Alright, so boom this is the final assignment/ blog post for this class and my final assignment for York College in general. What better way to end off than a blog post for CT101.

This class has taught me a lot of new skills and tools I can use. From simple and fun things such as making my own memes and gifs to more complex things  but still fun things such as making my own website and taking panoramic photos. I knew I would love this class when one of our first assignments was to post gifs and use those gifs to tell a story of how our first day of class went. Also learning hyperlinks has been such a useful tool to just insert information and links whenever you want.

Assignment 4 taught me you can do storytelling however you want through your own designs like I did, through audio, pictures, videos, writing, animations however you want to express yourself. Now one of my favorite assignments to do was assignment 11 taking panoramic photos is a skill i feel like I will use quite often in the future when I am out and want to take a dope picture or while at work and want to capture the entire event setup in one shot which is something I have always struggled to do when taking pictures of the hall. I feel like I can never capture the full picture but now I can so this skill will be very useful for that. Now the second half of the semester is where we focused on making our websites and the whole process was very exciting while confusing at times. Before I get into that though I would like to discuss my grade. Now I will not lie, I do not think I deserve a high grade for this course. At best I deserve a C. While I put 100% into all the work I did and applied all the tools we learned in class the majority of those assignments were late and I take full accountability for that. 

But lets get back to the main program. My plans after graduating is to continue gaining experience in event planning for a bit and then start my own business focusing on that. That is where I got the idea for what I want my website to be. At first I wanted my website to be a layout of everything my business will offer with pictures, services and prices but I do not have enough resources and experience for that yet. But in the future  i will definitely like to update my website once I am ready to move forward with my business. So instead I wanted to showcase something I take pride in and that is setting up events Here is my website. 

Let me give you guys a tour. This is my home page with the slogan “If You Can Imagine It We Can Make It Happen”. A menu with the following access to pages home, about, photography, and contact and some of my favorite setups recently at the banquet hall. On the home screen itself you can find my latest blog of the most recent event my team and I decorated and it will change with every new event that we decorate. I walk you through how we set up for a wedding reception in this blog and the final results. 

 

If you scroll to the bottom of the page you can find widgets in place that tells you about the website and where to find the banquet hall where these pictures were taken if you ever want to book an event. 

If you click photography it will take you to the page where I showcase multiple event setups for different events. For future reference I will like to include the type of event, and info about it the day off so it has more information. But I hope you guys enjoy some nice setups, feedback would be appreciated and the last thing would be how to contact me and on that page I provide my email. But that’s a wrap. I really enjoyed this class, thank you Professor Seslow for everything you have taught me, one of the best professors at York. Andres signing out.

A fellow classmate’s website that caught my eye was Manpreet Singh’s website http://videogknow.com/ As a person that likes to play video games during my free time I resonate with this website and the coverage of video games that I have played before. I like the theme of the background black and hot pink. I only have one critique and that would be it is difficult to read the text because the colors do not go together like so

 

But his review’s were a fun read and I like how he had more info for each video game if you want to read further. My favorite review was the one of Nba 2k22 because that is a game I play. Great stuff!

 

Another website I liked was Fatema’s website http://love2explore.net/ I like to travel as well so seeing the pictures posted and reading your travel blogs was a fun read. After reading her blog posts I think somewhere I would like to travel to is the grand canyon. The website is really well formatted great job!

Dear Readers of the Internet-Welcome

I just published a new blog post here on my website http://cincoestrellaseventos.com/ I would greatly appreciate it if you guys would take the time to check it out and read it and hopefully like the most recent event my coworkers and I set up. Thank you muchas gracias. Here is a preview

A lot of customization and decision making using wordpress. I had already messed with some of the features before but this time I went further on how I want my website to look. First I added the slogan of the banquet hall I work at as the title of the homepage “If You Can Imagine It We Can Make It Happen” that may stay or it might not I am not too sure right now.

I also changed the colors the yellow background and black text was not working for me so I changed it to a black background with gold text and now it has a way better look. I had put a background image previously but no matter how I adjusted it, it didn’t seem like a right fit so I removed it completely. I added two more categories to my menu page adding a photography and video section because those are the ways in which I will be showcasing event decorations. I got rid of a lot of the default content on my theme but I experimented with all 3 themes for a bit and found the 2020 to be the easiest to navigate and customize with so I chose that. I decided I want my home page to show some of my favorite setup and  decorations and the pictures taken from those events and make the homepage a static page. I also added to widgets one about the site and one where to find the banquet hall in which these pictures were taken. I will probably add more widgets. And do many more changes in terms of theme and how everything is formatted. Here are some images of the current progress.

Choosing a domain name was difficult because it is what resonates most with you. I chose cincoestrellaseventos.com. It is possibly the name I want to use for my future brand. The process of setting up my domain on reclaim hosting was quick and easy. The process to build a website begins which is very exciting.

