A couple days ago while I was looking for information about "Trendy house plants", I can't help but be attracted by the split-leaf philodendron (Monstera Deliciosa). Its striking heart-shaped foliage reminds me of the snowflakes we all made in elementary school by folding the paper and cutting. Immediately, I found myself searching more information about Monstera Deliciosa. The word “monstera” in Latin also refers to the meaning “abnormal”, and really the plant looks very unusual thanks to the

A couple days ago while I was looking for information about "Trendy house plants", I can't help but be attracted by the split-leaf philodendron (Monstera Deliciosa). Its striking heart-shaped foliage reminds me of the snowflakes we all made in elementary school by folding the paper and cutting. Immediately, I found myself searching more information about Monstera Deliciosa. The word “monstera” in Latin also refers to the meaning “abnormal”, and really the plant looks very unusual thanks to the

This week we read Chapter 8 of A new literacies sampler:Looking from the Inside Out: Academic Blogging as New Literacy by Julia Davies and Guy Merchant. This chapter is mainly focused on exploring how and why blogging becomes one of the important forms of new literacy. What makes this paper special is the two authors, Davis and Merchant, are both "the subject and the object" of the research. They introduced the practice of blog from the "insider' point of view and the vivid examples from their

This week there was an abrupt assignment switch from audio to video. Even though Lisa has "warned" us in her blog that making a video could be hair-pulling and stressful, I did not expect it would actually taken a good couple hours to complete the task. Before my video assignment's completion, I had several unexpected detours, for example, recording the video could be tricky when my only helper was my five years old daughter. Adding subtitle and background music on the video was also challenging

This week there was an abrupt assignment switch from audio to video. Even though Lisa has "warned" us in her blog that making a video could be hair-pulling and stressful, I did not expect it would actually taken a good couple hours to complete the task. Before my video assignment's completion, I had several unexpected detours, for example, recording the video could be tricky when my only helper was my five years old daughter. Adding subtitle and background music on the video was also challenging

This week’s I read Lankshear and Knobel (2008) Ch1:DIY Media: A Contextual Background and Some Contemporary Themes. In this chapter Lankshear & Knobel discussed  the topic of the history of DIY and its current applications. The authors has also addressed thoroughly on the four aspects that the DIY media has impacted in today's world:identity, participation, resource mobilization and learning.Some part of the chapter is abstract for me to understand. Asking question and reading other people's

This week’s I read Lankshear and Knobel (2008) Ch1:DIY Media: A Contextual Background and Some Contemporary Themes. In this chapter Lankshear & Knobel discussed  the topic of the history of DIY and its current applications. The authors has also addressed thoroughly on the four aspects that the DIY media has impacted in today's world:identity, participation, resource mobilization and learning.Some part of the chapter is abstract for me to understand. Asking question and reading other people's

I have to admit among all the tasks of this week, the video assignment is toughest one to handle.I am glad I was able to pull it off after 3 hours struggling. Here is how I made this video.First, I went over the video assignment list on ds106.us. Quickly I spotted one assignment called" My Favorite Thing To Do". The assignment requirement is pretty straight forward. I thought it would be a perfect task since I can easily associate this topic with my focal theme.I asked my daughter to record a

I have to admit among all the tasks of this week, the video assignment is toughest one to handle.I am glad I was able to pull it off after 3 hours struggling. Here is how I made this video.First, I went over the video assignment list on ds106.us. Quickly I spotted one assignment called" My Favorite Thing To Do". The assignment requirement is pretty straight forward. I thought it would be a perfect task since I can easily associate this topic with my focal theme.I asked my daughter to record a

Two weeks ago, I bought two cucumber plants from Home Depot and planted them in my garden. I watered them daily and they grew like a champ. Just after two weeks, the plants have climbed up on top of the 4-feet trellis and the leaves are giant! I wanted to know more about growing cucumbers, like, how to make the plant produce more fruits than leaves? I did some research and found this video on Youtube: How to Prune Your Cucumber Plant. I followed the instructions of this video and successfully

