14I: Explorers

Since I am a commuter finding time to video my skit was probably a little more difficult than for people who live on campus.  I rarely have time between classes and I can't stay later in the day because of my work schedule.  Even though it was a bit difficult for me to find time I think I can get everything done on time if I don't procrastinate!

During one of my hour breaks a few friends and I wanted to find interesting places to record parts of our skits.  We all had very different ideas for our videos and wanted to find cool places to act out a skit.  My friends and I searched all over Engleman Hall and found so many places that I didn't even know about!

The search for a place to shoot a video turned into more than just that.  It became an adventure.  We found hidden lounges and little nooks with benches in them.  Most of these areas I would have never even knew about!  On the bottom floor we found an area with comfy chairs and a table.  In the language lab hallway we found another area similar.  We did most of our recording in these places.  We even ventured all the way up to the third floor and ended up in a really fancy office hallway with comfy chairs.  We found out shortly after that it was the vice presidents office and we weren't allowed there.

Searching for a spot to record skits for our final videos was actually a fun adventure!  I got to explore all around Engelman and I found so many cool new places to study and rest between classes!

14V: Investing time

in·vest·ment  the act of putting money, effort, time, etc. into something to make a profit or get an advantage, or the money, effort, time, etc.

The word investment deals with a lot more than just money.  In college I would have to say that one of the biggest investments is time and effort.  In order to achieve goals and get good grades time would have to be put it.  Good things don’t just get handed to you, you have to work for them.  The most important thing I have learned about being successful in college is all the time you need to invest in order to achieve success.

Some other words I found important are nomenclature and protract. Nomenclature is a system or set of terms or symbols especially in a particular science, discipline, or art.  Protract means to lengthen in time or to cause to be or to last longer.

14B: I'm thankful for...

So many people love Thanksgiving because of the great food and forget to take the time to be thankful.  I have to admit, the food is awesome but it’s also an important time to reflect on the things in life that we are grateful for.  My first semester at Southern has been full of ups and downs, but I wouldn’t trade my experiences for anything.

Coming from a town so close to Southern, I knew that I would be surrounded by kids from my high school.   I was fine with that, but I didn’t want to stay sheltered and only stick close by the people I already knew.   One of the things I am most thankful for this semester is all the amazing people that I have met.  Making new friends wasn’t as hard as I expected it would be.  I was able to meet so many new people and not just stick with only my Shelton friends.  Since orientation in the summer I knew that Southern was a place I could feel as if I belonged.  During orientation I made many friends and I even starting carpooling with one that lives a town next to me.  Once the semester started I met even more people.  I have the same students in my Inquiry and Media class.  I love the idea of this learning community.  We have all gotten to know each other so well and it was a great way to feel comfortable.  I have made the most friends from these classes this semester and I am so thankful for all of them.  I know that if I need help in school or with just about anything I have people who will be there for me. 

Next semester I will not have this learning community anymore and I already know that I am going to miss it.  I feel the most comfortable in those two classes because of how well I know everyone.  It’s going to be so weird without being able to see them every day.  Even though I won’t have these classes anymore I know that I will stay in touch with quite a few people from them.  I am so thankful for everyone that I have met at Southern and I know that I will continue to meet more people in my next few years here at Southern.

"It is not happy people who are thankful, it is thankful people who are happy."

14A: eat, sleep, repeat

This Thursday is Thanksgiving day so we have a five day break off from school.  This break is perfect timing in my opinion.  Finals are right around the corner and this is the time students start to really get stressed out.  Hopefully these five days will allow everyone to catch up on sleep and come back on Monday ready to tackle the last few weeks of the semester!

I am so excited about break that I already have most of my week planned out.  On Wednesday I have to go to work, but not until later in the day.  On a normal week I usually have to wake up around 6:20 for my 8 am class.  When I get home from school I have just enough time to eat lunch and do some homework.  Then I go right to work and to sleep after.  This week will be different though without school.  I am planning on sleeping in as late as I can and just being lazy until I need to go to work.  The next day, Thursday, is thanksgiving!  Every single year since I can remember I have gone to my Nana and Papas house to spend the day with my huge family.  Unfortunately, this year is going to very different.  This past year both my Nana and Papa were diagnosed with cancer.  They have been going through treatment and just aren’t feeling up to having people over or going anywhere.  I am just going to have a thanksgiving meal with my parents and two brothers this year.  It’s going to be such a change for me.

