Author: Claudia Campos

CT101 Final Blog Post

What I’ve learned in CT101? Well…what haven’t I learned in this course!

I’m taking a whole lot of digital knowledge I never experienced before. CT101 has truly been a delightful class to take and keep up with. Every week, we learned new and exciting things about the digital tech world.

I’ve learned to use and make memes and GIFs. I’ve learned to blog and post, which I have never done in my entire life before this course!!!

My first ever post was about one of the wonders of the digital world. I love NETFLIX! I mean, it’s a great way of distracting yourself during the pandemic (and from it as well…). One of my all-time favorites is The Office. They are hysterical, and without the internet, nearly impossible to keep up with!

I’ve also learned to complete assignments through the DS106 Assignment Repository website. The first one was a visual assignment about a Pop Star Out of Place.

I really enjoyed placing Ariana Grande in some random place. She was naturally in sync with the wolves!

For the second part of that assignment, I had an awesome time summarizing a movie with animated GIFs. For this assignment, I chose to recreate a family favorite, The Little Mermaid. This was one of my favorite posts because I had a lot of fun creating the following:

I had a great laugh going through the motions, something I could only get in this course, of course!

The next step in our journey through CT101 was creating our own websites!

I had a wonderful time creating my brand new website claudiabakes.com. At first, I was very anxious. The thought of creating a website freaked me out! But being in class and listening to the explanations of the process made me eased into peace.

Proceeding with the website, I added a home page, an about page, a contact page, and a recipe page with categories! I began blogging and adding recipes to my new website. It was exciting, and honestly, very therapeutic. I felt like I was talking to someone like I do when we’re in person, but this is online! It’s amazing what the digital world can provide you with social skills like no other.

Back to the process, I’m not going to lie; it was hard keeping up with all the steps, especially for a beginner user like myself. But once I got through them, I realized it wasn’t so bad after all. I am eternally grateful for all the step-by-step instructions because, without them, I would be completely lost!!!

Now that I’ve learned so much from CT101, I will conquer the internet with all these new blogging skills! I am having all these great ideas about my brand new website. I will continue to build my blogging website, post my new ideas, and spread the inspiration! In the future, I hope to open a business of my own. Thanks to the skills I learned in this course about website building, I now know how to make a website for my future business.

I’ve learned to become my own critic and I can honestly say that I deserve a well earned A+. Like my fellow classmate Clark, I also believe in thinking positively. I aspire to be a successful student of knowledge, and indeed, I can say I have become very knowledgeable of the digital world through CT101. This was possible through working hard week after week, which I can truthfully admit I did. I tried very hard to keep up and I have completed all the assignments I needed to complete. I’m thankful for all the hard-working students who inspire me to keep at it too!

Admittedly, I can also say this has been one of the most wonderful courses I’ve taken this semester. Although a liberal course choice, an amazing choice nonetheless! I had a lot of fun blogging and creating new content every week. I will miss reading everyone’s posts and the ideas they share. I’ll miss having this much fun while learning something new in CT101!

Copyright

What is copyright? “In simpler terms, copyright is the right to copy. This means that the original creators of products and anyone they give authorization to are the only ones with the exclusive right to reproduce the work.” –Investopedia.

Why is there copyright? I believe copyright exists to prevent someone from duplicating the original work of another. It exists to protect what we call “intellectual property.” Honestly, I have no idea what that means but from what I figured from Professor Sewslow’s post and what I read on other sites,  intellectual property is unique original creations that necessarily took a significant mental activity to create.

We practice copyright laws to protect that awesome content from getting remixed, modified, or reshared without permission!

We should all be aware of copyright laws. I mean, nobody likes a copycat, right? Maybe. I don’t think all situations are the same but, according to the law, they should be. So let’s be smart about the content we just love to re-share, share, and switch up a little bit!!!

Fair use is a doctrine that lets us use a limited amount of copyrighted content without the permission of the copyright holder. It is a way to give some liberty to use content without getting into serious trouble. This doctrine should be used more often since many of us have amazing ideas about other people’s work. I believe, most of the time, these ideas enhance the original version in creative ways almost to say, unlike anything else!!!

