Gastelu 1

Sofia Gastelu

Ms. N. Franco, MLS

Library Research Program Grade 10

5 May 2015

How has travelling changed throughout the years?

I’ve chosen Travelling as the topic of my paper. Since I was little, I’ve always

liked to travel. I’ve travelled a lot. Nowadays, I do not travel as I did when I was a child

with my family, although it has always been my passion, learning new cultures,

countries, cities, and trying new food. I've always been attracted to the idea of travelling

around the world. I think that travelling is essential in someone’s life. It may be very

expensive and maybe people cannot afford it, but I think it is very important. It enriches

your knowledge and culture, and I think that you learn how to live in other places that

are not your home or native area. Today, it is easier to travel around the world

comparing as it was years ago. So, I've decided to research about how travelling has

changed throughout the years. For this project, I have chosen to focus on the Global

Context of orientation in space and time. I think that this Global Context is the most

appropriate and similar to my topic since my topic involves humankind and new

discoveries in the history of travelling. I will be studying about all the discoveries and

inventions that took place in history in order to facilitate transportation. The descriptors

that were useful in order to identify which needed additional research were the

descriptors of origin and quantity. These helped me identify what sources were useful

and the ones that were not. The rest of the descriptors didn't really help me. The goal of

my project, when I started researching was to investigate how travelling has changed

throughout the years. My goal for the audience when I present this topic is for them to

realize how travelling has changed. We don't really think about it that much, but when

you start thinking, you realize how important the history of travelling has been in order
 Gastelu 2

to change the way we travel today. At the beginning of the course, we were asked to

identify our learning modality. I said that my learning modality was visually. This has

helped me while doing research for my topic, since I have had to do a lot of research

and read a lot of things.

Before researching about my topic, I already knew some stuff about it. I

obviously knew some ways travelling has changed throughout the years. There isn’t any

subject at school that can directly connect to my topic, but there is one subject that

could be similar to it. The subject of history would be the subject that can most relate in

some way to my topic. Since I am researching about the changes of travelling

throughout the years, I also have to look back in history. For example in terms of

transport. In history class, previous years I had been studying about the history of the

United States in 1900's. That year I learnt a lot about transport, since we talked about

the invention of cars, the train, and new aviation discoveries like the Wright brothers

and Amelia Earhart. Last year in history class we also did a Research Paper and my

topic was Amelia Earhart so I did learn things about travelling and transport. My topic

and research could be related to some subjects that are taught at school. As mentioned

before, I learned some things about transport in history class, and last year I did my

research paper in history also. So we could say that the subject of history is the most

related to my topic. The first question that I thought of once I decided on what topic I

was going to do research about was, how has travelling changed throughout the years. It

was hard to choose at the beginning, but once I started thinking of how travelling had

changed, I knew that that was the question I was going to use for my research. After this

question, I also thought about other narrow questions. For example, one of the questions

was: What has changed about travelling throughout the years? What has changed about

travelling is for example the facilities we have. The internet is one of them. Before the
 Gastelu 3

internet, you usually booked your flight and hotel in a travelling agency. Now, you can

do it through internet in a much simpler way. You usually used physical maps, when

you arrived at the country or place, now you have your own “Maps” app installed in

your phone. Having phones or an electronic device has also been a big cause for the

way we travel. For example, if you have any problems, you can call your travel agency.

This is a great facility, but then again, it can also be a loss of tradition. Even though

cameras are still used today for travelling, people use their camera’s phone to take

snaps. Another thing that has changed about travelling is how you keep contact with

your friends and family. Before you usually wrote letters home, now, you write texts,

emails, and make phone calls. Another question I asked myself was: Who has changed

the way we travel? Since transportations has been one of the major causes of the change

in travelling, inventors have helped to change the way we travel today. For example, the

Wright brothers invented the airplane and Benz and Marcus the automobile. My next

two questions were: When and where travelling has changed? Travelling has been

changing since the 1800’s. In the 1800’s new transports started to be invented.

Practically, there is not an exact place where travelling has changed. In general,

travelling has changed all around the world. Another question I asked myself was: Why

has travelling changed? Probably, travelling has changed because of facilities. 100 years

ago travelling was completely different to what it is today. The last question I thought

about was: How has travelling changed? Technology has changed the way we

travelling. This question is similar to what has changed about travelling. Thanks to

technology, travelling is so much easier. These are all the questions that I thought of,

after thinking of my general question. At the hour of looking for resources, I had some

problems. Not all of them were reliable and I had difficulties finding good ones. I used

eight resources. To find these resources I used Google, and searched for what I was
 Gastelu 4

looking for exactly, not something general. Some keywords I used were: "How has

travelling changed", "In what ways has travelling changed", etc. I evaluated each

resource with one of our first assignments. We had to guide ourselves with a table of

contents, and with this, we had to evaluate each source. At the beginning it was very

difficult, since my resources weren't good enough, but then I began finding new ones

that were good enough. The Global Context I decided to focus on, especially for my

topic is orientation in space and time. In my opinion this Global Context is the most

appropriate and similar to my topic since my topic involves humankind and new

discoveries in the history of travelling. I have been studying about all the discoveries

and inventions that took place in history in order to facilitate transportation, so this

connects with this Global Context. I've learn new information while researching for my

topic. One thing I am very happy about are my skills. I have developed and improved

my researching skills, and also my writing skills. I have also put in action my Critical

