5 I - Art Installation

I found a art installation on campus and its located near the commuter parking lot near farhnam on the grass. When I first saw this it was during orientation when our orientation leader showed it to us. It is a very interesting piece of art and very different from just a picture or a sculpture. First on the sides there are bricks holding it up leading up to it and then in the middle there is a big circle with another circle inside of it, it looks like it could move with the wind but it doesn't. Also I would say its around 14 feet high.

5 B - Time – never enough

It was very interesting to do this time study. I have never thought of how much time I actually spent doing different things before.  I was surprised to learn that most of my time was spent sleeping.   I spent 75 hours sleeping in one week.  The second largest amount of my time was spent on time with my friends. Over all I spent about 22 hours doing work outside of the classroom.  I did not spend the 30-40 hours doing work outside of class. What I found I procrastinated on the most was getting my school work completed.  I would like to be able to complete my work early, so I don’t have to rush at the last minute to get it done.  I always procrastinate, when in all reality I know that I should get it done right away.  Then I can do other things I enjoy without having to worry about my work.  I would like to devote more time to reading and organizing my notes.  I think that I have to schedule more time into my week for reading, so that I have a better understanding of the concepts presented in my classes.  Reading was never one of my favorite things to do.  Sometimes I need to read things over more than once to understand it completely.  Extra time, set aside in my week would really help me with this.  I want to tackle the tasks that I can do well and efficiently first.  Then later on in the week some of the tasks that I think may be a little more time consuming or difficult, I will have extra time set aside to get them completed. This will eliminate me being under pressure to complete them.  The most important thing that I will take away from this study is that you only have a certain amount of time to complete your tasks, and you should try to use it as wisely, and as efficiently as possible. 

5- V Agency- Do you have it or not?

5- V  Agency- Do you have it or not?

Agency –

Agency is the extent to which people have the ability to perform in life.  In my opinion every person will have a different agency.  I think that one’s agency comes from their own desire to succeed, willpower, and determination to get what they want out of life.  If you have the willpower and self control to help you accomplish what you want, then you will succeed.  If you do not have the willpower and drive to push yourself to succeed then your agency will be significantly diminished.

Propulsion –

Propulsion is the act of driving, pushing, or propelling forward.  I believe this applies to how you go about setting and achieving goals for yourself.  You must have a cause for propulsion.  There are situations that are important, that you may find you really need to set your mind to something in order to get it done.  The act of pushing yourself forward to get something accomplished is similar to being motivated.  If you are motivated to get something accomplished then it is much easier to push yourself harder to achieve your goals.

Framework –Framework is a system of support for something that is being set up.  I learned from my reading about notetaking how important it is to organize your important information within a framework.  The reading speaks of The Story Telling Method.   

“The Story Telling Method has an important benefit: it takes the large volume of information you just received and organizes it within a coherent framework. Not surprisingly, this makes it much easier to retain this information.”

Cited From: http://calnewport.com/blog/category/tips-notetaking/

I agree with this method and think it may be something I may try, as it does seem like it would be easier to have all your information organized, so it is not so overwhelming, when you have to go through it all to study.

5 A – Academic Habits – What are mine?

5 A – Academic Habits – What are mine?

In thinking of my academic progress so far, I feel that I have adjusted to college level work.  I have been spending what I thought was a lot of time studying and going over the material from my classes. It has been more of a challenge for me to work with the different ways things are done at college.  The different professors all have their own ways of doing things, which does present a challenge sometimes. Homework is posted different ways, and has to be completed in different ways.  I have not really experienced any failures.  There are a few grades I was disappointed with, but that just means I need to spend more time then I originally thought on my schoolwork. 

I was working on setting a goal for myself to schedule time into my daily schedule for school work.  I thought this would be helpful.  I am currently re-evaluating this goal and adding additional time into my schedule for school work. It has helped me to do this, and to be able to realize that additional time is necessary.  The method that I learned in my reading, which I would like to implement, is the Story Telling method. I was impressed with how it sounded in the reading that I did. I think  it sounds like it is something that may work for me.

“The Story Telling Method has an important benefit: it takes the large volume of information you just received and organizes it within a coherent framework. Not surprisingly, this makes it much easier to retain this information.”

Cited from: http://calnewport.com/blog/category/tips-notetaking/

My goals are to try to apply the above method in my studies, which I think will help me organize my information, and in turn making studying a little easier.  I also need to work on not procrastinating in getting my work done. I have a bad habit of waiting until the last minute to get things done.  I think it would make my life easier to get things done early, and then I don’t have to worry about it. 

