My Unforgettable CampBlog Experience

It was fun however stressful, tiring yet exciting and it was tough but it was worth it. It was in camp blog that I was able to experience firsthand those cliché sayings “you will reap what you sow”, “hard work pays off”, and “success is the fruit of all labor” Yes. It was physically demanding and mentally strenuous. I had to put all that I had for this but somehow I did not become ominous, as a matter of fact, I enjoyed it! I enjoyed over-using my mental capabilities just so I can pull out my best work. Learning concepts and skills I can carry on and being able to put it into practice was the ultimate price for all those hard work.

I had many unforgettable experiences in camp blog. For instance, having to meet the mentors of camp blog that I know held so much expertise but yet they were still approachable and friendly. The camp blog resource person, Joe Torres, that made me feel uneasy because of criticizing our works, we needed for us to improve; but at the same time made us feel pleased when he commented positive things to us. Having to cut off sleep just to finish our work that is needed for tomorrow

Our meals were also unforgettable (or I’d rather say unfoodgetable XD) not just because it was appetizing but because I never had the luxury of being presented all my meals (including snacks) for a whole week for free. Also having free use of computers and the internet, and feeling the persistence to finish our work early so that I can enjoy private usage the computer. Plus the flash drive was also a great added bonus to our campblog experience.

But apart from the lessons and skills that I will never forget, there is one more thing that will never impart. Friends. In camp blog, I go to know many people and befriend them. My co-student participants were actually more eager to become friends with us. I’m quite in regret for not trying to become with friends with them early in the camp because I was shy to them. But I actually enjoyed their company, though I did not look like so. I was also had great friends from the camblog team, sir Kairos, Miss Vickie, Maam Liz, Sir Jimmy and everyone else, I’m honored to have you guys as mentors and thank you for imparting to us campbloggers your expertise.

Camp blog was great. It made me use my full potential where I was able to open new doors that were unfamiliar to me. Doors that I’m sure will never close; experiences and lessons that I will bring with me and share like how camp blog shared it to every one of us.

To my classmates who may come upon this

don’t you guys just miss me??? aw! come on! I have not seen you for like (counts on his fingers) 8 days! that’s more than a week! you guys must have totally missed me! oh well, enough of that  I know you miss me even if you don’t tell me… I’m a psychic! XD

So what happened while I was away? had epicly boring lectures with you’re teachers? Which, by the way, I did not have because my teachers were AWESOME! How many lectures, quizzes and assignment did I miss huh? And speaking of misses… do you miss me??? oh… we’re already done with that? sorry… XD…

Oh… I have a lot of catching up to do! you know, lessons you guys learned while I was away… ow…Why’d I have to go here and learn about How to create BLOGS, how to create your own site, Photo shooting and probably photo editing… you know, the normal stuff people like ME learn, bot not too shabby… what did you guys learn? extremely hard math? impossible to understand chemistry?… well… I guess What I have been learning must be far Better and far more fun than what you guys were learning! XD

Atleast you had the time to read books, write essays and the like… I’m totally envious… You know what I had to do? Use the computer all day! and you know what else? When I’m done using the computer, I use the computer some more! Don’t you just pity me? Excused the whole week and I get to immerse myself in the computer… just so pitiful… XD

What projects were assigned to you? What did you guys make? I’m sure you had an outlet to let go of your “artistic side” haha… that’s so cool… well I also did have an outlet for my “artistic side” and i also had some projects to do… I had to make my own blog and make improvements to the new online publication’s Blog… Well It doesn’t have to use pen and manila paper or pen and cartolina like you guys, I just used, A COMPUTER!!! XD

I heard in the news that there was this storm coming… How is the weather there now? The last time i checked, every noon till afternoon, (sometimes in the morning) it was searing hot! well I know, why would i be asking, since we weren’t that far away… please understand… we were in an air-conditioned room that was really cool; and I don’t have time too look at the outside, I was always facing my computer… XD

And the only time we were outside was when we go eat lunch and dinner… which reminds me… I really have to do a poll on how much a student would spend for lunch in school… For the week, it was really hard to do, I can’t imagine since all the food served to us was free!!!(and that includes snacks) XD

