Week Four Online Journal

This week was interesting because it was the birthplace of our class’ first online meeting. I went to the library early and found a nice, quiet corner spot on the second floor to work. I looked over my command papers and logged on early just to make sure I could do everything correctly. Once everyone logged on, I was surprised at how easily the conversation flowed. It really wasn’t awkward at all to converse online as a class. I have been using AOL instant messenger for numerous years now, so I’m familiar with this form of conversation one on one, but I’ve never really experienced communicating online as part of a group. I’m glad that the class meeting was emailed to the class because it really is difficult to catch every statement that appears on the screen. Overall, I felt that this first meeting was very productive. I liked the type of interaction and the exchange of ideas that went on. I enjoyed talking with others about their topics and receiving feedback about my topic and essential question, as well. One downfall, however, was that two members of my group were missing, so that left only Heather and I to converse. I think we both offered each other some helpful ideas, but it would have been better with more ideas and feedback from the other group members. The more the merrier, eh?
As far as completing the assignments go, all I can say is…that catch up week can’t come soon enough for me! It’s not that the assignments are hard, it’s just that they are time-consuming and require a little bit of thinking (generally, what takes a little thinking for most, requires a lot for me, as I tend to over-analyze and over-think issues). I have been trying to space out the assignments, but it’s been hard for me this week for some reason. I always get the assignments completed on time, but I wish I could get them done sooner. One thing I’ve learned about myself is that if there is a writing prompt that I really must think about to answer well, it takes me a while to complete this process. So, I figured it would be a good idea to type out and save all of my writing prompts and other response questions in Microsoft Word first, and then transfer them to their appropriate locations after I’ve finished. This method really suites me because I am constantly thinking of other things to add and ways to change what I’ve already written. Instead of immediately posting my responses to the blogs, this way I can write some now, some later, or do it all now and come back later to revise it. Let’s see…what else? I really enjoyed the smaller assignments this week like the web searches and the VARK inventory. I think it was wise to have us search three engines because I know that I usually tend to stick with my favorite engine instead of exploring other more unfamiliar ones. I also learned how to more effectively use the advanced searches on these search engines just by playing around with them a little . Previously, I hadn’t had much luck when I did an advanced search, but I think that was because I didn’t know the correct way to refine the search or rephrase my topic. I’m really still not sure if I know the correct way to do it. However, I think that our day at the computer lab definitely helped me to better understand how to do this. One thing I had great difficulty with this week was the webliography. I think this is just one of those things where I will need to take more time trying out different options and then figuring out what works best for me. I know that this is an assignment I should have done much sooner in the week. Thankfully, this is just an extremely rough draft because I know that if I have enough time to work on it, mine will be very good. I am wondering now whether or not there is some sort of book that I can look at to get more options for backgrounds, colors, and the like? If so, I need to look at it.

When reflecting back upon this week, I begin to wonder where the tiny beginnings of my project will lead me to at the end of the semester. I also wonder what my webliography and my blog will look like after all work for this class has been completed. It seems so far away, but it is exciting to think that the little projects we're doing now will build upon each other and possibly lead to changes in my thinking. It's very exciting to me...and I'm sure will make doing all this work very worthwhile. Here's the quote I found while thinking about beginnings, processes, and projects this week.

"No matter what happens, keep on beginning and failing. Each time you fail, start all over again, and you will grow stronger until you find that you have accomplished a purpose--not the one you began with perhaps, but one you will be glad to remember."
---Anne Sullivan

This, undoubtedly, has been a very busy week for me assignment-wise. Since we didn’t meet online this Wednesday, I chose to take that time to do some of the reading assignments for this week. I had no idea it would take as long as it did. Wow! I think maybe I’m just not accustomed to reading large amounts of information online and it became a little exhausting. One tactic that was helpful for me was to print out some of the various assigned readings. I didn’t mind using the ink and paper, and I’ve found that having something concrete right in front of me helps me to better absorb the information. That way I can underline, highlight, and jot down notes if I so desire. I really enjoyed reading about MOO, too. Previously, I had never even heard of this form of communication. Now, I’m very excited to be a part of it and to learn how to become more proficient interacting there. Next week’s online meeting will surely be exciting because everyone will get to try out the new commands and acronyms we’ve learned. It always takes me a while to catch on to new things so I will probably be the one flipping wildly through my print-outs and notes in order to understand what commands to execute and what others’ acronyms mean. Hopefully, people won’t use the acronyms too excessively because I think that can really get annoying unless the acronyms are basic and everyone knows what they mean.

In addition to the reading, I really did a lot of reflecting this week for the personal history, personal values, and learning futures sections. I called my mom in Buffalo and my dad in St. Mary’s before I began writing to get their perspectives on the values they think I was exposed to while growing up in our household. I read them some notes I had jotted down and everything matched up quite well. Once I finished writing, I read over it again and realized that both of my parents would probably enjoy reading what I wrote because it was very complimentary to them. I ended up emailing them both a copy today so now I’m eager to see how they will respond. Surely, they’ll be very appreciative…but everything I wrote was true. :-)

One problem area I need to work on is not overanalyzing my work. Writing comes fairly naturally to me and it doesn’t take a considerable amount of time or struggle for me to arrive at a response to certain questions or writing prompts. My fault, however, lies not in completing the assignment but in overanalyzing my work once I’ve finished. I constantly read over passages and try to find ways to make them sound better. I rearrange sentences that probably should be left alone. I spend such a ridiculous amount of time reading over and changing my work after finishing that sometimes it’s just like starting from scratch again. With that being said, I am going to try to not be so hard on my own work and writing. There is no escape from the fact that it’s never going to be perfect or even remotely close, so I need to work on accepting my best effort exactly for what it is. I really don’t like comparing the work or writing of one person to another (I think everyone’s personal style should be respected), but I’ve found that I love reading my classmates’ journals and responses to various things. I already have a greater appreciation for the variety of styles of expression and writing found within our class. I am lucky to have such talented and inquisitive classmates because they not only enrich my understanding of the topics presented, but offer me new perspectives and ideas to consider, as well.