4 I - Healthy Lifestyle

The fitness center at SCSU is a great place to go to make sure that you are staying in shape and being healthy. It is a good size gym and its not to crowded. You could pick two different plans to join you could either join for a semester or you could join for the whole year, one semester is $60 and the whole year is $120. These prices aren't to bad for a gym membership. The fitness centers hours aren't bad either they are open most of the day, Monday through Thursday they are open 7am-10pm, on Friday they are open from 7am-8pm Saturdays hours are 9:30am-4:30pm and Sunday is 2pm-7pm. They have a lot of interesting classes you could join to work out but the one that stuck out the most to me was kickboxing because I like to box and they are similar. They have a lot of exercise machines there, you can work out your whole body by your self or you can do the different classes if you don't want to lift weights.

4B - How hungry are you?

What I chose for my inquiry question this week is what if one of the kids was or wasn't hungry? I think that this is one of the most important parts of this test because this could completely change the results from what they actually are. If one of the kids just ate right before they went to take this test then there would be a greater chance of them not eating the marshmallow or the candy they use for the test. Also the opposite if one of the kids didn't eat for a while then there would be a higher chance of them wanting to eat the candy and then changing the test results. That is just one of the ways that the test could be effected, another way would be if the kids were in a good or a bad mood that day. Little kids have mood swings and if you tell them not to do something then they might want to go against what you say and not listen to you for example eating the marshmallow. Or if the kid wasn't feeling well then they might want to eat or might not want to eat. One last reason that I came up with as to why this test might be affected is that some of the kids might not like marshmallow or the candy they give out so they might just not want to eat it or want something else. Not everyone is the same and some of the kids might just want to eat it now instead of waiting 15 minuets for another one. After reading and watching the video I don't believe that testing kids this way will show gratification because everyone is different with how they act, this shows who is hungry and wants to eat a marshmallow.

4 A- Delayed Gratification – Worth the Wait?

I used an example that relates to my life in the vocabulary section about waiting to get the new Mac that is coming out in October.  I know this will give me great satisfaction once I get it, and it will definitely have been worth the wait. The other thing I wanted and waited for was the I Phone 5.  I was ready to purchase a new phone but I knew the I Phone 5 was coming out, so I waited for it, in order to get the newer version of the phone.  In both of these situations above, I had the willpower to wait because I knew I would be happier in the long run.  I feel that I have stronger willpower if I want something bad enough. If something means enough to me, my sense of self control and willpower will prevail.

I agree that overall Americans hate to wait and have no patience. I have seen it everywhere, from the grocery store, to the bank, to the pharmacy, and mostly on the road.  I think people rush through their everyday lives because sometimes there never seems to be enough time in the day to get everything done.  I think having patience with everyday life is different from waiting for something that you want.  There is a big difference in waiting because you want to and waiting because you have to. 

I think that as a society, we do not do enough to cultivate the skills of delayed gratification for children.  Children today have more of a sense of entitlement, and do not have to wait for things they want like years ago.  I say this because I listen to my grandmother, or great-grandmother talk about how things were when they were young.  You got presents on your birthday or Christmas, and clothes for back to school.  You didn’t get toys you wanted just because.  I don’t think kids today appreciate things as much as they did years ago.  They should be taught that some things are worth the wait, and that we can’t always have what we want when we want it.

I feel that technology plays a very large role in instant gratification.  The internet, and the information that can be obtained from it, is accessible everywhere. You get whatever results you want immediately. All the information you want or need is available to you, wherever you are, without having to go out of your way to obtain it.  You no longer have to wait to go to a store, or to go to a library.  You don’t have to pick up a phone, or mail a letter to communicate with people.   It makes communication much easier and faster. If you are somewhere where you cannot talk you can text, or e-mail, in order to still communicate. I could not imagine life without cell phones, or the internet.

Most of the children [struggled] to resist the treat and held out for an average of less than three minutes. "A few kids ate the marshmallow right away," Walter Mischel, the Stanford professor of psychology in charge of the experiment, remembers. "They didn't even bother ringing the bell. Other kids would stare directly at the marshmallow and then ring the bell thirty seconds later." About thirty per cent of the children, however, were like Carolyn. They successfully delayed gratification until the researcher returned, some fifteen minutes later. These kids wrestled with temptation but found a way to resist.

