The end of My first year

This has been a very interesting first year of grad school. I must say that going back to school was not as hard as I thought it would be. It seems now I am able to get more work done than I did when I was undergrad and I have have come up with five reasons why this year went by so smooth:

1. I got rid of all unnecessary stress (boys...)
2. I made a plan to get homework/ projects done and stuck too it
3. I said NO to going out when I knew my work was not done
4. I realized that I am the only one that can control my destiny
5. Working out gives me energy

I know what you are thinking, what a profound list! These may seem a little silly but for me personally they are my truths and have helped me get through this first year. I know I still have a few things to work on but I am more encouraged going into my second year.

My final project

Finding your "Why"

                                 

 This semester both of my classes required me to write a reflective essay after each project to describe my creative process, examine who my intended audience was and how I used my peer feedback. I must admit that this was my least favorite part of this semester, after completing a project the last thing I wanted to do was write an essay on why I completed the project. I now understand that the "why" is much more important than the project itself. What good is any project if there is no reasoning or goal behind it? I have heard my trainer talk about his "why" and it has finally clicked for me. The why in life is very important is give you a reason to take certain steps and make sacrifices.

 In terms of school, I have realized that I am very intrigued with all aspects of social media and would like to explore it more. Just a few days ago I found a paper from my freshman year in undergrad about social media. I am glad that I have kept this, I have decided it will be a key tool that I use to construct my thesis. In addition, I am also gaining a deeper understanding and connection with the IDT program. I never thought that I would say these words but I am excited to start summer school so I can learn more. I definitely say that I am getting my monies worth in graduate school.

Proud of My Work

I have worked so hard on my projects this semester. I wanted to share a few of my most proud moments for you to take a look at. I know you may not know what some of the topics are but I hope my digital narratives class has paid off and my audience will take away some knowledge.

 






 As you can see I really like Prezi. I would not mind exploring some certification courses to teach how to properly use this tool.

A hard lesson to learn

When I was younger I loved to read and write. I was always praised by my teachers for my writing skills. I think this praise went to my head too soon because now, I feel like my writing skills are now sub-par. I have lost my touch, the combination of grad school and being a site merchandiser has revealed why. The answer is simply lack of reading.

Most of my strong vocabulary and ability to write so passionately came from reading various genres of books and romanced by the authors words. it inspired me to create a story that was equally as impressive. So I am making a new goal for myself, I am going to read a book a month from the New York Times Bestseller List, I know that it changes but it will give me an idea of where I should start. I will also start using my tablet as an e-reader. I don't have space to create a library so having digital copies will help with traveling with a book and of course saving space.

If you have any suggestions on books that I should read, leave it in the comments below.As always I will chart my journey and let you know if my theory works!

Tools

In both f my classes this semester, I have been introduced to tools that I have never heard of. It has been a very fun and interesting experience to try them all out. Below are my thoughts.

1. Prezi- I really love this presentation tool. It takes a simple PowerPoint and brings it to life without too much extra fluff. I can see myself using this in a work setting to present to a group.

2. Storyboard- I am not a huge fan of this tool, but I think this may be due to my lack of training. I personally do not see how I could use this any capacity except for a comical animated short.

3. Animoto- I really like this tool and could see how it can be used for marketing purposes. I created a video about my best friends and everyone that saw it absolutely loved it. This tool allowed me to touch the audiences emotions. Check it out!

Work + Gym =Homework?

As my first year of grad school is coming to an end, I want to reflect on the journey so far.

When I began in August, i have to be honest that I really had no plan or method on balancing work and school. As time went on I found it was easier if I had a partner, lucky for me my best friend is also in school and we often met to do our homework together. Unfortunately towards the end of the semester thing started picking up at work, as some of you may know holiday time is very busy for any retailer. Due to this I started to neglecting my school work and as a result I took my grades from A's to B's.

This semester started off quite differently, I began working out like crazy, I even got a trainer! I thought for sure I would not be able to keep up with my work but the opposite happened, after my workouts, I had so much energy that I was able to get my homework/projects done. I have now committed my days to certain task, of course I am not perfect and I have days that I would rather sit or sleep but I can see the effects on my grades. I am missing less assignments so far I have received an A on all of my projects. The number one thing that I notice is, i am learning. I can finally see the point on all of these projects that I do. So much so that I decided starting this summer all the projects I do will be related and information that I can use to create my thesis.

All in all grad school is not hard but it not easier either, it truly is what you make of it. I am proud of myself for taking this journey and I hope that it pays in my future!