Enough of all the school stuff… I’m sure you guys enjoyed after a hard days work… Hey! if forgot! the cleaning was moved to the afternoon! well that’s awkward; after you guys have a hard days work you get to clean the campus! even more hard work! at least you had a physically tiring activity… me?… when we were done we play… where else?… in the computer! XD

But seriously, I am so worried with the CAT… i mean I missed a whole afternoon class of it! It’s just unfair… You guys get to march and sweat a lot, get tired and get to learn, while, on that day, I went to Baybay to have a field activity well I also did sweat, but not a lot, and I also learned something…. So it may just be quits… or not!

So maybe that wasn’t totally on a serious note but honestly, there was one thing that I reaally missed… you guys… I mean for the whole week I wasn’t able to converse with you, share my thoughts with you and have fun with you… I only have a couple of friends who I know here… Oh Wait! I forgot! you guys should really meet my new friends! they are so cool and one was beautiful too! but still I can’t share my thoughts with them, but I did have my BLOG!!! XD

So… My week was pretty boring aint it??? OW!!!…enough of me though… what happened to you guys while I was away???

What I learned from the multimedia modules and fieldwork

Critical and educational information, generally, that was what I learned. Photo Story and Video Documentation were the two main topics that were discussed in the modules; two topics that were foreign to me. But I was amazed on how much facts the modules was able to provide me, facts that I totally had no idea about.

Since the dawn of digital cameras, Taking pictures was an easy task; you just have to point and shoot and voila you have your perfectly shot picture. Or is it? This was what I have learned in the topic of the photo story module that taught about the fundamentals (or for me the complexes) in taking a photograph. I have learned that, in order to take a non-mediocre photo, you must take into consideration many aspects that conjure an excellent image. These aspects include the light, exposure and brightness, the focus and depth of field, and the angle, framing and your point of view. Although the module already taught me the theory and essentials, I was able to learn and understand more when Mr. Jimmy Domingo lectured us on how to shoot excellent and artistic photos and how to get the best out of a scene.

It was putting all those theories into practice that made me thrilled. At least on the field I had a momentary relaxation from looking at the monitors all day and listening to Mr. Joes Tores’ commentaries. Aside from that, I had additional experience and I was able to understand what the module and Mr. Jimmy was talking about. All too was important. I also had a time with my camera and take unto notice settings that was oblivious to me before. And somehow, small tweaks and change in settings caused a really impressive improvement to my shooting skills; and I had the greatest time playing around and seeing what kind of change it would make to my picture.

This was only one part of the day’s topic. The main topic, photo story, featured important skills needed to create a photo story that is worth watching. It involved so much specifics like editing your photos, having variety but being consistent and putting the best music to fit for our photo story. Although, the activity for creating the photo story will still be on the next day, I have learned enough to be able to do it. And i’m excited too!

My Teacher Who is Interested in DotA

Defense of the Ancients, or as most people would recognize it called as, DotA, is one of the games most teenagers are getting hooked and addicted to. I would doubt no high school student wouldn’t know DotA and that includes girls. DotA became a sensation. It became a hobby for teenage boys, an undefeatable rival of most girls in a relationship , a topic parents always blabber about to keep their son away from it and the teacher’s enemy because their students would cut classes just to play the game.

I too play DotA but I don’t go too far as to cut classes or not eat lunch just to be in an adrenaline pumped mode from playing it. But I do admit it is a very fun game and yes, you could easily get addicted to it. But what makes it addictive in the first place? “I could explain to you but it is too complicated and it takes too long.” This would be the answer most would here when asking the same question and in my opinion it really is hard to explain and would take too long.

It was this mystery on what made it addictive that inspired one of my teachers to give it a try. You might not think of it as much of a surprise since even the mature population play DotA but I’m sure it will be since she, (no not a he) is a she. But we still haven’t played together nor do I think she played with others; she plans to do it at least. I would guess tomorrow she’d start to play and experience it firsthand.  And until then I would keep this post this way and update you on my experience on playing with my teacher!

