Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.
— Oscar Wilde.
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Canvas and my journey – not over…and yet?
My Canvas journey, it has come a long way from the beginning, but it is still not done…yet. I do not know if it will ever be done, not really. When thinking about the future of education and all the ramifications that this will involve, I know, and you know, that Canvas is just the beginning of the new evolution towards education. In particular, to online learning. How this is implemented, and how this will move forward is anyone’s guess, but it will definitely be moving forward, that I can tell you!
Words of wisdom, words of reflection.
Some last words are needed to pull this journey to a close. The whole purpose of this project was to see how to engage a student in a learning environment that otherwise did not engage them. I asked my students each week if their work could be showcased, never did I share something they were not aware of was being shared. There were successes and failures along the road, not all went as smoothly as anticipated, and others were knocked out of the park. My main goal in posting my assignments was to engage. Some had great success and others were dismal failures. When I approached each week I was hoping to take a subject matter and expand the ideas so that each subsequent task built upon the previous one. I wanted to have continuity so they would grow along with each one. My main Idea with each task was to engage and edify. Along with these elements, was the hope to develop a student with a learner profile towards a willingness to be a part of the Canvas community we were trying to create, and beyond our classroom, going beyond into the world outside our walls of security.
Processes – Did i succeed?
Some of the assignments required they go back, respond, and have conversations with one another. The main purpose here was to try and create a cohesive unit. Many of the kids were fully remote learners, thus have had no contact with any of their fellow students. This needed to be addressed. Isolation was real for many of them and the feeling of aloneness was a worry I had as some headed into a borderline towards anxiety and depression that needed to be alleviated. Many of the tasks that asked them to go back and respond to one another were not as well-received as I expected. Once or twice they would go in but with coercion on my part, and a little begging. However, some of them followed directions to a T and had no issues doing the requested work, while others moaned and groaned that I was asking too much from them. They especially remarked on how “I did not give them grades so why did they have to participate”? The conundrum did exist. I had those that worked under bribery, and others that just did it because I asked them to, or because they enjoyed the brain activity that happened with most of my BR’s and DB’s. Naturally, I had some stellar students who performed no matter what.
Roselyn when asked about having something old to give her advice, something that she kept since she was a young kid. One of my very engaged students, though sometimes late in posting, she always gave me insights into her situation that made us begin to have a relationship that will continue after she graduates. Some students do that. Let you in and when they do, it makes all the work worth it.
Challenges
My biggest challenges came from the desire to change it up every week. Each week I wanted to explore and enlarge the foundations we were building. I wanted to encourage the students to look around and notice the world around them. I hped they would see what was going on and why it was important. I searched out how could they be a part of their situations even remotely, and how they could evaluate what their world was doing. I was adamant in trying to force them to grow. Thinking about high school and beyond, my students as juniors and seniors should think beyond their proverbial borders, outside the box. This exploration into new ideas, new ways of thinking, getting them to acknowledge other thought processes, were all works in progress: every week we did a bell ringer (BR) or discussion board (DB). I spent hours trying to find programs, articles, music, YouTube videos, and games; not just to entertain but to magnify the educational landscape. I found inspirational, motivational, and entertaining applications to make them aware and to think. I wanted them to THINK more than anything, to USE their capable brains, to know I believed in them, and their abilities.
Showcasing the student – let them shine
To that end, I think there were successes. To that end, there were failures. But you might want to judge for yourself. Here are a few examples of work I did not showcase before but are worthy of a look-see. This was a look at what they thought about the concept of “Vulnerability” and what that meant. I gave them a link to a quick SoulSunday with Oprah and Brene Brown. As well, they had a link to another SoulSunday with Oprah and Maya Angelou where she gave them advice on forgiveness. I asked them to relay to me their feelings and what they thought of the two videos. I was pleased and proud, like a puffed-up peacock, at what they came away with. This concept of Vulnerability is a huge component of students that feel isolated and alone, and not worthy of help. I wanted them to know that even adults have issues with being vulnerable, and that by learning that everyone needs to know how to handle their own situations gives them freedom to express and be who they are.
Instructions followed by student responses
Ericka: always giving me more and willing to try and expand. She was not afraid to give it her all or to engage with her fellow students. Her goals are large, her abilities are there, and I was happy to see her grow with each subsequent assignment.
Just some “afterthoughts” from the kids themselves after reading my instructions to them. These are just a few responses, but enough to know they do reflect and know the value of retrospection– BR’s: coming to an end
Insights and Conclusion
Am I finished, no! I am just beginning. There are so many avenues yet to explore and share with my students. I have gained a lot of knowledge about my students as the weeks flew by. This was everything, and more, to help me achieve connections with them. Building relationships with each one was my goal. I achieved it with some, lost it with some, but mainly, succeeded beyond my dreams. I have, for the first time in many years, a solid connection to many of my students. I feel like they are my “family” and I care about each one; their successes and failures. When they share their hurt, I hurt. When they share their successes, I puff up and am pleased like a parent. When they fail, I pick them up, dust them off, and tell them it is okay, that failing forward is its own success. This journey has stretched them and they have stretched me. We have grown together, laughed, cried, and explored issues and themes that have given us each a perspective into each other and our lives. We have given it our all, and we have survived it. I could have asked for more than what they gave me, that will always be the case. In turn, they could ask more of me. This symbiotic relationship of student to teacher will always have a Catch-22 aspect to it. Moving into the future, I hope they all know I have enjoyed each and every one of these students. They are all different, and they all deserve a shout out. Life comes at you fast, and you need to know how to navigate. Well, they are learning and adjusting to all of the mess this pandemic has thrown their way. I am proud to say we have conquered some of it together.
The semester is drawing to a close and some of these students will not return to me and I will miss them. Some will come back, but they will be changed. Or that is my hope, that I have helped them succeed beyond even their dreams. Can anyone ask for more than that? I cannot.
Thank you again for allowing me to share this journey with you. Thank you for giving feedback and helping me to become a better support to my kids, for yes, they are my kids. Thank you.
And of course, all submissions are with permission. Photos are from Pixel, free, off of WordPress. Any and all mistakes, errors are mine, and mine alone. All submissions have not been corrected or adjusted in any way, these are their words, and theirs alone. They own them.
Canvas Conquered…?
Canvas is intriguing since it can work or not work, according to the attitudes and interest the individual students have towards their education in general. Having been involved now for over 11 weeks in trying new ideas, new ways to reach a student, and trying to use new technological strategies has made for an interesting ride…so far. This journey is not over…yet. Students are tired, the staff is tired, and the administration is tired. Covid-19 has changed the landscape of learning. Students are either invested or have become disengaged. For me, it has been a thrilling adventure filled with lots of “high-fives” and “low-fives” because every day has been a challenge on some level.
Come with me on this foray into the world of Canvas as we showcase some amazing students, whom I have come to truly admire and respect.
Let’s begin: as we enter the world of COVID~what do they actually know, and think? Surprise-surprise!
