Review of Discord:

 

I enjoyed using Discord. It was an easily accessible app that I could use on both my laptop and my iPhone. I also had my notifications on Discord on my phone. This way, I could see if there was anything important being discussed or shared. Anytime I had questions or concerns, I was able to check if the question had been asked. Often, the question I was going to ask was answered! 

The screenshot to the right shows how the discord was very easily organized into sections as well. There are different channels regarding the different signs you may want to ask or share with the class. The Q&A section was very helpful because I could easily see questions shared with the class and the answers my peers came up with. This helped me out many times. Sometimes I didn’t even know I wanted to ask those questions until I saw it on Discord. The introductions section is where all of the students gave a quick introduction about themselves at the start of the semester. This was a great way for everyone to introduce themselves and get to know each other better! Another channel was dedicated to resource sharing. I enjoyed this section because my peers and I would have conversations about various topics related to technology and things happening around the world. The last channel is instructor announcements. This wasn’t used often, but our professor Katia Hildebrandt did use it as a reminder for the due date of the final assignment. This was great because many of us were wondering about the due date in the Q&A channel so our professor just confirmed the due date easily!

Here is how I contributed to Discord throughout the semester:

• September 10, 2024

 

• September 26, 2024

• November 7, 2024

• December 2, 2024

Replying to Comments on my Blog Posts:

Another one of the large contributions to contributing to the learning of others was replying to people’s comments under my blog posts. Since my learning project was cooking, many people would comment sharing their thoughts on the food I made, if they made it before, or if they wanted to try it. The majority of my replies to the comments were to try and encourage people to try making the food I made. I also would reply or offer insight based on their comment. I enjoyed reading people’s comments on my blog because it let me know if there was something I should improve on or continue doing. For example, some people enjoyed it when I had the step-by-step process of making something. I often continued doing this in my other blog posts because it was clear to understand the steps. Also, if my readers wanted to try out the recipe for themselves then they were welcome to! I also had my recipe linked in my post so they could see the recipe I followed for my creation. 

Here is how I contributed by replying to comments throughout the semester:

September 30, 2024:

• Replied to Chassidy Under “Birra Tacos Post”: Thank you! I am glad other people enjoy using TikTok for cooking ideas as well! I created a saved folder for Cooking and Baking so if I find videos and recipes I think I would enjoy I can save them to there! It makes it a lot easier to find the video for later!
• Replied to Alyssa Mozel Under  “Birra Tacos Post”: Thanks Alyssa! You should try them, they are so good! 100% recommend! This recipe was fairly easy as well and you can modify it to meet you needs like I did!
• Replied to Morgan Huber Under “Birra Tacos Post”: Thank you, Morgan! I love going to Leo’s too! It is such a cool restaurant and bar. My sister and I love trying out the weekly and monthly featured menu items like the birra tacos! I recommend following their Instagram if you don’t already as they post all of their featured items! You should try making the tacos if you are a taco lover like me lol! They are so good!
• Replied to Caitlyn Hartman  “Birra Tacos Post”: You should try the recipe out 100%! Thank you, Caitlyn!

October 20, 2024:

• Replied to Alyssa Mozel Under “Fettuccine Alfredo!”: Thank you, Alyssa! It was delicious and I recommend you try making it sometime!

December 4, 2024:

• Replied to Jerome D Schmeiser on “Choc Cream Cheese Cupcakes”: “ Okay, glad I’m not the only one who didn’t enjoy using TikTok. It would be good if it didn’t glitch out on me!”
• Replied to Alyssa Mozel on the “Pinwheels” post: “Yes it was very easy! I recommend you try making it! Happy birthday to your Dad!”
• Replied to Elyse Woodard on the “Pinwheels” post: “ Yes, they are so good! I will try making them more often. They are great to pack for lunches and as a snack. I hope you try it out sometime.”
• Replied to Kade Aseltine on “Shakshouka”: “You should try making Shakshouka! It was so easy and delicious. :)”
• Replied to Fathimunisa Farook on “Grinder Sandwich”:  “You should try making it at home! I have never been able to replicate Subway sandwiches, but this one beats them!”

Commenting on Others Blog Posts:

In addition to replying to comments on my blog posts, I also commented on my peers’ blog posts as well throughout the semester. I really enjoyed reading a variety of my other classmates’ blog posts and learning projects! It was really interesting to see all of the different things people wanted to learn more about! Furthermore, I also got to see a variety of different resources used in other people’s learning projects. Many people uploaded videos to YouTube like me, but they used different editing programs than I used. Some learning projects from my classmates I got to make connections to my life and experiences. It was nice seeing everyone’s blogs because everyone looked different and not a singular one was the same. It was interesting to see how people’s layouts, themes, and images differed between people. In addition, it was also interesting to see how people displayed the information they found in their blog posts. People included images, videos, descriptions, links, and more! 

Here is how I contributed by making comments throughout the semester:

Sept 30, 2024

• Commented on Alyssa Mozel “What is Crocheting?” Post: This looks like such a fun project! I have always thought that people who crochet are so talented! It looks like you have a good plan to start crocheting! I am excited to see what you will make. I can’t wait to see your learning grow and your creativity flow! Thanks!
• Commented on Kenzie Behrn’s “Back to Basics” Post: Hi Kenzie! I love the song Piano Man by Billy Joel! Great song choice especially for the learning project! The app that you used sounds cool and a great use of technology. Although I do not know how to play an instrument, I have a great amount of respect for people who do! This is amazing that you are trying to re-learn something. I am excited to see your progress throughout the semester. Thanks!
• Commented on Robin Kinnee’s “Canning for Dummies: How to preserve food without losing your mind (or your lunch)”: Wow, Robin, this is a great idea! As someone who just started our garden this summer at my new home with my family, this is something I could also benefit from! Although we didn’t get as many vegetables as we would like this year so we could pickle or can like you, I think that this could be beneficial for my family in the future as well! I love pickled foods too! I think it is good to share that the first attempt didn’t work out as planned! There is always room for growth and learning especially when we first start to learn something. It is all a part of the learning process. Thanks for sharing. I am excited to follow your journey throughout the semester!

