Avani's Blog

(Accomplishment by Craving Crusher Flickr ) This is my final post in Myth-Folklore! Throughout the course, I wrote many stories and expanded my writing skills greatly. I also loved the reading! Since I don't read everyday, this class allowed me to explore various readings from many different areas. My favorite stories can be seen in my Portfolio here! I did not think making a portfolio would be fun, but it was my favorite assignment in the week. Apart from the Portfolio assignments, I enjoyed the extra credit options, especially the extra commenting, learning challenges, and growth mindset options. Looking back, starting ahead and staying on track of my extra credit really helped me when it was time for midterms. Today was my last midterm, and I finally feel relieved! Although I did not do as well as I hoped, I'm just glad they are done. I have been studying for what seems like a month. I might actually have a weekend this time. I have missed out on many opportunists

This time I will be talking about Canvas Notifications! In my last tech tip post, I mentioned how annoying the notifications can be. After reading the tips, I configured my notifications to my preferences. I had some settings already configured, but now I have updated them even more for practicality. I hope that I will receive less emails and notifications regarding what file was added and what assignment was created. It will save me a lot of time when I go through my emails and clean my notification center!

I love having the Canvas Mobile App! When grades are put in, I can immediately check which assignments were graded and see my overall grade! Even when I need to pull up a file on my phone, I can quickly access it without having to take out my laptop. Also, I can play around with my grades to see how it will affect my grade (if the Canvas settings are set properly).  One thing I hate about it is the amount of notifications that come. I especially hate the notifications about when new files are added and when new assignments are created. I guess that can be my text tech tip! Overall, I love having Canvas on my phone!

(Chinese Lucky Coins Pxhere ) There once was a powerful and mighty king who had a charming daughter, but the daughter was prone to bad luck. When it was time to find her a suitor, her father assembled potential suitors for her at his palace. She was told to throw a bag of three lucky coins to the men below her. Whoever caught the bag of coins was to be her husband. She looked down at the crowd of men and noticed a beggar. The beggar wore ripped clothes and had bugs crawling into his ears and crawling out from his nostrils. She somehow became captivated by his aura as he was a child of luck. The daughter intentionally threw the bundle of coins to the beggar in hopes of having good life with fortune. Her father came running up the stairs to meet her and asked yelled: "Why did you throw this to the beggar INTENTIONALLY? I saw you." She calmly replied, "He is a child of luck. I will share his good fortune and have a happy life." The king was angered by

(Gold Lit Lot Pexels ) These reading notes will be discussing Part B of the Native American Marriage Tales. Compared to Part A's reading, I loved Part B's reading more! All the stories were different from anything else I have read and were engaging as well. The one I loved the most was The True Bride because I kept wanting to read more. In addition, this was the longest story in the entire unit, and I will be doing my notes over this story. I may have missed a few details or misunderstood some things, but these are my thoughts regarding the story. First of all, why was the stepmother always angry and dissatisfied with her stepdaughter? Did the stepdaughter do something to upset the stepmother? Was there a specific event that caused their relationship? This leads to another question. Did the stepmother hate her stepdaughter from the beginning or did some event cause a change in heart. I was also amused by the sisters' abilities. The stepdaughter could spit gold, w

(Female Fox Flickr ) Hello everyone! I read the Native American Marriage Tales this week and enjoyed the stories. At times, I was confused by the writing and the plot when there was a transition or a shift in the story. Compared to my other readings, these stories are much longer in length. For this reason, the stories had great amounts of detail and many twist and turns. Some of the endings were unexpected also. I will be discussing the Fox Women story in Part A's reading notes. This story was the shortest one in Part A and that is one of the reasons it stood out to me. The story was quick and direct without abruptly ending the story. The ending was quite surprising. It explained a natural phenomenon: why foxes and humans are not compatible with each other. Once again, I had a few thoughts about the story. Why was the Fox Women attracted to this hunter in particular? Why did she help him? Did she need something from him or was she just happy to help?  Since the story

