13A

One more hurdle down. This was quite a doosey! With some very helpful clarification and redirection from Mrs. Record the ball finally started to roll. I think I would have steered this one right off the edge without that. The Review of Literature was a challenge but it actually provided the solid rock on which my Hypothesis can now stand.

I have a bit of a confession. When I wrote my Hypothesis, I worded it for arguments sake, I did not really believe my statement myself. I thought I was providing myself with a statement that would be easy to argue with. The Review of Literature turned out to be quite educational. It turns out there is more that one study to prove that working with the Internet can improve brain cognition, well what do ya' know! The processing of the information from the studies took a lot of concentration as the vernacular was quite a challenge. With all of this new knowledge I am having to reformulate the way was thinking on my own topic.

12A

This is my second 12A post. Just to make sure I get credit.

We received one of our essays back this week, lets just say I'm sure I am not the only one who is happy for a chance to do a revision. I was feeling a little defeated by the grade I had earned, all of my marks up until that point had been exactly what I had aimed for. This one however sure missed the mark.

I think along with my general education college is teaching me to allow myself to learn, sometimes that means I am not going to "get it" straight out the gate.  A life full of successes would be great, but sometimes the process of falling down and getting back up will allow for a deeper learning experience.

Aw, self help 101, I sound like a big cornball!  lol Oh well, it is a big accomplishment for a perfectionist such as myself to adopt this perspective. So revision it is!

12A

I am very thankful for all of the examples you put out for us with each weeks. They really do make it so much easier to grasp what we are being asked to complete.

I found the outline to be another helpful tool in processing the research information. I went ahead and ordered The Dumbest Generation and The Shallows, our Borders did not have copies. I was concerned that I wouldn't have enough time to read them and use them in my project. However I've decided it better to have them in hand and get as much information as possible even if I dont have time to read them cover to cover.

It has been a bumpy few days in our household. My oldest, Seth, had a pretty strong seizure on Halloween and had to go to the hospital. Although his neurologist said it is not necessary for him to go to the hospital with every seizure they have been sufficiently scary enough to warrant a call each time. I don't think they will ever become something that is not shocking.  It's times like these that I am happy to have had my work done a little ahead of schedule. Its takes me a few days to get everything back into order, in my own head, after things like that happen.

11A

My Annotated Bibliography is posted, whew! This was somewhat intimidating for me, mostly because I've never done anything like it before. I will put this new found skill in my back pocket! I will say that I do understand compiling sources first, it makes sense to make sure you have enough to work with before starting a project. The annotations also seem to serve an dual purpose. Writing those helps assimilate the information in the source you are drawing information from as well as informing your readers of your source material. All of the aspects of this exercise have led to a better understanding of the source material.

I would compare this assignment to walking through at tunnel. At first step all is dark and confusing. With progression more and more light is shed on the reasons we are asked to tread this path. Fruition comes with sunglasses in hand as the beautiful light of understanding is realized. 

Now onto the Hypothesis & Outline. 

Observations for my brother

Music is a very powerful tool in my life.

You know that old saying "The mind is willing, but the flesh is weak?" Both my flesh and my mind are weak. I think its not a quarter of a mile into any stint on my treadmill that my body starts trying to convince my mind to stop its crazy notions. My mind in turn spends the next quarter of a mile in agreement. This is where I thank God for giving me a spirit....... and an iPod.

You see when my body is adamantly barking at my mind to stop this foolish running business it is my spirit that takes over. In the music, my spirit finds courage. As if lending it wings and breaking the chains of mind and body. Be it the frivolity of Hayden's Trumpet Concerto, the blatant rebellion of Pink, or the vocal prowess in Mozart's Don Giovanni, something in there propels me forward. It is the willingness of the spirit that silences the complaints of the body, it mutes the rationalizations of the mind and allows me to continue, one more step closer to my goal.

10A

Site creation was not so bad, I think the most challenging part was picking the background color and remembering this is a research site... be dazzler not needed. With that under my belt I decided to start on week 11....cue scary music....Annotated Bibliography....echo, echo, echo.

I asked my husband, who fancies himself a professor, (he teaches PT at the COS Fire Academy) Do you know what a bibliography is? His reply,  "Isn't that a story about somebody?" me: "No dear, that is a biography" Oh well, so much for professional intervention.

With immense gratitude I  would personally like to send a shout out to the large tree that has given its life so that I can print all of my research. Without you retention would be impossible. My brain is still old school, I need ink on paper to attain proper absorption. On the up side, the stress of this task has chased me back to my treadmill. There is nothing like physical exertion to relieve stress and refocus the mind. Looking at the weeks ahead I should be well trained for our annual Thanksgiving day 5K. Yeah Me!

8B

The intrinsic value of this weeks subject matter was somewhat  lost on me.  I just could not get my brain to absorb the "Writing in the Sciences" and the "Activists" chapters. I suppose it is my pre-occupation with the upcoming essay and research project that are standing in the way.

I was having trouble finding applications for this weeks information in my own life. The young republican in me has long ago surrendered her political passions to other avenues of dedication, namely parenting. To say nothing of the life experience that seems to have grayed those once black and white lines.  I do believe politics are important as they shape policy that will eventually affect my children,  it's just that I only have so much capacity for information. With my max occupancy challenged daily it's no wonder that some details face certain, if not unintentional, eviction.

My proverbial cup does indeed runnith over........ with information. I see myself with a giant fish net in each hand, weaving side to side, valiantly trying to catch the overflowing information, like soccer schedules, dentist appointments, and when exactly was our last "date night?"

Somewhere in that picture my research topic is starting to develop.  Perhaps  "The Affects of Information Overload on Overloaded Mothers with Information Deficit Disorder".... hmmm... might need some revision, don't ya think?