Thinking, and I have improved on it. I've also enriched my knowledge in many ways. I

have learnt a lot of ways in which travelling has changed. I am glad I've chosen this

topic, because people don't really realize how much travelling has changed in the past

years, and don't realize in what ways has it changed. I think that my topic will impact

people. People know that travelling has changed, but not everybody realizes how much

it has changed and in what ways. I don't know what impact it will make in a national or

global scale.

Choosing what type of Visual Display I was going to create wasn't that difficult.

I already knew that I wanted to do something creative and clear for my audience. For

my Visual Display I've decided to make a poster to present my topic. At the beginning I

didn't really know how I was going to create my Visual Display. At the end, I thought of

a way to make it creative and entertaining so I decided that in the poster there will be a
 Gastelu 5

long timeline with different decades since 1860 till present day. In each decade I will

include arrows with images and information of the changes that happened in that period

of time for travelling. My aim for this poster is for my audience to clearly see, how

travelling has changed throughout the past years. Before deciding of doing this type of

poster, I thought of doing a power point presentation, but I thought that it wasn't very

creative and I decided to do something more original. My idea for this display was to

make a long timeline in the poster. The dates will start from 1860, and will go on. I

want to use catchy colors. I will use all the information I have found in my topic. In

what ways how has travelling changed, how, who, where, when, etc. I will try to be

detailed with my poster. While planning my visual display, I didn't have any problems. I

did have problems with the time I had. At the beginning I was planning on starting my

Visual Display before spring break, but I realized that I didn't have time. During the

week I didn't have time because I had after school activities, so I couldn't manage. So, I

decided to start during Spring Break. During Spring Break I had to go to Ireland to a

Model United Nations conference, so at the end I ended up doing nothing, so I did not

start with my Visual Display. At the end, I ended up starting my Visual Display after

Spring Break. I didn't have any problems with the time management for my research. I

may have submitted some assignments, a day after the deadline, because I didn't

remember, but apart from that I have managed to write everything in time. I had some

problems at the beginning of the course with my time, because I didn't find enough

resources for my research.

The Global Context that I chose to focus on is as mentioned before, orientation

in space and time. This Global Context is about personal histories, humankinds,

discoveries and explorations, and this connects with my Visual Display since I am

going to talk about that. I am going to explain all the discoveries and inventions of
 Gastelu 6

travelling, not only of transport, it will include the new items that change the way we

travel also. My specifications for this project as a whole have more or less met the level

I wanted but I don't think it is enough. All the planning I have had in my mind has come

to be done, but not in the way I wanted it to be. My visual display is going to be of

much help in my presentation. My audience can look at it, and see how travelling has

changed. I am not a very confident person and don't really like talking in public so I

think that my Visual Display is going to help me feel more confident. I will guide me,

and will help me get on with my presentation. Apart from this it will also help my

audience to understand better. I think it will be very useful. When a presentation is

done, you have to be careful, and see if your audience has understood what you have

presented. In order to make my audience understand my presentation, first of all, I am

going to talk clear. I think that voice projection is something very important when you

are presenting. If you don't have a clear voice, your audience may not understand you at

all. I will also try to make my presentation simple. Not very simple, but I don't want to

organize it or present it in a way that will make them not understand anything or get

lost. At the end of the presentation I may be open for any questions the audience may

have. If somebody from the audience has not understood, they can ask me something

when I've finished presenting and explaining my topic. The feedback form I will create

will be very useful, since I will give it to my audience and they'll score me. I think this

is very important because once I have the feedback back I can improve for the future

and see the mistakes I've done. I don't really know how long my presentation will be.

My presentation will include the explanation of how I've been researching for my topic,

the ways in which travelling has changed, emphasizing in the 5 questions mentioned at

the beginning of the paper, and I will also explain my global context and how does it

connect to my topic. I may also explain, and talk about the connection my topic has with
 Gastelu 7

a subject I take at school. Maybe I will include some activities for my audience but I'm

not sure yet. Maybe with these activities, my audience can understand better what I am

trying to transmit. It can be a fun way also to understand what I am trying to say. It can

also be a type of activity in order to test my audience. I can ask questions and they can

answer based on what I've been explaining or presenting. I don't really know how I'm

going to end my presentation either. I am not really sure yet, but as mentioned before, I

may be open to any questions the audience has so this could take place at the end of the

presentation. I think that the criteria has helped me during the research. For instance, in

Criterion A I think that I deserve or I have achieved a 4. I am not really good at

investigating, but I do think that I have improved a lot since the beginning of my

research and he course. I think that I am able to outline and appropriate goal and context

for this project. In my opinion, I think that in Criterion B I have achieved a 5. I do think

that I have developed appropriate criteria for my product. In Criterion C, I think that I

have achieved 4. I believe that I have achieved to demonstrate adequate thinking skills.