Two weeks ago, I bought two cucumber plants from Home Depot and planted them in my garden. I watered them daily and they grew like a champ. Just after two weeks, the plants have climbed up on top of the 4-feet trellis and the leaves are giant! I wanted to know more about growing cucumbers, like, how to make the plant produce more fruits than leaves? I did some research and found this video on Youtube: How to Prune Your Cucumber Plant. I followed the instructions of this video and successfully

Learning with Digital Stories, week 2! Am I the only person feeling this week(and last week) went by so fast that it feels like only four days instead of seven? After the challenging first week, I was more prepared in the week 2 activities, even though they are still dazzling and lots to take in.  Making a to-do list on my calendar helped me on track of the class activities.  On Friday morning, I received the first verbal message from Remi. I was scared to open the file and listen to his

Learning with Digital Stories, week 2! Am I the only person feeling this week(and last week) went by so fast that it feels like only four days instead of seven? After the challenging first week, I was more prepared in the week 2 activities, even though they are still dazzling and lots to take in.  Making a to-do list on my calendar helped me on track of the class activities.  On Friday morning, I received the first verbal message from Remi. I was scared to open the file and listen to his

 For this week’s reading of Lankshear & Knobel Chapter 4:New Literacies and Social Learning Practices of Digital Remixing found myself intrigued, confused, and inspired by the concept of remixing. In this chapter Lankshear & Knobel discuss the topic of remixing and copyright. As I read the chapter, I began thinking about my experiences in my classroom observing my students  using media, gaming, and internet sharing. Lankshear & Knobel discuss the importance of remixing as a necessary condition

 For this week’s reading of Lankshear & Knobel Chapter 4:New Literacies and Social Learning Practices of Digital Remixing found myself intrigued, confused, and inspired by the concept of remixing. In this chapter Lankshear & Knobel discuss the topic of remixing and copyright. As I read the chapter, I began thinking about my experiences in my classroom observing my students  using media, gaming, and internet sharing. Lankshear & Knobel discuss the importance of remixing as a necessary condition

My focal theme is A Change from Black Thumb to Green Thumb. I like gardening, but sadly I have killed numbers of house plants in the past. This year, our family moved into our first house. When I am looking at the house pictures on Houzz.com to get ideas for home decoration, I can't help noticing that every gorgeous interior shot and all the legit designers have fiddle leaf figs. So I rushed into Home Depot to get a 3 foot one back. A couple months later I scored a 7 foot one at Pike nursery. I

My focal theme is A Change from Black Thumb to Green Thumb. I like gardening, but sadly I have killed numbers of house plants in the past. This year, our family moved into our first house. When I am looking at the house pictures on Houzz.com to get ideas for home decoration, I can't help noticing that every gorgeous interior shot and all the legit designers have fiddle leaf figs. So I rushed into Home Depot to get a 3 foot one back. A couple months later I scored a 7 foot one at Pike nursery. I

For this week's audio assignment, i want to share a beautiful songstory from a movie from 1980s, called” papa, can you hear me sing again.”  This songstory does not fit into my personal focal theme, but I just have to blog about it as I felt strong connection with this song and the lyrics made me think maybe it is time to plan for the future of my parents' elder life. The plot of movie is not particularly unusual.  Uncle Mute, is a rag-and-bone man struggling and living almost day-to-day,

For this week's audio assignment, I want to share a beautiful songstory from a movie from 1980s, called” papa, can you hear me sing again.”  This songstory does not fit into my personal focal theme, but I just have to blog about it as I felt strong connection with this song and the lyrics made me think maybe it is time to plan for the future of my parents' elder life. The plot of movie is not particularly unusual.  Uncle Mute, is a rag-and-bone man struggling and living almost day-to-day,

I made this poster to express how do I feel after the week 1 assignments werecompleted. I became a jogging last year and participated my first Half Marathon. To me, getting the first week homework donewas like running a Half Marathon. The hardest part is the beginning 3 miles. My heart rate is high, legs aregetting fatigue, I can hear my body is asking me to stop, for a just a little bit. But I knew, if I keep going, the discomfort would go away gradually, my body is going to adapt the new speed

I made this poster to express how do I feel after the week 1 assignments werecompleted. I became a jogging last year and participated my first Half Marathon. To me, getting the first week homework donewas like running a Half Marathon. The hardest part ...

