Works In Progress

This is my last blog as a freshman at Penn State. I don’t really know how I feel about that. It is bittersweet. I am super excited to go home, hang with friends, eat my mom’s food and cruise down some backroads with the windows down, radio blasting. I can literally not wait to raise a little trouble once again in my hometown. However, I feel like it will not be long before I am bored and ready to come back. There is something about being given complete freedom and then trying to fit back into a system of limited freedom. I am also not exactly thrilled to end my freshman year. From what I have heard, the years from here on out fly by. I am not ready to be an adult, I would like my college years to last as long as possible.

This course has been unique in the sense it has documented my growth and development throughout the entire year. I started out not really knowing why I was here, what I wanted to do or really anything. Now I feel like I have grown into someone with a better understanding of what I want and how to achieve that. This course has given me experience with various methods of communication that will come in handy in the future. As much as I hated dealing with the temperamental nature of imovie, presenting my thoughts before not only an audience but also a camera, and writing papers; I feel this has all been good for me. It has exposed me to different methods of sharing my thoughts.

Perhaps the most useful part of this entire course was learning how to use various technologies. I am technological illiterate and the projects forced me to join the 21st century. I do not feel my writing has significantly improved over the past year. We really didn’t learn anything new in regards to the writing process. In fact, there was not much direction at all. The papers were assigned and then you had to just write based on prior knowledge. We were actually instructed on how to use the different media platforms, therefore I feel these were the most beneficial to me.

Once this class has come to a close, I believe I will see it as helpful. As of right now, I am dreading the creation of my e-portfolio. But when it is all said and done, I will probably be happy I took the class and that it is officially over. No more writing for me! Summer here I come!

Ok so the link between my persuasive essay and my advocacy project is a complete failure. Literally, the link between the two is failure. My essay was on failure and how society needs to be more open to it. Since our advocacy projects have to be on the same subject matter as our essays, I am going to continue with the topic. (I always have a way of picking random topics that seem like a good idea until I dive in, then I am usually too far in to change directions. I have a way of making papers more complicated than they need to be….)

So for my advocacy project I am going to make a commercial which could be put on Channel 14 or YouTube? Or maybe both. Anyway the commercial will fly through various famous inventors who were once consider failures and how they “righted their wrong” into a ginormous success. Then at the very end the commercial will encourage college students to be “failures” too and there will be some witty concluding line. This is all I have so far. Hopefully, it will work out nicely. The deadline for this assignment is appearing on the horizon so this will be this weekends’ task to accomplish.

Ideas:

•  movie/video
  • interview college students and get their perspectives on failure in the sense of classes, tests and or courses
  • once a group of opinions have been collected I will point out how they are wrong and how thoughts on failure should change
  • start a revolution of failure accepting members of society
  • see failure as a part of growing, changing and adapting necessary to building a brighter future
• This I believe
  • create a podcast explaining why failure is an integral part of building a better future.
  • we need failure to learn
• Commercial
  • make a short 60 second clip as to what life would be like without failure.
  • persuade my peers that failing is not the end of the world, it is only a starting point
  • it is a chance to learn what not to do and how to move forward with a better understanding of how to proceed

I really haven’t solidified what I want to do for my advocacy project. I know it has to be a call to action for my peers, however I am not entirely sure how I want to go about this. I was thinking something that catches one’s attention. How exactly I want to do that I am not totally sure. I feel like it will come to me once my paper is completely done. If you hava any ideas, share! I would love to know what you think!

The Success of Failure

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to be a “winner” these days? It is almost ridiculous how often trophies are handed out for simply showing up. The common view of today’s society is that we all deserve to be winners. Showing up and participating in any minuscule amount must mean that one tried their best, thus they should be rewarded for their efforts, correct? Wrong. Society is underestimating is the negative effect such thoughts have on future generations. This is a crippling effect that will one day eliminate that which can only be learned through failure. Failure is a word that makes most people cringe at its mention. However, there is a lot to be gained from such experiences. It is only through failure that one can truly attain success. It develops a person mentally and physically, providing the tools necessary to grow into contributing members of society. Failure is a necessary evil. We must allow our children how to fail so that one day they will be prepared to find future success.

