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Showing posts with label Week 8. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Week 8. Show all posts

Sunday, March 19, 2017

Week 8 Review

My favorite post for Week 8 was on Thursday, March 9th. I loved watching the Grammar Rock videos, but Conjunction Junction was my favorite. “What’s your function” is currently stuck in my head. I need to thoroughly review their functions though because I know I am lacking in proper grammar at times.



On a side note, I am horrible at backing up my work. I always save a local copy on my computer, but just pray that I don’t ever have to worry about my work being “lost.” So, it was weird to think that I needed to back up what was already published online. So, now I have more local copies to hope I won’t lose. I really should just invest in a portable hard drive but for now, I will continue to test my luck and cross my fingers.

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Week 8 Growth Mindset

Growth mindset - Maybe I can take flight
Source: Maria Mar(Shaman and Spiritual Teacher)
My growth strengths are that I am willing to try new things, take a long-term view, and I am willing to learn from mistakes. My weaknesses are that I want to get things right the first time, wait until the last minute, and sometimes choose what’s easy.

As stated in my introduction, completing my degree has been a long process. During this time is how I learned my best strengths. This class will help me in both learning new things and the learning portion. I am in an Information Studies degree program, so I have no career need for creative writing or the Indian Epics and Indian culture. However, writing is required in all of my classes. This will be a way to improve upon that facet. Also, I had not created a blog or Google site until this class, which could be applicable to my degree program and field once I graduate, so this is good practice.

I love that on our storybooks we have a revising week, and that we receive peer reviews. This will help me loosen my grip on always trying to get it right the first time, especially since I wait till the last minute to do things. Sometimes I choose what is easy by sticking to what I know, such as always writing in first person. This class and the topics allow me to stretch myself, which is what I am trying to do with the storybook. Plus, I am not really an imaginative person. Maybe I was when I was young, but for sure, I am not one now. So, maybe all this reading stories and retelling in my own words is reigniting something long lost.

Image Source: Maria Mar Artspiration No 59



Week 8 Reflections

A student thinking about reflective feedback
In regards to the reading assignments, there hasn’t been much of a choice in my opinion. However, I preferred the Mahabharata over the Ramayana when it was not during the war. The Ramayana was better at holding my interest throughout the whole story, but the Mahabharata has so many different side quests which make it more interesting.

My notes are not written as suggested, but not like I am prepping for a test either. I have to understand things certain ways, but when something seems like it might be interesting to play with I bring attention to it and question myself why. I “react” to it in my notes, which is the best reminder for me to draw a story from and this has been working well thus far.

I will be reading a few Freebookapalooza books which include rewrites of Nala and Damayanti to get different perspectives for my storybook. I also hope to look through more of the Epified TV options though too!

I am pleased with the stories I have written in class. I definitely see that I prefer to write in first person perspective, it is much easier for me. I am stretching myself for the storybook with the dialogue and third-person narrative/descriptions. Since each page will be about the overall story I am not certain if the same style will have to remain, or if it can be just one person talking. That is going to be hard for me. I also found, which I kind of knew, that I do not write dialogue. I like to read to my kids and know the importance of the different action beats and dialogue tags so they can feel immersed in the characters of the book, but my mind doesn’t easily think like that. We will see how well I can make the wheels turn in the second half of the semester.

Several students in our class are very fluent in writing dialogue, whether or not it is correct with punctuation I haven’t paid much attention. It is just that they are able to make a pretend conversation between characters sound realistic, which is admirable and something I hope to accomplish at some point this semester. I often see basic words being repeated, a lack of imagination on other word choices. I do worry that I am too direct with feedback. Coming from a corporate world it is the best way to decide what you believe and what you want to work on, or what you disagree with and want to throw out the window. That is all it is, feedback, and without it, you never know what others think about your work. I think that as there are more stories to read in the storybooks I will have the opportunity to provide better feedback.