Today I choose the poem from a ten-year-old boy with asperger's syndrome to finish the task from DS106. This poem reads:I am odd, I am newI wonder if you are tooI hear voices in the airI see you don’t, and that’s not fairI want to not feel blueI am odd, I am newI pretend that you are tooI feel like a boy in outer spaceI touch the stars and feel out of placeI worry what others might thinkI cry when people laugh, it makes me shrinkI am odd, I am newI understand now that so are youI say I “feel

Today I choose the poem from a ten-year-old boy with asperger's syndrome to finish the task from DS106. This poem reads:I am odd, I am newI wonder if you are tooI hear voices in the airI see you don’t, and that’s not fairI want to not feel blueI am odd, I am newI pretend that you are tooI feel like a boy in outer spaceI touch the stars and feel out of placeI worry what others might thinkI cry when people laugh, it makes me shrinkI am odd, I am newI understand now that so are youI say I “feel

I surfed quite a while on DS106 Visual Assignment before I made my choice: Fat Cat Makes Art Better. I feltrelated to this task because I havea cat as my pet for 5 years and she has been a great friend with my family. It would be fun to see what kind of effect thatphotoshop can create with a cat on an art.Thesewerethe steps that I completes the task:First, I Googled and downloadedthe famous artThe Scream,created by the Expressionistartist Edvard Munch.Then I Googled "scared cat" and this one

I surfed quite a while on DS106 Visual Assignment webpage before I made my choice: Fat Cat Makes Art Better. I feltrelated to this task because I have has a cat as my pet for 5 years and she has been a great friend with my family. It would be fun to se...

There are so much information for the Chapter one of New Literacies: Everyday Practices and Social Learning by Colin Lankshear and Michele Knobel that I took 3 days to finish reading it.There are certainly quite a few vocabulary that I have never heard of before, such as“folksonomy", "taxonomy" and "cyberspatial-postindustrial”. The process that I comprehend the new vocabulary exactly reflected one of the main concept for Chapter one: "Understanding literacies from a sociocultural perspective

There are so much information for the Chapter one of New Literacies: Everyday Practices and Social Learning by Colin Lankshear and Michele Knobel that I took 3 days to finish reading it.There are certainly quite a few vocabulary that I have never heard of before, such as“folksonomy", "taxonomy" and "cyberspatial-postindustrial”. The process that I comprehend the new vocabulary exactly reflected one of the main concept for Chapter one: "Understanding literacies from a sociocultural perspective

As part of the coursework in my Learning with Digital Stories class at theUniversity of Colorado Denver, I will produce a series of weekly critiques that examine and review a digital story.OverviewFor my first critique, I’ve chosen a digital story from Youtubetitled “Fowl Play - Simon's Cat”. Simon's Cat is an animated cartoon and book series by the British animator Simon Tofield featuring a hungry house cat who uses increasingly heavy-handed tactics to get its owner to feed it.I have used this

As part of the coursework in my Learning with Digital Stories class at theUniversity of Colorado Denver, I will produce a series of weekly critiques that examine and review a digital story.OverviewFor my first critique, I’ve chosen a digital story from Youtubetitled “Fowl Play - Simon's Cat”. Simon's Cat is an animated cartoon and book series by the British animator Simon Tofield featuring a hungry house cat who uses increasingly heavy-handed tactics to get its owner to feed it.I have used this