Week 8 Progress

Looking Back
I'm pretty happy with the progress I've made in this class so far! Not just with the grades aspect, but with the writing as well. I think I have improved my writing skills and have gotten better at giving feedback to others. I usually do all my assignments according to what takes the most time and what is the highest priority. For example, if I have an exam coming up, I will try to do all of the work for the class during the weekend before my test (so I can focus on my test during the week). Also, I'm not super proud of this, but when I don't want to do work/study for other classes, I'll end up doing a lot of this class's work. Basically, I procrastinate on other homework with homework from this class, because I actually love the assignments in this course. I don't really think of it as homework; I end up getting absorbed in the story I'm reading, the story I'm writing, or everyone else's stories I read. I think my favorite assignments in the class are writing the stories, because I feel so accomplished by the end of it. I do the extra credit assignments once in a while, whenever I think my blog needs updating.

Looking Forward
I think I like the way I'm doing things right now, so I think I'll keep things the same! I kind of want to try more of the extra credit options because I think doing more of those would be really helpful in updating and improving my blog, as well as making it more appealing to others who may come across this website.

Source: One of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite series. I think it's important that we realize our choices let people into our true selves, rather than what we can or can't do. It's extremely motivational for me because it reminds me that my grades don't define who I am. My ability to perform certain tasks doesn't define my character. What I choose to do / how I choose to improve myself, however, is what truly defines me.

Week 8 Comments and Feedback

Feedback In
I love the comments I get! Each one is very positive but constructive at the same time. I love reading the comments because sometimes I get suggestions that are very specific as to what could be changed to make my stories and website layout better, which is great to read because there is always room for improvement :) It is also helpful to get that extra set of eyes to tell me if any part of my story is confusing, because if it is to one person, chances are other people will be confused about the same thing. This allows me to look at my post again and clarify some things.

Feedback Out
I also love reading other people's stories and seeing their layouts! I definitely do take inspiration from other stories and other layouts, because everyone has a different perspective on the readings. It's nice to see the different writing styles and if I can think of enough to write with a particular style of writing or a particular theme, I'd like to do it. Sometimes reading others' stories helps me see how to approach writing in a different style or what kinds of story endings leave the best impact. 

Blog Comments
I do enjoy reading introductions and getting comments on my own just because I didn't realize how many things I have in common with others, even though we are all from different places and have different majors. I feel like it's hard getting to know people solely over blog posts and comments just because I don't know what anyone looks like really and sometimes I forget what posts I have already  commented on. However, I can say that this class's introduction blog posts are way more interactive than any other class I've taken so far. Online classes usually require you to introduce yourself on the class discussion page, but honestly not a lot of people actually read those. In this class, it is part of our assignments to read everyone's introductions, so I actually like it a lot :) 

Looking Forward
I plan on changing a few things around in my blog as well as my portfolio due to some of the comments I have received. They have been good comments and I'm glad I got these suggestions because I'm always looking for ways to improve my writing and design layout. When I give feedback, I usually tend to comment on the story material itself, but I think I should also give suggeestions on the person's blog layout as well, so they can make it as appealing as possible for others, not just people in our class!

Source: I chose this picture because I think it's really important to not let criticism, no matter what kind, lower your confidence or self-esteem at all. Feedback is supposed to be helpful, and even if you get suggestions that you don't particularly agree with, it's important to keep an open mind and realize that you cannot please everybody at the same time. If you are happy with the project, that's all that matters!

Week 8 Reading and Writing

Looking Back
I like the reading assignments because they give me a due date to complete the reading on/before! I also like brainstorming while writing stuff down because it helps me not forget about the ideas I may have along the way. I liked both epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Each one had a different central theme and central issue. Each also explained many myths and mindsets that the Hindu culture encompasses. I probably liked these a lot just because I already knew part of the stories since I grew up in a Hindu family. I am happy with my class project so far! I was worried my stories wouldn't be too good at first and that they would sound dumb, but after getting positive constructive feedback from everyone I feel much better about it. I think the feedback part of this class is extremely important because it allows us to gain perspectives from others. When I write anything, if I stare at it for too long, it all seems to mesh together and it seems good to go. However, when someone else reads it for the first time, they have another perspective that I may not have, and that helps me so much when I read it again for the second time. My biggest accomplishment is probably understanding my own religion and culture better :)

Source: One of my favorite pictures that I have used in my posts so far because it is so powerful. (Click here to view the story I used it in).

Looking Forward
I want to try new writing styles every time, but it's hard to do when I've never been much of a writer. So I would like to try to become a better writer by the end of this class. I realize that being a good writer isn't just about having good grammar or using large words in your stories. It's more like incorporating different themes and being able to write in different styles and still have an impact on the reader.