Since I’ve been in college, I can honestly say that CT 101 has been a really simple and understandable class for me. My head wouldn’t be under any stress from tasks for CT 101. The professor is very helpful and provides us with a highly practical and easily accessible syllabus, which helps me complete my tasks. I learn about digital technology, media, and communication in CT 101. It appears that the majority of me appreciate the course based on feedback and reviews from me and those who have taken the course. This is probably because the course equips me with fundamental knowledge and abilities that are applicable in the current digital era. Also, the course provides useful, hands-on projects and professional pursuits.

I pick up a variety of digital technology, media, and communication skills in CT 101. The following are some of the most important things I might discover and remember from the course: how to build and maintain online properties including blogs, websites, and social media accounts. how to interact and connect with others online using various digital tools and platforms. How to evaluate digital media critically and comprehend its social impact. How to use open educational resources and creative commons licensing, as well as how to navigate and use digital resources. Overall, it appears that CT 101 is a course that I believe to be educational, fascinating, and helpful to students’ academic and professional endeavors.

The assignments from CT 101 or each blog post show the development of our knowledge and abilities. It is likely that I  would develop and cultivate a range of digital skills throughout the course, including content creation, digital collaboration, critical analysis of digital media, and digital literacy, based on the curriculum and structure of the class and the use of tools like PHOTOPEA, GIPHY, FIGMA, ADOBE, and MEME, among others. These abilities can be used in a variety of personal and professional contexts and are crucial in the current digital age.

I’ll share what I didn’t know how to do before enrolling in this course. I was probably introduced to a variety of digital tools and platforms throughout the course, as well as various types of digital storytelling like podcasting, video production, and personal blogs. There may have been discussions in the class on open educational resources, copyright laws, and digital ethics. CT 101 probably gave students a more comprehensive understanding of digital media and technology overall, which can be useful in a variety of personal and professional circumstances.

I might not have known about the wide range of digital tools and platforms available for content creation and storytelling before enrolling in CT 101 Digital Storytellers. They might also not have fully comprehended open educational resources, copyright restrictions, and digital ethics. I may not have been familiar with the various ways in which digital storytelling tools like blogging, podcasting, and video creation may be utilized to share ideas and stories. The exposure to digital media and technology that CT 101 would have given me would have been helpful in a variety of personal and professional settings.

I believe I am keeping my grade at a B, but I would work incredibly hard to keep my grade at an A. I must get an A in order to raise my final grade point average. My last semester is right now.

As I receive feedback from the professor on my weekly blogging, I can definitely see how my creativity is growing. Due to the fact that students in the CT 101 class are always learning new digital skills and concepts, my blog entries may become longer each week if they have a lot of homework. They acquire more information and experience as they finish assignments, which they can then use to improve their blog articles. The class may also inspire me to reflect on my growth and learning, which I might record in their blog postings. . My ability to demonstrate my improvement and growth over the course of the course is furthered by growing my blog postings each week. Overall, producing and publishing blog entries regularly can help me to develop my critical thinking, writing, and digital communication skills.

I never skipped any assignments. I consistently do it once a week.

I do voice my opinion often. I didn’t have time to comment at first. But I would examine it and get it back.

I apologize sincerely for not being able to participate in class on time. since my family and I relocated to Staten Island. The journey to Jamaica is long. I was unable to attend class since I was helping my family. I’ve only taken two classes in this semester. This is my last semester. I take my other course entirely online. Yet I finish my tasks and review the Zoom class recordings every week. It really helps me out. I believe the professor would comprehend and be able to comprehend my issue.

I can help my professors enhance CT 101 by giving my comments and actively participating in the learning experience. Sharing my ideas and opinions on the class, including what they liked and what I thought could be better, is one method to achieve this. I can also recommend fresh subjects or tasks that I believe will improve my learning. In order to further their understanding, I  can also actively participate in class discussions, work with my classmates, and look for extra resources. I can help CT 101 class continue to develop and make sure that it satisfies the changing demands of digital learners by taking ownership of my learning and offering helpful criticism.

