Week 8 Progress

I'm going to answer the progress questions!

1. Looking back. Are you happy with your progress so far? What are you most proud of? Do you have a good weekly routine? What are the class assignments that you enjoy the most? Are you using any of the extra credit options? How have things gone in terms of developing your blog and building your website? 

A: I am so far. I'm most proud of my storybook. I do have a solid weekly routine, and I enjoy the readings the most! Building my blog and website has gone well.

2. Looking forward. Are there any changes you want to make for the second half of the semester? Any pitfalls you want to avoid? Something new you want to try in your writing? Anything you want to change about your blog or your project website?

A: No changes I can think of! I want to avoid the pitfall of skipping assignments when I actually do have the time to finish them. I would love to try more dialogue in my writing.

3. Image. Find an image to motivate you for the big push through to the end of the semester!

The Nicholas Murray Butler Library, Columbia University (NYC).

Image from 2014. Source: Wikimedia

Week 8 Comments and Feedback

For the comments and feedback assignment, I'll go through the questions in the assignment and answer them!

1. Feedback in. Overall, how would you rate the quality of the comments and feedback you are receiving from other students in the class? What kinds of comments are you finding to be the most useful? 

A: On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the highest quality, I would say that most comments range from a 6-8. Comments with insightful questions are always good. Comments that highlight what worked well in my story are also helpful so that I can replicate it.

 

2. Feedback out. Similarly, how would you rate the quality of the comments and feedback you are leaving for other students? Have you found some good strategies that help you give detailed feedback? Are you getting some good ideas for your own writing as you analyze other people's writing?

A: I think I've done a good job of giving comments for the most part! I try to compliment a specific detail of the writing and also ask a helpful question. Analyzing other people's writing has definitely helped me with my storytelling.

 

3. Blog comments. Do you have a sense of getting to know people by connecting with them at their blogs? Are you happy with how your Introduction post and how your blog in general provides a space where people can get to know you?

A: I think so! I am happy with those spaces and how they've worked so far.

 

4. Looking forward. What do you want/need to do differently to make the feedback assignments more useful for others and/or more useful for you? Do you want to make any changes to your Comment Wall and/or your Introduction?

A: I will continue to work on finding good questions and helpful critiques. I like my wall/intro how they are for now!

 

5. Image. Take a look through the "Feedback Cats" and "Feedback Infographics" to find one that expresses what you think is a really important aspect of the feedback process, and explain why you chose that image in particular.

A: I like this image because listening is important and undervalued. This infographic shows how we can be better listeners, which helps us give better feedback in life!

The sketchnote is by Tanmay Vora:

 Leadership and The Art of Effective Listening.

I found it on the Growth Mindset blog.

Week 8 Reading and Writing

For this assignment, I'm going to paste a series of questions from the assignment directions and then answer them!

Q: Overall, how well are the reading and writing assignments working for you?

A: I've really enjoyed the flow of the assignments! The readings are fun and not overwhelming. The writing assignments help me engage with the process of storytelling.

Q: Are you happy with your blog? With your project website?

A: Yes! I like how both look and are formatted, especially my project website.

Q: Are you satisfied with how the writing is going for your project? How about your story 

posts?

A: I am satisfied. I think the writing for my storybook is going really well so far. I like certain story posts better than others, but on the whole I have been satisfied with the products.

Q: What do you consider to be your biggest accomplishment(s) in your writing for this class? 

A: I think what I have in my storybook so far, including the layout, introduction, and first regular story, look really sharp and have taken a decent amount of time/effort to craft, so I'm proud of that.

Q: What has been your favorite reading so far?

A: My favorite reading has probably been the Gospel of Mark unit. To read it from a literary perspective and focus on storytelling elements was very enjoyable.

Q: Looking forward. Then, after you look back, look forward. Is there anything you want/need to do in order to get more out out of the reading and writing experiences in this class?

A: I don't think so! I'm getting a lot out of it and just need to stay on track!

Image: I chose this image because it related to a reading I really enjoyed from the Saints and Animals Un-Textbook Unit. The reading helped me decide to write my storybook project about Saint Francis, and I even have included this particular story (Saint Francis and the Wolf) in my storybook project as the story for this past week!

A depiction of Saint Francis and the wolf from Saint Francis of 

Assisi Church in San Francisco del Rincón, Guanajuato State, Mexico. 

Source: Wikimedia