A Journey Through Stories: Mythology and Folklore

So now it's time to talk about something that is a little scary for me...Feedback. I know that it makes you think, work harder, and ultimately be better. For most of my life though, I have been terrified of receiving feedback for fear that I would hear something that I didn't like or that my feelings would be hurt. Learning more about why failure and feedback are both necessary parts of the creative process, though has given me a new perspective. The first article that I read while researching this idea was "Talking about Failure is Crucial For Growth. Here's How to Do It Right."  This article was particularly interesting to me because of its emphasis on actually speaking out loud about your failures when they happen. From personal experience, it has always been my instinct to hide from or ignore my failures instead of learning why they happened and how I can do better next time. Failure is not something to be ashamed, but something to learn from. This article g...

Below are a few topics that I am interested in learning and writing more about in the coming weeks for our storybook project. Alice in Wonderland Alice is a character that I have resonated with since childhood. I appreciate the stories being centered around her curiosity. After all, wonder and exploration are what make stories interesting to tell and listen to, right? I think that if I were to cover this topic for my storybook, I would create a sort of alternate plot that explores: What if Alice had gone through a different door? What happens in Wonderland if she doesn't make it there? These are just a few ideas of how I could create my own Alice in Wonderland story. Web source.  The Land of Oz I may have mentioned this before, but I am completely fascinated with any and all stories of Oz. While we have all heard stories that focus more on the witches of Oz, (Wicked the musical likely being the most popular) I think that I might be interested in doing some research and ...

Photo of  Glücksburg Castle taken by  Matthias Süßen . Web source: Wikimedia Commons.  A long time ago, the most powerful witch in the kingdom, Doriana, fell in love. This love all but consumed her life, and she felt happy just thinking about the subject of her affection. There was just one problem, though. Doriana, Dori, had fallen in love with the wrong person. A person who she was never supposed to love. To understand her situation, it is important to know that Dori was in line to rule the kingdom. Her parents had arranged for her to be married to a young, powerful warlock name Samson. He was a suitable choice, with powerful magical blood, who could help Dori run things from the castle. Dori did not love Samson, but she did love the idea of one day following in her beloved parents' footsteps. That is what made her lovestruck predicament so concerning. The person that Dori fell in love with was not from a powerful family. He was not even magical. The boy was...

This post will be exploring some stories and reading note-taking strategies that are new to me. I focused my notes on Aesop's fables about the lion that were included in this week's anthology.  The Lion's Share - A lion reasoned that he should get all of the hunt's spoil. The fox points out that it is strange that the lion would share the labor of the hunt, but not the spoils of it. - Powerful people can take control of groups, even if they are outnumbered. Androcles and the Lion - Androcles is a slave that escapes, and saves a hurt lion. The lion and Androcles form a bond, until Androcles is captured again. When it comes time for him Androcles to be eaten, the lion recognizes him as a friend and licks his hand. -The most important part of this fable is the unexpected relationship between the lion and the human, Androcles. Sometimes, unlikely friendships and partnerships make the most interesting stories, which I found to be the case.  -The message of...

Here is my tentative plan for reading units that I will cover throughout this semester: Choose from CLASSICAL and/or BIBLICAL units for Weeks 3 and 4. Week 3: Aesop (Winter) Week 4: Women Saints Choose from MIDDLE EASTERN and/or INDIAN units for Weeks 5 and 6. Week 5: Arabian Nights Week 6: Tales of a Parrot Choose from ASIAN and/or AFRICAN units for Weeks 7 and 9. [Week 8 is review week.] Week 7: Brer Rabbit Week 9: The Monkey King Choose from NATIVE AMERICAN units for Weeks 10 and 11. Week 10: Marriage Tales Week 11: Cherokee Choose from BRITISH and/or CELTIC units for Weeks 12 and 13. Week 12: Robin Hood Week 13: Alice in Wonderland Choose from EUROPEAN units for Weeks 14 and 15. Week 14: Brothers Grimm (Crane) Week 15: Italian I am very excited to start these reading assignments. One of the units that I am most looking forward to is Women Saints. During my time in college, I have taken several gender studies courses, so I am curious to ...

Clock. "Clocks for Den" by robstephaustralia. Web source: Creative Commons. So far, I have been very comfortable with the classwork schedule that I initially set up for myself. It concentrates all of my work on the days that I do not have class on campus, and leaves my weekends open to complete extra credit or get ahead on the next week's assignments. I know that as the semester moves forward, things are only going to become busier, and time management is going to be critical to my academic success. There are many tips and resources that can help instruct and inspire me to better utilize my time, and many of them were covered in the articles for this assignment. The Important Habit of Just Starting  highlighted one of my biggest struggles: procrastination. While it's easy to put things off until the last minute, this article discussed why it is so beneficial to just start something and the motivation to finish will follow. When I feel like putting things ...

Using technology illustration. "Technology" by Sephko. Web Source: Creative Commons.  It is no surprise that this course will utilize many online materials and technologies seeing as it is an online course. For the most part, I am familiar with the tools that we will use throughout this course. One that I have particularly used often is Canva for graphic creation, among other things. It is very user-friendly and allows non-experts (like me) creative professional looking work.  One thing that I am not used to doing is bookmarking website, pages, or other content. That is something that I will have to get into the habit of doing throughout the semester, as I am sure that it will be helpful and save myself some confusion in later assignments.  As far as online course go, this one is a little different for me. All of the previous classes I've taken online have been administered completely through Canvas. It makes sense to learn through different websites si...