The Girl of the Forest - The loss of something held dearly can be devastating. So much that it can change even the simplest of creatures.
The Mad Monkey - Have you ever felt as though you were the only one seeing clearly? That frustrating revelation can be enough to make you mad!
The Dream - Our soul can be a lot more intuitive than our mind, and often times that can be reflected in our dreams. Is Bharata's dream just a dream, or an omen?
The Magic in Music - Music can be a powerful tool that brings people together and puts peace in our hearts. Not even death is a match for the healing powers of music.
What the Water Taught Me - We can be our own worst enemies when it comes to guilt. But through self reflection, and a little help, forgiveness can be obtained.
Thank you everyone for the kind comments on these stories! They were (for the most part) a pleasure to write! My personal favorites are "The Girl of the Forest" and "The Magic in Music".
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Online Education Review
I have taken only two other online course before this one. I would have happily taken more, however they usually fill up rather quickly. I think that for students, online courses are an excellent opportunity to exercise their time management skills as well as a convenient way to complete credit courses around hectic work and family obligations.
However...most online courses are nothing like this one. Seriously Laura, you should write the book on how to teach an online class. Most professors or instructors just post slideshows, assign note-taking and reading assignments and require that you post on the discussion board and submit papers. This is not a good plan. You can't just teach an online course like you would in a classroom. The way this class was set up was really amazing. Everything was clear cut, laid out, organized, fully explained. There was opportunity to earn extra credit in ways that applied outside the classroom, like how to navigate popular social media sites and search engines. I really felt like Laura cared about both our education on Indian Epics as well as gaining outside knowledge that could help us in our personal and professional lives. That is why this class is so successful and so many people rave about it!
I would only take more online courses if they were set up like this course! I realize every instructor has their own teaching style, and they could certainly adapt their online course to their own style. But having a basic structure like this class would really improve their students' ability to do well and to class and, more importantly, to enjoy it! Maybe other students had aspects of this course that they didn't like, but it was really spot on for my learning style and I always felt like Laura wanted me to do well and to succeed.
However...most online courses are nothing like this one. Seriously Laura, you should write the book on how to teach an online class. Most professors or instructors just post slideshows, assign note-taking and reading assignments and require that you post on the discussion board and submit papers. This is not a good plan. You can't just teach an online course like you would in a classroom. The way this class was set up was really amazing. Everything was clear cut, laid out, organized, fully explained. There was opportunity to earn extra credit in ways that applied outside the classroom, like how to navigate popular social media sites and search engines. I really felt like Laura cared about both our education on Indian Epics as well as gaining outside knowledge that could help us in our personal and professional lives. That is why this class is so successful and so many people rave about it!
I would only take more online courses if they were set up like this course! I realize every instructor has their own teaching style, and they could certainly adapt their online course to their own style. But having a basic structure like this class would really improve their students' ability to do well and to class and, more importantly, to enjoy it! Maybe other students had aspects of this course that they didn't like, but it was really spot on for my learning style and I always felt like Laura wanted me to do well and to succeed.
 |
| Laura, you're awesome! (Source) |
Gen Ed Review
I am going to try my best not to be completely biased in this post, however I do still hold some bitterness. I get the Gen Ed requirements that colleges have. I mean, I get it! You want to make sure that everyone is one the same level when they come into college. You don't know what their high school was like or what they've been taught for the past twelve years. You want to make sure that standard information has been ingrained in their heads. While it's been a long time since I've taken my Gen Ed classes, I will do my best to remember them.
If I recall, I enjoyed my Gen Ed English courses. They were a good introduction to college writing and a way to warm up your skills for the endless amount of pages you would have to write for the rest of your time in college. My math Gen Ed was a piece of cake because I only needed one semester for my major - a GODSEND for somebody like me. Science was actually pretty enjoyable, since I got to take astronomy and botany. I'm not the best test taker but the classes were kind of interesting for me.
Here's where I get all bitter: history Gen Ed at OU is the worst class I have ever taken. And I had to take it twice. The first time I took it was the second semester of my freshmen year and, I will admit, I got lazy. I didn't show up to class all the time and the attendance policy/missed pop quizzes led me to fail. Okay, so I take responsibility for that. But I will say that the quality of the class was dull. History is such an awesome topic and should be taught to it's full capacity! Not in a room with almost 150 students in lecture format for an hour and a half. I need some discussion on a smaller scale. I need to know you actually care about teaching this subject. But the monotony in your voice could put a 7 year older on a sugar high to sleep in about 30 seconds.
