Journal - 2/28/13

Journal - How productive were you over your snow days? What did you do? Tell me about it.

Honestly, my snow days were not productive at all. from Sunday to Tuesday, I was suffering from a fever that caused me great exhaustion. So, I was bedridden most of the week and didn't really spend much of the break productively. Personally, I found most of the break dull and uneventful. Ironic isn't it.

Journal - 2/19/13

Journal - Look at http://www.good.is/infographics, http://www.coolinfographics.com/, andhttp://www.infographicsshowcase.com/. What are some qualities of infographics? What do good infographics have in common? Explain.

Infographics are graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge meant to present information more clearly. Their qualities usually include features that attract some people that normally wouldn't be interested in the subject. These features tend to warrant a person's attention, no matter the subject. Many infographics I've seen have also had step-by-step ladder-like instructions that detail the subject. Not all infographics are the same, but the one thing they share is their need to inform readers of their topics.

Journal - 2/14/13

Journal - List out your top 10 favorite movies. Then go look at your classmates blogs to see their favorite movies.

1. The Avengers (2012)
2. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
3. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
4. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
5. The Dark Knight (2008)
6. The Evil Dead (1981)
7. Aliens (1986)
8. X2: X-Men United (2003)
9. King Kong (1933)
10. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Journal - 2/12/13

Journal - What are your thoughts and feelings on sharing and collaborating using Google Drive? Easy to use? Hard to use? Fun? Frustrating? Like? Dislike? Can you see yourself using Google Drive in the future? Explain.

My feelings towards Google Drive is mixed. I don't mind sharing some collaborations with others, but if I hardly even know the collaborator, then there's a problem. The whole Google Drive thing isn't hard to use after you've actually learned how to use it. I wouldn't really call it fun, but it's not stupid either. It's alright for business or work purposes, so if I were to use it again in the future, it would probably be for those purposes.

Journal - 2/8/13

Journal - Think of a class assignment or project (from any class) that you have used collaboration. What was it? How did you collaborate? How did you benefit from collaboration either personally or academically?

The last project that I collaborated on was a science related project where the group was required to collect insects and then put them on display as sort of a museum-esque exhibit. The project, in my opinion, required collaboration because there were moments where it would require combined effort to complete. I did benefit from this because through combined minds and ideals, the project looked as though it had been done by a mind higher than that of a high school student's. This wasn't the only collaborated project I've done, but it is a nice example.

Journal - 2/7/13

Journal - How did you choose to breakdown your 5 paragraphs of information for your essay? You need an introduction and a conclusion but what are your middle three paragraphs about? Have you found your outline helpful? Why or why not?
My middle three paragraphs detail the effects that my topic have on the public. They discuss how said topic impacts the people in negative or positive ways. My outline has been helpful because the information I've gathered is told from the perspective of different sources, thereby allowing me to deal with different topics that still relate to the global issue.

Journal - 2/5/13

Journal - What makes a good introduction paragraph to an essay or paper? Hint - review the 6 Trait Writing rubric for help.

If you really want to make a good introduction paragraph, you can't use simple phrases like "For starts", "On the topic of", or "One day", because it seems awfully unprofessional. Also, you shouldn't refer to yourself as I so many times, if not any, as that may direct the reader's attention away from the main subject.

Journal - 2/4/13

Journal - What is collaboration? What are the pros of collaboration? What are the cons of collaboration? How do you use collaboration in your digital life? When is there a time in your life that you would not want to use collaboration?

Collaberation, in my opinion, is a project or work that includes combined effort from more than a single person.

Journal 2/1/13

Journal - Why is it important to create an outline before writing a paper? What web tool did you choose to start building your outline in? How would you evaluate the tool? Easy to use, difficult, fun, pretty looking, etc.

It's important to create an outline before writing a paper because if you were to go straight to the paper, you are likely to make several typing or grammatical errors. The outline would allow you to look back on your work and check for any mistakes so that the final draft is perfect once you turn it in. The wed tool I decided to use for my outline was Text2MindMap. The reason for this is because, after I checked over all three options, I found that Text2MindMap was simpler to do and required less step-by-step process than the other two options. It is easy to use, and is hardly difficult if you are smart enough to know how to use it. I guess I could also count it as fun, but I'm not about to get all sentimental on the subject.