16 ABI; And That's All She Wrote...

        “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...” 

― Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go!

     If I had to summarize this first semester in a few words, I would pick difference and growth. Looking back, I am still awe struck that I already have the first semester of college under my belt and a great semester at that. A trend throughout this course has been reflection so here goes the final look in the mirror of the semester as a whole.

                Coming to college I knew would have many foreign elements in which I would have to extend beyond my comfort zone to adjust to. I was very used to the family aspect and going to a high school filled with close relationships with just about everyone. Being exposed to an environment where you may not see the same people twice and not having your family in arms reach was different. Difference may be positive or negative depending on your reaction to the situation and in this case, I would say it was positive. The first few weeks of course were abstract and at times hard to get through but I think the growth and individuality I have obtained since being away is something to be proud of. Not only did I grow in this way, but my learning and my knowledge has become that of a college student. I feel as though I have reached where I want to be as far as reading and writing wise which was one of my goals orginally. I am able to take responsibility for my own learning and also feel as though I am already disclosed to so many different fields of study. I have also noticed that I have a greater appreciation for learning and education, and have also become pretty confident in my abilities.

                I feel as though my biggest achievements this semester would include involving myself in various campus activities that I would just brush off in high school and also getting involved. I completed two video projects that had to do with clubs and getting involved because this was one of my regrets as I finished high school. I was part of one or two different organizations in high school but in college, a reachable goal of mine would be to get involved as much as possible. I have already started to climb this mountain as I am part of Programs Council, the Service Commission, and have started looking to study abroad which are different risks I have taken and never would imagine myself doing so. Furthermore, I have been able to hand each and every assignment for every class in on time and can say I’ve definitely put my best foot forward. I have decided that I am going to make my college experience worth it and take my studies seriously just as I did in high school because it was a strategy that definitely had great outcomes. With this, I feel I have gotten a better handle on balancing my social life with the college workload which is also something I wanted to improve upon from the beginning of the semester. It is important to go out and have fun to get away from the work for just a little while but I am very aware that we don’t come to college to party, we come to college to obtain a degree.

                It is such a great feeling to know that I got off on such a strong note here at Southern, and wouldn’t change a single thing about this first semester. The friendships I have made and the academic achievements are unimaginable and it can only go up from here. As long as I keep my optimistic outlook and work ethic, these next four years are going to be some of the best of my life. I cannot wait to start taking classes in the Communication Disorder field, but I am grateful to have general education classes which have built a strong foundation to shape me into what it means to be a college student. Goals for next semester would be to keep meeting as many different people as I can and to keep growing my mind and self. College is not an easy journey but with motivation and perseverance it is attainable. It has been such an amazing semester and I wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday and an enjoyable winter break!!

16V; Free at Last

                “The secret of happiness is freedom, the secret of freedom is courage.” 

― Carrie Jones

After a semester full of hard work, we are finally free. We are rewarded with a whole month to relax and spend time with our families for the holidays. This freedom is much needed after sixteen weeks of non-stop work, pressure, and determination. Freedom, however, can be looked at from many different points of view. We live in a country full of freedoms outlined in the Bill of Rights. Some of these include freedom of speech, press, and religion. As I have many loved ones in the armed forces, I have heard countless times that freedom isn’t free, this is just something for all of us to think about. There are many people risking their lives to protect the countries freedoms and I would like to take the time to wish them happy holidays as most of them cannot be home with their families. Furthermore, I am thankful to have the freedom to make mistakes especially in college in that it provides me to improve and progress to be the best I can be. As I conclude my last blog posts, I will go make myself a nice cup of hot chocolate and sit by the Christmas tree to start my month of freedom.

                A new word this week is ochlophobia, a noun meaning, “an abnormal fear of crowds,” and also klaxon, also a noun meaning, “a loud electric horn, formerly used on automobiles, trucks, etc., and now often used as a warning signal.”

Final Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwYOlOfW378&feature=youtu.be

Enjoy!!

15A; Feedback

      Despite all of the other papers and projects I was expected to complete this week, I finally drafted the video for my final project in Inquiry class. My creativity was incorporated as I organized the video on getting involved into a Jeopardy fashion. After showing it to the class on Thursday, I was pleased to find out the idea was appreciated and I got so many compliments on it.

                I feel that by watching our peer’s videos, we were able to pick apart the assignment and get a better understanding of the expectations when watching. We were able to give positive feedback which is important, instead of just looking at what needed to be worked on. For instance, most videos in our class had strong creativity and images which helped to make the videos effective. Also, by watching other students work, I was able to get ideas that I could potentially apply into my video such as music throughout the entire duration because I felt this was operative.

                Personally, my video got a lot of positive feedback although it is only a draft and I realize that it needs a lot of work. One aspect I will do my best to revise is making sure that the text stays on the screen for a longer period of time so the audience has a chance to fully read it and also Paige suggested that I include a voice over to accompany the text. Furthermore, I plan to include more college-level thinking in my video which will include statistics of students who get involved and those who don’t, and also plan to interview the personnel in Student Life to get a faculty’s point of view. The video is half way done and it is so far so good so hopefully the second half comes out just as solid as the first half. I appreciate the fact that we had the opportunity prematurely to show our videos to the class because it is sometimes difficult to see the flaws when you’re the one who created the project.

In what ways will constructive criticism help you better yourself/video project?

15I; THINK Before You ACT

This past Thursday, I attended an event on campus which I feel any student everywhere should have seen. Flashing lights, actors covered in blood, and sirens galore, it was the mock crash put on the Drug and Alcohol Resource Center.