So I failed. And the next year I took it again. And boy did I have the exact opposite problem here. The class size was better - maybe 50 or so students. But this professor taught like he was a kindergarten teacher. I felt as though I left that class dumber than when I went in. I realize, of course, these are all just excuses. I ended up passing (BARELY) with a D. But I was happy to have it done with. Anyways, most people I talked to about it said they took their Gen Ed history at a community college because they heard the one at OU was so bad. I wish someone would have told me that earlier!
Sorry for the rant!
If I recall, I enjoyed my Gen Ed English courses. They were a good introduction to college writing and a way to warm up your skills for the endless amount of pages you would have to write for the rest of your time in college. My math Gen Ed was a piece of cake because I only needed one semester for my major - a GODSEND for somebody like me. Science was actually pretty enjoyable, since I got to take astronomy and botany. I'm not the best test taker but the classes were kind of interesting for me.
Here's where I get all bitter: history Gen Ed at OU is the worst class I have ever taken. And I had to take it twice. The first time I took it was the second semester of my freshmen year and, I will admit, I got lazy. I didn't show up to class all the time and the attendance policy/missed pop quizzes led me to fail. Okay, so I take responsibility for that. But I will say that the quality of the class was dull. History is such an awesome topic and should be taught to it's full capacity! Not in a room with almost 150 students in lecture format for an hour and a half. I need some discussion on a smaller scale. I need to know you actually care about teaching this subject. But the monotony in your voice could put a 7 year older on a sugar high to sleep in about 30 seconds.
So I failed. And the next year I took it again. And boy did I have the exact opposite problem here. The class size was better - maybe 50 or so students. But this professor taught like he was a kindergarten teacher. I felt as though I left that class dumber than when I went in. I realize, of course, these are all just excuses. I ended up passing (BARELY) with a D. But I was happy to have it done with. Anyways, most people I talked to about it said they took their Gen Ed history at a community college because they heard the one at OU was so bad. I wish someone would have told me that earlier!
Sorry for the rant!
| View from my balcony! |
College Writing Review
Although I won't be graduating with this major, the majority of my college career has been spent taking classes for a Letters degree, which can be best described as literature, history, and philosophy. In reality, the philosophy part was not as much of a major role as the literature and history, but still came into play now and again.
Needless to say, I did a lot of writing over the past 5 years. Not all of it I enjoyed, but there were some memorable prompts here and there. Only a small part of my writing experience was in the form of in-class essays (which, by the way, I absolutely despise). In those instances, I do not judge my quality of writing at all. Although, admittedly, I think my knowledge of the general functions and structure of essays helped me in times when I didn't know the answers as well as I should have.
The majority of my writing consisted of midterm and final papers. For a long time, I felt as though giving page requirements was one of the worst things a professor could do when assigning an essay. Who is to say that I cannot fully and knowledgeably answer an essay question in four pages rather than six? In the end, it usually led me to being redundant and repetitive and overall lessened the quality of my work. But on the flip side, when it was a topic I was truly interested in I felt that a twelve or twenty page requirement pushed me to do more research.
My capstone paper, although the longest, was not the most intensive or challenging paper that I ever wrote. Last semester I took a class called Gender and the Constitution and my final paper discussed the way twentieth century men use physiology to determine social and political norms for women, especially when it came to their professional abilities. That was likely the most most difficult paper I had to write only because the topic was so fascinating and there were so many parts to it that I don't feel I had enough time to really include everything and therefor have a well thought-out paper.
This class is the first class that has ever required me to write fiction. While some may not think that has any place in an academic setting, I think it was hugely successful in pushing my mind outside of the small, confining box that is everyday higher education. There is certainly more to the world than writing research papers and memos and e-mails. This class showed me that writing can actually be an enjoyable experience, not just a way to make a passing grade. In most academic writing, the point is to prove yourself and your opinion to the reader. In this class, the writing is to express your opinion and present it to the reader. Whether they agree with it or not is completely up to them! And the story is no less a story if they don't quite like where you went with it. Good writing can still be appreciated even if you don't necessarily like the characters or the storyline.
Needless to say, I did a lot of writing over the past 5 years. Not all of it I enjoyed, but there were some memorable prompts here and there. Only a small part of my writing experience was in the form of in-class essays (which, by the way, I absolutely despise). In those instances, I do not judge my quality of writing at all. Although, admittedly, I think my knowledge of the general functions and structure of essays helped me in times when I didn't know the answers as well as I should have.
The majority of my writing consisted of midterm and final papers. For a long time, I felt as though giving page requirements was one of the worst things a professor could do when assigning an essay. Who is to say that I cannot fully and knowledgeably answer an essay question in four pages rather than six? In the end, it usually led me to being redundant and repetitive and overall lessened the quality of my work. But on the flip side, when it was a topic I was truly interested in I felt that a twelve or twenty page requirement pushed me to do more research.
