The past few week have proved to be a time of learning and maturity for me. Student Connect has helped this process along the way with the lessons presented in the class. In particular, I found the chapter about goal setting and time management to be the most help. I’ve always been terrible with time management; my mom is a procrastinator, and I suppose I inherited that trait from her. Now that I’m in a more flexible environment, I’ve found that I’m indecisive with what I should do with my time, and I don’t always get things done in the order they should be done in. The tips and techniques for better time management have since helped me prioritize my schedule. The chapter on goal setting, though mostly a review of what has been drilled into my head since kindergarten, has been a helpful refresher of the important components of setting, and finishing, goals. The other chapters helped as well, though they did not leave as great an impression as the ones mentioned above. All in all, I think that I will get a lot of use out of the lessons I learned over the short period of time that I spent in this class. I’ll be sure to remember these lessons in the coming semesters.
Since going through this class, I have realized some strengths I have as a student. During class, we did some character and career oriented surveys. I found that the results reinforced what I already believed to be my academic strengths. The results showed that I’m artistic, sociable, and articulate; traits that I hope to develop further. I have always excelled at English, and usually have an easier time interpreting ideas and concepts from lectures than other students. I have an ‘ok’ memory, but generally, unless I write it down, I forget entirely assignments and subjects of study. I also excel at math, and am often asked to help my friends or their friends with math assignments. I learn a lot better in group settings as opposed to a more individual situation; I remember far more, I believe mainly because when working in a group, stories are related to the topic at hand. Rather than a lecture, the topic becomes a discussion, and in that way is easier for me to remember. As for the content and ideas that I could help new people in the class with; it would be something that I have personally experienced, or have a lot of knowledge in. It could be anything from discussing pressing political or global issues, to talking about binge drinking, or just discussing past experiences. Anything that I can relate to would make me a better teacher, and thus give the student a better understanding of the subject.
My faults, on the reverse hand, lie in my poor time management choices, and my rather selective memory. As I mentioned before, I seldom remember lectures unless they’re written, and even then I have to re-read the lectures. Unless it is a subject that personally effects or appeals to me, chances are, I won’t remember it. This combined with my slowly developing ability to manage my time wisely has put me in some stressful situations. Throughout the semester, I have noticed others in class simply coasting through their assignments; everything done on time. I wondered if it was because they had more time, or just more access to resources? I think now that I just needed to focus more on my work, rather than on what I’d be doing later in the day. For the most part, it was the blog that was the most time consuming for me. I set one up, but then was unable to re-enter the site. I made several more, before I realized that I was creating them on a different site from the one we’re supposed to use. This was easily rectified, but I spent a great deal of time trying to figure out why my blogs wouldn’t stay. The essays have been very time consuming as well, mainly because I’m easily distracted. The time changing paragraph took a good part of an hour, because I simply couldn’t focus on what I was supposed to be writing. If I hope to get more out of a future class, I’ll need better time management, and need to develop a longer attention span. But for now, it’s a slow going process.
We learned several things throughout the class, and many of the lessons I took to heart. The lecture/video on binge drinking was particularly disturbing, and one I won’t soon forget. I feel I am more responsible, and will be with my drinking in the future. Several of the lessons I learned from the chapters, as I mentioned in the first paragraph, will help me in the future as well. The lesson on successfully reaching my goals will help me greatly while in college, and even after. This is probably one of the most important lessons, in my eyes, and I think should be the focus of the class. This, and as I’ve repeated many, many times, time management. These two skills could probably carry any student through college without too many problems. They go hand in hand, and are the skills that are needed to complete any and every assignment or project given to the student. I have found them very useful, and am developing them still.
