A reflection of my semester in CT101:

 

Final Course Reflection Blog Post:

Before this class, I was a very nervous if I’d be able to keep up because I had no background in this area, but Prof. Seslow does an awesome job making this class easy to understand.  His process has allowed me to not only keep up but to relax enough to be my authentic self and show my personality in these creative assignments.  I’m no filmmaker yet, but I can now make a mean meme, gif and so much more. 😃

A recap of what I’ve learned in CT101 & reflection/assessment of grade earned:

I’m still have a lot more to learn before I’ll feel confident in setting up my own website and getting it to look cosmetically the way I’d like, but from where I started prior to the class having no background in this area of study to now, I feel I’ve earned a solid A.

I feel I earned this grade because from where I started having little to no knowledge of creating gifs or memes, adding media and captions, registering a domain name and host set up and WordPress install, setting up and customizing my very own website, working with blog navigation menus, widgets and adding plug-ins, working with blog pages, categories and even setting up a Twitter and IG account and embedding content from those sites and cross posting them into my blog and adding hyperlinks…this was all a foreign world to me prior to this class and now I can figure it out somewhat on my own now or by referring to Prof. Seslow’s video tutorials.

This kind of technological wizardry made me really nervous about it before this class, and now I’ve done it all with Prof. Seslow’s help.  I feel good about it and think sticking to it even when I had anxiety about some of the tasks and seeing it to completion has earned me an A. 😃

What did you enjoy about our class and how you will apply your new skills into the world?:

I think the thing I’ve learned the most is everything in this class, how to make a gif, a meme, how to arrange them on the blog with narrative so that it flows and it pleasing to the eye, to keep all the images uniform size.  There’s not one thing I’d say I’ve learned the most.  It’s all been equally beneficial.

Likewise, what I enjoyed about our class is the same, everything that I have learned that I can now use even after the class is over for personal or business purposes, which is pretty exciting. 😃

Will you maintain and keep up your new website? If so, how? If not, Why not?:

I was taking an Online Journalism class this semester, so CT101 came in handy with helping me learn tools to create online news stories with my new website for the class.  I even figured out how to make a pretty nice 5 photo slideshow with detailed captions for my Online Journalism class.  My Online Journalism professor even asked if he could use my slideshow project to show the class to give them ideas for their project.  That made me feel pretty good.  I feel the tools I learned in CT101 gave me the skills to maneuver around WordPress to make a pretty nice slideshow.  That’s something I’ll take with me for my future classes and even my personal projects outside of school. 😃

My new website link URL, successes, frustrations, and an over-all assessment of building and having a website:

My domain name for my new website is “Sankofa Talk”.   My website link URL is https://sankofatalk.com/.

As of now, my new website is still pretty bare as I’ve only used it for CT101 assignments and news article assignments related to my Online Journalism class.  Because my new website was created at a time that I really needed it for my Online Journalism class, I decided to keep it simple for now and just use the website for school purposes.

I did have some struggles deciding on a background or theme to use for my home page.  These cosmetics will probably come to me when I decide what I actually want to use it for beyond school.

However, what I found pretty successful was navigating around my new website since it is WordPress and operates similarly to Commons, particularly the dashboard which was helpful.  Because this is my very first website, my indecisiveness in how to set it up can be pretty frustrating, but again, I think once I decide what I really want to do with it, ideas will come to me.

Over the summer I definitely plan to play around with my new website and spruce it up.  I’m still not exactly sure what I want to use it for but I have some ideas, which is exciting. 😃

This class has been really rewarding and more than I could have asked for.  The tools I learned are invaluable and can assist me creating a website even for business purposes which is great.  I’m saddened that the class is over but glad I now know these new tools thanks to Prof. Seslow, an awesome teacher.

Copyright and Fair Use

A. How much should users of the web think about copyright as you and others share, re-share, and remix content on the web?

