Jonathan Gottschall’s The Storytelling Animal, The Witchery of Story

During the first ten minutes of class, summarize your reading from Jonathan Gottschall’s The Storytelling Animal, “The Witchery of Story” chapter. Also, what kinds of stories do you like to hear? What kinds of stories do you like to tell? Think about the many kinds of examples that Gottschall mentions. Before our next class, type up your summary and post it as a comment to this blog post.

John Medina’s Brain Rules, Exploration

During the first ten minutes of class, write your summary of the Exploration chapter from John Medina’s Brain Rules. Before our next class, type up your summary and post it here as a comment to this blog post. Remember, this is the last chapter that we will read as a class in this book. Next Monday, we will begin reading Jonathan Gottschall’s The Storytelling Animal.

John Medina’s Brain Rules, Gender

During class today, spend the first ten minutes writing your summary of John Medina’s Brain Rules, Gender chapter. Before our next meeting, type up your handwritten summaries and post them as a comment to this post. Remember, moving forward this semester, there are no more make-up opportunities for the in-class writing assignments.

John Medina’s Brain Rules, Vision

During the first ten minutes of class, write a summary of your reading of the Vision chapter from John Medina’s Brain Rules. Also, write about how important vision is to communication–from the side of the communicator as well as the audience. Before our next class, post a comment here based on your in-class notebook writing.

Introduction

In this project, I had the time to think about how my thoughts would effect me in my future success. I noticed that most of my thoughts were either about fitness, homework, food, sleep, and work. After I finished this project, I learned more about myself and how the things I do will eventually affect my future.

Thinking in Writing

7:00am – Ugh I’m so tired, I don’t want to go to lab.

7:30am – I’m so hungry…YES ! I got lucky charms

8:00am – OMG I’M GOING TO BE LATE FOR CLASS !

8:30am – Yay made it just in time for class.

11:00am – Finally done for the day.

11:30am – How much homework do I have? Let me check on Blackboard.

12:00pm – No more homework. Time for gym !

2:30pm – Yuck I’m so sweaty it’s so nasty. Ugh I need to shower ASAP.

3:30pm- Time to nap before work.

5:30pm – Ohno ! I have to get ready for work

6:00pm – Work time SO excited…not

12:30am – OMG finally done with work, I’m so tired.

Thinking Visually

pudding

These are puddings inside cute jars from my workplace Pomme Les. They’re very yummy !

shoes

These are Brand New Nike Freeruns 4.0 that I got for the gym.

blink

This is the location of my gym membership, Blink Noho.

homework

These are all the notes, homework, and class notes that I had to use to study for my Biology Exam #1.

Thinking Rhetorically and Reflectively

Have you ever stopped and wondered about how your thoughts in one day can affect your future personal, academic, and professional life? Well, they can. My name is Mei Na Chen and for the past few days, I have been working on a project called, “Project 1: Writing the Brain.” The main purpose for this project is to find a unity of thought or one approach and write about it. However, there are multiple steps you have to take in order to complete this project. The first step is to keep track of your thoughts for one day; when you wake up to when you go to sleep. You have to jot down your thoughts for every half an hour. The second step is to take pictures of things that represent your day of thought and then decide which three are your most meaningful ones. And finally, the last step is to combine everything you have done and write an essay explaining how your day of thoughts and pictures represent you. And yes, I am on the last step, writing my essay. In my essay, I am going to explain how pictures of school work, Blink Fitness, and Pomme Les will affect my future personal, academic, and professional life. I argue that my current thoughts are focused on important things that will eventually lead to my future success in my personal, academic, and professional life.

I argue that my current thoughts are focused on important things like school work, which will eventually lead to my future success in my academic life. Throughout the years of education that I’ve had; starting from Pre-Kindergarten to High School I’ve learned a lot about doing work in school and out of school. I’ve learned that if you don’t do work or study, you wouldn’t be able to learn anything compared to the other kids who actually study and does work. For example, in my freshman year of high school, I thought that I didn’t need to study for my tests and guess what happened…I failed them. After learning how failing your tests affects your grade, I started to study and do work in and out of school. I learned my lesson after my GPA dropped. I also get reminded every single day that doing good in school will give you a better future by my parents. Due to the fact that they immigrated here from China, they want whats best for me, and that is for me to get good grades in school which will lead to a good job and a better future. They always remind me to do my work and not go partying. It gets kind of annoying sometimes  but I know its for the success of my future. As you can see in my thoughts of the day, I started thinking about school work and any projects or tests I have to do. That is because I have this thing where I am more focused in the morning when I wake up than in the afternoon or night time when you’re supposed to do homework. In my opinion, I think that it is better to finish work earlier than later because I tend to forget things I have to finish sometimes. I also get distracted easily by things like television. Anyways, I think that focusing more on school work right now will benefit my future because if I do good and get a high GPA, then I will eventually get a good job that pays well. This also means that I have to take care of my health in order to focus more on school.

