Reflection 1

Reflection 1-
This assignment was somewhat difficult because I wasn't sure what to say for my goals. I was tentative about taking this course because I didn't know how I was going to approach it. Most of the people that I talked to that are taking this class have a very broad knowledge of all of the things we are going to be going over and learning. This made me not want to take the class because I didn't want to be the only one who didn't know anything. My goals range from improving my use with basic things that I encounter daily, such as Microsoft Word, to learning how to do something I've never done before, such as making an electronic portfolio. I have never evaluated myself with my abilities with computers and it is very interesting to see that there are so many programs and features available to use on a computer that I never even noticed before. I am very eager to learn about all of these different aspects and be able to use them from now on. This assignment really helped me to see what I was going to be learning and also how I was going to challenge myself by doing so. I know that most of this stuff will not come easy to me, but at the same time I will have a positive attitude and know that all of these things will help me be a better teacher who can relate to the students and the technology that they are growing up with. From doing this assignment, saying my goals made it easier for me to map out what is coming. I feel like I should be evaluating myself in every class I am taking, that way, I will be less nervous and more confident to perform a task because I will be prepared for what is coming. I think just writing this reflection alone has helped me to better understand what will be expected in this course. This assignment contributed to my understanding of integrating technology into the education process because I truly realize now how important technology is and also how important it is to make sure I keep up with the newest technology. Everything we are doing in our class is really important to know to be able to relate to our students as best as we can. Students don't want to have a teacher who lectures. They want teachers with power points and web pages so they can be visually stimulated.

Assignment #1

I have a lot of learning objectives/goals for myself while taking this course. I have never been the type to be very comfortable using a computer. I am usually always the person who is writing things down when everyone else is typing, but I have to learn more about the computer because technology is quickly advancing. One of my goals is to become more familiar with the other tools in the Microsoft Office Suite. I am familiar with Microsoft word and how to type documents and essays, but I have only made a few powerpoints in my life and I have never used Excel. I think that these programs would benefit me a lot and I am looking forward to learning more about them. Another goal I have is to be able to learn how to make my own webpage. This is something that I have only done once for a class but I do not remember how to do it at all. This could be very useful for putting up information about myself for job opportunities (like what you showed us in class) or just a place for friends and family to view. My third goal is to be able to learn more about Mac computers. I would just really like to know the basic functions and be able to use them. I have never used a Mac and I just am curious to know why so many people prefer them over PCs. I know we won't be focusing on learning how to use them but I think it would be interesting to try using one for one of my projects. My 4th goal is to learn how to attach hyperlinks onto webpages. I have always wondered how to do this. The webpage you showed us was really organized and had multiple links, such as the link to your trip to China. This is a really good way to organize everything and make it easier for the viewer to access. My last goal is to be able to make the electronic portfolio really well. I am a bit nervous for this assignment and it sounds intimidating but I feel confident that I will learn what I need to know to be able to do this. All of my goals are mainly for my own benefit, but they will also help me very soon when I am out of college and starting my career. I will hopefully be able to make impressive powerpoints and webpages to help me teach and convey the material better to the students.

About Me

My name is Sandra. I am from New Jersey. I am a senior at the University of Hartford. I am living off campus this year and it is an interesting transition having to commute to school when I was used to living on campus. I feel much more independent living this way though. I am an English major and also minoring in French and Education. I hope to become a secondary English teacher or a writer/editor. I really would love to be a teacher because I love working with kids and this is what I have wanted to do since I was very young. I have always dreamt about being a teacher and I really hope it will happen. I am specializing in creative writing, particularly poetry. My favorite poet is Theodore Roethke. I am trying to be a better fiction writer but it is challenging because I am not very good at incorporating dialogue into stories. I am very interested in the French langauge and would love to become fluent in it. It would be a dream come true for me if I was able to live in France for a small part of my life. I traveled there before and I had an amazing time. If my career in the field of English does not work out, I would love to be a French teacher, tutor, or translator. I am very sad that I am graduating this year because I wish I had more time to explore other subject areas that are of interest to me, such as marine biology. I am excited to take CT 243 because I am not very good with computers and I would like to learn a lot more and be able to use my knowledge in the classroom.

