Blog #12- Reflection
As my final exams and final touches are being made to my classes, we figured that this week I would write a reflection piece about how school and writing these blogs have affected how I dealt with this semester. First of all going into this semester and writing my blogs, gave me a chance to write down what I wanted to do, and how I was going to fulfill those requirements. I was unsure how I would do all my assignments and my exams, being that they were all due so close together. Writing it down on paper gave me the chance to think about everything as a whole, and to break it down into smaller categories that I was actually able to work with. Doing this also made it feel like the semester went by that much faster. I really enjoyed it, and felt as though I was able to make an impression on old and new students. I felt good and secure about the work that I completed this semester, and found myself more often than not satisfied with the outcome of my overall grades for my assignments. I found that I had more time on my hands to spend with my family as where before, I knew what I wanted it was just a matter of being able to complete them. I also found myself being able to edit most if not all of my papers before sending them into my professors.
I have also found that writing my weekly blogs forced me to open my eyes to a whole new world of ideas, good habits, bad habits, etc… Weekly trying to find different things to discuss, that I knew would somehow benefit my readers, made me look at different every day occasions that I would not have normally looked at. Finding different possibilities, I found myself paying more attention to the classroom environments, and other things that were happening all around me while I was here at the college. I saw more friendly people that I knew were even here. I also found that in some cases I was in there was the possibility, which I was being taken advantage of. Noticing the possibilities, I was able to extend my friendships with certain members here at the college, and decrease the availability of myself to those whom I thought might have been using my friendship, a little more to their advantage then to anything else.
After carefully planning each week, I was hoping that new and old students would read my blogs, as I did not hear much feedback from the newer students; I was very pleased to hear feedback from some of my fellow classmates, and friends. It was nice to know that someone was reading them from the beginning. One of the most important things that I was able to learn this semester was how to self reflect. I enjoyed it, and it really did open my eyes to a whole new world. I find myself from time to time doing more self reflecting, and finding myself. I am thinking more of things I never thought about before, like what the aftermaths of things are going to be. If there is any more advice I could give people it would be to take some time, set a day apart for just you, think about things that you would never normally think about, and do a little of your own self reflecting.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
Blog #11- The importance of Friendships
BLOG #11- The Importance of Friendships
So throughout the last four years at the University of Maine at Augusta Rumford/Mexico Center, I have developed many healthy solid friendships. It is important to have healthy relationships, especially when taking on something as stressful and time consuming as classes at the College. When I first started school here, I had absolutely no intentions on making any new friends. I wanted to go to school and get my degree, and not be bothered by anything or anyone. Soon after going to school I realized that I would need to plan a little more. I needed to have back up babysitters in the event that my mother would be unable to care for him. Finding someone that I could trust was going to be hard and it made it easier making friends at the center. Also, while taking my classes here at the center, I found it important to make friends for each individual class, so I was able to have study groups. I wanted to make sure that it was someone that I could trust would be there, and someone that I knew thought that there grade was as important to them as I thought my grade was important to me. Now, looking back at everything, I realize that it would have been very difficult for me to do a lot of the things I have accomplished if I had not had friends through my time here. Making friends could also become beneficial in the light of needing to borrow books for classes. Not only does it save money, but it also helps those who are willing to allow you to borrow their books out, and it allows you to start classes on time with your books available to you. Another thing is that in some cases, you are unable to borrow books and it does take a few weeks for your books to come in. In the event that this does occur, it is good to have friends in that class that you are able to share these books with for those few weeks. Do not be afraid to make these friends, nor to ask for their help, because the chances are that they themselves have been in the same situation and are more than willing to lend a helping hand.
