10V

"Creativity Takes Courage"

Creativity is described as the ability to create something that is new and valuable. An example of being creative would be painting a work of art, or an idea, or writing a literary work, or writing a musical composition. 

This week in Inquiry class, our class was able to watch a TED Talk video (Link: http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html) called, “Ken Robinson: How schools kill creativity.”  It was interesting because he believes that children have a great capacity for being innovative and creative.  He feels that they have tremendous talent for art, music and also dance.  Our educational system does not promote creativity as much as it does literacy.  He feels that our educational system doesn’t encourage creativity as much as academics.  He relates this to our history and that our education must focus on work and what we will need to succeed in the future.

It was an interesting to listen to Ken Robinson's theories and he how he talked about our changing world, and how much education we will need.  He also examined how we need to promote creativity in our children by letting them using their imagination.

10I

#25. Find a quiet place on campus that is a good place to study if your home or dorm is too loud. Why is this a good place to study? Do many people know about it? How do we find it? Give directions and a photo reference.

Studying may be hard at times, so I walk to the Hilton C. Buley Library on campus.  It is located near Connecticut Hall Dining Hall and the Wintergreen building.  I enjoy going to the library because it is a quiet place to study.  Sitting in the library will not distract me from my friends, computer, television and music.  I set “library time” in my schedule and go right after my last class so that I can get my homework done right away.

Studying in the library helps me focus more and is also easier for group projects as well.  A useful and helpful tip I learned is to not sit right in the main area of the first floor of the library where other students are studying or where other students may see me and distract me from getting any work done.  To get more homework done, I try to go to the library’s “quiet floor” because it ensures me I will get my work done and not be distracted while in the library.

The Hilton C. Buley Library has their own website (Link: http://library.southernct.edu) which helps students search for books, articles, journals by title, DVDS and also eBooks.

“Hilton Buley Library originally opened in 1970 toward the end of Hilton Buley’s (pictured below) 17-year reign as president of Southern. He served in that capacity from 1954 to 1971.”  (Link: http://www.southernct.edu/about/construction/groundbreaking.html)

Southern Connecticut State University launched the reconstruction project on July 17, 2013 and the library will be under construction until 2015.  Here is a map of the library (Link: http://library.southernct.edu/maps.pdf) "It is going to be a beautiful building that will be the academic hub of the campus,” said Christina Baum, director of library services at Buley. “I really think it will be a more inviting and approachable facility for our students.”  (Link: http://www.southernct.edu/about/construction/groundbreaking.html)

After the renovation is completed, more students will want to study there.  “One of the important improvements to the facility will be the additional group study space that is currently in high demand by our students,” Baum added.  (Link: http://www.southernct.edu/about/construction/groundbreaking.html)

10B

About Me?
Writing an autobiography about yourself can be a bit challenging.  By picking a few questions from the list, I came up with a few answers such as my likes and dislikes and my own personal story.  Below are some of the questions:

20. Does anyone in your life regularly inspire you?

In my life, my older sister Linda Crawford regularly inspires me.  My older sister is a great example and role model for me in many ways.  She has been an important part of my life since she is my older sister and has always watched over me.  We swam together for various swim teams and she has always been there for me.  She has graduated from the University of Connecticut with a Master’s Degree so I also look up to her academically.

25. When faced with impending success or the threat of failure, how do you respond?

When faced the threat of failure, I strive to work harder. For example, if I am not doing well in a class,  I respond by being a more diligent student and working harder.  I set goals to do my homework and study every night.  Everyone is faced with failure from time to time, but you have to overcome it by trying harder and putting in more effort.  I definitely respond by trying harder and not giving up!

33. What is your greatest dream?

My greatest dream is to earn my Bachelor’s Degree of Communication at Southern Connecticut State University and then move to Los Angeles, California. I love warm weather and the city, so I can see myself living there.  I want to live in a beautiful home in the West coast and work for a big production company there.  I love seeing concerts and meeting celebrities and I hope one day I get to become an event planner, or even work for a famous celebrity.

