5 Card Story

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Five Card Story: Zombies in San Francisco

a Five Card Flickr story created by Durston

flickr photo by cogdogblog
Upon arriving in San Fran. for a small vacation for myself I was excited to do all the "touristy" adventures that San Fran. had to offer. Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and ride the trolley. It would have to wait till tomorrow because I am so tired from my flight and plan to check into my hotel and sleep.



flickr photo by bionicteaching

The next day I woke up and noticed a strange ambience that seemed to over take the hotel. I could not find a staff member of the hotel and could not see many people walking the street as I looked out my window. Thinking it was just a coincidence I decided to have a shower and get ready nothing was going to hold me back from seeing what San Francisco had to offer. When I got out front of the hotel I noticed a man covered in blood. I called out to him, "Sir, are you ok?" When he turned to me I could tell he wasn't himself and he looked at me like I was next. He began to run after me so I took off running through alleys and hopping fences until I lost him.



flickr photo by bionicteaching

When I made my way back to a street there was chaos everywhere. Car accidents, and more people covered in blood. I'd seen this in a movie before, but it couldn't be, could it? Now paranoid with the idea of a zombie outbreak I began run back to my hotel where I seemed to be the safest. When I arrived back at my hotel it was already infested and I couldn't even get close to the front door.



flickr photo by Serenae

I ran into the park and was able to find a spot under a bridge where I felt safe for the time being. It was dark with only one way in and I had to think what my next move was in this crazy epidemic. My heart was racing and I couldn't believe that this was happening.



flickr photo by bionicteaching
After 20 minutes under the bridge I could hear some footsteps so I looked out hoping it was another non-infected person that I could ban together with and have a higher chance of making it out alive. The reality was it was an infected and I had to run from him again. The same characteristics as the first zombie I had come into contact with, covered in blood and staring at me like I was his next meal. This man was in better shape and it was a longer chase he was persistent and wanted my blood. After a marathon I reached the Golden Gate Bridge where there was military with it blocked off and I knew I was safe.

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Try it yourself

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Door Scene

This week we had the task of putting together a scene that was suppose to give you the effect of being scared.  I always find it very interesting what music can do to your nerves and feelings. Enjoy!

Acting credit: Cassandra and Taylor 

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Depression and Loneliness on Social Media

      Lately I’ve been finding myself spending more time on social media when I am bored.  When sitting by myself and bored of watching Netflix I decide to browse Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  My first thought when I sign on is that I will find someone to chat with and make plans.  The reality is that, that rarely happens to me.  I go on and see people are online probably doing the same thing I am which is brainlessly look at their news feed, which is always spammed with things that I tend to click on out of boredom.  Someone is always arguing with the world which I do find amusing, but still does not tend to my want of social interaction.  Then on to twitter where I can see my friends tweeting “1m ago” so I know they are again doing the same thing as me checking twitter and wondering if they have something worthwhile to tweet.  The rare time I feel I have something I want to publish to the internet, but it will not get any favourites or retweets so it was most likely not as brilliant as I thought.  Instagram is a place where people post pictures of them and their friends in the most exciting points of their lives which makes me feel as if I do not have enough friends, or do not do enough fun things that are “picture worthy.” 

      While viewing social media and being aware of how I feel with this sense of “useless hope” before entering these platforms made me wonder how students must feel all of the time.  Growing up in an era where social media was not a norm I can identify these feelings that I have recently started experincing while on social media.  But what about children who this is all they know and they don’t know a world without Facebook and Twitter?  Especially at that age they will not have the development necessary to recognize these feelings are due to social media and those are scary thoughts.  With all this in mind I started to look up articles and tidbits about “social media and loneliness/depression.”  I found many shocking articles that have made me fear for future children’s sanity.  This sense of dependency on social media that people seem to have in this society.

      There was a time in November I was not feeling quite myself and was feeling very lonely and one of my friends told me that social media was probably having an impact on that.  Going on and seeing friends’ pictures having fun was effecting how I felt about my own self.  He spoke of articles he has read about how we can no longer be alone because of cell phones, social media platforms, and this sense of always being and wanting to be connected.  What he said really changed my outlook on social media and my cellphone phone Ion the way it was negatively effecting me mentally. 