I have been inspired by many students; those who work full time jobs and attend classes’ full time are of the many. The parents who have children to raise at home, work, and attend full time classes are one of the main groups of people who have had the most influence on me. I have one child at home, and attend school full time, I feel as though putting these together is hard enough let alone, having more than one child, and working. That equals to three full time jobs. It cracks me up when people say I ONLY have two children, and am ONLY going to school and taking ONLY four classes, like that is not a lot of work. I admire those students who are able to take and work a full forty hours a week, raise their children, and take four classes. I wish that at times I could only have been as strong as they were, and I would have enjoyed my classes more. But I found it difficult to take classes and work. I would have liked to have worked to help out with bills around the house, but was unable to do so. I would like to say kudos to you! Also I would like to thank a few students who have been loads of help to me as well as other students, so thank you; Ed for all the advice, help, and the books you have let me borrow throughout the semesters. Thank you Lorie for keeping me in the game and reminding me why I do what I do. Thank you Nicola for lending me books, and all the advice you have giving me. Thank you Melanie for all the cards, and gifts you have giving me to keep my spirits going. Thank you Michele for being you and making me laugh, when a good laugh was needed. Thank you Alyssa and Erica for all the help with class work, books, and advice when needed in taking the entire right course. Thank you Don for making me laugh. P.S. No I am not faxing anything to Santa or his elves this year. Thank you Sam and Megan, for being there when I needed someone to talk too about the work load. I also wanted to thank my HUS 349 class for reminding me that she was my professor and not some random Joe talking about nothing. I really appreciate it, in more ways than you think. You guys have defiantly made my time here memorable; you are all the best friends people could ask for when it comes to classes.
So throughout the last four years at the University of Maine at Augusta Rumford/Mexico Center, I have developed many healthy solid friendships. It is important to have healthy relationships, especially when taking on something as stressful and time consuming as classes at the College. When I first started school here, I had absolutely no intentions on making any new friends. I wanted to go to school and get my degree, and not be bothered by anything or anyone. Soon after going to school I realized that I would need to plan a little more. I needed to have back up babysitters in the event that my mother would be unable to care for him. Finding someone that I could trust was going to be hard and it made it easier making friends at the center. Also, while taking my classes here at the center, I found it important to make friends for each individual class, so I was able to have study groups. I wanted to make sure that it was someone that I could trust would be there, and someone that I knew thought that there grade was as important to them as I thought my grade was important to me. Now, looking back at everything, I realize that it would have been very difficult for me to do a lot of the things I have accomplished if I had not had friends through my time here. Making friends could also become beneficial in the light of needing to borrow books for classes. Not only does it save money, but it also helps those who are willing to allow you to borrow their books out, and it allows you to start classes on time with your books available to you. Another thing is that in some cases, you are unable to borrow books and it does take a few weeks for your books to come in. In the event that this does occur, it is good to have friends in that class that you are able to share these books with for those few weeks. Do not be afraid to make these friends, nor to ask for their help, because the chances are that they themselves have been in the same situation and are more than willing to lend a helping hand.
I have been inspired by many students; those who work full time jobs and attend classes’ full time are of the many. The parents who have children to raise at home, work, and attend full time classes are one of the main groups of people who have had the most influence on me. I have one child at home, and attend school full time, I feel as though putting these together is hard enough let alone, having more than one child, and working. That equals to three full time jobs. It cracks me up when people say I ONLY have two children, and am ONLY going to school and taking ONLY four classes, like that is not a lot of work. I admire those students who are able to take and work a full forty hours a week, raise their children, and take four classes. I wish that at times I could only have been as strong as they were, and I would have enjoyed my classes more. But I found it difficult to take classes and work. I would have liked to have worked to help out with bills around the house, but was unable to do so. I would like to say kudos to you! Also I would like to thank a few students who have been loads of help to me as well as other students, so thank you; Ed for all the advice, help, and the books you have let me borrow throughout the semesters. Thank you Lorie for keeping me in the game and reminding me why I do what I do. Thank you Nicola for lending me books, and all the advice you have giving me. Thank you Melanie for all the cards, and gifts you have giving me to keep my spirits going. Thank you Michele for being you and making me laugh, when a good laugh was needed. Thank you Alyssa and Erica for all the help with class work, books, and advice when needed in taking the entire right course. Thank you Don for making me laugh. P.S. No I am not faxing anything to Santa or his elves this year. Thank you Sam and Megan, for being there when I needed someone to talk too about the work load. I also wanted to thank my HUS 349 class for reminding me that she was my professor and not some random Joe talking about nothing. I really appreciate it, in more ways than you think. You guys have defiantly made my time here memorable; you are all the best friends people could ask for when it comes to classes.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Blog #10- Signing up for Classes