As the medical personnel showed up to this mock crash, a firefighter outlined the procedures they take when responding to a crash and following this presentation, we ventured into Wilkinson Hall to listen to a state policeman. The way he approached the subject of alcohol and drinking as a whole changed my outlook and really opened my eyes to a new point of view. Although he knew he was “preaching to the choir,” he took a different take on the subject of alcohol and drinking as a whole. He felt that the whole concept of not drinking and driving has been drilled into us and speaking about it would be beating a dead horse, so he decided to focus on just drinking at parties. He went on to explain how if we are not driving and our keys are taken away from us, that we are free to drink as much as we would like and have a low risk of being put in a dangerous situation. However, we quickly learned that this was false. Lieutenant Bartalotta showed us video clips of various minors drinking and being put in fatal situations. I am so happy and appreciative to have had the opportunity to attend this presentation and am strongly considering joining the DARC in future events they put on in that I would really like the chance to speak to all students and strongly encourage them to think before they act. Life is short and your life can change in the blink of an eye!

15V; Focusing on Yourself

      With our first semester quickly coming to a close, college is not so new to us anymore. However, the choices we make on a daily basis will continue through our next four years here and throughout our life. This is the autonomy of a college student. Our individual choices and responsibilities, as well as freedoms such as eating whatever and whenever we would like. As college students, we also have to take responsibility to learn as much as we are capable of and invest ourselves into our education so that we can complete our ultimate goal of obtaining a degree. Essentially, our measure of autonomy is now up to us and life is what we make of it!

                A new word I learned this week includes, flummox, a verb meaning, “to bewilder; confound; confuse.” Another word I learned is, serotinal, which is also an adjective meaning, “pertaining to or occurring in late summer.”

How can we take advantage of our own autonomy? What are ways our autonomy as freshmen in college has changed?

Final Video Rough Draft

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7AtgCMSXwY&feature=youtu.be

To add;
How it helps to get involved
Statistics of college students getting involved/ why some don't
How to go about getting involved

15B; YOU CAN DO IT

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal.
It is the courage to continue that counts."
- Winston Churchill

When I think about finals I get really anxious, as do most freshmen I can imagine. The first thing I plan to do is take a few deep breaths. From these, I will be able to organize my study material and myself in a calm, cool, and collective manner.

                Throughout the semester, I feel as though I have developed stronger study habits and have been succeeding on my tests because of these. The study skill that works best for me is either having flash cards, or reading my notes out loud. This way I can hear it, say it, and visualize the study material. Also, I like to teach others when they are unsure to know for myself that I am comfortable with the material. To prepare for my finals, I have already gathered all of the study guides from the teacher or blackboard and got a feel for what I am responsible to know on the final exam. For two of my classes, the finals are project based so I have already gotten a really good head start and finished one big paper, one weight lifted off of my shoulders! Through the end of this week and especially this weekend, I will work diligently to organize the study guides in ways that make sense to me, and make flash cards for terms or ideas that I need a refresher on. After this, I will take a few days to just shut off my phone and all distractions and dedicate myself to studying because I would obviously like to finish out the semester with strong exam scores.

                In wrapping up this semester, I will ensure my success by telling myself I can do it. Most of the time when it comes to big tests or projects, I sell myself short and lack confidence. I need to remember how hard I worked all semester to apply myself to my learning and know that I can get through all this stress because it will absolutely be worth it in the end. I know it is cliché, but I just cannot imagine that I am one week away from finishing my first semester in college.

How will you ensure your semester is finished out strong? What are ways you will eliminate the stresses that come with finals?

14I; Unnoticed Beauty

#21- On Tuesday, as I was relaxed walking to class minding my pints and quarts, the statue located in Engleman to the right of the stairwell definitely caught my eye for the first time. Usually when I am walking to class I have tunnel vision and focus on where I need to go, but since there weren’t as many students cluttered around the staircase, I stopped to see this work of art.  

It is a sculpture of Finis E. Engleman and the plaque just below the structure reads as follows: “Finis E. Engleman, First President, New Haven State Teachers College, 1937-1943, Gift Of The Class Of 1938, Sculptor - Tony Bonadies, Dedicated, May 1998” The portion that stood out to me was the fact that Southern used to be called New Haven State Teachers College and was later turned into a university with multiple disciplines. Engleman was the third principle of this normal school and one of his goals was to try to bring males into it instead of having just 350 females attend. I am thankful to have the opportunity to attend a university like this one and am starting to realize the benefits of going to Southern. 

14V; Self-Investment

“The investments we make in ourselves will always deliver the most profitable returns.” 

― Sumner Davenport

When I first thought of the word investment, I thought in terms of money and essentially investing it. Obviously, college is not cheap and can be seen as an education investment. But going through various classes this semester, this word has many other meanings and is a very important word while going through the college experience.

                Between balancing school work, family, friends, and actually being a human, college involves investing your entire mind and body. It is crucial that your whole self provides a way to indulge in the learning going on and also the responsibilities which are needed to fill. Along with this, we as students are investing a lot of time and energy into our education in hopes that it will greater our chances of reaching the American dream and being successful. Investing comes with risk, loss, and profit and these all can be used to learn important lessons about ourselves and the world around us. We should learn right from the start that investing ourselves in college and all that it has to offer can only better us in the end and tremendous learning will absolutely follow.

                Two new words I learned this week include, gelt, which is a noun and a slang term for money and also, hapless, an adjective meaning, “having no luck; unfortunate.” By investing myself into college, hopefully I will not end up a hapless person with little gelt.

How can you make sure your 'self' is improved?

14A; A Breather for Turkey Day!