Looking back at this half of the year and nothing has been more fun to experiment with than the things in this class! I really enjoyed all the various tasks we have at hand whenever we are learning to create, imagine or explore. There’s so much to recap and its only been about 2 months since we returned from break and already we have 2 months of class left.

How am I doing in CT101?

In this class, I’ve been able to learn a lot and have been able to learn so many things in this class which will be valuable to me in the future. I have been able to stay well on track with each and every assignment posted and made sure to refer to the recordings that are posted every class session for guidance. I feel confident and comfortable with how I am doing in this class.

What have I learned and retained the most?

The main thing I have kept with me throughout the year was to not be afraid to be creative. Being able to express yourself in the ways that best fit you is always something to retain no matter how long it has been. Being able to put forth new ideas in your own style is something important to have and it’s best to not let it go.

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

The GIFs and hyperlinks, can’t get enough of using these. I would use them now but I would get carried away with so many so just have this one gif instead. With that aside, the vast amount of fields to look at in terms of how to creative and innovate and imagine are limitless and there’s so many things that helped us cultivate it including the various media collages and the tasks given to us on what type of media to do that we would like to do again and again.

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

I know that there are many simple yet extensive things I have picked up from class including how to organize a collage of photos, editing with websites, making gifs and so much more.

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

I imagine that I have somewhere between an A- and a B+ because I have been on top of my work and did everything that was asked to do assignment wise while not really being able to go to class in person as much due to sickness and injury so I think I did well but might lose some points because I hadn’t been in the best of shape to go to classes regularly.

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 think my blogging is slowly growing, it’s not easy to tell when writing it obviously but once you look back on it, you can see something different in each and every one of the posts and notice what you tried that was unlike the previous post you’ve created

Are there any assignments that you are missing? If so, list them.

I don’t think I have any missing assignments, I did accidentally do 2 assignments in a week (one for the week that it was assigned and the one that was assigned for the following week). I should be 100% on homework as far as I know.

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

Sometimes I forget to comment, I usually expend a good amount of time on each post and forget to comment on another post, I should get back to making sure I comment on at least one person’s post after finishing with mine.

Are you participating during the class time? If not, explain why.

Not really,  I haven’t been in the best of shape to go in so I haven’t been able to participate much.

This is the time to be accountable. How will you make needed improvements?

I think that I will get improvements through feedback, I think that will make it clear what I need to improve on.

Via Figma, the answer to the question “What it means to be alive” will be answered. This is through design because some aspects of this simply cannot be described by words.

I started off with this background of a brick wall to embody a cool/chill arcade/basement vibe.

Since I was born and raised here in New York City I also added this image of a spray can to implement that aspect into my collage showing “What it means to be alive. I added this specifically because this is a big city where there is a lot of graffiti art in places.

I found these images via 2.8 million+ Stunning Free Images to Use Anywhere – Pixabay – Pixabay ,GIPHY – Be Animated and also Free Stock Photos, Royalty Free Stock Images & Copyright Free Pictures · Pexels.I then removed some of their backgrounds via Remove Background from Image for Free – remove.bg. I placed some images in front of the brick wall background to show as if they were decals on the wall of an arcade/basement. The final product can be found here: https://www.figma.com/file/sbFmOIpF0Exv4LslDrYsxN/What-it-Means-to-be-Alive?node-id=0%3A1&t=hEpF1Hc1BdG4koG1-1

Assignment #7 – The Mid-Semester Reflection Post

I have been actively seeking opportunities to acquire digital skills through various programs offered by CUNY. Among these programs is CUNY Career Launch, an internship program tailored for CUNY undergraduates pursuing careers in STEM, Marketing, Healthcare, Grassroots Organizing, Community and Social Services, as well as CUNY Tech Prep. However, I was disappointed when I received rejection emails from both summer programs. One rejection was due to my age, while the other was because of my limited knowledge of data structures, rendering me ineligible. These rejections triggered feelings of imposter syndrome, causing me to question my ability to thrive in college, given my age and skill set. Fortunately, my daily yoga and meditation practice helped me overcome these negative emotions and repetitive thought patterns.