      This is my second blog post bashing social media and the negative effects it has on our society.  With that being said I do think social media is great and does keep us connected in long distance situations with family, friends, and connecting with others of the same interest.  I just think as a society and as yourself you need to be aware of the feelings that can fester up around social media.

Further readings:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/margiewarrell/social-media-lonely_b_4034744.html

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/05/is-facebook-making-us-lonely/308930/

Photo Credit: mkhmarketing via Compfight cc
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Coding

        This semester I am enrolled in a computer science 100 class to explore different options that I may be able to stem out to in life later on.  I have always enjoyed computers and I knew coding was a focus in that class.  The first time I came into contact with coding was in grade 11 in a high school class.  We had to design a website for the class using HTML format and I enjoyed it.  I liked learning the tags and using W3schools I knew there was always more to learn.  In Computer Science 100 I came into contact with both Javascript and Cascade Style Sheets as well.

        When we discussed CodeAcademy in class I was already aware of it, but find it to be a simple and effective method for helping people learn code if they desire to.  It starts very basic and you have the ability to get as advanced as you would like to.  I have tried several things in CodeAcademy just to further my knowledge and hopefully help me in the future in my CS100 class.  

 

     The first thing they have you due is create your name which is separated by when you place your mouse over a specific area.  It was a fun and enjoy able way to start off because you see instant results. Though it doesn't explain the relationship between Javascript and HTML it would still be a way to get the students engaged.  I created my name and instead of using the circles they suggested I decided to use squares instead.  My recommendation would be to check out CodeAcademy on your free time and see what you can learn.  There is a video of the top coding gurus speaking out about the importance of coding that is also worth a watch and could potentially get students involved.

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Childhood Walk

Childhood walk to my best friend's house.  Thought using a camera and making the journey was more unique than using google street view.  Leave feed back on this Google Doc about what you thought!

Blog post is dedicated to my brother Baker and our 17 year friendship

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Citizenship/Identity

Monday February 24th, 2014 in class Alec Couros talked with the class about digital citizenship and digital identity.  These are two phrases I have been well aware of growing up in the era of technology.  When Facebook started to trend globally there was a definite shift in the online experience.  Using your name and pictures to identify who you were online to family, friends, and the world.  Having the freedom to post anything you want, wether it be pictures, statuses, or a video that people just “have to see!”  These are all things that seem harmless, but they are a big part of how you are portrayed online.  The other scary truth about Facebook is you can’t control what goes up about you all the time.  Friends and family have a role in your online identity too.

 
Thinking about how easily a picture can be taken out of context or a post can be perceived in the wrong way are concerning factors while on social media, but having to worry about what friends post about you is another stress.  Alec said Monday, “There is no long “Digital” Citizenship and “Digital” Identity.  There is just your citizenship and your identity.”  Thinking about the way technology has changed and will continue to change makes that statement completely accurate.  You can no longer in this time be immature on Facebook and Twitter, but expect it not to affect the way you’re perceived by others in the community.  Who you are online is now a bigger first impression then face to face communication.  Tweets, status updates, and pictures all play an important role on how you are perceived to society.   

Social media is a great place to connect with friends, family, and meet new people, but you do have to be aware of the way you are representing yourself on the internet.  Technology has opened new and exciting possibilities for us, but it has also created new problems in our society.  In the movie The Social Network Erica Albright says, “The internet is not written in pencil Mark, it’s written in ink” (The Social Network, 52:56).  That line has stuck with me and makes me think about the content that goes on the internet regarding myself.

Photo credit: The Internet is Forever: Tips for Managing Your Online Identity. Mochi: Empowering Asian American Teenage Girls. Retrieved February 27, 2014, from http://mochima.com/blog/page/5/?p=shmbckppk

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Sext up kids

Leave feed back on this Google Doc about what you thought!

Sext up Kids

Amanda Todd

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