9A

Think Outside Box

http://austhink.com/critical/pages/teaching.html

Think outside the box is something a teacher always told us since we were at a young age. All the time we were told to dig deeper and explore our ideas to make them better. The proper term is called critical thinking. Our generation is so lazy that everyone just looks everything up on the internet to get their answers. Even other people's critical thinking. Critical is just taking that extra step.

One way to start of an analysis of something is to just expand your ideas and make your sub points more specific. Someone who is a deep thinker or critical thinker remembers what they learned a lot easier. I think that they can break down things a lot faster so it's easier for them to comprehend.

With that said at Southern we are required to take to critical thinking courses during the first semester. Inquiry really requires us to be critical thinkers. We always have readings and take notes on them. Most people probably take basic notes for them to summarize what the reading was about so they can refresh their memories.While others ask questions to ask the teacher in class, analyze what the speaker is saying, and breaks it down. These are the real thinkers. The ones who take that extra step to excel in what they do.

Media also involves us to think critically because of the Aristotle terms that we use. You have to be a critical thinker to comprehend the proofs and persuasive terms he created to execute them the right way. Logos, ethos, and pathos sound very easy until you actually get into the details.

Critical thinking is a necessary skill to have in college. There's no way around it. With practice it gets better. But every teacher will require you to answer something with this skill at some time.

9V

Look It Up

1.critical thinking

disciplined thinking that is clear, rational, open-minded, and informed by evidence

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/critical+thinking?s=t

Critical thinking is inevitable. We all want the easy answer to things when sometimes we really have to think. Coming up with a good answer requires thinking outside the box. At southern we have classes dedicated to critical thinking. Inquiry is a critical thinking class. The professors always want you to do that extra step and go beyond what you think you can do. By learning how to think hard instead of finding the answer the easy way everything becomes easier for you. Thinking critically is not that hard of a task you just can't be lazy.

1.atlatl

1. a stick used by Eskimos and early American Indians to propel a spear or dart.

   
   

   2. Corptile

    is the waste product of the human digestive system including bacteria.

   
   

   These two words I learned in Archaeology this week. They're basically more complex words for a simple term. I guess this is where critical thinking comes in. These terms were on my exam and werent that hard to remember.

9B

The Stress Is Over!

http://sp00kyuniversity.blogspot.com/2013/10/surviving-midterms.html

In high school you're used to having a lot of time to prepare and learn your material until midterms. They're usually in December but not in college. We have midterms in October. October is also a busy month for a college student. You're just getting used to the college student life and adjusting. All of a sudden comes the madness. 

Study is the most stressful thing. Staying up all night, cramming different dates and facts into your head, group studying, or flash cards gets tiring. Even though studying is a must for midterms it gets overwhelming. Especially if you have them back to back or in the same day.

My midterms grades for the season were okay. They could've been better. For finals I plan to make a studying plan. I studied to a certain extent. I know for a fact a could've done so much better. Although I accomplished two of my goals I know I could've done better.

My goal in my Algebra class was to get a 75 or better on the midterm. I actually got an 84. I didn't really study for it because I figure it's either I know how to do the math or I don't. I looked over my notes at least once just to refresh my memory but I don't really study for math. Archaeology surprised me I expected a 70 or better. I ended up getting an 80. I was so excited. I could've studied more and got a better grade. I can't be satisfied with a ' just getting by' grade.

My COM midterm was my worst. I'm disappointed in myself for not doing the reading. That's what the midterm was based on. Even though my grade was excellent in that class the exam bought it down a letter grade. Next time I'm just going to read a little every day so I can get it done and take notes on it for the final. That's my favorite class and I know I can get an A.

For the second half of the semester I want to study a lot more. Every Friday and Wednesday I want to recap what I've learned just to know the material I'm learning. Since Im finally getting use to my schedule I know I can do so much better this next half.

9I

Justice Anyone?

http://lagente.org

This week Justice Sonia Sotomayor came to speak to my university. It was a great opportunity for the freshman class and the public to see. I personally know a lot of people who didn't attend which is shame. After thinking about it I realized we will never get the opportunity like that again. 

Justice Sotomayor was very professional and answered ever question. She gave advice like, "Don't just become an educated person become an interesting person." This stuck with me because it's true. Someone can be the most intelligent person in the world but people won't like you because you have no personality. Personality is a great quality to have especially when you have to deal with people.

