Fall 2020

 Half way through the fall semester.  That sounds absoloutely crazy. I personally feel like the semester just began yesterday. Most people tend to thing that due to the circumstances of this year, that it is creeping along at a snails pace and has been the longest year ever. However, I feel as if this has been the quickest year of my life. I feel as though yesterday it was the first of the year and we had no idea what was about to hit us.  This fall semester has been pretty average compared to past semesters but that does not mean it has not been fun or carried with it some great memories. Things have sure been different this year, but thankful my friends and I have made the most of it all.  We have been able to take things slow and enjoy this time of year in a different way than ever before. We have enjoyed lots of walks, outdoor study dates and picnics.  Of course my favorite aspect of the semester is welcoming home my new bestfriend Luka. In any other "normal...

 So far I am happy with my progress and am aiming to finish in Week 13. After this week I will have approximately 100 points to go. At this point in the semester I am proud of the way everything is coming together and that I have a blog up and running. My weekly routine is still a little hit or miss just due to my work schedule constantly changing along with taking care of a puppy. Every week is something different for me. My favorite assignments each week would have to be the readings just because I enjoy reading new stories each week. I try to do as many extra credit options as I can each week to help pad my grade a little and help me reach the 380 mark by week 13.  As we enter into the second half of the semester, which sounds crazy it has gone way too fast, I think that my main goal is to just keep pushing along and developing my Portfolio website more. I am super excited to see how it all comes together and get to show it off to people.  (Motivation from Flicr )

(Feedback is helpful don't fear it from Growth Mindset Cats )  I think that the set up we are using to give and recieve feedback in this class has been very useful. The comments I have recieved have all been kind and constructive, not all fluff like most classes. I think that the strategies we use really push everyone to remain kind and uplifting while at the same time offering suggestions to the writer of the stories. My favorite feedback strategy is the WWW one, I enjoy recieving these types of comments as well as giving them. I have found that many students stories are really good and this strategy allows me to praise their good work and then give some additional ideas. On the other end, blog comments have been a fun way to get to know everyone in the class and find people with similar intrests. I think moving forward I can just work to continue giving solid feedback to my classmates that will give them praise, constructive critisism and suggestions to make their blogs great.

 So far I am really enjoying my time spent in this course. I am still working on getting a schedule down to help with time management but all the readings and writing projects have been fun! I am happy with the way my blog is looking and enjoy pulling up the reader view to see what everyone else sees when they come to my page. My portfolio is also coming together just as I had imagined and I cannot wait to see how it looks in the end. I think most of the stories I have done so far have been challenging to come up with a new twist or way to put a spin on it. However, as soon as I get a little idea, I have found it to be quite easy to let the story just flow and mesh along with the original one. I think my reading notes have been quite helpful in giving me ideas to use in my own stories as well as helping me to brainstorm different writing elements and techniques to try in my writing. I have found it helpful to use my writing assignments to give me a headstart at stories that relate ...

Centures ago, in China, lived a vain Emperor named Chiuai. Emperor Chiuai was conceited and stagnant thinking that he deserved to rule forever without lifting a finger. The Emperor also was not greatful for the beautiful Empress he was given. For this woman was like none other in all the land. She was beautiful, a warrior, fearless, and reveered by all the people in the land. However, the Emperor could never see this and treated her like she was nothing.  Suddenly, one day, the Sun Goddess appeared to the couple and instucted them to travel to the Land of Morning Calm to retrieve the Crystal of Heart's Desire. The twist was that the Empress was to lead the expidition which made the Emperor very angry. He could not understand why the Goddess would command this and threw a fit as if he was a child. This enraged the Sun Goddess and she executed him immediately. This somewhat frightened the Empress when she saw the anger the Goddess possesed. However, she knew that this was her chance ...

West African Folktales I chose to read these stories because I had the opportunity to travel to Ghana, Africa last summer and therefore thought that these would be super interesting. This region of Africa is full of so many different cultures that it contains a plethora of different literature to be explored.  In these short tales, I enjoyed the way they all contained a deeper meaning. When looking at deeper meanings it forces the reader to actually read and comprehend as opposed to just skimming or they risk missing the main point of the story. These tales also contain imagry that I would not typically think of on my own. Such as using a pot to contain all of the knowledge in the world. Clearly this is not actually a possibility yet the writer makes you feel like it is. The tales were also clever naming the wealthy man 'Nothing', it is quite ironic because those who are extremely wealthy often have anything they want and not nothing. The tales also carry a common character fro...

 This picture is so me, I am always running on to the next thing. Possibly not so terribly running to the next person but maybe the next thing to do. (Its Heart and Brain Again from Awkward Yeti ) I also really enjoyed the Can You Speak Emoji? video. In some cases, I think emojis are overused today; however, in many ways they help us to communicate more feeling and emotion through instamessaging than ever before. I only think that emojis have become slightly innapropriate in the formal world.