Blog #1

Ø List your own quote, favorite saying, song, or other expression of your feelings today.

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Muhatma Gandhi

Ø List initial observations of your new environment.

Clean, fresh, new.

Ø List initial observations of your classes.

Interesting.

Ø What observations have you made about other students?

Some are here to learn, others need to get their priorities straight, we're in college now.

Ø About your instructors?

Awesome, nice, cool, laid back, intelligent, and knowledgeable.

Ø What do you think will be your biggest challenge(s) academically this semester?

Studying.

Ø Reiterate a term or concept you learned in Anatomy this week.

Hypochondriac, all though used as a term to describe a person who believes they are constantly ill it means above cartilage. Hypo - above, chondriac - cartilage. This term is used to describe the abdominal sections.

Ø List a few pleasant events that happened during your first weeks at NMU.

Fall fest, starting a Degrassi marathon with some girls I met, and meeting cool people all over.

Ø List habits you already possess that make you successful in college.

Determination, intelligence, concentration, organization.

Ø List habits (timewasters?) you can change or modify, or need to lose.

Being on Facebook or other unnecessary sites for too long. (Don't get me wrong I LOVE Facebook.)

Ø Explain how you determine what to write down in notes during lectures.

Just pay attention to what the professor is talking about, read the material before class so an idea of what will be discussed will be formed in the brain.

Ø Based on your first readings in the TCB text, describe the differences between Active Learning & Passive Learning (reading, note-taking, etc..)

Well first off I have to say what a bore this book is to read and I wish we could have just gone by BT it would have so much better. The main difference between active and passive learning is involvement. Being an active learner involves writing notes while reading, creating a study group to discuss notes, and to organize the notes and create visual tools to help understand the concepts. A passive learner just listens and takes notes, they rarely participate in class, and have little or no organizational skills.

Ø Based on your first readings in the BT text, list TWO of favorite quotes and explain why they "speak" to you.

"My suitemates are into sub-woofers and Heavy Metal and my roommate's into Gangsta Rap. . . the room rocks pretty much 24/7." I like this quote because my neighbors (which are guys) like to rock out everyday right when they get up which is usually not until the afternoon when I am done with all my classes and am trying to do homework. Everyone in the hall seems to listen to different music so at certain times when we all have our doors open there is a plethra of musical selections playing all at once.

"Make lists. In high school you can do it when it comes to mind or when someone reminds you. In college there's too much to remember and nobady's going to remind you!" I love this quote because I love lists. I make lists for everything; for shopping, homework, things I need to bring home. You name I have a list, they really help me remember what I need to get done.

Ø Finally, name one goal (personal, academic, etc..) you have for yourself next week.

To be more optimistic about my English class.