Reading Notes: American Indian Fairy Tales, Part A

I know these were American Indian fairy tales, but the moment I read "Iagoo", I immediately thought of Iago from Aladdin and had a good feeling about my story. I liked that there was a South Wind to counter the North Wind; it illustrates the importance of balance. I also like  Shin-ge-bis's boldness; he reminded me of David when he was the only one to fight and then defeat Goliath. I wish Oweenee's sisters were more supportive of her, though. It's a great thing to look at a guy's heart and not just his appearances. I'm glad she stuck to her guts, and eventually got the best of all the siblings' husbands simply because her love was the purest. I also really liked the descriptive imagery towards the end, describing the green forests and the yellow, rolling prairies.

The rolling prairies were swarming with buffalo. Image: Wikimedia Commons 

Reading Notes: Extra Credit, Crash Course: Tricksters

I actually really liked this option for reading. The animations, the stories, everything was so interesting! I picked Tricksters because I was somewhat familiar with the topic. In my Native American Studies class, we discussed tricksters and their prominent place in a lot of Native American legends. It's also the foundation of my project, so I was drawn to it from the start. I liked that animals played such a large part in the stories; they add more color and fun. I felt bad for the wolves and coyotes because they clearly don't have the best reputation. I really liked the series though, and I look forward to watching more!

Extra Credit Reading: Brer Rabbit, Part A

I did like this reading, but because the text was a little hard to understand, I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to. I could understand most of it, but certain phrases like, "he wuz one er deze yer natchul pacers" had me scratching my head. I liked the Tar-baby story a lot; to be honest, it was so unrealistic, I couldn't help but laugh! I actually found out more about these stories when I watched the Crash Course Mythology videoes about Tricksters. I had no idea that they were based off of slaves and plantation owners, so that was a cool continuation of the story.

Learning Challenge: Sleep More Important than Studying?!

Like most college students, sleep is not the first thing on my mind when I'm cramming for a test. I'm always wishing I could sleep more, but it always seems impossible to get enough. I've heard some of the things in this article before, like less sleep can man lower grades, but I didn't really understand the biological effects sleep had. For instance, the brain resets itself during sleep. It clears synaptic connections, allowing for more to be learned the next day. I'll try to get more sleep this week. Let's hope it works!

Literally me almost every day. Image: Flickr

Week 8 Progress

Initially, I think I was just waiting until the last minute on everything. I also didn't realize how much the extra credit could help me, so I wish I could go back and do more, but I think I'm on a good track to get an A right now. As long as I do everything on time, I believe I'll be okay. Plus, this is one of the only classes that I somewhat enjoy, to be honest. I like reading stories so that's a major pro. 

Hoping to change this today! Image: Flickr

Week 8 Comments and Feedback

To be honest, having to give feedback on other people's work was probably my least favorite part. I definitely enjoyed looking at other people's projects, but I feel so underqualified telling them what I thought or what worked. I think as the weeks have progressed, I've gotten better, but it's still challenging. I've appreciated the comments I've received, as well. I like having someone else's perspective on the stories, especially during a phase where I am still editing, so it's not like I have to go and change too much of the story. I think my Intro and blog show me pretty accurately, so I'm sure people have been getting to know me through the writings and the blog. As the weeks progress, I hope that I continue to progress with commenting and feedback, and hopefully, it's all useful to the recipient.

Week 8 Reading and Writing

I've mentioned how much I miss reading for pleasure, so I've liked the reading assignments. It's nice to read about things not pertaining to chemistry and biology. Plus, the stories are actually interesting! My favorite story has probably been about Sindbad. He frustrated me, for sure, but the stories were so creative. You never knew what Sindbad was going to face, only that he will never reach home without a detour. The best moment was definitely Sindbad deciding to settle down and not travel anymore. I also really like my class project. I didn't know which direction I was headed at first, but I'm glad I figured it out. I'm a little worried about the storytelling part still. I like writing essays and papers, but narrative writings are so different. Hopefully, I get the hang of it!