I enjoyed the group activities the most. When I first entered the class, I was under the impression that the class would mainly be used to introduce us to other students. I assumed that the class was strictly interactive assignments, etc., but I was surprised to find very few group activities. The assignment where we were instructed to find people who spoke different languages I found to be particularly useless, mainly because I think most students just wrote down any foreign words they knew and forged a signature. I did enjoy the line assignment, where we stepped to one side of the sidewalk or another, depending on our outlook on a particular subject; I learned a great deal about my peers from that. The binge drinking lesson I also, as I said before, found to be very memorable. At the end of the video, the symptoms of over-drinking were displayed on the screen, and as I read through them, a party I’d been at one night came to mind. As I read, I realized I’d experienced several of the symptoms of alcohol poisoning, and for the life of me, don’t know how I got away with it. That is a lesson I won’t soon forget, and I have even told some of my friends about it.
The class was fairly effective in its goal, but I don’t think it went about it in the correct manner. Students get enough lectures about the lessons presented in the class from other teachers (and their parents), so more interactive assignments may help get the point across better. The computer work was entertaining for a while, but quickly grew stale. I thoroughly enjoyed the group work; I think maybe the assignments in the future should be oriented more I that direction. If it were up to me, I would drop the book work entirely; possibly keep the personality surveys. The book work proved to be more of a pain than anything else, and just ate up my time. I didn’t really learn anything from it; I learned more from applying the ideas than reading about them. As for what I would keep: the group discussions, and the drinking lessons. Maybe through in some discussions or videos about drug use, etc., as well. I think all of these can be a great help to repel students from these, mostly because it’s a shock to see a person our age dying from something we regard as harmless.
Things to know when entering the class: know how to get things done on a timely basis. This will help you more than anything else in the entire course. Set aside some time as soon as you get an assignment to get it done. With the assignment out of the way, you’ll be free to do as you please. I found that this was the most stressful situation in the entire class: I often forgot assignments, and as a result, seldom got them done on time. So the lesson is this: MANAGE YOUR TIME. Along with that, don’t be afraid to speak out during class. Try to strike up conversations and meet others. It helps ease the tension between you and your new peers, and makes the class more entertaining. Ask questions if you don’t understand an assignment or subject, and things will go a lot smoother when it comes time for you to get it done. These are probably the main things you’ll need to keep your sanity in the class; I wish I’d known them when I entered the class.
The lessons I learned in this class will be very useful in my future; I am utilizing them already. In this class, I learned just a little bit more on how to introduce myself to others with confidence, to work efficiently in groups, and to manage my time (of course). These will be ridiculously helpful when I enter a job setting, especially the one I’m headed for. I’m a mass communications major, and social skills such as the ones I mentioned will be key to helping me make it in the job field I’ve chosen. I’m excited to put what I’ve learned to use, and am looking for every opportunity to develop the skills further. I must thank my teacher for assisting us throughout the class, and being so flexible with late assignments, etc. The class has been helpful, and if it weren’t already mandatory for graduation, I’d recommend it for all incoming freshmen. It’s a good way to start the year, and a good way to a new ‘life of learning’.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Coping With Change
College is, for many, a time of great change and self-discovery. Some students cope with these changes better than others, each in their own unique way. I am no different. Whether the challenge is being out of the house for the first time, building credibility, or just making new friends; we’ve all been there, and we’ve all done it our own way.
For me, moving out on my own was the biggest, and abrupt, change thus far in my life. It has had its up’s and down’s, the greatest down being building credibility, but otherwise it hasn’t been anything I can’t handle. Not all changes have been easy in my life; don’t misunderstand. Change in some areas of my life is more difficult than others; I’m sure the same goes for others’ lives as well as my own. But much of this change is necessary, so that we can grow and mature as young students, and as people. Without it, well, life would be pretty boring.
Moving out of my house, as I mentioned before, has been my greatest challenge yet. I’m miles away from home, I know next to no one, and I am learning what it’s like to live on my own, and make my own decisions. But although when I first arrived I had no clue as to how to start my life, I have since found several friends that have helped me get my new life started. My classes have taught me several lessons as well. I’ll continue to use these throughout the rest of my college career.
