Greetings classmates

Being a journalism major I heard around the hallways that CT was a fun class to take and I have to say that I was not disappointed. I just wish that the class was in person and I was in a better state of mind. This semester has been the most mentally challenging one and I thank God that I am the type of person who doesn’t like to quit.

Throughout the semester I learned to communicate through technology and I know that seems redundant being that the class is literally communications technology but I just feel that it is deeper than that. Art is an expressive tool and being that digital art is a thing, it is another way to express emotions or ideas and thus, telling a story or creating conversation.

When I open up a laptop or use a desktop I did the basic copy and paste shortcut and type my papers.. now I have the acquired skills to print and screenshot from the keyboard. I also learned to insert/create hyperlinks on an image or text. I can make my own GIFs, memes, create a website, create stickers, distort an image using the panoramic feature on a camera, create an image with different edits of our choice, blend images together to create one and use different effects on an image to create a new image.

Aside from the technical stuff, I learned to work with my group mates to create a fun image, I learned to blog properly, I learned to interact with my peers through a web platform and I learned to apply what I learned in class to a real life situation or assignment.

This class was more than just learning what was being told to us, I really think that Professor Seslow has been one of the most patient and understanding Professors that I’ve encountered, which I am very grateful for.  The class and the recordings of the class was both informative and helpful, I am one of the students who played catch up throughout the semester and it has been to my benefit to follow all of his steps like a recipe.

As of right now, I am struggling getting my website to be up and running. I’m not sure why I’m struggling so much because when I first created the domain, it said I was clear to jumpstart the website but a lot of complications came through (just my luck) and I think this will effect my grade. I felt like I was holding a high B in the class but this website and the assignments following it, will probably bring my grade down to a C or a high D and I just hope that I don’t fail. I came to every in person class that was scheduled and I participate for the most part, did the rest of the blog assignments and commented on my peers posts. I haven’t been completely absent from the class so I think I hold a fair standing. However, if my grade is being impacted negatively I will do whatever extra work I have to do to get me in the passing bracket of this class.

I really enjoyed the variety of assignments we had throughout the semester, it really brought out the creative side of my brain out and it allowed me to explore the different ways to complete each assignment. I can definitely apply the knowledge I gained in the course into the world because I’m in the process of building a platform for my grooming business, I can expand my content and create different things to draw an audience. I don’t know specifically what things I’d be using- I just know that I’ll be using it because it is part of technology and I’d be a unique blogger because I will have unique content.

Ideally, once I get the website up and running I will like to keep and maintain it. I will become a veterinarian one day and I will travel the world to help animals of all shapes and sizes, the website will allow me to broadcast my journey and allow my followers to either donate or participate on my journey. The world is my oyster.

Hello All,

 

I was mistaken about my website being up and running! I’m having difficulties verifying my domain but I was able to contact customer care.

The website will be up and functional soon. I have some content that I cannot wait to share with you all on animalsandki.com (soon to be hyperlink)

Every time I request resend verification, the email does not appear.

Hope to bless your eyes soon!

The steps that were written on our course calendar and the recorded video of the class was very helpful in creating a website- it made the process smoother. It was almost like following a recipe.

I completed this process on my laptop and the email verification process was on my phone. I feel like registering a domain name was the easiest part of the process since all the information was given and we just had to input it.

I was a little confused on how to verify the domain but after a few attempts I think I got it figured out. I just kept looking for “verified” and eventually I got it. With some time and patience it was achieved.

Overall, I’m excited to see where this goes and how much longer I can carry out the website. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be, it was just making sure that the website is ready to go.

Potential Domain Names 

1. Groomingwithki
2. Animalsandki
3. Animalsworldwide
4. Gonzalezanimalcare
5. groomingwithcare
6. caretogroom

Why these names?

I plan to create a website for my future career. I plan on becoming a veterinarian and I am currently in the dog grooming business (soon to be cats too), with these sets of skills I can become a one stop shop for some animal caregivers. Sometimes in the grooming industry there are accidents that happen and with a veterinarian close by, all can be taken care of. Sometimes with some rescue animals they need medical grooming and that can occur in my  business. There are so many different options and services that I can provide when the time comes, a website would make it easier to spread the news about the business, promote the business and give information on the business. Although I major in journalism, I can use my acquired skills to expand on my business and broadcast it so that my audience is unlimited and it can expand.

Some Websites

The internet makes the world smaller and the ASPCA is one of the most recognized facilities for animal related care and rescue, I like it because it is where I was able to adopt my cat who is my bestest friend.