Success of Failure

• Introduction
  • Thesis: We must allow our children to fail so that one day they will succeed
  • We can’t all be winners
  • What lesson is there to be learned from all of us winning?
• Body
  • “Winning” Mentality
  • Crippling effects of all being winners
  • why winning discourages one from taking risks or stepping outside the box
• Failure
  • What failure has to offer
  • dust off the dirt, pick yourself up and start over
  • innovation
  • New ways to succeed
  • teach one to never give up
  • if at first you don’t succeed try try again
• Future with only winners
  • not team players
  • all about me
  • not willing to try new things
• Future of losers
  • new inventions ~ Thomas Edison and the lightbulb
  • more risk but higher rewards
• Conclusion
  • trophies should be given to those who have earned them, not just awarded for showing up
  • build character
  • go out and lose!

I have honestly no idea what I want to write about for my persuasive paper. I have a lot of ideas swirling aorund in my head. Hunger is an issue that always comes up in these sorts of papers. But no one really talks about hunger here, as in within the United States. We only think of kids in Africa who are starving. What most of us fail to realize is that hunger is an issue within our own country limits. So that is a taopic I might want to look into.

I was watching this show the other day about American Greed. It would be a harder topic to address since it is a part of human nature, but I think it would be interesting to look into ways for Americans to combat greed and do something proactive instead? That one is a little bit less structured.

My final idea is completely off the wall. I was thinkng about encouraging college students to test the limits of their comfort zone. I was thinking along the lines of proving the point great things happen when you least expect them to. This one doesn’t have a policy attached to it and it would be difficult to conduct research on this topic, but it is still an option.

I am still thinking of topics to write this paper on, but so far I like the greed and hunger topics so I will probably look more into those.

A moderator’s job is to moderate. In order to moderate, one must be willing to put aside all preconceived biases and act rationally without taking a position on an issue. A moderator must be open to new ideas and different angles of approach. Deliberation strives to shed light on all parts of an issue. This should be done in a civil manner. However, when beliefs and opinions are involved road blocks for conversation can appear. Defensive manners, loud personalities and shy deliberators can obstruct the flow of ideas. It is the job of a moderator to protect said deliberation from these hazards. They also must ensure the participants feel welcome to share their thoughts. As a moderator it is crucial that respect is stressed. The forum is an open environment, however disrespect should not be tolerated. The moderator puts forth guidelines and maps out the deliberation so that every participant is on the same page and ready to share their thoughts on the topic.

A moderator is open to all thinking styles, they remain neutral about the topic even when their own personal beliefs are in dissonance with the group consensus. The moderator has quite the job. They must facilitate the discussion by pointing out issues from all sides of the topic. They need to be knowledgable on the topic but also accepting of the fact they are not experts by any stretch of the imagination. Therefore, they must ensure that everyone has the opportunity to say their piece. A moderator must be patient with all participants and remain level headed even when the conversation is getting heated.

I would classify myself as an open moderator. I enjoy hearing everyone’s point of view and try to make the forum environment as friendly as possible so that each participant is encouraged to get involved. I do have my own opinions on the subject matter, especially sustainability. Thus, it was a challenge for me to hold my tongue at times and not input what I so desperately wanted to say. I feel it is important to keep conversation flowing. When the group was approaching a lull in conversation, I stepped in presenting a new side to the issue. I tried to look at sustainability and all that it entails from every perspective possible. I feel our group came to a conclusion because of the open discussion and angles presented during the deliberation. Overall, our deliberation was a success.

A moderator must be willing to get involved and make discussion happen. They must keep their own beliefs at bay and strive for a welcoming environment for all. The more diversified thoughts, the better the resulting solution will be. Deliberation occurs because an issue is too big for one person, therefore a moderator is there to facilitate outside the box thinking. If a moderator is good at their job, all participants will leave a deliberation feeling satisfied with the forum’s conclusions and will feel no resentment towards their fellow participants.

I actually enjoyed reading Fern K. Willits’ teaching philosophy. I could feel her personality throughout it. I am not sure but I feel like Fern is female. Just the way she writes and describes her opinions on the subject matter. I like how she says that teaching is more than just forcing a lesson upon a student; she says that it is the responsibility of the instructor to inspire understanding. She feels that getting the students involved in the subject matter is a huge part of learning. I agree. I can’t recall ever being interested in a subject in which my teacher showed little enthusiasm. The best teachers were those who literally lived and breathed their subjects. The ones who would bounce around no necessarily just to paint a picture for students but because they were excited to illustrate whatever point they were trying to hit home. She is right in saying you need to keep the students involved in the course. They will blow off the class if it does not challenge them. Unfortunately, we need to be tested and forced to use lessons we are learning, or else we simply won’t.

