Week 10 Review Feedback

I really enjoyed watch the Mahabharata video this week. I think the ability to include movies and videos into an online course is really what makes the course great! I wish more classes were able to do this. Also, the inclusion of different formatting to convey similar information to different students. Many students learn differently and I know that I learn a lot better with movies and other visual information. I chose this reading because I really liked the Mahabharata, but I was confused when I finished with the PDE Mahabharata reading. I am very happy with my choice. I would definitely recommend this to any other student. The final scene of the movie was pretty impactful for me. I really like how the ending engaged the reader. I spent a total of about 4 hours doing the reading and reading diaries and storytelling this week. It was an adequate amount of time spent on a project.

IMAGE FROM THE MAHABHARATA (SOURCE)

Tech Tip: Tumblr Themes

There are many themes you can chose when creating your tumblr page. They are very easy to use! For this tech tip you will set up a theme for your tumblr account.

STEP ONE: Click on edit appearance in the upper-right hand corner. It is located under your account information.

Click “Edit Appearance”

STEP TWO: Click Edit Theme.

STEP THREE: Now click browse themes and choose a theme that you like the best. (notice: Not all themes are free to use. Some you have to pay for). When you find a theme you like click “use” and then “Save”. and you are done and your blog will now have a new theme! congrats!

Tech Tip: Pinterest Sidebar

Okay guys. If you have a pinterest you should do this! I did not know that you could actually put pinterest boards all over your blog! So cool. You can see to the left of my page I now have a dedicated html box for my Pinterest board just for this class. Not whenever I update my Pins they will update here too! How cool. I use pinterest to keep track of cool things I see online. For me it is very much an organizational tool. I think everyone should give it a try.

Tech Tip Pinterest Board and Widget Embedding

For this tech tip I created a new Pinterest board. I have used Pinterest before and I really enjoy the process. It is very clean and makes organizing new Ideas  very easy. Here is a link to my Pinterest board I am using for this course.

Tech Tip Google Site Video

For this tech tip I decided to learn how to embed a youtube video onto my blog homepage. It is a little different and did not show up just like the instructions but I like the end product. I embedded Adele’s new Hello song form YouTube onto my homepage. I like this feature because you can see this video and others by her.

Screenshot of my blog with the YouTube videos embedded! 

Google Timer Tech Tip

Google timer Screenshot

For this Tech Tip I investigated Google Timer. It is a timer on your google page that helps with time management and other activities. I think having a timer will be useful for me when I am feeling like taking a break from working on the computer. Having a timer would allow me to schedule my time and be more in control over it. I think a timer is an excellent idea. I could set the timer for a five minute Facebook break or I could set a ten minute relax on the couch break. Oh I like this already!

Jessica’s Big Chance Storytelling Week 10

Curling Image (Source) 

It was the night of the big game and Jessica was excited to be with her friends. This was the last game of her college career! Jessica played for the University of Oklahoma's curling team (i’m not sure if we actually have one of those). Her teammates cheered her on as she stepped up to the starting line. In her head Jessica knew she would make or break the winning shot for the last game of the season. All of her teammates had already gone and she would have to do hers perfectly.

“Okay,” she thought to herself, “just be calm. Just be calm. It’s gonna be okay. You got this.”

Before she knew it she was standing at the end of the long iced runway looking down at the opposite end. Her knees began to shake. There was so much pressure on her to get this last shot. 

She took the starting position and was just about to release when a fan blew an airhorn. He grip slipped and the “puck” went in the other direction. They had lost the game. 

Afterwards, the team went to Fuzzy’s Taco Shop to celebrate the end of their season. Even if they didn’t win the game. Jessica felt awful for losing the game. 

On elf her team members came up behind her. “Hows it going?” He asked. 

“Fine.” She replied. 

“Oh, well good.” He said. 

“Look, I know I sucked tonight. You don’t have to rub it in.” She exclaimed.