Monday’s journey into finding out exactly how they feel and what they know.
Instructions
Student responses: many: they all deserve to be read.
I was pleasantly surprised with the number of responses I received. A record high!
As you continue to read the student responses moving forward, realize that they have their point of view, and adults have theirs. The level of maturity shown is evident from all perspectives. What an adult, like myself finds important, becomes almost non-existence in importance to them. That was so enlightening. The mindset of a teenager is always a road map to be explored. One part of me was not surprised and the other part of me was. The actual anger that they expressed was almost visceral, while the laissez-faire attitude was not. When you think about it, what would you have expected? These responses or something different?
Moving into reality: where they live and what is happening close to home!
Going from what they know/don’t know into giving them information to digest and respond to. Instructions below.
Student responses
Roselyn is one of my “thinkers” and here is her response in two parts because she says a lot.
Here we see statements like, “it doesn’t matter to me, why should I care, won’t impact my life” that make me want to pull out all my hair. Then you have the ones that pull out your heartstrings because they know what it means. They have had a direct hit on their family and their lives. They know. They care. They are concerned. That made my heart hurt for them. Everyone’s reality is based on their own experiences and just reading about it will not make it real. When it comes silently creeping into the house and destroys, then their reality shifts into another gear entirely. This is the stuff of life.
We finished off with a game about the Corona Virus. Some of the questions seemed easy to me and hard to them. When you don’t care – you don’t know. Unfortunately, this was not an unexpected outcome. I just hope that by the end the attitude might shift away from “I don’t care” to “I care”, but that is yet to be determined.
The student’s scores
Overview: a quick breakdown of scores to some of the questions.
To give some examples of questions: there were a total of 20.
Overall, I was surprised at the start of the week, but by week’s end, not so much. My only hope is that I made them think, look at it a little differently, see from their classmates that some are hurting, and some are dealing with this disease. The pandemic is real. It feels like a sci-fi movie but it isn’t. That was what I wanted to impress upon them, this is real. I hope that was accomplished and that learning took place.
Movin’ on – let’s breathe and relax a bit. Time for a spot of “fun” before finals come their way.
We need to lighten up a little as we enter the week before Thanksgiving. Too much stress is making all of us a little “nutszoid” and we need to get away from that. So here we go. Instructions follow below.
Student responses
Reading these just made my heart jump for joy. There were so many connections and memories that were shared about what is important in the long run. If you noticed, many of them were connected to family. I also responded to every one of them and tried to show how grand these were by inserting a picture that worked with each reply. I did not share all their replies. Some students said they enjoyed doing this because it was something they had never thought about before. Introspection and mindfulness help us to reconnect to our loved ones and even ourselves. Lovely interaction with this assignment. I felt it helped bring a new level to my relationship with each of my students. That bridge we have been building all semester is getting stronger. It is truly making it easier for me to relate to my students the more they share with me.
Movin’ on – into some puzzle time, music, and fun. Let’s join them, shall we?
Instructions
The puzzle starts out all jumbled up, as seen below. They have to figure out what it is. I did not let them see a preview of the puzzle since that would have made it too easy. I wanted them to do a little more work. Once they did it, some went back and tried to beat their time. As shown by Erica, in her consecutive attempts she became faster and faster.
The puzzle, followed by student responses.
Overall, they had a good time, and this is a good overview of the results. Pleasantly pleased with how they took to it. Many found it a nice break from the usual educationally oriented BR and DB that I have been pushing out. I wanted to share doing something fun while using the brain in a new way. They might not realize it but doing a puzzle is using certain brain functions. In the article (link below), it tells how the brain is working while engaged in doing a jigsaw puzzle. They also mention memory skills, visual-spatial reasoning, stress reliever, and more. Mainly, puzzles are good for you! Like Cheerios and Oreo’s! Yes? Yes! (I took the following excerpt from this article.)
“Jigsaw puzzles exercise the left and right sides of your brain at once
Your left brain is logical and works in a linear fashion, while the right brain is creative and intuitive. When you’re doing a jigsaw puzzle, both sides are engaged, according to Sanesco Health, an industry leader in neurotransmitter testing. Think of it as a mental workout that improves your problem-solving skills and attention span. It’s no surprise that Bill Gates admits to being an avid puzzler.”
https://www.starnewsonline.com/ZZ/sponsored/20180820/7-surprising-benefits-of-doing-jigsaw-puzzles#:~:text=Your%20left%20brain%20is%20logical,industry%20leader%20in%20neurotransmitter%20testing
When I was a kid we used a deck of cards to play Concentration. I created a Concentration game. I inserted YouTube videos of music to help them get their “groove” on as one so aptly put it.
What the puzzle looked like from beginning to end.
Student responses
Roselyn: I liked this puzzle and the music. I listen to this song almost all the time with my little brother. It got me in the groove a little bit
Tamija: I finished the puzzle which I liked and watched and listened to the videos, I liked them.
Nya: Enjoyed the puzzle and music. I really liked the rap Will and Jaden did and Carlton was my favorite in the show, so that was my favorite part.
Nyviair: The puzzle was good, it’s been a minute since I played a memory card game. The song Boogie Wonderland reminds me of childhood because I watched the movie Happy Feet a lot as a jit.
Italia: I liked the puzzle and enjoyed the music. I think the fashion back then made me question how far clothing can be taken to another level, which was cool. There wasn’t really that much that I thought about the last video. I have seen it before a long time ago and I though it was intriguing to watch.
Shaquerria: Did it and what I thought about the puzzle they was fun to do and the video was good to watch I liked how they started singing.
Lakayla: I thought it was fun and playful and brought back memories from watching the show with my family.
Stephon: I thought it was fun.
Let the good times roll!
Instructions
Movin’ on – Let’s Call it a Day!
Canvas, wow, what a journey. This is not over…yet. I would like to offer a little retrospection here – if you do not mind. Many ideas worked, and many flopped. Engagement vacillated from week to week, and sometimes it was not really about what I was asking for, but about their mindset. Students either were willing to do anything I asked for, or they were not. They were hard to “read”, but I never gave up. Not once did I throw in the towel because I only had a few engaged: the lowest number of responses were below 10 while the highest number was at the beginning of the semester with 33 and above. Midway through I saw the numbers level out between15-20 responses. I found that students were very interested in knowing who was answering, however, I hid that from them until they answered. The one time I did not do that, during our political week, I actually saw more involvement because they wanted to add their “two-cents” into the conversation. That should have told me something, but all the teachers here in the school said to hide the replies until they had done it themselves. In actuality, seeing others respond makes them want to be part of the conversation, so moving forward, I shall change that setting.
I have had a blast sharing my journey with you and hope that I have given you some insights into the teenager’s mind, the motivations, the confusions, anger, hurt, and concerns they are dealing with at this time. All students are not on the same level in the grasp of their world, but that is okay. Just having them open up and share with me (and you) was a delight. I give them all a round of applause and a standing ovation. I hope you are with me on this. Thank you for riding the roller coaster with me and come on down for the next ride – you just never know where it will go; which is just fine with me!