I love her take on flexibility. She understands that her class isn’t the only one students have to worry about. She is willing to acknowledge that students are humans and there are things going on in their lives outside of classes. I really like this woman. She has a good head on her shoulders. She wants to teach her subject, but she wants to do more than just get through the course work. She wants to inspire curiosity and interest in the subject and she is willing to work with her students so that this can occur.

Overall, I really like her teaching philosophy. I do think it is a little long winded, but she addresses everything and leaves nothing to be desired. She wants to teach life long lessons. I would want to have Fern as a teacher. I have a feeling I would attend multiple sessions of her office hours.

We have decided that we will each read the chapter and take a page of notes on said chapter. From there we will meet and discuss how exactly we wish to present the ideas proposed in the chapter.

The Power of the Sole1

I believe in the power of the sole. The soles to which I refer come in endless styles and sizes. But the power soles in my life are smelly, their stench a mix of stagnant water, sweat, and mud. Contrary to what you are envisioning, they aren’t the prettiest sight. What was once a spotless white is now eternally gray. And if you are wondering where that random pop of color originated, well that would be my sock.

It would be an understatement to say these shoes are falling apart, but for some reason I just can’t bring myself to throw them away. Maybe it is because they are so reliable. Maybe it’s because of the memories of countless adventures we conquered together. Maybe it is because they are always there to help navigate the road of life. We have spent a lifetime building a friendship that I can’t bring myself to throw away. We have gone everywhere together, over creeks and mountains through valleys and travelled to foreign lands we have even survived dare devil stunts and scored big during sporting events.

But there is one occasion in particular that sparked the fire of friendship. It was a beautiful fall day. The colors of the trees were vibrant shades of yellow, red and orange. It was the perfect day to go for a hike. We set off in search of our favorite spot, the ledge right beside the waterfall. My shoes carried me up every obstacle. We reached our destination in record time. I was feeling good, perhaps even a little cocky. At the time it seemed like a rational idea, who would slowly descend a cliff face when jumping would take half the time and effort?! I jumped, only to find the landing slippery from the fallen leaves. There I was sprawled across the ledge with one leg extended over the shear drop of 100 feet, the other clinging to the ledge for dear life. This shoe prevented a near fatal accident. It was this moment that I knew this pair of shoes was so much more than just protective footwear. They are friends. They jump to my rescue without reserve.

These shoes are so much more than meets the eye. They are eternal companions. They embrace my every flaw. And love me just as I am. I know they will always be there to support not just my arches but my soul.

Shoes are everywhere and the more you have the more colorful the journey of life will be. But for me the most important shoes are the ones that love me no matter where I take them.

So mom, the next time you ask when I am going to throw away those old shoes, the answer is never. Those shoes will walk with me till the end because I believe in the power of the sole, the constant reminder of who I am. They are the silent scrapbook of where I have been and the ones I want to take on the next journey, where ever that may be.

To be honest, I have yet to get involved with an online forum. I make a point to retain my self-proclaimed technologically challenged status. As much as I like the internet, it also scares me to a point. I try to limit how much of myself I make available to the public because who knows how many people are included in this “public view”. Employers? Grandma? Mom? Uncle Gary? My younger siblings? So basically the only social networking site you will find me on is Facebook and even that is limited. I am careful what I share on this site. As much as I would love to hide under a rock, the world is getting smaller and the internet is inevitable.

So in english class we were told to find an online deliberation site on which we can share our views on different subjects. Not knowing where to start for this assignment, I turned to google. And I found a forum I think will do the trick. I am going to take part in the online forum called FANBOLT. This site is an online chatroom where people discuss their opinions on different movies. I love watching movies and have seen countless hours over the years. I think this is the perfect fit for me. I am not quite sure which category I will choose to deliberate with my peers around the world. So far all I know is that I would like to use this assignment to debate about my thoughts on different movies.

Here is the website: http://www.fanbolt.com/forums/movies/ If you are equally as interested in movies, I encourage you to check it out and perhaps share your takes on what I have to say.