Rejections won’t prevent me from pursuing relevant skills necessary to secure a job and become financially independent, which is ultimately the goal.

As a result of the rejection letters, I have continued applying for other tech training and am more determined than ever to find a program that teaches the skills I deem necessary for success.

Here is a list of some alternative programs suggested in the rejection email:

• Breakthrough Tech https://www.breakthroughtech.org/
• COOP Careers: http://coopcareers.org/
• The Knowledge House: http://www.theknowledgehouse.org/
• https://www.cuny.edu/about/administration/offices/ocip/

I hope sharing my experience in this week’s blog post is not triggering or inappropriate to anyone reading my post. The purpose of being vocal about my situation regarding this personal hurdle is to help anyone who may have faced a similar situation. I hope that by sharing my story, others will find the encouragement to continue pursuing the technical skills required to succeed in today’s competitive job market.

Whenever I encounter challenges like this, I reflect on my progress in CT101. Two months ago, I had no idea how to create a video with sound in iMovie or apply a hyperlink or URL. But this course has taught me that with practice, I can acquire these skills just as quickly as someone who has been digitally literate since kindergarten. Ultimately, it all comes down to practice, repetition, and perseverance.

In my opinion, I deserve an A grade not solely based on the quality of my work but because I have completed all the assignments as requested. To me, the quality of the work is not as important as the determination and time management skills I have demonstrated in completing the tasks.

I do not feel assignments have to be perfect or of professional quality, but I firmly believe that making an effort and putting in the work should be reflected in my final grade.

I utilized text prompts to generate the image above in mid-journey in real time. Out of all the new skills I have picked up in CT101, I have gained the most proficiency in creating GIFs, memes and generating Ai enhanced art. My new experience crafting blog posts has also contributed to my overall ability in CT101.

I have noticed a steady improvement in the quality of my weekly blog posts as I continue to practice. Each week, I learn something new or meet a new expectation that helps me elevate my writing. For instance, last week, I discovered the importance of including a title in my blog post after the first image, a practice I was unaware of. This is an example of the continuous improvements that arise as I sharpen my weekly blogging skills.

I recently learned how to use figma.com. While I had been introduced to the software in another class, MMP 200, it wasn’t until I had a tutorial in CT 101 that I grasped the steps required to create a file and drag images into it to make a collage. This newfound knowledge was helpful when I had to produce a midterm project presentation for MMP 200. I found it incredibly helpful to learn this skill in CT101 and apply it in another class. Discovering new techniques in one class and utilizing it in another gives me a sense of assurance that the skills I learn are transferable and will prove helpful in the future.

Giving feedback to classmates and professor Ryan and participating in class discussions have helped me overcome the fear of sharing my opinions and providing constructive criticism. Initially, I hesitated to critique someone’s work, fearing offending them or appearing judgmental. However, as I engage in more discussions and share my thoughts, I realize providing feedback is essential to learning. Feedback helps the other person improve and enhances my ability to work in a team and communicate effectively.

I also believe constructive criticism should come from wanting to help rather than criticizing or belittling someone. Therefore, when I give feedback, I try to be respectful and offer suggestions for improving the work. As a result, I feel more confident in my ability to contribute to the class and see the value of my input in helping others and improving my skills.

In addition to responding to classmates’ work and the professor’s comments, I actively engage in our class by asking questions and participating in discussions. However, I sometimes worry about talking too much and interfering with necessary software instruction. To address this, I am consciously trying to ask questions before or after class and save my questions until the end. This will prepare me for the learning environment of a large university like NYU, where it is important not to interfere with the professor’s lecture in a large class environment.

