Reading Notes: Anthology

While reading through stories, I selected two that stood out to me the most. The first story, The Supernatural, was very interesting. Indian folk tales that include ghosts seem to have a twist or surprise at the end, and sometimes they include teaching a lesson. In this case, it states that whatever the ghost said would happen ended up happening, and that's why people always believe what ghosts say. I liked this story enough, but if I were to change it in any way I would make it more suspenseful or scary. When I read ghost stories, I almost expect it to be shocking in some way.

The other story I enjoyed reading was the Fairy Tale: Beauty and the Basilisk. The story as a whole  relates to Disney's Beauty and the Beast, but it is still distinct enough for the reader to not know exactly what will happen next. The "Beast" is a different kind of beast known as a basilisk. I think that is the biggest difference in the two tales. I would change this story in a way that the daughter, who ends up marrying the Basilisk, would not be willing to marrying him so easily. She seems to go with the flow in the entirety of the story, which isn't what you would expect. In the end it works out because the basilisk is actually a handsome man with a palace, but she didn't know that before.

Legendary Creature Basilisk

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Reading Options

Browsing through the UnTextbook leads to seemingly endless stories. There were many units that I explored and some that I hope to look deeper into as the semester progresses. The first unit that I decided to check out was the Alice in Wonderland unit. The story itself is one of my favorites, so it was no surprise that it was first on my list. I think this will easily be one of my favorite units.

Alice in Wonderland 

Source: Wikimedia Commons

The next unit I looked at was the Indian Fairy Tales unit. This one was selected at random, but I was pleasantly surprised. I think I will find some interesting stories in this unit sometime soon.
Lastly, I chose to explore the Native American Hero Tales. I chose this one because I've heard many Native American folk tales and I wondered if I would come across any that I've heard before. In my short exploration I didn't find any familiar tales, but I know in the future I will be looking more in depth at the stories. The possibilities are endless. These are a few units that sound interesting to me, but I would also like to look at some stories that I wouldn't normally choose to read. I want to look at a broad range of very different stories before the semester is over.

Time Strategies

One of the hardest lessons to learn transitioning from high school to college was time management. For one thing, I didn't realize how much time was actually needed to study and prepare in college, and that definitely showed in my grades the first semester. Another thing I realized was how easy it was to procrastinate and how often I found myself doing it. Although I've learned how harmful it can be when I have a busy schedule with class and work, I still catch myself procrastinating every now and then.

Time management is the best way to defeat procrastination. Setting aside time to get things done and actually going through with it are what saved my grades from then on out. The articles  How to Beat Procrastination by Caroline Webb and Realistic Study Plans by Amanda Collins were both great reads for advice on time management. Procrastination is hard to overcome sometimes, but Webb had great points such as to visualize how great it will be to be done and to identify the first step. Collins had advice for making a weekly study planner, which is something I now want to do each week. I never have the same week seeing as my work schedule is not the same each week. So, the days and times I set aside for homework and studying vary greatly each week. By making a set schedule each Sunday, it can ensure that I get everything done on time for the week. Keeping both articles in mind will hopefully help keep me on track this semester!

Procrastinator problems

Source: Pinterest

Technology

Being able to use and understand technology is always a good skill to have. In my college experience so far, I have used technology quite frequently. In this class, I believe I will use it more often and also learn new things about different technology tools. The online environment of this class is different than what I've experienced with other classes. I use the internet a great deal, but I only use basic, everyday tools. Just in this first week of class, I've already learned new technology tools. I would really like to work on all of my web skills this semester because I feel that I only know and utilize the bare minimum. I hope to broaden my knowledge of using different tools because I know it will be beneficial in college as well as life after that.

Cat and technology meme

Source: Pinterest

Class Assignments

The assignments for this class seem to be a bit different than what I am used to; However, I'm excited to try something new! I think the project that will be worked on all semester will be very interesting, and I'm ready to see how it progresses. I also think the comments and input from other students will be very useful. I like that we have extra credit opportunities in this class which gives us the ability to finish the class early. The famous last words extra credit assignment caught my attention because I think it would be fun to basically write in a "class diary" for once. Another interesting extra credit assignment was the tech tips assignment. I would like to learn new things to help improve my blog.

Kevin Hart extra credit meme

Source: memeshappen.com

Growth Mindset

Carol Dweck states that, "In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point." I, personally, have never heard of Dweck or her idea of the growth mindset; However, I believe that the idea itself is a great way to look at challenges or problems in any aspect of life. I learned about the growth mindset idea by watching videos and reading different articles.