All submissions were granted with permission from all students before posting. Image with approval from Pixel free photos. All mistakes, errors, etc. are mine and remain mine! That’s life. In a nutshell.
Building relationships with Canvas can happen – if you let it!
What makes a relationship work? What do I have to do to make this a real thing in my Canvas class? Each of the students that I am involved with come from all different backgrounds and cultures. By having multiple personalities all together in one room the possibilities are endless on what kind of relationships will exist. I recently read an article about building positive relationships with your students and making it personal. When we do this we can focus more on them and their personal needs. I have come to realize this can be game-changing for relationship building. If I recognize their needs, it can only help me become better at helping them, working with them, and them being willing to share themselves with me. My desire to get to know my students has driven just about everything I have done this semester in my Canvas classroom. Whether it is by pushing them to new heights or letting them push me to new heights, the end result is a relationship that binds us together to achieve the best results possible. That is my goal as their “educator” for this project. Let’s see how it is evolving! Let’s cross this bridge! Let’s get these relationships built!
Week 11 really is here – Let’s build.
Monday’s Bell Ringer starts us off with a new week of building those relationships by getting to know how they think of themselves. Let’s jump in!
Instructions to the students
Student responses
Following her post about being “complicated” were her classmate’s responses and here we have a conversation. Lovely to see as the students started to relate and communicate with each other.
Another response with conversation
When I read all the responses from the students I was literally blown away.
When we have to try to encapsulate ourselves for others to see us as we want to be seen it becomes really hard to pin it down. Myself, I am not sure what one word would be me, so when they came up with one they felt strongly attached to and gave the reason why- I was truly impressed. Not just because they did it but because they felt it said something about them. They were not ashamed or worried about what someone would say about the choice they made. The way the classmates reacted and responded to one another was truly a positive action. I have always said that words have power, a lot of power. They give credence to people and their actions. Words describe, thereby giving mental pictures almost automatically. When we use words with gusto we give ourselves a “standing ovation” because we are playing to a crowd, whether silently or verbally. Everything has a connection to building that relationship I am working on with these kids.
Building continues with word power-up
Working with words continues. Recognizing that more than one word can mean the same idea was something I wanted to instill in them. I wanted them to stretch their vocabulary and use stronger words to get their ideas across. When they write, students typically stay with the same words so I wanted to work to change that.
Once again I was impressed by my student’s abilities to come up with new words. The fact is that it was challenging. I looked at the list and thought, oh my, this is hard, but they came through like shining stars. It was intriguing to see some of the same words show up for more than one entry but to be expected. The great part was not one of them went back in and edited their responses to put in words they did not come up with. They could not see what others had done till they posted. If they had edited once they were in the post, it shows me when they did it. I saw none of that happening here. I learned new words from them. Building word bridges is fun indeed.
Now that the foundation to our bridge is being built let’s move to some integral structuring.
Next assignment: I really wanted them to think not of themselves, but yet of themselves. Let’s go in and see what transpired, shall we?
Reading various student’s posts about the concept of dignity was euphoric. I tried to find quotes that fit what they were thinking and saying to me. I wanted them to know that people were very aware of the dignity issue surrounding society, and the importance it has in someone’s life. Dignity was not a concept they had ever approached as part of their make-up as a person, but after watching this short video (There were three others to watch if they wanted to), they were uplifted and enjoyed this activity.
The power of words to build bridges will give everyone a sure foundation
When reviewing this assignment I was pleasantly surprised with the student’s takeaways. I had hoped they would pick up on the ideas that were talked about within the article on reiterating your thought patterns by reusing the same idea: the power of three. Example: You are strong. You are invincible. You are relevant. However, while some did, most were like these examples shown above. Responses were impressive and made me realize that they think differently than I do, or expect them to. That was really cool. The wonder of it was the engagement that was present. For most assignments, I look to have at least 10 people actively in the DB, but this one had 14 responses. We were improving our participation. Total win.
Relational bridges continue to be built
Moving away from words now into the forthcoming election. How informed were they? Did they even care? As juniors and seniors, I felt it was of major importance for them to be involved in knowing what was happing around the country. Let’s see what kind of thinking they had.
The preface to this assignment ran along the lines of “Because you can’t vote, does this election mean anything to you and your future? Do you know who is running? Do you understand the candidate’s platform of issues? Why should this all matter to you?” Responses are unedited and I did not give any feedback. I just let them talk, and talk they did!
Student responses: and yes, I posted many of them. They deserve to be read.
There were more responses from the class but this is the gist. Did they give me really constructive responses, some did, being honest about it, overall they had a negative attitude. That saddened me. However, after reading their entries, we had some great classroom face-to-face discussions as I called them out on what they posted. At one point it became heated and argumentive in nature, and one girl, Erica said, “Ms. A, you don’t want me posting. I got lots to say, and most are not gonna like what I say.” My response was, “Go get ’em!”. She did.
Closing out: I think we built a bridge.
Overall, I was pleased. Relationships take time and we are working on it every day. Some days we have amazing success and other days are not so accommodating to my efforts. All that I have showcased here shows my student’s efforts on many levels, whether it was just vocabulary, an in-depth thought about themselves with introspection, or about the world around them through the lens of politics. Conversations happened. The goal was reached. The whole purpose of this Canvas class is to enlarge my student’s perceptions of the world, themselves, and their fellow classmates.
Did this happen this week? I do believe so.
Once again, all entries by students are with their permission. They are proud of themselves (as they should be) and they do not mind sharing with you. Feel free to comment on any of it whether positive or negative.
Canvas-Again!
“On the road again, can’t wait to get on the road again with my friends…” Willie Nelson, this refrain just keeps circling in my brain as we venture once more into the realm of Canvas. This journey is like the roller coaster, up-up-and down-down we go. Just when I think, “ah-ha, I have them, they are engaged” they slip away. Then I see engagement and I think, pump fist, “yes!” and then down they go. This is a slippery slope every week as I try hard to engage and keep them learning at the same time. Moving forward, I would like to take you through some assignments and share my student’s work with you.
Instructions
You have started to see yourself as a particular person/BRAND. Every day you represent yourself. Every day you are “telling people” what you want them to know about you just by how you walk, talk, dress, attitude, communicate, etc. Therefore, what factors should be considered when thinking about you/BRAND?
There are 3 types of Brands: corporate, product, and PERSONAL. We are working on the last one! The brand is created so that people instantly recognize the value, quality, and product from a particular company. Even within the corporate brand, like Nike, you have a product brand, which in this case would be “Air Jordans” and take Pepsi, it has Life Water. Now we come to the one that concerns us: PERSONAL branding.
According to the Bedford Group: “Developing a personal brand can be as important for an individual as it is for a company or product line. It is vital…for anyone who enters the business world. IT’S YOUR REPUTATION! YOUR IDENTITY! All of the brandings need to be created.” We have the definition of a BRAND as “an identifying mark of a specific product” (dictionary).