INQ Midterm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tEe_Q39RHk

8V

http://www.askkatheperez.com/?p=276

mas·ter·y

ˈmast(ə)rē/

noun

1. 1.

   comprehensive knowledge or skill in a subject or accomplishment.

   
   

   au·to·crat·ic

   ˌôtəˈkratik/

   adjective

   1. 1.

      of or relating to a ruler who has absolute power

      
      

      mi·to·sis

      mīˈtōsəs/

      noun

      BIOLOGY

1.

a type of cell division that results in two daughter cells each having the same number and kind of chromosomes as the parent nucleus, typical of ordinary tissue growth.

This week's vocabulary word is mastery. To me mastery means to practice something correctly over and over until there is no thought when you do whatever you practiced. This word reminds me of the movie Karate Kid. Mr. Miyagi forced Jaden Smith to practice the art over and over without him even knowing. When Jaden was finally fed up with the practice Mr. Miyagi finally showed how the fundamentals showed him how to fight.

The other two words I learned this week were mitosis and autocratic. I helped my teammate with her biology homework earlier this week and he to refresh my mind a little bit. Now I will never forget the definition of Mitosis. Also I learned the definition of autocratic. In COM we learned about different types of leaders and their styles. Never knew leaders had different ways of approaching their audiences until I focused on how they presented themselves to their followers.

8A

The Rest is Still Unwritten..http://stepphhr7.blogspot.com

ON THE PATH TO SUCCESShttp://stepphhr7.blogspot.com

Im certain that everyone was very unconfident in the beginning of the semester about blogging. No one really wanted to give that much effort until we found out that they were 60% of our grade. A lot of the blogs are examples of "just going through the motions". But two blogs stuck out to me as A+ blogs. 

These blogs go beyond the requirements of what we are asked to do. They excel 300 words and include multiple pictures. Their thoughts are always organized and in depth. They are also easy to comprehend. Both shared a lot of examples or scenarios and real life situations.

Kelly's blog has a lot of nice colors and catches the viewers attention which makes them want to read her blog. Once you start reading you're basically invested. Her writing style keeps your attention and leaves you wanting more. Also in every blog she switches up her fonts so nothing ever seems the same. When you read her blog you get to know she's a creative and outgoing person who strives to succeed.

The Rest Is Still Unwritten. I'm really sure who's blog this is but they're more of a logical thinker. Their page isn't as colorful as Kelly's but once you start reading you can't stop. Her blogs are well thought out before she writes them. You can tell she cares about what she writing. Even though Kelly's blog uses different fonts this one stays the same which means she's consistent with what she does. Readers will know she's not going anywhere. They will expect a new blog each week and know she's coming back.

Some blogs are done just to get the grade such as, a B or C+. The two blogs I have chosen deserve A+'s. They are consistent each week and never type anything you wouldn't want to read.

8B

"Mommy's baby, Daddy's little bookie bookie"

Sonia Sotomayor's memior was a lot longer but her book inspired me to choose something that reminded of my childhood. She didn't have the best childhood but she chose to not dwell on the bad times but dwell on the good times. This doesn't she forgot the bad times but she puts more emphasize on the good memories.

This book was chosen as a common read because it is a coming of age story about Sonia's struggle to find herself and become a successful woman. The book can help college students understand how hard life may become and that it just takes perseverance to push through the tough times to bring a brighter future. First year college students can learn that it takes lots of self motivation to make it through the first year.

College may not seem like a fitting place at first, but you have to keep working and try to get involved until you make more friends and it feels like home.  In the book, Sonia shows that although it may seem impossible to get into a certain college it is important to try and keep many options so you have choices. Once you have successfully made it into a college, there are many demanding hours of work to come.  Many times, you may feel like giving up but by pushing forward the rewards will be worth it.

Sonia shows the reader that you need self motivation to complete the difficult aspects of life, classes, and the new living style.  A college student has to fully immerse themselves into the experience to get the most out of it.  The reader is shown how Sonia grows and becomes a stronger woman by making it through all of the tough times that she did and her well earned success.

8I

Majors Expo

The Majors Expo was a showcase of all the majors that are offered in Southern Connecticut State University. Even the minors had a table at this event. Me and my roommate attended around 2 o'clock. I went straight to the Social Work table they were very friendly. They were excited to inform what the program was about. They informed me what classes I need to complete by sophomore year and how to apply to the program. They encouraged me to start asking more questions to anyone who's in the field and go to the lang house to find out more information. After leaving I was more excited to get into my field in the future.

7V

http://ideamensch.com/when-failure-is-success/

fail·ure

ˈfālyər/

noun

1. 1.

   lack of success.