Before this research, my research skills weren't very good. I used to have

difficulties trying to find things, and if I didn't find what I wanted while researching, I

usually gave up easily. I've already mentioned at the beginning of my paper, that I had

difficulties to find good sources. During the rest of the course, I think during my

research process, my research skills have made a great improvement, and now, that my

research process has finished, my skills are much better than when I started. Now, when

I have to research something, I look it in a different way. I now, know how to analyze

my sources better and see what things or resources are going to benefit me or help me.

During the past years we have been learning and trying to appeal to the ten IB learner

profile attributes which are: Inquirers, Knowledgeable, Thinkers, Communicators,

Principled, Open-minded, Caring, Risk-takers, Balanced, and Reflective. During my

 Gastelu 8

research process I have addressed some of these Learner Profiles. I think that some of

the attributes that I have developed are thanks to this research. For example, some

attributes I have addressed or developed are: Inquirer, Communicator, Principled,

Caring, and Reflective. I think that I have developed as being an Inquirer because the

topic I have been researching about is travelling, and it is something that I love and

research with enthusiasm. I am curious towards learning more about my topic. These

are some things that the Inquirer Learner Profile involves, and I personally think that I

have met the standards of it, and have developed. I think that I have developed as a

Communicator. I think that I express myself confidently, although I have to reach

another level of confidence. I have to work on that, but even though, I do think that I

have advanced. As Principled, I have always been honest and I have taken responsibility

in everything I do and my actions, and the consequences, so I think that this attribute

does not need any further development. For the attribute of Caring, I've always been a

caring person. I think that I have been developing this attribute. I care about others and

always try to help and make a difference in other people's lives. I think that I respect

and have compassion. As to the attribute of Reflective, I think that I have been

reflective, but not in a full way. I think that I have to improve a lot in this Learner

Profile attribute because in my opinion, I think it is one of the most important ones in

the IB community. I do reflect and think out of the box but I think that it is not enough.

I think that in general, all my learner profile attributes have developed, but I do need to

improve to meet the standards of it. Every time I have had to hand something in, I've

always had in account the feedback. I've always accepted the feedback provided, and it

has always helped me in my next assignments. I've always accepted the feedback

because it is very important. First of all, it comes from a teacher, and I know that it will

be something that will help me in my future assignments, and, it will help me learn and
 Gastelu 9

realize the mistakes I have done. I think everybody should accept the feedback they are

given and use it. If I were to do this project again, some of the things I would have

changed would be, for example, the way in which I started to research. My research

skills weren't good at the beginning, and if I have had the skills I have now, it could

have been an advantage. The rest of the process, I would keep the same. I think that one

of the best things that has helped me the most in this project has been the 5 questions

that I have mentioned at the beginning of the paper. That for sure, I would keep the

same. I don't really like to speak in front of people, so I am not very confident about

speaking to an audience. I think confidence is one of the things that I have to work

really hard on. It is very important for the future, and in order to succeed, and at the

moment I am not feeling confident for this presentation, but at the end, I'll find a way to

improve my confidence and do a good presentation. I think that I could perfectly adjust

my information based on the age of my audience. For example, if I had to present my

presentation to kids aged fro 5-7, I could present the exact same information but in a

totally different way. My language would be simple and easy. I would put vivid colors

in my presentation and more images instead of text. I think kids enjoy things visually

more than explanations. I would play games with them and see if they have understood

my presentation. If I were to do my Visual Display again, I would maybe keep the idea

the same but doing it in an electronic version. Although my Visual Display is very

creative, I think that doing it in an electronic version could have been more professional.

This project has been a very good thing for me, and has helped me develop new

skills. I have had difficulties, and sometimes I have needed help. I wish to say thank you

to my Research Program, Ms. Franco, for all the feedback she has given me. It has been

of much help and very useful. I also want to say thank you to my classmate Elena

Martinez, for proofreading some of my papers.

 Gastelu 10

Works Cited
 Gastelu 11

 Bill McGee, Special for USA TODAY. "10 Biggest Changes in Travel in the

past 10 Years." USA Today. Gannett, 24 Apr. 2013. Web. 03 May. 2015.

 "Forums." Has Travel Changed over the past 20 Years? N.p., n.d. Web. 03 May

2015.

 "How Has Technology Changed The Way We Travel?" Reach to Teach. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 03 May 2015

 "How Travel Has Changed since 1952." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media

Group, n.d. Web. 03 May 2015.

 Lisa_Miller. "The Way We Used To Travel: 12 Ways Travel Has Changed In

The Digital Age." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 03

May 2015.

 "Now and Then: How Travel Has Changed Since 1987." N.p., n.d. Web. 03 May

2015.

 "The 30 Greatest Travelers Of All Time." TheExpeditioner Travel Site The 30

Greatest Travelers Of All Time Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 May 2015.

Total Word count: 3,358