 

Organization and Analysis of Data-  Without organizing what needs to be created the finished drawing could take much longer than it really should. To be able to discern what needs to be completed in which order I had to analyze what was asked of me to draw.

Contemporary Issues Cartoon:

This cartoon was a way of showing our current understanding of the topics we learned in our contemporary issues class. This picture incorporates our learning of our rights such as the second amendment; The right to bear arms. The elephant, representing the republicans, shows the thought of an AR 15; a controversial weapon at this point in time. Next the caption "Always use protection" is a play on what a republican would really say seeing as they are against abortions and such. Next we have the liberal donkey somewhat sneaking into frame, with the thought of a drone in his mind over the recent controversy of how these drones are being used. This also plays into the rights of privacy and cruel and unusual punishment, but there is still so much controversy in that area it is hard to define what they are actually infringing on, unless you take it case by case.

Respect for Individual Differences- This displays my respect for individual differences in the real world. It depicts each side of an issue without revealing my opinion of what is going on. I could even say I am respecting both of their differences from me.

Responsible Citizenship- I am being a responsible citizen by staying up to date with what is going on outside of my little bubble and recognizing that it exists. 

Effective Communication- Communication being displayed includes a humorous edge on an actual problem. Although this is truly an issue in today’s society it is always good to take a step back and think about what is actually happening. This cartoon allows me to display my take on current issues to anyone with minimal background knowledge.

Contemporary Issues Government Metaphor:

In contemporary issues we learned about the functionality and procedures of the United States Government. This included the checks and balances of the three powers; executive, judicial, and legislative. Also we learned about elections, the Electoral College, and term lengths. After this unit we had to design a "factory" project that represented the government. For this we worked in groups, I proposed that we make our metaphor about the Dunder Mifflin Company from The Office. Mainly because it was a reference I knew my teacher would find amusing and it fit the profile perfectly. 

Teamwork and Leadership- This project took more than one person to complete in a timely fashion. Since I came up with the idea of using Dunder Mifflin I basically explained to everyone how it should be laid out and who needs to do what for the project. 

Information Acquisition and Evaluation- After gathering information about the United States government from my teachers and various sources outside school, and after  evaluating this information I concluded that Dunder Mifflin was the perfect fit.

Development and Support of Conclusions- Through the development of my conclusion to choose Dunder Mifflin I had to build up support to show that this metaphor actually correlates with the "factory" aspect of the project. This support comes from the fact that the warehouse is basically the local government, next the office its self (where the most work gets done) is representing the state government, lastly the federal government is represented by high level management in the Dunder Mifflin Co.

Napoleon Photoshop:

My senior year I decided to take a more art based class called photography. Little did I know that it would incorporate more than just taking pictures and developing film. Granted that at first it was just about the history and development of photography, then we proceeded to learn about the difference in shutter speeds and how to set the aperture for how light or dark of an environment you are in. After we were off on our own taking photographs for various projects we started using the program Photoshop in class. At first we used basic tools such as selecting and moving pictures together, but as we progressed the projects got increasing challenging, bringing me to the famous painting of Napoleon on his horse, but if you look closely it is not Napoleon on that horse, its Kevin Fortin.

Night Stand:

During my junior year of high school I took a fair amount of technology classes down at the tech department, some included CAD 1 and 2, Manufacturing 1 and 2, and construction. In manufacturing we learned basic knowledge of tools and wood types. For the first project we used only hand tools, then as the projects got more complicated we began to use the power tools such as the ban saw, table saw, and the planer. After becoming a table saw master (award I received) I crafted this beautiful night stand that I still use today. It has elegant, tapered, legs and a fully functional drawer. Of course, like with anything, it too has its flaws but those are less relevant. With these skills I learned, and a couple acquired tools, I began to build skateboards, which has inadvertently started a company we have named Unlikely Futures. 

Personal Choices and Goal Setting- Personal choices shown in this project would be how I basically built the whole night stand. From the type of joints to the amount of taper to the drawer design. These personal choices allowed me to set goal to make the nicest night stand I could with minimal mistakes. I definitely met my goals on this project. 

Problem Solving- Displaying problem solving on this project should not be hard to explain, every time I had not experienced working on a section joint or cutting a certain shape I used previous knowledge to overcome the problem. Or I just asked for help from a classmate or the teacher. Regardless of how I solved the problem, it was solved.