On television National geographic is another animal related watch and there are so many different stories about different animals, it is always dramatic but fun to watch and gain some knowledge.

I own a cat and a dog so I like to use a website to get their food, any medications, toys or any other things they might need.

 

The only thing that has me worried about websites is that when building them, a lot of complications can arise so every intricate detail matters and can effect how the website might function. I will have to do a lot of research and make sure that the website will be as perfect as it can be.

Mid Semester Assessment Post

Assignment #1: https://ct101.commons.gc.cuny.edu/gfing-for-ct/

Recap: This was my first time blogging like this and I actually submitted this assignment late because I was confused on how the whole process worked. It wasn’t until we had our first in person session and that was where I got the clarity I needed to move forward with the rest of the assignments. I think the most challenging thing at the time was choosing which GIFs to use to express the emotions I was feeling but it was fun. I’ve never made a GIF before so it was a really cool first time experience.

Assignment #2: https://ct101.commons.gc.cuny.edu/making-happiness-on-the-internet/

Recap: I was a little bit confused by this assignment. I thought that we had to reflect on our week and what made us happy and post it to the internet. But then Professor had commented on my post and told me that the assignment was to mention what things ON the internet have made you happy, so that was a silly mistake of mine. Nonetheless, it was nice sharing what made me happy in a blog format and that just gave me another outlet to express myself creatively.

Assignment #3: https://ct101.commons.gc.cuny.edu/what-a-meme/

Recap: I really liked this assignment because I’m a sucker for debates. People’s opinions are different and sometimes justified but in a discussion like this, where memes are questioned to be art or not, there are many opinions that like to deter what art really is. I also liked the irony of debating if memes are art in my response and inserting memes into my response as well. I think the most challenging thing was trying to explain myself as much as I can because I want to sound convincing. I wouldn’t mind blogging about a debate or discussion and express ourselves through memes or GIFs, I think it was informative and engaging.

Assignment #4: https://ct101.commons.gc.cuny.edu/project-from-ds-106/

Recap: In this assignment I learned how to hyperlink an image and this has only showed me how much I’ve learned in this class, I was born in a generation of technology and there is still so much more to learn about it. I really liked the creative freedom on this assignment and the thing about it, no one assignment is the same and even the topic is different too.

Assignment #5: https://ct101.commons.gc.cuny.edu/digital-art-making-and-creative-immediacy/

and .. https://ct101.commons.gc.cuny.edu/digital-art-making-immediacy/

Recap: Being a journalism major, there is a lot of writing involved when it comes to the classes you have to take. Before coming to college, I always had a journal that I’d write in to and share my thoughts on paper. This assignment allowed me to be transparent and it was nice to write it all down on a safe platform. I learned to create a piece that involves pictures, stickers and edits that involve music and writing. Learning and using the skills that was learned is all that school is about and this really executed that.

How am I doing in CT101?

I think I’m doing fairly okay in the class, I can do better as far as submitting my work when it is supposed to be turned in. I can also participate more in the class, the online portion of it. I’m honestly not sure if I commented enough on other people’s post so that is something that I can work on as well. I’m glad that I haven’t completely given up and it is better late than never. I’ll take a C grade over an F grade any day. I do think I have the potential to do better but I’m honestly just overwhelmed with all of the six classes that I’m taking. I can excel in one class but then my other class suffers, it is hard to balance and I’m doing all that I can. I work and I’m in the middle of my softball season, yes I am an overachiever but I’m also not a quitter so I take what I can get and what I’m working for.

How many points have I earned so far and what grade do I believe I am maintaining? 

I’m going to be honest and say that I have not kept track of any points or calculated my grade so I have no idea what grade I might have in this class. But if I can take a guess, I would say a high C or low B. I show up to every class, even the in person ones and I do my best to complete all of the blogs and assignments to it’s fullest extent, although I submit it late. I would like to continue to do my best and hopefully, the work I do will reflect upon my grade and god willing that it is a good one. I also am not the type of person to meticulously keep track of grading because I feel like that’ll slow me down. Just do the work and do what you’re being told then it’ll all fall into place. I know that I will get the grade I deserve so I just do my best.

What have I learned and retained the most?

I definitely learned the shortcuts on the keyboard PC of creating a hyperlink, taking a screenshot and printing a page. These are skills that I will carry on with me until my fingers stop working or I no longer use a computer/laptop. Regardless, I can share this information with others and they can pass on the knowledge. I also learned to make memes and GIFs in a storytelling way which was fun and I would probably use that again some day, I don’t deny it especially in a digital world.