(Growth  7mindsets ) This will be my last growth mindset! I can't believe how quickly this class went by. Although there is still one more month till finals, time is running out! Today, I read  A Growth Mindset Fuels Creativity in Youth . I read this article because the article had ways to develop a growth mindset. The tips are: 1. "I see connections." 2. "I am open to new ideas." 3. "I bow to my mistakes." 4. "I embrace diversity." 5. "I live in a human-virtual world." These are great reminders to motivate yourself through the day. I especially love number 3. Accepting my mistakes and moving on is something I struggle with. So, this is definitely one I will use. From reading past articles about the growth mindset, I knew the benefits of having a growth mindset. More opportunities and meaningful growth are some of the most noticeable results. Like I have mentioned before, I will continue to improve my way of thinki

(Pomodoro Technique by Luca Mascaro Flickr ) Hello everyone! I feel like I have been doing Learning Challenges for the past couple of weeks. This is my last learning challenge. I feel like they flew by quickly. Anyways, here is my update on the Pomodoro Technique! It was hard tracking my time. I have made many timers as this experiment has gone by. I will say that this technique is helpful. When I start my homework, I usually begin with the easier material. This way, I slowly become motivated to do my harder work, and I will take my time doing it. The timers were helpful, but most of the time, I needed more time. I felt like I was rushing to get the most work done in that said time interval. For that reason, I extended the "study time" depending upon the difficulty of my work. This technique definitely helped in my time management skills. So, this experiment was successful! Bibliography: Pomodoro Technique  by Tanvi Jagtap

(Container Bottle Jars Max Pixel ) Hello everyone! This is my two week update post on my Happiness Jar. To be honest, I forgot to write what made my happy every night. I think I missed three or fours days total. I eventually wrote something down when I remembered what made me happy that day. Throughout the "experiment," I also realized that I tend to focus more on the negative things than the positive things. I did not think this jar would be helpful, but it actually was. I reread what I wrote, and I have much to be happy for. Also instead of writing my thoughts on paper, it was easier to do it on the Notes app on my iPhone. This was very convenient as I did not have a big jar and didn't want to waste paper! Overall, this challenge was successful!

(A Writer Writing Pixabay ) I will be doing the Writers Write Lab! I found two helpful articles when I was browsing through the Writers Write website. They were: 7 Tips to Remove Distractions While Blogging , and  140 Woods to Describe Mood in Fiction . They were actually some of the first articles I saw. Recently, I have been becoming slow, unproductive, and prone to distractions. This has lead to repetitive writing instead of creative and new writing. It is hard to think of new ideas and effectively translate what I aim to get across. So, these two articles gave me some great insight! The former discussed ways to remove distractions when doing any type of writing. Some of these tips can also be used in daily life and in my other classes as well. The latter article discussed writing mechanics such as tone, syntax, style, and many other things. I mentioned in a previous blog post that my writing is not where I want it to be. By actually seeing how the mechanics work and 14

(Obstacle Course Flickr ) Back again for Part Two of Native American Hero Tales. Compared to Part A's reading, I enjoyed Part B more partly because it was easier for me to digest and understand. They were also fun and different than the other readings! From the readings in Part B, I loved reading The Son-In-Law story. The troubles that the son-in-law had to go through reminded me of an obstacle course. As you can see, I included a image of a Zip line Obstacle Course to reflect this. Imagining myself going through these tasks for someone I loved seems tiring already. I guess it's the lengths we go to for love? Once again, I had some questions. I wonder why Wemicus turned into a pike and not some other sea creature. What is the significance of turning into a pike? Most importantly, how did he turn into a pike? I am just imagining a human falling into the lake and turning into a fish. In addition, why does Wemicus test and ultimately kill his daughter's husband? Do

