Time Strategies

Time Management Strategies

Time management is generally something I struggle a lot with. I am very prone to procrastinate on every little thing, a bad habit I've picked up over the years. I believe that I procrastinate and leave things late due to the fact that I work better under stress, but I realise that it's not healthy to constantly stress and that it would be way more beneficial to learn some time management strategies, especially for this semester.

Last semester I feel that I fell short on a lot of my work due to the little time I allowed myself to work on it. I did well in all my results, but felt I could have done better if I had planned and managed my time more.

I read two articles; one about procrastination and one about the benefits of making checklists.
You can find them here!

How To Beat Procrastination by Caroline Webb

How Checklists Train Your Brain To Be More Productive And Goal-Oriented by  Lauren Marchese

Time management photo 

Source: Needpix.com

Getting tips on beating procrastination is really useful to me since I struggle with it a lot.
I particularly liked the idea of starting with even a small task; breaking the overall goal up into several manageable tasks. I'm often very intimidated with assignments and big goals when I get them, and tend to put them off. Breaking what I need to do up and getting a start on the smaller tasks helps motivation and the reward of completing a task makes you want to complete more.

The article about checklists also links into this! Ticking tasks off a checklist releases dopamine in the brain which raises motivation and increases happiness- a reward for completing the task. The dopamine released upon checking off things will increase productivity as you strive to check off more for the feeling of being rewarded.

Creating a checklist also aids in helping against procrastination; it makes a big goal less daunting and helps get a start on it instead of putting it off.

I also never thought to look at how avoiding procrastination would benefit myself in the future. I never really thought of that while I was procrastinating, but it makes sense that if you look ahead and see how not doing it would benefit you it would motivate you to not procrastinate.

These articles were quite useful to me as they gave me new insights on things I would not have even thought about before.

I think my biggest challenge will be keeping on top of everything this semester since there is a lot of workload with the group project on top of all the other modules- but I think that taking some tips from the articles on board and making a checklist will help me overcome it!


Thank you for reading my blog!

Technology Tools Thoughts

Technology Tools Thoughts

I like the idea of using a variety of different tools in this module - using lots of different tools will help build my skillset and allow me to have a variety of methods to complete my assignments throughout the course.

A lot of the tools mentioned on the website are unfamiliar to me; for example, I have never heard of Cheezburger, Automotivator, Padlet etc. Some of the tools I have heard of but have no idea how they work, such as WordPress. I am a little overwhelmed at the thought of getting to know all of these new tools to use since it tends to take me a little while to get used to new programmes and applications- but I am interested in learning them because I think it will really benefit me in the future.

While I am quite familiar with things such as bookmarking and wordcount, I did not know that browser tools that could help improve these features and add more to them existed. I do not often use browser extensions, but now would be a good time to look at them!

The use of Pinterest is also very appealing to me as I tend to use 

Pinterest a lot already for art references and inspiration- so I am familiar with it and using it would prove useful to me in finding images to use in my blogs!

I am particularly interested in using the graphics tools and exploring how they work since I enjoy creating designs and layouts for various things. 

I have used Canva for many things throughout my time in this course, so I'm really looking forward to learning new graphics tools in order to put more variety in my work.

Though, the tool I am looking most forward to using is..

Unity Logo

Source: Wikimedia.org

Unity!

 I'm very interested in creating games since I am a huge fan of playing games myself and have always been curious about how it is to actually develop a game. Though I am slightly overwhelmed at the prospect of learning how to develop a game using Unity- I'm excited for the challenge and I can't wait to make my game! It'll be a great experience.

The online environment of this course is very helpful to me- I like how everything is laid out and it has helped me a lot already with my assignments so far. It's unlike anything I have used in my other modules, and using blogs is very useful to compile my thoughts, to look back on, and to interact with others!

Overall while I am slightly overwhelmed and unfamiliar with a lot of the tools, I'm excited for the challenge and to learn new things to further improve my work!

Thank you for reading my blog!

Thoughts about the class assignments

Thoughts about the class assignments

From reading through the different types of class assignments that we will be doing in this module, I have come to the conclusion that these assignments are very different to the ones I have done in previous modules. They are a lot more interactive than other modules- and I feel that writing out our thoughts about the various things we have to do throughout the weeks will help me remember things better rather than just reading the content. 

I am new to blogging- I do have a Tumblr account but all I do there is lurk or repost, so I have no experience in actually blogging regularly. The idea of compiling all my thoughts on everything I do for this module along with my hopes and difficulties will be useful to look back on to see how I've improved on the future and how I've developed over the course of the module.