What you post on social media lives on to infamy. BE careful. Branding is happening even when you do not think it is! You need to protect yourself, your brand, and be consistent with your message that you send out. Be aware. Be in control.
Give a shortlist of factors YOU think will tell people about YOUR BRAND!
Describe your brand by answering THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
- What do you value about you and your BRAND?
- Describe what kind of price you put on yourself?
- How do you qualify that?
- What is your value as a student performer?
THINK ON THIS CAREFULLY! BE SPECIFIC. It is really about you and what BRAND you are portraying just by being you!
Student submissions
Students will surprise you when you least expect it. The student submissions were varied. Reading them made me proud to be in their lives, and for each student that did submit I replied and gave them a photo that represented what they were telling me. I wanted to give nothing but positive feedback, bolster their self-esteem, and provide a base of confidence they could lean on. I have included many for the variety they embrace showing a good cross-section of what I have in my Canvas room. Misspellings, grammatical errors, and their verbiage have been kept intact to preserve the integrity of the assignment.
Tamija: What I value about my brand is integrity, dependability, genuineness. The kind of price that I put on myself is the determination of getting things done. I qualify these things as meaningful. My value as a student performer is average. I aim for good grades, I try my hardest at anything I do. (my response: Tamija, I like your brand, because I value integrity as a top attribute. I think if everyone were to have this lot’s of problems would vanish between people. You picked some great attributes and I see them in you. Your value, average? No, your value is the sky is the limit. Do not underestimate yourself because you can do hard things. Look at you now. You learn new skills, you have a smile on your face, and you have done so much that I ask whether you like to do it or not. I value you highly! Definitely a lot MORE than average! Gold stars here for you all day long!)
Nya: I think people will say my brand is unique, reliable and dependable. What I value most about myself and my brand is my determination. I would put a decent price on myself. And as a student I value my drive to want to succeed in all my studies. (my response: Nya you are great. Yes, you are unique. I like that you are also reliable as well. All the attributes you give yourself are truths. Determination- solid. I like that you would put a decent price on yourself. I think you get more than that. I see you reaching for the stars and value is subjective. Think higher, you deserve it!)
Jakayah. I value that I am not just a mean person I could be nice once you get to know me. I would put a high price on myself not only because I know my worth but I know what I will and won’t put up with. I qualify this because I just have this feeling inside of my head. I have a high value as a student performer. I complete my work and ask questions. (my response: Jakayah, you are not mean per se, you are strong. Think about who you are. You do not back down and are not afraid to speak your mind. The only thing I would say about that is to pick your battles wisely. Know why you have picked what you picked and then stand strong. I love that you value yourself and all that you are. That is awesome. No shame when you know you are strong and have value. Yes to you!)
Italia: My shortlist factors are reliable, modernize, comfortable, and valuable. I value the creativity I have for myself and my brand. I don’t know an exact price I would put on myself, but I want to be worth it yet not expensive. My value as a student performer is to observe and re-evaluate my progress and errors. (my response: Your shortlist Italia, is most people’s long list! Way to attack the question. I appreciate that you give of your time. Your creativity is priceless so your price is priceless. Everything you do, you do with grace and style. I appreciate your honest assessments and how you handle this remote learning. Your growth as a person has leaped to the top of the mountain. You should be valuable. Place the highest value you can on yourself. Stand strong for who you are because you are amazing. Thank you.)
Lakayla
- 1. My clothes
- 2. My personality
- 3. My knowledge
- 4. My hair
- my brand is special it tells people that this is me and only me. It’s something that will probably never change. I’m priceless no amount of money can really put on me and my brand. But if there was it would have to be a couple thousand. As a student performer the value is also the same as my brand because I’m in an establishment where people have to watch how I work and maybe tell other people about me so I would want people to know my good things.
- Nicholas:
- Accomplished
- Motivated
- Driven
- High Class
- I value that my brand be high class.I do not put a price on myself or my brand because I do not think a human life is worth any amount of money. I believe everyone has the same value as everyone else as a student. It is what you do with that value that differenciates you from everyone else.
Caleb: What I value about me and my brand is my exciting outgoing personality. I make people laugh and have a good time. I wouldn’t put a very expensive price in my brand because I want everyone to be able to afford it. My value as a student performer is to spread positivity. I want to make people feel great and forget about a personal problem they might be going through. (my response is below:
Caleb, I think there is something so great about this. You know yourself and you know that by making others feel good, you actually put yourself into a better frame of purpose. Lovely.
Roslyn: I would say my brand is unique, creative, reliable, dull at times but colorful at times, and maybe a little crazy. I’ve never really thought of what my brand is worth. I’ve never really thought of labeling my worth. On a really good day I guess I would say I’m priceless but since over never really thought of it I just can’t give an answer without more thinking. THAT will take MONTHS even YEARS before I’m even able to conceive an idea of what I price my brand or myself. I guess I qualify that by not overthinking it at the moment. For example, when I read question #2 I overthought the CRAP out of it which is what I usually do. Although, I qualify that by, what I said, I’m sometimes dull but sometimes colorful and it depends which ever one I’m feeling at the moment. I would say my value as a student performer is high. Even though it doesn’t always come off as that, I KNOW how hard I work on my education and how much I’ve let myself get in my own way but always bounced back. Overall, discussing myself is out of my comfort zone but figuring out who I am and what I stand for is something I need to start thinking about. I don’t know who said it but I stand by it, “Life starts at the end of your comfort zone.”(my response below:
Roselyn: So so so you! This is exactly what I want you to do. Begin now so you can work on it. This is something that you do your whole life. You are crazy good at thinking and evaluating, so don’t drop that and remember, you are priceless, even on the bad days. I am so impressed with you and how far you have grown. Keep doing that and there will be no limits for your future. Always believe you can and then you will.
This is for you.
Moving away from branding
into
Awareness of the world around you.
This week we moved away from the branding to become aware of the world around us. This was done using various Youtubes about different aspects of life. One DB was using two videos about the book, Wonder. The other was about bridging the gap by Tre’ Gammage and his mission. The one I am providing is from Tre’Gammage. He provides a quick glimpse into a world that he feels needs to have society address and gives points that he thinks could be rectified and adjusted. I felt this was someone the students could relate to and would hear his message. As well, Tre’ Gammage’s video had more engagement overall, therefore, I will share that information here.
Instructions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5uZ83ipCZ4&feature=emb_logo
AFTER you watch this video, less than two minutes, I want you to tell me what you think I was trying to get you to learn, understand, relate to! Short, sweet, and to the point BUT REMEMBER: Full sentence structure, this is COLLEGE level work.
“You don’t let life happen to you, you happen to life.”