My capstone paper, although the longest, was not the most intensive or challenging paper that I ever wrote. Last semester I took a class called Gender and the Constitution and my final paper discussed the way twentieth century men use physiology to determine social and political norms for women, especially when it came to their professional abilities. That was likely the most most difficult paper I had to write only because the topic was so fascinating and there were so many parts to it that I don't feel I had enough time to really include everything and therefor have a well thought-out paper.
This class is the first class that has ever required me to write fiction. While some may not think that has any place in an academic setting, I think it was hugely successful in pushing my mind outside of the small, confining box that is everyday higher education. There is certainly more to the world than writing research papers and memos and e-mails. This class showed me that writing can actually be an enjoyable experience, not just a way to make a passing grade. In most academic writing, the point is to prove yourself and your opinion to the reader. In this class, the writing is to express your opinion and present it to the reader. Whether they agree with it or not is completely up to them! And the story is no less a story if they don't quite like where you went with it. Good writing can still be appreciated even if you don't necessarily like the characters or the storyline.
 |
| Happy puppy picture, because why not? (Source) |
Week 14 Famous Last Words
So quickly has the semester flown by, even for someone like me who is only taking one class. It has really been a privilege to take this course and be able to read so many great stories, both by students and ancient authors. And being able to see my own progress as a writer was something I never expected. Granted, everyone could be just blowing smoke when they comment on my stories, but they seem to really enjoy them. I have never considered myself a writer, but as I did storytelling posts every week I found myself really influenced by my personal life as well as books I was reading at the time. I can see how writing fiction can be outlet for some people. For me, reading has always been a way to escape reality. But now I can see that writing fiction can just as easily be an escape, as well. You get to create your own world and people and have the ability to make things happen the way you truly wish they could happen. It is a powerful tool.
I have finally settled into my apartment in Texas. I am really surprised at how quickly it has become home to me. I feel so completely at ease when I am here. Maybe it is because I now have family nearby, and they were able to help me put the finishing touches on the place. Either way, I feel very good about this decision (which isn't always the case haha) and am happy I made it.
I have still been reading a lot lately, which I hope I can continue. I just finished a really great short novel by Neil Gaiman called "The Ocean at the End of the Lane". If you have never heard of him, you've probably seen the movie adaptations of his books "Coraline" and "Stardust". He is truly talented in creating a fantasy world that is so closely intertwined with reality. After that I read "The Museum of Extraordinary Things" by Alice Hoffman, which I enjoyed but not nearly as much as Gaiman's book. Now I am reading "The House Girl" by Tara Conklin, which is an interesting story that has two narratives: one of a young slave in 1850s Virginia and another of a young lawyer in present-day New York. It was slow at the start but I'm about 2/3 through it now and I like it.
I hope that finals week coming up is not too stressful for everyone. I know the experience varies for everyone, but I hate to see people ruin themselves and their sanity for the last two weeks of the semester. Stay calm and do your best! That's all that can be done.
I have finally settled into my apartment in Texas. I am really surprised at how quickly it has become home to me. I feel so completely at ease when I am here. Maybe it is because I now have family nearby, and they were able to help me put the finishing touches on the place. Either way, I feel very good about this decision (which isn't always the case haha) and am happy I made it.
 |
| Source |
I have still been reading a lot lately, which I hope I can continue. I just finished a really great short novel by Neil Gaiman called "The Ocean at the End of the Lane". If you have never heard of him, you've probably seen the movie adaptations of his books "Coraline" and "Stardust". He is truly talented in creating a fantasy world that is so closely intertwined with reality. After that I read "The Museum of Extraordinary Things" by Alice Hoffman, which I enjoyed but not nearly as much as Gaiman's book. Now I am reading "The House Girl" by Tara Conklin, which is an interesting story that has two narratives: one of a young slave in 1850s Virginia and another of a young lawyer in present-day New York. It was slow at the start but I'm about 2/3 through it now and I like it.
I hope that finals week coming up is not too stressful for everyone. I know the experience varies for everyone, but I hate to see people ruin themselves and their sanity for the last two weeks of the semester. Stay calm and do your best! That's all that can be done.
Friday, April 17, 2015
Week 14 Reading Diary A: The Panchatantra
The Panchatantra
Numskull and the Rabbit
Numskull and the Rabbit
- I can understand the animals wanting the lion to stop eating their kin, buuut he's a lion. Is he supposed to be a vegetarian?
- Okay, all these interjections of sayings and morals is really annoying. How can you enjoy the story?