For me, moving out on my own was the biggest, and abrupt, change thus far in my life. It has had its up’s and down’s, the greatest down being building credibility, but otherwise it hasn’t been anything I can’t handle. Not all changes have been easy in my life; don’t misunderstand. Change in some areas of my life is more difficult than others; I’m sure the same goes for others’ lives as well as my own. But much of this change is necessary, so that we can grow and mature as young students, and as people. Without it, well, life would be pretty boring.
Moving out of my house, as I mentioned before, has been my greatest challenge yet. I’m miles away from home, I know next to no one, and I am learning what it’s like to live on my own, and make my own decisions. But although when I first arrived I had no clue as to how to start my life, I have since found several friends that have helped me get my new life started. My classes have taught me several lessons as well. I’ll continue to use these throughout the rest of my college career.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Academic Plan
My academic plan for the next few years is a simple one, albeit not a sure thing. As of this moment, I'm planning to earn a degree in mass communications/broadcasting, and go on to Kansas State University to earn a Bachelor's in business. I hope to take the degrees I receive, both here and at K-State, to a radio station and get on as a radio deejay, and possibly as an advertising or promotions director. Where I go to settle, though, is undecided as well. A large city would put my degrees to good use and challenge my abilities, but on the other hand, as radio becomings outdated, my also simply outsource me. A small town would not be as challenging, but the risk of being replaced by digitized radio or XM radio would not be as great. But I digress; in order to achieve these goals, I'll be taking a number of mass comm. classes here at Butler. Applied radio, radio production, and mass comm. classes will help immensely, and are required for my degree, whilst acting and vocal lessons will help with the artistic side of radio. I think that having a well rounded education will help land the job I desire whenever I'm ready to begin my career. I suppose I'll just have to wait to see if I'm right...
Community Service
There are several issues occuring all over the world now that trouble me. Starvation, poverty, global warming, racism; the list goes on. The most pertinent in my mind, though, is the issue of global warming. It effects not only you and I, but every living thing on the planet.
There are multiple things that we, as individuals, can do to help. Reducing the amount of fast-food you eat is a good start. Not only will it save you money, but the decrease in sales will cause fast-food corporations to produce less in the way of wrappers, etc., and as a result, reduce their cabon emissions. Also, reducing your electrical and water output and usage can have a similar effect. Less demand, less wasteful production, more money saved.
If these ideas are not enough, or simply not radical enough, then you may try petitioning to your local government, and take the fight a step higher. Petition for large companies and corporations to put a cap on their emissions. This simply means that they will eliminate un-necessary waste and, as a result, lower their carbon output. An example of a company/product that is going this way is Tide, along with it's competitors. The company now has a more concentrated detergent, so they have been able to reduce the amount of plastic that goes into making thier product. Less plastic, less emissions.
If you want to know more, you can read up on the issue in Rolling Stones Magazine, or simply Google "Global Warming".
There are multiple things that we, as individuals, can do to help. Reducing the amount of fast-food you eat is a good start. Not only will it save you money, but the decrease in sales will cause fast-food corporations to produce less in the way of wrappers, etc., and as a result, reduce their cabon emissions. Also, reducing your electrical and water output and usage can have a similar effect. Less demand, less wasteful production, more money saved.
If these ideas are not enough, or simply not radical enough, then you may try petitioning to your local government, and take the fight a step higher. Petition for large companies and corporations to put a cap on their emissions. This simply means that they will eliminate un-necessary waste and, as a result, lower their carbon output. An example of a company/product that is going this way is Tide, along with it's competitors. The company now has a more concentrated detergent, so they have been able to reduce the amount of plastic that goes into making thier product. Less plastic, less emissions.
If you want to know more, you can read up on the issue in Rolling Stones Magazine, or simply Google "Global Warming".
Time Management
To be completely honest, I'm terrible with time management. It has become increasingly obvious as my first semester of college continues. I've never cared much for the feeling I get whenever I fail to meet a deadline; normally I try not to worry about it, but it always catches up to me. Besides the constant stress, if I miss deadlines, I tend to fall behind, and eventually, it may lead to failing the class.