   
   

   lo·gos

   ˈlōˌgōs,-ˌgäs/

   noun
   

   THEOLOGY

   1. 1

   .  Logos (Greek for 'word') refers to the internal consistency of the message--the clarity of the claim
   

   
   

   
   

   de·lib·er·ate prac·tice

   /diˈlibərit/ ˈpraktəs/

   1. 1.

      a constant sense of self-evalution, of focusing on ones weaknesses, rather than simply fooling around and playing too ones strengths.

This weeks vocabulary word is failure. Failure is when you don't accomplish something they way you planned to. Even though failure is something no one wants to deal with it always teaches you a lesson of what not to do. Deliberate practice ties into the word failure. Deliberate practice is practice to make yourself better and to stop making the same silly mistake over and over. For instance if I don't practice the correct form of my arm swing I might hit the ball out during a game. Which is a hitting error. Basically a form of failure.

Logos is a vocabulary word I learned in my media class. It describing the terms for advertisements or persuasive arguments. The audience had to identify with what the speaker is saying. They have to know the speaker has knowledge of what they're speaking about.

7B

http://blog.eventbrite.com/11-ways-to-improve-your-sleeping-habits/

Sleep is probably the main thing I'm failing at in college. This week I really tried to focus on going to bed at midnight every night. I completely failed at doing that. Monday night I went to sleep at 2:30am and woke up 7:42am. I didn't even bother to rush to class. I just didn't show up. Once you start not going to class it's becomes a habit. I really don't want this to become a habit. After missing that class I looked at the syllabus and realized I can't afford to miss any of my class. Every time you have an unexcused absence in this math class 3 points get deducted from your grade. That's way too many points for me. Especially since I'm not good at math.

Even though I missed class I didn't give up on the section we learned. I knew since we learned something knew we had online work due soon. So I finished all my online work and got a 91% on it. I was proud of myself for taking 2 hours to learn something especially math.

Wednesday night I was writing a paper and helping my friend with his. I ended up going to bed at 3:30. That morning I woke at 7:32. I have never got dressed so fast in my life. I knew I couldn't afford to miss another class. I was proud of myself again for making it to class on time and staying focused in class.

Now I know that I need sleep. I can't survive 8:00ams with no sleep. I know that if I wake up late I can stay on task and focused in class. Every mistake I make is just a learning process. This week I'll try to get my work done earlier instead of doing to last minute. 

7A

Failure

http://www.baesis.com/Tech-Tips/bid/96070/Let-s-Guarantee-New-Software-Implementation-Failure

Failure is a lot of people's greatest fear including my own. When someone asks me what I want to be when I get out of college I simply reply. "Successful." A lot of children are taught at a young age that's it's not okay to fail no matter what. I was always taught that second place is the first loser. Even though second place doesn't seem that bad you're still not good enough to be the best.

Since kids are more sensitive in the time failure its okay. They just have to learn how not to accept it. Failing is one thing but being okay with that is a totally different ball game. My track coach told me something I will never forget. Everyday for my spring semester of senior I would sit in his class instead of going to lunch. He knew I was stressing over my basketball season because we had been losing. So he asked me, "Faith, If you won a championship would you rather it be your AAU team or your high school team?" Without hesitation I said AAU since I was starting to accept my team wasn't going to have that great of a record this season. I realize now that I was accepting failure.

He then explained to me that your high school banner will always be in your gym and that AAU is a temporary thing. Then he went into a story about a player he had years ago who was a "park legend". I'm thinking since he used the term legend this player was at a D1 school or something like that. I miss understood the term at first. He used the assistant coach as an example. Coach Bell went to Southern and played for the basketball team. He always had good grades and stayed out of trouble. He played AAU to expose himself for colleges to see which is how he was recruited. 

I still couldn't understand what my coach was trying to tell me. He finally tied it all together park legends are the people who were okay with failing and not wanting to better themselves to get to the next level. They were the ones who had a great future but didn't want practice at it. The difference between an actual athlete and a park legend is persistence, practice, and motivation.

7I

Pep Rally

My first pep rally at Southern was probably the funniest thing I have ever seen in my life. When we were told all the athletic teams have to walk out to introduce themselves I was not looking forward to it at all. When we were introduce we threw mini volleyballs into the crowd. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. We watched the step team perform. They were really good, but then came the real show. There was a dance contest for a 32 inch flat screen TV. I already knew the person who would twerk the best would win like always. These two girls just seemed to be going back and forth with their moves. Then one of the girls goes on her head and flips up and her wig fell off. The gym roared with laughter. I couldn't believe what just happened. Her hair really fell off. All I have to say is I love my school.

