Time Strategies

                                              (Studying: Image from Flickr)

     The number one most difficult thing about the transition from high school to college for me was not that I moved away, or did not know anyone, or that my courses were much more difficult, it was my time management. One my first day of college in August 2015 I also had my first day at my first job. Having my first job was not the scary or difficult part is was that I did not understand how to be a student and an employee at the same time. Now, 4 years later I still don't completely have the hang of it but my time management has improved. Starting of college was difficult for me because I did not have the time management skills I needed to succeed and my grades reflected it. After a while I had to tell myself things had to change and I took the advise that these articles gave. The myth of "Too Busy" talks about cutting things out of your life that are not leading you to success this is a concept that I applied, although I still struggle with, and it helped. Even being honest with yourself and identifying these things can be a huge help. One thing I found very helpful from "Eat The Frogs First Thing in The Morning", that I have struggled with all my life, is not always saying yes. I have a bad habit of saying yes to to many things and doing things that don't make me happy but make others happy. I have come to realize that the only one who suffers is me and that is not fair to me. Saying no sometimes is necessary to stick to your plan and schedule. One last thing I found very practical and useful is from  "How to build a realistic study plan that you’ll actually stick to" is to honestly evaluate how much time you think you will need to complete a task. One thing I tend to do it allot myself a time to complete a task without thinking of what that task really needs to be completed. This has caused me to run out of time many times by allowing myself and hour to only be working on it for another 3. Thinking about what needs to be done and overestimating the time it takes is a skill I will start applying immediately!  

Class Technology Impressions

                                                    (Computer: Wikimedia Commons)   


     Over my college career I have become more familiar with different technologies that I have been required to use. I often use Google Docs and I have used image editors (however, not the ones we will be using). I have always wanted to use a graphic creation website to make different images. I am also excited to use twine, I have never used it or anything like it before so I am excited to get the opportunity to do so. Other then google docs I have bookmarked things before but this is my first time blogging. I am still getting used to it but because of the great instructions posted it is going well. Regarding the course website, I have not run into too much trouble finding anything or navigating around each different page.

First Impressions of Assignments

   

                                             (Starting the marathon: Wikimedia Commons)

     Upon first reading the assignments and requirements, I will be honest I almost dropped. I had never blogged before and the assignment list seemed never-ending. However, I thought to myself the two classes in my college career that I was certain about dropping and seemed like they weren't for me turned out to be my favorite two classes of my undergrad. I was nervous to be blogging since I had never done it before and I was scared that the course work was going to be to much to handle with my other classes. Despite this I decided I would stick with it for the first week and see how it went. SO far it is going well, I find the assignments fun and interesting and therefore go faster then what I would expect. Also, the best thing about this course is the detailed instructions, I never feel confused which was a big fear of mine because there is plenty of instructions and the pictures of what we should see on our end really helps. The second best thing about this class is the amount of extra credit, the end of the semester is always a tough one so being able to finish early and have one less thing to worry about is always a plus. One thing I look forward to is the storybook telling, being in all science classes I do not usually get assignments like this so I look forward to doing something outside of my comfort zone. Another assignment I look forward to is reading some Indian comic books from the library. Overall I am both nervous but excited to get my foot in the door with these assignments.     

Growth Mindset

   

                                                         (Albert Einstein image at Flickr)

     I have never once been told about the idea of growth mindset, which is surprising since both of my parents are educators. I think the concept of growth mindset that Dr. Carol Dweck discusses is interesting and I agree with most of it based off of the videos watched. I am a firm believer that students will not want to admit to mistake or failure and that when the have been told they are smart that they don't want to admit to fail. I am a firm believer in this because I used to be that student. When things come easier to you then to others it is difficult to react to challenge and failure which is what happened to me in my transition from high school to college. When I came to college I, without a doubt, was a fixed minded individual however, after failing enough times and finally succeeding I have become more of a growth minded individual. I do agree that praising children for the process they take and the steps they take to get to a solution instead of getting the correct solution will not only encourage them to handle more difficult tasks but will also indirectly teach them to use those skills on every problem they face.
     Another belief of mine is that when you repeatedly praise a person for only their intelligence you are limiting them to believe that is the only quality they have and vise versa if someone sees others being praised for their intelligence and they are not they are forced to believe they are not intelligent. This could not be more false, intelligence is an acquired trait, it may come quicker to others but at one point in everyone's life they started at the basics. When you praise someone for the process they take that is a skill they can develop and use it in all aspects of life: sports, school, and personal challenges.
     Another aspect that I agree with from these videos is the idea of effort. Dweck talks about fixed minded students feel their ability means they don't need to put in effort but growth minded students want to put in effort. Everyone will come across a challenge in life, weather it be school, work, or a relationship, where effort is going to be required and the individuals who have the skills to deal with that will be the ones most successful.          

