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student blogs

Creative soft core inspo (#2)

Not gonna lie, the first quote that came to my mind is not necessarily the most encouraging or inspiring, but I remember the first time I read it, I felt so seen.

“Writing is 99% procrastination” ― Phoebe Waller-Bridge

Damn girl, same. Here I am, writing this at 1 am after like 3 naps. But, despite relating so much to it, I feel like it doesn’t show my full view of writing, why I write, or what makes me feel; so, I looked for another:

“One of the greatest rewards of making art is our ability to share it. Even if there is no audience to receive it, we build the muscle of making something and putting it out into the world.” ― Rick Rubin, The Creative Act: A Way of Being

YES, RICK, YES! But allow me to give some context.

I do not believe we are meant to create to share it. I think we are meant to create to get something out of our system, because if it’s not outside our mind and body, it rots inside. It makes us sick. So we struggle to get a piece out. We write, and delete, and re-write, and delete everything, and start from scratch, and delete it again, and so on and so forth until we can’t stand the piece anymore.

At that moment, a decision has to be made: do I keep the piece I hate (this is just the feeling I often have after finishing my pieces, but the feeling changes person to person, and piece to piece) and deal with its existence on my own, or do I share it and make it someone else’s problem as well? At least like that, I wouldn’t have to hate it alone. I’m sure most, if not everyone, has shared a cursed Instagram reel or meme because “if I saw this, you have to too.” I do it with my cousins all the time. And though on the surface level it seems vindictive and hateful, it’s an act that looks for relatedness. To find something that connects us further, even if it is by traumabonding over cursed memes.

I think that’s why we feel the need to share what we create. To connect with others, and with ourselves too. Countless times I thanked others for sharing their words, figuratively speaking beacuse I don’t know these people. I would listen to lyrics and think, how do they know? How could someone that I have never met and know nothing about, know so much about how I feel from hundreds of thousands of miles away? Now that I’m older, I understand that we are not singularities, and I have to thank my mom for not allowing me to get tattoos at 12 years old. If she did, I would have a “music saved my life lml” tattoo across the chest. Thanks mom.

But Rick says that we share it even if there’s no audience — even if there’s no one on the other side to relate to you or your piece. Yeah, we do. And we do it for the same reason that we share an opinion when nobody asked us for one: we need to get it out of our chest.

Though an opinion can be blurted out in the span of a second without any previous thought, and a creative piece requires much attention to detail and consideration, both desire to exist in the world with the same strength. We set them free in the world to free ourselves from their weight, and instead share it with the universe’s energy, or someone.

Letting go is not easy, and at times it’s even painful, but the more we go through it, the less it hurts. Which, for some reason, makes me think of the American Sycamore we saw today. Shedding its bark because it’s too restricting. By letting go of it, the tree exposes itself, vulnerable to the world, so at the same time it can expand and cleanse itself from pests.

Nature is so creative, omg.

student blogs

Isn’t it a window into my world, my eyes?

https://open.spotify.com/embed/track/3v1ipH6EVDlmnTK6tjdgvK?utm_source=generator&si=d7087184bba94856

The prompt immediately reminded me of the song above: “A brief description about myself” by El Cuarteto de Nos. Thank you, professor, for such a deep question to start us off. Now, y’all get to see me struggle as my identity spirals in this blog.

“But I’m not that complicated to try and escape, or stay here in silence. But I’m not that simple to not warn that there are no three minutes nor a hundred words that can define me” – El Cuarteto de Nos

If the eyes are the windows to the soul, then the window into my world is my eyes, right? If so, how much are my eyes telling for me? I wish they could take over right now and try to explain what my world is, what my eyes see, and what my perspectives are.

Forged in a delusional revolution, I am full of contradictions — pain, violence, injustice, and ignorance wrote my destiny from the moment I first opened my eyes, yet there was also so much warmth, fun, love, compassion, and kindness around me. Always confronting dichotomies, I learned the price of freedom and the effects of resistance at an early age, which killed the child in me. From there, my perspectives were shaped, and life became more serious. More grim. As if all that was left to do was to fight for survival. Everything was a matter of life or death, literally, so my defenses rose, and my trust was locked up in a box in the middle of the ocean.

America softened me, and for a few years, I reinvented myself into someone I didn’t know. Open to try new things, enjoying said things, making friends everywhere, at peace, safe, insecure, and very, very, very naïve. I thought I had already seen everything; I truly had seen a LOT by 19, but I had never been exposed to such diversity as America’s before. It kicked me in the ass, and I felt like Sting, “An alien. I’m a legal alien. I’m an Englishman in New York.” Legal or not, an alien in the end.

When the agent called Alien #310, I stood up. My new life was waiting. I didn’t have to think about pain or violence; fear didn’t control me anymore. Soon, I was going to be given the space to be whoever I wanted to be, not what I was forged/forced to be. But the years showed the full picture. Tied by the neck under the sun with the gate wide open, so they can see me try to escape without strength.

I don’t know how to define my world, my space, or my perspective anymore. I’ve lived too many different lives and still can’t find myself in the scraps they leave behind. I have memories that don’t seem mine and facts that don’t seem like they can coexist. But writing it helps me see and draw connections to finally understand myself, so if you see me crying while typing, ignore me, I’m just trying to cope.