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

I learned to properly blog, in a more organized and engaging manner. Using different fonts, indentations, bold, italic and even the sizing of the font to create a more cohesive post. It never occurred to me to organize it in a certain way since it is being read from a screen but in a way it is just like writing an essay or newsletter.

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

I may assess my performance through self-reflection in this class by looking at all of the posts I’ve done and if I did what was asked of me. The evidence is all there, I just got to go through it and complete what needs to be done. I know that I have three or four other assignments that I have to catch up on and I will get there. I already wrote down what needs to be done, I got the assignments lined up, the videos to watch lined up and I have a separate paper that I write down the requirements needed for each assignment. It makes me process the assignments easier and it stresses me out less to lay out what needs to be done.

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

I did not know that you can create memes and GIFs using your own imagery, I just had a naïve way of thinking that there was this special process to making memes and GIFs. I’m pretty sure with the rest of the semester ahead of us there is still so much more to learn. Again, I did not know all of the shortcuts on the PC keyboard: taking a screenshot, creating a hyperlink and printing.

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 definitely see my blogging work expanding creatively because the limits are endless. There are so many different ways to express myself on this platform and I plan on taking full advantage of it. I plan to freely write my thoughts, express my emotions and no response will be the same or plain. I know that the more I work on these posts, they are bound to improve and progress. I am not the type of person to move backwards from what they learned because once I learn something, I use what I learn and apply it to the next thing that I’m working on.

Are there any assignments that you are missing? If so, list them. Are you commenting regularly on your classmates posts? Are you responding back to comments given to you by the professor & your classmates? Are you participating during the class time? If not, explain why. This is the time to be accountable. How will you make needed improvements?

I’m currently missing assignment number 7, 8,9 and maybe 10. I’ve definitely have been in a weird state of mind and been off the rails as far as handling all of my classes but the comeback will be real and I refuse to quit or allow a temporary emotion take me over and win. I am not commenting regularly on my classmates’ post but that is something that I got to work on to and it is all a work in progress. I definitely haven’t responded to anyone’s comments including the professor’s comments so now that it has been brought to my attention, it is on the to-do list. I honestly participate more during in-person class time rather than online. I feel like the online portion of the course is good but not as good as the in-person sessions.

Every picture has a story behind it and it is up to the viewer to decide what the image may be trying to portray. It was fun arranging everyone in class that were in my group because we all put our heads together to come up with an idea to tell a story in our picture.

On one side of the image the group is fighting with each other and the dominant fighters are visible. Where as, on the other side of the picture the recessive opponents become the dominant fighters and fight back. Moral of the story, fight back against those that provoke.

After breaking the ice with the exercise, we decided to take another picture to tell a different story/message.

On one side of the image we have our socials, the interactive and movement group. On the opposing side of the image, we have our tech socials. This group is on their phones and interacting through social media. I like the juxtaposition in this photo since we have two different kinds of social groups.

We decided that we didn’t want to stop there, we wanted to play with the panoramic and see how the image can be distorted.

Some of the challenges that we faced were: the perspective change also changed the lighting on the subjects and some of the movement from the subjects were minimal. Nonetheless, things like some of our subjects, the ceiling and the floor were distorted. Maybe if the camera itself had some movement it would capture the subjects to be more distorted.

All in all, this group activity was enjoyable and it definitely brought out the creativeness in all of us so it was really cool to put our heads together to come up with our product.

This was awesome 🙂

Your experience with the mmm page..

I realized that your email is the key to activating the page and wherever you activate it, the page will upload on the device in which you activate it. For example, I initially opened up the page on the computer but since I needed my email to activate it.. I used my phone to confirm my identity and the page opened up on my phone instead of the computer. It was pretty tedious having to bounce back from email to the page but it does save my the annoyance of remembering a username and password.

I immediately had a song in my head and I created the work surrounding the song. The song is Jungle by Drake and therefore I created my weird interpretation of a jungle. It was fun creating this because I have never made anything like this before and it really got my gears in my brain moving.

This is just a preview, I attached the song to it too so that you guys can get the same experience that I have in my head. You’ll just have to click on the picture to get the full experience but this one can only be fully viewed on a desktop. Sorry for those who are viewing on a phone!

Next..

Since my week has been crazy, I’ve decided to dedicate my next post to how I’ve been feeling lately..

Once again, you guy would just have to click on the picture to get the full experience of the page and this time I made it compatible for those viewing on a cell phone (you’re welcome) and this post was more of a metaphor for what is going on currently in my life.