I also argue that my current thoughts are focused on important things like Blink Fitness, which will eventually lead to my future success in my personal life. Even though school work is important, I also think that making sure that you are healthy also plays a huge role in your future success. If you’re not focused while at school, what is the point of even going to school? Being able to concentrate and focus on your work helps you because you are able to actually learn something. You wouldn’t be able to learn anything if you are tired and fall asleep during class or get distracted easily. That is why I work out at a gym called, “Blink Fitness Gym.” I think that this place helps me better my concentration because exercising helps wake you up and that is actually true. I used to nap everyday after I get home from school up until it’s time for dinner, but that stopped when I joined Blink Fitness. I go there everyday in the afternoon and exercise for at least 2 hours and then go home. My mind is more focused and ready to work the next day which is a good thing because I usually fall asleep in class when it gets boring. Anyways, Blink Fitness will benefit to y future success because if I am healthy, I can do anything good and not get lazy. Health is a huge part of success.

Finally, I argue that my current thoughts are focused on important things like Pomme Les, which will eventually lead to my success in my professional life. I think this because work is work. I think that it is better to gain more experience when you are young because in the future, you might need these experiences to help you get hired. You will meet new people everywhere in your workplace, which will then build your connections. The more connections you have, the easier it is to find a job. And the more connections you have, you will also have a lot of useful references which are needed in most job interviews because they want to know what type or kind of person you are. It is better to make a good first impression because then they will most likely hire you and it is important you give them good references, people who you are close to and people who know you more than you know yourself. That is because if you give them a reference who you just met and they say something wrong, then that would affect the result of if you get hired or not.  In my opinion, I think that I’ve had a lot of experience throughout my high school years. I think that it is because I needed money to buy lunch and hang out with my friends so I started to tell myself I had to work because I didn’t want to depend on my parents to give me money. I feel bad every time I spend their money because they both worked hard for it. I’ve tutored in afterschool programs, worked in doctor offices, workforces, and some dessert places. Right now I am tutoring and working at a dessert place. Anyways, I think that work right now will eventually benefit my future success in my professional life because I am gaining more and more experience every time I work which is a good thing because my experiences are helpful to me.

Although school work, Blink Fitness, and Pomme Les all are a huge part of my future success, there are other things that benefit my future success. For example, my family. Without them, I wouldn’t have become who I am today, and without them telling me what is wrong and what is right, I would’ve ended up somewhere else. I’ve grown to learn about important things like what to do and what not to do because of them. Because they are much older than me, they have more experience so I tend to listen to them more often. I have faith and confidence in myself for my future success. I think that I am going on the right path; the path that will lead me to the future that I deserve.

 

Writing My Brain by Daniel DeMarco

Introduction

With this project I have been given the chance to explain my thoughts for a day. By the end of the day i had realized that all of my thoughts were in a sense related. i have included pictures to explain what i had been thinking. I also explain why my thoughts were similar and how they affect me daily and how they affect my brain consciously and subconsciously.

 

Thinking in writing

Thursday October, 2

Thought 1:  thinking of playing video games with friends

Thought 2: While playing i realize the art of the characters

Thought 3: Watching a show while getting the urge to draw the characters

Thought 5: Starting to think about school the next day

Thought 6:Decide to draw all the characters while at school tomorrow

 

Thinking Visually 

Godzilla Collection

My Godzilla Collection Including Characters I Like To Draw

WIP Drawing of Kakyoin and Hierophant Green from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders by me

My Drawing of Kakyoin and Hierophant Green From JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures   (W.I.P)

Tribal Style Art

Tribal Style Art I Drew

 

Thinking Rhetorically and Reflectively

My Mind

The human mind, the center of all our thoughts. The hub for all our ideas and emotions. Some people believe that they fully understand their mind and its functions but, how could this be? Every second of everyday our minds are racing with thoughts. Now while some may be obvious as to why they appear others are not so simple. Some thoughts seem to come out of nowhere. We also don’t realize many of the things that we don’t pay a lot of attention to are actually entering our minds and being processed by our subconscious. I was asked by my professor to write down some thoughts throughout the day and try to understand why some of these thoughts had occurred and what they potentially mean.

I then decided to pick a day where every few hours i would note what I was thinking at the moment. I chose a day in which i had no school due to the fact that these days are the days i have my most vivid and rapid thoughts because i wasn’t focused on the work in front of me. I went about my daily routine, eating, playing games, watching videos, talking to friends, and watching television. As stated every couple hours I wrote what i was thinking. Personally i tend to think about what i am doing at the moment and things that relate to it. So as i wrote what i thought about there was exactly that, a series of thought pertaining to what i had done during the day. Although this may seem normal there was a pattern in my thoughts.