( Yupik mother and child ) From the Native American Unit, I chose the Hero Tales reading! In Part A's reading, there were some stories that were hard to understand. After researching a few things online, I was able to interpret what the author was saying. I loved the Jealous Uncle story the most from this section. I thought it would be difficult to process since it was three pages long, but it wasn't! The story was suspenseful and had an unexpected ending!  There were  questions that I had when reading the story. For example, why did they name the uncle "Unnatural Uncle" instead of giving him an actual name. Also, the reading did not specify why he was jealous of his nephews. It mentioned he killed them, but why was this the case? Was it because he did not have any sons? Furthermore, why was he against killing girls, but in favor of killing boys? Also, why was the Unnatural Uncle targeting this family only? More information regarding the Unnatural Uncle c

(Pomodoro Technique by Luca Mascaro Flickr ) This is another learning challenge in which I will try out the Pomodoro Technique. This video by Tanvi Japtap effectively explains its purpose:  Pomodoro Technique . I chose this challenge because I am becoming prone to distractions lately. The things I need to do are pushed back and keep pilling up. So, I hope this will help! In this post, I will outline my Pomodoro experiment and update after two weeks. After making a list of the tasks I need to complete, I will begin by working in 30 minutes intervals. Once I have studied/focused on a task for 30 minutes, I will take a 5 minute break. Even if I am not done with the task, I will take a break and start on it again. This is one session of the Pomodoro Technique. After 3 sessions, I will extend my focus time to an hour and my break time to 10 minutes. This way, it will keep my mind motivated and fresh! Ultimately, this will led to effective learning because I am shifting between fo

(The Stonecutter  Mythology and Folklore UN-Textbook ) Hi everyone! All the stories from this reading were amazing, and it was hard to pick one. If I picked all of them, we would be here all day! I will be focusing on the Stonecutter by Andrew Lang. This story reminded me of the Man in the Moon story. I am not sure what the story's name was, but the stories had many similarities regardless. For example, both of the main characters wished to have a different life, and a spiritual voice answered their wishes. Although this is the case, the Man in the Moon's character became the moon because he was never satisfied and was constantly complaining. In the Stonecutter, however, the main character returned to his original being after becoming many things. Even though he complained many times, the voice/spiritual being was ready to help him become a different form every time.  It made me wonder why the voice was willing to help even when the main character was ungrate

(The Crab and the Monkey Mythology and Folklore UN-Textbook ) In Part B's of Japanese Fairy Tales (Lang), this was my favorite of the readings. The crab and the monkey's relationship reminded me of Tom and Jerry's relationship. The end, however, it took a different turn. The monkey completely betrayed the crab by taking all the good fruit and almost killing her. When I read that, I was surprised by the turn of events. There are some changes I could make if I retell the story, such as the perspective, the ending, and their relationship. It made me wonder, why the monkey behaved the way he did. Everyone has their own reasons for acting they way they do. Was he struggling at making amends? Did a certain event cause him to act the way he does? It would be intriguing to see the story from his point of view. Since the story was in crab's point of view, I could make the entire story in the monkey's point of view. I also wonder why the monkey came down to ask f

(Siblings  Max Pixel ) One evening, Anna, Liam, and Jay went to a restaurant to have dinner together. Their mother waited at home hoping for their quick arrival. She was hungry as well.  Anna and Liam only thought of themselves and were extremely prideful as they were the eldest siblings. They enjoyed all the food they had ordered and did not think about their starving mother back home. Anna and Liam had forgotten about her, whereas Jay had not. Jay saved a bit of everything for his mother in a plastic container he had brought. He knew his mother was starving back home.  When the children came home, the mother became filled with joy seeing that they arrived safely. She asked, "My loves, what food did you bring for me? I've been starving all night!" Then Anna said, "Who me? I haven't brought anything home. I was so hungry that I didn't even think of you. You were the least of my worries." Liam also jumped into the conversation

(Container Bottle Jars Max Pixel ) I will be trying the Happiness Jar challenge for two weeks! In the evenings, I will be writing something that made me happy and place the note in the jar. This would be a nice way to end the day on a positive note, because there is something good in everyday! If there are multiple things that made me happy, I will write all of them down! So, whenever I am sad or having a hard day, I can look back and reflect on the amazing things that happened! I hope this will experiment will be successful and can help relieve my stress!