Introduction to a Scientist

   
     
(Personal Photo at the Grand Canyon: Photo taken March 2018)


(Personal Photo of the first day of class Fall 2018: Photo taken August 2018)

     Hello! My name is Olivia Yancey, i'll start with the basics that we all tell new people when first meeting. I am a 22 year old female and this is my last semester here at OU! I am from Redlands California a small town about an hour east of Los Angeles. I will answer your next question now, why did I move to Oklahoma from Southern California? I became interested in OU because my grandparents were from Oklahoma and went to this school, but the main reason I came here was because it was cheaper then my in-state tuition. However, I have come to love OU more than I ever thought I had and moving here for college has been the greatest adventure.

                               (Image of Redlands CA: Photo by Don Graham)

     I study microbiology with a minor in geography here at OU, I am particularly interested in infectious disease and how they are effected geographically. I have been keeping busy these lat two months because I am currently applying to public health graduate schools in epidemiology! If you don't know what epidemiology is we are nicknamed the "disease detectives", its all about understanding how disease like Ebola all the way to mental illnesses occur and how to prevent and control them! I took geography not only because I love the subject but because they teach you how to make maps! So I want to use maps to help identify why diseases are where they are and to help contain epidemics (Like the maps you see on the news about the spread of Ebola in Africa)!

                       (Personal Photo of my soccer team playing in Sweden: Photo taken July 2013)

    (Personal Photo of my family and I playing in a badminton tournament: Photo taken January 2017)

     Less about school since we all have a life outside the classrooms. Growing up my life revolved around school and sports, I played soccer and badminton all through out my life, and not the backyard kind of badminton. My brother played soccer so when I was old enough I started to play and my dad was a badminton coach and I followed him to practice until I could start to play myself. Also if you had a chance to look at my favorite place blog you know that the most important thing to me and my goal in the future is to travel. I have not been to many places, college is expensive, but my list is long. I have been to Israel, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, France, and Italy my favorite being Germany so far but Sweden is a very close second. The number one on my bucket list is to see the Taj Mahal before they close the inside to visitors. My goal for my remaining time here in Oklahoma is to travel to places close by on the weekends since I do not know when I will be able to come back to this area. So if you have made it this far in my blog please comment a place I should go to before I move for grad school, it can be anywhere from here in Norman to about 6 hours away in any direction! Or if you cant think of somewhere close by tell me what city/country I should add to my bucket list.           
     
                               

Storybook Favorites

Storybook Favorites

                                          (Damayanti and king Nala: Wikimedia Commons)

1. The first storybook I chose was Environment in the world of Indian Epics by Arti Patel. I chose this storybook mostly because of its design which looks almost like a book. It is very easy to see what the story is about and to navigate around the storybook. The introduction is also something that is a strong point. The intro not only introduces the story and provides the necessary background info but it states its intentions to the reader what and what the authors purpose for writing is. In addition, in the intro the first thing stated is a question and the author spends the whole intro answering that question and the rest of the storybook to prove their point. 

2. The second storybook I chose was The Epics of Food found at Paige's Storybook. I chose this storybook because it was much different then the others but just as important and interesting. Paige ties in the importance of food to the culture by associating it with important figures and stories. Paige gives a good background of each story in the introduction and includes a link to more background at the bottom of each story. I also like that the home page is by itself and has no other information on it. The different sections are very clearly labeled at the top.

3. The last storybook I chose was Tales of Davy Jones Locker. I chose this story for two different reasons. The first was because of the unique layout. The author allowed for the reader to jump ahead in the story on the home page but it was also clear where the beginning was to start at the beginning. I also liked the layout of each page because the images broke up the text like a real book would. The second reason I chose this book was because in the introduction the author is in the story, they are telling it as if they were inside Davy Jones Locker and it gives a great perspective on the story. 

Favorite Place

My Favorite Place: Berlin, Germany

                                                                                     

 
                                          (Berlin Cathedral Church: Wikimedia Commons)

                                                                                 

                                  (Personal Photo: Berlin East Side Gallery; Photo from July 2015)                               

   Since a young age traveling to new places, close or far, has been one of the most important aspects of my life. I spent the summer between high school and college traveling, most of my time was spent in Denmark but among other places I also went to Berlin. Berlin was a huge city where I did not know anyone and did not know the language, however this was one of the appealing aspects to me. My grandfather was from Germany and I had been to west Germany once, prior to this trip. I had always felt a connection to Germany and I felt at home the first time I went. My trip to Berlin was no different, I felt right at home with the food, people, and the culture. Berlin is a huge city but one of the things I loved most about it was how easy it was to get around. Walking and taking the subway to different places made it feel so much larger and more of an adventure. Another reason I love Berlin is the different food options, not only can you always find traditional German food but food from all around the globe because of its diverse citizens. This leads me to the number one reason Berlin (and all of Germany) is my favorite place, the people. All of my encounters with the workers and citizens of Berlin were nothing short of fascinating and helpful. Everyone was willing to give you directions or give you a food suggestion or, my favorite, share there story of how they ended up living in Berlin. I don't know if I will return to Berlin soon but I would recommend to anyone to go at least once!