An overthinker by nature, I find myself drowning in a sea of possibilities, realities, and dreams. Who I was, who I am, and who I want to be.

I am so thankful to be a part of this class. After four years of trying to register for it, it finally happened. I’m here, and at a moment when I needed it the most.

Thank you, prof. Z.

student blogs

Some we hit, some we miss

Hey! This is my missed blog. It still comes a bit short because I didn’t have time this week to finish the plagiarism article, but here’s what I have to say about the AI dying languages tool:

I think this article shows the importance of having access to dying languages AI tools, its long-term impact on the language, culture, and its people, and by addressing the fact that the data collected often comes from exploitative means.

The article explains that “This type of monotonous ‘ghost work’ takes on an emotional dimension in the context of language preservation,” and it’s absolutely true. We see it happening in many monotonous jobs. The human spirit dies with “tedious repetition” even when working a regular retail job. The difference is that, when working to preserve your own language and culture, people also feel a sense of hope for the future of their culture and pride in taking action in preserving their language, which ultimately fuels employees with a strong motivation to keep working. One that is emotional and historical, rather than exploitative or capitalist.

Though the development of dying languages AI tools may be “motivated by commercial profit, social impact, technological innovation, or a mix of all three,” for the native speaker, it is exciting, even when the pay they receive is significantly lower than it should be.

The article is successful in showing us how bad the employees’ pay is in U.S. dollars, but fails to demonstrate a clear understanding of the currency exchange rates. Often, I see first-world countries complaining about the low-wage job exploitation in third-world countries, but without them even knowing what that money represents for the employee.

Everyone says, “close fast-fashion third-world-warehouses for they exploit the employees.” Okay, and then what? Thousands of local workers lose their jobs and their ability to sustain themselves and their families. $243 is nothing for an American — maybe that’s just their electricity bill, but for countries where the currency exchange favors the U.S. dollar, that same amount pays for the rent, gas, utilities, insurance, school tuition, food, and entertainment.

I think it’s too easy to just say “pay them more money or close the factory” when a whole economic analysis that focuses on currency exchange rates and socio-cultural phenomena needs to exist to actually propose an alternate method.

student blogs

Brainstorming Final Project

For my final project, I plan to write a microfiction story that explores the role of AI in education, specifically imagining a near future where schools begin replacing teachers with AI systems to cut costs. This idea is influenced by recent budget cuts in nearby school districts and ongoing conversations about teacher burnout and the value of educators.

In my story, I want to depict a classroom where students rely on AI to answer questions, assist with writing, and guide their learning. While this may initially seem efficient, I plan to explore the consequences, particularly how overreliance on AI might limit students’ critical thinking and independence. I am also interested in the idea of whether AI systems themselves could show signs of “burnout” through glitches or repetitive responses, raising questions about the limits of replacing human teachers.

As I develop this piece, I will use AI as a brainstorming partner to generate ideas and explore different directions, while being intentional about maintaining my own voice and creativity. In my reflection, I plan to examine how AI influenced my writing process, including where it was helpful and where I had to resist or adapt its suggestions. Overall, I want this project to explore both the possibilities and limitations of AI in education and in writing itself.

student blogs

Blog 12

For the final project, I was immediately drawn to the third one because it´s more my speed. I’m tempted to just do the one that feels “safe” but I also feel conflicted because pushing myself out of my comfort zone and writing the microfiction could be fun too! I don´t think I will end up choosing the second option because I’m leaning towards the other two and I feel like I might get a little bit more out of those personally.I am really interested to see what everyone else comes up with for that one though!. I don’t have any solid ideas right now but I think it could be interesting to see where my story ends up when collaborating with AI to write it. Would it suggest anything useful? Will it critique my ideas or simply be my #1 fan until the very end?

We have all been very vocal about our feelings towards ACT in Burnouts and the way that collaboration looks like, so I wonder if that same distaste will transfer over to creative work or if everyone will actually enjoy the product of their collaboration. 

student blogs

Final Project Prep

my reaction to the fact that we have to use AI for this assignment

In taking some time the think things over, I felt option 1 would be the best thing to do for the final project. Throughout this semester I have made it known that I absolutely hate AI and I my best to avoid it at all costs. I have never actually used AI to write, or help me in my personal writing processes. In all honesty, I’d rather continue that, but for the sake of the assignment (and my grade)I’ll make this concession. In looking over the other two options, i felt that they weren’t as interesting to me as option 1 was. While I don’t believe that working with an AI will be a formative experience that will make me embrace the new TECH BRO world order, I do think that finally working with an AI to write might lead to some interesting insights nonetheless.

In terms of early ideas, I can’t say I have to many. A part of me feels like I want to write out the story and then use the AI to edit and revise, rather than leaning on it in the pre-writing phase. I don’t know why, but that feels like a bridge i do not want to cross at all. I wonder how its all going to turn out when its all said and done.

student blogs

THinking About the Final Project…

The three choices we have for the final project are all equally tempting. But if I had to pick, I’m definitely drawn to either the AI confession or the microfiction.