I can’t wait to create more fun and interactive projects as the semester continues but until next times amigos!

What is..

Creativity is one’s personal creation or idea from their own inspiration or others to produce something by their own self.

Immediacy is the perception of physical and psychological closeness between communicators. I thought it would be something happening right away.

Intuition is your gut. Whenever you get a gut feeling about something, that is your body telling you about a situation or thing before you get the chance to physically figure it out for yourself.

In what order do these words go?

Intuition+Immediacy+Creativity=

After taking a moment to think, being alive means living life. Some people are alive and not living- this is where things can get complicated in life because some people forget to enjoy themselves. It is not about your destination, it is about your journey. Death is inevitable and that is where we will all end up one day and life is too short to stress over the little things, not spending time with your loved ones, picking up the phone and calling someone you haven’t spoken to in a while, holding grudges and being angry. Negative energy does nothing but bring the person holding it down.

Sometimes life forces us to calm down. At the moment, I am appreciating life a little bit more because I’ve been sick on and off for the past two weeks and I think it is my stress manifesting itself into physical form. God is literally telling me to calm down and not overwhelm myself. I put this stress on myself because sometimes I feel like I can do it all, like I’m superwoman or something. I’ve come to realize that I’m not, I am a human being and it is okay to say no to people. I constantly get stuck trying to please everyone, be there for everyone and do so many different activities and I forget to take care of myself. I forget to tend to myself, appreciate myself and be grateful for what I have in front of me instead of trying to pursue one and a million things at once. I’m doing the best I can.

Space is ever-expanding and I don’t think our minds have the capacity to know how much of a spec we are in this universe. There are things in our existence that is bigger than us and smaller than us, just like situations we encounter on a daily basis throughout our lives. I think it is important to be cultural, open-minded, loving, genuine, mindful and empathetic. As humans we all have different abilities that we share with the world that has an impact (whether it be big or small) on the world but if we touch at least one life and change it for the better, it is still significant. Some of us teach, create art, make music, cut hair, are doctors, are nurses, are police, are firefighters, are cab drivers, are janitors etc. All of these “jobs” are just some of the significant contributions to our society and there are so many other subdivisions to each job that is just as equally important.

Currently,

I am in the multimedia studio where our class was held today and I am the last one here. Everyone left and yes, it is peaceful to have the time and space to myself. I can hear myself think and I can write this post without interruption and I can actually hear myself think. I can hear my body telling me to relax because as I’m writing this, I am relieving some stress. Writing is such a good therapy method and it is something that I haven’t done in a while. This self-realization could be considered healthy and I agree with it. I’m on the apple computer while my laptop is open next to me and my phone is playing my class because here I go again doing a bunch of different things at once. I do like being occupied because that leaves no dull moment in my life.

What are you passionate about?

I have multiple things that I am passionate about but in essence I love animals and I love playing sports. I am a dog groomer and it will soon make a year that I’ve been grooming dogs. I am a 2-sport varsity athlete, playing volleyball and softball.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to bet a veterinarian but I doubted myself and thought that I was too dumb to be an animal doctor. Math and anything math related is like another language to me and it is so hard for me to learn and grasp the ideas or formulas or numbers or anything else about it for that matter. I’m currently pursuing my bachelors degree in journalism and I’m expected t graduate at the end of this semester. However, after I attain my degree I do not wish to continue on my journalism career because I don’t love it. I’m so grateful for the learning experiences and the knowledge that I’ve acquired throughout the years but if I’m going to live the rest of my life working then I should do it for something that I am passionate about. I wish I had done it sooner but everything happens for a reason and with the ideas and plans that I have in my head, I might be able to use my degree but we’ll just have to see how this goes.

First fun project

This project caught my eye off rip because there’s not a lot of TV shows that I watch but I did fall in love with one. The Vampire Diaries is one of my favorite series to watch and I like that it has extended series to it and the story continues. I’ve re-watched it probably at least 3 times and I can’t wait to finish it to re-watch it again. I feel like every time I re-watch it there is something new that I’m learning about the show or things that I missed throughout the show.

For those of you who have not watched the show before, let me gladly introduce you to Damon Salvatore. He is my favorite character and he is very very handsome, I absolutely adore him. He is an impulsive character and he feels deeply even though he tries really hard to hide it, he will do anything for the person he loves at the expense of others. I think I admire his intensiveness because I consider myself to be intense too and I can just relate to him.