After watching both Larry Lessig’s and Andy Baio’s videos, I now think web users should definitely think about copyright before sharing, re-sharing and remixing content on the web.  Neglecting copyright laws and asking the original artist permission to use their content and paying the appropriate fees to use the content could find those sharing original content being sued or settling out of court and paying huge amounts of money.

B. What is fair use?

Fair use, in lamens terms is the ability to use copyrighted material for the narrow purposes of parodying, commenting or remixing without needing the copyright owner’s permission.

Though, remixing original content falls under fair use, it is still wise to think before acting to prevent copyright infringement and being sued.

The quote that I found compelling by Larry Lessig is “UGC (user generated content), spreading in businesses in extraordinarily valuable ways like these (i.e. YouTube , flickr, Revver, etc.), celebrating amateur culture by which I don’t mean amateurish culture, I mean culture where people produce for the love of what they’re doing and not for the money”.

I liked this quote because technology makes remixing and transforming original content into something up to date and new, whether remixing dance music for the love of it for a party, whether using a movie or tv image you love to print on a t-shirt, or remixing a tv or movie clip with different music behind it for fun.  We see this all the time.  And most times these content creators aren’t sued, but it makes you wonder, have they created a space where they can be sued?  It’s a lot to think about after watching Larry Lessig’s and Andy Baio’s videos. 😮

 

For this CT 101 assignment, since I’m pretty new to twitter and IG, I decided to try embedding a twitter post from the popular Verzuz site onto my blog.

Please click on this link to view the post.  Feel free to comment.

 

My New Post About Paranormal Horror Movies

By James – 5/5/21

Hi all, check out my latest post about paranormal horror movies…

My New Post About Paranormal Horror Movies

Today, I was thinking about how difficult this semester was for me and one of my guilty pleasures that helped me survive, other than hot cheese popcorn 😃.  That’s paranormal horror movies.  I love them.  I can’t get enough of them, especially the ones with good story lines.  The ones that are based on actual events really get my attention.  Check out my above new post…feel free to drop a comment! ☺️

I was able to successfully register my domain name and set up my WordPress website.  Wow, I never thought about having my own website.  Pretty exciting! 😃

Watching Professor Seslow’s video, I was able to play around with the WordPress settings and add some customization.  So far I’ve changed the background color on my website, added a plug-in, played around with the primary and secondary page settings, and more.  The challenge for me is, I haven’t decided exactly what I want to use my new page for…I’m at a loss…it’s frustrating. 😩

I think for now, I’m just going to use my new WordPress website for school purposes.  I’ve used it so far for my journalism class to write articles, and I’ll be using it for CT 101 projects.  Maybe in the next few weeks or so something will spark an idea what to use my website for beyond school.  Fingers crossed! 😳

 

So, registering my own domain name…I watched Professor Seslow’s video and followed his instructions step by step.  I was pretty excited, but still not settled on a domain name.

I looked at the list of domain names I had chosen for my blog and thought, meh! 😕  I guess I wasn’t dedicated to those domain names I chose because I still didn’t know what I really wanted to use my new website for. 😫

But first things first, I decided to see if the domain names I had chosen were even available.  So, one by one I gave them a go…and none of them were available. 😯

For some reason, I wasn’t worried because there was a domain name I had in mind that I was sure would be available…”SankofaTalk”.  So, I typed it in to see if it was available, and voila, it was! 😃

Before committing to it, I thought of a few more domain names that I thought sounded catchy, but all of them were taken, so I decide to continue on with “SankofaTalk”.  Hey, at least this step is complete…making progress…baby steps! 😃

After securing my domain name, I continued following Prof. Seslow’s steps in the video to set up my web hosting account.  This process was pretty simple, but when I typed in my domain name, it wouldn’t load.  I tried and tried again…it just wouldn’t work…it was Sunday after midnight, I was sleepy but determined to get it working…but no luck! 😩

Frustrated, I felt defeated and emailed Prof. Seslow for help.  When I woke up later that day, Prof. Seslow said it was likely a typo.  I typed it in, and it worked, my domain name with my website loaded…success, thanks to Prof. Seslow! I played around with my new website that I still don’t know what I’m going to use it for, but I felt accomplished. 😃

How am I doing in CT101?

