Week 8 Review

I found the meme about writing very relatable. When I have to write an essay for a class, or sometimes even when I'm writing a story for this class, I tend to overthink everything and have trouble trying to come up with what to put on the page. I have trouble just making my hands write the words and not think about it. I also second guess on the best way to phrase a sentence so that it sounds nice. Once I get started on my writing though, I can usually just let the words flow and I can get it done. One of my biggest issues with writing is when I have to write a ton of information for one assignment, like a five-page research paper. Writing shouldn't be defined to a certain amount of words or pages. I feel as though the quality of the writing is more important than a word count. However, I can struggle with finding inspiration for my writing. I need to learn to get out of my own head and just write!

Writing Meme, via Thursday's Course Announcements

The video about sleep spoke to me a ton. Due to my heart condition, I need more sleep than the average teenager. The video used 7 to 8 hours as the staple amount of sleep for others. In my case, I usually need around ten hours of sleep a night minimum to feel restored. I already know what happens when I don't get enough sleep. I get very cranky, struggle to stay awake, and can even have a seizure. Thankfully, I haven't had a seizure in over ten years, and I always try to get a good night's sleep. I even wrote a research paper in high school about how high schools should begin classes later in the day, instead of the traditional 8 a.m., due to teenagers' developing brains, how teenagers' minds are actually programmed to stay up later, and teenagers' brains not being fully alert until about 10 a.m. While colleges and universities are usually pretty good about understanding the importance of their students' sleep, I wish more high schools around the country could understand the value of starting later in the day for their students.

"What Would Happen If You Didn't Sleep?", via YouTube

Week 8 Progress

I’m pretty happy with my progress so far! I feel as though I’ve been keeping up with this class very well. With the exception of last week, when I was sick, I have submitted all of my assignments on time, and I’ve actually enjoyed the work in this class. So far, I’m most proud of my Storybook website. I’m really excited for my Storybook this semester, because I love my topic, and I think it’s going to look great once it’s completed!

I have a good routine when handling this class. I try to stay at least one day ahead of the class, so I try to finish my Tuesday reading by Monday, my Wednesday reading by Tuesday, etc.,. The two class assignments I like the most are working on the project and the blog comments. Like I said before, I really love the topic for my Storybook, so I’m always excited when I get to work more on it. I enjoy doing the blog comments because I love getting to meet new people, read about their lives, and see the great stories they’ve been writing! 

The two extra credit assignments I always do are the Back-Up and Review and the Check-In and Connect. I seem to have really bad luck when it comes to technology, so it’s very useful for me to back up my blog just in case something crashes and I lose everything. I also love seeing the memes and videos that are posted in the weekly announcements- some of them are educational and fun! The check-in is very helpful for me so I can see how I am doing compared to where I need to be. It helps keep me on track and identify if I need to be working harder or not. I heavily enjoy seeing everyone else’s inspiring photos and videos on the connection board! I get to see inspirational quotes, pictures of people’s dogs, and funny memes and videos. I feel seeing happy things like those are very important, especially during this stressful pandemic time. 

I think for me, I just need to keep on going! It’s the time in the semester when things are incredibly stressful, or people can feel burnt out, exhausted, and don’t want to do work. However, I think the fact that we’re going online after Thanksgiving is helping me stay focused and motivated during this time!

"Teamwork GIF", via Tenor

Week 8 Comments and Feedback

I’m loving the comments and feedback I’m getting so far. While it was a more unconventional comment, I found the comment about my website error to be very useful! I can be technologically challenged at times, and I sometimes struggle with fixing technical errors. 

I really enjoy the WWW feedback strategy. Using this strategy has helped make my feedback comments more substantial and useful to others. I’ve seen a few other students use the same strategy when giving me feedback, and I have found it helpful when thinking about things moving forward. I feel like I’m getting to know students pretty well through their blogs! Their introductions are very enlightening (especially when it comes to seeing their pets) and it’s been fun hearing about others’ families and where they come from. 

I think my Introduction encapsulates how I am as a person. I try not to shy away from my heart condition because I have been with it all my life and it’s honestly just part of who I am. It covers my love of Disney, music, television, food, and I feel like it covers everything that makes me, me. Feedback will be easier for me to give and receive when I am able to think with a clear mind and not overthink things. At times, I try to overanalyze things instead of relaxing and getting the job done. I can usually figure out what I want to say in my feedback when I just clear my mind instead of stressing over every detail. 

“Effective Feedback Components”, via Growth Mindset and Feedback Cats

I like this one because it sees feedback as a puzzle with several different pieces. There are so many elements that make up good feedback. In the case of this puzzle, since each piece has its own picture that doesn’t overlap into other pieces, there are multiple ways to configure these specific pieces to make the puzzle complete. Just like feedback, there are many different approaches to use that make feedback useful and whole.

Week 8 Reading and Writing

I think the reading and writing assignments are going okay for me. I like to write, and the readings have been pretty interesting. However, sometimes it can feel like a lot with two notes posts and writing a story each week, and I can feel a little burnt out with my creative juices. However, I think the story posts I have done was a job well done. I think my biggest accomplishment so far is getting my stories written in a short timespan. I tend to overthink assignments on whether I’m doing them well or not, but I think I’ve been able to not overthink my stories and just let my fingers type and come up with interesting stories. Doing notes posts for the readings have been very helpful; with my memory, I’m really bad at trying to remember stories and information for tests or any kind of memory recall. The notes help me a lot when writing my stories, because they help me remember the basic plot of the story, so I don’t have to read the story over and over to be able to write my story post.

Currently, I’m pretty satisfied with my writing for my Storybook. I love Disney, so I think the subject matter really helps keep myself engaged throughout the semester. I really love the cover photos for each of my pages. Being in Disneyland at night, in-person, is actually really beautiful with all the stars in the sky and the lights of everything nearby. I’m glad that I’ve found a way to use photos that I find very eye-catching and fun in a more mystical and scary way.

Photo of Big Thunder Mountain, via my Storybook

I really love this image because of the lights that emanate from Big Thunder Mountain. Big Thunder Mountain is one of my favorite rides, and Disneyland feels really magical at night. There aren’t as many people in the park, and seeing all of the neon lights and glowing toys in the stores makes it feel like I’m in a different world. Riding some of the slower, outdoor rides and looking up at the stars while going through is one of the most calming and peaceful feelings I’ve ever felt.

I think the one thing I need to do in the class is staying ahead of all of the readings and writing the stories. Reading the stories probably takes me the most time each week, and sometimes I get stressed out when I get behind on readings and have to do even more readings, which now take even more time, to stay on track.