Last Week's Assignment -- don't let this post confuse you!

Some students are still saying that they never received last week's assignments (those due this past Mon and Wed). Therefore, I am posting them here in order to try to clear up confusion and will accept late posts this one time until Sunday. Next week's assignments are located in my previous blog post (scroll down), so don't let this reverse order confuse you.

Last week's assignments:

1) Write about the time management self-study you have been conducting and what you found out about how you spend your 70 hrs of "free" time. How many hrs do you spend doing homework/studying? What are your biggest distractions? What do you spend the most time on? How do you feel you need to change or improve your time management habits?

2) I would like you to think of an interesting questions that you would like to know people's opinions about. The questions should be drawn from class discussion and readings (for example, questions about the purpose of education, about technology and its advantages and disadvantages, about motivation, perseverance, mastery, etc -- anything interesting that you have thought about in these past few weeks that relates to our course, the more interesting the better). Ask your questions to a group of your peers (maybe 10 people) and see what they say. Blog about their answers and what you think about the question and answers, what the answers reveal to you in a "bigger picture" sense.

No right or wrong answers as always, just more interesting and less interesting possibilities.

Blogging

I have been enjoying reading all of the class blogs. We have a new blog added to our collection on the sidebar, written by Mike, our staff/grad student mentor. It is the top blog listed, so check it out.

Next week's blogging assignments:

1) All of the carefully balanced time management plans we have been constructing can be undermined if you get sick. Many college students run into problems getting all of their work done if they also have to miss class and fight off a virus or infection. In this blog, discuss strategies you employ (or do some research if you're not sure) to try to keep yourself in good health while in college. What are the most important things to remember in keeping healthy and what should you do if you start to feel sick?

2) One of the biggest challenges in general for college students is battling stress. Stress also affects health since it can weaken your immune system. Do something this week that helps relieve stress, and blog about it. Relate your own experience but also try to give your readers some good, new, ideas about stress relief.

Exercise relieves stress!

The FYE program just sent out this message:

Interested in playing sports but not quite at the varsity level? Why not come check out the Club Sports Expo tonight in the Farnham Program Room from 7 to 8:30. Sign up for a sport you play well or learn what it takes to do something you've never tried before! Either way, we're sure you'll have fun!

Class tomorrow

Bring your questions, comments, etc from the last week. See you then.

Reading Outside of the Box (or syllabus)

I found two interesting readings that relate to discussions we've been having lately.

1. Don't Eat the Cupcake

This article from NPR.org discusses a new book called Willpower which focuses on the muscle power it takes to delay gratification, to not eat the cupcake, for example. Unlike the marshmallow experiment, however, this book suggests that this skill is not set in stone but can be learned, and improved upon with practice.

2. When We Don't Succeed, We Try Harder

This article from The New York Times asks us to think about the role of failure in our eventual success. The process we go through when confronting something difficult, failing, reapproaching the problem from another angle, working harder to overcome it, and perhaps learning something along the way is one that changes us in profound ways. Isn't that much better than having success handed to us? But then why is it so hard to embrace failure, or sometimes even embrace challenges that might lead to failure?

Next Week's Blogging Assignment

Blog #1: Browse through various professional blogs on the internet. You may already read some or you may have found some from the very first week's assignment for creating a blog or you might google an interesting blog (ex. skydiving blog) and see what you come up with. I want you to find two professional blogs that are both interesting to you in some way but are both different from each other in some way. Write your post with the purpose of introducing your readers to these two blogs, writing a little about what the blogs are about, discussing the style of writing and/or visual peresentation of each blog, why they interest you, and what others might find interesting about them.

Blog #2: Browse through the list of student blogs on the sidebar of my blog. Find 3 examples of posts that would be ranked "A"/excellent in your opinion and explain why. While you are browsing, leave some comments or questions on other people's blogs to start a larger conversation on these topics (also since you need to leave 10 comments by the end of the semester, and this would be a good opportunity to start).

“Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.” -- Jonathan Swift

This past week in class, we talked a little bit about the importance of the learning that happens outside the classroom in college, and I wanted to extend our discussion because I think it's very true. Getting involved in clubs and organizations can help you learn leadership, networking, organizing, community outreach, skills in your major or interest areas, and more. But learning outside the classroom is also very real in terms of academics and the courses you take in college. Much of your education is self-education, the kind that happens outside of class, what most students call "studying."

When people say "studying," do they mean reading, or reviewing notes, or something else? What do professors mean when they say that they expect students to be doing 6 hours of homework per week but the syllabus doesn't show any actual assignments due on that week? What are you supposed to be "studying" for 6 hours?

In college, there is often a lot of invisible work expected (as opposed to papers or projects which seem like visible work to me). Some of the invisible work involves not simply reading the assigned chapters to be familiar with them or even simply reading for information; instead, it is the kind of reading and annotating and processing and thinking that can bring real understanding of the concepts you're reading about to the point where you can engage with, talk back to, synthesize, apply, etc.

Ok, but how do you do that? And if you've never been expected to have done that before, how do you know if you're doing it right?

As with most things in college, there is no one set formula that works for everyone, and part of your job in your first year is just figuring out what works for you. But here are a few strategies that you can try out:

1. Read assignments more than once. The first time you read it to know the gist of it, read for information. The second time, you read to begin to understand the finer points and subtleties. The third time, return to a few interesting and/or difficult passages to analyze and puzzle through.

2. In taking notes, make sure you have the different layers of thinking (higher and lower) represented in your notes. You should have some of each of the following represented: information or facts pulled out, comments and connections, and inquiry questions. If you take your notes in the margins of a reading, maybe afterward pull them out and classify them into this lower-to-higher level system. Or if you take notes in your notebook, use symbols or colored highlighters to classify them.

3. Dig deeper into the concepts by researching about the author or the context or unfamiliar terminology. This will allow for a broader understanding of what you're reading.

4. Expand your knowledge base even more by comparing the reading material to previously assigned texts, putting them into conversation with one another within the course but also putting your readings into conversation with other material you're studying in the university as a whole. This tactic will help you see the connectedness between the disciplines at the university, and that helps your brain make sense of all of the information you are processing.

5. Before you put a reading to bed, consider the "So what?" and "Why is this important?" and "What can I learn from this?" questions. Try to anticipate what the professor might ask about the reading on a quiz or exam or writing prompt. Try to think of good inquiry questions that will make class discussion about this reading interesting and productive and enhance learning.

Try these strategies (as well as your own or ones you have gained from this week's reading assignments) for reading with the goal of in-depth understanding of the material and see if it makes class discussion or lectures more meaningful or engaging. See if this helps you also have more of those "lightbulb moments" as you progress throughout the semester. Then you'll know that you are truly becoming educated rather than simply filling time or fulfilling requirements.


*image by Ramona Forcella

Dates, Events, Etc.: The Whole College Experience

This week in class, we have been discussing the bigger picture of college, the potential for growth that can happen outside as well as inside the classroom. All of the events that happen outside of class are a lot to keep track of (not to mention balancing them with classwork), so if you have not yet purchased a reliable and organized planner, do so. Put all of your important dates for your classes in it: exams, quizzes, papers due, guest speakers, etc. Then add all of your club meeting, intramural games, concerts or lectures you want to attend, the Day of Service, and one more...

SAVE THE DATE: November 15

Wes Moore, author of The Other Wes Moore, this year's First-Year Common Read, is coming to SCSU on Tuesday November 15 at 7:30 in the Lyman Center for Performing Arts.

He is a dynamic and inspirational speaker, and we will use his visit to revisit the Common Read and use his talk as food for thought for blogging that week.

One more date of potential interest (I got this from the FYE facebook page which regularly posts updates):

The Fitness Center is hosting a Fitness Fair in Adanti Student Center tomorrow (9/15). The Fitness Center will be open to all regardless of membership. Fitness classes will be offered for free. And Fitness Staff Members will be there to guide you around the facility and to offer you free fitness consultations.

**Reminder -- if you haven't seen and read the article that Mike asked us to look at for tomorrow, scroll down a post from yesterday to find it!

