Topic 10: Online Sharing & A Hour of Code

1. So, I took part in the Hour of Code, which was honestly more like a half hour. It wasn't too challenging to do and I found that I was pretty good at it.

2. I chose Padlet because it was easier to use and I really like how it is formatted.

Created with Padlet

Evaluating Information Web Sites & Citing Sources: Topic 9

1. I already have an account on noodletools, so I didn't need to create one. I created my Works Cited project and these are my citations:

Baird, Jane Henriksen. "The Kiss Of Deception." School Library Journal 60.7 (2014): 108. Academic 

     Search Premier. Web. 16 Dec. 2015. 

Hunt, Jonathan. "The Kiss Of Deception." Horn Book Magazine 90.5 (2014): 119. Literary Reference 

     Center. Web. 16 Dec. 2015. 

Pearson, Mary E. Kiss of Deception. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2014. Print. 

The Trails questions I got wrong were:

9. When you evaluate a website's coverage, which of the following do you not examine?

I assumed the answer was "The depth of the material", but the actual answer is "Who created the website, including his/her background (credentials)". I personally don't think that answer is correct. If you're looking for correct information, it isn't a good idea to find a webpage created by someone who is already biased or isn't an expert of their field. Although I can see their point, I don't like how the question is worded.

4. Read the excerpt below that comes from a travel industry magazine:
Deputy Director Hill of Horseshoe Cruise Line stated the following about the mysterious illness aboard the 900-person cruise ship Royal Lady, "Including crew and guests, we believe that 766 passengers are presently ill. That is certainly not an epidemic. In fact, there is no reason to believe that this illness has anything to do with the food or facilities."
I chose "Opinion", but now that I look I can see that this opinion is biased. Because the person is a Deputy Director, he will side with his company and isn't a doctor or a medical professional. He's answering based on what his company wants him to say and doesn't want to admit that the illness is due to food or their cruise's facilities.

Books and Reading: Topic 8

The site I chose was Goodreads, since I already have an account on there and have a bunch of books set up. There isn't anything really bad with the site and it's pretty easy to use and record whatever book I'm reading/want to read. I enjoy the easy to use layout and the fact that I can store as many books as I want in my library.

Regarding school projects, it could help in English classrooms when someone wants to find books relating to whatever topic they need to read about. It looks like it's mostly used to catalog books and keep track of favorites or hated novels. That's primarily what I use it for.
Here is my book shelf with my favorites:

my bookshelf: favorites

The Time Keeper

by Mitch Albom

tagged:
favorites

Wings

by Aprilynne Pike

tagged:
favorites

Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 1

by Hiromu Arakawa

tagged:
favorites

Other

by Karen Kincy

tagged:
favorites

The Book Thief

by Markus Zusak

tagged:
favorites

Documents & Presentations: Topic 7

1. Well, I've used Google Drive for the longest time. I don't have Word at home, so it's my go-to for doing homework. It's a good alternative and about as easy to use. Here is my link for the book trailer timeline.
2. I chose Animoto as my Web 2.0. tool. It's free for 30 seconds but beyond that it's 3$. It's not that difficult to use and it's pretty accesible. Compared to PhotoStory and Powerpoint, it has more music but seems to be less complicated or easy to use. I prefer Powerpoint because I simply have more experience with it but it would be a nice alternative if someone really needs to use it.

3. And here's my Glog:

Creating Animations and Videos : Topic 6

 So, for my video I chose the website PowToon. It was pretty easy to use but occasionally did get confusing when it came to uploading images and messing with timing. It just takes some time to get used to. For any new users, I recommend choosing images ahead of time because the choices in creative commons aren't varied. I also suggest that they should mix some of the themes present so the video looks a lot more varied.

I'm not sure which classes I'd use this for, but I guess I'd use it if I need to present an idea to the class or have to do a fancy video and don't know where else to make it. The only thing that is iffy about this is the watermark on the lower right, which is why I'm tempted to just create my own videos.

Creating Your Own Images: Topic 5

Well, after doing another SAT and wrapping up an annoyingly hard week, I'll try my best to catch up with my assignments.

1. I created this image using ImageChef and using my extensive creativity and sarcasm. I've seen these types of photos popping up recently and thought 'Hey, why not reproduce one of a bird?'. If it isn't obvious by now, they happen to be my favorite type of animal. Be glad this isn't a duck.

2. With Ribbet I decided to take a less stylistic approach and focus on improving the image as a whole. By that, I mean stickers and filters. It got to the point where the bird wasn't even visible anymore so I decided to scale back and just use a couple filters as well as some stickers.

Overall, I think this assignment is mostly for fun, since I'm not sure if it would be practical in a classroom setting. At most, it would be to teach kids how to use image-editing websites and I might use it for that purpose as well. However, I already have programs I've downloaded that let me do the same thing with much more options and without a watermark.

