Let’s reflect.

How am I doing in CT101? What grade do I believe I am maintaining? 

Given that I am on top of my assignments and have only missed one session, I can confidently say that I’m in good standing. Also, based on professor Seslow’s vibe, I’m sure if any one of his students was struggling or at risk, he would let us know before it is too late. At least, there is comfort in that, for anyone why might be worried.

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

I have gotten a lot better at writing creatively without exactly wanting to or lacking the creativity to do so. Writers often go through writer’s block, I often do, but for some reason, it mostly happens when I’m in school. I don’t fully understand it but it is easier for me to write a paper than it is for me to write for fun when classes are happening.  It is something I haven’t been able to work around, however, I have learned that it does have something to do with my inability to separate my education from my every day life. That is, that my school work consumes me. CT101 forces me to seek inspo and to separate.

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

I am awful at giving myself credit when it is due, but I cannot genuinely state that I have actually mastered any skills yet. Thus far, I have learned much, however, I don’t find myself “displaying” what I’ve learned, consistently throughout. My blogs have been a mix of what I already knew, and am learning, but not always.  So, let’s say we’re working on consistency and practice.

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

My biggest college tool is my planner. By using my planner every day, many times a day, I ensure that I am on track. In order to keep up with my classes, I need to note what has happened, what will happen, and what’s demanded of me. Thus, I have to think back on the work I’ve done and need to do in order to pass. Especially if I ever need to miss a class, my planner helps me  know exactly what I can afford and not.

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

For some reason I had not taken notice of the community built around the internet. I don’t know if it’s just me, but for most of my life I thought of the internet as this thing that had a lot of power on its own and manages itself. It humors me how long it has taken me to see and understand that the internet is a merely a tool, used and powered by the people.

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?

Definitely expanding creatively. As I said in a previous question, CT101 forces me to separate myself from the seriousness and strictness that surrounds me. Kind of like a break from the world. Thats how I see creative writing, as this space you create for yourself for the duration of your writing. The more you do it, the easier it becomes to carry a conversation with yourself. Then there comes a point where you start to enjoy this different kind of thinking you’re doing. You learn that it is self-serving and it becomes easier. At least I hope I’m doing as great as this sounds.

Who was Aaron Swartz?

Aaron Swartz was an American computer programmer, entertainer, writer, political organizer, and Internet hacktivist. Aaron was born on November 8, 1986, in Highland Park I.L, and died January 11, 2013, in Brooklyn N.Y.

What Intrigue me about Aaron Swartz?

What Intrigues me about Aaron Swartz if his death were suicide or he was assassinated by the government due to that he was a strong believer in internet rights and transparency. He believes that everyone should have access to social standing. Aaron Swartz was frequently a spoken voice for numerous debates regarding internet rights, limited restrictions, and fighting against government online. These made him an extremely popular figure in the community and even has the recognition of the groups anonymous but with the difference that he would show his face.

 

 

How am I doing in CT101? 

CT 101 has been very interesting for me. I actually believe that I am doing well in CT 101, I really enjoy this class quite a lot and I am learning so many new things in class. I assumed this class would be tough, however after attending a few lectures, I started having fun with the contents of this class. I look forward to working on the website. I am looking forward to getting an A in this class since this is one of the classes I have really enjoy attending. I also have tried to complete the assignments with enthusiasm even if a bit late at times! :p

What have I learned? What skills have I developed, cultivated and displayed regularly? 

The materials and assignments of this class are very engaging. I learnt about blog posting from this class. I also learnt how to brainstorm different ideas and make those changes in my blog posts. The most exciting part was creating new ideas and names for the domain that I am about to use. I also have learnt the use of memes/ gifs to convey the thoughts I have in my blog posts. I believe this class has helped me learn so many new and amazing things. I hope to learn more in the future as well.

How does this contribute to my weekly progress? How do I assess my performance through self-reflection in this class?

My weekly progress will be on how much content I am reading and learning from this class. I have missed 1/2 assignments but managed to post them later. I think one of the helpful things in this class is to have this flexibility to work on assignments later as well. 