Two more pieces of info that might be useful

1. The FYE program has a facebook page, so like it and you can keep up to date about events especially for first-year students: https:http://www.facebook.com/pages/SCSU-First-Year-Experience-Program/247723918598092

2. Details for this year's SCSU Majors Expo have been announced: 12 to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 19 in the Michael J. Adanti Student Center Grand Ballroom. This is a great event to browse through all the majors offered at Southern and find out more about ones you might be interested in. More info can be found at this website.

Mike's article -- please read for Thursday!

Here it is:

"The Master's as the New Bachelor's"

So much important information -- this is the 3rd, and last, blog post in two days!

Here is some information on SCSU's Day of Service, coming up this weekend. INQ classes are encouraged to go as a group, so take the initiative to organize where to meet, etc. If that falls through, going alone is okay, but going with friends seems like more fun:

SCSU Day of Service 2011

Saturday, September 17, 2011
Approx. 9am-2pm

INQ students should participate!!!! The Southern Day of Service is an annual day designated for Southern students, faculty, and staff to gather in the local community and work side by side on a service project that benefits humanity. Participating in a Day of Service helps to foster friendship, promote service, and leave a positive imprint on our community. For more information contact
Salvatore Rizza, (203) 392-5782 , rizzas1@southernct.edu

Background

The Ronald D. Herron Day of Service is a collaboration between the New Haven Police Department and Southern Connecticut State University. In past years, over 300 students have gone to various neighborhoods and parks throughout New Haven to clean-up public areas and make the city look cleaner. At many sites, students are also joined by community leaders, telling students about the importance of a clean neighborhood and how it positively affects residents that live there.

Previously, the Ronald D. Herron Day of Service was simply named the Day of Service but the name was changed this past May in honor of Dr. Ronald D. Herron, former Vice President of Student and University Affairs. Dr. Herron was an integral part of bringing events and programs such as the Day of Service to Southern’s campus in the years he served here.

This Year's Day of Service

This year we are expecting almost 600 participants, many of them from freshmen classes. Students, faculty, and staff will be transported to over 12 sites in the New Haven area including 10 different neighborhoods and various parks through the city. Participants will be performing neighborhood and park clean ups, helping to beautify the community and make the area look nicer for those visiting and living there.

We expect about 15-20 inquiry classes to be participating in the Ronald D. Herron Day of Service this year. They will be joined by student leaders on campus from many different areas as well as the general campus population. We expect to have about 35-40 students at each site. Students will be provided with lunch and supplies.

1st FYE Ron Herron Community Service Challenge --100% Participation!

The FYE Community Service Challenge will take place September 17th. The challenge goes out to all Fall INQ classes. The classes with 100% participation in the SCSU day of service will win prizes. Make the “choice” to make a difference.

Tips and workshops and videos, oh my! (all things to help you better navigate this transition to college)

There are so many avenues to self-improvement, both inside and outside of the university. One challenge that I have for you this semester is to choose something that you feel like you need to work on more, and take some steps to make it better -- all on your own, not because it is an assignment, only because it is something that will benefit you in the long run.

To that end, I have a few tidbits to share with you that you make find worthwhile or may want to take advantage of:

1) Here is an article that asks you to think about "Who are you and what are you doing here?" It discusses the purpose of college and what kind of major/career to seek and how best to make the most of the opportunities in college. One thing I think is useful in this article is how it talks about not limiting yourself to simply taking that classes that you think will be useful for getting a job later in life, but to think bigger and really use college as an opportunity to grow in new and exciting ways. Lots of times we get very focused on finding a major and working hard on fulfilling the classes for that major, for a specific job, and that could mean losing out on some of the other learning experiences possible in a college education. This article speaks to that a little.

2) This article gives 25 great tips on not only how to survive in college but how to thrive, again asking you to think about how to make the most of it while you're here. The end of this article also has some links to other related pieces that might be of interest, like "how to choose a major" and "professor's pet peeves."

3) The Office of Study Skills Enrichment has a lot of workshops on things like how to take notes and time management. If this is something you want to get better at, sign up for one. Here is some information from an email they sent out:

THE FALL 2011 STUDY SKILLS WORKSHOP SCHEDULES ARE HERE!