On the other side of things, successful time management makes things much easier on me. It's always a huge relief to get things done and out of the way on (if not ahead of) time. I think, though, that my time management was better in high school. There, I had more accessible resources; internet at both home and school, printers that didn't charge for copies, etc. Now that I balance a radio show, school, work, and family and friends, plus the fact that I'm on my own now; things are a lot different, and as a result, it is difficult for me to get things accomplished. I do think I'm maturing, in many different ways, (my time management skills included) but possibly not as fast as is being expected of me. It's a work in progress...
As for resources that have heled me thus far; well, there are several. Google.com, Yahoo.com, and the Butler website have been great helps, and are largely responsible for getting me through some of my classes.
On the other side of things, successful time management makes things much easier on me. It's always a huge relief to get things done and out of the way on (if not ahead of) time. I think, though, that my time management was better in high school. There, I had more accessible resources; internet at both home and school, printers that didn't charge for copies, etc. Now that I balance a radio show, school, work, and family and friends, plus the fact that I'm on my own now; things are a lot different, and as a result, it is difficult for me to get things accomplished. I do think I'm maturing, in many different ways, (my time management skills included) but possibly not as fast as is being expected of me. It's a work in progress...
As for resources that have heled me thus far; well, there are several. Google.com, Yahoo.com, and the Butler website have been great helps, and are largely responsible for getting me through some of my classes.
Academic Honesty
Academic honesty: “any behavior or act that implies intent to make someone believe what is not true, as by giving a false appearance.” (1).
Academic honesty is an easy enough concept to understand, but it is seldom regarded as it should be. A major issue surrounding this idea is the fact that many students simply disregard it. Many spend too much time doing other things to brainstorm and create their own ideas, so they take from others, just to get by. Others simply feel they don’t have the talent or intelligence to write a competent paper, so they ‘borrow’ as well.
It is in these situations that the line of academic honesty and integrity is crossed; when a student provides ideas and information under the pretense that these are their own, when in all actuality, they are someone else’s. Unfortunately, once a student resorts to these tactics, at least until they’re caught, they rarely use their own work. Some go as far as to share this ‘cool shortcut’ for writing papers with their friends, and thus the academic integrity of a large portion of the student body may be jeopardized.
‘So how is this problem remedied? Many teachers have begun cracking down on these acts of plagiarism. They have developed many simple ways to check to see if a student’s work is their own. So how do you get away with it? DON’T DO IT. Many students have more talent than they give themselves credit for, and should they develop a better work ethic, could write a paper worthy of a passing grade. If you do choose to use information or ideas from others, quote the original authors in some form of bibliography.
1.http://www.callutheran.edu/Academic_Resources/CTL/Students/AcademicHonesty.htm
2. http://www.whittier.edu/academic/AcademicHonesty_policy.pdf
3. http://www.marquette.edu/wac/plagiarism/AvoidingPlagiarism2.shtml
4. http://www.laspositascollege.edu/facultystaff/honesty.php
5. http://cc.ysu.edu/~helorime/AcademicHonesty.html
Academic honesty is an easy enough concept to understand, but it is seldom regarded as it should be. A major issue surrounding this idea is the fact that many students simply disregard it. Many spend too much time doing other things to brainstorm and create their own ideas, so they take from others, just to get by. Others simply feel they don’t have the talent or intelligence to write a competent paper, so they ‘borrow’ as well.
It is in these situations that the line of academic honesty and integrity is crossed; when a student provides ideas and information under the pretense that these are their own, when in all actuality, they are someone else’s. Unfortunately, once a student resorts to these tactics, at least until they’re caught, they rarely use their own work. Some go as far as to share this ‘cool shortcut’ for writing papers with their friends, and thus the academic integrity of a large portion of the student body may be jeopardized.