Using WordPress was interesting and fun. I like how there are a lot of customization options. In my experience when picking a theme I did not like the 2022 one I preferred using the 2020 one because it was a lot easier to navigate and customize. I messed around with the theme colors a bit to my preference. I put a big image center of the website home page to showcase what other areas of my page will be about. Which I mentioned in the, about this site widget at the bottom of the website that the website will be used to showcase decorations for all kinds of events. As well as the location of the banquet hall in which all these pictures were taken. Things are subject to change the more I learn about customizing this website but it should be a lot of fun. This is what I have so far.

The beauty of panoramas is it allows you to fully capture scenes that one camera frame wouldn’t be able to. One can make a story out of any picture they take here is the story of me trying to get a shot of a bunch of yellow school buses in one shot. The thought process for this was that there was none. I just went outside and saw a bunch of school buses lined up and told myself huh why not. Now the process of getting them all in one shot was difficult. So many things are happening . Either cars were passing through, I started going left instead of right, I was going too fast apparently even though I feel like I was going pretty slow, the panorama would cut off before I could capture everything I wanted to. Here are the failed shots.

Not going to lie, I gave up on it because something always went wrong with it. So instead I took a panorama of the gas stop with the buses parked. Buses lined up ready to take students to school in the morning and an empty gas stop because gas prices are way too high, I had a lot of fun doing this even though I couldn’t capture what I wanted to. Here’s a Youtube video I used to do better throughout the process and take better ones in the future.

The domain name I choose would be based on the website I have been wanting to start for my business. I have been running an event planning business part time for some time now but once I graduate from college next month, I plan on going full-time and booking with many clients for weddings, birthdays, baby showers, sweet 16’s etc… all types of events. My service is called Eventos Cinco Estrellas or Five Star Events. Some options can be  

Eventoscincoestrellas.com 

Cincoestrellaseventos.com 

Fivestarevents.com 

5starevents.com 

5starevents.org 

On the website I would have different sections for services that people may want at different events such as waiters, bartenders, decorations, djs, catering etc… 

One of my favorite websites to use is Youtube. I catch myself using it the most as a form of entertainment. Whenever I am bored, I go on Youtube, before I eat, I make sure I find a good Youtube video and if I find something interesting or funny, I share the video with friends or family. Another website I catch myself a lot on is Amazon and that is because Amazon is probably where I order most of my things from when I decide to shop online. 

CT 101 has been an amazing and fun class and one of the best classes I have taken in the 4 years I have been at York College. Creative freedom and having an understanding and chill professor has been such a breather compared to the rest of my classes. Which makes it upsetting that I have not been able to keep up with this class and work on my assignments as much as I would have liked to. I thought I would be able to maintain being a full-time college student and working a full-time job but honestly, it’s been draining but there’s no excuse. But I do ensure that for every assignment I put 100% effort into it because that would be unfair to Professor Seslow who is taking time to show us different tools to tell a digital narrative.

Leading up to assignment #6 I have learned so many things such as how to create my own gifs and memes and using them to tell a story. How to use hyperlinks, how to take screenshots on the computer, how to make a story flow along using all these things. There are so many ways to tell a digital narrative through pictures, designs, recordings, videos, writing, animations etc… Being able to post gifs and other forms of media through hyperlinks, screenshots or uploads on a weekly basis so that my classmates can better understand the narrative I am trying to tell has been something that has stuck with me throughout. Another thing I have not been consistent with is commenting on other classmate’s posts, but I do receive feedback whenever I get them and work on updating my posts. I hope to continue using these skills and learn to use more digital tools to express myself and tell a story. 

Usually, I like to get very creative when I get the opportunity to be. With mmm.page you can let your imagination run wild because there are so many customization options, and you can just put a bunch of things together however you envision it. But sometimes my mind just goes blank, and I can’t seem to think of anything. My mind is focused on so many things, especially now with finals coming up, graduation, work and trying to maintain my own personal life. So now my thoughts are focused on these other things rather than being able to think of something creative to make.

At first honestly, I didn’t know how I was going to portray a story. I was starting to overthink it, so I was just like why I don’t get a bunch of random gifs and images and put them together, but I didn’t like it. Sometimes all we need is a breather and to just chill. That’s when an idea popped into my head why don’t I make something focused on that to just vibe and chill.

I was thinking of some things that represent a chill vibe and for me things that make me feel at ease are exploring the city and to do that I take the subway. So, I got a gif of the subway with some guys just chilling and talking. With the train sign showing symbols of peace, love and positivity. The exit sign shows a sign of chill vibes only and a cat with shades on  because why not. mmm.page was fun to use and I could see myself creating random stuff on it in the future.

What I love about this course is the creative freedom and visiting the ds106 assignment repository there are so many options to express yourself through these projects. One of the projects I would choose is from the design assignments. I’ve always liked being creative and designing allows me to express myself whether it is by hand or using some type of software. What I like about designing is that I own whatever I am doing, I get add my personal touch every time whether it is the theme, color scheme, drawing, photos, etc… An assignment I would choose from this section is the one to make an “Event Poster”.