Having something new to read every week and to write about in the blogs will excel my learning- I learn a lot more when I write about my readings rather than just reading the content. Keeping all these readings compiled in my blog will prove handy in the future- it'll be a good refresher and it shows how much work I've done throughout the module.

Unity will also be completely new to me- but I am very excited to start using it! I have always had an interest in game development and have been seeking to learn how to get started with it- which this module does with Unity. I feel that I'll be a bit overwhelmed at first using it- which comes naturally with all new programmes and applications- but with lots of practice and reflection I'm sure I'll get used to it.

I love the idea of commenting and interacting with other peoples posts as part of the assignments; this way I can get to know other people in my group better, and if someone is having difficulty or is feeling overwhelmed with the work I can lend a hand and a ear. Interactivity will also make me more at ease with people I haven't really talked to. I think it's also good in order to get/gibe constructive criticism and feedback!

I am very excited to get started on my project! I already have some ideas in my head... but the brainstorming session we will have in the future will really help me narrow them down and out me in the right direction. I absolutely loved creating my Twine game in Semester 1- particularly the item pickup part- so I'm excited to actually make a game where the player can walk around and pick things up as they please. 

Giving and receiving feedback from other class members will prove very beneficial. I tend to draw a lot, and I often receive constructive criticism from those around me or from people in art groups across the internet. It has personally helped me improve a lot with my art- so I imagine to have a similar result with the feedback I receive on my project. I hope that my feedback will help other people this way also.

EXTRA CREDIT

I love the idea of having extra credit opportunities! That way, if you miss a blog post or don't have time to complete it, you can make up for it by doing extra credit and get some points back. The variety of choice in extra credit tasks also makes it seem less like a task and more enjoyable. I am interested in the growth mindset extra credit, as I found Dweck's thoughts on the subject very intriguing and I relate to it a lot. You can find my blog about the Growth Mindset here!

Overall I am very excited to learn from this module as it is much more interactive and contains a lot of content that I have interest in!

Image Information

All images used in this blog are from the MD2019 CDMOnline Website, which can be found here!

All images contain icons relating to the assignment content.

Thank you for reading my blog!

Growth Mindset Thoughts

Growth Mindset Thoughts

The growth mindset is a completely new topic for me- I had never heard of it before. I had never heard of Carol Dweck either- but I am so glad I discovered her. I found her talks about the growth mindset and fixed mindsets extremely interesting. I have always thought about the education system and how it affects the mindsets and abilities of students, as I really did not enjoy my secondary school education and felt that it hindered my abilities greatly.

I felt that my education always put me into a box- I was to aim for this and this only and recieve the grade. My days were always very boring and I felt very drained, and whenever something difficult arose I was very quick to discourage and would shy away from the challenge at all costs. This clearly put me in the fixed mindset- something I had developed over the years. I never had an explanation for this until now- I always just would say things like "I hated secondary school" and brush it off. Learning about Dweck's thoughts on the growth mindset and fixed mindset was great for me as it put words to things I didnt really know how to explain properly.

Since starting college and being in this new environment, it has personally helped me a lot mentally and took me away from the fixed mindset. The creative freedom, emphasis on process, constant feedback, supports and group activities has really made me more confident and has made me think more outside the box and embrace a challenge- all things that Dweck talks about in developing a growth mindset.

Now that I recall, I was never really praised for my process in things, only on how well the finished product was. Dweck's explanation about how praise affects students and their mindsets shows that praising on intelligence puts students in a fixed mindset- while praising on process puts students into a growth mindset. I never knew that praise from a young age can actually affect a person later on in life- but now that Dweck has taught me this it makes a lot of sense. My parents would always praise me for good grades and scold me for bad grades- never for the time and effort and work I put into the grades and the process in achieving those grades. Praising children on their process rather than intelligence is a great idea- intelligence develops from a growth mindset, not a fixed one.

Dweck talks about how students should seek challenges and more difficult work rather than to do things they are comfortable with, which I agree with entirely. I can personally say that I have learned far more skills from the challenges and style of teaching in this course than I ever have in my 6 years of secondary. You will never learn anything if you stay in your comfort zone- which is something I have learned over the years, but particularly in third level education.

Growth Mindset Cards

Source: Kristin Weins on Twitter (Link)

I am definitely interested in learning more about the growth mindset as I feel that I can relate to its theory a lot. I also just generally find it very fascinating and hope to become more informed about it in order to improve myself. I have always complained about the school system and how it puts children into bad mindsets and aids in the development of mental illnesses, and learning through Dweck has shown me possible solutions to improve these problems and help students develop growth mindsets. I genuinely hope things like this are implemented in the secondary school system so that others won't have such a bad experience similar to what I had.

