Mythology and Folklore 101

Canvas App After being a student for almost four years the Canvas app is much better than the previous platform that was used, which was called D2L. I really like that I have my grades at the tips of my fingers and I can constantly have access to my assignments and grades because we all know that sometimes we are forgetful and need to check our calendar on the go. My favorite part is the overall organization of the app. With D2L it was really hard to navigate the site because it was not meant to be done on a phone, rather it was only meant to be used on the computer. I think that Canvas for me as a student has made the grades and documents more easily accessible.  Canvas

The Jealous Uncle Bibliography: Native American Hero Tales unit. Story Source: Tales of the North American Indians by Stith Thompson (1929). Link to Story This story reminds me of the Bible story of Cain and Able and Cain ended up killing Able out of jealousy. I think that jealousy is often something that can destroy us. If I was to rewrite this story I would focus more on how the Uncle had to experience the wrath from God after having committed such a crime. I may make it an "Indian god", but I am not sure if I feel comfortable writing about a god that is not the real God. I want to add more detail to the punishment he receives and that his family eventually finds out that it was him who had been killing his family members. I want to make sure that the focus is the moral of the story which that jealousy is an evil monster that can lead us to do terrible things.  Jealousy

Sharing the Mindset I choose to have the conversation of growth mindset with my roommate Holli. When I mention the term growth mindset to her she did not really have any idea what I meant. I choose to go into more detail on the information I learned in the growth mindset assignment we did in the beginning of the semester. I told her about the mantra "the power of yet." I explained to her that I really liked this mantra because I think it reminds us that we all of the power to succeed at something and that we should not let failures limit potential opportunities and achievements. I then went into relating this mantra to school, because Holli sometimes struggles with letting her failures in school get to her. I told her that it is important to have a growth mindset because this may help her not to be so fixated if she does not do well on an assignment and instead she should focus on what she should be doing to improve. After having this conversation with he...

Links to video:  Video 1 Video 2 I think mental health issues are often disregarded and deemed as stupid or not important. I actually know Ivey Dyson and when you meet her she has a very positive energy and you would never know she suffers from anxiety. I think that is the biggest reason why people disagreed it because oftentimes your peers have no idea what you are suffering from a mental health issue because we choose to hide it from society. Although it takes time for us to want to share about our struggles once you do you realize that you are only helping someone else who may share the same struggle and if anyone makes fun of you then they have something they are hiding and are jealous that they do not have the guts to share it. I love what Ivey said about learning to live with her anxiety. In the end, we cannot change our reality, but we can learn ways to better ourselves because of it.  The second video I watched was Copper Lund. I did not personally know...

The Dog Husband  Bibliography:  Native American Marriage Tales unit. Story Source: Tales of the North American Indians by Stith Thompson (1929). Link to Story This story reminded me a lot of the fox-women story, but in this one, the dog is able to take the form of a human. I think that if I were to retell this one I would have the children that Crow birthed be able to choose if they want to become human, but even if they were to do that they would not be accepted by their people for a very long time and that they would have to earn this right to do so. I think that I would keep the same premise that in the end, the boys became the chiefs of the village after going through a very long acceptance period by the village. I would make the girl the so-called "queen" of the village and have all the females look to her for guidance.  Four Dogs

The Fox -Women Bibliography:  Native American Marriage Tales unit. Story Source: Tales of the North American Indians by Stith Thompson (1929).  Link to Story I really liked this story and I think there is a lot of room for improvement because it was so short and lacked a lot of details. I think if I was to retell this story I would include more details on how the fox-women looked and instead of the story ending in her leaving I might make it more about their love life. I would want to make it more about how the man was accepting of the fox-women and how they were able to live their lives cohesively together. I would go into more detail about how the fox-women was able to change back and forth between women and a fox so she could fulfill her fox and women needs.  Fox

The Huhu Gets Married  Bibliography: This story is part of the Cherokee Myths unit. Story source: Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney (1900). Link to Story I really liked this story because I felt like it is every mother's dream to see if her future son-in-law has what it takes to be her daughter's husband. It would be kind of fun to make it a story about how the mother puts her future son-in-law through a series of test versus just having him go to the field to work. I think that through the tests his true character would show and that in the end, he was not the right person for her daughter. I really like this scenario because I think that too often women do not take into account their mothers opinions of their significant other and sometimes the mom ends up being right. Personally though if my mom didn't like my future husband I would not marry him. Another thing I may do in the rewrite is not had them get married because divorce is just as sad.  Mar...