The purpose is to design a poster for any event. And I feel like this assignment goes perfectly with what I want to do post-graduation. Currently I am a supervisor at a banquet hall for events such as wedding receptions, birthday parties, baby showers, concerts, any type of event. Later down the line once I feel like I have gained enough experience I want to start an event planning business. One thing I will have to focus on is advertising my events. One of those ways can be through a poster. Many things go into designing a poster for example if I want to design a poster for the next wedding that will be held at the banquet hall I work at. I would have to know the culture, theme, date, names of the people getting married, a picture of the couple and the vibe they want to go for. I believe this assignment would be fun for me and gives me experience learning to design and advertise different events.  

Here is a poster I made for future event bookings where I work. Using a picture I took from the rooftop and information about the location as well as our slogan. Free advertising for my boss lol.

 Another project that interests me are video assignments. I have always preferred watching something rather than reading it. I also like seeing what I read come to life visually through video. Different emotions can be expressed, tones can be set from different setting, music, character expressions. And when it comes to making videos, the ideas are endless for storytelling. Once again, I feel like making a video and being properly able to express what I want through it is important. What is going to draw people to events I work at are good reviews which often are pictures or videos. And those videos express the different emotions from the event and must be convincing enough to intrigue people to be interested in booking my service.  One assignment from the section that interests me is the “30 second memory” which involves creating a 30-45 second film with clips from a memory.

Many people have different preferences when it comes to recording or taking pictures to remember certain moments in life to remember. Some do and others don’t and prefer living in the moment. Choosing a memory would be difficult but it would probably be a core memory from when I was younger, and times were simpler.  

Are memes art? 

First, what is art? Art is “the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.” That is the official definition, but to me art can be anything you have created with your imagination and skills, based on your feelings, ideas, and can influence others. Memes are art, they are made through your imagination and can express your emotions. Memes have emotional power, they can make people laugh, reminisce, sad, and send messages.

 

The beauty behind memes is that anyone can make them. But just because anyone can make them does not take away from it being art. People have so much creative freedom when it comes to memes and those memes influence and get reactions from people all over the internet. Memes are a good thing for art, they show progression and memes do not harm anyone, they make us show all kinds of emotions through images. Memes are how many people communicate on the internet these days. All it takes is someone doing something funny, an old or new video clip from a media source, or anything in general can be turned into a meme.

Michael Jordan becoming a meme on multiple occasions each being used to express something different.

I use memes a lot to express myself and many of us do the same whenever we find top tier quality memes, we share it with each other whether it is in person, to one another through text or social media. Memes bring us together to share laughs, joys, sadness, anger, and all these different emotions while connecting with one another. Memes are forms of self-expression, communication, and entertainment.  

Memes for sure can be used for storytelling, visual images have been used alongside storytelling for a long time. I see no difference in using memes to tell a story. You just must create or find the right memes that can express your story how you want it to be. Most memes are meant to be funny, but they can be used to grab the attention of people as well. It is a great form of visual storytelling; one meme can tell a whole story. 

Two memes I made for CT101

 

What did you think on the first day of the CT101? 

On the first day of CT101 I felt a bit nervous. I did not know what to expect. It is something completely out of my field, but I thought it would be an interesting course to take as an elective for my final semester. Come to find out I have a chill deaf professor, the first professor I have had that is deaf and even taught us some greetings in sign language. It is nice having a professor that makes students comfortable to express themselves and my nerves were gone by the end of class, I was left thinking this is going to be a cool class. 

 

Did you like hearing about the course and its creative content? How did it make you feel? 

What is missing from a lot of courses is the ability for a student to express themselves and on this course, there is a lot of creativity and I love it. It is a space where I can just express myself and not have to be stressed like in many of my other classes. 

How does CT101 compare to some of your other classes? 

This class is a breather from many of my other courses. My other classes I must stress over assignments, exams, and due dates. This class I get to express myself through gifs and memes. I get to tell stories and learn how to use digital tools to express myself freely. There is no comparison to other classes, this class is top 1. 

What are the potentials of this class? 

The potential of this class is limitless. Storytelling has no limits and being able to learn how to tell them through different digital tools. It is always exciting and fun to learn new skills. 

How do you feel about learning new skills that use Internet tools? 

I am always excited to learn new skills. Especially with how much we use the internet these days why not learn how to use some internet tools to express yourself. Learning how to use hyperlinks and how to make gifs was cool and interesting to learn and I cannot wait to learn more.  

 

 

Assignment 1

The internet is a part of my daily life and I find many things on it entertaining. Some things that have made me happy this past week on the internet is the use of Crunchyroll and Funimation, as well as Peacock.  

Crunchyroll and Funimation: One of my favorite things to do during my free time is watch anime. The websites I use to watch anime are Crunchyroll and Funimation, I have an account for both. I either watch it on my phone or laptop. Recently every week during my free time I make sure I am caught up on Attack on Titan and Demon Slayer they have had me amazed every week since their new season releases. Demon slayer has some of the best animation I have ever seen.

Peacock: I have watched wrestling ever since I was kid, and it has been something that my family and I have always bonded over. This past Saturday we watched a WWE pay-per-view of the elimination chamber and I enjoyed watching it with them.