BLOG #10- SIGNING UP FOR CLASSES
So over the last few weeks I am sure that most students are signing up for classes, or even thinking about possible classes to take next semester. One thing that I can say for advice from me to you is to not wait. Do it now! Because there is no guarantee that these classes will still be available to you when you are ready. Classes are only capable of having a certain amount of students in them. Most of the required classes fill up quickly. I find it useful to have a print out of the check sheet on hand and as I take the classes, I check them off and put a grade next to them. This helps me know which classes I have taken and which ones I might want to retake because I do not like my grade. It happens to the best of us, we take a class with a Professor, we don’t agree with and end up doing poorly, and wish to take that class over with a different professor. If you are unsure where to find you check sheet you can either go to http://www.maine.edu, click on University of Maine at Augusta, at the top you will see a link called ACADEMICS, click there and go to Programs and Degrees. Find the Degree Program that you are pursuing. Once you have found it click on it, and on the right hand side there will be a list of things, one should be ALL CHECKSHEETS, click on that and then find the check sheet that you are looking for. This will not only have Degree check sheets, but it will also have certificates, and minor check sheets. I use these as a reference, and often find myself cross referencing them and taking the classes that will benefit me in the most ways. I look at all certificates and minors that may be of interest to me, and see if they are required classes for my Degree Program, and then I select and choose. If you are still having a hard time finding these check sheets, you can see either Jean or Roz in their offices. Jean is usually there until around 4 pm and Roz is most likely there until around 7 pm. They are great help, and will help you with any questions that you may have. When it comes time to sign up for classes, you can see either Jean or Roz as well. But there are some times where your schedule does not meet with theirs, and that is why we are able to sign up for classes on our own. If you are going to sign up with Jean or Roz, it is very helpful to have a written wish list available with you. Keep in mind though that a class you wish to take may already be full, so come prepared with a back up class that you are interested in taking in case that class is full. If you wish to sign up for classes online, you can go to our University page and go to Main Street. There you will sign in under your name, and I usually start by making a wish list. To do this you can go to student self service, then to student center. When you get to student center you can then click on Wish List it is in blue print. Find the semester you are looking for classes for and click on that semester. Where it says Search, scroll down to browse catalog, this will give you a list of all classes being offered online, ITV, and compressed Video. If you want to see classes being offered live here at the Rumford/Mexico center, there is a sheet in the lab at the center. When you click browse catalog you will see a bunch of letters, click on the letter that corresponds with you class. So if your class says, HUS 349, click on H and scroll down to see if it is being offered. If you click on the name of the class it will give you brief description of the class, and if you click on class selections it will tell you when it is being offered (if it is) and who the professor will be. After clicking on class selections and you find that it is a class that you would like to take, click select class, then next and it will be added to your wish list. Once you have added the classes you would like to take to your wish list it will show you a list of all the classes you have selected. Click all the classes that you would like to take, by clicking the little box, and then go to add selected and then next. Your class schedule at this time will be all done; you can print it off and use it for later reference. Note that if a green circle shows it means that the class is available for you to take, a blue square it means that the class is already closed, and a yellow/orange triangle means that there is a wait list, and as soon as there is an open availability it will allow you to take this class. This is a way to do it if you are unable to see Jean or Roz, and it can be helpful at times, so you can take a better look at all classes being offered, and there class descriptions. It is not all that hard, just at times it can be time consuming. Also if you try to go about doing it this and it for some reason does not work out, then write down the classes and take it into the center or call to see if there is a reason why it is not working, and see if they can help you. Don’t stress, it is just another day of life as a wonderful college student. Good luck to you all!