‘So how is this problem remedied? Many teachers have begun cracking down on these acts of plagiarism. They have developed many simple ways to check to see if a student’s work is their own. So how do you get away with it? DON’T DO IT. Many students have more talent than they give themselves credit for, and should they develop a better work ethic, could write a paper worthy of a passing grade. If you do choose to use information or ideas from others, quote the original authors in some form of bibliography.
1.http://www.callutheran.edu/Academic_Resources/CTL/Students/AcademicHonesty.htm
2. http://www.whittier.edu/academic/AcademicHonesty_policy.pdf
3. http://www.marquette.edu/wac/plagiarism/AvoidingPlagiarism2.shtml
4. http://www.laspositascollege.edu/facultystaff/honesty.php
5. http://cc.ysu.edu/~helorime/AcademicHonesty.html
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Butler Resources
Case Study #4 – ‘Failing Classes’
Brook is an 18 year old freshman at Butler. At his high school, he had been an average student. When he did’t do as well in a class, he usually knew that it was his own fault for not studying and turning in his assignments. He always felt like he was a lot more capable than he was able to demonstrate.
Nonetheless, his first year of college was proving to be more and more challenging. He made it a point to get to every class and tried to take notes, but he never was sure if what he was writing down were the most important point. What made it even more frustrating was watching his roomate – who rarely cracked a book in their dorm room – gloat over the A’s and B’s that he was making in some of the same courses that Brook was taking.
Despite all that, Brook woud make an attempt to read his assignments – particularly the night before a test. However, he couldn’t seem to concentrate and he’d find his mind wondering to plans for the weekend and imagining the fun he’d have at parties. Actually, the drinking and partying was coming close to being the only positive at Butler.
Halfway through the second month of school, he had mostly D’s in all his classes. He was in danger of losing his work study job on campus, which was paying for most of the costs of going to college. If he lost this source of financial aid, that would force him to confess to his parents that he was close to flunking out of school. His dad, a successful attorney, and his mom, and elementary teacher, had always told him that not going to college was not an option. They were convinced that a business degree would serve him well and had planned for years that he would attend their alma mater. However, Brook was failing so miserably in school that he couldn’t even imagine making it through 2 years at Butler, let alone tranferring to a university.
On top of everything, he was stopped last night for a DUI after he’d left an off-campus party. Staring disbelievingly at the ticket and court summons, he realized that conversation with his parents was going to come sooner than he’d planned.
Brook is an 18 year old freshman at Butler. At his high school, he had been an average student. When he did’t do as well in a class, he usually knew that it was his own fault for not studying and turning in his assignments. He always felt like he was a lot more capable than he was able to demonstrate.
Nonetheless, his first year of college was proving to be more and more challenging. He made it a point to get to every class and tried to take notes, but he never was sure if what he was writing down were the most important point. What made it even more frustrating was watching his roomate – who rarely cracked a book in their dorm room – gloat over the A’s and B’s that he was making in some of the same courses that Brook was taking.
Despite all that, Brook woud make an attempt to read his assignments – particularly the night before a test. However, he couldn’t seem to concentrate and he’d find his mind wondering to plans for the weekend and imagining the fun he’d have at parties. Actually, the drinking and partying was coming close to being the only positive at Butler.
Halfway through the second month of school, he had mostly D’s in all his classes. He was in danger of losing his work study job on campus, which was paying for most of the costs of going to college. If he lost this source of financial aid, that would force him to confess to his parents that he was close to flunking out of school. His dad, a successful attorney, and his mom, and elementary teacher, had always told him that not going to college was not an option. They were convinced that a business degree would serve him well and had planned for years that he would attend their alma mater. However, Brook was failing so miserably in school that he couldn’t even imagine making it through 2 years at Butler, let alone tranferring to a university.
On top of everything, he was stopped last night for a DUI after he’d left an off-campus party. Staring disbelievingly at the ticket and court summons, he realized that conversation with his parents was going to come sooner than he’d planned.
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