Photos, Images & Giving Credit: Topic 4

1. Can you  claim an image is yours, despite having permission from the creator of the item?
-- No, because the image is still not yours. You shouldn't be parading around an image and saying it's yours when you didn't actually make it. As an artist, I especially know how irritating it is when someone says a drawing is there's or doesn't even bother to cite it. Don't be a jerk, cite your images or else face a watermark or copyright infringement.

2. How long does a copyright last for?

-- Copyright lasts for quite a long time, nearly 100 years in some cases. There is no real limitations to it and a lifetime may go by before it is lifted on a book or idea.

3. A Creative Commons license allows someone to take the image and manipulate, modify, or change it as long as the original image is cited.

4.

a.

Armando Rivera. Little Princess//La Princesita 8. April 12, 2012. Flickr. Yahoo. Web. October 26th 2015. <https://www.flickr.com/photos/armandoh2o/6932805860/in/photostream/>.

Because in my story the main character is a princess and escaping from a forced marriage, this image reflects how she ran away feeling exhilarated and smug about the whole ordeal.

b.

Pink Sherbet Photography. Girl Holding Book Looking out Window. October 24th, 2009. Flickr. Yahoo. Web. October 26th 2015. <https://www.flickr.com/photos/pinksherbet/4046234527/>
My character at one point looks longingly out a window, wishing she could run away from her forced marriage, and so this fits her perfectly.

5.

 

Horses. Jupiterimages Corporation, 2006 . Image.

Discovery Education. Web. 26 October 2015. <http://www.discoveryeducation.com/>.

At one point Lia and her friend Pauline ride on a horse and have to hurry out of town, so this represents when they escape the palace.

Blogroll and Commenting: Topic 3

1. How can blogging be used to enhance learning in your high school classes?

I personally think blogs can be used to track student's progress like for projects or other things. It's a good way for people to interact as well and aid each other with certain things like homework.

2. Tell us about two of the characters in the book that you are reading for your book trailer. What do they look like?  What kind of personality characteristics do they have?  Do they have any problems?  Would you be friends with them if they went to your high school?  

Two characters in my book that I'm reading in my book are Princess Lia Jezelia and her mother. Lia has long black hair and dark eyes, typically wearing fancy and noble clothing. She's very sharp tongued but also is careful about doing the right thing. Her main issue is that she has to marry a boy from another kingdom that she hasn't even met, but she wants instead to chose her own life. Her mother is tall and orderly, wearing her hair back and having sharp facial features. She does what she believes is best for the kingdom and doesn't take emotions into account, like how she urges her daughter to marry the unknown prince. Other than her daughter getting married, she doesn't really have any problems. I would probably be friends with Lia but not with her mother. Her mom seems too strict and I wouldn't enjoy being with someone who does things out of tradition and refuses to change.

3.What about the setting of the book.  Where does it take place: in the country, the city, a high school? What is the time frame: in the present, the past, the future?  Describe one scene in the book so that we can get a feel for the setting and time.

This book takes place in a medieval setting in a fictional kingdom called Morrighan. Despite it being an old setting, this time frame is in the present and chronicles a young girl escaping from a forced marriage. One of the scenes that shows this setting is right in the beginning when she completes a sort of wedding ritual and is left with her mother in a room of the Morrighan castle. Lia notes the carriages passing by underneath and talks with her mother about her duties as a First Daughter of their household.

Avatars: Topic 2

Avatars are a way for people to create icons or images in their likeness. Most are usually used on sites like forums or social media websites, like Tumblr or Twitter, to identify oneself.

1. Because I had some free time, I used multiple sites in the creation of these images. I'll list them below and reveal the image underneath each link. It'll make things look clearer and you'll be able to visit the sites on your own in case you'd like to create your own little avatar.

2. These avatars didn't take too particularly long, since most of them were just basic. I took some artistic liberties with a couple because there were sometimes a lot less or more options than I originally assumed. Creativity is an important trait, after all.

Digital Citizenship: Topic 1

Welcome again. This post will be about Digital Citizenship and things related to it.

The first thing I'll address is "Blogging Guidelines". Looking over the rules mentioned, the ones I would have the most trouble with would be Rule 3 and Rule 4. I occasionally will jump headfirst into things and not realize what I might be stirring up. It also leads into the next rule, since I'll need to be cautious regarding how I phrase certain things and making sure I don't offend anyone.

1. Digital Citizenship are the things defining responsible and appropriate use of the internet, meant to protect the individual.

2. The rights and responsibility of a digital citizen are numerous. They are all essentially acting responsibly and doing what you can not to tarnish your image.  For example, one would be being careful of what you post online, in case it may offend or trigger someone.

3. After searching my name, I honestly can't find anything aside from a Facebook post about a book I had been reading. It's pretty clean and hopefully it'll remain that way.

Welcome

Hello and welcome to anyone reading this post. I'd like to open this with a specific announcement. This is a blog reserved for the fall semester of 2015 as part of an assignment as a student librarian assistant. I will be posting things related to my assignments so keep that in mind.