Tech Tip: Canvas Dashboard

I like this feature of Canvas because I can see all my classes in one spot. I also like that I can change their names. Seeing "Sociology" is a lot easier than the course name plus the course number and the section number. THe colora also help to brighten up an otherwise sad page.

Tech Tip: Canvas Notifications

Canvas notifications are very useful. I used to have then turned off, but I realized how helpful they were when I was about to forget something. I no longer miss emails from my professors and get a notifcation every time. Sometimes, they're a little annoying because they can get excessive, but they are helpful.

Reading Notes: Homer's Illiad, Part A

Feedback Strategies

I read Be a Mirror and found it had some very good points. I almost always give feedback starting with "I think" or "I believe". I liked the article focusing on how we should do everything to keep the attention on their style and not pleasing us. Feedback has always been hard for me. I feel like I'm not qualified to give someone feedback on something I myself am not familiar with. It's challenging, for sure. How do I know if they need to add more or what if their style is just different than mine? One thing I really liked about the article was how it empasized focusing on what is on the page and not on what is missing. If you're a mirror, you can't show something that isn't seen. I also read Presence, not Praise which was a fascinating read. I thought the study was very interesting. Since I don't like to critique, I usually stick to praise. I always feel bad saying things that might make the writer feel bad. I liked how it said to identify the unique things as opposed to praising it all without really looking at it. I will definitely try to use some of these tips when I'm critiquing in the future.

Be a mirror. Image: Wikimedia Commons

Topic Research: Why Animals are the Way They Are

So, one of my ideas was to a project about creation stories, but then I realized that the ones about animals are even more interesting. I think it would be cool to look into Native-Amerian stories about how animals came to be with their distinctive features and characteristics. Here are a few that I would like to build upon. Sacred Texts is a great site to find some of these stories.
1. How the Redbird Got His Color. This story says the redbird became red because of a deal he made with a brown bird who wanted to change his color. It would be cool to expand upon the story and add more details, like why the brown bird was so unhappy with his color or why he would trust an animal who could eat him.

 How did this bird come upon the color red? Image: Flickr

2. Why the Bear Has a Short Tail. I like this story for the wittiness of the fox. He tricks the bear into freezing his tail off (literally) and because of that, all future bears were doomed to have a short tail. Unlike the first story, this one has more dialogue and is longer. I would want to develop the characters more, maybe give the fox and bear a backstory so his trickery has more meaning.
3.Why the Mole Lives Underground. In this story, the mole lives underground because he was hiding from people who were angry with him. He helps a man who is in love with a woman who does not return his feelings. The man had tried several ways to win her love but was unsuccessful. I would make the mole friends with either the man or woman so he has a personal connection to both of them. Either he works for the woman and wants her to find someone so she'll be happier or he's friends with the man and wishes to fulfill his wishes.

Topic Brainstorm

1. In one of my earlier posts, I mentioned how much I liked fables, and I used one of Aesop's for my post. I think I would enjoy working with those. Specifically, I like the creation stories. I was in a Native American Studies class last year, and we spent a lot of time on the stories people told to illustrate how the earth came to be. It's fascinating to see the similarities and differences in creation stories as you look at different cultures. If I went with this idea, I would like to research these stories and see how they show a common ending in different ways. The Four Creations is one of many examples I could use.

The Pillars of Creation. Image: Wikipedia

2. A big part of my life is my heritage, which stems from India. I've read a few stories from India, including the Mahabharata in high school, but it would be cool to delve more into the legends and fairy tales that the country has. I used an Indian fairy tale for my Storytelling post, and I liked it a lot. I'm not sure if I would focus on one specific aspect yet or be more general, but I know I want to draw from a variety of stories. The UnTextbook has a ton of stories that would be helpful.

3. Growing up, I heard a lot of nursery rhymes as I'm sure a lot of us did. So I really liked the Nursery Rhymes unit in the UnTextbook. I would like to read them all and try to recreate some of the ones that aren't as well known. It would also be a challenge to keep the plot of the story, but try to find new words to rhyme and go with each other. If I do this one, I know I would have fun with this one. Sometimes, these rhymes don't make sense, so it'd also be cool to try to rewrite them in a more understandable way.

4. Another big part of my life is my faith. I'm Christian, so I was drawn to the Bible Women unit. It's interesting to see how many women are in the Bible, because we only hear about a few, like Esther or Ruth. I would like to research women like the Witch of Endor and Susannah, whose names are less-known, but still played a vital role in the Bible. It's important to remember them and their stories.

Reading Notes: Cupid and Psyche, Part B

Cupid and Psyche Notes:
I thought Venus's character was very interesting in the first part of this part. She is absolutely furious that her own son would betray her. Again, the descriptive words are used well. Ine one line, it reads that Psyche "drenched the goddess's feet with a flood of tears". I wonder how the story might be different if Venus hadn't become so upset and allowed her son to be happy with Psyche. The loyalty between Hera and Venus is apparently very strong. Again, another thing I might change in my story. The ant part of the story definitely reminded me of Cinderella and was a nice touch in an otherwise heavy scene. I liked that the animals, plants, and even gods were willing to help her. I want to keep those characters to give Psyche some friends in Venus's palace.
The instructions given by the turret for her final mission are a bit on the long side. I would shorten it, if I were to keep that in.
We finally see how the story ties in with the main character, which I like a lot. Sadly, the rest of the story was in another book, but I did like the allusion and lesson the girl learned from the old woman's story.

A happy ending. Image: Wikipedia