Time Strategies

The first article I read for this assignment was The Psychology of Checklists. It's true that finding ways to break down big tasks into smaller yet rewarding goals helps me stay motivated. An easy example is today's workload for this class! Declaring completion of each of the three weekend assignments individually refreshes my motivation to complete the next objective. It's hard to think that I'd be as motivated if there was one big declaration at the end of the week.

Smaller subtasks are like individual bricks in the bigger wall! (photo: tOrange)

The next article had a similar theme: 3 Steps to Recapture Time also suggested defining manageable goals at the beginning of a work session. I think that I'd be cautious before following some of the other advice though, pruning "dead weight" requires defining the dead weight in your life which is easier said than done. Giving up something (or someone) that might actually be helping you de-stress could do more harm than good. It takes a lot of introspection before making big changes like that.

I definitely love to-do lists as a way to organize my needs and goals. The satisfaction of crossing items off the list is a nice bonus!

Technology!

Blogging is one heavily used technology in this class. (photo: pixabay)

It makes sense that an online course would make use of a lot of digital technology. I've never blogged before, so I hope I can pick up some general skills in that respect. It may be useful later, though I don't know what I would want to blog about!

I do have a lot of experience with some other technologies we're using for this class. I use a graphic editing software called paint.net pretty heavily for odds and ends. The banner for this blog was made using paint.net! I also use google docs when I'm writing papers, and it's taken over for Word in my toolkit. 

We'll see what else I learn how to use for this class!

Thoughts about Class Assignments

My favorite part about the way assignments are structured in this class is the afforded flexibility. It almost seems like there are as many opportunities for extra/alternative credit as there are points in the class! I feel like that's going to help me find assignments I enjoy and use those to shape and personalize the class.

Happy kids... maybe because they have a personalized education plan! (Photo: Max Pixel)

As much as I'm excited for the course material, I'm also attracted by the idea of getting a head start in order to either finish early or give myself a safety net to work with. One of these days I'll probably have to sit down and crank out a lot of work to make that happen.

Thoughts about the Growth Mindset

Our professor had us check out a few videos related to "growth mindset" learning. I thought that the concept was pretty well explained, and I agree that challenging situations are what help us to develop and grow as people. I think that the ideas of the growth mindset are applicable to plenty of life facets, even outside academics. It makes me think about the day-to-day responsibilities that I might be inclined to shirk instead of take on headfirst.

Nobody's born a mountain climber! (photo courtesy pixabay)

My one sticking point is the way that Dr. Dweck talks about childhood as a passive process. In one video, she talks about the way "we should make children feel" in response to challenging (or not so challenging) situations. While I understand where she's coming from, she consistently uses language that makes it sound like she's conditioning rats in a cage. Semantics, but something I noted!

Introduction to a Resident Adviser

My name is Dakota Vaughan, and I'm a senior here at the University of Oklahoma. I haven't always lived in Oklahoma, and I lived most of my life growing up in Wisconsin. I grew up in a small-ish town named Fond du Lac, which is famed for its historic lighthouse. I still go home to visit family when I can!

A photograph of the Fond du Lac lighthouse, taken by Jim Bauer. (flickr)

I'm a biology major, mostly out of interest in health and healthcare. I'm graduating this year and will be headed to medical school in the fall. It's exciting to start looking towards the next chapter in my education. Before you ask: nope, I'm not set on a particular specialty just yet. I've got a "keep my doors open" philosophy about the whole thing, and I get the feeling that I'd be happy in a number of fields.

As the title to this post suggests, I work as a resident adviser (RA) in Cate Center, specifically in David L. Boren Hall. I love the job because I get to talk to other students and make friendships as part of my workday. It's always neat to see someone on campus who used to be a resident on my floor; I'm always happy to learn what they've been up to since. The residents on my floor this year are very active as a community which is a gift and a curse: sometimes reigning them in means being the bad guy (but hey, that's seldom!).

As far as hobbies go, I play video games when I find the time, and like to go running when I work up the motivation (so far this new year's resolution is falling flat). Every weekend, my pals and I play Dungeons and Dragons, which I swear isn't nearly as nerdy as it gets a rep for being. I get the feeling actually that there are a lot of similarities between DnD and this class! Both are exercises in storytelling, just in different ways.

Some Storybook Favorites from Past Classes

Listed below are some of my favorite storybooks written by students in past classes!

Death's Final Story

I thought that this story gave an interesting perspective: that of Death itself. Death is personified and he talks the reader through some of his more memorable jobs. Through Death's eyes, the author walks us through stories of mortality from throughout global history. It's fun to give character to concepts like death, and it's a neat creative opportunity to make such a character your own. Death is a little sarcastic at times here and the bit of humor that shines through is a good foil to an inherently morbid subject.

Hell On Earth

The author of Hell on Earth had a unique take on Hell: it's all around us. Addiction, abuse, and homicide are taken up as topics of these dark stories. I chose this storybook as a favorite because its central message makes a moral statement on today's world. I'd love to see a sequel with cases of heaven on earth, maybe just to have a counterbalance to these heavy stories. Joking aside, I thought it was brave of the author to take on topics that hit so close to home. The second person perspective is almost haunting as the reader is made to feel complicit in the wrongdoings described.

Mythical Creatures: The Question is the Thing

This one's fun! I'm always down for a good old-fashioned adventure story. The author of this storybook takes the reader on a mythical tour through the adventures of Henry and Olivia. After meeting a sphinx, the two have more questions than they receive answers at first. This story reminds me of the books that I read as a kid, so there's a little bit of a nostalgia factor here. I almost think that I might go in this direction with my own storybook!

Below is a picture from Mythical Creatures, selected here because I thought the consistent imagery of mountains and forests set a great scale for the adventurous theme.

Forested mountains with an eerie fog. (courtesy pxhere)

Flagstaff, Arizona: A Favorite Place

I'm not from Flagstaff; I'm not even from Arizona. In fact, I've only visited Flagstaff once and only because it was on the way to California, where a few friends and I were going for spring break. We stopped to eat downtown, and I fell in love with the atmosphere of the city. It was quiet and lively at once. There are plenty of neat shops that tow the line between "touristy" and authentic. Most buildings aren't tall enough to obscure the view of the nearby mountains, which is a nice natural touch.

I forget the name of the restaurant at which we stopped, but I will not forget their excellent mac'n'cheese.

A picture taken of downtown Flagstaff.

Authored by Searchnet Media and retrieved from Wikimedia Commons