10A

                                                   SCSU Events

My Midterm Video Project for my Inquiry course focused on activities and events at Southern Connecticut State University.  The activities that I video taped included a winning football game and an exciting pep rally, which included the basketball team.  The video was created in iMovie on my MacBook laptop and also included clips that I recorded around campus.  The video shows the football game which is an important event held at Southern in the fall.  To find my video, please click the link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjmG6SBGAxE

         I spent time at the football game talking about this event and interviewing cheerleaders and students who attended the game.  My video was five minutes and thirty-three (5.33) seconds long so it met the requirement of the five-minute long video.  In addition to fulfilling the time limits, I also had an interesting topic and interviewed staff and faculty who were a part of the events such as the cheerleaders.  My video was clear, positive, factual and to the point, and my voice conformed to the video while watching it.

My interviews included the following students and I asked them several interesting questions about the school and about themselves to make it interesting for the listener while viewing:

Paige Slack Freshman Cheerleader

Q: Do you enjoy being on the Southern Connecticut State University Cheerleading Team?

A: Yes, I do.  It is a lot of work, time and energy put into practices but it is so much fun.  I love being involved.  It is great to see the spirit.

Haley Samuelson SCSU Freshman Student

Q: What is your favorite event on campus and why?

A: Football games because it is great to see everyone come out to support the local teams.

Lauren Fredriksen Freshman Cheerleader

Q: Why did you enjoy the SCSU Cheerleading Team?

A: I have always been a cheerleader my whole life and throughout high school.  It is a great feeling doing what I love because it gives me a huge adrenaline rush.

Q: What do you do during practices?

A: I am a flyer so I get tossed into the air a lot.

Sarah Neff Hall RA Staff Member

Q: What year are you at Southern?

A: I am a senior this year.

Q: Do you like it here at Southern? Why or why not?

A: Yes I love it here because there is always something to do on campus whether it was a bus trip to Lake Compounce, Halloween event, or a basketball game.

I have a beginning, middle and end in my video and finalized the video on time.  The technology on iMovie worked great.  The audience can hear my voice very clearly and can see the videos.  After finalizing the video on iMovie, I shared it on YouTube and made it public (not private) so that other viewers can see.  I copied and pasted the link on YouTube to my blog account and made a new post with the link.  I clicked it to make sure it worked and everything was correct.

In my movie, I tried to keep the audience informed on some of the events held here on campus, as well as keep them entertained.  By using real footage and clips from football games and the pep rally,  I felt that I was able to catch people’s interest.  If I could add or change something in my video and if there was more time to revise it, I would edit the video clips I recorded and make them slower or add another event to the video.

My SCSU Events video told a story from beginning to end on what events and activities there are to do at Southern.  I feel that it emphasized the spirit that we have here on campus, how fun it is to meet new people and attend various events that are happening here on campus.  I think I deserve an A on this project because it meets all the requirements and is very exciting to watch!

Final Video Project

Below is my video project on YouTube.  The video was created in iMovie on my MacBook laptop from clips I recorded around campus.  The video shows what there is to do at Southern and why it is a great university to attend.
Click link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjmG6SBGAxE

9A

"Everyone Should Think Critically"

Southern Connecticut State University requires all first-year students to enroll in a critical thinking course called, “Inquiry” which is part of the First Year Experience (FYE) Program.  This class is important because it helps students become comfortable with college level reading and the skills they need in order to succeed.  It is called Intellectual and Creative Inquiry because it helps students get used to the college routine of reading and writing creatively.  This course is similar to a freshman English class or philosophy course.

This week’s vocabulary word is “Critical Thinking” which relates to my Inquiry class.  This class has twenty-two students in it and our Professor is Professor Guarino.  Every week in this class we have assigned readings as well as blogging assignments.  The readings are usually online articles and we take notes on them.  Reading articles every week enhances ones reading skills and increases their knowledge on new and upcoming topics.  We also write blogs on different topics to discuss what we read, see in school and do for homework including reviewing websites. 

Writing blogs every week has made me take the time to use critical thinking because I have to go beyond my initial response to an article or website and discuss why I liked it, or disliked it and then also relate it to my personal experiences.  It is something that takes time and effort in order to put it into words so that you can create an interesting blog.

I have been applying the skills we learn in Inquiry class throughout my other college courses because it helps me with reading and writing skills.  Thinking creatively and outside the box is helpful, even outside the classroom and in everyday life.  For example, it helps with problem solving, making better decisions, and redefines the way we see things.  Below is a picture of a "scavenger hunt" assigned in Inquiry.  It was a fun experience running all over campus with students!  The photograph was taken in the Lounge in the Adanti Student Center.