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

I have been using gifs and memes in social media. However, the creative nature of this class allowed me to create my own gifs and memes for my blog posts. I also did not know a lot about creating websites, therefore it will be a fun journey to learn that through this class. 

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 obviously see my weekly blogging getting more creative day by day. I feel fortunate that I am being given the chance to create contents for this class which I thoroughly enjoy. Even though my blog posts tend to look a bit alike, I try my best to change it every week. I feel the best way to do that is to think about the blog posts for a while. I am looking forward to the next assignments and finishing this semester strong!

 

This domain will be a good example for my website because I as Nail Technician will benefit me so much and all my clients have known me already as Lola so it will be very easy for them to visit my website and if I will be recommended people will remember the short name as well.

My new website will be about Nail Art. My thoughts are that my little businesses will grow more with the website since I will be sharing pictures and videos of my art, what I love to do. Also, the website will be a great idea because I have been thinking in come out with my line of acrylic and the website will be a great platform to promoted and sell it.

Some of the domains that I been thinking for my website are:

1. lolasnailart.com
2. lasunasdelola.net
3. lolasnaildesing.com
4. lolasart.net
5. swagnailsbylola.net

These domains would be good examples for my website because the names specified what is the website is about and the name is very short easy to remember.

Some of my favorites websites are:

https://www.jcbeautyconcepts.com/

https://honeysnailsecret.com/

 

Animals Doing Funny Things

I thought this assignment would be more challenging but there were so many choices to pick. I picked this assignment under the Animated Gif Assignment, I choose it  because I am an animal lover, I have a dog and every day I spent time with him teaching him treats. Animals are very intelligent and a lot of them trying to imitate humans behaviors…

It may well sound crazy but sometimes animals act more responsibly and in cases better thinkers in a crucial situation than humans being, like for example you don’t see a dog abandoned her babies. I think we like humans should learn the emphatic that animals have and adopted those behaviors. I think we should do more assignments like this, it would be a good exercise for storytelling because it gives you the freedom to express yourself about something that interests you and passionate about.

Spooky Season

My second Assignment I picked from Audio Assignment and I choose Spooky Season. I choose Spooky Season because I don’t like mystery movies and nothing spooky so this will be something that I want to succeed in life too.

I do think that memes are art. We can express many emotions with them and relate those feeling with friends.

I like all my classes, but there are many occasions when I would prefer not to be there. It becomes so boring when the professor talks. I can hear for long times of periods, but if I am not interested in what they say, my mind goes away, and I cannot understand any word from the professor. Theories of how everything star is boring, at the end I would not remember anything. CT101 is not focused on explaining without stopping. The students’ interaction is more than in other classes; I am not particulate eager to talk but to hear others talk is fun. I like to have something to hear, I also like complete silence but I realized that when I am complete silent I start making noises unconsciously.

this last meme represents me today, the last day of spring break. I did nothing but read comics and go out. I do not regret how I spend my break.

Storytelling In Different Ways 

The first Project I chose comes from DS106, the subcategory “Design Assignments.” The assignment was to make a sports poster using text, images, and any editing software to produce a cohesive design. I felt inspired to choose this Project for reasons such as a passion for sports, honing in on my Adobe Creative Cloud skills, and believing I could execute this independently. Although I was eager to start, I faced challenges along the way and discovered the importance of self-learning resources while problem-solving innovatively.                               

For this Project, I allocated most of my time to Photoshop and Illustrator, which I believe are critical tools in building strong storytelling skills. No matter the Project, Adobe Creative Cloud can be a valuable skill to create strong stories, and that is why I look forward to using every opportunity in & out of class to familiarize myself with the software.

The second Project I chose is from DS106, the subcategory “video assignments.” Every Hour Vlog is about recording small clips of my day every hour and using video editing software to create a well-connected Day Vlog. This Project stuck out to me because I have no experience in video editing or production but understand that it is paramount to my overall storytelling repertoire. As someone who loves watching cinematography, I am constantly amazed by the visual representation of stories and how WHOLE narratives can be through moving pictures.

