No Rain Checks

Last week, I completed the week two assignments for this course. At first, seeing we had about six assignments a week was overwhelming. I am normally good at hitting deadlines, but I wanted to make sure my planner portrayed exactly what was expected of me. Once I got started, though, I found that I will definitely find this class enjoyable. Additionally, there are so many extra credit opportunities throughout the course that I plan to take full advantage of. The online course wiki is extremely helpful, and I have bookmarked multiple pages that I think could come in handy for the future. Screenshot taken from my computer bookmarks. I had fun with the first reading/storytelling assignment on week two. I wrote about the story similar to Beauty and the Beast, but with a Basilisk. I found it fun trying to change the story up a little, but keeping the same core. I feel like I will most often approach changing the character's motives/attitudes throughout this class, because that...

The two articles I chose to read about feedback are " 5 Tips For Taking Feedback Like a Champ " and " Overcoming the Fear of Feedback ." In the first article, we are provided five tips for taking feedback. They are: 1. Realize that feeling  uncomfortable is healthy, normal and part of the growth process 2. Remind yourself that having growth areas is a good thing 3. Keep in mind "state" vs. "trait" 4. Find the positive intentions behind your deficiency, and notice where it's a strength 5. Use mindfulness and self-compassion to react in a productive way These five steps emphasize the potential room for growth after receiving feedback, and how the feedback itself is not an attack on you, but rather an ability for improvement. I specifically liked the "state" vs. "trait" step. This means that a state is related to behavior, while a trait is a characteristic about someone. Feedback needs to appeal to being a state: an ...

Topic Ideas Topic #1: Fairy Tale Princesses This topic interested me because of a specific storybook called " The Princess and Her Parties " that I found from a previous student. I studied abroad in London, England last summer, and on the home page of this storybook is the Windsor Castle . I toured the Windsor Castle while I was there, so it'd be super fun to act as if I was the queen of the castle using the pictures I took there last summer. I know a little about the history of the castle and the queen's life, and I know even more about what it looked like (and I have some pictures that I wasn't supposed to take... oops!) I'd love to learn about specific stories that took place in the castle, and how I could change these stories into more dark stories that are suspenseful.   Here is a photo I took of the Windsor Castle in England. Topic #2:  Dogs This topic interests me because... Who doesn't love dogs?! The storybook " A Dog's ...

Basilisk's Revenge Once upon a time, there was a mother and her three daughters. The mother loved her daughters dearly, and wanted to provide for them as much as she could. One day, the mother was heading out to the market. She generously asked her three daughters what gifts they wanted. The first two daughters gave a simple list of things that they wanted. However, the youngest daughter, Mary, asked for a list so extravagant that her mother knew she could not give her all that she'd wished for. Mary was not only demanding, but she was not easily pleased. The mother stumbled a bit past the market, and found herself in the midst of a terrifying creature. This creature was a basilisk: an animal resembling a dragon-bird hybrid. Image of a Basilisk by Friedrich Johann Justin Bertuch. The daughter's mother stumbled upon the basilisk and his kingdom in an effort to retrieve the gifts her daughters wanted, but she quickly found that she had made a mistake. "...

Large Accomplishments Begin With Optimism My motto/mantra is "Large Accomplishments Begin With Optimism." Optimism, defined, is the hopefulness and confidence about the future or a successful outcome of something. Throughout my life, I have found that without a positive mindset, accomplishments can't happen. When facing a challenge, I have to always remind myself to adjust my mindset to picture myself overcome the challenge at hand. This coincides with having a growth mindset - for me, having my mind in the right place opens the door for larger accomplishments! Here is a graphic I designed using Canva.

Reading Notes on The Three Roses This story is similar to the famous Beauty and the Beast. Except in this story, the beast is a basilisk. In the story, a mother asks her three daughters what they want from the market. The first two daughters have a list of things they want, while the youngest daughter, Mary, only asks for three roses from the market. This story made me focus on Mary, because she seemed so undemanding and content. Image of a Basilisk by Friedrich Johann Justin Bertuch. This made me wonder, what could happen if Mary changed her personality into being not so easily pleased, and very demanding? After the basilisk asked Mary to do certain things, in which she did, Mary got rewarded by a beautiful man that wanted to share his castle with her and marry her. Mary got the happily ever after fairy tale because she pleased the basilisk and did what he asked. What would happen if she had refused? "The Three Roses." Taken from "The Key of Gold" ...

Reading Options From the start, I can tell just how much information is given to us through the "UnTextbook." It's awesome that we have been given so many resources! After browsing through the many, many options of stories, I think I can already tell what stories will interest me the most. The units " Egyptian Myth ," " Europe I and II" and " Southwest/California " caught my attention early, because of my love for traveling. Although most stories transform you to a new place, I love a story that I can tie previous travel experience to in order to make it even more meaningful. This photo is from "The Sun's Journey" story online. Many stories I saw in the Egyptian Myth unit related to information I learned in an archaeology class I took here at OU. In this class, we were exposed to many ancient art forms. Likewise, in this unit, particularly the story " The Sun's Journey ," an art piece is shown that ...