That’s a great question.  Before this class, I was a little nervous if I’d be able to keep up because prior to this I had no background in the creative techy arts, but Prof. Seslow does an awesome job making this class easy to understand.  His process has allowed me to not only keep up but to relax enough to be my authentic self and show my personality in these creative assignments.  I’m no filmmaker yet, but I can make a mean meme and gif now…from where I started up to now, I think that has earned me a solid A. 😃

What grade do I believe I am maintaining?

I still have more to learn but I think I’m maintaining a solid A.  With each assignment I try to make it honestly, but also with a touch of humor, maybe thought provoking, but easy to digest…a balance.

What have I learned the most? What is my greatest learned asset in this class so far?

I think the thing I’ve learned the most is everything in this class, how to make a gif, a meme, how to arrange it on the blog with narrative so that it flows and it pleasing to the eye, to keep all the images uniform size.  There’s not one thing I’d say I’ve learned the most.  It’s all been equally beneficial.  Likewise, my greatest asset learned is the same, everything that I have learned that I can now use even after the class is over for personal or business purposes, which is pretty exciting. 😃

What skills have I developed , cultivated and displayed regularly in my posts?

I think the biggest skill I’ve developed that I’m still improving on is the art of telling a story in a blog using gifs and memes, but not to add so much content that you lose the reader, or too little that the message is not clear.  This process has helped me become a better storyteller overall I think.

How do I assess my performance through self-reflection in this class?

I think the best way to assess my own performance is to take an honest look at where I was when the class started, what I had no knowledge of prior to the class, then look at what I can do now, look back at my own assignments and see if they were clear and entertaining, thought provoking or both, and was I honest in my assignments overall in how I represented my ideas.  To me, honesty and projecting a story in a way that is entertaining or inspirational is the mark of progress in this kind of class.

What do I know now that I did not know before taking this class?

Before taking this class, I had no idea how to make a gif.  I would always see cool gifs and react to them on facebook, but I had no knowledge of how to make them.  Now I do which is cool.  I knew how to make memes but by looking at other classmates’ memes I’m drawing inspiration how to make mine better.  So this class has been a great experience overall. 😃

Do I see my weekly blogging work expanding creatively? If so, please explain –  or am I stuck in a loop where my posts seem to look the same most of the time, how will I change that?

I think so far my blogging work might be ok because I’m still in the beginning stages learning to use my voice with narrative, gifs and memes in a blog given the weekly assignment.  There are a number of interests that I have that I would definitely like to express at some point when the opportunity presents itself in future blogs.  I think it’s just a matter of not continuing in the spirit of being authentic and honest but light hearted and fun.  Trying to find that balance while using creativity and my voice to tell stories. 😃

I’m actually pretty excited about the idea of creating and running my own website.  I’m not really nervous about it but I do have to give it some more thought to decide how I want to approach it so that it’s thought provoking but not too heavy, informative but light hearted…I feel like I have to give this more thought before executing though.

Below are 4 domain name ideas and links that give an idea of info that might be on the site as well as my perspective.

1. “BushPeople” – This name is a play on how many people call country people that go to the bush or forest to pick herbs to boil into a tea to heal the sick..old time remedies that many still live by.

 

I like medical practitioners like above that offer a natural holistic approach to healing to prevent and combat illness. I would use my site to post other expert’s suggestions that might be helpful to others to create dialogue.

I might also post various links and info from people that take a natural approach to healing through foods and herbs like above.

2. “CreativeZone”- kinda self-explanatory…just a place for cool crafting that can be done in or around the home.

