Week 6 Reading Part B

(Image Information: Happy Brown Cat Holding Up Hands

Rikki's Refuge Source: Flickr)

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In this reading unit, I decided to read the stories written by Bidpai. It was interesting to read the connection between Bidpai and Aesop and how they are similar in terms of the stories they wrote. I could definitely see this as the stories I read by Bidpai also had a take-home message as Aesop's did. However, the messages weren't clearly stated in Bidpai's story - it was more understood.

One story that struck out to me was "The Fat Cat and the Lean Cat". I like how this story gives the message that we can be influenced by the wrong people, or the company we keep defines who we are, or even that the grass seems greener on the other side.

I would really like to personify this story and give it a more 21st-century storyline using two college students so that the takeaway message is more relevant to students. However, like Bidpai, I wouldn't make the takeaway message loud and clear. I would incorporate it into the story for readers to figure out, and of course, mention this in my author's note.

Bibliography: Fables of Bidpai Reading Guide Part B

Week 5: Tech Tip - Weather

(Image Information: Weather Symbols

Tango! Project Source: Wikipedia)

Football season is here, the last day of summer has officially ended, and now we're entering the part of the year with crazy weather! I decided to add a weather widget to my profile using the tech tip! Maybe this might be useful for those of you who visit my page and haven't stepped outside yet for the day.

This might be useful for you too!

Extra Reading Week 5: Indian Fairy Tales Part A

(Image Information: Broken Earthen Pot

Anton Croos Source: Wikipedia)

Reading the Part A of Indian Fairy Tales was really interesting! I never actually got to read these while in the Indian Epics class so this was a great chance to read something new. I really enjoy Indian Folktales and Fairytales because they usually have an underlying message. Usually, many carry on from generation to generation. My dad always uses Indian Tales as a way to teach us life's various lessons, and I know so many by heart because he's said them so many times!

In Part A of the reading, I really enjoyed the story of the broken pot. The story itself talked about a man who declares his plans for the future starting with this pot of rice, and eventually ends his plans by saying he would kick his future wife. He kicks the pot as an example and the rice goes spilling, inhibiting from future plans from happening. This just comes to show that bad thoughts have karma. There was a reason that that happened, and it clearly was to prevent the bad thoughts in the man's mind.

If I were to rewrite this story, I would think about making the story longer about a kid who continuously faces bad situations due to bad karma. I would then take the plot to a classroom, where this kid begins bragging to his classmates around him talking about how successful he will be, how he always gets good grades, and what plans he has for himself for the future. Only this bragging would lead him to get an email asking him to meet with the Dean of his college for a cheating incident that happened the last test -- all plans would be canceled just as in this story.

This would just be a new way to write the story that would be a 21st-century example. 

Bibliography: Indian Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs Reading Guide Part A

Extra Reading Week 4: Bible Women Part A

(Image Information: Temptation of Adam and Eve

Philip Medhurst Source: Wikipedia)

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Reading the biblical unit was something I wanted to do when enrolling in this class. If there's something that I don't know really much about, it's the stories of the bible. I knew of Adam and Eve, and the first time I actually heard of it was in middle school. My teacher was religious and she really wanted to convey the messages in these stories -- as I believe all religions have a takeaway message.

If I were to write a story using the story of Eve, I would consider either making it A) more modern or B) try to recreate the story from a Hindu perspective. I believe that all religions are connected somehow, and after having read the Indian Epics, I am sure there could be some way I could redo this story with a Hindu background. 

I really am excited to read more of these units and gain insight on stories of the Bible. I believe it is so important to be educated on all religions as a sign of respect and just to be more knowledgeable in general. I'll read more Biblical units this coming week, and maybe try to use one of the styles I was thinking above -- or come up with something new!

Bibliography: Bible Women King James Version from the Bible Part A Reading Guide

Comment Wall

(Image Information: Night Sower

OUKid Source: Wikipedia)

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Get ready to read about the unexpected year that this OU student faces! Here's a link to my Storybook website: BOO-mer Sooner: Freshman Year

Reading Notes: Aesop (Winter) Part A

(Image Information: The Farmer and The Stork

Project Gutenberg Source: Wikipedia)

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I have really come to like the stories categorized under Aesop. I wanted to see how different the children's stories were, so I read Part A of Aesop's for Children story series. 

As with all of Aesop's tales, there's a takeaway message. The one that caught my eye this time was the saying "You are judged by the company you keep" in the story "The Farmer and the Stork".

I thought about using this message and creating a modern day story about a college student and his/her parent with the same takeaway message. I would want to make this story much longer than what the fable was here. I will still keep the same plot line where one character is found in the same community of other characters, and judged accordingly.

Maybe I could even use the fake social media image generator to have some type of personal image to support the story I write. 

Maybe after I read Part B tomorrow I will have a better idea of the story I wish to recreate.