Student submissions
- Ramiyah: “you can close gaps…you’re the only one who can do that no one else. (Following: this was the conversation that happened from this line of thought):
- Nyviar responded to Ramiya: “When he brought that it’s up to “us”, I had a different point of view where he meant the society as awhole, not just an individual.
- Mrs. Anderson responded: Nyviair, that is a good point, not “us” as a person but “us” as a community. do you think there is a better chance with a group trying to change up things or just a single person? Can one person make a difference?
- Nyviair responds: I believe that there are strengths in numbers but it starts inside oneself. I also think one person can make a difference if they share their ideas and eventually gain a following.
- Stephon: “learn about different generations.”
- Tamiya: “Your life is based around what you think your purpose in life is.”
- Jamyracle: “Learn about different generations and how we all connect but change start with you.”
There were more, but they were in the same vein. I wanted a deeper conversation to happen, some did engage with others to have one, but most just reiterated what their fellow classmates had said. This made me rethink the engagement and go back to something that was more pertinent to them. Which is the assignment below. One of the biggest issues I see with most of my students, even though they are engaged, the grammar, punctuation, and style are far from college level that I keep asking for. However, I will not let that get in the way if I can keep them engaged, this will get fixed over time. I hope.
Instructions and submissions
This day, I asked them to find a quote that defined them, helped them get through a difficult day, and one they would live by. I wanted to see if they could take this video information and apply it in a good way into their personal life.
This was a highly engaging activity from all of the students, but I am highlighting just some of them by showing what they think. This makes me aware of what they need to get them up and running. Sharing quotes helps me to look beyond what I see in the classroom and into who they are. This allows there to be open dialogue and communication as I perceive needs that might otherwise not have been apparent. I responded to all of them and input an image that went along with their idea, another quote that would fit what they were saying. I mentioned to many how when you use someone’s quote you have to give credit where it is due. As you will read, I really do think they have some amazing insights that I really enjoyed reading. I hope you do too!
Joshua: “When you have a dream, you have to grab it and never let it go.” This quote works for me because it let’s me know that any dream can come true you just have to believe it and never let it go. (My contribution: Josh this is great. You are right. You have to hold tight. Those dreams, if you don’t turn them into goals, will become dust. I love Carol Burnette, I did not know she said this. Remember, if you quote someone, give them the credit. Please and thank you. Check her out, she was a very funny, funny lady.)
Nyviair: “Be strategic and resilient in the pursuit of your dreams. That sounds like a cheesy quote, right? But nah, I’m serious. Resilience is one hell of a quality to master and not many have the skin for it.” – Tiffany D. Jackson -I liked the quote because no matter what you take interest in you will have people with their opinions and times when your ideas or what you can bring to the table get rejected. Even with all your losses, you have to persevere because the challenges will strengthen you in the long run. Failure is inevitable on the path to success. (My response: Nyviair, hello there. I love this quote. Wow. The idea that not “many have the skin for it” was chilling in some regards. That means those that persevere will be made stronger than iron. Keep on that path young man. You have what it takes. Maya Angelou is a hero of mine. This is a good one.)
Jamyracle: This quote by Martin Luther King Jr. inspires me “Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education.” This quote works for me because it reminds that you can’t just be smart but you have to have other characteristics also. Some quote just make other feel as if they can do anything.
Shaquerria: The quote from the movie Creed “ The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows” He said “ it’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me or anybody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done. This quote really motivates me I don’t know how other people look at it but I look at it as life not easy but you still gotta keep going even if you on your knees you still keep moving forward no matter the cause even though this movie based on fighting I still like that quote and it’s inspirational to me.
Glenn: “Always stay positive and care for others treat people how you wanna be treated”
Bringing this to a close for now…but the journey is far from over!
This Canvas classroom is a hard endeavor. I am searching for a way to teach them new skills, enlarge their scope of understanding, and engage them in meaningful ways. There was more engagement with assignments on which I expected less participation and less on the ones I thought they would jump on. Motivating the high schooler into wanting to learn more than they “have to” is harder than anticipated. Teenagers, by and far, just want to “get by, get it done, or get it over with” more often than not. These last two weeks I have spent a lot of time researching to find “the one” that will be an activity they want to do over and over again. I will continue to explore and push them and expect pushback, but in the end, we will both be winners.
All submissions from students were shared with their full consent. The quote about life happens, came from a movie called, A Little Game.
The Canvas journey: week 2 begins!
What we are doing in Canvas and why we are in there!
The idea behind this project is one that will constitute many weeks as we continue through the school semester. Canvas is a platform that not all schools are using for their virtual learning. However, our school district made it mandatory for all teachers to use this platform if they were teaching a class in any of our high schools. Let me reiterate here, I am not a teacher, I am a Distance Learner Facilitator (DL) who helps students who are taking online college from our local community college. This allows me to give them advice, guidance, work with them for research papers, help them find topics, supervise their work ethic, and if they request it, I will help them edit papers before they submit. I do not do their work.
They are already in an online platform but in my room, as they are still high school students, they must have accountability by doing my BR so I can take attendance. Our students are in four different categories right now. We have Cohort A (A-L) M/T, Cohort B (M-Z)Th/Fr, Cohort C which is totally remote, and Cohort D which is all the alphabet but allows them to come all four days of the week.
I was not told to do a Canvas class, most of my fellow DL’s in the district do not do this at all, but I felt it my duty to try and make one. I had one week to get it up and running and it was not pretty. That is why this project is so important to me. If this Canvas class can be made to engage the student, then I have succeeded in doing something I never thought possible. Every student that walks into my room is supposed to be one of the top kids in the school as they can only take these online college classes with a specific GPA. They are all juniors and seniors, as I said last time, but some of them really are in my room with no idea of what they are getting for free. This is a conundrum for many of them. My goal is to make them better students, more ethically motivated, and get the most from the educational system they can possibly attain.
Week two: stepping up the game!
This week we are trying out a new platform, one that will take a little more time but it will build on the skills they learned in making and uploading a meme. The App is on their iPad or they can work it on a computer. Most of these students, especially the remote ones, work only on the school deployed iPad. Some of them have internet issues, some of them find it easy to be distracted, and some are overwhelmed by all classes having asynchronous and synchronous learning involved. This is why my objective with this project is to inject a bit of fun into their very busy day. Technology moves at a rapid pace and with education leaping into this venue I feel it imperative to help hone some of those skills that will help them in the future. I am not sure if I am succeeding, but that will not stop me from trying!
The schedule I have put up in my Canvas classroom allows them to only work on the BR for that day. Once a BR is opened, they can only see what they are doing, and cannot see other student work until they upload into the DB box. Sometimes, they upload, see the other work, delete their work, and start over or edit. As an aside: it should be noted at this time that all students, whether remote or face-to-face, have the ability to make up all late work by going back to the days they missed and do the assignment. This takes away any absences they might have that could impact their passing high school. No class is allowed to have more than 10 absences of record. This is fine with me as they work through the assignments. I have made each assignment “grow” off the previous one. With that objective in place, it should make each subsequent assignment easier as they learn the platform. I continually observe and comment on their input and let them know how proud I am of all they continue to accomplish in our Canvas classroom.