The AI confession would allow me space to reflect on all my interaction with AI. The ones I’ve played an intentional role in at least. This is something I consider important as we move further into a completely embedded AI world. I think what has been hardest to accept is that I really have no choice but to get with the times. That doesn’t necessarily mean I will be using AI at every stop in my day, but more like, I can’t be angry forever, I must be compassionate, and I must focus on how this can work for the better (someday). That acceptance and non-judging attitude is very conditional as things continue to unfold (the cons will just simply never outweigh the pros). 

Now, the microfiction really did intrigue me. I’ve had experience with writing speculative fiction before, and I’ve learned it’s definitely not my favorite genre to write. But as this project direction asks me to use AI as a collaborator when crafting my story, it makes me curious about potential outcomes. I wonder if that “partnership” will help or further hinder my ability to write a story with any optimism of its meaningfulness. Will the AI learn to write in my style and, most importantly, will I like its suggestions? Will there be a moment during this interaction where I will start treating the AI like a human? I’d like to experiment. Plus, the reflection at the end will still do what the “AI confession” direction would do, but with a little more substance (all my past interactions with AI seem a little boring to write about).

I’m excited to find out if my mindset or attitude will change or stay the same after the completion of this assignment 🙂

P.S. I can’t believe we’re heading (or catapulting) towards the end of the semester already. 

Adamari Peralta

4/15/2026

student blogs

At Last.. The Final Stop!

Blog # 12

At last, we’ve come to the conclusion. When we first started this class, and the professor rolled out the pathfinder assignments, I was somewhat nervous. Not mainly because of the assignments that needed to be done but I was unclear of how to approach this presentation from start to finish; not to mention that I generally dislike conducting presentations. Especially those that are less interesting to me. However, watching you guys week after week covering your materials like the pros that you are, brought me one step closer to preparing my own presentation. This is not solely pertaining to time, but also in terms of reducing my anxiety and making me a little more at ease. Even though I don’t enjoy presenting, I understand that as students, and individuals in general, it is important to recognize that there are things we are asked to do that are completely out of our comfort zones. Whether it is in our professional field, education, or even in our personal lives. Did I mention that presentation is not one of my favorite things to do? Ok. Cool. So any congratulation to me also goes out to each and everyone of you. Job well done!

As for the final project, after going through a process of elimination, I’ve decided to complete the first assignment; the micro fiction story that will paint a picture of the impact of AI teaching, learning, and education in the near future. When the Professor introduced the assignment the last time, we were in class together, I wasn’t sure which option I would choose. After giving it some thought, I immediately eliminated the second one which is about creating a narrative game with AI. Since I’m not a gamer, I don’t think it’s ideal to choose this particular project as I would need to put in additional work to learn the steps involved in creating the game, all without knowing how successful I would be. Once that preliminary process was completed, my choice became much clearer leading me to choose the first one. Even though I’ve not written a micro fiction story before, I have more confidence in this particular one. 

student blogs

final proj reflection

Out of all the options listed for the final, I feel most drawn to the microfiction piece 4 a number of reasons. Firstly, I already find myself imagining how Ai will completely transform the world of education quite often. It’s super natural as an emerging educator. So, I feel like it would be a fun n fruitful experience to encaspculate these feelings in 1 piece. I also rly love sci-fi. I forgot which sci-fi author said this, but I remember her being a super cool lady- the science fiction genre, out of every genre, allows us to highlight humanity’s problems in the most real, frank ways. It doesn’t have boundaries other genres, like realistic fiction, does. We can just spotlight the vibes- no rules, it is all up to you to form the world, community, whatever that will best amplify the problem you’re writing about.

I think science is such an interesting field. It rly can be viewed in 2 ways: humanity pushing itself to its limits in a super awesome, helpful, revoluntary way…. or in the worst way.

I don’t have any super solid ideas quite yet. I am thinking, though, of having some kinda foil between a super human, almost animalistic raw human experience, and the cold, sterile nature of ai. As for my Ai partnership, I may ask Chat to even write, like, the Ai parts in the story. Like- I write the human experience- they do the Ai part. Or…. maybe even vice versa. That could be a fun angle.

Regardless, I am so excited. Wooo

student blogs

Blog Post #12 Final Project Reflection

Song of the Day: Focus Playlist – When the Stakes Are High

For the final project assignment, I want to go with the first option in crafting a microfiction. I have written a microfiction before for a flash fiction contest that happened in Kean not too long ago. It was not easy since I wrote way more than the word limit, so I had to chop a lot of my work, but it worked out in the end since I managed to win third place.

For this class’s microfiction, I want to write about humanity and it’s changing creativity (pre-ai and during ai) from the perspective of a vampire. My thinking; how would a creature that was once human look at humanity over the decades, and talk about the concept of what is humanity when the speaker (vampire) is essentially losing their own humanity?

I still feel hesitant to include ai in my writing. I think I will first write the whole thing then use a copy of the completed work for ai to scan it and see if they believe there is anything that can be improved/changed/fixed. I can then compare my original work versus the copy that was used with ai. I will also have to record down specific changes or events that took place with the ai, so I can include it into my reflection portion.