Bibliography: Aesop for Children (Winter) Link to Online Reading Guide here

Week 3: Famous Last Words - Busy Already

(Image Information: A Football on a Field

U.S. Department of Agriculture Source: Flickr)

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Well, this semester has already started out pretty crazy. From the end of Howdy Week, until now, I have been fully submerged in trying to get a handle on my classes this semester, assignments, and upcoming classes.

I am, however, really looking forward to the rest of the semester in this class, especially now that I have decided upon my Storybook Project (go check out my Topic Research post). 

Having been in this class before, I can really say that this has got to be one of my favorite class formats. And, I am looking forward to the readings this semester. There have been a lot of books that still have yet to be checked off on my bucket list, and some of them will this semester as I'll get the opportunity to read them in this class! I am so excited!

The next two weeks of September are going to be crazy with tests in several of my classes, but this semester, I seem to be the least stressed than I ever have been before. The classes I am taking are pretty manageable (which I guess is a blessing having knocked out so many classes with AP credits).

So, I guess I am just enjoying my last year here at OU. And.. football, of course. I am still in awe after watching yesterday's game, and cannot wait for the rest of the season to continue. I remember going to the OU vs OSU game last year and leaving after 3rd quarter because we were being beaten so badly. But, boy, did we show them this time. Our defense has definitely kicked it up a notch, and wow, I am so proud to be a Sooner.

I don't have to go to work this week, as I am preparing for some tests I have next week (which is so nice!). But, it doesn't mean I get a break. I'll just be studying instead. So, I am looking forward to the assignments this week as really this class is my break time because I really enjoy the material, and am always looking forward to what's happening next.

Learning Challenge: The Importance of Sleep

(Image Information: No Sleep Records Logo

Chris Hansen Source: Wikipedia)

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I read the article "Why Sleeping May Be More Important Than Studying" by Katrina Schwartz (found here) and was amazed by the information provided.

I knew sleep was important, but I never really knew the scientific reasonings behind why it was so important. I knew REM was a phase that we all fell into while we slept, but I also didn't know this was the time our minds took the time to organize all we did the day before.

Before I even started college, my cousin told me that that was his key to being successful in college: when he was tired, he would go to sleep. He found no point in staying up all night because it was only detrimental.

Coming into college I had this misconception about all nighters. And, it wasn't until I realized how bad I performed during the day without sleep that I realized I am not one of those people who can stay up all night prior to an exam.

This past summer, I fell into a routine of sleeping 8 hours, working out, and studying. It was the best routine for me because I woke up every day ready to learn more, and information was being absorbed. Now that the semester has started, I have to force myself to stop what I'm doing when it reaches 11 PM, and just go to bed. I know that there won't be any good coming out of me staying up till 2 AM, when I should be sleeping instead.

Time management is key to college, and sleep is one of the best things in the world, right? How could we give up on that?! 

Tech Tip: Reverse Google Image Search

(Picture of Buddha unharmed by demons

Asia Society Source: Wikipedia)

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I am amazed! I had no idea that such a feature existed like this! Who knew that at a click of your mouse you could search where an image came from to find out more?! This is so cool!

Topic Research

(Image Information: Ghost Story

NPH Source: Wikipedia)

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With Halloween coming up, I decided to go ahead and do the project of using the OU Ghost Stories.

They're also giving Ghost Tours this month, so I will definitely take advantage of that in order to write my stories.

These stories will tie together this theme: a Freshman student arriving at OU and the scary experiences he or she faces on campus. 

I will be looking into purchasing the book by Jeff Provine, so for now, I have provided a link to his website that gives an overview of some the stories he talks about in his books that I am thinking would work. 

Here are the stories I am thinking to use:

1. Cate Center (link to Jeff's website here)

A freshman doesn't know what's headed his/her way when they find out that this normal-looking cafeteria is actually the place where someone was beheaded. Find out more as the story unravels and the experience that this freshman faces.

2. Holmberg Hall (link to Jeff's website here)

Thinking to be a part of University Sing, this naive freshman is unaware of the ghosts alive and prowling the halls of Holmberg Hall. This story will be about the secrets of Holmberg Hall that no freshman has ever seen. 

3. Ellison Hall (link to Jeff's website here)

Known to all as the College of Arts and Sciences, this story will be about the freshman student visiting his/her college for an advising appointment, but discovering much more than his next semester's schedule.

Feedback Strategies

(Image Information: 360 Degree Feedback

Jurgen Apello Source: Flickr)

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The two articles I read were "Be a Mirror" by Gravity Goldberg (found here) and "What Kinds of Messages Help Kids Grow?" by Deborah Farmer Kris (found here). 

Both of these articles were really interesting as they provided more specific examples of better types of feedback. In "Be a Mirror", the main takeaway was that we shouldn't use feedback like "I like how..." but more of "When you...". This really struck out to me, because in the past, I have usually given feedback with using personal pronouns. I can see how this might be ineffective in trying to show someone what THEY did well. I definitely will keep this in mind as I continue through the semester in this class.