- Usually the trickster is a bad character, although here he is acting out of good
- This kind of reminds me of Narcissus and his reflection
- Wait, what?? Why was the goldsmith arrested! He was just reporting what he knew. It was the king who jumped to conclusions and said the Brahman must have killed the prince.
- In reality, the snake is the hero here. The Brahman didn't do a thing
- What's the story with the prince?
- I don't quite see how the story of the turtle and the birds relates to the plover and his wife. Is she trying to tell him to talk less? Or just that he is stupid?
- Those are some pretty interesting names for fish
 |
| Fishermen, from 15th century Latin Panchatantra (Source) |
- SERIOUSLY, I don't get why she's telling her husband these stories. No connection whatsoever.
- I guess the lesson is don't be stubborn and arrogant and you should probably listen to your wife more often.
- Aw, poor elephant. It's no his fault! He shouldn't be punished
UnTextbook Online Reading Options
Device: Windows desktop
Browser: Google Chrome
Best Option: Internet Archive, Google Books, and PDFs were equally accessible and easy to use
Worst Option: Hathi Trust
Reading Online: Most, if any, of the reading I do on a computer or tablet is purely academic. The reason for this is because textbooks are normally much cheaper to buy and faster to access via the Kindle app rather than buying the physical book. Also, when it comes to searching for something specific, having an electronic version is really helpful. You can search the entire text for whatever you're looking for! That being said, I really don't prefer to read online. When I read for pleasure, I always buy or borrow the actual book. I mean, there's no better feeling that turning that last page!
Taking Notes Online/PDF: Taking notes while reading has always been a pain to me, even when I have the physical book. I don't like having to put the book down, write my thoughts, double check page numbers, etc. Highlighting is usually my go-to method. And with PDF or Kindle versions of texts, doing that is really easy! It's one of the things I do actually like more about electronic books. Whether I am using a PDF or Kindle app, I usually just highlight and then use the sticky note insert.
Hard Copies: If I had an unlimited amount of storage and money to print out readings for class, I totally would! 8.5 x 11 printer paper packets are really easy to use to highlight and take notes in the margins. However, doing that would just be insanely expensive and probably not very environmentally friendly, so I don't do it often.
Hathi Trust: What I don't like about this source is that, even when viewing full screen, when you zoom in to make the text bigger you have to scroll on the screen. I'd rather I could zoom in and fit the page to the screen. Also, these are obviously scanned images of a hard copy. The problem I have with that is the font used in a lot of the older texts can be really hard on the eyes and doesn't really translate on the digital screen.
Internet Archive: This source basically solved the issue I had above about being zoomed in and fitted to the screen. Yay! And the black background here, as opposed to Hathi Trust's white background, doesn't make my eye hurt as much.
Google Books: I think changing the text colors from that yellow/gray combo to the black/white combo made it easier to read. It's the little things!
Browser: Google Chrome
Best Option: Internet Archive, Google Books, and PDFs were equally accessible and easy to use
Worst Option: Hathi Trust
Reading Online: Most, if any, of the reading I do on a computer or tablet is purely academic. The reason for this is because textbooks are normally much cheaper to buy and faster to access via the Kindle app rather than buying the physical book. Also, when it comes to searching for something specific, having an electronic version is really helpful. You can search the entire text for whatever you're looking for! That being said, I really don't prefer to read online. When I read for pleasure, I always buy or borrow the actual book. I mean, there's no better feeling that turning that last page!
Taking Notes Online/PDF: Taking notes while reading has always been a pain to me, even when I have the physical book. I don't like having to put the book down, write my thoughts, double check page numbers, etc. Highlighting is usually my go-to method. And with PDF or Kindle versions of texts, doing that is really easy! It's one of the things I do actually like more about electronic books. Whether I am using a PDF or Kindle app, I usually just highlight and then use the sticky note insert.
Hard Copies: If I had an unlimited amount of storage and money to print out readings for class, I totally would! 8.5 x 11 printer paper packets are really easy to use to highlight and take notes in the margins. However, doing that would just be insanely expensive and probably not very environmentally friendly, so I don't do it often.
Hathi Trust: What I don't like about this source is that, even when viewing full screen, when you zoom in to make the text bigger you have to scroll on the screen. I'd rather I could zoom in and fit the page to the screen. Also, these are obviously scanned images of a hard copy. The problem I have with that is the font used in a lot of the older texts can be really hard on the eyes and doesn't really translate on the digital screen.
Internet Archive: This source basically solved the issue I had above about being zoomed in and fitted to the screen. Yay! And the black background here, as opposed to Hathi Trust's white background, doesn't make my eye hurt as much.
Google Books: I think changing the text colors from that yellow/gray combo to the black/white combo made it easier to read. It's the little things!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)