 

While watching Larry Lessing’s TedTalk, the quote I found most compelling was the following:

“Never before in the history of human culture had it been as professionalized, never before as concentrated, never before as creativity of the millions been as effectively displays, and displays because of these, quote: “infernal machines.”

This quote was referring to another type of machine, but I believe it reflects well with what is going on in digital technology. It clearly identifies the true intentions of those individuals who re-use, re-share and re-shape content. Lessing mentions this later on by saying that people take and recreate other people’s content using digital technologies to say things differently. Lessing also mentions the content serves as tools of creativity that become tools of speech, which I thought was very inspirational. To me, it is clear these people are doing it for the sake of creating something new and not to copy information and call it their own.

 

 

Vaporwave

When Professor Sewslow first introduced the vaporwave, I was blown away. I did not believe such artistry existed. What I mean is, I had never seen vaporware before.

The concept looks like something quite easy to accomplish. But looks can be deceiving!

I had a hard time trying to develop a vaporware-worthy picture. I mean, when Professor Sewslow created his version of a vaporware image, it was almost too easy! (Image provided below)

This was far from what I thought I could accomplish!

After battling my way through photopea and losing everything! I decided to try an alternative. I went to snorpey.github and tried to complete something close to the Professor’s vulture-pop image:

I came up with this:

It may not be the greatest vaporwave example, but I am proud to have completed something pretty close!

 

Classmate’s Website Review

First of all, I’d like to say all the websites I’ve viewed so far look exciting and very innovative. Some of them are the following:

https://janett4kids.com

In this website, Janett brings a concept of motherhood, which I love because I am a mother myself! I’m excited to view the content Janett will post because I love hearing other people’s views on motherhood. I hope she posts some content and fills out the About section. Don’t be afraid, Janett, you’re doing great!

The next website I’d like to talk about is Saul’s website, https://thephantomchronicle.com. His take on his new website is unique. I really enjoy reading his posts, “Enola Holmes A Fresh Take on the Holmes Family” and “A Summer Worth Forgetting: The Death of a Once Great City.” They inspire me to write more in-depth on my own website, so thank you for that, Saul! I think he shares his thoughts beautifully, and everything flows nicely. I agree Enola is a great film and can’t wait for that sequel!

Another great website I came across was Isacc’s website, https://paperpig.net. Right of the bat, I can tell this blogger is an artist. He incorporated his Instagram page, which reveals his talented creations. I can tell Isacc has been drawing for years and his work demonstrate that. I can’t wait to read the next blog post!

Many of the websites I view are up to date or missing minimal additions to make the websites their own. Adding a contact page, switching up the fooders/sidebars, and posting some new content goes a long way! So keep up the great work!

Mid-Semester Assessment Assignment

When I first started CT101, I was terrified by the content we had to accomplish this semester. I mean, I wouldn’t call myself tech-savvy…

Anyway, as the semester moves forward, I realized the work wasn’t only comprehensible, but FUN!!!

I got to write my first blog ever, Internet Happiness, and make my first ever meme!

Animated GIF

However, this was just the beginning of my internet enlightening journey… now, I can even build a website!!! It is incredibly exciting to say I can make a website. I thought I was far from ever achieving such an accomplishment, but here I am, a proud owner of a brand new website!

I’ve learned so much from this course, things like blogging, website building, and completing assignments through the DS106 Assignment Repository website, such as summarizing a movie with Animated GIFs and placing a pop star out of place!

All of these assignments, and more, have helped me become a better communicator. They showed me how to have a voice online. When you blog and post words and content, you can bring your internet persona to life!

Before I started this class, I had no idea how to do any of these things, but with the help of Professor Seslow, all of this and more has been made possible!

Right now, my website is under construction. I need to improve and work on the small behind-the-scenes data and add content. It seems simple, but there is so much to do!

My domain name is claudiabakes.com. I decided to go with a simpler web name because I found it to be very catchy. I hope to do exactly what my domain name says, which is to bake! I would love to share many recipes I have in mind and explore new ones through other people’s websites.

Like Professor Seslow said, right now, we all have As! I am going to do everything possible to keep my A and keep moving forward. I hope we all get As when this semester is done. It will be a sorrowful goodbye to this class…

 

The Internet’s Own Boy Assignment

 

The story of Aaron Swartz is truly inspirational! It is astounding how his mind was able to decipher and comprehend such intricate information.