Not only did I write what i did but i realized, wow, most of these thoughts included drawing. I had thought about drawing characters from video games, the shows i watched, and even the friends i was talking to at those moments. This is understandable because ever since i was little I loved drawing and anything artistic. This includes scenery, props, and characters.

The next day i went to class and found myself drawing. I had the urge to draw what i had seen the day before, the same stuff in my thoughts prior to that day. I didn’t think too much about it because it felt normal and natural for me like part of my daily routine. Class had ended and i had an hour and a half before my next and final class. During this time i played video games on my Nintendo 3DS. Again i found myself wanting to draw the characters in the game I was playing. The game was Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance. I wanted to draw the characters, the weapons they used, and the monsters they fought.

It was then time to get to my next class, English. In class we discussed our project which is this essay i am writing right now, The one you are currently reading. The professor then proceeded to go around the room and help those who were unsure what to do and answer their questions. I decided it may be a good idea to tell him that my thoughts were like this. He explained that he noticed how often i draw in class and asked if it was a way that helped me retain information. That’s when it hit me. Throughout the years of my schooling i had always started to draw when the teacher was talking.

This may sound strange but as i thought about it i realized that doing this helped me obtain information better than directly focusing on the teacher. The reason is because when i directly focus on the teacher and the work at hand i tend to get overwhelmed and get easily bored and frustrated. When i draw during class i get into a relaxed state and feel good. I don’t feel as if as large weight is on my shoulder and i can take in information without the stress. I have always done this and even though on the outside it may seem like i’m not paying attention, I actually am and better than normal. My subconcious retains all of the information while my regular conscious notes key words or phrases which i will then write down before drawing again.

I have always been very intelligent and one of the smartest out of my friends even when it seems like i do the least amount of work or paying attention. The fact was that drawing became my outlet for learning. Even when taking those learning style tests i was always a visual and kinesthetic learner. I now know that in order to do my best i actually have to do some drawing during class in order to obtain the most information.

It’s incredible how the human mind works how simple things we think about can relate to our everyday lives. If something like drawing could affect how an individual learns imagine what other things would help. The mind is such a complex thing. We have thousands of thoughts a day, some we may not even realize due to the fact that our subconscious picks up on things we may not even notice. This is why many people belive in subliminal messages within cartoons. Most of the time the “messages” are negitive and promote violence and things of an adult nature, but what if we use them for good?

Understandably everyone is different and may not be easily affected by these “messages” but what about people like me?  People whose subconscious actually has an impact on their learning and daily life including their behavior. We have seen it before besides my case. Many people listen to music while studying and they may not even realize it but its helping them. They are learning more because they enjoy the music and it puts them in calm state of mind. If you were to learn in conditions that suit you, for example calm music and a quiet setting, it will bring you happiness, give you motivation, and a feeling of euphoria. Almost like Feng Shui or creating balance in a room that involves color, objects and light in order to calm the mind and ease the eye.

Though one may not realize it but the way a room is set up can greatly affect your thought process and state of mind. So many people should try to see what helps them. They should try to learn why they think the way they do during the day and see if it goes beyond just a thought. See if it has affected their daily routine and way of life. Once a person realizes it they will achieve more  in life and become smarter.

 

Work Cited 

DeMarco. Daniel, dandema96, “Tribal Style Art”, Flickr, 2 October,2014, 18 October,2014

DeMarco.Daniel, dandema96, “Godzilla Collection” Flickr 2 October,2014. 18 October, 2014

DeMarco.Daniel, dandema96, “WIP Drawing of Kakyoin and Hierophant Green from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders by me” Flickr 2 October,2014. 18 October, 2014

Writing My Brain By Christopher Peralta

Introduction

In this project I have been able to take time and reflect on what I really think about during my every day. I was able to realize by taking pictures also writing what I actually think during the day this project seem more like an experiment. This project opened my eyes and forced me to think about me and my future.

Thinking in writing

Tuesday September 23, 2014

  • Have to get to class on time
  • Later got to help my mom with the groceries
  • Need to read this book for next English class
  • I’m bored and hungry might play Xbox
  • Just saw an interview of mayweather he makes so much money I need to make money like day one day
  • Am I really writing down my though? Is this like a diary
  • Wish I could play baseball right now
  • Don’t know why professor is making us do this but I guess it’s part of our project
  • I wonder who has more money warren buffet or bill gates
  • It sucks that city tech doesn’t have stock broker as a major
  • Music always calms me down and gets me thinking about life especially when I am listening to meek mills
  • Just seen a rap battle Charlie clips vs. tay roc it was good I think tay roc got that one
  • Wow my mom just bought a lot of food that’s good I am happy now

–          Going to sleep now good night need to wake up early tomorrow early class

Thining Visually

“A Good Day To Think”

IMG_0395

 

“Car Goals For The Future”

IMG_0523

 

“Money On My Mind”

 

IMG_0383

Thinking Rhetorically and Reflectively

College the first step to the real world sounds intimidating but if you have a gist of who you want to be in the future college is more like an obstacle you need to get pass. My name is Christopher Peralta but I rather be called Chris I am Dominican and live in a Dominican house hold. I am a freshman in college and I am 18 year old. I live in Bronx New York not one of the best neighborhoods but also not the worst. My motivation is to get my family out of here and move somewhere a whole lot better. The way I think is somehow unique because not only do I have an idea on who I want to be in life I also know the steps become that person. People might question that the way they think holds them back from moving on in life but my current thinking implements me to focus on the things that will enable my future success.