So over the last few weeks I am sure that most students are signing up for classes, or even thinking about possible classes to take next semester. One thing that I can say for advice from me to you is to not wait. Do it now! Because there is no guarantee that these classes will still be available to you when you are ready. Classes are only capable of having a certain amount of students in them. Most of the required classes fill up quickly. I find it useful to have a print out of the check sheet on hand and as I take the classes, I check them off and put a grade next to them. This helps me know which classes I have taken and which ones I might want to retake because I do not like my grade. It happens to the best of us, we take a class with a Professor, we don’t agree with and end up doing poorly, and wish to take that class over with a different professor. If you are unsure where to find you check sheet you can either go to http://www.maine.edu, click on University of Maine at Augusta, at the top you will see a link called ACADEMICS, click there and go to Programs and Degrees. Find the Degree Program that you are pursuing. Once you have found it click on it, and on the right hand side there will be a list of things, one should be ALL CHECKSHEETS, click on that and then find the check sheet that you are looking for. This will not only have Degree check sheets, but it will also have certificates, and minor check sheets. I use these as a reference, and often find myself cross referencing them and taking the classes that will benefit me in the most ways. I look at all certificates and minors that may be of interest to me, and see if they are required classes for my Degree Program, and then I select and choose. If you are still having a hard time finding these check sheets, you can see either Jean or Roz in their offices. Jean is usually there until around 4 pm and Roz is most likely there until around 7 pm. They are great help, and will help you with any questions that you may have. When it comes time to sign up for classes, you can see either Jean or Roz as well. But there are some times where your schedule does not meet with theirs, and that is why we are able to sign up for classes on our own. If you are going to sign up with Jean or Roz, it is very helpful to have a written wish list available with you. Keep in mind though that a class you wish to take may already be full, so come prepared with a back up class that you are interested in taking in case that class is full. If you wish to sign up for classes online, you can go to our University page and go to Main Street. There you will sign in under your name, and I usually start by making a wish list. To do this you can go to student self service, then to student center. When you get to student center you can then click on Wish List it is in blue print. Find the semester you are looking for classes for and click on that semester. Where it says Search, scroll down to browse catalog, this will give you a list of all classes being offered online, ITV, and compressed Video. If you want to see classes being offered live here at the Rumford/Mexico center, there is a sheet in the lab at the center. When you click browse catalog you will see a bunch of letters, click on the letter that corresponds with you class. So if your class says, HUS 349, click on H and scroll down to see if it is being offered. If you click on the name of the class it will give you brief description of the class, and if you click on class selections it will tell you when it is being offered (if it is) and who the professor will be. After clicking on class selections and you find that it is a class that you would like to take, click select class, then next and it will be added to your wish list. Once you have added the classes you would like to take to your wish list it will show you a list of all the classes you have selected. Click all the classes that you would like to take, by clicking the little box, and then go to add selected and then next. Your class schedule at this time will be all done; you can print it off and use it for later reference. Note that if a green circle shows it means that the class is available for you to take, a blue square it means that the class is already closed, and a yellow/orange triangle means that there is a wait list, and as soon as there is an open availability it will allow you to take this class. This is a way to do it if you are unable to see Jean or Roz, and it can be helpful at times, so you can take a better look at all classes being offered, and there class descriptions. It is not all that hard, just at times it can be time consuming. Also if you try to go about doing it this and it for some reason does not work out, then write down the classes and take it into the center or call to see if there is a reason why it is not working, and see if they can help you. Don’t stress, it is just another day of life as a wonderful college student. Good luck to you all!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Blog #9- Meltdowns and Procrastination
Blog # 9- Meltdowns and Procrastination
