Class Contributions: Reflections & Ripples
Hello all, it’s been such a pleasure learning with you! If you have learned from me even half of what I learned from Dr. Katia and you…well, class time (and weekends) well spent! Honestly, it felt really awkward writing about my contributions to the class, and the abundance of screenshots became an eyesore on this…
Final Update: Learning Project: Imperfectly Perfect
When I chose to revisit my children’s story, David’s Imperfectly Perfect Creations, for my learning project, I had no idea how far I’d go – or how deeply I’d fall back in love with writing. Unlike other goals that hinge on tangible success, this project was more about the journey than the destination, although my publishing…
Summary of Learning: Portals & Pages: Choose Your Own Adventure
For my final learning project, I wanted to create something that reflected the creative freedom of this course and the personal journey I’ve taken writing a children’s storybook. A “Choose Your Own Adventure” format felt very on theme. From the open-ended blog structure, the non-linear learning, and my learning project explorations, the interactive narrative format…
Stop the Scroll: Navigating the Grey Zone of Social Media Activism
Social media exists quite solidly in a grey zone for me. From love to hate and somewhere in between, my Facebook relationship status with social media would read: it’s complicated. Cute cat videos and online ceasefire petitions fall under “loves”; Incel “free” speech spaces and slacktivist black squares reside solidly in my “loathe entirely” category. By…
Learning Project Update 10: Take 2: Reclaiming My Voice
For context, last week I explored some new-to-me AI platforms to showcase my query letter to potential publishers. Things… did not go well. Bogged down by paywall after paywall, I finally settled on Lumen5 to create a query letter tutorial video. The platform contains a user-friendly interface and impressive creative features; however, its hyperactive AI…
HMH Writable: AI Devil in Disguise or ELA Godsend?
Ironically, after my AI fatigue the last two weeks, we were tasked with exploring AI classroom tools this week. So, I dusted myself off and stepped into the role of a student inside an HMH Writable demo classroom. With a jaded mind, I wondered how this (totally unknown to me) AI-powered platform could support student…
Learning Project Update 9: Paywall Fatigue and AI Doldrums
While working on my learning project last week, I fell down the AI content creation rabbit hole. Crafting my query letter to publishers, I thought I had clawed my way back out. I was wrong. But I’m getting ahead of myself… as usual. My Week: Trying to (Digitally) Reinvent the Wheel After two and a…
Learning Project Update 8: Down the Rabbit Hole of AI Powered Content Creation & Publishing
Whew, what a whirlwind week! My brain has been all over the place and back again. To focus myself (for a second), my first goal was to complete my manuscript with feedback from my in-person and online community. Done! Second goal: Research Canadian publishers that fit my story. Also done quickly, giving me too much…
Beyond “Free”: A Critical Look at Coursera and OERs
Picture it: April 2020, roughly one month into our unprecedented global lockdown. Our heroine (ahem, me – it’s my story, so I get to be the protagonist) is going stir-crazy. Her then-undiagnosed ADHD flaring wildly, causing her to sometimes bounce off her home’s four walls. Anything for distraction, stimulation- Tiger King, Dr. Brené Brown podcasts,…
Learning Project Update 7: Scaffolding a Traditional Publishing Path
To recap, I focused on self-publishing options in my last post. Learning more about choices like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) and IngramSpark was eye-opening; I had never seriously considered this route before, but I am now. And, to reiterate my original plan… well, I didn’t really have a plan past this point! I’ve said it before…