That day we have all been waiting for since September is finally here! No, not Christmas, Thanksgiving break. Tomorrow will be my last day at Southern before the five day break and I could not be more excited! Although I will miss all of my friends here, I cannot wait to see all my friends from back home and my family. It will be nice to reunite with all of the kids from South Windsor who have gone their separate ways and also my younger friends still in high school. Especially with the semester coming to a close, I am going to take full advantage of this break and hopefully get de-stressed.

                On Wednesday, I plan on treating my mom and myself to a manicure and pedicure because these have always been so relaxing and your nails should look nice for the holiday! Also on this day, I will join my friend Stephanie to visit our teacher in middle school. Mr. Savage was one of the friendliest and personable teacher I’ve ever had, and we developed a unique relationship with him. He was always there to talk and we helped him during any free periods we had just because we had so much fun in his presence. He was recently diagnosed with Stage Four Esophageal and Liver Cancer so we would like to take this opportunity to go visit him as he still teaches at the middle school, such a strong individual. Then we arrive at Turkey Day! Thursday morning, I will be attending the high school football game against our rivals, Rockville. It is a tradition and almost the whole town comes out to support so it will surely be fun! After this, I will go to my aunt’s house and eat until I drop. The worst time to hop on the scale is during the holidays let me tell you! Friday’s escapades include Black Friday shopping with my dad, we are always the crazy people waiting in those long lines outside. We just have so much fun and believe it or not, is such a great bonding experience!

                To get ready for finals, I will definitely be organizing my work from the semester and reading over my notes to start wrapping up this semester. I have a whole lot more work than I thought I would so hopefully it won’t interrupt too much of my break. I know I need to complete it but I also feel as though I’ve been working so hard for the past thirteen or so weeks and as the article says, “A new and growing body of multidisciplinary research shows that strategic renewal — including daytime workouts, short afternoon naps, longer sleep hours, more time away from the office and longer, more frequent vacations — boosts productivity, job performance and, of course, health.” Have a lovely Thanksgiving everyone! ♥

14B; I am Thankful for...

     Giving thanks is one of my favorite things to do as it is often times linked with happy feelings and feeling lucky or appreciative. I can say that during this semester here at Southern, I have countless things to be thankful for and I am glad we have the opportunity to reflect in that I do think it is important also.

                First and foremost, coming from a close knit family, I knew from the start of this journey that I would have the most trouble being away and not getting to do every family-oriented thing with them. Although it was an adjustment, I am so very thankful to have my family right by my side, even if it is not physically. They have shown tremendous support throughout this semester by checking up on me, sending surprise care packages, and still making me feel as I am still included.  With this, I am grateful to be far enough away from home, but close enough to be able to go home and see them every once and a while. I cannot wait to see them and share the holiday with them. That, and the healthiness of them all, is more than I could ever ask for.

                Also this semester, I have come to the realization that an education is not guaranteed for everyone and that I am so fortunate to be able to attend college and have such a positive experience which will help me throughout my life. I take my studies and learning very seriously and I am thankful to have professors, staff, and peers supporting me along this college journey. I learn so many new things each day, even about myself, that I couldn’t have anywhere else and I am also grateful for that. An example of this would be that I have noticed my reading abilities have gotten a lot stronger since I have been completing a variety of reading assignments in each class. This was one of the things at the beginning of the semester that I specifically pointed out I wanted to work on. So, between completing little goals I set for myself, and growing my knowledge, I am thankful and lucky to be attending a school where I belong. Furthermore, here at school, I have met so many new people. I would describe Southern as a completely new environment with a diverse population and a lot to offer. But somehow, I can fit in here and have met some of the greatest friends and I wouldn’t trade that for the world.

                Looking at everything I just mentioned, I really do not have much to complain about and could say how lucky I really am. I appreciate every day I am given along with the good health. I am grateful for the roof over my head and food and clean water available for me. I am thankful for the overpowering love I receive each day from my family, boyfriend, and friends. I hope everyone enjoys their holiday break and takes a step back to realize how gratified they actually are. 

Lastly, I want to give a special thanks to all the soldiers in the armed forces for continuously protecting us and fighting for our freedom each day, and especially Christian, Jesse, Shane, Tommy, Brandon, and James. We love you and are so proud of you, stay safe.
How can we give thanks everyday, not just on the holiday?

13V; Seeking Meaning

                He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.” 

― Friedrich Nietzsche

     The purpose of a Liberal Arts education is to become exposed to different disciplines and further be specialized in a certain area. It enhances basic communication skills such as writing, speaking, and problem solving. I will go through my college career completing each course with purpose to better my chances of being successful and ready for whatever life will throw at me. We are all put on this earth for a purpose and will someway fulfill this purpose throughout our lifetime. It can also motivate one to be driven, accomplish, and keep on keeping on through whatever they may be doing.

                The word purpose can be used many different ways and can be defined in the dictionary as a noun, “the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists,” or as a verb, “have as one's intention or objective.” It is a powerful word because often times we are seeking the meaning or purpose to our lives and especially in college, we begin to question what we really would like out of life.

                Two new words this week include, forfend, which is a verb meaning, “protect, preserve,” and also, lade, a verb meaning, “to load or be loaded (as with cargo) or to put or place as a load especially for shipment.”

13B; Video Creativity

“Being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional.” 

― Roger Crawford

Referring back to articles of the past, creativity can be defined as a different way of thinking, and may include, but is not limited to the arts. It can also be looked a as formind new ideas, and in this project, new ideas or ways to get involved at Southern. Applying this into a video project is an opportunity to show uniqueness and also stand out from the rest. But how on earth can I accomplish this?