I wish to get more out of my comfort zone and to become more confident in this semester. Confidence is something I have always struggled with since a young age and I want to challenge myself this semester with trying new things and taking on a challenge. I feel that learning more about the growth mindset can aid me in this greatly. 

I am a bit worried about coding in this semester since it's not something I have done before college and I haven't done any since the last semester- but I think that taking on some of Dweck's thoughts will benefit me in overcoming this challenge.

Overall I found Dweck's talks to be very informative and interesting- and its definitely something I wish to look more into in the future to help me develop as a person.

I'd love to hear your thoughts about this! Feel free to comment, and I cant wait to read your opinions about this topic.

Thank you for reading my blog!

Introduction to a future designer!

Introduction to a future designer

My name is Kayleigh, but you can just call me Kay, and this is my blog!

I am studying Creative Digital Media and am in Year 2 and will be covering a variety of topics in my blog relating to this course. I'm enjoying this course a lot, and it's made me very interested in exploring game design, branding and identity design. I hope to learn more about these in my studies and to hopefully pursue one of them later on!

Speaking of games, gaming is quite a hobby of mine and I tend to spend a lot of my free time playing games.. I'm very fond of Nintendo (My first console was an original DS and I've been playing Pokemon religiously since I was 6!). I'm currently spending a lot of time playing Fire Emblem: Three Houses as of late, and I plan to get the new release The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening very soon. I discussed my favourite game in a previous blog, which you can find here!

I also enjoy drawing in my free time, both traditionally and digitally using a variety of tools and applications. I've been drawing since I could pick up a pencil basically so it's something I find lots of joy in. I actually managed to get a scholarship for a portfolio course in NCAD in the summer of my 5th year in secondary school based on my work! It was a great experience and I did lots of work there. I have always been a creative person so that's why I'm enjoying this course so much and hope to work in the creative field in future.

I'm a huge animal person- and when I say huge, I mean huge. I've grown up surrounded by a variety of pets since birth, including budgies, fish (even some exotic ones), dogs and cats. I currently have a dog and a cat- my dog is a Jack Russell and Chihuahua mix called Milo, and my cat is a Tortoiseshell cat called Minki. I also had another dog called Bonnie who passed away in April of this year.. I plan to get a tattoo of her pawprint on me in the near future.

Fun fact: I helped nurse an injured pigeon back to health over the summer! My dad and I made the little guy an enclosure and wrapped his broken wing up almost daily. The pigeon would grip my fingers with his feet similarly to how babies grip your hand when I wrapped him up! It was very cute. His wing healed up after about 3 weeks and he flew right off with the rest of his pigeon friends.

Bonnie (left) and Milo (right) in bath
Source: My gallery 

Photo of Minki doing a blep

Source: My gallery

I also enjoy watching anime and reading manga! I've been watching anime for quite a number of years now and have read countless and countless of chapters of manga. Since coming to college I've met a lot of people who also watch anime which is great because I never really knew many people who did before. I have accumulated a fair amount of merchandise for several shows. My favourite anime series is The Promised Neverland, and I'm fully up to date on the manga. I also enjoy anime like My Hero Academia, Fullmetal Alchemist, Devilman Crybaby, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Mob Psycho 100 and Code Geass. (And many many more!) 

If I had more free time and money, I would definitely consider learning sewing in order to make cosplays.

Food wise.. I live on coffee and noodles. Quite literally. Anybody that knows me well knows I need my daily intake of coffee to survive. And that I eat noodles and pasta. A lot. I frequent places like Wok In and Yamamori for their noodles and ramen when I'm out and about. Whenever noodles are available, I will eat it. 

Another fun fact: I'm a pesco pollo vegetarian- meaning I dont eat red meat. I havent eaten a burger or steak in.. 7 years or so! I substitute with turkey- so I still eat burgers and spaghetti etc.

I think I've rambled on enough about myself for one day.. Feel free to ask me questions in the comments! I'm excited to read more about you all.

Thank you for reading my blog!

Workshop 01 Review

Workshop 1 Review

I took part in a Workshop involving creating a flowchart of a proposed solution on how the traffic lights in an intersection work. We did this in groups of three, and were presented with the first task which was describing in words how the traffic lights work.

My group and I were generally confused about this; as none of us drive and hadn't ever really thought about it in such detail before. We went back and forth discussing the potential sequence of the traffic lights- which lights would change from green to red, red to green, which car would go first and in which direction etc. We jotted down some very messy notes about our discussions in an effort to make some sort of sense of it.

After a few minutes we were presented with task 2- creating a flowchart showing the sequence for our solution of the problem. At this point, to further improve our understanding of the problem, we drew out a mini diagram of the intersection and began to label the potential directions the cars could go in. Using the example flowchart for reference, we began to jot out our proposed solution for the traffic lights.