Applying the growth mindset to my life would be very beneficial. Many times when I encounter problems, I think about failure, compare myself to others, find someone who did worse at a task to make me feel better,  etc. I could change my mindset from thinking that I didn't fail or struggle, to the fact that I'm just not there yet. Yes, I didn't accomplish what I planned, but I still have room for improvement to be at that point later.

My biggest problem at OU was adjusting to a different style of learning. In high school, you learn to read and memorize. College is more of applying what you learn to situations. My struggle here with learning new things, was that it seemed to take a very long time to actually adjust and it was hard to be patient.

Some personal learning goals that I have for this semester are to stay on top of all my readings and homework, to get started early on homework to attempt to eliminate some stress, and to improve my GPA as much as possible. I think the growth mindset could help achieve all of these goals by allowing me to stay positive.

Growth mindset meme

Source: growthmindsetmemes,blogspot.com

Introduction to a Future Public Relations Practitioner

Hi everyone! My name is McKenna Roberts and I'm a junior at the University of Oklahoma. I'm majoring in public relations and minoring in enterprise studies. My favorite thing about my major is the fact that it has a very broad range of opportunities for me to choose from in the future when I decide to pick a career or area to focus on. As of right now, my most important goal is to graduate on time in the spring of 2019. For my career, I hope to find a job that best fits my interests. I would like to possibly work for a sports team, fashion PR firm, or any public relations job that allows me to travel.

My favorite pet that I have had is my sister's dog, Trixie, who is a thirteen-year-old Shih Tzu. She has been in my life for over half of my life.

(Image information: personal photo of my sister's dog Trixie;

Photo from October 2016.)

(Image information: personal photos of my sister's dog Trixie;

photo from May 2016)

When I'm not at school, you can usually find me at my job, which is a restaurant in Norman. I have worked as a server for three years and it's been the best job in various ways. I've met many wonderful  people and formed great friendships. Aside from that, in my free time I love to spend time with my family, my boyfriend, and my friends. Whether it's going to the movies, concerts, the lake, any sports events, or just hanging out at home, I love spending time with all of them. 

Speaking of concerts, my favorite concerts to attend are country music concerts. I like red dirt and Texas country. I've met my favorite artist, Aaron Watson, a couple of times and I've been to quite a few of his concerts.

My favorite food is Italian food. Specifically, I love chicken alfredo and chicken parmesan the most. My favorite restaurant in Norman is BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse. My friends and I love to meet up there when college gets stressful to take a little break.

That's just about all the interesting things about my life right now, but I can't wait to keep updating my blog!

Storybook Favorites

Of all the stories I browsed through, my top three stories all had one thing in common: they were familiar and relatable to me in one way or another.

The first story book I came across caught my attention very easily. The storybook, titled Hotel California, immediately reminded me of the famous Eagles song. Listening to the song makes you wonder what story is actually being told because it can be interpreted in many ways. For me, the title and introduction influenced me to continue reading the story. It came across as familiar but also intriguing. I like the overall layout and design because it makes it possible to easily navigate and continue reading the story without confusion. The addition of the photo below was a perfect part to the story by giving a good mental picture of one of the characters.

Image Information: Christina Hendricks. Source: Curvy Swervy Dames.

The next story I explored was titled High School Gods. I selected this story at random, but I was glad that I read it. First, the title and introduction caught my attention because the writer combined an old and new concept together, making a story about the Gods more relatable as well as interesting. The layout is easily navigable. The design is simple and very well structured, which is something I would like to keep in mind for my future projects. 

My final favorite story is titled College of the Elite. I chose this story because I like to read stories about similar things going on in my life, such as college in this case. The title and introduction again grabbed my attention from the start due to familiarity. I was not too familiar with the creatures mentioned in the story, but the idea of creatures attending a university was interesting enough to keep me reading. I liked how the creatures seemed to be like your average everyday college student. The layout and design is simple to follow, and the story develops through each tab on the blog. 

Maui, Hawaii: My Favorite Place

Maui, Hawaii.  I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Maui last Christmas break. I expected an unforgettable trip, and that's exactly what I got. It was the most beautiful place! I spent 11 relaxing, exhilarating, and adventurous days doing all different kinds of activities. I would read by the pool or beach, meet the locals and other tourists around town, and I was even taught how to surf by a couple of professional surfers! Best part of the trip? The beach, of course. It was beautiful any time of day.

(Sunset in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii:

Wikimedia Commons)

first blog post

first blog post test for Myth-Folklore