                College students are always being told to get involved on campus and to build their resume, so my topic will be able to show how exactly to get involved and also the many different options they have to get involved. To incorporate creativity, I will include a skit which will put viewers in multiple situations that they can relate to and solutions to these. I also plan to include fun and upbeat music so that getting involved seems like fun instead of looked at as a chore. The music will also keep viewers interested and eager to keep watching to see what comes next. Furthermore, I could add humor into the skit, even though this may be difficult because I am horrible at making jokes, but I am always up for a challenge! Next, to stand out from the rest of the videos, I plan to play around with and try to learn the basics of a program called Go Animate! which makes cartoon videos and I can add them into my video project. Furthermore, I will provide creative solutions to solve the problems and explain how different situations might benefit different genders, different schedules, and different people, and back them up with support and evidence to make them more believable.

                As mentioned in the blog, a measure of success is how well students adapt to new situations, tackle challenges, and being creative problem solvers. Making videos is certainly a new situation to me, definitely looked at as a challenge and hopefully by this standard I will not fall short, and come out on top with a successful video project.

What are ways you will incorperate creativity into your video? Is creativity important in video making?

13A; It's The Final Countdown

“Everything you can imagine is real.” 

― Pablo Picasso

In class today, we were asked what we felt we needed work on after reflecting back on this semester. I definitely feel that I need to stop putting off projects and start looking at them earlier to ease my way through instead of cramming at the last second. So here I go, starting a few weeks before my due date of my rough draft!

                For this final video project, I am focusing on the obstacles of getting involved here on campus and solutions that may help such as joining Greek life, athletics, service, and also involving yourself academically. To enhance the video with college-level thinking, I will incorporate many inquiry questions to allow viewers to be able to evaluate various ways of answering them. An example of this might be, “How will getting involved improve my overall experience at Southern?” I will then go on to back up this question with support such as facts and statistics from research that I have been conducting. An interesting point I found was from The National Survey of Student Engagement and it shows that student success is directly linked to student involvement. Including facts such as this will back up my claim and help to create the college-level thinking which is needed.

                Towards the end, I will put in my video how getting involved during the college years can help build a resume which will make you a more plausible candidate when applying for a job, just as having multiple extra-curricular activities in high school helped when applying to college. Furthermore, I can look at the side of getting involved which will help you grow as a person and make you better-rounded since that is part of the purpose of a Liberal Arts education. The different experiences within these different types of activities we are offered can broaden our knowledge outside of the classroom, help to create educated citizens and also might surprise us with career opportunities that we never could picture ourselves in. also with this, I can show the benefits of getting involved and how you can recognize personal strengths and weaknesses and self-reflect to better yourself. So not only will I be showing why it is important to others to get involved, but more importantly, how it can benefit you and reward you now and in the long run.

   What defines college-level thinking? What elements will you incorperate in your video to make it college-level? 

13I; Healthy Habits

#3- As the end of the semester quickly creeps up on us, it only means two things. The crazy preparation for finals begins and so does flu season. It is important for all students to realize that as much as they want to get that A, they need to be conscious of their body and how they are taking care of it. If you even start to feel symptoms, it might be a good idea to visit the Granoff Student Health Center which is located on Wintergreen Avenue, right across the street from my dorm. An appointment is required to be seen but being proactive is much better than suffering in the end.

                I visited the health center this week because I was feeling under the weather, as many students are. I found out that they are open Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., and Fridays 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. All of the staff there are happy to help and such personable people. I was interested in tips on stress and how to reduce as much as possible so that I don’t destroy my body in the process and they recommended learning how to recognize the warning signs such as fatigue, short temper, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, etc. Next, concentrate on eating healthy, avoiding drugs and alcohol, having a good cry, and my favorite, LAUGH. I will remember these when preparing for finals and hopefully have a smooth transition through the end of the semester. Wash your hands & stay healthy everyone! 

12I; Presentations!

This week I had the pleasure of attending two different presentations held by Career Services and also by Programs Council. The first presentation on Tuesday was called “The Candidate” and was an interactive presentation which gave suggestions on how to stand out in any interview, reviewed resumes and even had mock interviews. Everyone who attended was required to bring their resume and dress as if they were going to an interview. I learned that eye contact and personality are crucial in an interview and also to anticipate questions you might be asked such as “What are your strengths and experience?” Emphasizing your leadership skills, willingness to learn new things, and creativity in problem solving collectively are tactics you can implement when in an interview.

                On Wednesday, I attended Sex Ed Boot camp presented by Dr. Joni Frater and Esther Lastique. It was a comical and informational take on topics that need to be discussed especially when health is on the line. It was set up as a conversation rather than a lecture for the sole purpose of audience members feeling comfortable to ask questions and give their input. Surprisingly, they also touched on equality and a little about bullying people who are different than ourselves and I thought this was significant so we can eliminate the hate as much as possible. 

12B; Liberate, Animate, Cooperate, Innovate

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” 

― Albert Einstein

After reading this week, a few inquiry questions that I could pose would consist of:

• What does less homework, shorter school days, and no tests do to education?
• Should other countries start adapting this Liberal Arts model?
• What is college for?

                Through this week’s readings, I definitely began to re-think my purpose and motivation for coming to a four year university. Students and parents invest so much money into a college education and buy into this idea that by completing a higher education, success will be easier and more readily available. But now, not only are students expected to be experts in their specialized areas, but also acquire qualities which will help them succeed in any area such as proficient speaking, writing, and problem solving skills. This is where the liberal arts education shines through with importance. Being able to have a taste of many different disciplines is becoming more and more respected and will make one more attractive when applying for careers. It is also designed around the prospect of figuring out who you are, getting to know your strengths and weaknesses, and also what you want to do with your life. This same idea was mentioned by Sonia Sotomayor when she came to speak at Southern and brought up the fact that students here are required to have a foreign language under their belt. At first, I thought this was just another requirement that we had to fulfill just to get it done, but she mentioned that it helps us become aware of cultures around us and become knowledgeable citizens of our world. This form of education poses challenges for students to overcome which will better their overall self and education and provides the chance to have experiences not accessible anywhere else.