Insights in Converting our Work Into Electronic Form

This was the most exciting day of my Camp Blog experience. Looking at our amazing online publication site we have created is just so exhilarating. I never thought that we would be able to create this site in so less time and soon, my co-students in our school will be able to use and enjoy it to its full potential. This was the biggest step that our publication have undertook that will surely be a craze once it has been released in our school.

With the new online newspaper, we will be able to do so many things that we couldn’t do with the printed magazine. Like giving my co-students instantaneous information updated to the sight; an almost unlimited sheet for our pictures and videos that we all know students love that will surely catch their attention that was hard to do in the old publication. It is also a great device for us staff to express our feelings to the world without waiting for six months before an issue is released. And one the best things about the new online publication is that we can edit, change and improve it from the comforts of our home.

Making the site was a hard task but thanks to wordpress, the creation and beautification of the site became manageable and I was able to use some of wordpress’ features that other schools wasn’t able to use. I have also took into notice that using wordpress as our site server limits our needs to make our site better. But Mr. Joe Torres, CampBlogs’ resource person, mentioned about using css codes to improve our online site’s layout and theme and go further to what wordpress is able to give us. This made me rethink the possibilities and I would try to learn about those complicated internet codes.

Converting our works into a online magazine was a great experience! I have learned lessons to make my personal blog and our online publication become a website that everyone would want to stay to. And tonight, before I go to sleep, I can brag to my classmates and schoolmates what we have made today.

What I learned from the self study modules

Another day in Campblog and more new skills and information are learned from the self study module I have watched/listened/read today. Among the new skills I have learned is blogging. Though I am not unfamiliar to this, it was my first time to learn about the technical skills needed to make a good blog. I have learned the importance of having a well-made blog where you can attract many viewers and users to read you’re blog and expand you’re blog’s reach in the web. Thanks to the module I was able to establish my own blog this afternoon with ease.

I have only been writing to the net from the rise of the social network but I have never tried to write formally in different sites. The module included an online writing lesson that was interesting on how it was able to push on me on writing in the internet. Lessons that improved my writing and grammatical skills and what they called “netiquette” or you’re internet manners.

Another topic in the module that I have learned is oline research. For the past years that I knew the internet, I use it as my second encyclopedia, dictionary and Atlas so I was very familiar in online research. But to my surprise, online researching also needs skills in order to find the best possible result to your query, like using and/or to widen or narrow you’re search. I also learned to be weary with possible sites that can misinform and misdirect me. But the best thing I have learned in the online research module is the long to use it more.

But the Modules in general were way too long and bored me half way. Though I learned a lot of lessons, I had to force myself to finish it. But having those interactive modules was exciting and new that just proves even more the power of technology and its influence in our upcoming online school publication.

What I Learned from the Lecture on Online Blogging

Technology is taking over society and in my opinion printouts would soon be obsolete. Learning about having online newspapers is great news for students like me who would rather be online than reading printed articles.

I have learned a bucket full of new ideas and inspirations in the lecture on online newspapers. It is a great new leap for our school if it is implemented because of its modern feel that would surely get the attention of my co-students. Access to the online newspapers would be easier since most would also have access to the internet. It also costs less and would eliminate the stress encountered when rushing in publishing the magazine. The problem in online newspapers would be its establishment but afterwards it would be smooth sailing, easily uploading the articles. Mistakes made in articles can be corrected faster rather than waiting for the erratum in the next issue.

In the online newspaper, Information would be relayed instantly and students would get updated faster. Getting faster information means faster response and would ultimately save everybody time and effort. It would also be interactive which means the readers would not get bored like they have been in reading printouts. And as students would have easy access to the site, they would also be able to express their own ideas and comment in the online newspaper. And unlike printed magazines you are not constricted in what you are reading. You are already in the internet; information is out there and it can be easily attained.

But what I have importantly learned is that this online newspaper is not too far out of reach. I mean, come on!, by the end of this week, our school publication would have an online site. Isn’t it exciting?
It surely is for me!