On midnight of course I’ll be one of the people rushing around the mall trying to find the best sales!  Black Friday is one of my favorite days!  I love the excitement of staying up all night finding the best deals. After shopping I’m definitely going to sleep, sleep, sleep! That’s probably what I’m going to be doing on the weekend too!  I think that if I take a few days to rest, be lazy, and catch up with friends on Monday I’ll be extra focused.  I want to be able to come back to school and finish out the semester strong.  I am hoping that I will be able to do as good (or ever better) as I did on my midterms.  This upcoming break is definitely a good stress reliever to stop waking up early every day and to think of things other than school work.

13B: Stop Spending!

Being creative can be such a hard thing to do sometimes.  I am a naturally creative person but in certain situations it’s hard.  I think that being creative comes naturally to everyone, but some people are just afraid to express their ideas.  In my final video draft I am going to try and use my creativity as an advantage.

I think that without some form of creativity that all these videos would be boring to watch!  Hopefully mine will end up being interesting and catch the viewer’s attention.  I am going to try to do this by using skits.  My idea is to video a bunch of common situations that students are put it about spending money.  On a daily basis we are given the chose to either spend more money, or save some.  I am going to video people asking to go out and eat and just keep spending money.  I am always put into these situations myself and sometimes it’s hard to say no!  These little skits will be able to show real situations in a creative way and show why students are suffering this problem.

I am also going to use my creativity by coming up with not only solutions to the problem but also tips that students can use.  There are so many different solutions and ideas for me to explore about how students can go about saving their money instead of being broke.  I am going to use my own ideas as well as ones I research.  I want to be able to add a personal touch to my video.  I think that if I connect myself with it personally, that it will be easier to get my ideas across and make my video more meaningful.

My main goal for this video is to make it interesting to watch, but also to actually help students who are going through this problem.  My creative approach on this video will hopefully make it fun and will encourage students to stop wasting their money when they don’t need to.  

13A: Thinking harder than ever

I can’t even believe that it’s almost time for finals already!  This semester really flew by.  In inquiry instead of an actual final exam we are doing a video project instead.  In this video we are asked to use college level thinking and creativity to express a problem that students face at college, and come up with a solution.  

For my video topic I chose the problem of being broke.  I picked this topic because I can definitely relate to it.  You may be thinking how I’m going to use college level thinking on a simple topic like having no money.  I thought that at first too.  I didn’t really know where to start, but after a lot of thinking and planning I think I’ve finally figured it out.  I am going to go in depth with the problem, and show a lot of examples that show why most college kids don’t have money.  I really relate to my topic, so I will have an insight about that this problem actually feels like and what students are really going through.  I can use this connection that I have to really go in detail with my video.

I am also going to use college level thinking in my solutions for being broke.  I have already started doing some research and I am going to talk to multiple people to get different perspectives. Getting different perspectives on things for my video will be great so that it’s not just my ideas.  I will be able to hear different sides and what other people think students can do to save their money. 

I really hope that all the practice I’ve done in class with college level thinking will help me get a good grade on my video!  I am going to try and get a better grade than I did on my midterm video.  I hope with my college thinking skills I can turn this video into a success!

13I: my perfect schedule

To be totally honest I was super nervous to register for spring classes.  I know it probably doesn’t seem like a big deal, but for me it was.  All I could think about the whole night was sleeping through my alarm and missing registration!  I barely got any sleep, and at 5:40 I was ready to go.

I signed onto banner web extra early, and the site was already loading slowly because of all the students online.  I typed in my pin number and clicked submit at exactly 6:00 a.m.  The first time I tried it said I didn’t have access to the website.  It said this because the site couldn’t handle all of the people at once.  The second time I got right through and I put in all my classes.  I was so nervous as I hit submit.  I thought some of my classes would be full and I’d have to use one of my backup schedules, which I really didn’t want to do.  To my surprise it said that I was registered for all of my classes!  I was done registering by 6:05 and had my perfect schedule.  It was so much easier than I had expected!   Hopefully every semester it will be this easy!