This is the big and bad Niklaus Mikaelson, one of the members of the original vampire family. In the show, he is predominately known as Klaus the hybrid. He is half vampire and half werewolf but the rest of his siblings are just vampires and the reason for that is his mother had an affair with a werewolf and they didn’t find out til later on. With all of this being said, it is obvious that Klaus is one of the most powerful beings in the show.

This is one of the main characters Elena Gilbert, in my opinion she is a walking tragedy. She’s lost so many people throughout the show and she also leaves a trail of broken hearts. Her character is interesting because even as a human, she is considered to be supernatural and you’ll find out why in a second.

This is Katerina Pierce better known as Katherine Pierce, she is introduced as a 500 year old vampire who ran from Klaus majority of her supernatural life because she betrayed him. Before any questions arise, yes it is the same actor playing two different characters and that is because they are known as the doppelganger. A doppelganger is basically a look alike from different generations but along the same bloodline. I find it funny how they distinguish the two by hairstyles, one has straight hair and the other has curly hair. Nonetheless, it is an interesting feat.

Out of all of the assignments “Design” caught my attention because it is usually not always a single picture. This flyer is a collage with so many different edits: a filter, words on the picture, streak design across the picture and both phrases on the picture is different font that is used. I really like the uniqueness of the flyer and the color pop. I might need to learn how to edit the photo, I think I can figure out how to do the collage portion of it. I think it’d be challenging for me to change the color of the people on the flyer and still manage to contrast the people from the actual flyer. The lines at the front of the flyer is a design that I’d have to learn too because it gives the flyer some liveliness to it and I would like to learn how to do that.

On another note,

I think these kind of assignments would be really fun to do because every subject has multiple assignments and it is to your choosing. Maybe at least 4 or 5 assignments should be done throughout the semester. Each assignment is a learning experience, learning and building emergent storytelling skills and retaining new tools to create them.

I think these skills are important to learn because we are in a digital age, people who are tech savvy get hired quicker than a person who is inexperienced with computer technology. People who are technologically fluent, they make the company they work for an easier, faster and efficient place to be.

I’m a dog groomer and it always makes me happy seeing my doggies transformation. I always look forward to how they start and how they end but since I’m the one creating the art, I see the process first hand and my goal is to just make them pretty. If you are interested in getting your dog groomed, come by me at PetSmart and book an appointment at the Atlantic location!

Tacos is my number 1 favorite food in the whole entire world, I try tacos from different places all the time. One of my all time favorite places is in my neighborhood called Fresh Taco they make some good food but my favorite order is a jack cheese quesadilla with shrimp, steak, sour cream and guacamole inside. It’s delicious and if you ever pass by, grab a bite. You won’t regret it.

This movie is such a classic and it signifies good videography throughout the whole film. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

is a movie that has a good plot, good actors and good shots. I highly recommend this movie, it is a good watch.

 

Recently, our fellow Cardinals won three victories/championships for indoor track and field. This makes me happy because as a fellow athlete, there is happiness in victories like this and it always feels good to receive a champion title. Although, I’m not on the track team I do see the track team practice and work hard then to see the results is satisfying.

The month of March is approaching which means the new Batman movie is coming out! I’ve read an article regarding it and the co-writer and I’m excited to see the new spin they have on the Batman and what direction their going to take this. Batman is one of my favorite super hero and I just love him.

My first day of CT was such an eye-opener because I was completely lost and misguided on how the whole blogging process worked. But today in class, my worries were put at ease and I was definitely able to refocus and put myself on track, with the help of the professor and my classmate. In my mind I look like her saying “hmm?” Now I feel like I’m not so lost anymore.

Hearing about the course and its creative content got me dancing in my shoes, I love to be able to express myself in a unique and entertaining way and blogging will give me the opportunity to be as creative as I want to be. I’m excited to see where the rest of the semester takes us as a class and where it takes me.

My other classes stress me out and CT used to stress me out in the beginning because I didn’t know what I was doing. I feel like maybe I just need to reset myself in my other classes so I don’t burnout. I am majoring in journalism and I have taken a photography class so blogging is not that new for me however, I’ve never blogged like this before. The closest I’ve gotten to “blogging creatively” is on Instagram.

The potentials of this class can bloom into something beautiful. There are so many different ways to post creatively, collaborate with each other and learn more technical shortcuts for all of us to use in the future.

I feel smart learning the different internet tools because I can utilize it outside of the classroom. I also have the ability to teach others around me and I feel like it makes me versatile, I can use these tools to my advantage. I think learning new things expands the mind and can make anyone feel better about themselves because knowledge is food for the brain.