When they enter into the App called CANVA, the platform allows them to use pre-made templates that they can manipulate as much as they want, or they have the option of creating from a blank template. This will entail a little more dedication and time. I am not sure the students will be engaged, but it is my hope that they will be.
This is how the week was set up
Monday: WoW: NERD. Please find out what it means. In the DB reply box tell me about your “nerdy” self/side and then tell me about a person you know who has a nerdy/nerdiness to them as well.
Tuesday: Please stay with the WoW: NERD, here you are to make a POSTER of yourself showing your classmates how you think you are a nerd. Show us your nerdiness! Make sure you are using the App in Canva to make this poster.
Wednesday: This time, we are going to be making a marketing tool. This can be an Ad, an announcement, a book cover, logo, business card, flyer, brochure, anything that you think can be used as a marketing tool. The word NERD must be on there in some form. You can make an acronym for it, you figure out how to use it, and your name needs to be on there in some form as well. Remember to use the Canva App to do this project! For this particular assignment, I asked for help from another teacher who uses Canva in her classroom all the time. I was seeing a lot of frustration from the students who were not understanding the App, so I asked how we could make it easier for them. She and I put together a Screen-O-Matic video recording showing them the actual steps we did to make a simple, one-sided, business card. That was something I had never done before and that was highly engaging as they saw us flounder at one point. This showed them exactly the steps we took. I was amazed at that platform and will use it again!
Thursday: This time, just make a school-oriented yearbook page all about YOU! Be creative. Tell us where you think you will be in 10 years. What do you want your friends to remember about you when they open up this yearbook down the road? Again, use Canva!
Friday: Friday Fun. Use Canva and in there use one of the social media components, your choice, and share with the class in the DB reply box. Use anything like Snapchat, Instagram, FB, TikTok, etc. you know them better than I do, but make sure it is school appropriate!
Reflection- did I achieve my goal for this week?
Wondering what happened this past week in the Canvas classroom deserves some serious reflection. Some of the students were slightly engaged, some fell off, and some gave me their best efforts. I had some reach out to ask for help, and we zoomed to work through it. Others were frustrated by the amount of work they felt this entailed. A BR is supposed to be at least 5 minutes long. These students can spend hours scrolling on the phone while sitting, but find that putting in longer than 5 minutes in the BR is asking too much. One supposition for why engagement definitely fell: I think they are getting tired of being asked to “grow” when they just want to get through the day.
Moving forward, I hope that this week, going into the idea of “Branding”, will have some good input. I miss hearing from them, but the ones that have stayed with me are awesome and what they have produced is spectacular. Trying to make a program to engage a student in these virtual days is harder than one would think. Going virtual has been a challenge on many levels for students, some have risen like cream to the top, and some have fallen to the bottom. This effort in this Canvas project: 1) trying to find out what will engage a student that is disengaged and 2) what can this Canvas class provide for the student that will keep them on the learning curve? There is definitely a fine line between the two cultural mindsets for education and student responsibility/accountability. Moving forward with this Canvas project, I will look into the structure of the Canvas: what might need to be changed, what will keep engaging the students, and what will make them return to being engaged from being disengaged. Those are the tasks moving ahead.
Any and all comments, observations, and critiques are very welcome. All submissions came with student knowledge and approval to be used in this blog.
The Canvas journey…and on it goes!
Today we are going back into the Canvas project that I have started. I want to try and investigate the ins an outs, the good and the bad, and what seems to work and what does not. I will be uploading some screenshots of student work to show what we have been trying to accomplish. They have all been asked and given me permission to share out on this blog. I hope you enjoy what we are trying to achieve.
Students are being forced to do work online, even those that come for a day or two, they are feeling so tired, and bored with it all. Naturally, not being a teacher, I thought, oh let us have fun with this, let’s see if we can’t make the students look forward to working on a BR (bell ringer) every day as they have to do one in every classroom they are not sitting in so we can account for them in our grade books. Yes, even I have to do this regardless that they are actually NOT my students but the local community college’s. Oh, the joy! Oh, the pain! Oh, the “really Ms. Anderson– do I have to?! ugh” which is what I get a lot nowadays. The other is just downright disengagement. I worry about that. Especially as my students are either juniors or seniors. They have plans, they have dreams, they have goals, but they don’t know how to achieve them without some guidance. I am hoping to give them some during this project.
My project is focused on “how to make them want to do something in my Canvas classroom”, when in reality, they just have to “punch in” to be counted present.
Let us delve in and let me show you some of our content and you tell me what you think of it all. I would be overjoyed to get your feedback! As well, any ideas to move forward with this project. My main purpose is to engage and teach a fun skill set that they can use in their future endeavors.
My first week of exposing them to a new skill was in the week of Sept. 28th- Oct. 2nd where we began with learning how to work in the world of MEMEs!
THE ONES BELOW ARE ALL STUDENT GENERATED WITHOUT ME GIVING ANY INSTRUCTIONS EXCEPT WHAT YOU SEE ABOVE.
Starting to give my directions on how to make one SINCE I was starting to hear back from students that they were unsure, frustrated, and did not know what to do.
Now we have students make a meme giving someone instructions!
Now we evaluate the process by asking for some reflection from the students themselves by giving them some questions which are below:
One last thought from a student:
1- Tell me what you like about memes in general.
– To me memes in general are always funny when the right context is used behind them. One of the reasons I like twitter so much is mostly because of the memes everyone uses when a new trend pops up.
2- Tell me what you do not like about memes.
– What I don’t like about memes is that sometimes the memes will be too insensitive or derogatory in some way. Memes are accessible to EVERYONE and that one person who is part of it will ultimately make a not-so-funny meme.
3- Tell me what you liked about making your own meme.
– What I liked about making my own meme was that the process of finding the picture I wanted to use and finding one and thinking “that’s the one for me”. It was very hard honestly.
4- Tell me what you learned by doing a meme on your own.
– What I learned by making my own meme is that my humor is horrible. I couldn’t think of anything funny to add. I ended up having to reference something I found funny.
5- Was it fun to do?
– Yes, it was.
6- Did you like this assignment?
– I very much so did like this assignment.
Now that we have completed one week of work, I would appreciate any feedback from anyone that wants to comment on this blog. I have issues with trying to engage the students lately, and the longer the school year goes on the harder it is becoming. The burn out is real.
Moving into week two we decided to move to something similar and use the platform called CANVA. Here I will be asking them to use some of the skills they employed by making the memes, and asking them to do just a tad more. Many of the classroom teachers like Canva and the students can definitely employ this into presentations moving forward.
My adventure with Canvas: the good, the bad, and the ugly. They all happened!