13V: what is our purpose?

pur·pose the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.

Everything in life serves a purpose if you really think about it.  One thing that people have trying to figure out the purpose of is life.  Why were we specifically put here on earth, what is each of our exact purpose? No one really knows the exact answer because everyone serves a different purpose in life, but an article I read this week said a little bit more about it.  The article said that instead of living for the purpose of happiness we should live for the purpose of meaning.  We should go through life thinking of others and not our selves.  When we live for the purpose of meaning we will also find happiness.

Some other words that I came across this week are terminus and bias.  The word terminus means the end of something, like the end of a travel route or the station at the end of it.  The word bias is one that is frequently used in my Media and Everyday Life class.  A bias is a tendency to believe that some people, ideas, etc., are better than others that usually results in treating some people unfairly. 

12B: learning to learn

After all of the practice I had last week with coming up with inquiry questions and college level answers I feel so much more comfortable coming up with more!

A question I came up with to answer is: How would a shorter school day, no homework, and no tests change children?

If schools cared more about actually learning rather than wasting so much time preparing for tests and giving out homework children would value school a lot more.  Since I was in elementary school I have always thought that the school day was way too long!  Some of the day just seems to drag on and on.  These long school days just bore children!  A lot of kids don’t have a very long attention span, so after a while they start to daze off and stop listening.  If the school day was made shorter the kids would be able to take in more information because they would be paying attention.  If they didn’t have to sit in one chair for eight hours they would be able to focus and understand things better. 

 Without tests and homework children would learn for the actual sake of learning, instead of learning something just to pass a test.  I know that sometimes I just memorize something until the test comes, and then I forget all of the information after the test is over.  Without tests students would be more interested in learning for themselves instead of just to get good grades.  Without homework students will enjoy school more, and stop looking at it like it’s a chore.  Some people may argue that without tests and quizzes there is no way to see if a child is learning or not, but memorizing something just for a test isn’t learning either.   

With less hours of sitting in a classroom, having no tests, and no homework, students will actually enjoy learning things.  They will stop looking at school as a chore and will actually enjoy going to learn new things to better themselves. A shorter school day would change children for the better!

12V: Vocab Lesson

in·ter·dis·ci·pli·nar·y  per·spec·tive: involves two or more areas of learning, having more than one perspective on the same subject.

An Interdisciplinary Perspective refers to a comprehensive knowledge of skills which a student can use to find and evaluate information about two or more disciplines.  This is a very important aspect to learn.  This perspective allows a student to look at one subject with more than one perspective.   It helps students understand that there is more than one way to view something.

Some other important words that I came across this past week are dissertation and requisition.  The word dissertation refers to a long piece of writing about a particular subject that is done to earn an advanced degree at a university.  The word requisition is the act of formally requiring or calling upon someone to perform a specific action.

12I: Save the owls

This week while I was walking through the Engleman Hall lobby I noticed a group of girls sitting behind a table.  I’m not going to lie, the first thing that caught my eye were the m&m cookies!  The best way to draw attention is definitely free food!  After eating the cookies I then actually took a look at their project. 

They had a big colorful poster set up that said “Save the Owls!”  Their whole table was filled with flyers all about animal endangerment.  They even decorated the wall in Engleman with awesome animal pictures.  I thought it was so clever of them to name their project “Save the Owls”, since our mascot at Southern is an Owl! 

Even though at first I just stopped by to get free cookies, I really enjoyed everything that was set up at this table.  They used a catchy title and great pictures to make it more exciting!  I could tell they put a lot of effort into this project and really cared about helping save the animals!

12A: Well-rounded

          If you had asked me what the Liberal Arts Program at Southern was a few months ago, I wouldn’t even have an answer for you.  It sounded so complicated when I first heard the term.  Once I started college here at Southern I started to slowly understand what it meant.  I understood that all students had to take a set of required courses to fill the Liberal Arts requirement.  At first, I’m not going to lie; I thought it was a little stupid to waste a whole year on courses that have nothing to do with my major. Over the past week we have had some in depth discussions and readings about the program and my feelings towards it have changed.  Now that I have a better understanding I can see the true value of the Liberal Arts Program.

