Reflection Blog Of My CT101 Journey – Arrivederci!
It’s that bittersweet moment where I have to bid farewell to CT101 and Professor Ryan. It sucks that the semester has come to an end but I have to be very honest in saying that I’m quite relieved. It has been a difficult one and the workload was ridiculous but CT101 was the diamond in the rough! As a senior graduating, writing this final reflection blog post seems like a full circle moment not just for this class but my last semester. I must admit that I struggled with assignments and overall school which isn’t a normal thing for me but mental health issues are very much real.
Looking Back . . .
At the beginning of this class, I did not know much about digital editing, websites, or even making memes/gifs. I have, however, learned new skills that I can’t wait to keep utilizing. I am an avid meme collector so now I can add meme creator to my skill set. My very first blog post was not the best, to be frank. I enjoyed writing and expressing myself and picking cool videos and memes to use but the format, layout, and overall style were disorganized and I decided to leave it that way instead of making changes as a reminder of where I started. My second blog post though was beautifully done in my opinion 🥺. I found a better flow for my media and my storytelling. I even got to create my own meme with one of my favorite shows “enchantment” which was fun, I thoroughly loved doing that. My third blog was equally done well and had a good balance of media.
By the fourth blog post I feel like it wasn’t as exciting as my others. I was pleased with the assignment and my results with that. I learned how to use Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. I had to teach myself but I would never think of doing so if it wasn’t for this course.
By the time the midterm came I had learned a lot already and reflecting on that, I can see how I grew in terms of writing much lengthier blog posts.
What did you enjoy about our class and how you will apply your new skills to the world?
For one thing, I can say I learned how to write a blog and tell my story, thoughts, and ideas in a digital journal. Every week a new skill was taught and it challenged me to push myself creatively to figure out what do I really want to showcase and share with the class. I look forward to building my website more, adding more features and widgets, writing more blogs, embedding more content from social media, and hopefully share that with friends and family.
Were there difficulties?
Yes! Of course. I’m no expert and I found some things quite challenging. Picking domain names for one wasn’t as easy as it would seem. Keeping up with blog posts was not as easy as well. I admit I fell off at certain times but I feel like I put a lot of effort into ensuring that when I completed my assignments they were thoughtful and to the best of my abilities.
We Have A Website! We Have Landed Earthlings!
My website took a while to be born but when she finally landed it was worth the extra time and effort. My website –> https://thereslifeoutside.com I am very proud of her, what she stands for and how far she has come.
Into the Universe, We Go! –> This website was created as a tiny speck in the multiverse that is the internet for the purpose of showcasing everyday life and interest. A place where people can gather to bond over shared intrigue. I hope this space I have carved out brings someone laughter, happiness, or peace in any form.
Building my website was not easy and it took a lot of trial and error to figure out what I wanted, what worked, and what I wanted to share. The lab videos provided much help in maneuvering the basic features and I got to a point where I just played around with the customization until I settled on something I loved! For example, I really toyed around with the site identity, background, and color pallet for a while. I wanted catchy slogans and quotes, I wanted the page to look trippy! I think I achieved that and it was a hassle to get it to that point. Below are some snippets of my website I hope you like it!
Will you maintain and keep up your new website? If so, how? If not, Why not?
I will most definitely maintain my website. I put a lot of hard work and effort into it and I want to continue sharing my blog post on everyday things. I have big ideas in store for where I would like to take this website next. I have ideas on future content such as talking about sneakers and other conspiracy theories, much more stuff about space and astrology and I’d like to keep customizing it.
My website so far has a few blog posts and I think my favorite has to be the one about the impact of social media. I embedded really cool tweets from Twitter that gave me a good laugh. I also added a photo gallery because I’d like to upload pictures of space and other interesting topics from Tumblr (giving credit of course to the creators).
Creating a website isn’t easy but Professor Ryan made it such a fun experience and with ups and downs I managed to create something I truly love. It has given me a new hobby to continue over the summer. Thank you☺️!
What Grade? Let’s See . . .
I feel like I have not been the best with my assignments in terms of chronologically keeping up (this semester kicked my butt!) but I have completed all my assignments but more importantly, I think I produced really great quality content. I have tried my best to showcase the skills I learned every week. I also try my best to sit and write really detailed blog post and I hope it reflects. I think looking at where I started to where I am now I have made great improvements and for that, I think I deserve an A.
With that being said, I’d like to bring this final blog post to an end. I can’t thank you enough professor for this course. It was really one of the best courses I have taken in all my years at York. It not only allowed me to be creative, have a digital journal, make my own website but at my own pace, and in the times we are in right now that is deeply appreciated! With that, I bid you farewell and enjoy your summer break!