                It is clear to me now that I am going to college not just to be able to get a job in the future, but to learn how to be a valuable person in today’s world. Students in college who complete a liberal arts education will grow academically and also mentally and can show high hopes of making a difference later on. It can teach how to initiate the motivation to value whatever students do, give the power to innovate new approaches and ideas to many topics and fields of study, and also invest the necessary skills such as civic knowledge, cultural diversity, communication, and thinking critically for the rest of their lives. Although it may all be blurry to me now, and taking United States History may be a pain, I am confident that each of the liberal arts requirements that I will complete in the next four years will be worthwhile for me somewhere, somehow in my lifetime. 

12A; Don't Knock it Until You Try It

“Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won't come in.” 

― Isaac Asimov

After spending almost one semester at Southern, the biggest shock to me was the Liberal Education Program in that I couldn’t fathom the importance of taking classes that have nothing to do with my major. This upcoming semester, I will be enrolled in an art class and a geography class, two subjects which I am foreign to and would overlook otherwise. So what possibly could the importance of obtaining this liberal arts education be?

                As one of the oldest forms of education, liberal arts is a traditional way to create a foundation for a more specialized education. With a liberal arts education, a student is able to avoid the self-defeating track of conformity and be capable of standing out among competition in the future. As mentioned above, it allows students to broaden their horizons and take courses they would always look past because they don’t think they would be interested in these areas. By doing this, a liberal arts education can provide students with a extensive range of knowledge and not just in their specialized area. Also by taking these obscure classes, a student can be exposed to new ideas and new points of view so that they may be able to have an interdisciplinary perspective and be knowledgeable in many fields of study. Another benefit would be being exposed to many different areas and maybe finding a major that the student may be unaware of. In the “What is College For?” article it mentions, “students need to recognize that college education is above all opening themselves up to new dimensions of knowledge and understanding.”  The growth and open-mindedness that can come out of doing this can be quite valuable moving forward.

                As liberal arts becomes more and more popular across the globe, it is important for college students especially to look at the bigger picture and start recognizing how their education will only better themselves for their future whether it be careers or whatever else they would like to execute their knowledge for. In the article titled “Liberal Arts and the Work Place,” it draws out the qualities that employers today are looking for which are the ability think critically, communicate clearly, and solve complex problems. Along with these, more knowledge of global issues, cultural diversity in the United States and abroad, and also more civic knowledge. A liberal arts education will most likely touch on all of these and they are transferrable across all careers, therefore being useful and important to attain. 

                I am so glad this was one of the areas that we touched on because I truly was able to relate and see my education and worth of my education from a completely different point of view. My attitude towards the liberal arts requirements was much like a lot of peers in my inquiry class and probably a large portion of the college freshmen population which was just taking classes to check off requirements. Now I know the advantage of making connections between multiple fields of study and also engaging in each course because I never know what could come out of it. This positive outlook on liberal arts I have gotten this week through readings and class discussions might possibly change my whole college experience and I am anxious to see what the future brings. The rest is still unwritten…       

                How could a Liberal Arts Education help you in college and after? What is your take on a Liberal Arts Education?

12V; Many Disciplines

“Things are only impossible until 

they're not.”

—Gene Roddenberry

                Here at Southern, there are courses offered that are titled “Interdisciplinary” and I was never too sure of what they consisted. From this week’s readings and discussions in class, I can conclude that Interdisciplinary Perspective are two unlike things which share the same context or content. College gives you the opportunity to be exposed to many different disciplines, or fields of study, to ensure a citizen who will have a broad range of knowledge. This goes along with the larger goal of obtaining a liberal arts education in that these multi-disciplines will increase understanding and have a deeper academic perspective. As we saw today in class, these aren’t about voicing everyone’s opinion, recognizing that they are different, and calling it a day. Taking these opinions and working through them to agree with someone else’s point of view, or even just seeing where they are coming from is this perspective which will enhance our learning.

                A new word I learned this week is an adjective, multifarious, which means, “having great diversity or variety.” In my opinion, Southern is a multifarious community that I am proud to be a part of. Also, bailiwick, a noun meaning, “A person’s specific area of knowledge, authority, interest, skill or work.” In a few years, it is my hopes to have my bailiwick of Speech-Language Pathology. 

11B; New Study Skill

              “The scientist is not a person who gives the right answers, he's one who asks the right questions.” 

― Claude Lévi-Strauss

  Looking through some of the questions created by my peers, I felt in general, most of us have the hang of how to create an inquiry based question which will require college-level answers. Class discussions this week really helped to strengthen our understanding of formulating these types of questions and how to anticipate them. A few questions that stood out to me would be;

“How can boredom produce creativity?” which was created by Kali. I liked this question because it ties boredom and creativity together which are unalike topics. It will require a reader to seek connections and synthesize them, not just state or link facts together. The question is directly correlated to the readings from this week and makes you really find out where you stand, so the self-evaluation piece stands out to me as well. Her answer goes well into detail and has depth to the inquiry based thinking. She makes connections and analyzes the information nicely.

“How does the creative industry hold people of creative nature ransom to their own self-image?” This is another question that really stood out to me in that it almost makes a blunt statement of how much pressure is put on people labeled as creative. It also reveals the idea of the fear of being creative, which is often times a hidden factor in most people’s lives. The question is unique and may force students to create multiple points of view which makes it a college level question.

