What: this past week, in my Fresh 100 class, with instructor Legg, we reviewed Holland’s person-environment fit theory. This theory focuses on your interests and preferences about work environment being able to guide you into best fit career choices. The categories include: realistic, investigate, artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional. (You could also take a test on the Meyer Briggs personality factors, to help you make career decisions)

So What: This is important because having a career that ties into your job, will increase your satisfaction. Another factor would be that it could help all those who are indecisive about what they want their career to be.

Now What: I plan on considering my own results to guide me when making decisions about my future, because I am indecisive and I want to be happy with my career. Especially since any input or guidance is helpful.

Question: Are the results for this theory always accurate? Is there really a way to prove that your choice – based off of your person-environment theory – was the best choice.

Works Cited

 Harrington, Christine. ”College Expectations: Being a Critical Thinker”. Student                         Success in College: Doing What Works! Boston: Cengage Learning, 2014. Print.

WHAT: This week in my Fresh 100 class, with instructor Legge, we were to post on a discussion about the attribution theory, which looks at how we deal with outcomes such as success and failure. These outcomes could be due to our own actions or outside forces, and could be changeable or permanent.

SO WHAT: Your residing feeling when dealing with outcomes are important because they play a role in what you will do. Will you learn from your mistakes? Will you strive to be better? If you get a good grade, will you not be as involved in your following assignment?

NOW WHAT: I plan on using this particularly when dealing with negative outcomes, I have a tendency to be overwhelmed when things do not go perfectly. So maybe taking a step back, and remembering that my actions could help me overcome the next hurdle I encounter, will help me have better reactions.
QUESTION: Could mapping your future goals along with road blocks and solutions be a good example of what the attribution theory is? Will mapping like the statement above, improve our actions and stress when dealing with a negative outcome?

WORKS CITED:

Harrington, Christine. ”College Expectations: Being a Critical Thinker”. Student Success in College: Doing What Works! Boston: Cengage Learning, 2014. Print.

What: This past week in my Fresh 100 class, with instructor Legge, our class discussed stress and how to deal with it. We used the book Student Success in College by Christine Harrington to gain an understanding of how to deal with stress in a healthy matter. Harrington discussing the importance of sleep, nutrition, exercise, changing negative thought patterns, relaxation techniques, talking with others, and avoiding unhealthy behaviors (178-181). Any one strategies can be used to combat stress, but combination of techniques may result in a stronger release of stress.

So what: As someone who is easily stressed out, going into depth about the techniques that are viable to combat stress was very helpful. And even knowing that the techniques I use validate that I was successfully combating stress as well as using my time appropriately and not wasting it.

Now what: I plan to use these techniques while in college, which is a very universal known stressful time. I also hope to use these techniques throughout my lifetime.

Question: Will the use of these techniques better my sleep, health, or grades? 

WHAT: This past week in my Fresh 100 class, with instructor Legge we discussed importance of test taking and tips for succeeding in tests. Taking tests improves learning, can determine qualification for a job, as well as assessing the teachers who taught the material. Test types include multiple choice, true/false, essay, demonstration, and online exams.  Before taking a test you should study in a good environment, test yourself, get enough sleep, eat healthy, combat test anxiety, as well as exercise.  While taking a test you should read the question twice and if you get stuck, then skip and come back, look for hints in questions you do understand, carefully examine both the answers and question, or maybe visualize where you originally learned the material.

SO WHAT: Understanding what testing is, and maybe coming to the realization that it isn’t about whether you fail or succeed may help combat testing anxiety. Knowing all this information is good because it will better prepare anyone who has to take a test. Especially with the tips for what to do if you are stuck.

NOW WHAT: I plan on using these tips to better my success at test taking. They will also hopefully decrease my own test taking anxiety.

 QUESTION: Will understanding testing, as well as testing tips, increase the fresh 100’s class testing scores?

What: This past week, in English 95 Professor Reid went over Visual Rhetoric for our class. Visual Rhetoric is everything we see, and the factors that compile the image, such as: coloring, font, size ect. are used to persuade how the audience feels or acts.

So what: By understanding Visual Rhetoric, you can understand how the details of everything can be used to evoke the audience into your way of thinking. It will also help those who use visual rhetoric to better their critical thinking.

What now: I plan on using Visual Rhetoric in everything I present. This is to keep my works appropriate, and to better how the audience will feel.  

Question: if I remix an original image of something that is overall popular and pleasurable, like the Disney logo, and change the coloring to black and red, would it change the audiences feelings? Or will the audience not mind, because it is already well established and loved?

What: this last week Professor Reid taught us about C.R.A.A.P., which is an acronym for the process of evaluating the credibility of websites for the purpose an individual would need.  Below is each letter, and the meaning behind the letter:

Current- is the website within a credible time limit for your purposes?

Relevant- does the website cover your topic enough for your needs? During this stage you should also figure out who the intended audience is? Also, is the author have the correct credentials to talk about your subject? (TIP: the about us link will help you decide).

Authority- who published this site? (TIP: look at the contact us section of the website). What type of domain is it under? (.edu, .gov, .org websites are more credible than others). Are there external links, and do they work?