Canvas, really? Like who the heck really cares what platform is being used these days to teach virtually? Everyone is so over it all, BUT we do care, those of us in the education field. This is so important moving forward. How will the kids learn moving onwards? What do you think is the future of education? All of these issues, and how we will be addressing them, are important to me and should be to you. These kids are our future! We need them educated, but are they? Can they be taught this way? What are the options if not this?
So here is my opening page for my students working online with the local community college.
When they click on the appropriate week, they will see the Bell Ringer assignments for our little class. We have to do them for attendance every day. Even though we are now a hybrid school, a lot of the students have opted to be completely remote. Therefore, the only way I can account for them is through this Canvas classroom. Let’s go join them and see what is happening! STAY tuned for the next installment, where I show you what we did this week to learn, stay engaged, and had fun: believe that one or not!
be comfortable, wear jeans
Every day you wake up and have to figure out the outfit. Well, I am here to tell you to stop, forget it, just get comfortable and create your style of today by wearing those comfy, well-worn jeans no matter where you go. Today, they go anywhere you go. Lots of companies have come into the program. You can get them at just about any store. If you want them to last, you want quality, and if you want to be fashionable all at the same time, then head on over to Madewell. They have got you covered: literally! Their materials, their dedication to quality, and their customer service is as good as it gets, if not better. I love my Madewell’s. They even, yippee for me, you and them, have teacher discounts on top of discounts! Score and win! So, go on over to their side and see what you can find!
Below, a random ad that I did NOT use but found appealing as well. Just something for you to look at before we jump into the actual assignment. See the joy? Makes you like them right away.
Madewell AD campaign by me for you!
I invite you to take a look at one ad that has a feel for living life. I loved this ad. I got it from https://moat.com/advertiser/madewell?report_type=display and I approve this ad (sorry, it is election year, I could not stop myself).
Design principles, or something like that!
Another class assignment here, please bear with me on this one. IN this section we will be discussing the basic design elements that make up this ad. They are all something we talked about before with the frog so this should not be something new to you. Let me know if you agree with my assessments and if not, why not.
BELOW:
CONTRAST, PROXIMITY, REPETITION, ALIGNMENT are all elements in this ad that we can address. It has a basic contrast in using very little color. White and black. Natural opposites help to make the photo shine and for the jeans to be a point of reference. Now the proximity comes from the equal spacing of the whole ad. The type is evenly spaced and there is a nice border going around the photo. The repetition comes in the type and the colors being used. This is a very neutral look. There is alignment in that all the type line up in fine order on both the sides of the Madewell logo. The photo has the same alignment as the type in the “up/down” portrait mode.
Below:
This is my take on the ad from above. The same design elements are in place. The ad is vertical while being in a rectangle. Contrast came from the neutral colors of keeping the background similar and with the colors of the type being the same black throughout. Proximity is obtained by keeping everything aligned and with the wording being equal distance within the box as well. The alignment was obtained by keeping the type boxes aligned with the beginning and end of the logo, once again. Repetition was again done with the colors. Jeans are yet again the focal point.
TyPoGraPhY: above and below
Once again, let’s compare the two ads with their typography. Basically, the logo was imported from them so that stayed the same. The informal type used for the logo is very familiar and feels very homey and comfy. Like them. The logo is really distinguishable to anyone that knows this brand. This company likes to take the time to say they “know you” and your needs. This logo typography makes you feel like they do. It looks like old-style handwriting and that gives you peace and you trust this brand right off the bat. They used a basic font of Copperplate for the rest of the text. When they use the tag line, “Perfect jeans for imperfect days” they admit to having days that just don’t go your way. They feel ya. They can relate. This font is in direct contrast by not being a script, having sans-serif, and being very practical and clean looking. I find this compliments the ad to perfection. The call to action, to shop, is said clearly without shouting it at you. You don’t feel bamboozled into shopping here. You trust instead.
I kept the typography on the same level as the original ad. I used a basic font called Avenir-heavy, as a comparison to the script of the logo. Spacing was also a part of it. I may have “reworded” the text but I feel this says the same thing. It calls you to pay attention to how you feel and don’t be embarrassed or shy about wanting to don those really, very comfy jeans, for any time of day or night. The call to action is saying the same thing just using different words and alerting you that there might be more than what you see by using the word “collections”.
COLOR/BACKGROUND:
above (original) and below (mine)
So let’s attack both ads at once here. They are both outlined in black to note the talking about color and background. You might be wondering out of all the fun ads out there, why pick this one and I have to tell you. I love Madewell. I truly think they have a superior brand and I like their stuff. This ad was a favorite of mine for the basic simplicity of color and lines. I love that it didn’t try and come at you with a ton of things. It told it like it was-“Look for us, we got you covered, we got your jeans.” I liked the clean look of the white background. The way the types contrasted on the white background. The way the script and the sans-serif were a perfect match. This is sophistication at a comfortable level. One I can relate to. Can you?
I would like to give credit where it is due so below are the links from where all my work came from. Thank you to the world of the internet that made it all possible.
The feature photo link: https://www.pexels.com/photo/blue-jeans-close-up-cloth-denim-pants-603022/utm_content=attributionCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pexels
The original ad for Madewell: https://moat.com/advertiser/madewell?report_type=display This was not a huge one, so this looks pixeled because I blew it up.
The photo I used for my creation of the duplicate ad: Photo by Dmitriy Ilkevich on Unsplash where you can find the most generous and amazing photos of all time.
Madewell logo was taken from a google search for png free downloads.
And I used photo shop to try my best to work this like it should be worked.
Shout out to my tutor as well Alyssa, because without her, man this class would have really kicked my butt, so thank you, Alyssa. You dah bomb baby!
peek a boo, i see you
The magazine, Wildlife in North Carolina, January-February 2020 is studded with amazing photographs taken by folks in my neck of the woods. That made it even more special to me- “peek-a-boo”, do you see what I see?
Today, for class, I am going to explore typography and photography at the same time. I picked this article to dissect because it said, “I see you” so let’s get to it!
But wait, right off the bat, I have to say, I have tried to give credit where credit is due but I might have made some errors and of course, all ideas, thoughts and well, you know the drill, are totally mine so any “wrongs” there come back to land on me!
Typography is referring to the design of the letters while font tells us which typeface is being used. The whole purpose is to create a feeling and image to provide a connection to the photo and the general information on the page. I have outlined in red one font style and in blue the other one. Our readings for class suggest that it is harder to read words in all caps and with this being all caps I wanted to see if that really held true. I don’t know. I know that I was able to read it just fine. I think the difficulty came to me on the fact they used two different sizes to make the words Frog and Edge to become prominent and I had to work hard on getting that into my brain while wondering why they didn’t go a little smaller on the other words. They were just too close in size to make it work for little ole me.
contrasting typeface
In our readings we were told to look at size, weight, structure, form, direction and color. You know, it’s kind of crazy how the eye looks at things and just automatically registers what is being done. The words in the red box are all caps, right, but then on reflection, the words A, FROG, EDGE are all one size and ON and THE are another. Unfortunately, this is not a great idea because it’s almost what the readings referred to as “wimpy” as they are just too close in size. They should have had a bit more contrast to really stand out. Also, they used color on the A, FROG and different color on the rest. This was actually a little disturbing because my mind went to the other words in white and I passed over what the article was about, the frog, whose words were in a color that almost blended into the background (for me).