Right about now, we have about a hundred papers due, and students running around the center like chickens with their heads chopped off, trying to get their papers done and register for classes in time. It is a great time, especially when your time restrictions don’t really coincide with someone else. People are trying to do more than their bodies can physically handle, and it is about time for them to take a step back. We all need to realize that going into things having a meltdown is not going to get anything done that much sooner. If you begin to have a meltdown it is really important to remember to breathe. When people have meltdowns in college it is usually related to having an overload in homework assignments that are due. If you feel like you are going to have a meltdown, it is important to step back and breathe. Take it one step at a time, tackling once class at a time. If you allow yourself to experience a meltdown, then nothing is going to get done, and you are going to find yourself further behind then to begin with. Procrastination can be one of the leading causes to college student’s meltdowns. Waiting until the last minute to finish assignments is never going to benefit you in anyway. When you procrastinate, you are probably procrastinating on more than one class at a time. Try not to procrastinate, I was the world’s biggest procrastinator, and at times I still find myself procrastinating. I do not find myself procrastinating all the time, more or less around the Holidays, only because I would love to spend the time with my family, and not with my face buried in the text books. Now that I have developed a system where I learn to do all my work before the Holiday breaks so I don’t have to worry about doing things at the last minute, nor do I have to worry about not being able to spend time with my family during breaks. I don’t worry about meltdowns anymore, and I find time to spend with friends as well. Like I said before, one of the biggest things to remember while have a meltdown is that you need to breathe, stay calm, don’t over react, and focus. It is not the end of the world, it will get done, and you should stop thinking about the larger part of the problem, and take in smaller doses. Go down through all the classes, and write down all the assignments that are due this week, and even maybe things you need to do for a project due next week. Once this is done, start doing work for the first class that you will have something due. Focus only on that class until it is finally all done. I have found that having an agenda has worked in more ways to benefit myself. I see others so much as writing all their classes down on one paper and what they have due in that class because they don’t have an agenda. My favorite is a friend of mine; she takes a little piece of scrap paper out of the daily notes to professor’s pile, and on the back as she is going through everything scribbles them on there. I myself would never be able to do this, but, hey it works for her and whatever works for you enough to get your work done, then I would definitely get on it.
Right about now, we have about a hundred papers due, and students running around the center like chickens with their heads chopped off, trying to get their papers done and register for classes in time. It is a great time, especially when your time restrictions don’t really coincide with someone else. People are trying to do more than their bodies can physically handle, and it is about time for them to take a step back. We all need to realize that going into things having a meltdown is not going to get anything done that much sooner. If you begin to have a meltdown it is really important to remember to breathe. When people have meltdowns in college it is usually related to having an overload in homework assignments that are due. If you feel like you are going to have a meltdown, it is important to step back and breathe. Take it one step at a time, tackling once class at a time. If you allow yourself to experience a meltdown, then nothing is going to get done, and you are going to find yourself further behind then to begin with. Procrastination can be one of the leading causes to college student’s meltdowns. Waiting until the last minute to finish assignments is never going to benefit you in anyway. When you procrastinate, you are probably procrastinating on more than one class at a time. Try not to procrastinate, I was the world’s biggest procrastinator, and at times I still find myself procrastinating. I do not find myself procrastinating all the time, more or less around the Holidays, only because I would love to spend the time with my family, and not with my face buried in the text books. Now that I have developed a system where I learn to do all my work before the Holiday breaks so I don’t have to worry about doing things at the last minute, nor do I have to worry about not being able to spend time with my family during breaks. I don’t worry about meltdowns anymore, and I find time to spend with friends as well. Like I said before, one of the biggest things to remember while have a meltdown is that you need to breathe, stay calm, don’t over react, and focus. It is not the end of the world, it will get done, and you should stop thinking about the larger part of the problem, and take in smaller doses. Go down through all the classes, and write down all the assignments that are due this week, and even maybe things you need to do for a project due next week. Once this is done, start doing work for the first class that you will have something due. Focus only on that class until it is finally all done. I have found that having an agenda has worked in more ways to benefit myself. I see others so much as writing all their classes down on one paper and what they have due in that class because they don’t have an agenda. My favorite is a friend of mine; she takes a little piece of scrap paper out of the daily notes to professor’s pile, and on the back as she is going through everything scribbles them on there. I myself would never be able to do this, but, hey it works for her and whatever works for you enough to get your work done, then I would definitely get on it.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Blog # 8 Holiday Vacations