I generally was a bit lost at the start of this workshop as I had never really thought of something seemingly so simple in such an in depth manner, but as me and my group discussed the problem at hand things started to become clearer and clearer.

I enjoyed the delivery of this workshop; I felt that breaking it down into multiple sections with different tasks made it less overwhelming and gave us time to get our heads around the initial confusion. Discussing it in plain english first and then moving on to the flowchart was very helpful in my thought process. I really enjoyed the interactivity of the workshop as hearing other peoples thoughts and interpretations on the workshop aided my understanding and gave me a new perspective on thinking. I also feel that group work is very beneficial as in a lot of jobs you are working with other people; so doing lots of group work helps us learn and prepare for our future professions. 

I feel that writing out my thoughts of this workshop is better than keeping it stored in my head; this way I can share my thoughts with others and not bury it in the back of my brain, so writing it into a blog will also be good to look back on and to reflect on in the future.

Drawing of Intersection

Source: Self

Thank you for reading my blog!

My Favourite Game

My Favourite Game

Hi! I'm Kay, and I'm here with my first blog post. Today I will be discussing my favourite video game, why I enjoy it so much but also some criticism about the game.

 I play many games in my free time across varying genres, but I typically enjoy open world games the most. I play across multiple platforms but have been an avid Nintendo fan from a young age. 

So, I enjoy open world style games the most, and am a Nintendo fan. So, naturally, my favourite game as of right now is..

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild!

The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild official artwork

Source: Here

This game follows the protagonist Link- who awakens from a 100 year slumber to a Hyrule overtaken by the Calamity Ganon, who he must stop to bring the land to peace once more. He is a knight to Princess Zelda, who has been fighting Calamity Ganon for the past 100 years. Link must find a way to defeat Calamity Ganon with the help of the Divine Beasts from the main 4 regions of the game- or he can charge straight to Hyrule Castle and fight Ganon in his underwear with a few twigs as weapons. That is the true beauty of this game- you don't have to play in any specific order to beat it. You can charge in to save the day at any moment you'd like. Even in just your underwear. 

This game is one of the latest releases in The Legend of Zelda series, with it's sequel having been recently announced to be in the making. (I may or may not have screamed when I was watching the Nintendo Direct for this). It won Game of the Year in 2017- and for good reason. This game is not like the traditional Legend of Zelda game full of dungeons and temples, it's very free with its open world structure and story. There are shrines with puzzles which are somewhat reminiscent of the temples in other games, but they are all optional bar the few at the very start of the game, unlike the other games where you need to complete every temple to unlock the next part of the story. 

The gameplay is quite refreshing; featuring an advanced combat system, many weapon types, shields, and many different types of enemies with different attacks, strengths and weaknesses. Link can climb up pretty much any surface in this game- which is a welcome change. I can recall countless times of trying to struggle and jump up mountains in another famous open world game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, so being able to simply climb them is far easier and less time consuming. There is also a temperature mechanic which adds a sense of realism to the game- if you want to traverse the snowy regions, you have to hold a torch close or have extra warm clothing.

The map is huge- it's composed of many different regions all home to different races of people. Most notably, The Gerudo Desert homes the Gerudo people- a race of almost entirely women, Zora's Domain which features the fish like Zora race, The Rito village which houses the bird like Rito people and Goron City which houses the rock like people who are extremely resistant to heat (naturally since they literally live on a volcano). There are so many lovable characters scattered throughout all these regions which add a charm to the game. I personally am a sucker for lovable and/or complex characters in media so exploring all these different regions and meeting all these characters is my favourite part of the game.

The story is arguably not very long- you can beat the game by skipping all the Divine Beast questlines and making a beeline for Ganon, and some of the side quests are very obscure and in odd locations so they can be difficult to find. The land itself is also very empty; while this makes sense because the land of Hyrule has basically been destroyed by Calamity Ganon, but I feel that some regions of the game suffer very badly from the barren and plain look and could benefit from more destroyed structures and places to explore. I also find that a lot of mechanics are easily missed as not much is explained to you which can be very confusing for new players.

Despite the criticisms this game faces, I still love it to bits and find myself playing it often and revisiting it as the region is so vast and there are so many shrines and puzzles and things to collect. You can basically find something new whenever you play (unless you're a completionist and have 100% cleared the game which is arguably extremely difficult to achieve).

I highly recommend this game to anyone who has a Switch- it is so different from the other games in the franchise so you don't need to have played any other Legend Of Zelda games to understand what's going on. It is a great experience playing this game and often wish I could play it for the first time again.

Thank you for reading my first blog! 

test post

a test post to ensure my blog is working!