A crucial lesson I have learned from this week, is that even though professors might not be specific about what to study for on an exam, creating these higher thinking questions can force us to practice thinking this way and also foreshadow for the exam. Furthermore, answering the questions and mapping out a potential answer could benefit come exam time in that the ideas will already be flowing, they just might need a little tweaking. It can give us a jump start so we are not stuck on an essay or test. I now am aware of the types of questions that might be on a final so I can start preparing now and practice now to reduce the stress that comes along with them. As I feel my study habits lack organization, I am always open to new ways to efficiently study and I feel this skill of anticipating questions can only help me in the long run.

What study habits will you practice as the semester comes to a close? 

11I; Interest in Becoming a CC

"Earn your leadership every day."- Michael Jordan

This week, I had the pleasure of speaking with my CC, or community coordinator. These are also more knowingly called RA’s. I was really interested about what it takes to be someone who does this job and my RA Ashley was gladly willing to answer all of my questions. She says that her job is to assist and supervise students who live on campus in the residence halls and to be a role model to first year students, especially. Also, she mentions that communication with the students on their floors is a key role that they play to make sure the students do not have any problems and also to convey important information to the students. If you go online, you will be able to fill out an application to potentially obtain this job and also have recommendations completed to be a candidate. Once accepted, you must attend the Resident Advisor Training Program which Ashley said was a great way to meet new people and also learn crucial leadership skills that she can use even outside of her job. Her favorite part about being an RA is having students look up to her and also having her housing costs covered. I am lucky to have such an awesome RA whom I know I can go to with anything, anytime and I will definitely look into possibly becoming one in the future. 

11A; Promoting Creativity

1.        How can being bored affect a college student positively?
2.     . What is the relationship between creativity and people who have the greatest tolerance of uncertainty or boredom?
3. .       What are ways we can promote more creativity? Why are these important looking towards the future?
4.    .    How does the creative industry hold people who are creative ransom to their own self-image?

“Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.” -Erich Fromm 

3. Being motivated by and craving acknowledgement and appreciation could be one way to define someone who is creative. To promote creativity, college students can step back from all of their work and become an outsider. By doing this, they will be able to assess the situation, seek improvement, and also be able to gather and organize their thoughts. As the “How to Cultivate Eureka Moments” article mentions, “the best creative moments happen by accident.” Therefore, while the college student is taking their time to just breathe, a new idea may come about without even thinking about it. This is the same idea with boredom as it will stimulate the brain in ways in different ways than if they were thinking. Furthermore, providing measurable challenges which will in turn help reach their goals is another way to encourage this creative process. When people are forced to cope with unexpected obstacles, they react by increasing their “perceptual scope”. This idea is similar to the one states in the Kafka article we read at the beginning of the semester in that it mentions, “people feel uncomfortable when their expected associations are violated, they create an unconscious desire to make sense of new surroundings,” and with this get use to new patterns. This is because the brain will respond better to difficulty and will learn more if difficulty or unexpected circumstances are present. In the “Creativity, Education, and the Gift of Stress” article, it says that obstacles in the learning process actually encourage greater depth of learning and the retention of knowledge. The process of learning should be appropriately and meaningfully difficult, but can be fun. This will ensure the college student to be able to advance educationally and also personally, instead of remaining in the same place with lack of growth.

                A few ways college students may promote creativity is to work with one another or as the Eureka Moments article refers to is as “group creativity.” The collaborative dynamics will maximize innovation and can bounce or build ideas off of each other. Some students may need the stimulation of a group to think creatively and other need absolute silence to be able to assemble their thoughts. Either way will inspire creativity and ensure critical thinking.

                As far as the future is concerned, it will always be unpredictable. However, going through an education and especially college will prepare someone as much as they can be for situations they may encounter once their education is completed. Creative thinking that is learned will help to shape a college student in that they will be ready for the unfamiliar as much as possible. As we saw in the 32 New Innovations article, there will always be new technologies and new ideas approaching, so the skills a college student learns such as dedication, hard-work, and creativity, will help not only in their job but life in general. A person or team of people who are creative, will perform better and more efficiently and also is fundamental in the work world.

What are you doing personally to promote creative habits?

11V; Initiative, Innovation, and Investment

Coming forth with new ideas, methods or devices or even renovating older ones could be described as innovation. Whenever I think of this word, I think of looking towards the future and bettering our world, and also how the word is synonymous with creation or invention. Innovation goes hand in hand with creativity in that the way of thinking provides us with ideas from alternate points of views and ideas in greater depth than what we are already provided with. These ideas may be to improve technologies which are already beneficial to us or obscure ways to solve an issue. From the readings this week, the 32 new innovations were absolutely amazing. Seeing as I am going into healthcare, I obviously thought the Doctor on Board was such a good idea and a remarkable way to save more lives. Other standouts included The Morning Multi-Tasker, and also Teeth That Think. All of these are so shockingly cool because part of innovation is creating what we think are not possible to even complete. Taking the initiative to enforce our critical thinking and invest our knowledge into new ideas, products, or methods has such a huge impact in the way we wish to live our lives. Knowing that pretty much everyone has this creative drive and from this has innovative capabilities makes for a positive outlook of the future years to come.

Two new words I learned this week include adscititious which is an adjective meaning,     “added or derived from an external source; additional.” Another word I learned contained,  plenipotentiary, which I thought was such a influential word. It is also an adjective which means, “invested with full power.” As college students, I think we all need to realize that we are the ones in complete control of our destiny at college and also after, so we should take full advantage of our opportunities.