The weight of the type is also something to consider. We know the article is focusing on the frog simply due to the weight on the type by being heavy, all caps, and using color. The fact that the lead is in caps and the information is not does give balance to the structure. And, as our reading tells us yet again, by having the title in caps and the info in lower case we have a contrast of form. Oh the joy knowing they have created consistent contrast with their use of color, weight, structure, form, and direction. All the words are uniform in this area, creating a pleasing visual.
Looking at the typeface within the red box. This font is bold, all caps, and has no serifs involved in the letters. It appears to be a Sans Serif typeface as the letters themselves are all uniform and have no visible thick/thin on any edges of the letters.
Looking now at the blue box we see that there are serifs in the letters. They are all uniform in thick/thin lines and appear to have curlicues (otherwise known as serifs) on the letters. This means that there is contrast between the two typefaces. Reading the typeface in the blue box was easy on the eyes.
Knowing the difference in typefaces allows for visual variety without creating what the book called “twitchy” reactions. I know what I like, and what I don’t like, but learning why I might have that reaction was pretty nifty.
a rule to live by or break?
Photography is next. Rule of thirds they call it, what a great idea. It forces us to look at how we take our photos and what we deem the focus. This particular rule can help you take more interesting photos by not always using the center as your focus and breaks a photo into grids giving the photo nine equal weighted parts. The idea behind working with the grid lines gives you a guideline to producing a different kind of composed photograph. It gives the eye something to search for instead of lighting immediately on the center image. This frog sits on the back and bottom end (in the lower left quadrant) of the photo. The eye is almost centered but just enough off to be of interest to the viewer, as I felt (he, she or it) was looking right at me. This balance comes from the frog in sharp focus and the background out of focus with the plant in the upper right corner also being out of focus, but having enough color to balance out the rest of the photo. This photo makes us center on the frog even though it appears camouflaged by its surroundings. I do love a nature photo, the subjects are just so fun to look at. (Okay not a fan of bugs, just have to put it out there)
in an aside: if you are interested in learning more about the rule of thirds, there are many sites to explore but I found this to be really fun while being informative at the same time. https://timhillphotos.co.uk/rule-of-thirds/
alternate images to replace the frog “on the edge”
summarizing the usage of alternate images
Why can these images replace the original frog image you ask? Because they all use the rule of thirds, locating all the subjects in the lower third, or at least the left side quadrants. Each photo stands alone yet they all have the same rule applied to them. Note that nothing is smack dab in the center. They are all just enough off to create a sense of balance even though they are slightly “centered” off center, if that makes any sense. Your eye finds this appealing while your senses are heightened because there is something about the photo that says, ” I am different”. I think the fun is in trying to capture the same idea but using a different approach. All of these could have been accomplished with putting the main focus in the center but then they would not stand out. By putting them off on the side, they have a little more interest to capture the viewer. There is power in alternative image capturing. Nature is awe inspiring and trying to capture it takes patience and a willingness to look at something from a new perspective.
Doing this whole project made me realize how little I paid attention to typeface, never realizing that what I was reacting to were all the things the book calls “twitchy”. Do not be a wimp was my favorite phrase from the book. Breaking rules is fine as long as you understand what rule you might be breaking and make sure you know why you are doing it. Whether you are doing this with typography or photography. Knowing your different typography selections can help create better projects and I find myself double looking at things, restaurant menus, posters, ads, etc. with a more discerning eye, one that tries to see what the idea is behind the message. What? Really? Yes, what and really!
Composition in photos is fun to play with and working within the grids was something that I have always striven for …though…sometimes using the center image is really fine. You have to know what you want to achieve, what your image is to portray that will guide you in this rule of thirds. Lastly, it is knowing why you are doing it that counts, so go ahead, break the rules, just know to be successful, you have to understand them first.
In the end, it is all about understanding what is going on, the impression you are going after, when to push boundaries, and how to accomplish your mission. Enough said.
Let’s Get this Bread-stories from the kitchen
this is gonna be long…cuz well, this journey has been going on for a while now…..so come on, let’s go.
So my kiddies have suggested that I need to input a post in here on my travels inside my kitchen, mainly with bread, and I always listen to my peeps. (If you read my references to peeps, I am not talking squishy marshmallow, but walking, talking, breathing kids that just happen to be mine -well hubby did have something to do with it). Gotta give him credit where it is due!
Journey in the kitchen started when I had to stand on a stool in my grandma’s kitchen and take strict direction from her to do this and that, and I had to wear an apron. To this day, I wear an apron. One of my faves says, “oh the truffles I have seen” when it should say, “oh the truffles I have eaten!”
to be true to myself, I love to eat. I love food. I love to snitch the last bite, slurp the final slurp, and clean up is really about cleaning up and eating up the last dredges of a good thing. Don’t let any one tell you otherwise. Now I am not saying be the big pig but darn, do enjoy what you enjoy-and don’ t feel the need to apologize, cuz that is useless.
“Gluten free has just become a way of life-don’t fight it”,
says me
Here it is, my newest venture into the field of bread. It started because my oldest brother Richard went into the sourdough field, and darn that just irked me that he did and I didn’t. I tried to learn from him one Thanksgiving but alas, I was not a good student, and I felt overwhelmed by it all. Leaving it in his hands, I just ate it. What yummy goodness that was- but it wasn’t by my hands, hmph! Then Easter rolls around and we are all at my brothers home in CA and we all decide, ok, show us the bread. And he did. But, I still could not fathom me doing this. Yet, hmph, my other brother did. There they were, two boys doing what I really wanted to do, but my brain just scared me off it. Dang it. This was not happening…but it did. Then, ah ha, Thanksgiving rolls around again and my brother sends me some dehydrated sourdough starter from his stash. Well! That’s what it took, and then, my other brother made personal videos of all the steps and I was in-like-flynn! Since then, I have created my own flavors, my own style, and I ab-so-lute-ly love bread. I mean, who can resist fresh bread slathered with a schmear of good, cool butter? Better yet, toast it, schmear it, some homemade jam, slices of heaven! My hubby goes through a loaf a week if I let him.
getting ready for the farmer’s market
from sourdough goodness that I can’t eat to sourdough greatness that I can! whoop whoop
VOILA, here it is, the gluten free sourdough. Thank you niece Michelle. She started the journey and fired me up at…you guessed it, Thanksgiving. Sheesh we eat a LOT turkey weekend- no joke. I have now come up with some of my own GF versions that have rocked my GF world. This is buckwheat with golden flax seed and millet seeds. Game changing for me, and I actually share it with my celiac mother. Can you say, love my bread now and my hips are telling me “tru dat”!
Older and Hopefully Wiser 