Happiness Jar  I think in life we forget to slow down and appreciate the small things. I really like the idea of the happiness jar. My plan is to not necessarily have a jar to write down something that makes me happy, instead, I am going to compile a list in my notes on my laptop that will stay on my desktop. Since I am on my computer multiple times of day I think it will be a good reminder for me to stay happy throughout the day. By writing down one thing a day that makes me happy I think even if I am having a bad day I will still focus on the one thing that did actually make me happy. By doing a "happiness note" hopefully it will help me slow down a little and appreciate the small things.  Happiness Quote

Tobacco and Strawberries  Bibliography: Cherokee Myths unit. Story Source: Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney (1900). Link to Story After reading the story I thought it was interesting that it was basically two separate stories one about tobacco and the other about strawberries. I think if I was to retell the story I would go into more details on the tobacco rather than the strawberries. I would probably change the tobacco to be something more modern such as an iPhone, coffee, or some other sort of food product. I think the coffee would be interesting because so many people rely on it my story could have a lot of depth since it would be something missed by so many people whereas, tobacco is only used by a limited number of people. Since the story is called tobacco and strawberries if I was to mention the strawberries I would go into more depth on how they were the fruit that brought the husband and wife back together. As of right now, my option is...

Sleep Deprivation Throughout my college career I have had my fair share of nights where it seems like I do not get much sleep due to social activities, studying, or just staying up too late watching TV. I noticed that when I did not sleep  much that I also would not perform well in school.I found that I would be sleepy in class and not pay attention. Now that I am finishing up my fourth year of college I have learned to prioritize sleep more. In addition if I do not workout I find that my energy levels are down as well. After reading the article through data it was revealed that 46.2% of nights students are not getting as much sleep, but then that also leaves another 50% of nights that they are. I do not think this article is a good predictor of college students sleep schedule and it even said that it does not capture the full picture. I did like how they pointed out that if students own Fit Bits or Apple Watches they are more likely to care about th...

The Iguana and the Turtle  After reading this story it reminded me a bit of the Turtle and the Hare. I like both stories the moral in the Turtle and the Hare better, but this one was more comedic so to say. I think if I was to retell the story I would sort of make the moral relevant to the sang "if you all saw your friends jumping off a cliff, that does not mean you should." In the end the iguana was foolish and the turtle ended up bailing on his friend. I think the story ended abruptly so I think I would start off by summarizing the story and then go into more detail on how the iguana learned that you should not always do what your friends are doing and that you need to know who your true friends are. Another way I could go with the retelling of the story was to add on if the old man had actually wanted the turtle for to marry his granddaughter and if there was someway he could make the turtle/iguana a human. My last idea would be if the turtle had gotten away and ...

My Learning Habits As humans, we are all creatures of habit and I think we all develop a routine that we typically stick to. But it is important to recognize that we all need to continually learn. A few of my learning habits are: 1. I am always the person that asks an overwhelming amount of questions. I do this for two reasons, first I do it to clarify a situation and then to identify the why behind I am doing something. I find that the more questions I ask the better understanding I have about the process of why I am doing something weather it be in work or school. 2. I find that talking aloud when I do homework helps me think more critically about what I am doing. I do this when I am quizzing myself over information or doing math problems.  3. I have a certain way in which I prioritize things in my planner so that I can be efficient in the way I do things.  4. Lastly, I find having conversations with people on how they study helps me improve my study habits. Or even...

The Poor Man and His Three Sons After reading this story I think that I could potentially change the gifts to make them something more interesting and maybe more modern. I was thinking of having the story taking place during modern times. I have not thought of what I want to change the gifts to, but I was thinking that instead of having them go to different towns to sell the gifts their dad gave them that I would have them use a more modern platform such as eBay. I think I would also want to go into more detail about their life after the brothers became rich and maybe have them buy a huge house in Los Angles with their fortune. I like to incorporate a moral of the story and in this instance, I think I would make the moral that if you are patient you too can receive good luck and fortune but that it is important to always remember where you came from.  Good Fortune Bibliography: This story is part of the Filipino Tales unit. Story source: Filipino Popular T...

Learning Challenge: Happiness Happiness is something that we as strive for, but are not always successful at. Obviously, we are not going to always be happy, but this article gives some very simple tips that could easily make a bad day better. I think the two that stood out to me were help other people and go outside more.  Personally, for me on days where I am not in the best mood all i want to do is stay in my room with the lights off all day which does not normally end up improving my mood. Maybe, if I was to go on a walk or just run errands I would get into a better mood.  the other tip which is helping people is my favorite. I think if we all made it a goal to help one person a day we all feel better about ourselves. Not only is someone else benefiting from this but our happiness can be improved as well. Happiness is something we all need could improve on just by smiling, laughing, and spending time with people we love. If we did not focus so much on the ...

Growth Mindset: Explore Growth Mindset beyond School I think for me my work ethic towards my job can be transferred into my schoolwork. I have had a job since I was 15 and I pride myself on the fact that I understand what it means to "work". Having a good work ethic is important in school as well because as a student you have to be self-motivated to succeed without someone telling you to do so. If you do not have the ability to do this then you may find yourself turning in assignments late or not starting to study early enough for a test. For me, this means making sure I allocate enough time for all my schoolwork before I can go and do fun things. After all my parents are paying for me to come to school nit party all the time. In addition I think that I enjoy getting good grades in school just like I enjoy receiving a good pay check from work. I am motivated by the fact that I could get good grades to make both myself and my ...