Pan's Labyrinth

This was also a very strange movie that mixes the real world with the fantasy world. The main character Ofelia interacts with this faun and many other creatures from the fantasy world. The faun tells her she needs to complete 3 tasks. The role of three is introduced again and is a mythical element like a fairy tale. Whenever anything gets too rough to handle, she goes into this fantasy world. This reminds me of Don Quixote and Perceval who both were totally obsessed with the fantasy world. This fantasy world made them happy, but everybody else thought that they wwere crazy. I thought the ending of the movie was the most interesting. When she dies, she imagines herself to be in this fantasy world with her parents but she really isn't. She is really dying in "the real world" but she does not like her life in the real world so she dies happily in her fantasy world.

Run Lola Run

This was one of the weirdest movies I have ever seen. It was interesting though because even though there was repetition about how every different story began, the ending changed a lot and it made me want to find out what was going to happen. I didn't think of it while watching it, but you mentioned that it was like a fairy tale because it was told in 3s. This already makes it mythical. It was a very dramatic film and certain things could not possibly happen. For example, when Lola screams and shatters the glass, or when she screams at the casino and gets the ball to roll exactly where she wants it to. I also thought it was unrealistic about how the time seemed to go very slow when she was running. For example, when she needed to meet Mannie by 12, it was 11:59 and she was still blocks away but somehow made it there by 12. I guess the movie sort of teaches a lesson too. The lesson would be to always do the honorable thing because in the last story, Lola does not steal money, she wins it and Mannie gets his money back from the homeless man who took it. The other stories didn't work out because they were stealing and using weapons to get what they needed.

The Ogre (Day 4)

1) What do you think the significance of the mirror twins and Lothar (they seem to have a special place at the Napola and with Abel) ? And what about the way in which they die? How do you read this? (Hint: Revelation 2:16 says- "Therefore repent, or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of my mouth."


When he finds Haro and Hajo, Tournier writes, " Twins carry the despiritualization of the flesh further. It is no longer a matter of a contradictory tumult in which souls neutralize each other. The two bodies really have only one concept between them with which to clothe themselves in intelligence and fill themselves with spirit" (287). He tried to figure out ways to tell them apart and then he realized that they are mirror twins who can be superimposed on one another face to face, not one on top of the other like the others. He says, "I have always been extremely interested in the processes of inversion an, permutation and superimposing; photography provided a special illustration of them, but only in the realm of the imagination. And now here I find the theme that has always haunted me actually written out in children's flesh!" (289). I think these twins represent good and evil, and that both of these things are within every person. I think this because of the way one side of them matches up perfectly with the other side of the other twin.

The Ogre (Day 3)

Discuss the emphasis upon animals in Rominten. What do you think the aurochs symbolize? Or why the emphasis on the hunt? Try to extract as many meanings as possible from this.

To me, the animals represent many things. I also think it is interesting that throughout this whole time we see Tiffauges as being disgusted with the consumption and killing of the animals because prior to this it was him who was obsessed with becoming something by consuming it. I think he finally may be discovering what is going on. The animals go along with the theme of consumption throughout the novel. An example of consumption was when Goering was eating a half of a roast boar and he fed it to the lion who was sitting behind him. Tournier writes, "From then on the leg passed regularly back and forth between the two ogres, who gazed at each other affectionately as they chewed the lumps of black, musky flesh (206). It seems that every time someone commits a bad deed or acts like an animal they are described as an ogre, a ferocious creature that does harm to others. I thought it was bizarre that after killing the animals, whoever is doing so, laughs and is very happy about it. For example, when the Master of Hunt killed the doe, he was laughing and chortling with glee (210). This portrays the sort of sick mentality that some people have when they commit a horrendous deed, such as killing an innocent person/animal. This immediately made me think of the Holocaust and the fact that the Nazis were happy about what they did. When the horse was shot behind the ear and collapsed, Tiffauges nearly passed out. When the owner removed the horse's "shoes" and the hide, it reminded me of the Holocaust when the Jewish people were killed, the Nazis took some of their belongings and even removed their teeth.

Another interesting moment is when Tiffauges sees a herd of enormous creatures approaching him. They were black and shaggy as bears and humped like bison. Tiffauges recognized them as bulls, but obviously of a prehistoric type, such as depicted in neolithic cave drawings- that is aurochs, with their short horns like daggers and withers rippling with a thick mane (201). To me, this herd symbolizes the Nazis invading and taking over. They are running towards Tiffauges to make him aware of what is coming. I also think it is interesting that they are black because this color symbolizes a lot. Black always means death and foreshadows bad things to come. I did a little research about aurochs and I found out that there is actually a German flag with an auroch's head on it in some region in Germany. Now I am pretty certain that the aurochs represent the terror that the Nazis brought.