It is sad to know such a brilliant mind was lost in the digital world. The world would not be where it is if it wasn’t for the help of such intellectuals and their passions.

Aaron’s bravery to expose the private corporations and their secrete ways has taken a toll on his life and the digital world as a whole. His discoveries of conspiracy and ‘vanity research’ frighten the scheme side of our digital world.  But if there weren’t people like Aaron to help bring to light such dirty secrets, the rest of the world would be at a blind spot to this day.

Aaron’s story reminded me of the following picture:

It represents the constant deception happening behind closed doors. This image reminded me of when Aaron wrote about the power private corporations sustain through information power. The need to keep scientific and cultural heritage under a lock cannot stop those who wish to bring such knowledge to light. That is what Aaron Swartz has done, and his legacy continues to do.

This young adult inspired others by spreading civic awareness and online activism in the concealed digital planet. Without shining souls like Aaron, our knowledge of the shrewd individuals in the digital world would be scarce, and private sectors and conspiracy would blind our approach.

Registering Your Domain Name Assignment

Registering a domain name was a lot easier than I thought. With the help of the zoom recording from class, the instructions were pretty straight forward.

stepping out homer GIF

First, I accessed the blog Professor Seslow posted. Then, I checked out the site that we’re using to make our websites called Reclaim Hosting. After that, I proceeded to the sign-up page.

After careful consideration, I concluded that I should pick a simple domain name, so I went with… claudiabakes.com!

jimmy fallon happy dance GIF

It may not be the most brilliant domain name, but simplicity is the key!

Once Reclaim Hosting notified my domain name was available, I went ahead to the next step and made sure I checked off the box that said ID Protection. The keyword is FREE.

Moving forward, I double-checked all my credentials and made sure that the coupon code went thru.

It sure did, ladies and gentlemen!

Chandler Bing Applause GIF

Anyway, the next few steps were simple enough since I had them fresh on my mind.

After pressing the cpanel button, I was brought to the next page.

Then, I pressed the WordPress icon, which leads me to another page, where I proceeded to install the application.

Don’t forget to change your username and password on the page that followed after the installation began. And so I waited again…

The next page that popped up looked like this:

I then proceeded to change your theme completely and chose this theme:

AND…

That’s as far as I got!

Happy New Year Yes GIF by Originals

I was happy to have gotten through the process a lot faster than I thought. It was simple and accessible without complications. My next step is to get some ideas flowing and picture what I would like my site to look like.

 

Domain Name Assignment

I’ve never had a website before, so when I heard we get to choose a domain name, I was so excited!

Excited Happy Birthday GIF

So many names came to mind, but I’ve settled with four options:

Claudiabakes

Claudiasbakingcorner

Claudialovesbaking

Cicilovesbaking

I know, I know. Such a cliché!

But, honestly, I love them each in their own unique way because…

Cute I love Baking T-Shirt Design - I Love Baking - Sticker | TeePublic

Baking just makes you feel warm and cozy. The aroma it brings to your home, the softness of the goods you produce, the comfort it brings to your family, what isn’t there to enjoy about baking!

Ooh the wonderful things baking does to one’s soul…

Fotos con corazones | Rostos de meme, Memes, Memes apaixonados

And the right domain name will help transpire everything I hope to accomplish in my new website!

Assignment #4 – DS 106 Part 2

Hello everyone!

For this blog post, I will attempt a Visual assignment from the DS 106 website. The project called “Summarize a movie with Animated GIFs” requires you to tell the story of a movie with 10 GIFs or less.

Summarize a movie with Animated GIFs

So, I thought about all the wonderful movies I can play with!

For this project, I chose The Little Mermaid.

After choosing a fine movie to renovate, I then proceeded to Pixlr to combine all the delightful GIFs I found and tell its story. And…

Voilà!

(That’s as far as I get with French, by the way)

As much as I love my creation. I cannot tell if it was done properly as I’m not sure if the GIFs are supposed to move since they didn’t in the original assignment.

Nonetheless, I think it came out absolutely splendid!

I hope this will inspire you to create your own movie story.