“What are you talking about? You did fine tonight. We have all messed up before, no one blames you for not making that shot. 

Jessica thought for a moment. “So your not mad at me?” She asked. 

“No. You did your best that is all we can do, right?” He said. 

“Yeah.” I guess it is. 

Author’s Note: I am retelling the ending of the Mahabharata as Yudhisthira climbs the mountain to enter the gates of paradise. Yudhisthira explains that while coming up the mountain he brothers and wife fell into an abyss. Arjuna, the Twins and even Draupadi all gone. Now Yudhisthira and his dog are the only ones left and they wish to enter the gates of paradise. The voice that comes from the heavens tells Yudhisthira to leave his dog and he can enter paradise. Yudhisthira is outraged that he cannot bring this dog into paradise. A creature that had been through so much with him. Yudhisthira says he would rather stay in the freezing cold and die than go without him. The ultimate sacrifice. Finally Yudhisthira is told that the dog is a reincarnation of his father and he passed the test to enter into paradise, where he found his foes! He did not understand where his family was led. Eventually he was led to his family in ‘hell’ a horrible place. When I finished this part of the movie it made me think about what it is like to go through ‘hazing’ at a fraternity. I wanted my story to be whimsical and not too dragged down, so I made the ending a happy one compared to the sadder version presented by the Mahabharata video.

Reading Diary B Week 10: Brook’s Mahabharata (cont’d)

This reading diary is a continuation of the film Mahabharata by Brook’s. I wanted to keep watching this film because I feel like I learned so much in the first part of the film and I thought continuing with the film would allow me to really understand the full picture of the Mahabharata. So we left off with the Pandava brothers being sent to exile. I found again that the film leaves out some scenes from the PDE: Mahabharata, but overall I thought it did a good job incorporating the most important scenes. I am really starting to get accustom to the acting in this movie. I love how throughout the film I am beginning to get more and more ideas about how I might be able to incorporate Karma, my storybook character into the stories. It is fun and exciting to do this! Both the Pandava brothers and Karna and others get weapons in the film. I think the film has done a good job of wrapping up this complex story and it has helped me better understand all of the characters.

Last Scene in Mahabharata (Source) 

Reading Diary A: Week 10 Brook’s Mahabharata

This week I have decided to start watching the online movie of the Mahabharata. A few weeks ago I red the Public domain Edition of the Mahabharata and while I thoroughly enjoyed this reading I felt like I did not completely understand the epic. So I thought it would be best to watch the movie version, found here, and maybe this way I would get a better understanding of the film. I think the film will make the PDE: Mahabharata make sense! 

I found the beginning of this long film to be really fantastic. After watching the film I do feel that I better understand the Mahabharata, but I did notice that some scenes that were in the PDE: Mahabharata were left out in the film. I thought it was very interesting to see how the characters in the film interacted with each other. It gives the movie version an element that cannot really be describe through pen and paper, or computer screens. I think that is one of the greatest things about this class, the ability to incorporate readings and movies into one class is phenomenal. Thought this first part of the film we find that the five Pandavas brother are wed to Draupadi and they are then all gambled away. the acting in the film really brought the whole movie together!

Ganesha Costume Source

Week 9 Curation

Three Favorites for Week 9: Curation Post

Canva created Tumblr info card

1. Fashions by Indian: Link - This Tumblr is a collection of really awesome India inspired wardrobes for women. This tumblr blog demonstrates just one of the potentials of a tumblr blog. 

2. Canva: Link - This week I learned about making cool “quote” images although I wanted to make mine a little more personal with information about my tumblr for this course. 

3. Awesome National Geographic Article about “Bollywood”: Link - This video/ information series give you all the details about the “bollywood” film industry you could ever want! 