Hello everyone! It has been few weeks since my last post and for this I am truly sorry. I figured I would take a few weeks off from writing to give me a chance to reconvene my thoughts, and to save things to talk about throughout the second half of the semester. With this is mind we are coming up on Thanksgiving break, and I thought I would discuss all of the inns and outs of Holiday vacations. One thing that I have found especially helpful for me through the semesters is to know my classes. Know all my homework assignments, when they are due and what is expected. The fall semester is usually the hardest for a lot of people because of all the bigger holidays. My fall semester usually consists of my birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving, my son’s birthday and then Christmas. This is not mentioning all the other family members’ birthdays, baby showers, cook outs, anniversaries etc… Most families have split families now days, so when we have Thanksgiving and Christmas it is usually divided up between all our families, we call it Thanksmas! So on one weekend we will have Thanksgiving with my mother’s side the family, the next weekend we have my son’s birthday, then Thanksmas with my father’s side of the family, then Thanksmas with my fiancé mothers side of the family and then Thanksmas with his father’s side of the family. Which means we are doing Christmas shopping before Christmas, and are busy every weekend traveling. This becomes hard, especially seems how I use my weekends to do homework, and reading for classes. After being here for a few semesters I found myself trying to save me from my annual anxiety attacks, by doing homework long before it was due, just so I knew it was done. Every week that we did not have a lot of home work or even no homework at all I found myself working on papers that were due, or even projects that was due at the end of the semester. I did not want to worry about doing midterms/finals, and all the papers, and projects while I was trying to do last minute Christmas shopping and preparing for a birthday party for my son. I know that this can be hard for people, especially who are trying to raise a family. I try not to over stress myself in the process. It is kind of like, if I have the time then great. If I do not have the time, then I am not going to try making a Thanksgiving feast out of starch. In order for me to work on things I know what needs to be done at the beginning of the semester, break it up into smaller portions and do it accordingly. Therefore I am not overwhelmed by the time they are due because by this time they are already done and probably past in. Also I have found that in doing my papers and projects before they are due, they are giving me more time to review them, make changes where changes need to be made. In some cases I have even been able to communicate with the Professor, send them out to them and get useful feedback from them, finding out if I should add anything or change anything. This becomes very productive and my results end with a higher grade then I would have originally gotten. I rarely ever got the chance to review my own work, because I would do them so close to the actual due date. I now find much of my own mistakes at doing it so much earlier than other classes. The simple mistakes that you see when you get your papers back and you say, “Wow, I can’t believe I messed that up. What was I thinking?” or my famous one lately, “What in the world was I talking about?” A lot of people say that I have Obsessive Compulsive Personality disorder, because I need to have things done just right, or they need to be in before they are actually due. All I know is that I like having things done before hand so I can take my vacations and spend the time with my family. The last thing I want to be doing while my kids are home from school is homework. I would like to be outside sliding with them and having a fun time. If there is no snow, then we find other fun things to do. I do not like my life always being about homework and school, so I take these vacation weeks as a break. Besides if you don’t take breaks when they are giving you are likely setting yourself up for failure. You will become so overwhelmed, tired, frustrated, and exhausted that you become further behind in all your classes, and no ambition to do anything. So keep in mind that it is always better to do things ahead of the game instead of falling behind schedule.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Blog #7- Respecting other Students
Blog #7- Respect for other students
Now days almost everyone, their brothers, sisters, and mothers has a cell phone, because they are convenient. They are good in case of emergencies, (broke down on side the road, car accident) or even just to keep in touch with friends and family members. Just the same, they can be a large inconvenience as well. As they are cell phones, meant to be brought with you on every adventure, it is important to keep in mind that there are always others around you when answering that phone.
One problem that I have had in school is cell phones. As I do have a cell phone myself, it is appropriate for me to turn my cell phone off, or even silence my ringer if I am waiting for a very important phone call. Before class I will put my phone on vibrate in case of a family emergency. I do not however answer ever phone call that comes in. If I see that it is a friend calling I will press the ignore button and let it go to voice mail after class I will answer all calls on my voice mail. However if there is a phone call that I do need to answer (emergency) purposes, I take in to consideration other students in the class, who have also paid for this class. I will get up and politely excuse myself from the class and go outside to answer the phone. I do it out of consideration of my fellow classmates.
When in a classroom, there are people who may not be able to hear as well as the next person. It is important to continue to be quite. That is why it is important to take all phone calls outside the classroom. People are taking notes for themselves and some instances for other class mates. Please be respectful to others. Like my mother always told me, “Do on to others as you wish done onto yourself!”