Progress Update After looking at the progress chart it looks like I am on track to have an A in the class at the start of this week I had 212 points and you had to have 205 in order to have an A thus far in the semester. I like that I schedule that I am on,  but now that the storybook project is starting to take more time I need to allocate more time to the project above anything else. I think for me I just need to make sure that I do not procrastinate assignments as it is starting to reach the end of the semester. I like that you can do extra credit assignments so that you can get to 410 points faster, but I did not really start doing them until recently so for the rest of the semester I am going to make sure I am completing at least 2-3 assignments.  Pushing Through the End of the Semester

Comments and Feedback  I think the comments and feedback are an awesome component to this class. Since, it is an online class you will typically not know anyone but through the comments and feedback we are able to get to know everyone. I have also found there to be a few people I know in the class just from having to comment and random peoples posts. I think sometimes using the randomized link for the stories and introduction sometimes will  give you the same people, so maybe my feedback would be to find a better way for people to choose which blogs they comment on so there is a more even number of  comments on everyone's wall.  For the rest  of the class I think I am going to really focus on what other people are doing in their storybooks so that I can improve mine. I like seeing everyone different strengths from reading their posts and using that to improve my stories. Overall, everyone leaves very throu...

This semester I have really enjoyed writing blog posts based off of stories we read. I think it is interesting to read stories that were from different cultures and  time periods. I have found that I like to try and base my new stories off of movies. I find for me that it boost more creativity when I retell the story. My favorite had to have been the stories from Asia and Africa. I am in another class called African Repercussions, so it was interesting to compare the folklore stories to things I have learned in another class. So far with the storybook I have enjoyed being creative, which is something that I do not typically get to do in my other classes. I have found that I need to review grammar rules a bit more. I have dyslexia so I have always struggled with grammar. I like though that I am able to be creative through my stories, I just need to focus more on adding detail so that the reader feels as if they are there. Overall, I have really e...

Surviving My First Last Semester of College It is hard to think I have started my last year of college. It seemed like yesterday that I was leaving me at the dorms. Now I am a senior in college who is about to embark on the real world come May. As far as my classes they have not been too difficult, which is nice because it allows for me to take in every memory. I have started to get a bit sentimental about having to leave college and my friends in just a few months. I am nervous that even though I have made good friends in college that after we all move out of Norman we will not see each other very much anymore. Even though distance makes the heart grow fonder I really enjoy the friends I have right now and do not want to grow apart from them. On the other hand, when changes in life happen you get to experience new things and meet new people. Being in my last first semester of college is bittersweet, but I am excited for what the future holds for me. I think my dream place to live...

Learning in The Age of Media Distraction,  Link to Article In this day-and-age we are all constantly focused on something else other than the task at hand we need to complete. In this article there was a very good point that the author made, which was is that the younger generation does not know how to focus on one task at a time and that multi-tasking can have a negative impact on us. Such as anxiety, stress, and mood. Most of the younger generation is used to jumping from one activity to he next or one social media platform to the next which as a result they are not trained to just focus on one thing. Exercise can help improve the anxiety and stress associated with multi-tasking. Although we cannot stop people from using technology it is important to take breaks from it and put yourself in an environment where you do not need to be using it. I think we all need to take time to focus on the present and not constantly be worried about other things. Focus !!!

Five Why's Main Goal: To increase my knowledge both in and outside of school 1. Why is it important: It is necessary to study the information you learn in school in addition to doing reading on your own.  2. Why does it matter: Because we should always focus on increasing our knowledge, especially since after you are done with school you do not have anyone forcing you to do so. 3. Why is it important: We should always focus on learning more because it betters us and can help us be more innovative. 4. Why: Being innovative is important because it helps us foster creativity 5. Why: Learning should not be something that just stops when school is over it should a be a continuous cycle  Why ??

How the Wicked Tanuki was Punished After reading the introduction of this story it sort of reminded me of the Hunger Games. I think that I like to compare these stories to movies that I have watched in the oast for my inspiration. If I was to rewrite this story I think I would go in the direction that I would make it where the humans would be hunting the animals and the animals were the ones who had to fight back in order to survive. So in comparison to the movie the animals would be the ones who were being hunted. I think I would just need to be careful on how violent I make the story. Similar to that of the original story I think I would still have the animals be able to transform into humans as a form of defense. Instead of making it a story of revenge I would have the plot be more like survival of the fittest between the humans and the animals.  The Hunger Games Bibliography: This story is part of the Japanese Fairy Tales unit. Story Source : The Crims...

The Two Frogs This story was very simple compared to those of the previous units. I kind of like that because then I am able to be more creative when retelling the story. After reading this story I think that I would maybe change the frogs to another animal of my choosing. Even if I keep them as frogs or if I change them to another animal for an example a turtle when they meet each other half way to the journey to the other frog's town I may have them somehow turn into humans. I think this makes it a little bit more interesting instead of them just going back to their towns after they realize that the towns are the mirror image of each other. When they turn into humans I will have them be twins and switch lives with each other, similar to that of the movie " Parent Trap". I really enjoyed this story and the simplicity of it allowed for me to be a bit more creative than normal.  The Two Frogs Bibliography: Japanese Fairy Tales unit. Story Source: The Violet F...