Famous Last Words: Week 9

This week I was unable to complete the readings for Week 9. :(

Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art Exhibition

This was the first week that I was not able to do the readings, but I was able to do the storytelling post and the storybook project post. So I am pretty bummed about being unable to do the readings. I am excited about the future readings for this class. My best writing this week came from by Storybook Project. You can find that storybook project here. I think this project is all coming together really well and I hope everyone else like is too. I think I have finally nailed down my writing strategy for this storybook project. This weeks assignment showed me that I really do have the ability to write better than I ever thought I could. I added a soundcloud video this week to my storybook. I think this is going to add a little bit of flare I have been looking for into my storybook. I noticed other students peoples storybooks incorporated music and this is what gave me the inspiration to do so. 

This week marks the end of my 8-week course. It was my anthropology capstone course. i am really glad that it is finally over and it is going to give me a lot more free time to work on my other classes for the second half of this semester. 

Last weekend I presented my research at the Plains Anthropology Conference in Iowa City, IA. I was given an honorable mention in the Student Poster competition. Also if you have time, everyone should check out the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art new exhibitions that have recently opened up - Immortales and the Surls Exhibition. 

Quote Creation: Tech Tip Week 9

I made a thing for class that I am really excited about!!! 

Blog Advertisement created using Canva

Storytelling Week 9: The Red and Purple Yummy Berries

Once upon a time, in a land far far away lived a handsome young man named James. He and his partner lived in the woods just outside of town. One day James decided that he wanted red and purple yummy berries, but they were hard to find and he did not feel well that day. 

James called his partner over to him. “Babe, would you please, please, please get the red and purple yummy berries for me? You know they are my favorite and I am not feeling well today.”

“Of course I will do this for you my love.” His partner replied. “I would do anything for you!”

James’s partner was out the door and James stayed in bed for most of the day. 

"Maybe I should do some housecleaning.” James thought to himself. “That would be my partner very happy when they return home.” James started washing the piled dishes and cleaning the rest of their home. 

James’s partner was having a difficult time finding the red and purple yummy berries. “If only I wasn’t color blind!” James’s partner thought to their self. “Then I could pick the red and purple yummy berries and be home by now.” James’s partner decided to pick all the berries they could find for the next three hours. Their plan was to bring them home so James could determine which berries were the red and purple yummy berries. For the next three hours James’s partner pick berries. They picked and picked until the sun started to set. They headed home with a gigantic basket full of various berries. 

When James’s partner return home they found an emptied, but tidy, house. “Hello! Jame’s are you there?” James’s partner echoed in the home. “If you try to scare me I will not talk to you anymore!” They herd no reply. Wondering around the house James’s partner found a note that detailed instructions on the kidnapping of James. 

Kidnapping Note: Source

The note read, “If you ever with to see James again, bring the red and purple yummy berries to the bridge near the abandoned barn.” 

James’s partner quickly grabbed the basket and ran to the location where the exchange was to take place. “James! James! Where are you? James!” They called out. 

Creeping from the shadows James and a covered person appear. “Hand over the basket.” The mysterious person demanded. 

“Okay.” James’s partner said, “Just let James go.” 

The exchange was made and the mysterious person vanished with the basket of various berries. James and his partner returned to their home after filing a police report. The next day, Victoria Brown, was found poisoned. She sat on her living room floor, face smothered in berry juices. 

“I guess we know who kidnapped you now.” James Partner said.

“What berries did you pick yesterday?” James asked. 

“All of the ones south of our home. In the meadow next to the energy factory.”

"Oh, that explains it. Don’t you know that field has poisonous berries due to the waste dumping from the factory. It has been banned for consumption for years! Animals don’t even eat it anymore.” James said. 

“Oh, yeah. I forgot.” James’s partner said. 

And James and his partner lived happily ever after!

Author’s Note: 

I decided to rewrite the story of Rama and Sita and the golden deer. In the original story, Sita tells Rama she wants a golden deer so Rama sets out to get the deer for her. When he returns he finds that Sita has be stolen away. I thought this would be a fun story to practice my ability to create a gender numeral character. It was difficult to do this, but I had a good time. I actually based this story off of real life events. Not that a murder occurred, but this is a situation I could see my partner and myself getting into. I pretty much cracked up the entire time writing it, so I hope everyone enjoys it. 