I suppose my primary objective this week was to really put a lot of thought into the assignments where I had to reflect. I was happy to do those assignments because they allowed me to put my learning history, future, and goals into a new perspective (writing instead of thoughts). Although I liked this reflecting, I was glad that there was also a good amount of “doing” assignments (reading, bookmarking, etc.). I really learn a lot from hands on assignments and they offer a good break from writing. Also, I wanted to make sure that I was grasping the information I read on the computer (instead of only skimming through it) since there was so much. Certainly in time I will become better at this. I don’t really have many questions at the end of this week, but I definitely have learned a lot about myself through the reflecting I’ve done and the decisions I’ve made about how and when to complete the given assignments. All of this week’s discussion, thinking, and reflecting about learning goals and interests persuaded me to leave these quotes for this week’s journal …

“How we remember, what we remember, and why we remember form the most personal map of our individuality.” -Christina Baldwin

“That is what learning is. You suddenly understand something you’ve understood all your life, but in a new way.” -Doris Lessing

The past week began like most usually do…fast-paced and hectic. I’ve become very accustomed to this pace in my life and would probably not know quite what to do with myself if I had absolutely nothing to do. Actually, I take that back. I can think of MANY things that I would like to do if I weren’t a very busy person. Yet, that’s why it’s so rewarding when I do finally get to stop, take a break, and do something I really enjoy. If I constantly had spare time on my hands, I doubt I would relish hanging out with my friends, walking in the park, or even watching a great movie as deeply as I do now.

At the beginning of the week, my primary focus was to continue to get myself organized from last week. Like I mentioned in my last journal, it definitely takes a while for me to get my life molded into a completely new routine. I was doing a pretty thorough job of completing this week’s assignments, marking dates, reading chapters, highlighting, and managing my time effectively until Thursday evening around 6 o’clock. It was at this time that I was involved in my first big car accident. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been in my share of minor “fender benders” in the past, but none of the previous compared to this. I was making a left turn onto 20th street and had looked both ways and saw nothing coming. Then it seemed like out of nowhere, a woman came speeding through and slammed into the driver’s side of my car. It spun me around in the road three or four times and I ended up in a parking lot across the street. I’m pretty sure both cars were totaled, but luckily, neither driver was seriously injured. I hit my head on the glass pretty hard and messed up my knee a little and the other woman hurt her neck. The police didn’t issue any citations which was another blessing. Usually, I am a little high strung in difficult situations, but for some reason I have remained remarkably calm about this whole ordeal. I had Emily J. (my roommate/best friend) pick me up from the wreck and I think she was more upset than I was. That evening, I came home, called each of my parents (both were very understanding), then went straight to my computer and began doing some homework. It was a little hard to focus all of my energy on my assignments when really all I wanted to do was cry and feel sorry for myself. Yet, there are times when I feel that doing work is a great escape from other problems in life. Having so many “things” to do this week/weekend helped me not to dwell on this accident. Of course, I think about it frequently, but I keep telling myself that I can’t let anything get me off track this early in the year (or at any point in the year, for that matter). Honestly, I never thought that the movie, Joe Dirt, would ever become functional in my life (it’s one of my favorite comedies, by the way) but this week, I was proven incorrect. In the movie, Joe says, “You gotta keep on keepin’ on.” and that’s exactly what I’m doing.

Changes in my thinking…ahh…quite a few this week. First of all, I have been reminded again how incredibly wonderful my friends are. Whether an issue be related to school, work, family, relationships, cars (ugh!), or anything in between, my friends are always there to encourage, support, and love me. I feel blessed to have these people in my life and hope I can repay them with the same kindness they have shown me over the years. They also make me realize how important laughter is in my life. Even the worst situations don’t seem nearly as dark once a little humor is added to the context. Next, I have gained a whole new perspective on leading a busy life. At one point in time, I most definitely would have complained about all the assignments, reading, and writing that I had to complete. Now, however, I feel lucky to have these “things” to do because they motivate me and keep my life flowing in a steady direction. I know there are many people who can’t afford a college education and people whose illnesses and health complications prevent them from living an active, busy lifestyle. Certainly, many times I’ve been envious of people with seemingly nothing on their hands but free time. Yet, now I recognize there are probably many people who are envious of me for being afforded to opportunity to have so many things to keep my body busy and my mind alert. Wow…I (and all busy people) really have a great deal to be thankful for in life!

As many of you know, or will shortly discover, I love quotes. They’re short, to the point, and can really convey some powerful messages. I’m thinking of making it kind of an “online journal tradition” of mine to add one or two quotes that relate to the content of my writing that particular week. So, as I’m signing off I’ll leave these for everyone…

“Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.” --Anais Nin

“Do your work, and you shall reinforce yourself.”
--Ralph Waldo Emerson