For an assignment our professor asked us to take pictures of something that represents our major or what we want to be in the future, the first idea I thought of was Wall Street because business is my major what other place is better than Wall Street. I had so many ideas so much famous business men I thought of right away. My mind is focus on what I need to do to become a business men someone like warren buffet or Donald trump. My current thinking implements me to focus on the things that will enable my future success because I have something you call tunnel vision and all I think about is money and making it and that’s why the picture assignment was a good example because I was so quick to think of places, people, and things that relate to business.

One picture that really stood out to me was the picture I took of Wall Street. It’s interesting because when I showed some of my peers they knew right away what my major/future was. At first that surprised me a lot because they knew instantly the message I was trying to portray but then I thought about it and said to myself like no I shouldn’t be surprised the picture was clear in the message I was trying to deliver. That let me to believe that my initial thinking is set out for me to succeed in my future.

My daily thoughts throughout a normal day varies, the reason I say that is because I wrote down some of my thoughts on a Friday and also wrote some of my thoughts on a Tuesday and they were completely different. It’s different because it depends on what you are doing that day and what is your mind focused on that day. For example on the Friday thoughts one of them was “should I get a haircut for tonight” and clearly my mind was set on that party I was going to later that night. On the Tuesday thoughts I was thinking of my books that I still need to buy and it was obvious that my mind was set on school. It’s strange that you don’t think about the same things everyday but there is some specific things that run past my mind more than once in different days and that constant reminder is what I lead the believe is my motivational factor. That’s why my current thinking implements me to focus on the things that will enable my future success.

My mindset right now in the short term is to go to college have fun and stay focused on the bigger picture. What I mean by that is don’t get too ahead of myself because you only take it one day at time. A quote from my daily thoughts was tomorrow “I have English I need to read this book”. This quote represents how my thinking if focused on the short term goal which is to read a book for my English class so I can be involved with the lesson. This is another example on how my thinking is focused on my future because even though it was a thought for my class the next morning it shows where my priority is which is school and school is a pathway or my future.

Some people may argue that some of my thoughts have nothing to do with my future. For example in one of my thoughts of the day I said “I need to help my mother with the groceries” or with the thought of “playing xbox”. Some of the quotes has nothing to do with my future or maybe it do but doesn’t benefit me but I am human and some random thoughts are going to occur. These thoughts are really more for personally issues or comfort and thoughts like these can hold you back from progressing like me wanting to play xbox instead of studying for a midterm. There also thoughts that you have to think about because they are obligations. Me thinking about helping my mother is more of an obligation than personal comfort. I would not blame society if they feel that I don’t always think about my future because I don’t always think about it.

Society is our worst judgment they always want to label a person or even tell them what they are and aren’t. What society doesn’t know is what goes on in our mind and that’s really important. Its important for the simple fact that they can’t tell you what to think about, they could persuade you to think a certain way but can’t sense what you’re actually thinking. My thinking does enable me to succeed because even though some of my thinking isn’t always about my future most of it is. Also its key to realize that it’s not always what you think it’s what you actually do and the important thing is most of the time the smart thinking I do I actually display it physically. As far as thinking it’s pretty clear that my current thinking implements me to focus on the things that will enable my future success.

Work Cited List

In conclusion, I can’t say that I am perfect because no one is but I always try to maintain my mind in the right mind set which is my future. This project has made me realize that I still need to improve on my focus but for the most part my vision for the future in my eyes is bright. Sometimes you don’t pay attention to what you think but there are thought that make you realize like how is this going to better me and those are the thoughts you need to listen to.

Cperalta [Christopher Peralta] “Re:project 1: Thinking in writing.” Openlab. ENG1101 D346 English

Composition 1, FA 2014, 19 Sept. 2014. Wed. 14 Oct. 2014

Peralta, Christopher “A Good Day To Think” Flickr. 19 Sept. 2014. Tue. 14 Oct. 2014

Peralta, Christopher “Car Goals For The Future” Flickr. 19 Sept. 2014. Tue. 14 Oct. 2014

Peralta, Christoher “Money On My Mind” Flickr. 19 Sept. 2014. Tue. 14 Oct. 2014