Bibliography:

Sita Sings the Blues by Nina Paley. Question Copyright.Public Domain Version http://www.sitasingstheblues.com/

Tech Tip: Embedding Soundcloud Audio into your Tumblr Page - With Pictures! (Week 8)

Hello all. Today we are going to learn how to insert, or embed, a sound clip from Soundcloud onto one of your tumblr pages.

1. Find a song you want to have on your webpage.

2. Click share, underneath the song and then click embed. Copy the code under "Code & Preview"

3. Go to the tumblr blog. Click edit theme in the upper right corner.

4. Scroll to the page you want to upload the sound clip to and click on it. Once there click on <html> on the left side. 

5. Once in <html> mode, paste the code you copied earlier at the beginning or end or the <html> codes. *Shown as pasted in the beginning here. 

6. Click save and you are done. You sound clip should now be at the beginning or end of your page. 

Review Week 8

I chose to write about the course announcement posted on October 17. I am posting from a lovile phone that will not allow me to post a photo. I will add one later. I decided on this post because the cover made me really interested in reading this! I perhaps wil add it to my reading list this semester! Krishna's character is very interesting to read about.




Source: http://ouclassannouncements.blogspot.com/2015/10/saturday-october-17.html?m=

Tentative Reading Plan

Hindu Legends Comic

Reading Options

I would like to do another reading about Ramayana. I like the look of Dharma’s Ramayana and I think it might help solidify my understanding of the novel. If I do the Dharma option it could last up to four weeks!

I would also in the future like to explore Hindu Legends. I think exploring this option would give me a better overview of the culture and might help with my storybook option. 

Lastly, I would like to read at least one contemporary version of Indian Epics. It would be great to get another perspective. Especially if that perspective is more understandable to me through a modern retelling!

Reflections: Looking Forward

Looking forward I am excited about this semester. On a personal note, with my capstone out of the way and I am attending my conference for Plains anthropology this weekend. I will now finally have the time to move forward on this class and hopefully get it finished early so I can focus on other classes! 

Writing: I am looking forward to writing more Karma stories for my storybook --> Karma Tells All

I am not quite sure where this storybook project will be going, but I am confident that in the end I will have a well written and awesome storybook project. I am also excited to explore more versions of indian epics of more stories all together. I can’t wait to incorporate them into my writing. I have gotten a lot of ideas from other peoples storybook projects about how I might be able to give my storybook a flair. For one, I am thinking about adding music to my pages to help set the mood for stories. I like when people add music into their writing and I think it is a creative idea. 

Hold On!

Reading: For the future, I am excited to read more of the indian epics and I am really looking forward to reading some of my classmates storybooks this semester. From what I can tell they are all coming along swimmingly. 

Interactions: Online so far has been great and in the future I do not anticipate it being a problem at all. I am going to continue learning more about fellow classmates and try to keep my head above water. 

Time: In the future I will probably continue my current method of doing this class. Completing one project assignment at a time. In the end this method works best for me and for other students it may be entirely different. 

Location: In the future I will continue to study most likely in my home. I have a tough time studying in crowded places, so home and other quite places work best for me and I haven’t had a problem so far, so I will most likely continue working from home. 

Reflections: Looking Back

The first half of this semester has flown by with rapid pace and I am excited that it is coming to an end. This semester has been one of the most difficult for me, but I am so close to graduating that I cannot help but push through. 

Writing: Indian Epics has not only been a pleasure to read, but a therapeutic getaway retreat from my other super boring classes. The half of the semester I have been really excited for some of my favorite stories I have ever written (see below). In this class I feel like I am free to create and imagine up anything I can think. I have been inspired by the stories we have read and by the stories of other students. I think one of the greatest things about this class is the ability to interact with other students without having to feel like you are critiquing them too hard. This class puts everyone onto an equal playing field. 