To enhance my skills, I discovered updated courses on linkedinlearning.com. One course in particular now includes a component on Ai learning, which I believe will enable me to be more efficient in developing Ai-enhanced projects by improving my ability to use prompts and engage in “prompt engineering.” In addition, I am interested in many courses that I believe will help me improve my skills, including the following:

Illustrator 2023 Essential Training

Introduction to Conversational AI

Coding for Visual Learners: Learning JavaScript from Scratch

The Following are blog posts I completed in CT101

Digital Art Making Immediacy #6 03/03/2023

Digital Storytelling Project Flexibility *The ASSIGNMENT #5   03/ 17/2023

Passions #4  03/11/2023

Are MEME’s ART? Assignment #3 – FINAL 02/28/2023

Assignment_Two_GIF_Narratives #2  02/18/2023

Assignment1_what_makes_me_happy #1 02/08/2023

Throughout the past 7.5 weeks in CT 101, I have acquired valuable job skills currently in high demand, including utilizing WordPress and gaining foundational knowledge in HTML. Additionally, I have implemented advanced tools such as Chat GPT, DALL-E 2, and Midjourney in my blog posts, saving me time and enabling me to focus on other aspects of the course. These tools have allowed me to dedicate more attention to commenting on my classmates’ blog posts and revisiting Professor Ryan’s recorded videos, which provide detailed and crucial guidance on using various sites like Vimeo, Giphy.com, Imgur, Figma, mmmpage.com, and more. Overall, my experience in CT 101 has equipped me with valuable skills and knowledge that I can apply in my future academic and professional pursuits.

Is incorporating some of my blog posts or generative art into my portfolio suitable? During the summer, I aim to evaluate all the projects I’ve completed while pursuing my Multimedia Degree at BMCC and apply them to the Interactive Media Arts application at Tisch. Therefore, I’m receptive to suggestions or recommendations for creating a digital portfolio.

Crocheting is one of my biggest passions. About two years ago, I began to notice a lot of handcrafted crocheted things like purses, pants, sweaters, dresses, bags, etc. Even though I was intrigued by what I was seeing, it would be another year before I decided to start crocheting for myself.

In the beginning, it was hard for me to even get past the first row. I followed videos, read step-by-step guides, and occasionally asked some of my crochet experienced friends for assistance or tips. Sadly frustration took the better of me for a while and after a few failed attempts at different designs, I put crochet behind me.

Nowadays I crochet in my free time making everything I see Online and replicating store-made items. it’s useful and comforting.  you can crochet anything from a hat or shawl to dolls and stuffed animals. Discovering new patterns is entertaining. Similar to knitting, weaving, and making your own clothes, crocheting can serve as a link to a bygone era when these useful skills were more than just a pastime; they were a necessary activity for people who required apparel and household items.

For this assignment on ds106, I chose to do the Populate the Landscape one. I started off with an image similar to the one by Bob Ross desmonstrated in class. However the Image I chose was a painting called “Starry Night Over The Rhone” by Vincent Van Gogh

Because of the whole “Night Sky” theme with aspects such as stars in it, I thought it would make sense to stick with that theme by adding characters with that theme. The characters I added into the image via Photopea | Online Photo Editor will be pictured below

The characters pictured above are from the Skylanders series, which is a toys-to-life video game series that released a total of 6 games ranging in release from 2011 to 2016. The first Image is of Starcast, a character in Skylanders Imaginators (2016) while the second Image is of Star Strike, a character in Skylanders Swap Force (2013). I chose these characters specifically because they fit the theme of the painting.

Prior to implementing these images into the Van Gogh Painting, I removed the backgrounds of the images via Remove Background from Image for Free – remove.bg

The final product can be found here:

Domain time, if that’s a catchphrase! Haha!

I’ll give it a shot, I recognize that I’ll have to revisit and edit this post when the link comes out after spring break. I’m very sharp and inspired in this moment so I’ll share my first thought no problem. Polishprincepalace.net. It’s a unique, odd yet intriguing option I feel wholeheartedly. It represents me and my culture in a mystic fashion.

