Growth Mindset: Meme Beyond School

(Beauty.  created with Canva.)

This challenge, I decided to generate a meme through Canva.  I had generated a different one through the automotivator for a tech tip and it was nice, though I have to give it to Canva for being all the more creative in their choices and style.  I love using that site now!!  The original photo had 'Sunset Chaser' and the text underneath, but I decided to add in the above text that was still offered through Canva's choices.  It all flowed so well together and just made sense.  

I'm combining this meme post along with Growth Beyond School, because I just wanted to touch base with where my life is headed or where it isn't headed and how it currently is.  Well right now, I have been applying the aspect of Growth Mindset into my life, mostly at work and just personally with other people.  I used to worry about what others thought of myself and sometimes, I still do.  I've learned over time that it doesn't matter what others may think, because that is their thought process and not our own.  The fact is that, we should worry more so about how we handle certain things and situations rather than others that 'interfere' with what we know and/or don't.  Whether we feel stupid is solely on the reaction from others and I believe the focus should be within, because we only believe we are stupid if we say that we are.  As for where my life may be headed and not?  I am still unsure.  I am just eager to finish up my last year of school and go with the flow to see where life takes me.  The end result may not be what I plan or expect, but I hope to be happy along the way, even through the struggles, because that is what makes us who we are.

Learning Challenge: Empathy

So in this challenge on empathy I actually decided to take the clip that was given as an example by Professor Gibbs.  

I have learned about Bréne Brown before on her book, Daring Greatly, that I have mentioned before in my Back-up and Review post and her stuff intrigues me so much.  After watching this video of hers, it definitely brought the two differences between empathy and sympathy to light.  I have always thought of myself as an empathetic person towards others, though I have never gone through certain struggles, I always connected with them and wanted to help, knowing that I couldn't.  Then there were moments where I just couldn't differentiate between whether I was being empathetic or just being plain sympathetic, but she put that in perspective.  She made me realize that I actually fight between the two.  If I truly care about the person, I am empathetic, whereas if I didn't care about the person enough, then I didn't care as much and just sympathized with them without even thinking twice about it.  She is right that it is all about connection and if there isn't any, then people won't understand in the way that we hope they will.  It also reminds me of when I think of the way some people think, it's either black and white, there are no gray areas; I always try to see myself as viewing gray, as much as I can.

This topic is so great to delve deeper into and I plan to do just that.  It's definitely an eye opener.

(Empathy is reaching a hand out.  Flickr.)

Tech Tip: Canvas Mobile App

So this may seem kind of late in the semester to discuss whether I've downloaded the Canvas App or not.  In all honesty, I have and I did so, I believe, in the beginning of last semester just in case I needed to revert back to it for some missing information.

I currently use it to check on future assignments and other assignments I've missed.  It's still quite confusing to me so I still have to play with it some, but it is nice to have and super convenient.  I guess a few things I could do without, is the confusion on the notifications.  I've learned how to add the right notifications that suit what I would like to receive, but even when I selected that, it didn't quite measure up to what I was expecting.  Looking through it on mobile can also be challenging, because even when you want to view certain assignments or grades, it can be confusing on how the layout is.  And because it is an app, it's just overall difficult to work with so it's just nice to work with the site on a laptop as usual rather than on the phone.

Others may think differently from me, but I'm not one to want to use my phone in that manner when it's such a small device.  Whether convenient or not, it doesn't always mean it's perfect.

Reading Notes B: The End of Beowulf

• Beowulf fought with his best friend Wiglaf against a dragon
• Dragon's tail hit Beowulf and injured him, but Wiglaf killed it by finding his weak spot and it fell beside Beowulf
• As he was dying, everyone cried out but they didn't deserve to as they were not as courageous as he
• Beowulf was grateful to die by his friend and asked for one last treasure to be left with him 
• Wiglaf found a crown amongst jewels and set it on him
• He was made a barrow at Whale's Headland and carried there by Wiglaf.  They burned the treasure with him per Wiglaf's orders. No one refuted him.
• Many came to mourn his death and they threw the dragon into the gray sea as they laid Beowulf on the pyre created
• So they lit the pyre and there the King of Geatsland went back up to the Gods

(Beowulf.  Flickr.)

I chose the end of the story to possibly fuse this with King Arthur's beginning. 

I would create a beginning involving how they each became King.  Rather than Beowulf's beginning, it would start with Arthur's and lead into a newer start with Beowulf.

He could already be a King? And Arthur learning that he will become King because of pulling out the sword.  

They will be frenemies of some sort because they come from different 'realms' or to be basic, towns.

So they become enemies to battle and after so many righteous battles, especially one duel between each other, they become friends.  Friends that will team up with each other to fight the biggest dragon.  So rather than Wiglaf, Arthur will take his place.  

Rather than Beowulf dying, Arthur will?  Or they both will?  Or stick with Beowulf dying?

Or rather than having a duel, they try to come to their last battle and a dragon comes in and they decide to team together to defeat him.  So not exactly friends but honoring each other as great warriors, gaining respect for one another?  

Can't decide which point of view to tell, though a narrative seems like a way to go about this.  

I can incorporate powers that each have, because it is a realm of magic or crossing between a mortal realm and a magical realm?  That would give a OUAT vibe. 

Bibliography:  The Story of Beowulf:  The End of Beowulf by Strafford Riggs.

Reading Notes A: The Drawing of the Sword

• King of Britain - Uther Pendragon, died leaving no King to reign
• Caused uproar and many to battle for the crown - the town was not at its best
• Merlin the Magician met Archbishop of Canterbury & others at their home to request a meeting on Christmas Day in London @ the Great Church 
• Leaving the Church they saw a stone & left a sword within the stone engraved a spell in gold. 
• Many knights tried taking out the sword but failed so Archbishop had two of his best knights guard it at night
• It wasn't fair they wait for the 'King' to show & that every man had a right to try it out so a tourney was to be held New Years Day
• That day came and many people decided to prep for the drawing of the sword and arrived a brave knight - Sir Ector, his son Sir Kay and Arthur, Kay's foster-brother
• Sir Kay had left a sword back home & asked Arthur to get it for him so he went but no one was home (went to watch the tourney) so he went to the churchyard & decided to take the sword from the stone because he didn't want Sir Kay without a sword
• He pulled it out easily and brought it to them. Arthur had to explain his story and they realized he was to be King but they had to prove it and it was proven
• Arthur found out Sir Ector wasn't his father but who his real father was - Uther Pendragon and felt sad; the debt he paid was to make Sir Kay the seneschal of all his land and he did.
• Before becoming King, he had to leave the sword to prove to the Archbishop and he did thus he became King to all - a good and humble King

(Excalibur.  Pixabay.)

The overall story reminds me of Once Upon a Time which gave a different take to King Arthur, not a very good one at that.

I could change this story up as a way to create a noble man.  A man who was meant for great things but did not know this until he had to prove himself that he was.

A story still set in this era, keep a similar take but of a poor man who grew up not knowing a life of riches.

Sort of tough to consider what I can manipulate and change.

He comes across the stone, not knowing what it was - much like the original.  Rather than his foster-father knowing who his father is in the end, he has a different family.

He's traveling alone and something calls him to the sword - like a fairy or just hearing a voice?

He takes the sword out and keeps it with him while everyone else is looking for the sword he's playing with it as if it's a new found toy.

He still has to prove himself that he pulled it out and does.  He could go through trials? Of having to prove himself that he should be king.

This can be a flashback story told by his son??  That's a different way of doing things.

Bibliography:  King Arthur:  The Drawing of the Sword by Andrew Lang.