Sunday, August 30, 2015

Week 1 Curation

Bookmarks. Holy crap, bookmarks. I find bookmarks to be an incredibly valuable tool for keeping "my internet" organized. I put "my internet" in quotes because I can go into my bookmarks and it's like looking at my piece of the internet, all there, just a couple clicks away. It could be compared to moving around all the classrooms I need on campus into one section, or one floor, of one building where each classroom I need is literally only a matter of seconds away.

I don't do much curation myself on the internet. Sure I look at facebook, watch youtube, check out a few things a week on instagram. I'm a viewer, primarily. I wouldn't have much to look at though if it weren't in fact for those who put in countless hours across the internet on sites and apps, creating and organizing content that I like to view. 

One of my favorite places on the internet is Reddit. It definitely has its dark areas and its fair share of trolls but I have been able to find a lot of useful information and even share a little bit here and there. For example, this is the current /r/Archery sub-reddit. All on the first page is content that has been submitted in the last day or two. At a quick glance, you can see where someone submitted a beginners guide wiki, people asking questions, and someone sharing a video about "extreme bow fishing" (which sounds awesome, by the way).

screen capture of www.reddit.com/r/Archery

Growth Mindset

I like the ideas discussed in the videos by Carol Dweck . They make more sense to me than some of the rigid, unbending rules from older thoughts of learning and teaching. I have, in some form, came to similar conclusions in my own life over the last decade. Being 29 years of age, the primary education classrooms I experienced in my youth are probably further away from this "growth mindset" compared to the primary education classrooms of today.

When I was younger, mistakes would bother me. If it was at school, mistakes came with results like bad grades and scolding from the parents. The time I have spent in the workforce over the better part of the last decade helped me overcome this. I slowly began to treat mistakes as moments where something could be learned rather than feeling something along the lines of failure or inadequacy. This image that was only recently posted along the #growthmindset twitter hashtag struck a chord with me. I worked in a garden center during much of my recent undergraduate semesters.

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* have you heard of Carol Dweck and/or the growth mindset before? how did you learn about it?
I have never before heard of Carol Dweck or the growth mindset but I have in a roundabout way learned this on my own to some extent.

* how do you see yourself on the spectrum of growth-fixed mindset in your school work? what about in other aspects of your life? (for example, if you are an athlete, can you relate to this from a sports perspective?)
I certainly wont claim to be completely on the growth end of the spectrum but I know i'm not on the fixed end either. The growth mindset has allowed me to learn new jobs faster and with less grief. I have found that the growth mindset can also be applied to communication and personal relationships as well.

* do you think you'll be interested in learning more about the growth mindset this semester?
I am interested in learning more about this.

* do you have any personal learning goals for this semester? any class that you are really excited about? or a class your are worried about? (I would be really happy if learning about growth mindset could help you in your work not for just this class, but in other classes too!)
This is the only class that I am taking this semester and also the very last class I am taking to complete my undergraduate studies. This will however help me learn more efficiently at any new jobs that I will have in my post college days

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Storybook Favorites

1000 Ways to Die theme
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Topic: This appears to be a web page version of the tv show “1000 Ways To Die”. The title definitely caught my attention pretty quickly as I was briefly looking down the list.


Introduction: The intro on this topic does an excellent job of both describing what the storybook is covering and also mimicking the style of the tv show that this is titled after. It looks and reads like it will be very interesting.


Design: The design of this web page is very good. I like how the narration and layout sticks to the 1000 ways to die motif. It quite literally looks like a text version of the tv show. I like it a lot!


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Topic: This storybook, at a mere glance of the title, appears to be about the actual weapons used by the gods. At a closer look it is the stories of these weapons told by the weapons themselves, a unique perspective.


Introduction: The intro does a great job introducing each of the weapons individually before going further in depth with each.


Design: The design of this page is fairly simple. I do like how each weapon takes on humanistic expressions and even reacts to each others actions. It’s very interesting and does a good job of bringing the weapons to life.


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Topic: This storybook appears to be a play on the RateMyProfessor website and instead describes and explains the stories of Rishi through the same rating scheme. The title caught my interesting.


Introduction: The introduction plays into the whole “rating” website idea and does a good job of introducing the Rishi.

Design: The design here is very clever. I really enjoy how the creator made images and created ratings and comments for each of the Rishi. This design and layout also does a wonderful job of playing into the rating website idea.

Overview

Pretty much everything about these two epics is unfamiliar to me. I recall hearing a few names before but my knowledge level about these is pretty much nil. I am certainly interested to learn more about them! I've never before taken any courses about epic literature thought I do like epic films and tv shows. Lord of the Rings and Star Wars are among my favorites. I know very little about Buddhism or Hinduism. My understanding of Islam is also very elementary. I know just a little about Indian music but I don't regularly listen to it or view much else in terms of Indian media. One of the things to certainly does pique my interest is the amount of archery related images and themes I've seen, just from the images I've seen in the overview. Here an interesting image here.