Some others could be; Athletictribune.org, centralcomedy.com, or tastyfoods.net. Depending on the route I take.

In terms of what I would like to cover on the site for the remaining weeks, I honestly want to revolve around my soccer team that I support. And they’re remaining 10 games of the season. Like match reports would be a cool idea. I have a brilliant site in my journalism class so it covers interviews and topics in my neighborhood and school. In this virtual realm, I’d rather stick to athletics to some degree.

Maybe a touch of comedy as I am a huge fan of Ryan Reynolds, and can report on some of my experiences in acting and comedy with my acting mentor? All at the 52nd street project.

Those are two solid websites of preference for me but the food network is another valid one so that all my hypothetical domains are referenced to an inspiration.

Perhaps a stroll into the food market, with some of my favorite recipes as another alternative would be a intriguing venture, no doubt.

Here’s that website on journalism I alluded to earlier for reference: https://kamilkuzminski.wixsite.com/jou285

Having already had a website and seeing the growth, I am only encouraged and excited for the potential of this one! I got like 4,000 visits simply by sharing it on my Instagram story. 90 people escalated into that number so far! I love the networking possibilities!

Everyone enjoy your spring break! Come back recharged and ready to tackle the rest of the semester!

I have to say, collages were never really my thing. That being said, I had a blast with this assignment. It’s just fun to be creative, and truth be told, my creative muscles desperately need the exercise.

I didn’t really put any planning or forethought into this collage, it was very much a spur of the moment, go with my gut type deal where I tried to put a concept into form. It was super easy to just get into the zone, and though the finished piece doesn’t have much technical skill, I enjoyed the process a lot.

Without much further ado, here’s my collage:

https://aaquib.mmm.page/collage

My idea, vaguely, is the interplay between our past and future. As a history buff, I’ve read a lot about the various conflicts and periods of intense suffering humanity as a whole has gone through. Wars, famine, genocide, disasters. Our time on this Earth is so painfully little, and we’ve spent most of it at each other’s throats. But at the same time, despite that, we’ve never stopped progressing, never stopped advancing and reaching higher and higher than ever before. Think of the world right now, and how unimaginably baffling it would all be to someone who lived 500 years ago. Imagine how it’d feel for us to see the world 500 years from now?

So, in essence, while mankind has to carry the weight of our mistakes with us, we also have dreams of aspiring higher and higher, understanding ourselves and the world we live in.

Of all the things that I do in my daily routine and in my free time, there are only a few things that I am truly passionate about. Asides from School and Work and other trivial things I truly do enjoy doing things that allow me to be express myself artistically and creatively.

Such things that allow me to express myself through creatively is drawing, painting, especially running my own Eyelash Extension business! below you will find some of the pieces I have created through art and the meaning behind it as well as some of my work from my Lash portfolio / on my clients.

LASH PORTFOLIO

This picture in particular is very sentimental to me because after saying that I wanted to do lashes seriously for so long I finally took that chance and got certified to do lashes despite my fear of messing up.

ART PORTFOLIO

One of the first sculpture projects I have ever done.

These few photos mean the world to me as they accurately represent my passions, as well as the growth I have experienced in the past four years alone not only through my art but my growth as an individual.

In the future, I want to work for myself and do something that allows me the ability to be free spirited and creative. As someone who is very passionate about the things they care about all things art are important to me especially doing lashes!

All my lash business work can be found on my business instagram. 

I am based in the Far Rockaway, Queens area, and I’m having a $90 New Client Special if you book with me!

Picking A Domain Name!