It is also important to keep side conversations down to minimal. Although you are having a conversation with students in your class room, it is important to remember at the same time that there are in fact others in that same room. Speaking from personal experience, it can get confusing when you are trying to understand what your professor is saying, and hearing, but not wanting to listen to the conversation that is taking place behind you or even in front of you. Sometimes if you are a student that has a hard time hearing your professors, it might be a good idea to move towards the front of the class. If you are in class and have had to listen to students over and over again talking about their personal gossip, do not be afraid to speak up and ask them politely to take their conversation elsewhere. As they paid for their classes there it is important to know that you as well paid for you classes. Do not be afraid, if they cannot respect you as a student, please go and see Jean. Jean is more than capable of handling situations like such, without putting you on the spot. So please once again, do not be afraid to speak up because it is important that you get everything out of the classes you paid for, and wished to attend.
~~ Michelle ~~
Now days almost everyone, their brothers, sisters, and mothers has a cell phone, because they are convenient. They are good in case of emergencies, (broke down on side the road, car accident) or even just to keep in touch with friends and family members. Just the same, they can be a large inconvenience as well. As they are cell phones, meant to be brought with you on every adventure, it is important to keep in mind that there are always others around you when answering that phone.
One problem that I have had in school is cell phones. As I do have a cell phone myself, it is appropriate for me to turn my cell phone off, or even silence my ringer if I am waiting for a very important phone call. Before class I will put my phone on vibrate in case of a family emergency. I do not however answer ever phone call that comes in. If I see that it is a friend calling I will press the ignore button and let it go to voice mail after class I will answer all calls on my voice mail. However if there is a phone call that I do need to answer (emergency) purposes, I take in to consideration other students in the class, who have also paid for this class. I will get up and politely excuse myself from the class and go outside to answer the phone. I do it out of consideration of my fellow classmates.
When in a classroom, there are people who may not be able to hear as well as the next person. It is important to continue to be quite. That is why it is important to take all phone calls outside the classroom. People are taking notes for themselves and some instances for other class mates. Please be respectful to others. Like my mother always told me, “Do on to others as you wish done onto yourself!”
It is also important to keep side conversations down to minimal. Although you are having a conversation with students in your class room, it is important to remember at the same time that there are in fact others in that same room. Speaking from personal experience, it can get confusing when you are trying to understand what your professor is saying, and hearing, but not wanting to listen to the conversation that is taking place behind you or even in front of you. Sometimes if you are a student that has a hard time hearing your professors, it might be a good idea to move towards the front of the class. If you are in class and have had to listen to students over and over again talking about their personal gossip, do not be afraid to speak up and ask them politely to take their conversation elsewhere. As they paid for their classes there it is important to know that you as well paid for you classes. Do not be afraid, if they cannot respect you as a student, please go and see Jean. Jean is more than capable of handling situations like such, without putting you on the spot. So please once again, do not be afraid to speak up because it is important that you get everything out of the classes you paid for, and wished to attend.
~~ Michelle ~~
Friday, September 25, 2009
Blog #6- Group Projects
Blog #6- Group Projects
So here we are almost five weeks into classes; group projects should have already been assigned to those who are going to get them. Some classes will assign these kinds of projects, where others will just expect for you to do your own work. There are also some professors who would just like for you to work with phone-bridge (like a group assignment due during class.)The hard thing about working in groups is that you sometimes really don’t have any choice on your group members. Sometimes we have new students arrive, and as new students we as students who have been here a while don’t know if you are as dedicated to your work as we are. It could also be the other way around, as new students you probably don’t know too many people in your class room so you don’t know if they are as dedicated as you are. Well in more instances then not this is the occasion, which makes it extremely hard on us students.