10V; Change Up

“Have no fear of perfection, you’ll never reach it anyway.”- Salvador Dali

Pretend you are of working age and get up every morning, get dressed, eat breakfast, go to work, come home, eat dinner and go to sleep and every single day. This is an example of not exerting the idea of creativity. Creativity can be defined as a way of thinking differently, taking things further than they have been taken, and also being an innovator to new and meaningful ideas, explanations, etc. There are many different forms of creativity which include “aha moments”, the bottom up creativity which relies on the unconscious mind to make unexpected connections from separate ideas, and also the top down creativity, which occupies your brains pre-frontal cortex to work through a problem rationally. Creativity is the essence of who we are and is what this world craves to keep evolving. Creativity is unique and paints a person's individuality.

    New words this week include, senescent, which is a noun that means, “growing old.” Also, louche, which is an adjective meaning, louche, “of questionable taste or morality.” After attending some Halloween events this past week, there were some louche costumes to say the least.

10B; Creativity Investigation

       “Don't be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth.” 

― Rumi

    Agreeing with Ken Robinson, I really do feel that everyone is born with creative ability and potential. Contrary to popular belief, creativity may include but is not limited to the arts. This includes things like dancing and painting. But what about people who stretch and idea further, people who create new ideas and improve old ones? Are they considered “creative”? And why are we even concerned with creativity?

This week’s readings and discussion in class really opened my mind to a different view of creativity in that I learned it is more of a way of thinking differently, not just making art. It is crucial that we instill creativity in our daily lives because it is something awaken new possibilities and also distinguish ourselves from the rest of the population. For example, in today’s world, as Ken Robinson mentions, a degree is not as flashy as it was before. Therefore, when going for a job interview and competing with someone else who obtains the same credentials as you, creativity is a way to define who you are and prove that you would be the better candidate to hire. Also, I found interesting that failure was an important part of the creative process which seemed completely backwards to me at first. Our discussion in class pointed out that private failures are essential so that you are constantly resetting and challenging your goals. Even though failure altogether is painful, it can force us to take risks and test new ideas. This is where the issue ascends in that we are so afraid to fail, especially in the work force which completely negates failure that we end up staying in our comfort zones and not taking many risks at all. This goes for children at school too because it could be deterring the learning of creativity and potential ideas could go unnoticed forever all because we don’t reward the testing of new ideas enough. Is taking a risk part of creativity?

With all of this being said, when I am faced with superior intelligence or talent, I try to fully engage myself and have an open mind. These help me to hopefully become inspired and try to connect with these people as much as possible, even if I think there is none. An example of this is when Chris Herren came to speak at Southern. Other than being a phenomenal speaker, his story was filled with tragedy, addiction, and heart-break. Thankfully this is not what my life entails, but I was able to be inspired by him, transform the way I see my capabilities and essentially connect with his message. This also happened when Sonia Sotomayor came to speak. I read her memoir over the summer and thought there was no way I could connect with her but after listening to her speak, I had a stronger drive to accomplish anything to the best of my ability, and to not let negativity bring me down. Inspiration is the spring board to creativity and increases your well-being as mentioned in the “Why Inspiration Matters” article.

The first creative moment I can remember was in kindergarten when my parents had to attend school conferences for my brother and me. I was home with a babysitter who wouldn’t entertain me so I decided to come up with my own idea to pass the time. Strutting upstairs to my room, I shut the door and carefully placed my stuffed animals in a few rows. I then proceeded to take out some story books that I was capable of reading, and also more difficult ones, and pretended that my room was a classroom and the stuffed animals were my students. This not only helped to cure my boredom, but also practiced my reading skills. My audience only included the inanimate variety of bears, bunnies, pigs, and dolls, but it was the start of a new way of thinking for me. Although a small glimpse of creativity, I was able to improvise with the dreaded time that my parents left and invent a new activity for myself.

How actually important is creativity? Will children’s creativity continue to be destroyed or come alive in the years ahead?

10I; Just Do It.

  Now that midterms are over, I can finally get back to my normal, rigorous gym routine. The gym is a way to get away from the stresses of school while being healthy. Many college students will fall into the habit of eating when they are bored, but I am glad we are provided with a fitness center here on campus so this does not happen to me!

                The SCSU Fitness Center is located on the second floor of the Adanti Student Center and is open Monday through Thursday from 7am-10pm, Friday 7am-8pm, Saturday 9:30-4:30, and Sunday 2-7. A full back tee-shirt is required along with athletic pants, no jeans are allowed. Also, iPods are only permitted with headphones and for health reasons, you must spray and wipe down machines after you are finished using them. It is such a friendly environment and I highly recommend joining the fitness center to all students. They offer a one week free trial to try it out, and after this it is sixty dollars a semester, which isn’t bad compared to other gyms. Another plus to joining the fitness center is that your membership includes all classes. Most other gyms require extra fees for you to participate in these so it is pretty awesome that it is included. I have tried Ploxing, Zumba, Boot Camp, and Ab Lab and my favorites would have to be Zumba because I love dancing and also Boot Camp and Ab Lab because you can feel your muscles working and get the most soreness after. No one wants to gain that freshman fifteen, so pump your legs and get movin’!

10A; Reflecting...

    Entering uncharted territory, I was faced with a unique experience these past few weeks, a quite new one actually. All throughout my schooling career, I was never obligated to make a video using software such as Windows Movie Maker, always just Power Points. As the assignment crept upon me, the nerves couldn’t hold themselves back, common to most new experiences, and I was wracking my brain to think of a possible topic. Programs Council was the topic assigned to me and I decided to face this project head on, with a positive attitude because I know if I didn’t have one, the project could end up in complete turmoil.

