What is a digital dossier?

It is the accumulation of all the digital tracks you leave behind.
Many people don't even realize that they have one, or what it is. It begins before you are born- sonograms may be forwarded through email or text message, pictures are taken of you as you grow up, and maybe shared online. Websites such as Google save all your search details, Facebook tracks your activity, and all of this is filed under your name. People can know what type of person you are, through pictures, your history, all you interests and hobbies you post about online, even the things you buy. Your personality is saved in a file consisting of all this information. Even your relationships with other people are known, through messages and pictures and adding someone as your sister or aunt of Facebook.
People aren't aware they are leaving this trail of crumbs behind them every time they send a text or use the internet. I think that teenager in particular are vulnerable here, as they may not be mature enough to think of consequences in later life. I didn't know what a digital dossier was until researching for this post. To me it is an important thing to know, especially when you're young and make mistakes that are recorded forever, without you even realizing. as you grow, your life will be recorded through photos, posts, and updates.
This was really interesting to me as i knew nothing about my digital dossier before this. watch the video here

Carlingford trip

The trip to Carlingford :)

so last week our school took us on a trip to carlingford adventure center, and it was amazing.

After being dragged from my bed at 6am, I made my way to the Esso station, where we were meeting up. We got on the buses and left by 7am. I didnt wake up properly until our first activity- which started at 9am. 

Kayaking was an... experience. My partner laughed so much she dropped her paddle, and we went in circles before managing to join the rest of the group, reaching the shore just in time. We played a lot of games that made us all look ridiculous and I'm still finding sand in my shoes from them. 

                   We all ate our lunch quickly and moved on to laser tag. After our instructor, Martin, gave us overalls to wear (making comments like 'you look fab in green darling' to us as we collected them- he was english) and then we proceeded to climb a steep slope that had my legs screaming for relief. My thigh muscles must have doubled in size by the end of the climb. we broke into two teams- the red team and blue team. Martin gave us an inspirational quote before each game started - 'if your ship doesnt come in, swim out to meet it', and the classic 'aint no party like an S Club party'. 

                     that night we went on a walk up the side of the mountain called a nightline. we were blindfolded and placed on a path, holding onto the girl in front of us with one hand and grasping a rope in the other for dear life. One girl, the leader, was elected 'lady of the woods' and led us all through the forest in the pitch blackness. When we arrived back, we were all hyper on lack of sleep and too much sugar and we had a party in one of the common rooms.

           The next morning no one had gotten more than a few hours sleep and everyone was grumpy. We complained as we made our way to canoeing, but once i got in the canoe i realized how fun it was. we paddled over to a pontoon while the other groups took turns on the trampoline. Instead of just waiting, we all jumped into the freezing cold water, but it was worth it. The boat I was in was the loudest. our instructor was very, erhm, enthusiastic, and we were all allowed to jump in and mess. we 'attacked' the other boats, paddling beside them and splashing them all. another instructor was going around us in his speedboat, purposely splashing us. as he went by the last time, he stopped beside my boat and i splashed him with my paddle, getting him right in the face with water. he jumped out of his boat, and into my one. my friend started splashing him in panic, and he pushed her into the water before picking me up and throwing me out. he threw all our paddles after us and jumped back into his own boat. i'm still holding a grudge. by the time i managed to get on dry land i looked like a wet cat.

Carlingford was an amazing experience and i would recommend it to anyone. I became better friends with a few girls, had great fun doing the activities and talked to people i never usually would have.  

whoever said TY is a doss year was lying. 

I never thought I would be so busy this year- it's only TY, right? Except that by week two of school i have five projects on the go and have already completed three workshops, not to mention a trip to carlingford adventure center.

So far we have had an etiquette workshop, a 'positive party' and have had basic first aid training. Walking around in six inch platform heels is not something I thought I would ever do in school, but i found myself doing just that down a red carpet no less. Our instructors corrected our posture and fixed the way we walked in our heels, all while blasting dance music in the middle of the second year mall. We learned things like dressing appropriately and how to take care of our hands and nails as well. 

The positive party was just what it sounds like-an hour and a half of dancing with underwear on our heads and wearing plastic flowers around our necks. 

First aid training is something i found interesting, as it is something that is essential to have. We learned basics like what to do when someone is choking, how to preform CPR, how to deal with someone suffering from a seizure and how to recognize the signs of a stroke. 

Its been a bit hectic, but i think we are all beginning to settle down in our new classes, named after princesses - Ariel, Aurora and Belle. I'm looking forward to beginning work experience next week, a bit nervous as well, but overall i'm excited for it.