Here, I would post various cool arts and craft projects that can be done at home…not the one above obviously, but other cool artsy stuff…LOL

3. “TheOtherWorld”- This is a play on the paranormal movie “The Others”, a great movie by the way.

I think it would be pretty cool to dedicate a website for what people call paranormal experiences and hear other people’s perspectives and experiences.

4. “SpeakTheTruth!”- This is kind of a spin on my favorite tv program that came on years ago called “Like It Is” where scholars and historians would talk about historical things that we’ve been lied about in America and the world.

Black conscious perspective that analyzes negative Black images in pop culture, media & history and thinking beyond what we’ve been taught.

Here, I might post various scholars talking about history and how that affects us currently and provide my own views.

I chose the audio assignment below because for some years now I thought it would be cool to make party/dance music using this kind of technology.  I’ve tried to use Garage Band on my Mac, but I got frustrated and gave up too soon.

I think to successfully learn this audio tool it might take me 3 or so projects to become a storyteller.  In today’s world of technology, there are many tools that can be used with this kind of audio tool to enhance your goals.  I think learning this would be important because music and other sounds can create an atmosphere, a feeling, an emotion that adds context to the story you are trying to create.

I will circle back around to the above Sick Beats software after watching a better tutorial and try and make my own song. 😳

Next is the writing assignment below.  I chose to do this assignment because I actually like to write creative stories.  It’s pretty fun and you can let you imagination go wild.  I also knew this would be an assignment I could complete fairly easily.  I like the medium of writing because it’s another creative way to reach a lot of people, especially people who like to read.  Creative writing is actually an art that I’m really interested in, but I have to figure out what I’d like my end goal to be, whether for books, screenplays, or just for my own personal outlet.

You can read my story, “Dinner with an old friend” here.

 

Hi guys and gals.  In this awesome class, we’re gonna learn about the wonderful world of memes.  Isn’t that exciting?!!  I’m so excited, I could just burst!

Before we continue guys and gals, we should learn the definition of a meme.  You can find the meme definition here.

Now, let’s move on to some more fun stuff about memes.  Buckle your seat belt.  This train ride might get a little bumpy! 😃

So, the question is, are memes considered art? 😳

To me, the answer is yes.  They may not fit into the category of classic art, but if memes are a creative expression intended to invoke a feeling, emotion or provoke thought, then the answer is yes, memes are art.  To see what others say, click on the links here and here too.😃

 

Art is forever evolving.  It’s a form of expression, a form of communication, always changing with the times.  No matter what the goal of that art is, whether to convey a cultural, spiritual or political message like the hieroglyphics & paintings of the ancient Africans of the Nile Valley shown below…

…or the stylistic art of the aerosol artists (graffiti) of the 70’s and 80’s in NYC show below…see more about graffiti art here and how it became popularized and essential in early Hip-Hop. 😃👍🏿

…memes are just one form of art’s changing expression…and change is good.  Change will always happen.  And it’s better to embrace it than to fight it.  As technology changes, surely will memes and other forms of art and communication.

This is my first creative online class.  On the 1st day of class, I was excited but nervous.  Excited to be starting a creative class, but nervous because I didn’t know how difficult the class would be.  I was probably more nervous than anything else…just staring, confused, billy goat style.

As Professor Seslow continued on with the class, I thought, he’s a nice guy. Then he started using terms like inbed images and hyperlinks.  I tried to keep cool…tried to keep my poker face on, but emotionally I felt I looked more like this confused cat…

After class, I tried to navigate my way around the Commons site and find the first class recording to complete assignment one.  That probably took me a couple of hours alone.  I finally found the recording and was going back and forth between creating my post and listening to the recording like, he said do what na? (in southern accent)…

I kept at it…tried to get out of my head and have more fun with it.  Finally, I calmed down and got the hang of it.  Even created a gif for my first post.  I previewed it to give it a look, then published it.  I sat on my sofa and smiled.