                My midterm video on Programs Council was introduced with a title and my name right away and was about five and a half minutes long. My topic was narrowed down and focused on one aspect of attending Southern which was joining the Programs Council club.  Along with this, I included four student interviews, a mix of first year and upperclassmen students and also an interview from a professor. This had to be my favorite part of the project in that it is interesting to see the way in which different people go about answering interview type questions. While interviewing my statistics professor, I was more than happy to be able to talk to him one on one and got to know him a little better. When watching my video over, I feel the beginning, middle, and end are clear and concise although I can say that I could have worked a little harder in wrapping up my video and letting viewers know that the video was coming to an end. Looking back, I am glad that I was able to budget my time efficiently during this project because it ended up taking much more time than I would have expected and I was able to revise it a few times to make sure it was my best work. Learning the new program and organizing my ideas took a few tries but ultimately, I was able to get my midterm completed on time and get it posted to my blog before the due date. I am also very glad that we had to upload a draft of the video prior to the final because finalizing the video and converting it to YouTube was also something new for me. As a whole, I feel the Programs Council video incorporated different elements and different areas of information that were clear and enlightening with hopes of a positive outlook on this club. Furthermore, I on purpose changed up the music for different parts to keep viewers awake and also added a scary image to add emotion into it. Also, at the end I included the famous porky pig theme song to play on humor and childhood memories.

                With all of this being said, I feel I deserve a grade in the A- range because I worked really hard on learning the technology as well as putting together the video. I had multiple opinions and people look at my video and were able to understand what was going on and identify the purpose of the video. But with all of the positives, there can always be room for improvement. Areas I could have improved with longer amounted time would definitely be the transitions from one idea to the next. The software I was using allowed me to put things in certain time frames which resulted in some time gaps. Moreover, I could have added more interviews and different perspectives on the way ProCon works.

                What I thought would turn out horribly, actually turned into a beneficial learning experience and taught me to not fear what I am stranger to. Making videos are a powerful way to get information across rather than the usual Power Point. This project really got me to budget my time in a way that I could limit the stress of a bigger assignment and I actually surprised myself on how well I capitalized on this.

How can we take simple projects and learn lessons from them? Did your project fit our new definition of creative?

9V; Thinking Critically

“The beginning of thought is in disagreement - not only with others but also with ourselves.” 

― Eric Hoffer

When looking up this term in the dictionary, critical thinking is "disciplined thinking that is clear, rational, open-minded, and informed by evidence". From this, I can conclude that critical thinking is more of a process and a way of processing information that is in more in depth than the way we typically think. While this type of thinking will take much more effort, it is a good way to improve writing skills and many other areas of education that will only benefit us in the future. As we just finished talking about mastery in Inquiry, my opinion is that in order to master something over a period time, it is crucial that you are a critical thinker. Critical thinkers will have persistence to improve their task and their selves, and will have the will power to continue working up to mastery of any particular area.

New words I came across this week include, missive, which is a noun that means, “a written message; a letter”. I received a few missives recently from my friend who just completed marine boot camp, I am so proud of him! Another word that is new to me is, succinct, which is an adjective meaning, “brief; concise,” just like the definition.

9A; "Out of the Box"

      “The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks.” 

― Christopher Hitchens

  “Think outside of the box” and “dig deeper” are phrases we hear commonly when pertaining to education in today’s society. I will never forget my rhetoric teacher assigning us poems during our poetry unit which always had hidden or deeper meanings. Moaning and groaning always came out of the classes' mouths as we looked for clues and finally uncovered the meaning. This exersise was one of many to kick start the essential skill of thinking critically. These phrases mentioned above can be described as “critical thinking”, but what exactly is it?

Critical thinking is simply a way of thinking that occurs independently and includes the ability to think clearly and logically. The difference between someone who is a critical thinker and someone with a good memory is that a critical thinker will take what they learn and be able to analyze, draw conclusions, and apply the information in a unique way. It can be compared to a puzzle in that all of the pieces of reason, logic, analysis, and application fit together to achieve such a level of thinking.

What skills do good critical thinkers entail?

                I think a good critical thinker has such qualities that allow them to interact with others efficiently, pose questions and analyze the many solutions, and strive for understanding. From this, they are people who can take facts and always ask why? Students can easily accomplish this by asking educated questions, actively participating in discussion, offering their ideas, and also thinking about what they have learned after class or an assignment.
Why is critical thinking important?

At Southern, we are required to take two critical thinking based courses our first semester. This proves the movement of incorporating critical thinking more into education as it is becoming a critical part of learning. It goes along with the idea we have been discussing having to deliberate practice. This is because these two courses are setting us up with the necessities to succeed in college and kick start our practice of thinking outside of the box. I think this requirement is a beneficial one in that already, I have learned that memorization is not the way to fully learn new material and that I get more out of learning. It satisfies me to know that I can take an idea and question it to dig a deeper meaning, or be comfortable enough with the material to teach it to someone else or have an educated discussion about it. For example, i have never been a fan of history, but during my college history lecture, I have not only learned important parts of it, but our tests are based on applying the beliefs and ideas of these people or events. It was a skill I had to get used to since it is very different than high school, but I feel like I have gotten used to it and can gradually improve. 

                The concept of critical thinking is hard to wrap your head around at first, but is an important skill to value. It may lead to new ideas, strengthening ideas, and most importantly, the creation of new ideas or creativity. I think this is why universities are now finding it crucial to include in the education to ensure students have an open mindset and are able to synthesize the information they are learning. 

   Besides our courses, what ways can we improve our critical thinking skills? Are critical thinking skills actually important and beneficial to education?