**Video tutorials from all classes will always be posted in this space below**

Video recording from the Thursday section – 4/4:

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/WagOvSEalwPy2qXXPFXNTccixAJvv8D2cG00m387s1wbiUjTo6f0uBLxBb4dH30M.wMGz3YWvpsVfkx1O

Passcode: 6ms*K339

Video recording from the Thursday section – 3/30:

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/XOBUx54zdKZe8sDyZruLdHbQi7DdibKmlK-2yBilDRLMnHbQwXTsxwyWcgtt4fOf.id8HXzM1KfFnba_w

Passcode: j6DN!0yu

Domain Names!

Assignment #8 – It’s Time to Pick a Domain Name

It’s time to begin thinking about choosing a domain name  that can represent your digital self! <– (we will watch this video in class together)

Its time to start planning the website building aspect of this course! Exciting? It is indeed! But first, what is a domain?

You can’t (and shouldn’t) pick just anything..

This part is important!

It has to be unique! And it also has to be available!

It should be relevant – it could be based on your real name,

Or a nickname and or something meaningful to you!

You will need to search for its availability using a domain registrar and you can pick from a number of different ‘top level domains (TLD)’ – for example .com, .net, .us, and .org – then you can have an example like – “mypersonalsite.net”

As we go forward to select and register our domain names (***don’t do this on your own please, I will be walking you through the step by step process in class AFTER Spring Break!***)

You’re also going to need web hosting, which will allow you to put files up online and will be discoverable through your new domain name! We are going to use a form of ‘shared hosting’ where you get a portion of a server – think of it as having an apartment in a building..

With shared hosting you will be able to do a lot of things including installing your own instance of WordPress! (via WordPress.org and not wordpress.com – they are a lil’ different)  With WordPress installed you can then start building your website for your domain name. I will cover a series of demonstrations on how to do this and I will record all of the demonstrations and tutorials.

But, what exactly is Web Hosting?

We use a company called Reclaim Hosting, with which we have a contract with so you can enter a coupon code and start your account for free.

**The coupon code will be e-emailed to everyone via blackboard starting next week and the week after – so I will be reminding you to check your York college e-mail address to get the code.

******************************************

**This Week’s Blog Post Assignment: Assignment #8 –

Write a new blog post that shares a few of the potential domain names that you would consider using for the new website that you will build. List them (at least 5-10 potential names) and say a few words about why they would be good examples for the website that you will build. 

Let’s also speculate:

What might your new website be about?

This part is totally up to you! If you wish, you can use the website project itself for a specific niche project, for example, perhaps you want to share your passion for cooking and poetry. Which means you will be primarily writing blog posts about cooking and poetry while building the website simultaneously. This can also be applied to sports, or gaming, or politics or journalism, or simply put, website that fused together many interests as well as your ct101 assignments. 

Share your thoughts, excitements, fears and any other sentiments about how you are feeling about this next chapter in your life as a website owner!

Please apply all of the existing blogging skills that you have developed and include a few images, GIFs, memes and hyperlinks. Also – lets add a few screen shots of some of your favorite existing websites, let us know why you like them! 

it is time it is Mid-Semester Reflection which sounds like New years reflection on actions here’s mine. happy new year since mid and looking back on this class so far I think I’m doing pretty well I’m learning things that help a lot in editing one of my hobbies and can help with work in whatever I do. I make sure to complete my assignment before Tuesday cause that’s how I am I like to get things done even though there isn’t a deadline that is dude before class as it used to but I’m used to it and it helps me get mt stuff done so I have nothing to do and can focus on other things. however in class or other people’s assignments.  I really should comment on people’s posts I see then and I get Info from there which helps me when I’m stuck on the assignment and ask or answer questions but I don’t feel the need to when its examined in detail and given at least  3 or 5 examples from the students in the class.

from my work and I was taught growing up that if ya do something do it as you love so far I love the work I had to do in this class and what I learned and used to blogging something I never have done ever so this was a new and fun experience for me. and I can learn to do better from not just comments on my post but from reading others’ posts.

looking back my favorite ones I have to say from doing would be assignment  2 , assignment 4, and assignment 1 the one that started it all and a good way to recap this semester so far and i can’t wait to see what happens next and i will be ready.