6B

http://www.recruitingblogs.com/profiles/blogs/want-to-find-a-great-candidate-think-like-a-candidate

Past readings connect with each other but they also differ. Having a growth mindset and fixed mindset depends on what kind of drive and motivation you have. A growth mindset is when you're willing to learn new things and put effort towards it even if you don't understand at first. Having this mindset is the cause of intrinsic motivation. This type of motivation comes form within yourself. A fixed mindset is the belief that you are born with intelligence. Having this mindset is the cause Extrinsic motivation. This type of motivation comes from someone else. Someone else always has to feed your self esteem and motivation.

The grit test and the marshmallow test are somewhat similar but I don't agree with either. The marshmallow test is given to young kids who somewhat no from right and wrong but then again they'll have no memory of the test. The grit test is suppose to predict your intelligence or stamina. The marshmallow test predicts how successful you will be in the future.

6V

http://www.cesarsjourney.com/2012/12/27/307/

per·sist·ence

pərˈsistəns/

noun

1. 1.

   firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.

   
   

   pa·thos

   ˈpāˌTHäs,-ˌTHôs/

   noun

   1. 1.

      a quality that evokes pity or sadness.

      
      

      e·thos

      ˈēTHäs/

      noun

      1. 1.

         the characteristic spirit of a culture, era, or community as manifested in its beliefs and aspirations.

         
         

This week's word is persistence. Persistence is something you need in order to even think about being motivated. Last week I didn't feel well and missed my math class. This caused to be way behind everyone else. I missed 3 sections out of chapter 7 and couldn't do my online work. Instead of giving up and not trying to learn the material. I asked a lot of question to my professor and other people around me. I took advantage of the workbook and learned how to do the problems by the examples on the other side of the book. I taught myself those three sections and I was proud that I understood everything. With persistence all of these things were able to get done no questions asked.

Ethos and pathos are two terms that I have been learning about to my MDS class. They are used to daily advertisements so that the public eye can identify with them a lot easier. Pathos is the emotional appeal of the ad. So think of the dog commercial with "The Arms of THe Angels" playing in the background. Ethos is more the character of the advertisement. Sya if the NBA was advertising for the championship.

6I

http://www.sodahead.com/united-states/when-it-comes-to-test-taking-are-you-more-effective-on-a-standardized-multiple-choice-format-or-an/question-397505/?link=ibaf&q=&esrc=s

As a first year student athlete we are required to attend 2 workshops directed by Professor Kolbe. These workshops consist of first year information, typically geared freshmen . An upper class men can attend them also because they are about study skills. The workshop I attended was about how to answer an essay test the proper way. There are three steps to this method. The first is to anticipate essay topics and question. You should review your notes and make up your own questions. The second is to narrow down the questions you choose and prepare at least two to have prepared. The last is to think if three or four answers to your questions and have an outline for you explanation. 

6A

http://www.thequotefactory.com/quote-by/napoleon-hill/persistence-is-to-the-character/50313

Usually students are good at math and science or english and history, not me. I'm the weird one who is good at science and history. Except for chemistry. Mainly because of all the math that was involved. Which brings me to my worst subject that I hate. Math has never been my favorite pass time. I just couldn't seem to grasp the concept. I've struggled with it my whole entire life. 

My sophomore year I was enrolled in a geometry class. I had no motivation what so ever in that class. I hated the teacher, the work, and everything about it. I never paid attention or tried to do the work. I regret doing this because it did effected my GPA. I passed the class with a flat 60. My junior something in me just changed. I was enrolled in an Algebra II class but I was tired of struggling. I figured that if I actually put in extra work and apply myself I would actually understand what I was doing. 

Throughout that year I stayed after at least 2 times a week with my teacher when I didn't understand something. I even left lunch early to get help with my homework before class started. Even though I was putting a lot of effort towards this one subject it was all worth it in the end. My teacher told me, "Faith you're effort this semester in unbelievable and for your persistence you get an 5 extra points added on to your grade." At that time I had a 75 so the extra points actually gave me an 80. I was proud of my B-. I've never gotten higher than a C+ in a math class. 

Often students are afraid to ask for help because they think it makes them look unintelligent or they don't have a drive to be successful in the classroom. This experience taught me hard work really does pays off. When being persistent you can accomplish anything you put your mind to.