Time Management for Projects

My time management for this video project so far has not been very good at all. I started working on the project last Tuesday night and since I didn’t have any videos or interviews to put it in yet, I did not get very far on it. Since then, I’ve honestly only put in about 20 more minutes of time working on it. Usually, I would have most of it done by now, but with all the other midterms and homework I have been focusing on, I let this project get pushed to the back of my mind and I regret it because now I’m getting worried that I won’t have it done by the due date. Today I did ask one teacher for some opinions on the topic, so I plan on adding those quotes to the video. I still have to record some students talking about critical thinking and what it means to them, and then it will be smooth sailing from there.

As for how many hours I have spent on this project so far, I have spent about an hour gathering materials for the video and 20 minutes troubleshooting and making the video. I expect to put in a couple more hours once I have finished gathering all the materials I need. For a better result, I obviously could have already gotten most of my interviews done and actually added them to the video. I am usually good at working under pressure, so I am sure that I will be able to get this video done on time and have it actually turn out ok.

Video Project (Problems, etc.)

For the midterm video project, I have not encountered any technical problems or anything like that keeping me from working on this project. I had to make two videos using iMovie in high school, so using the program is pretty simple for me. I guess the only problems I could say that I have been having are trying to think of ways to make the video creative and different from everyone elses, but I think that once I have all of the interviews and quotes that I need to put in, I will be able to come up with something.

Critical Thinking Video Project

I just started working on my midterm video project and so far I only have a definition i found online of what critical thinking is and one quote by another freshman on what they think critical thinking is and why it is important. I am planning on recording two other students on their responses to what critical thinking is and why it is important, and I am still thinking of ways to expand on that and get some different answers from people. I will ask two professors how critical thinking is a good thing to have after you finish college and how a student that shows they use critical thinking is different from other students. I will also include some information on critical thinking somewhere in the video. I am a little worried about my video making it to the 8 minute mark, so hopefully I will be able to get enough information to do that.

The SCSU Library and Critical Thinking

“Critical thinking: what every person needs to survive in a rapidly changing world.”

My inquiry class visited the library on campus last week to learn about critical thinking and it is a very important thing for college students. You need to think about things in a much broader way than you did in previous years at school. I looked for an article that would help guide students on how to improve their critical thinking skills.

1. Think creatively. This enhances your ability to think critically. As you become better at this, you can find ways to challenge yourself.

2. Play critical thinking games like chess. You might not think that just by playing a game like chess that you could be improving your brain skills. Also, games like Sudoku increase your critical thinking skills.

3. The Socratic Method. “This considers disciplined questions or inquiries that trigger critical thought to answer.” (1) You examine current event topics, politics and religions.

Critical thinking will not only be helpful to you during your college years but for the rest of your life. I am glad that my inquiry class went to the library to learn about critical thinking because it made me realize how much you really need this skill for not only college classes but also getting a job in the future and having important skills in the work place. A lot of things we do during the day involve critical thinking, even when you least expect it!

Look online or go to your library to find out more about critical thinking!

Bibliography:

1. http://philosophy.hku.hk/think/critical/improve.php

2. McGuire, Lauren A. "Improving Student Critical Thinking and Perceptions of Critical Thinking through Direct Instruction in Rhetorical Analysis." Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences 71.7 (2011): 2318. MLA International Bibliography. EBSCO. Web. 10 Oct. 2011.

Stress Relief

I always hear people talking about how stressed they are. Even my 9 year old sister comes home from school saying she is stressed... I don't even think I knew what being stressed meant when I was her age. I don't usually tend to get too stressed about anything, unless I completely forgot to do a major homework assignment or I know I'm going to get in trouble or something like that. I find that I do get stressed about small things like making friends or starting at a new school, so it was pretty bad at the beginning of this school year but since then I haven't really been stressed about much so for this blog, I can't really say that I've done anything lately to relieve stress because I have not been stressed. But for those people that do get really stressed all the time, I went online and looked up some stress relief methods! http://helpguide.org/mental/stress_management_relief_coping.htm

Staying Healthy in College

When I think about college, being healthy doesn't exactly come to my mind. But now that I am thinking about it, it's a very important thing. You don't want to miss class and have to make up work and try to get all the notes you missed from someone and risk getting really behind in your studies. I didn't really know of any perfect ways to stay healthy while at college, the only thing I do is work out every night when I get home, so I looked up ways to stay healthy and I found this website to be very helpful: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/stay-healthy-college/. This website tells you exactly what you should eat in college dining halls, how to exercise while in college, manage stress and how the amount of sleep you get can effect your health. As a commuter, I don’t have to worry about most of the things normal college kids do since I don’t eat every meal at the dining hall or another food place on campus, but that also doesn’t mean I’m eating any healthier than the people living on campus do. I also probably have better sleep habits than most people living at college because I have no distractions like roommates or things going on in the dorms.I think every college student should try to be as healthy as they can so they don’t miss class and have a great college experience.

Campus Safari!

#7 - the SCSU Fitness Center

Southern's fitness center is a great place to go to work out in your free time. When you get a membership, tons of fun fitness classes like zumba and yoga are included! It is located right in the student center and is open from 7am to 10pm Monday through Thursday, 7am to 8pm on Friday, 9:30am to 4:30pm on Saturday and 2pm to 7pm on Sunday. The fees are $60 for one semester or $120 for two semesters, but starting October 17th students can join for $35! The fitness center has every piece of equipment you could possibly need to use. Since I am a commuter, I don't think I would use the gym much, but if I were living at Southern I would definitely consider it!

For more information on the SCSU fitness center, go to http://www.southernct.edu/fitnesscenter/.