I need to say that some people that work in groups will use their kids as a cop out to not being there. It is one thing when there really is an emergency with your children, or when you children are sick. But I have found with previous experience that people like using this as an excuse to not be there. This also makes a hard impact on the group. Most of the time I am elected as the group president, and most of the time it is against my better judgment. I have had group members tell me they like it when I am in charge because I am persistent in making sure the jobs get done in a timely fashion. When working in groups it is not only your GPA you are working towards but the rest of the groups as well. Within the first couple of weeks, you are assigned a group, and your group usually starts to make a list of what needs to be done and who will be doing what. When making this list, I include the WHOLE group; I also take side notes on who does this and their reaction to this, and even who is there. By the forth week you should already know who is basically going to be there to help you. If they were going to be a person who calls in for class they probably have already done so by this time. In cases like such, I work around them. We still assign them tasks for the groups, but we make them do long before we actually need them there so if we feel as though the student is procrastinating we can begin to do the assignment ourselves as well as bring it to our professors attention. While working in groups during class, professors do watch and see who participates more often. They have the attendance sheets so they know who is there compared to who is not. So don’t stress so much, but never be unprepared for a student to not show up. I had a group in one of my Professional writing classes, it worked out awesome. There were originally four people in the group. One never showed up, so what the girls and I did was split the tasks evenly. We asked who we thought would be the better to write certain aspects and we assigned those tasks to them. Then before the next class we would email them to the other two members in the group to go over in class. If by chance there was an emergency, we still had this part of the group assignment to go over, and make changes where we felt were needed to be made. Then at the following class we would really quickly go over it again to see if the missing student agreed or disagreed. We called each other frequently and exchanged emails at least once a week.
In working with groups it is important to write down all meetings so you don’t forget, have emails and possible telephone numbers as well. Communication is the key to have a good group. Good luck to you all. Remember you are not the only person in the group and that your grade matters just as much as theirs. Put in an effort, and don’t be afraid to speak out if you feel like certain team members are not participating as often as they should be. Thank you for reading this week’s blog and I will be back next week with more.
So here we are almost five weeks into classes; group projects should have already been assigned to those who are going to get them. Some classes will assign these kinds of projects, where others will just expect for you to do your own work. There are also some professors who would just like for you to work with phone-bridge (like a group assignment due during class.)The hard thing about working in groups is that you sometimes really don’t have any choice on your group members. Sometimes we have new students arrive, and as new students we as students who have been here a while don’t know if you are as dedicated to your work as we are. It could also be the other way around, as new students you probably don’t know too many people in your class room so you don’t know if they are as dedicated as you are. Well in more instances then not this is the occasion, which makes it extremely hard on us students.
I need to say that some people that work in groups will use their kids as a cop out to not being there. It is one thing when there really is an emergency with your children, or when you children are sick. But I have found with previous experience that people like using this as an excuse to not be there. This also makes a hard impact on the group. Most of the time I am elected as the group president, and most of the time it is against my better judgment. I have had group members tell me they like it when I am in charge because I am persistent in making sure the jobs get done in a timely fashion. When working in groups it is not only your GPA you are working towards but the rest of the groups as well. Within the first couple of weeks, you are assigned a group, and your group usually starts to make a list of what needs to be done and who will be doing what. When making this list, I include the WHOLE group; I also take side notes on who does this and their reaction to this, and even who is there. By the forth week you should already know who is basically going to be there to help you. If they were going to be a person who calls in for class they probably have already done so by this time. In cases like such, I work around them. We still assign them tasks for the groups, but we make them do long before we actually need them there so if we feel as though the student is procrastinating we can begin to do the assignment ourselves as well as bring it to our professors attention. While working in groups during class, professors do watch and see who participates more often. They have the attendance sheets so they know who is there compared to who is not. So don’t stress so much, but never be unprepared for a student to not show up. I had a group in one of my Professional writing classes, it worked out awesome. There were originally four people in the group. One never showed up, so what the girls and I did was split the tasks evenly. We asked who we thought would be the better to write certain aspects and we assigned those tasks to them. Then before the next class we would email them to the other two members in the group to go over in class. If by chance there was an emergency, we still had this part of the group assignment to go over, and make changes where we felt were needed to be made. Then at the following class we would really quickly go over it again to see if the missing student agreed or disagreed. We called each other frequently and exchanged emails at least once a week.
In working with groups it is important to write down all meetings so you don’t forget, have emails and possible telephone numbers as well. Communication is the key to have a good group. Good luck to you all. Remember you are not the only person in the group and that your grade matters just as much as theirs. Put in an effort, and don’t be afraid to speak out if you feel like certain team members are not participating as often as they should be. Thank you for reading this week’s blog and I will be back next week with more.
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