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Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Week 1 Storytelling: The Wild Boar and the Fox

The Wild Boar and the Fox
A Wild Boar was sharpening his tusks busily against the stump of a tree, when a Fox happened by. Now the Fox was always looking for a chance to make fun of his neighbors. So he made a great show of looking anxiously about, as if in fear of some hidden enemy. But the Boar kept right on with his work.
"Why are you doing that?" asked the Fox at last with a grin. "There isn't any danger that I can see."
"True enough," replied the Boar, "but when danger does come there will not be time for such work as this. My weapons will have to be ready for use then, or I shall suffer for it."
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Si vis pacem, para bellum
The man was focused. He was sharpening his blades that he kept for self defense. His world was fair and justice always prevailed but he made a habit of carrying out this task with a regular frequency. With some water and a stone he would sharpen two different blades; one a knife which he carried regularly and the other a larger sword which he kept in his home. His neighbor however was foolish and enjoyed any chance he had to poke fun at anyone he found to be a suitable target to his quips and jests. 

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The neighbor approached the man and began to appear anxious and fearful. He made motions of trying to hide and look far away in an attempt to find some approaching enemy that may be nearby. The man, not oblivious to the neighbors joke, continued to sharpen his weapons until he was satisfied.

The neighbor asked “Why do you sharpen those blades so often? What enemy is approaching? Are you that paranoid?”. Each question followed by a grin and snicker. “Nothing will ever happen that you would need those things!”

The man replied “You know what? Maybe you’re right. Have you ever heard the phrase ‘si vis pacem, para bellum’?”
The neighbor looked at the man with a more puzzled expression.
“If you want peace, prepare for war” the man said, looking his neighbor square in the eyes. ”Hopefully nothing ever warrants the use of either of these blades but if danger ever does come, I will at least be prepared. If my weapons aren’t ready when that time comes, how useful will they be to protect myself or my family? I will surely suffer if I am not prepared.”

Authors Note: I like this story and adapted it to perhaps a more humanistic point of view instead of coming from animals.

Bibliography: "The Wild Boar and the Fox" by Milo Winter, from Æsop for Children (2006). Web Source: Project Gutenburg

Introduction

Hello! My name is Tyler Mann. I am a senior studying Geographic Information Science. I was born and raised in Oklahoma and have lived in Moore for most of my life. I did live in the city of Garland, Texas for six years when I was younger but my family moved back to Oklahoma. I graduated from Moore High School in 2004 and yes, that means that I am 29 years old (don't remind me). I originally attended the University of Oklahoma for two years, completing most of the general education requirements but I was never able to decide on a degree that I was happy with. I decided to leave the university setting and join the workforce. I worked a number of different jobs in various fields while patiently looking for new degree and career plans. I finally learned about my current degree and returned to complete my studies in 2012.

My niece and myself

I thoroughly enjoy spending time outdoors, away from the city. Things can get pretty quiet and it's almost as if time slows down a little. Nature can be astoundingly beautiful if you're willing to slow down and appreciate it, whether it's enjoying the birds in your backyard, a famous landmark, or the untouched wilderness. I took the following photo of the Grand Canyon years ago while on vacation. 

Grand Canyon in mid morning
The name is quite fitting and pictures really just don't do it justice. This particular vacation had an impact on me in terms of how I looked at the world. We visited a number of places including Yellowstone National Park, Bryce Canyon, and of course the Grand Canyon. This trip instilled in me a love and respect for nature and natural beauty.

Apart from spending time outdoors I also enjoy any type of activity that involves marksmanship. Shooting sports can be fun and challenging at the same time. Testing yourself in any capacity can help keep your mind sharp.

Bow in the snow

Monday, August 24, 2015

Favorite Places

Moore, Oklahoma is definitely one of my favorite places. It's where I grew up. It's where I live now. It's conveniently located between Norman and Oklahoma City. It's home to a world class movie theater (where I will be viewing the next Star Wars film). It has seen many strong tornadoes in my lifetime which makes it home to a group of people that are strong and able to pick themselves, and each other up time after time. The sense of community here is awesome and it's hard to imagine living anywhere else.

Large tornado from May 20, 2013 headed towards Moore, OK
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In a general sense, being outdoors in the wilderness may be my most favorite place of all. I grew up spending a lot of time outdoors, whether it was fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, or anything related. Scouting was a huge part of this. It taught me important skills related to survival and conservation. The world is a beautiful place and it would be a shame not to enjoy it.

Myself - hiking near Lake Thunderbird



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