Cited from: http://mentalfloss.com/article/21839/dont-eat-marshmallow#ixzz2fU3fEzrW 
 

4 V – Delayed Gratification

Delayed Gratification is when you wait for something that you want, in order to get it later, or to maybe get a better benefit later.  I think it depends on what it is that you want, as to whether you have the willpower to wait.  I also think that as you get older you have a different appreciation of things and it is easier to understand that if you wait for something and end up with a bigger benefit later, then it means more.  I can relate this to myself in regards to a new laptop I want to purchase.  I was ready to buy it, and I heard they were coming out with a new and better version in October, so I have been waiting. It has been a long wait but when I do get it in October, I will be happy to have new on that just came out.

Finite

Finite is having bounds, or having limits.  This relates to having willpower, which relates to delayed gratification.  If you have some finite amount of willpower, then delayed gratification is easier to wait for.  

"You only have a finite amount [of willpower] as you go through the day," Tierney says, "so you should be careful to conserve it and try to save it for the emergencies."

Cited from: http://www.npr.org/2011/09/18/140516974/resistance-training-for-your-willpower-muscles

Poignant

Poignant is causing a strong feeling of sadness.  In one of the articles I read it talks about how it is poignant to watch the children being tested with what they call the marshmallow test.  In these tests the children are forced to choose if they will take the reward right away, or wait for a larger reward. 

“Footage of these experiments, which were conducted over several years, is poignant, as the kids struggle to delay gratification for just a little bit longer. Some cover their eyes with their hands or turn around so that they can’t see the tray. Others start kicking the desk, or tug on their pigtails, or stroke the marshmallow as if it were a tiny stuffed animal.”

Cited from: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer?currentPage=all

3 B- Physical Fitness

An activity that is both easy and exhilarating for me is going to the gym and working out.  This is something that I would like to make time to day every day and I completely enjoy it.  I am motivated when I go, to follow a schedule and spend a certain amount of time doing what I am trying to accomplish that day.  I am so motivated because I feel better when I go to the gym.  I have not been much since school has started but plan on getting back in to the routine of going. I feel like I am healthier, and I eat healthier when I go to the gym.  After working out at the gym you just feel great and that itself is great motivation to make time to go. I was motivated to follow a routine, and to get up early in the morning to go to the gym, when I usually like to sleep in.  I do weights, on different days, for upper body, core, and legs.  Cardio is also good to do at the gym. It is not always easy either.  There is a lot of hard work involved, and sometimes you end up with aches and pains, but it is all worth it in the end. Fitness promotes a healthy lifestyle.  It would be great to apply the same motivation to everything in my life, especially to school.  Being this motivated with school will definite benefit me and my future.  I think setting up short term and long term goals will provide me with motivation. Motivation is easier to obtain when you get to the point that you can actually see your goals being achieved.  This is actually when it is even more motivating, to push yourself, to maintain this level of achievement by continuing to be motivated.

3 A- "There is nothing good or bad, but thinking makes it so"

“There is nothing good or bad, but thinking makes it so”. Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 2 Scene 2

There are good and bad circumstances that we all face in our daily life.  It is part of our human existence. Hamlet represents all of us who face life head on but don’t always react well or fail to react at all.  His thinking like many others isn’t always clear.  Many people will try to avoid challenges and even give up easily in a situation because of difficulty.  Many feel threatened by other people and their success. Do we just accept our own fate, which would be an example of extrinsic motivation or do we try and control our own destiny, which would be an example of  ? We have to make our own choices between good and bad.  We all face different dilemmas and we either persist, which would represent growth mindset.  W hen mistake are made or we give up too easily, this is an example of fixed mindset.  We can be threatened by the success of others, or we can try to learn from them.  It all depends how we see life and experience it. We can either accept what live gives to us or we can accept these challenges head on and make positive decisions.  These decisions will affect our life as we mature.   If we have fixed mindset we will avoid any negative feedback and not learn from it. 

Some psychologists go so far as to claim that intrinsic motivation doesn’t exist. Professor Steven Reiss at Ohio State University believes that human motivations can’t be forced into one category or the other and labeled as good or bad.

“We are taking many diverse human needs and motivations, putting them into just two categories, and then saying one type of motivation is better than another,” he says. “But there is no real evidence that intrinsic motivation even exists.”

Cited From: http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/intrinsic-motivation/#ixzz2evLDZYPN

Motivating students has been a goal for teachers for generations, and it unfortunately has eluded them at times. In the second edition of his textbook "Educational Psychology," psychologist John W. Santrock defines motivation as "the processes that energize, direct and sustain behavior." In education, this translates to the ways we get students energized about their learning. One method of motivation is called "extrinsic motivation," which uses rewards and goals to get students motivated. There are a variety of ways to get students motivated using extrinsic methods.