Assignment #4 – DS106 Exploring

Today, I will attempt one assignment and discuss another from the DS106 Assignment Repository website.

For my first assignment, I chose a visual assignment called Pop Star Out of Place by Courtney Rodenbough!

Pop Star out of Place

This assignment asks you to take a picture of a pop star and put them in a place where you would probably never see them. Their example is the following:

An image from DS106 website

First, I searched for an image of a pop star on google and saved it to my computer. Then, I searched for a background I thought would be odd for our pop star and kept that too.

I used the website Pixlr to cut out Ariana Grande from a concert and place her in the background I chose.

And…

The image I made for the assignment

Voilà! We have our pop star out of place!

After completing the first assignment, I searched for other projects I could be interested in.

The next one that caught my eye was the following hyperlinked photo…

An image hyperlinked for my second assignment

This assignment, submitted by Jim Groom, instructs you to pick a movie poster and animate it.

Why not choose your favorite! (I thought)

Now, it may seem simple to do, but I wouldn’t get past choosing my favorite movie poster to work on.

However, our friend (the author of this assignment) posted a link to a tutorial from Michael Branson Smith. –> Click Here to Visit

That being said, I do hope to someday be able to complete such artistry!

Learning to simply photoshop might not cut it this semester. I believe there is more to a simple meme or assignment, such as the ones described above. We need to learn to create movement and add sound to images and videos, starting from scratch. Those are skills I hope to gain this semester in CT101!

Assignment #3 – Are Internet Memes Art?

Memes are Art!

I view memes as a form of expression. A way to communicate your thoughts and feelings through pictures and words. They pretty much cover what it says in our following definition.

Britannica defines art as “a visual object or experience consciously created through an expression of skill or imagination.”

That’s got to tell you something about what is considered Art. Although the definition is not quite specific, it does tell us that art is a form of expressive imagination!

pure imagination is the place to be - Willy Wonka Sarcasm Meme | Make a Meme

Here are some other definitions of Art:

Google

Wikipedia

Stanford

Animated GIF

We can explore the…

Animated GIF

We can express frustration

Animated GIF

But most of all we can…

Animated GIF

Animated GIF

And with the help of our virtual friend (the internet), anyone can be an artist!

Assignment #2 – Gifs!

Before starting this class, I was freaking out a bit!

Scared Freak Out GIF by The Meredith Vieira Show

I’m not the brightest internet user, so… I was relieved when I found out that the course was for beginners, and you didn’t need any knowledge on the net. Unlike my other courses, whom I have to read 20-40 pages for, CT101 seems a lot more delightful!

Scripps National Spelling Bee Yes GIF by ESPN

When I logged in on the first zoom class, I was surprised how relaxed Professor Seslow made the class feel. It was friendly, NOT intense, and something I can see myself enjoying. I felt like I could do this!

season 4 starz GIF by Outlander

That all changed when Professor Seslow mentioned we would be using “the commons”!?!!?!

Oh No Omg GIF by Friends

I honestly had no idea what the commons were, and it sounded really complicated. But after navigating through the site, it didn’t feel so scary anymore.

I realized that this is doable!

Now, I am ready for what’s to come. And I feel confident I will get the work done!

fallontonight fashion wow omg work GIF

Assignment #1- Internet Happiness

There are so many things on the internet that make me so happy!!! One of them is Netflix.

Netflix GIFs | Tenor

I could not have survived this pandemic without staring at an HD screen enjoying the most memorable moments of modern tv. Whether you’re in the mood for something terrifying or rewatching the good all Office, there is nothing like going on ONE app/website and getting it all!

The Michael Scott Face! GIF | Gfycat

Trying to survive this pandemic has been a real struggle. Watching continuous hours of Hunter X Hunter, Dexter, or Sister Sister can be soothing when trying to avoid the chaotic actions around you. It may not seem like the best escape route, but it sure does the trick!

However, we should not avoid the inevitable outcomes of this pandemic. Sometimes we just need to take it all in and learn to live with it. After all, we are in this together and need to overcome it together.

Struggle Struggling GIF - Struggle Struggling FatCat - Discover & Share GIFs | Funny cat videos, Best cat gifs, Cute animals

I mean, if the cat can get through it, so can we!!! (I hope)