Accuracy- where are they getting their information? Is there a work cited page?

Purpose- what was the author’s purpose for publishing? Was it to: reflect, inform, persuade, or entertain?

So what: This information is vital when consulting the internet for information. Otherwise, the information gathered is useless as well as the time spent collecting it. This will also ultimately lead to knowledge failure.

Now what: I plan to use C.R.A.A.P. when evaluating any and all online sources. This will lead to success in my use of the information gathered online.

Question: How easy will it to be to find credible sources for my purposes? Will there always be a credible online source?

WHAT: This week in my Fresh 100 class, with instructor Legg we discussed academic integrity and all that it enthralls. Usually academic integrity consists of avoiding plagiarism- where you take other people’s bodies of work and claim it as your own. This may be due to poor ethics, a lack of time to successfully do your own work, not understanding citations, not understanding plagiarism, and many other reasons.

SO WHAT: Academic integrity is important to know, and understand, because it has to be used during our academic career. If it wasn’t, then the student would either be suspended, expelled, or put onto academic probation. The punishment only depending on what your schools code of honor states. And a lot of our actions that we would consider fine (ex: consulting a classmate on what their answer was on the homework, even if you may be only double checking your answers), may actually be not okay to carry on. It again, depends on the code of conduct, and the teachers instructions.

NOW WHAT: I plan on following the code of conduct established by our college. And I need to be more careful of bad habits that are considered plagiarism, and therefore not okay to continue. By continuing being academically honest, I, as well as other students will also learn more and better. Though academic integrity is only required through our academic career, the principle of it should be carried on throughout our adult lives.

QUESTION: How many students have been punished over plagiarism, over what they considered to originally deem acceptable?

WORKS CITED:

Harrington, Christine. ”College Expectations: Being a Critical Thinker”. Student Success in College: Doing What Works! Boston: Cengage Learning, 2014. Print.

WHAT: This week in my English 95 class with Professor Reid, we took note on “Crafting Effective Thesis Statements”.  You first make a claim, which is what you plan to discuss through evaluation, analyzation or arguing. You then provide reasoning to your claim. Essentially the how and why you plan to discuss your claim. Putting your claim and reasoning together should create generally 2-3 sentences, equaling your thesis.

SO WHAT: Before crafting my own thesis I never knew how many common mistakes I do. From being too broad, insecure or obvious. So seeing an outline of what exactly was needed, really helped me, and I hope will continue to help me.

NOW WHAT: I plan on using this formula (claim + reasoning = thesis) on future papers. As well as maybe consulting with common mistakes made while making thesis, to make sure I do not fall back onto previous thesis habits.

QUESTION: Will knowing the formula for an effective thesis help with future papers? Could using this same formula help with a better understanding of notes? If we look at the claim being made, and why it was important.

WHAT: This last Tuesday in my English class, Professor Reid prepared a lecture about author’s intended audience. The name itself is pretty straight forward. It is the exact person or people who are intended to read what is written. When you are writing you can ask the following questions to help you figure out what is and isn’t appropriate to write, and how you should write it.

         1)      Who is my likely audience? (Factors to consider when thinking about this would be: age,                           gender, race, ability, socio-economic background, level of education, ect.)  

         2)      What style of language will my audience expect?  

         3)      What does my audience know (or need to know) about the topic?

         4)      Is my audience likely to be friendly, unfriendly, or neutral?

SO WHAT: This is important when you are reading because figuring out the author’s purpose may allow a deeper understanding of the piece. Whereas when you’re writing it can help you with the setup of any given piece you will encounter, which is something that could be particularly helpful for me because I often struggle the start of a paper.

NOW WHAT: I plan to use these questions to help my understanding while reading. I also plan to use these questions especially while I’m writing to help me for complete, thorough and cohesive writing assignments.

QUESTION: Will using these questions noticeably affect the quality of writing produced?

So, I survived my first week of college! Yes, I know, the point is kind of redundant seeing as I’ve made a new post. And yes, the first week is always the easiest. Yes of course, it is also mostly introduction exercises. But alas, it’s worth mentioning. Especially since I’ve decided that it’s going to be my subject for this week’s blog post. For the classes I attended this week we participated in name games and answering questions about ourselves.  

The dreaded, awful, awkward introduction exercises. The raving anxiety of the night before the first day of school in preparation for this activity was excruciating. But, honestly? It wasn’t that bad… for the first time, I can even say they were HELPFUL. Imagine that! The fresh start program provides a successful format in easing students into getting to know each other without too much pressure.

At the end of the day, even if we only consider the effect of introduction exercises in the most superficial way the outcome is still positive. The acquaintances, friends, advisors, and teachers (which still feels kind of backwards to say or even think) all serve as a basic accountability partners. They will care about absences, tardies, etc., but in a more positive and understanding way. And it’s my pan to utilize this fact to better my attendance.

How will knowing peers affect the classes we attend? Will having friends be a positive or a negative?

So when you add someone who is embarrassingly shy, hates sharing, and knows absolutely nobody in the class you get someone who really appreciates that this week equaled success. Peers, teachers, random strangers, and oddly enough the actually architecture of the campus were incredibly friendly and welcoming.

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