          The real value of a Liberal Arts education is to help make every student as well-rounded as possible.  In an article that I read called “Liberal Arts Education and the Know-nothing Bandwagon” it said that education is more than training and job creation, it is about developing critical thinking, writing, and communication skills.  I agree with what this article said because if you really think about it these abilities that the article refers to, can all be used in a number of careers, not just specific ones.  Employers these days want a well-rounded person not only skilled in their specific major, but also skilled in the ability to communicate and solve problems on their own. 

          The Liberal Arts Program here at Southern provides students with a basic knowledge of many subjects, not just one specifically.  I think that this program also helps students explore different paths.  Most students come into college thinking they know exactly what they want to do, but then they realize they don’t like the major they thought they would have.  The Liberal Arts program lets students take classes they would not have taken on their own, and sometimes students end up finding a subject that they really love.  I personally, am happy to be at a school with this program.  I know that when I graduate college I will not only be skilled in my specific major, but I will also have a little bit of knowledge in many other subjects.  I will have to ability to communicate and problem solve on my own because of my back ground knowledge.  

“Liberal arts is founded on a whole person, developing a person athletically and academically.  Liberal arts is going international.  The 21^st century is one of entrepreneurship and innovation.  There will not be fixed careers.  The liberal arts teaches you to think outside the box” –Rebecca Chopp President of Swarthmore College. 

11I: stress management

Flu season is approaching us quickly and it is super important to stay healthy this time of year!  Once the weather starts getting colder everyone seems to start catching something.  If you are feeling sick visit The Granoff Student Health Center on Wintergreen Avenue.  It is conveniently located near the residence halls and right across the street from Moore Fieldhouse.  To make an appointment all you have to do is call, it’s better to be safe than sorry!

When visiting the Health Center I found out that they are open Monday through Thursday 8am to 4:30pm and on Fridays 9am to 4:30pm. The Health center not only can help you with the flu but they also have tips for stress management and they take urgent walk ins!  If you are feeling over whelmed and stressed about school I highly recommend you visit the health center. They also have a very informative website that has many different links. I found the link about stress management very helpful to me! https://www.southernct.edu/student-life/health/healthservices/stressmanagement.html In these upcoming months remember to wash your hands, exercise, and get plenty of sleep!

11B: More questions

          Creating inquiry questions that require college level thinking to come up with an answer is somewhat difficult.  It is a concept that is very new to me because in high school we never really had to sit down and pick a question apart.  We just answered it straight forwardly.  I think I speak for other freshman too when I say that I never had to actually analyze, and evaluate a question.  As I was looking at my peers blogs I noticed that a lot of them have quickly gotten the hang of it already.

 

          I read through Kali Roger’s blog (http://anowlsmind.blogspot.com/) and noticed her four great Inquiry questions that she came up with.  Kali put thought into these questions.  They require a lot of thinking and not just a simple straight forward answer.  She asked questions that could be looked at in different ways and backed up with evidence and facts. I also think Franchesca Nowak (http://fnowak30.blogspot.com/ ) did a great job coming up with questions that required college level thinking.  All four of her question included different parts and things to think about.  They couldn't be answered with just a single sentence.

          My peers not only were able to come up with good questions but they also were able to come up with strong answers for them.  One answer that stood out to me was Paige Slack’s. (http://paige2017.blogspot.com/) She answered the question “What are ways college students can cultivate more creativity? How can this be important for their future?” Paige started off her answer with a clear thesis statement which was “College students can cultivate more creativity by stepping back and becoming an outsider.”  This statement set the tone for the rest of her answer.  She then gave specific examples to back up her answer and even included specific facts from articles we have read.

          I have definitely learned a lot from this week’s exercises in anticipating and answering questions.  I now know what exactly my professors going to be asking and how they want me to answer it.  I am going to apply these new skills into my studying habits.  Next time I have a test I am going to try to come up with a few inquiry questions of my own just like we did this week.  If I prepare myself for what kind of questions they might ask I will be more confident in answering them. I also have learned from this week’s exercises how I should be answering these questions.  I need to really start digging deep and not just give general answers like I am used to doing.