If you want to know which days and evenings different study skills workshops
are offered and what time and where you can find one of our free schedules at
the following locations;

* Our posters throughout Engleman Hall
* On the Office of Study Skills Enrichment website at
www.southernct.edu/studyskillsenrichment. This gets you to our main page
and then in the side column click "workshops."
* By getting onto the SCSU main website, clicking STUDENT LIFE, then clicking
OFFICE OF STUDY SKILLS ENRICHMENT, and then in the side column click
"workshops."
* By coming to our office in Engleman Hall C-016 and helping yourself to one of
the schedules in the rack outside the door
* By telephoning us at 203-392-6818 or 203-392-6824 or emailing us at
colbyt1@southernct.edu or ferruccit1@southernct.edu

4) The Writing and Tutorial Center is another great academic resource on campus. Here is some info they sent out:

Our tutors in Engleman A-014 assist students in math and math-related matters,
physics, and chemistry. Next door in EN A-012, we’re eager to work with
students engaged in any of their writing projects. And through the
Office of Study Skills Enrichment, students may select from any of ten
workshops. Additional to tutorials and workshops, we have a few computers open
for student use and writing handouts (our popular “Tips for writers”
series) available.

Websites (including schedules):

www.southernct.edu/writing center
www.southernct.edu/tutorial center
www.southernct.edu/studyskillsenrichment

5) A fellow INQ professor assigns some short videos From Dartmouth for her students to watch. She says that they are very useful and don't take too much time to watch. She recommends the ones on Notetaking and Time Management for her students, but you can check them out and see which might be most beneficial to you:

http://www.dartmouth.edu/~acskills/videos/index.html

"I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it." -- Pablo Picasso

As the first official week of blogging comes to a close, let's mark it as a milestone. I didn't exactly teach anyone how to blog, and I certainly didn't hold any hands -- and yet, most of you figured it out (even if it took hours of tinkering or calling in some outside tech support, like Katie's dad). That's what this first week of readings and discussions was all about too, emphasizing the importance of AUTONOMY in a college education. Autonomy is tackling something new and figuring it out the best you can and learning from that experience in order to do it better next time.

What did you learn from this week? What are good strategies for you in learning something new? What kind of problem solver are you? How did you manage your time and leave enough time to figure things out, tinker with new things, make mistakes and learn from them? Don't let this milestone completely pass you by before you consider what you gained from it, what you can do next week to make blogging smoother, more effective, more interesting, more innovative.

Remember that autonomy in college also means the ability to self-assess, to see our own strengths and weaknesses and compare our work with that of our peers. As a group, we practiced this a little in class. Interestingly, both classes looked at Tina's blog as a model for strong blogging practices; we liked her organization, use of photos and links, and many people commented on the length of her posts. Is length better than substance? No, it's certainly no substitute. You can eat a whole bag of sugar-free candy, but it still doesn't satisfy your craving for a Hershey bar. However, it often does take some length to move beyond the surface and get into the meat of your ideas. I think Tina's blog showed a healthy balance of both length and depth. We didn't get to look at Louie's blog in class, but his writing, humor, and original artwork are a good example of creativity and finding a unique, personal blogging voice. Finally, you should check out Steph's blog to see an interesting title and design as well as a tech-savvy inclusion of a photo slideshow on one of her posts. Use these examples as inspiration for your own work. Where do you want to take your own blog in the upcoming weeks in terms of the writing, thinking, creativity, technology, etc.?

I've only highlighted a few different blogs this week, and I will try to call your attention to others that catch my eye as the semester progresses. You can do this too -- comment on someone's blog if you see something innovative.


www.marriedtothesea.com

What is convocation?

Convocation is the official start of the semester and the official welcoming of this year's class of students to the university community. Southern's president, Dr. Battle will speak directly to the new students, and several stuhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifdent leaders will also offer some advice and words of wisdom. It is always an inspiring event that makes you feel excited to be at SCSU and part of something bigger than just your individual experience. I encourage you to attend, and we will talk a little about it on Thursday in class. (It can also count as a campus safari item.)

Convocation is being held in the Lyman Center at 1pm Wednesday. More information can be found here.