Here is a short list of some of my favorite writings this semester: 

James the Unfortunate Sewer Creature - Storytelling Week 2
No Title - Storytelling Week 3 Where I was able to write about archaeology!

Reading: My favorite readings so far have been on the Ramayana. I love the characters of the story and the overall plot. It was easy to follow and was a great story. I think the character Rama made a really big impression on me as well as Bhima from the Mahabharata. These characters play really strong roles in their stories and it seems like no matter what happened to them they would be back on their feet and helping their families! Throughout the class I have learned that 1. I procrastinate like no-ones business. and 2. that I enjoy reading. It has been a long time since I was able to sit down and just read without being hypercritical of the contextualization of an article or other reading material. I love mythology and reading stories!

Interactions: This class has been wonderful working with my time. As a student who is both full time and working part-time (30 hours) I am very happy that I have the opportunity to take online classes to help free up time during the day. I think I am doing pretty good in this class. I get all of the requirements done before they are due, but I know I could do better. I am hoping the second part of the semester I am able to work ahead.

Image Information: Me All The Time

Time: I do not have a scheduled time to work on this course. I mainly do it at night, but I sometimes work on it in the mornings if something is due by noon that day. I almost never work on it during the “normal” 8-5pm hours. I also don’t not set chunks of time aside. I will normally do this course one requirement at a time and I find that it is manageable for me. Reading A will be done Sunday, reading B Monday and so on. This structuring of time is more like a 5 day a week class, but I structure it to be a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday class. I find I am normally to busy on Thursday or Friday to do this online course. My schedule however is irregular and almost never consistent. My main goal is to get work done before it is due, and in this I have succeeded.

Location: study at home. It is where I am most comfortable. I can also do it at Starbucks, but I prefer home.

Week 7 Tech Tip: Known Account

My First Known Post! 

I learned new things today. I decided today to check out a site called Known. I had never heard of this site before, but I was very interested it was it had to offer to me. It seemed to me like another really cool way to stay connected to people you know, or may not know. I think overall I like the site and I would like to continue to use and explore it!

Storytelling Week 7: The List of Things

Jimmy had grown up alongside his four best friends ever since he can remember. When they graduated from high school they all decided that they would all go to the University of Oklahoma together! Jimmy had herd from his older brother that he should join a fraternity to go to parties and meet new people, so he set out to convince his friends to join too. Jimmy was excitedly awaiting his move to a fraternity where he would meet many new lifelong friends. Soon after the start of their Freshman year Jimmy and all of his friends were initiated into a fraternity, but before they could become official members they had to undergo an initiation ceremony. The initiation ceremony had to be completed by all new members and included a lost of fifty strange things the friends had to do. The list, while light-hearted in nature, was meant to make the new initiates feel uncomfortable. One item on the list was to blow an airhorn in the great reading room. As a freshmen who did not know the rules about how to act on campus they were scared they would get into trouble.

One-by-one, the items on the list were knocked off. By the time they reached number thirty-four two of Jimmy’s friends had quit. They could not handle the stress of this initiation. At number forty-three another one of Jimmy’s friends had quit and decided that he did not want to cause anymore trouble to other people on campus. Now it was only Jimmy and his last friend left to complete the challenges. When they reached the end of the challenges Jimmy went back to the fraternity house and proclaim their victory. He was very pleased with himself, but the older fraternity members had a look of dismay.

Dear Frat Boys Article: The Odyssey Online

"You have not yet completed the challenge Jimmy..." one of the members said, "We need you to tell your other friend that he cannot join. We do not like him because he smells weird!"

I don’t understand Jimmy thought. He couldn’t say that to his friend. I would rather not join than alienate my friend!