11A: think like a college student

This past week in class we have been focusing a lot on Inquiry questions and what makes a particular question a good inquiry question.  I have learned this semester that an inquiry question is not one that you would find on a multiple choice quiz.  It is a question that actually requires you to think rather than just having a straight forward answer.  These types of questions require you to analyze, evaluate, interpret, and synthesize in order to come up with a college level answer.  In class we came up with some questions and practiced how to answer them.  This practice will definitely help me in my other classes.  I can use these techniques on my tests in quizzes in the future.

I came up with four inquiry questions about this past week’s readings.  All of these questions require college level thinking and analyzing to come up with an answer.

Question 1: How can a nurturing and safe environment be important to creativity?

Question 2: How do difficulties and obstacles help the learning process?

Question 3: How can hiring a hard worker differ from hiring a creative thinker?

Question 4: How can being bored impact creativity in a positive way?

I chose question 4 to answer.  How can being bored impact creativity in a positive way?

Being bored can stimulate your brain in different ways than it would if you were actively thinking.  When you are bored your mind has the time to wonder and think about things that you wouldn't normally think about if you were busy.  Being bored is looked at as being a bad thing, and people do anything they can to occupy or entertain themselves.  They occupy themselves with day dreaming and just having their minds wonder in any direct it can.  When you are busy you don’t have time to do your own thinking and come up with creative ideas.  Even though sometimes people think being bored is bad, it can actually be looked at as a creativity booster.  Being bored can sometimes be a very good thing!  You can come up with some of your best ideas while being bored, just from letting your mind do what it wants to.

This question definitely made me use college level thinking and really put in detail and go into depth for my answer.  I think that practicing answering questions like this will only help me on my next quiz or test.  Now I know what kind of answers are expected in the college classroom and I can use that to  my advantage when studying. 

11V: Innovation

in·no·va·tion   a new idea, device, or method:The act or process of introducing new ideas, devices, or methods

Innovation can be describes as a new original idea that becomes important.  People are always coming up with new ideas and new technologies to better the world.  Innovation is translating an idea into a good or a service that customers will want to buy.  The key to this is for the idea to be one that will make life easier.  Everyone is always looking for ways to get things done faster and take the easiest route.  I’m not saying that everyone in America is lazy, but I think that we are to a certain extent.  A good example of this is online shopping.  No one wants to waste time to actually go out and shop when they can do it right inside their home with the touch of a button.  Innovation is about generating a new idea that will be successful in society today. 

Two other important words I learned this week are upheaval and officious.  An upheaval is a major change or period of change that causes a lot of conflict, confusion, or anger.  This word basically means a radical change, and usually relates to history. For example the civil rights movement marked a period of social upheaval in the U.S.  The word officious means when someone is trying to give advice when it is not wanted or needed.  It means to volunteer one’s services when not asked to do so. 

10B: My life in a nutshell

How do you begin your day?

I am the kind of person who has a very set routine, if anything goes wrong or differently in the morning I get very frustrated.  I begin my day by waking up to my alarm clock.  The noise is so loud and annoying so I never over sleep.  The first thing I do is get out of bed and wash my face.  When I get back into my room I start listening to the same playlist I always listen to.  I keep the songs in the same order for a reason.  I get ready to the songs.  When a certain song is playing I know I should be getting dressed.  When the third song comes on I start doing my makeup and hair.  I always know exactly when to start finishing up my getting ready so that I am never late.  I know it sounds so boring to listen to the same set of songs every single day but it helps me so much.  I know exactly what to do and when to do it. Once my playlist is over I go to the kitchen to eat breakfast.  I never leave my house without a class of cranberry juice.  Once I drink it I’m ready to start my day!

What is your greatest dream?

My greatest dream in life is to be successful but also be happy with my job.  I have heard of so many people who have good paying jobs but they aren't happy.  I want to be happy with my life.  My greatest dream is to be happy with what I do.  That is why I want to be a teacher.  I work with kids now at a local YMCA and I absolutely love it.  I know that teaching elementary school doesn't pay a lot of money but I think I’d rather be happy.  I want to be able to wake up every morning excited for a new day.  I want to always be happy with what I chose to do, and if I ever get to that point where I get sick of my job I hope I can find something different I can enjoy.