However, what was interesting was the examples show in "What Kinds of Messages Help Kids Grow?" which talked about how adults shouldn't be telling kids "Great job" but "I like how...". This type of feedback shows children that adult approval is being given with what the child did and that they should adhere to what the adult desires. I do agree that feedback should be more specific in telling a kid what they did well in, but shouldn't be taken as a way to show approval or disapproval by a parent as every kid has his or her own idea of what is an accomplishment for themselves.

These are articles that not only show how important our word choices can be, but also how important feedback can be in all aspects of life. 

Reading Notes: Aesop's Fables Part A

(Image Information: Bunny

Clker-Free-Vector-Images Source: Pixabay)

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In Part A of Aesop's Fables, I really took notice of the "take-away" messages of each fable. These were the most important part for me in the stories. Each and every one of these fables were short, simple, and very strong in delivering the messages they planned to give. 

However, there were two takeaway messages in the "Hares" fables that I particularly took interest in. The story of "The Hares and the Frogs" by Jacobs delivered the message that "there is always someone worse off than yourself". When thinking about the comparison in terms of feedback, I realized that this was a message that was important to think about. When rewriting this story, I would like to incorporate this message in a more positive way because the wording currently is very negative. The story of "The Hares and the Frogs" by Crane delivers the message that "our own are not the only troubles" and this is a mentality that I feel like we often forget. We all have our troubles, but we never take the time to realize that people around us are going through similar things. 

I would like to come up with my own fables that utilize this message in some way. I will still keep the aspect of simple characters and plot line, but give a more human characteristic to the story so that other readers can relate. 

Bibliography: Aesop's Fables "Hares" by Joseph Jacobs, link to reading online. 

Feedback Thoughts

 

(Image Information: Feedback

geralt Source: Pixabay)

 

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Feedback is crucial to all of our lives. We desire for people to tell us what they think no matter the subject. We don't take the time to realize, however, that sometimes our worst enemy is our own mind. They we perceive ourselves is a reflection of our performance and they way we come off to others.

 

This was an important lesson I learned in the article "6 Bad Mental Health Habits that Sabotage Your Success" (found here).

While we do ask others to let us know their opinions, we must also keep in mind that our actions equally affects us. Someone may give us negative feedback, but how we decide to take it also is dependent on our mind strength. We can't make excuses for our mistakes, we can't think negatively about our future performance, and we should be confident in our own work.

 

Comparing ourselves to one another is also a detrimental action, because there really is no good that comes out of it. What may be our beginning, may be someone else's middle, as pointed out in the article "The Psychology of Comparison and How to Stop" (can be found here).

 

It's human nature to be curious and to compare, but this is something we also have a control over. This is where mind strength also comes into play. The energy we are taking the time to compare ourselves, and make ourselves feel better or worse could be better used to work on ourselves.

Just like comparing yourself to someone better than you makes you feel worse, we also shouldn't take the time to point out who we are better than. This just only continues to chain of comparison.

 







Topic Brainstorm

(Image Information: Brainstorming

toyztechworld Source: Pixabay)

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Here are some of the ideas for Storybook Project that I came up with while browsing through the various options we have this semester! I am excited to see what I end up doing.

 

 

1. The Secret Life of An OU Student

In this storybook, I was thinking to use the OU Ghost Stories collection (link can be found here) to talk about the secret life of an OU student. I would make it where each ghost story is told from the perspective of an OU student who is experiencing the events, but make the setting more accurate to what we see in Norman today. So, it would essentially be taking the ghost stories into the 21st century, while also telling it from the perspective of an OU student who experiences it all.

 

2. Gossip Girl - Greek Goddess Edition

Last semester I ended up doing a Gossip Girl storybook project using Indian Epics. I was thinking maybe I could do the same, but stories that have to do with a specific Greek Goddess. I am not sure which one yet, but I believe that once I read more about them I will be able to figure out which one I want to do. Or, I could have Gossip Girl talk about each of them in their own stories. The link to the Greek Goddesses storybooks can be found here.

 

3. Life of the Teenage Goddess

I think something that I really know how to do is emulate a project based on TV shows or books that I've read. So, my third project idea was to tell the story of one goddess from the perspective of her attending a high school with the drama she faces with other goddesses, dates gone wrong with other gods, and the normal life you would expect with a teenage girl but with a goddess twist. The same storybooks for the link of goddesses can be found here.

4. Couples from the Bible - 21st Century
I was thinking to maybe write the love stories of the couples of the bible in a more digital age. Maybe keep the setting as OU's campus, and have them be OU students. Or generally keep the theme broad and just use the 21st century as a perspective (social media, texting, etc.) The link to these storybooks can be found here.