Well…. we are at the final countdown for the Fall 2023 semester and why not write a final blog post to reflect and go out with a bang. This course has taught me that creativity has no limits. Creative freedom and expression was always a key factor for CT 101 and for that, I never took it for granted.

The end is near…. I don’t mean it as if the world is ending but it is time to roll the credits for CT 101 on a positive note. What I enjoyed about CT 101 was gaining the knowledge of how powerful the internet is. There is so much access to stuff that you would never think of. I will certainly apply the creative skills that I learned in the course outside in the real world.

As far as my domain goes, which is  http://williammejia25.com

I have yet to decide what to do with my domain. I thought about using it as a way to showcase all the newspaper articles that I have written for the York College newspaper but only time will tell.

Here is a screenshot of the homepage of my website.

The creation of my domain is an exciting time because now I can explore the options that a domain has. Customization is important to the domain because it gives the domain a personality. Who wants to be dull and generic nowadays?

Customizing your domain is not difficult at all. After watching the class recording, it became simple to customize my domain. Anything you do does not have to be flashy but having a personality is always a key in anything you do.

My overall experience with creating an account and setting up a domain wasn’t too bad. In fact, not complicated at all. I was able to follow the steps in the class recording and everything went smoothly. I find it cool that students are able to own their domain. Students can use their domain in so many ways such as blogging or content creation. Having your own domain can be like a work resume with your all creations in just a click of a button

There were many different routes that I could’ve chosen in terms of selecting a domain name. I was able to choose a domain name that would be easy to remember and easy to type. I wanted a domain name that wasn’t anything fancy and I was able to come up with this domain name – http://williammejia25.com  Now I am normally not the type to add numbers to a domain name because the name may not be aesthetically pleasing but it fit well to my liking.

I find it to be a truly exciting time for students to own their domains because of the amount of work they can share on their websites. It is truly creative freedom. I was able to download WordPress to my domain and now I have access to the control center which can be a useful tool.

As we reach the middle of the fall semester, It is important for me to see the things that I have learned in Ct 101 and briefly discuss them with an open mind.  We are not yet towards the final countdown but it is always good to reflect.

How am I doing in CT101?

I feel like I am doing well in the course, the flexibility of the workload is very beneficial towards completing assignments from other classes. I enjoy the creativity and freedom of expression in Ct 101.

What have I learned and retained the most?

What I learned the most is that the internet can be a great tool to express yourself and tell stories. The Internet is not just simply a research tool, it is a way to have a presence in the cloud of the World Wide Web. Blogging is a great way to make your presence felt with the ability to write out stories for people to read.

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

The new skill that I developed is creating digital art. I had a fun time with that particular assignment because it allowed me to explore my creativity. here is a hyperlink to that assignment. Assignment 6

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

Before taking this course, I did not know the process of creating animated GIFs. However, I am able to create animated GIFs now and share them in my project flexibility blog post. Project Flexibility

What grade do I believe I am maintaining and why do I deserve that grade? 

I believe I am maintaining an A in this course from completing the assignments. I may not be able to attend class in person every week but I do watch the recordings and engage with the course assignments.

Do I see my weekly blogging work expanding creatively? If so, please explain why –  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 feel as if I am getting better at blogging by implementing more GIFS and hyperlinks to my blog. I find that if I use both tools, it creates engagement in my blogs.

Are you commenting regularly on your classmates posts? Are you responding back to comments given to you by the professor & your classmates?

I am guilty of regularly not responding to comments and I hope to get out of that habit.

With the help of different websites that contain free tools, I was able to create my own digital art. My inspiration for creating my digital art is inspired by my fandom of Star Wars. I wanted to create digital art that involved UFOs and Space.

The experience of creating digital art is very fun and I had a blast creating digital art that I find enjoyable. Tools such as GifCities, GIPHY, and mmm.page gave me the resources and help that I needed to create my digital art.

Now to reveal what is behind the curtain…..

Here is the link to my digital art: https://william_mejia.mmm.page/newprivatepage1

Since I was a young kid, I would go to the public park and play baseball with neighborhood friends. By playing baseball in my public park, it gave me a love for baseball. My cousin always would mention the Yankees to me and it piqued my interest. As a young child, I would watch the Yankees game on my television and I was hooked from the start. I can recall players like Derek Jeter or Alex Rodriguez being some of my favorite players in the mid-2000s.

I would watch most of the Yankees game on TV and I remember just being emotionally invested into the team that I would be upset if they lost. My diehard Yankees fandom became a passion throughout my life and I would voice my frustrations if the team was struggling to meet expectations.

What felt great as a young fan was witnessing them win another championship in 2009. I felt ecstatic and I would express how ecstatic I was to my friends in school the next day. In this current day, I am a diehard Yankees fan, and being a diehard fan has been my passion since I was 6 years old.

Here is a photo I took of Yankee Stadium :

Are memes art? Memes can be used as a way to express any type of emotion or feeling just like art intends to do. Just like art, memes contain bright colors and images that catch the attention of the human eye. Individuals can tell their different experiences through the power of memes. According to SpokenVision.com “If you take a look at the past you can see that art has been used to do the same thing memes do now: bright colorful images that represent an idea.” Memes have become the most common form of self-expression on the World Wide Web.  The Harvard Crimson says “Just as not all art speaks to everyone, memes are much the same.” Memes are so direct and straight-forward to the point of understanding how someone feels in that moment.

My access and discovery of memes allows me to express how I feel in the moment, I often use memes a lot through texting to convey my reaction to a text or to make someone laugh. Memes allow me to be an open book on the internet.

Since I am a fan of sports and a NY Yankees fan, these are my favorite memes below that express my feelings about the Yankees’2023 season:

Here are some memes that I created about CT 101:

The first day of CT101 gave me a sense of curiosity about the course and after looking at the syllabus and Professor Seslow breaking down and explaining the course, I felt intrigued. I had an interest in taking CT101 before the semester started. A couple of people I know recommended this class to me after having positive experiences with the class.

CT 101 is much different than my other classes this semester as it can explore our creative juices on the internet. This class can convey the creative and fun side of the internet and that makes me interested. The sky is the limit for this class because of the access to different software to express our creative work. The tools on the internet exist for a reason and they should not be left to waste.

As I was lurking through the fine worlds of the World Wide Web this past week, I came across a platform that provides radio stations from around the world. You can even listen to your local radio stations on there. It was a fun experience and I got the chance to listen to different radio stations in different states in the U.S.  I introduce to you, Radio Garden.

https://radio.garden/visit/williston-park-ny/877bfa7r