What is your greatest fear?

My biggest fear in life is losing my family.  My family is really close, especially my mom and I.  We talk about everything and she always talks to me and helps me through things.  The worst thing that could ever happen to me is losing my Mom, my best friend.  I can’t picture myself going through life without her.  She has been there for me through good and bad and I can always count on her.  My greatest fear is definitely losing her and having to still try to keep my life together. I know that everyone passes away at some point but I am really dreading that moment in my life.  I try to make the best memories with the ones I love now before it is too late.  

10I: Happy Halloween

On Wednesday October 10^th Lorraine Warren came the Lyman center.  I was so excited to go because I recently saw the movie “The Conjuring” in theaters.  I love scary movies and I am usually not scared to watch them, but the conjuring is a movie that actually freaked me out.  I was scared to drive home after I watched it; I can’t even imagine how Lorraine felt after being in that house.  She explained that she had never felt the type of fear she felt in that house.  She said that she will never in her life step foot in that house again.

Lorraine showed us pictures of ghosts and personal encounters that she had witnessed while ghost hunting with her husband Ed.   She later showed us a real exorcism that she helped with.  I couldn't help but get chills while watching it.  It’s so hard to believe that something like that can happen in real life and not just to people in the movies.  Lorraine is now 86 years old and goes all around sharing her stories and her experiences.  She is a very brave woman who spent her life  doing things that no one else will ever experience.

10A: Education Program

My midterm video project was about the Education Program here at SCSU.  I want to major in Early Childhood Education so I thought that this would be a great topic for me to choose.  While doing this project I found out useful information that I didn't know before about the program.

The length of my video came up a little bit short of five minutes.  I should have added more information or added a longer video interview.  Other than the length I hit all of the requirements for this assignment.   I interviewed many people and included three in my video, including one of my professors.  I am so glad I got to interview a professor and hear their point of view about the field of education.  I tried to interview some of my other professors but a lot of them didn't want to be on video.  That’s why I chose my interview with Mrs. DiMauro.  I think it made it much more effective with a live video rather than just using text.

The strongest point of my video in my opinion is my music and transitions.  I tried to grasp the attention of my audience with the music. I used something upbeat to start it off so that it was exciting.  At the end I slowed the music down and faded it out to make a clear ending to my video.  I also used many different slide transitions to help make my video flow together instead of looking choppy and unfinished.  I would probably give myself a B or B- for this video project because I could have added more information and longer interviews to fill up more time.  I had no problems with uploading or finishing my video on time. I made sure that I finished it a few days in advance so that my last couple of days was just spent on polishing and finishing it up.  I made sure I had a clear beginning, to catch the viewers’ attention, a middle portion, with lots of information and interviews, and an ending, which summed it up and had credits.

10V: creativity

cre·a·tiv·i·ty  the use of the imagination or original ideas, esp. in the production of an artistic work.

What creativity means to me is basically just thinking differently, having your own perspective on things and being able to go with the flow.  Sometimes it’s hard to have a creative mind especially in today’s society.  Schools don’t think it’s important to teach creativity to children, they just teach basic subjects and one way of learning things.  I don’t agree with the school systems at all about this.  Some children need to learn in their own ways, just because they sit down and focus on reading a book doesn't mean they won’t become a great story writer one day.

More people need to start to understand that creativity is a good thing!  Children should be taught at a young age to be their own person and use their creative minds.  Without creativity we are all merely the same, and what fun is a world full of the same type of people?

Some other words I came across in my media class this past week were Syllogism and Enthymeme.  The word Syllogism is a form of deductive reasoning that relates to artistic proof. There is a major premise, a minor premise, and then a conclusion. An example of a syllogism is:

Major: All reality shows are scripted

Minor: Jersey Shore is a reality show

Conclusion: The Jersey Shore is scripted.

An Enthymeme is quite similar, it is a sentence that includes a claim and reason, but it depends on the audience’s agreement with an assumption that is implied but not spoken. An example of this is the sentence “We better cancel the picnic because it is going to rain”

Claim: We better cancel the picnic

Reason: It’s going to rain

Cultural assumption: Rain is bad weather; we don’t spend time outside in the rain.