Oct 20

• Commented on Alyssa Mozel’s blog ”Trouble with the Trebles”: Hi Alyssa! I really enjoyed reading your post! I can clearly tell what you have learned and what you want to try to improve on as well! It looks very good! Great job!
• Commented on Kenzie Behrn’s “Splicing an Intro”: Wow Kenzie, such a good job! I have also used iMovie and enjoyed it. I used it for this class and other classes before. I love this song as well! Thanks for sharing!
• Commented on Robin Kinnee’s Week 3 postt “My Sweet Second Shot of…… Preserving – Strawberry Jam and Sundae in a Jar” “: Hi Robin, I enjoyed learning about the canning process in this blog post! I love strawberry jam and now I am craving it! These skills that you are learning you will be able to use for the rest of your life. This would be very beneficial depending on people’s financial situation, diets, gardening, weather restrictions, and more! Thanks.

Oct 31:

• Commented on Alyssa Mozel’s blog “Plushie Fundamentals 101”: “Hi Alyssa! I love your rose. I like how you add photos and a video so we can see how it progresses into a rose. I also have a cat named Cookie, so I enjoyed the photo at the end! They look very pretty :)”
• Commented on Aime Sutton’s post on Oct 29 “Using A Netflix Show to Learn French?” : “Hey Amie! I have heard about this show on Netflix. I think this is such a fun and interesting way to learn French! This is probably a lot more beneficial than trying to learn from a boring YouTube video! I also agree that trying to learn a new language is very humbling! I took a French class in university in my first year and was very frustrated.”
• Commented on Jerome’s Oct 28 post ”Transplant Attempt”: “Hey Jerome! This is so cool and interesting. I can see that this is going to be the future of agriculture. My sister is in agriculture at the University of Saskatchewan for crop science and she has told me all about these! Even though this is probably expensive to buy at first, you would probably save money in the long run by not having t get groceries from the store. It is also nice seeing your plants grow and eventually getting to eat it! Thanks!”

November 3:

• Commented on Caitlyn Hartman’s Oct 29 post “Important Questions to Learn”: Hello Caitlyn! I am very impressed that you are learning about ASL. I liked that you have the YouTube videos for each question you learned! I also like how you pointed out to make sure you are still having facial expressions! I found that interesting. I think the questions you choose are great ways to begin communicating! Thanks!
• Commented on Elyse Woodards Nov 2 post “Completing Half of the Chorus”: Hello Elyse! I have also used iMovie to help document my learning project and enjoyed it as well! I love the song Vampire by Olivia Rodrigo as well! Great video! 
• Commented on Robin Kinnee’s nov 1 post “Just Beet It: Carrot-ing On with My Pickling Adventures!”: “ Hello Robin! I love pickle foods, especially pickled carrots! I love the steps and pictures you included in your post! Your title also engaged me right away and made me click more to find out! I can only imagine what your kitchen looked like after pickling the beets LOL! Thanks!

November 16:

• Commented on Cale Kindrachuk’s “Sweet Potato Soup” post: “Wow! This looks so good! I am also doing cooking for my learning project. I am a huge fan of soups, especially in the fall and winter! This recipe looks so yummy, healthy, and colourful! Thanks for sharing.”
• Commented on Carlos Martienz Nov 12 Post “Taking a break from the regular braiding practice”: “Hello Carlos! I have long hair and still struggle to braid my hair. I have a very basic understanding of braiding, but my braids often don’t come out the way I want. I agree with you saying that it is hard to keep the hair strands separated while braiding! I also struggle with braiding on myself because I can’t really see what I am doing! Keep up the good work!”
• Commented on Alyssa Mozel’s November 11 post “Hey! Bum, Bum, Bum. Got Any Grapes?”: “Oh my gosh! This is so cute and you are so talented! Also, I love that photo of your cat with the plushie! It is a \perfect size for him. So cute!”

Dec 3:

• Commented on Jerome’s Nov 25 Post “Strawberry-Aid”: “Hey Jerome! I think it has been a while since I first commented on your learning project post! It is so crazy to see how the plants have grown. It is interesting to see how the transplanted strawberries from outside will turn out!”
• Commented on Alyssa Mozel’s Dec 3 post “Half-Finished Gifts”: “Wow Alyssa! All of these are so cute! You could start a side hustle making these. I love the picture of your cat with the sweater on. I also have a cat who recently got shaved and he would love this cute sweater with this cold winter weather!”
• Commented on Caitlyn Hartman’s Nov 27 post “Starting a conversation”: “I have not used Cap Cut yet as a video editor. I am glad to hear you enjoyed using it. Maybe in the future I will also try out this app as well to document myself. It is also interesting to hear how even though you are speaking in ASL it is still important to use facial expressions!”
• Commented on Kacey Duchak’s Dec 4 post “That’s a Wrap”: “I also avoid wrapping gifts and always opt for gift bags lol! Whenever I try wrapping gifts it always ends up looking messy so I end up just putting it in a bag anyway. I will try to put more attention and care into gift wrapping like you suggested. Thanks!”