With amazement the house members applauded... “you did it Jimmy! That was the final test. We wanted to see if you would leave a brother behind. You have proven yourself worth!”

That night Jimmy, happy as could be, discovered that the list of task was just a trick to see how far the initiates were willing to go for the house. All of Jimmy’s friends were at the frat party that night and they stayed friends for the rest of their lives!

THE END


Author’s Note: I am retelling the ending of the Mahabharata as Yudhisthira climbs the mountain to enter the gates of paradise. Yudhisthira explains that while coming up the mountain he brothers and wife fell into an abyss. Arjuna, the Twins and even Draupadi all gone. Now Yudhisthira and his dog are the only ones left and they wish to enter the gates of paradise. The voice that comes from the heavens tells Yudhisthira to leave his dog and he can enter paradise. Yudhisthira is outraged that he cannot bring this dog into paradise. A creature that had been through so much with him. Yudhisthira says he would rather stay in the freezing cold and die than go without him. The ultimate sacrifice. Finally Yudhisthira is told that the dog is a reincarnation of his father and he passed the test to enter into paradise, where he found his foes! He did not understand where his family was led. Eventually he was led to his family in ‘hell’ a horrible place. When I finished this part of the movie it made me think about what it is like to go through ‘hazing’ at a fraternity. I wanted my story to be whimsical and not too dragged down, so I made the ending a happy one compared to the sadder version presented by the Mahabharata video. I think fraternities often get a bad wrap and of course in some cases it may be true, but obviously it is not at all what some make it out to be and that is why I did not want to create a sad ending.

Reading Diary B: Mahabharata Film Continued

This week I continue my epic journey as I come to better understand the Mahabharata. As I end the part of the film I am watching I have stated to think back to how much I actually learned while watching the film, not to mention that as a movie lover, I think the Mahabharata film really gave me another view of the Mahabharata that I otherwise would not have gotten from readings. Just like with the Ramayana, I feel the film was better able to help me understand the Indian Epic.

Son of Bhima and a Raksasi from the Mahabharata Pt. 2

Last reading we left off with Yuddhishthira losing everything in a gambling match. Now the Pandavas and Draupadi are forced into a long exile. The exile scene was not as long and drawn out as it was in the written PDE of the Mahabharata, but I still felt the essence of a long period. Closing in on the end of their exile, the Pandava brothers obtained weapons and so did their foes.


I was very happy to have the opportunity to watch this movie. I am excited to see if there will be other movies in the future. I really liked this film and I think I might end up watching the rest of it anyways, even though it is super long... I guess that would be the Epic Part.

Reading Diary A Week 7: Mahabharata Online Video

Telling of the Mahabharata (YouTube Screenshot)

For this weeks readings I have chosen to watch the Mahabharata Online Movie found here. I chose this movie because after watching the Ramayana Video last go around I found that it really helped me understand the epic. In the public domain version of the readings I was lost when reading the text sometimes. Unlike the Ramayana, the Mahabharata had a lot of action and I was generally confused the length of the story. I enjoyed the YouTube version of Mahabharata and it help me understand the complexity that is the Mahabharata! I thought the movie really help develop the characters in my mind and overall I am glad I had the opportunity to watch it. My favorite part was the beginning when Ganesha agrees to write the story. I thought it was fun and whimsical. Something the Public Domain version of the Mahabharata was unable to provide for me. My next favorite part of the movie for Part A was when Yudisthira gambled away his family and kingdom. It was a very intense part of the movie and I think it added a lot of depth missing from the PDE of Mahabharata. I am really glad I was able to watch this movie and I am looking forward to Part B of this movie!

Week 6 Review

For this weeks review I wanted to mention the Sunday, October 4th’s Course Announcement. I found this post to particularly interesting because this summer I was able to spend a couple of weeks in Israel. The country has a large Jewish population, but I did not know about the Sukkot Jewish holiday. I love learning new things about Israel!

Sukkot Image from Course Announcements