I look forward to exploring this Project in my off time and hoping for similar exposures in CT101 to build a solid foundation within this medium.

In conclusion, video storytelling is a different media type I have yet to learn. I understand it is a whole other language that takes time to master; however, I believe it will pay great dividends with the unique way stories are shared.

How am I doing in CT101? What grade do I believe I am maintaining?

So far in CT101 I have been consistently keeping up with the work and always put in the effort to make sure that my blogs always have solid visuals and substance in its writing. I believe I am sitting somewhere between a B and an A- in this class so far.

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

I feel like I have learned how to be more creative ever since I took this class. Whether it was looking for funny GIFs to relate to something I just wrote or adding hyperlinks to some of my favorite videos on the web to share with my classmates, I am always looking for different parts to add to my blog to make it more engaging and appealing to look at.

My greatest learned asset in this class so far is that watching how my classmates write and craft their blog posts also helps me think of new ways to improve and better my own.

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

I have developed the ability to use GIFs and different images found on the internet to tell stories. Recently, I’ve also been paying attention to how big each of my paragraphs were and practiced breaking them apart into more digestible sizes. This, combined with my use of different memes and GIFs, allow me to engage with my audience better on whichever topic I have to discuss.

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

So far in this class, I feel like my performance has been pretty good. I came in not knowing anything about how to really make an appealing piece of digital media, to being able to create my own GIFs and implement different things in my blogs that help me complete each assignment to their fullest.

Over time, I can seen in my work just how much my skills have improved and how I’ve gotten better at being creative with my work. An example of this can be seen of my favorite posts, Digital Storytelling Project Flexibility where I had to show off some my creations in a Minecraft-like video game.

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

A few things that I’ve learned now that I didn’t know before taking this class are how to make GIFs and memes. I always saw these scrolling across the web but never knew how to create them. It turns out that it’s pretty simple and fun to do it too! I’ve also been getting better at how I design my blog and other digital media posts so that they look better 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 do see my weekly blogging work expanding creatively each assignment. I have been getting better at keeping my wording short but containing substance and also making my posts more appealing. I hope that over time we are introduced to new tools we can use to further customize our blogs. My goal is to get better at choosing the right GIFs and images to make my posts colorful and even better to look at but also tell the story I wish to tell.

 

 

No Doubt About It- Memes are Art.

 Art comes in many different mediums, whether you are a dancer, singer, stylist, painter, or graphic designer- You are ultimately trying to communicate and express  yourself through an aesthetic manner or in a way you know best. It can revolve around themes like trending topics, world news, feelings, and events but delivered in any medium I mentioned above, including MEMES.

Elon Musk meme convinces people to buy DOGECOIN

To the most sophisticated Art critics, memes might not be “Art,” but by definition, the term “meme” describes any “cultural artifact that spreads quickly and uncontrollably within and across cultures.” 

At its simplicity, this description highlights some of the most famous art paintings like Salvator Mundi, The Scream, and many other influential paintings that have traveled through time, cultures, and continents, keeping its demand.

In conclusion, memes share traditional art values yet gauge a new and youthful audience allowing people to exercise their creative muscles, be funny, and share a more profound message. I believe Art is ever-evolving, and it is a conscious choice that we make to accept new mediums or stay true to what we know.   #teammemealltheway #memeyou

 

 

On the first day of class, I felt excited, optimistic about the things we would learn, and finally getting to take a class that I was interested  in.

 

 

 

I  still feel great about CT101 but am a “little” nervous considering this is my first Communications Technology class… haha

 

How am I doing in CT 101? What grade do I believe I am maintaining?

I think I am doing well in CT 101. I was a bit worried at the start that I would not be able to function well since I am not used to online but with prof. Ryan that has not been the case. This class is the most enjoyable class that I have this semester and I like the things that I have learned. I am able to use gifs efficiently and I can make them whenever I want now. I want to say I am maintaining an A- right now. I am caught up on my post and have joined the classes regularly. I have commented on classmates’ posts, as for my post I think they are going well but can use a bit of improvement. 