My favorite sailor. Frustrating but a lucky guy. Image: Wikimedia Commons

Growth Mindset: Read an Article

25 Ways to Develop a Growth Mindset by Sara Briggs

I was struck after reading just the first one. I am not someone who confronts or deals with things. I like to brush them under the rug and pretend they never happened. This mentality affects a lot of the things involved in this list, so I have plenty to fix. I definitely don't see challenges as opportuinites, either. I'm SO TIRED of challenges :) I like when things are easy, and I don't have to work as hard. However, I do like the sense of accomplishment after I finish something that was challenging. I also seek approval from EVERYONE. I am such a people-pleaser despite my denial.. I simply want everyone to be happy. That means trying to get everyone to approve my actions. I'm going to strive to make a new goal for every goal I accomplish. It'll stop me from becoming too lazy.

Every failure can be turned into a lesson. Image: Pixabay

Growth Mindset: Read an Article

For this challenge, I watched a TED talk titled "How to get better at the thigns you care about". I liked that learning zone and performance zone are two separate zones. There is definitely a difference between learning about something new and then working on being the best you can be at that one thing. The story about Demonsthenes and the sword was hilarious. It makes me want to come up with a way not to fall asleep while I'm trying to study! I also like the idea about learning first in a low-stakes area and gradually upping the stakes as you become better.

The man behind the sword. Image: WIkimedia Commons

Growth Mindset: Share Mindset with Someone

For this challenge, I talked to my roommate about what I learned in the TED talk. She agreed, but she was talking about how sometimes, she works best under pressure. This can sometimes mean putting yourself in a high-stakes position even when you might not be ready for that level yet. Maybe some people can skip levels like that, but I'm definitely a gradual progress kind of person. She laughed when I mentioned Demosthenes and I "joked" about how I should poke her with a sword every time she snored in her sleep.

Not always a good thing. Image: DeviantArt

Tech Tip: Google Art Project for Chrome

This is so cool! I can spend hours searching for a theme I like. My biggest issue is that I like seeing different themes every time I open a new tab and a lot of themes don't have that feature. This tip makes it easy and I learn more each time. It's pretty cool to learn about all these different paintings when all I wanted to do was open a new tab.

Tech Tip: Ninja Cat

I'm not going to lie; it took me a while to get the hang of this game. Five minutes later, I was yelling at my cat telling him he was not fit to be a ninja. It was fun! Sometimes, I would type the right letters, but it wouldn't show up on the page? I'm not sure, but definitely one of my favorite assignments!

Tech Tip: Google Reverse Image Search

This is awesome. There have been so many times where I'm trying to find differnet versions of one picture or I don't have the right citations. It's so easy to just paste the picture and so many results come up! I have my pick of which source I want to use. I don't need to know the specifics of a picture to figure out what it is or who is was taken by.

Tech Tip: Typing Test

I work as a scribe in a hospital, so this test was a little more personal for me. I ended up getting 83.61 WPM with an accuracy of 89.76% which isn't terrible! I think I may just be used to medical terms. I'll feel better if I just repeat that excuse to myself. I do like testing myself though. Hopefully, I'll continue to get better.

Tech Tip: Google Timer

I cannot study for extremely long periods of time without a break. I have to take a small break from all the learning. I had been using a timer on my phone, but I didn't know about Google Timer! I definitely like having something on my laptop that lets me see how much longer I have until I can take a Youtube break! It even makes a little beep in case I accidentally close it!

Tech Tip: Course Announcements Email List

I'm someone who constantly checks their email. I have both my gmail and my OU emails synced on my phone so it's easier than having different apps. I like getting a daily email reminding me of what I need to do or things I need to know. I'll almost always check my email, so I make sure not to miss any assignments.

Tech Tip: Browser Bookmarks

Bookmarks definitely make my life easier. There are so many websites I use on a daily basis, so it's nice to get there with just one button. Also, some websites can be hard to find multiple times if they have a long URL or hard-to-spell title, so one click is way more effective. I also like that I can name it anything, so it's more easy to understand.