Steal Like an Artist & Show Your Work

Recently, someone suggested that I get and read the two books, Steal Like an Artist and Show Your Work, both by Austin Kleon.  These books have opened my eyes to a whole new possibility of expression!

Time to get started again!

I haven't written anything on this blog in almost a year - but have thought about it a lot!  I've even downloaded an app for my iPad to blog with (although I am currently typing on my laptop instead).

So, today, while checking my email. I found a diigo message linking me to Dear Students: Don't Let College Unplug Your Future written by my teacher from last year's DigiCiv class.  As always, his blog was well written and greatly linked to other wonderful works online.

My guess is that other students from our class last year have continued to blog while they are learning.  One of the requirements of that class was that we had to keep a blog - partly about ourselves, and partly about whatever we were studying that week.  I had several favorites that I loved to read - way too many to list here - but I admit that I haven't read any for way too long.  How do you choose which of the gazillians of great blogs in my favorites to read??  It has been overwhelming!  And then, how do I choose which of the flurry of my ideas to write about???  Oh well, instead I will waste time looking at lolcats!

OK - I actually have been working on a couple things:

Yea, but who is reading it all?

A few weeks ago, my niece, Maren, posted a blog that asked if anyone was reading her posts or if she was just wasting her time. Several friends and family members quickly wrote back to assure her that her blog was indeed being read & enjoyed.

Then my husband went on a road trip with some friends, and created a blog to report their trip to all the families.  They had a wonderful experience, but the blogs ended about 3 days before the trip did.  When I asked him why, he told me that no one was commenting on the blog, so he figured no one was reading it either.  He did, however, continue the story where people were commenting

Confessions of a scardy-cat!

I have a confession to make – this class scares me! I’m brave & I can succeed, but it’s still scary!

The history part is not hard at all. I’ve studied, mentored, and even taught most of what we will cover, so my challenge is truly in the field of expanding my own digital literacy.

I always thought of myself as “computer savvy” – my Mom calls me to find out how to make her PowerPoint presentations work - I can throw together a Newsletter for the Young Women or Relief Society in about a half hour without breaking a sweat - and I buy stuff on the internet all the time – preferring it to crowded malls and insane Wal-Mart’s!

Making this Blog

I have posted on other people's blogs before - even in Blogspot - but I have never been the sole blogger before. This has been quite an experience. I am fascinated with the HTML code that makes spaces, pictures, etc., and have learned to pay attention to them!

This class will be different and unique as I learn to study digitally, rather than the way I always have before. No flash cards, no paper, no endless writing to retain something. I wonder if my brain can be rewired to learn this way as effectively?! I hope so, as I really want a good grade in this class, but also because I find it silly to claim "go paperless" then just print at home what I want!

Ahhhh, the challenge begins!

Who I am today

Sunset in Wilmington, NC

I am starting this blog as an assignment in a class that I am taking.  Part of that assignment is to tell a little bit about myself.