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

What I have learned the most so far is the use of Gifs. I had said this to the professor when I was talking to him. I use Gifs more often now because I enjoy making them and using them. They are fun to me and there are so many that can be created. I am glad I learned the usage of gifs.

My greatest learned asset so far in this class is learning the blog post. Posting different weeks and reading what others post is a cool aspect that I like. I do not mind posting weekly, responding to others, being creative.

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

For this, I would put the use of memes or gifs. I will start using them more for sure in my blog post, but it is definitely memes or gifs.

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

For this, I would say by my blog post. When I’m in the lecture I’ll either talk sometimes or just listen for most of it. When I do the blog post I am being creative, putting down different answers and ideas, trying to be creative. The blog post shows how much effort I’m putting in and they are a good recap to go back to. Now let’s take a look at my blogpost

 Post 1 My first post was asking what makes me happy on the internet. At the time, it was Minecraft. Minecraft became my second favorite game and I really enjoyed playing and watching it.

Post 2 my second post was about making gifs. I had a lot of fun making gifs and this was probably the most fun assignment for me. I liked doing this and will use this for future purposes.

Post 3 This post, I was glad to make memes. I was having fun with this and making different things left and right. I still remember watching and looking at memes daily a few years ago. I still look at memes daily, even though they are different. Memes are fun to make and I will continue making them. 

Post 4 This post was about DS160. This is the post that I had the most trouble with. Taking a screenshot from the computer and uploading it gave me the most trouble. 

Post 5 This post was about picking a Domain name. I actually enjoyed doing this. It made me think about the comics that I want to do and produce. I thought about some more domain names but didn’t like them as much.

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

One main thing would be the amount of money that people make from memes. When we had the discussion that people not only bought memes but they also sold millions for a meme, I was amazed. I knew that people loved to make memes, but hearing that amazed me. Another thing was gifs. I now know how to make gifs and apply them for myself.

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 do not think that I am in a loop, I think that I should use more creativity in my post. I think adding more gifs, memes or something else can expand my post. My post are not usually short, but they do seem short. This is something I will definitely work on.

A good domain name is a hard find and can make or break your website. That being said, I am not the best at coming up with unique names but lucky I have a pretty unique name and a bunch of odd nicknames and aliases so I am confident that one of them will stick. So without further ado, here are my domain names.

1. Shem.us
2. SLCumber.com
3. SteezUrkel.com
4. Shemdelashem.com
5. ShemmyF.com

Under one of these lovely domain names I will make a website that is focused on myself and my talents. A simple exhibit of my past works and future goals with some promotion going towards my online ventures. I have a few videos up online that I think could get more traction and so many ideas for future projects. Im excited to have my own little space of the internet, especially since I lost my tumblr a few years back and haven’t really been able to express myself in a website like fashion in a while.

A few of my fav website are Twitch, YouTube, Twitter and Reddit. They are pretty much where I spend all of my time when I am online.

This assignment gave me some trouble when I realized that my photoshop skills were lacking. I looked through many different genres of the assignments and was discouraged time and time again when I tried to do my own version. I think my favorite fail of the bunch came from the assignment titled BIG EYES. After many many hilarious fails, this is the best I came up with before I finally called it quits. 

Although I eventually gave up on this assignment, I will admit that I learned a lot more than I ever knew about photoshop than I ever imagined I could in such a short period of time. Maybe if I kept fiddling with the numbers, I could have made a perfect bigger eyed me.

After my numerous failures, I decided it was probably best to attack a project that would better fit the skills I learned already in this class. So I went to the gif section and my eyes got wider when I saw the Best Sports Play project. I already knew the play I had in mind and once I found a good video, the rest was history.

In this GIF, One of my favorite basketball players, Jaylen Brown is seen putting OG Anunoby on a poster. This GIF is one of my favorite dunk in the past year and is actually my background on my  computer. Although I had a fun time making this, I hope I can make even cooler GIFs and images in the future with the tools at my disposal.