(Progess Highway Sign  Picpedia ) As I worked ahead before classes started, I am extremely happy with my progress. When midterms came, it was nice to know that I did not need to worry about this class. I am proud of my finished stories and am surprised at how good they turned out to be. I do have a weekly routine! Reading and story telling at the beginning of the week and project and comments at the end of the week. I also learned that working on something everyday also helped in getting ahead. I save the extra assignments for the weekend as a way to relax and read more stories! I want to avoid rushing my storytelling. If I rush it and finish it quickly, my writing is satisfactory. Therefore, I want to take more time. Most of writing has stayed true to the original story, so I want to try taking a completely different route! This is what I feel about my progress so far!

( Feedback Cats ) The quality of comments are very helpful and informative. Other students leave behind questions, concerns, and tips that aid in improving my story. Since they are reading it with a new pair of eyes, it allows me to see the story through their eyes. I believe my comments are also helpful and informative. I leave behind my questions, alternate options, and further strategies that could help them in the writing process. When I read other's stories, I learn from them as well. Everyone is great at something and seeing that inspires to better myself! I love doing blog comments! Throughout the seven weeks, I have bookmarked my favorite blogs and project websites. I visit their blogs as my free comments and as my extra credit comments. The introduction post idea was clever! I like to read through them as people leave behind more comments on my introduction. I then visit their blogs and leave comments as well! As you can, I enjoy keeping up with others and commenting

(Wedding of Rama and Sita Flickr ) So far, the reading and writing assignments have been wonderful! It is nice to take a break and read material that I enjoy. I am happy with my blog and my Portfolio website! I love the way my stories, pictures, and color scheme add to my overall tone and concept. My writing has improved, but it is not where I would like it to be. I want to effortlessly add in details. My stories are usually direct, and I have difficultly adding in details and filling in gaps. My biggest accomplishment has been keeping everything on track and maintaining a schedule. What I learned is to do something everyday, even if it is not a part of my schedule. That way, if I fall behind during midterms, I have some cushion. My favorite reading has been the Ramayana and all the fairy tales! I can't pick just one! For this reason, I included a picture of Rama and Sita. I love the bright colors, architecture, and small details in this picture. In addition, the reading n

( Students Reading Out Loud by GMR Akash Wikimedia Commons) Hi there! I am doing yet another Learning Challenge this week! I challenged myself to read out loud! Whenever I hear the words "read out loud," it reminds me of having to read out loud in middle school and high school. It was traumatizing reading in front of my peers, because I could not pronounce the words correctly as I am bilingual. At the time, it stressed me out greatly; however, this does not affect me as much. Reading aloud allows me to understand the details further and clears up my confusion. As I am slowing down, it gives me more time to understand the material. Like many things, it has its disadvantages. It took me twice as long to read this week's reading. I plan on reading out loud in the future, but I hope it does not take much time. When I am confused, I will definitely read out loud!

( The Broken Pot by John D. Batten) The updated version of the story is here on my Portfolio! In a small village in Gujarat, India, there lived a man named Vittap. His name evidently signified his behavior; he guarded his wealth closely.  One day, Vittap had gathered a surplus amount of rice grains from working in his neighbor's fields and begging in the village. Growing rice was no easy task. After eating the rice that same evening, Vittap put the remaining rice in a pot. The pot was hung over his couch so that he could bathe in its glory.  As Vittap became drowsy, he dreamed about his future with the rice. He thought, "My beautiful rice. Oh, how beautiful! If there is a famine, I will always have my rice. Wait, can the rice not make me some profit?" "I can buy a few goats with the rice and eventually have a family of goats!" "I can then sell the goats, and get a couple of cows!" "I can then sell cow milk and purc