Cited From: http://www.ehow.com/how_5833227_foster-extrinsic-motivation.html#ixzz2evODYndZ

3 I - Involvement Fair

3 I – Involvement Fair # 9

I attended this on Wednesday, September 11^th, to get information about the clubs and organizations on campus.  I was quite surprised by the amount of clubs there are, the amount of people involved with them, and also how many people attended the fair.  I found that I was interested in Volleyball and Ultimate Frisbee.  I am an athletic person and have always played baseball and basketball.  I thought it would be interesting to try something new.

I have played volley ball in high school, and at parties, and always enjoyed it.  I never knew that there was a NCAA Men’s Volleyball League.  I have never played ultimate Frisbee. I have always heard people talk about it, and again I didn’t realize that it is an international sport.

3V - Motivation

3V - Motivation

Motivation – is when you have a reason to push yourself to accomplish a goal that you have.  Sometimes it takes a lot of effort but it is worth it to you to do whatever it takes, in order to accomplish whatever it is you are trying to do.  There are certain things that I am more motivated to do than others.  When something is important to me, I find that I am very motivated to get it done, and get it done to my satisfaction.  I don’t think I am as motivated to do things that don’t mean as much to me.  I feel it is important to be motivated for the right reasons, as in something that means a lot to you, not something that you should do for others.

Two words that I learned my reading, which relates to motivation is intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation.

Intrinsic motivation is when you are motivated to do something because you want to do it.  This would be something that brings you happiness to do for yourself, without anything to gain from it other than doing what makes you happy for your own reasons.

Extrinsic motivation is when you are motivated to do something because you have to do it.  There may be good reasons why you have to, but it is not something you would choose on your own to do, unless it was necessary.

2 V - Initiative

Initiative – Is to take the first step towards a goal.  I feel initiative is important to have to achieve my future goals.  In order to advance, not only in the work place, but in life itself, one must show initiative.  I believe that in the work place the more effort you put forth and willingness to learning new things, the more you will benefit and advance in your career.  In life you have to want to better yourself, and work towards making a better life for yourself.

Accredited - To give official authorization or approval to. In the case of a university it would mean to give them recognition for maintaining a certain level of standard.

Transcendent – To exceed or surpass the usual limits.  To go beyond the limits of what is possible in regards to experience and knowledge.

2 I - Creative Activity

The on-campus creative activity I decided to write about was move-in day.  My family and I moved me into my dorm and we had to set up everything in my room.  We had to be very creative when it came figuring out the best way to utilize the limited space in the dorm room.  We built shelves and arranged and re-arranged everything until we found what worked best, and gave me the most space. We did a good job because I was able to fit everything I needed to, in the space I have, and still had some room left over.

2 B- College

I want to set a goal for myself, of getting my work done in a timelier manner.  I usually wait until the last day to get my homework done. This has always been something that I have struggled with. I really have not had much success in improving, and I would like to.  I would like to be able to have it done a day in advance, so that I will not be under so much pressure at the end, to get everything done. This would also give me time to be able to look back over my work, and possibly improve on it or add to it.  I thought that by adding a specific block of time into my schedule on a daily basis will be a good way to help me plan, and set aside time to study.  I did add in time to my schedule, on a couple of days so far.  I have found that I need to add more time in, because I was not able to get everything done as quickly as I would have liked.  That can be seen in the date and time of this blog posting.  My goal is to set aside time every day, and try to stick to it.   I would like to fall into the routine of doing this over the next couple of weeks. I think this will be helpful in trying to achieve my goal of finishing my work the day before it is due.

2 A - This weeks reading

I found the reading in the Work Hard or Work Smart article in the Freedom Personal Development Blog the most interesting.  I think the most important and useful information I got out of reading this is that there is not one way or the other.  It is a combination of both, working hard and working smart, which will help you succeed in both the workplace and in life.  There were two tips that I learned. They are working smart = making a plan, and working hard = working the plan. 

Working Smart = Making a Plan “Then, work your tail off. Work harder than you thought possible. You have way more in you than you can imagine. You are stronger than you think you are, you are more creative than you believe yourself to be, you are infinitely more powerful than you believe you are and you can reach that summit”

Working Hard = Working the Plan “But be careful, don’t forget to keep the smart part of the equation. Before your week starts or your day starts, get an assessment, get your plan in order, and then get after it again. And just so we’re clear, this goal can be applied to any area of your life: a sales goal, a grade in a class, a better marriage, a stronger relationship with a child or parent, or a health goal.

I feel that these tips are the best ones because, in my opinion, they both represent ways to help achieve success in both the work place, and in everyday life.  I could start to apply these to my  daily activities immediately. I can see how they would start helping me in my college years.