Dear Future ENG 304 Students...

Hello! First of all let me say that the fact that you are reading this blog makes me happy because it means that the University has not nixed this class- a blessing we should ALL be thankful for :)

Now that we have that established, I can move on to some important items I want to share with you - namely how YOU can be successful in this class. For ease sake I have broken up my suggestions into four main categories - all of which are extremely relevant to this course - and chosen three items I feel will prove most helpful if you heed them...

Managing the Client Project

1. Be yourself when organizing into groups - having a good group is KEY, and you don't want to misrepresent yourself and have to spend the rest of the semester regretting it

2. BE FLEXIBLE. This project has its roots in collaboration WHICH MEANS that there are going to be differing opinions and (at times) conflicts of interest. Do your best to keep your focus on the project and what is going to benefit the client the most versus keeping nit-picky tabs on group members and their ideas.

3. HAVE FUN. This is a semeseter long project and there are bound to be days when you don't feel like working on it but remember that this project is different from any other you have done because you are actually producing a product that is going to impact the community!!!

Preparing Career Materials

1. GO TO THE MICHELIN CAREER CENTER

2. GO TO THE MICHELIN CAREER CENTER

3. GO TO THE MICHELINE CAREER CENTER

ok so I know you probably think I am crazy but I PROMISE you the people there are INCREDIBLY nice and INCREDIBLY helpful and they will equip you with everything you need to have a killer resume, cover letter, and everything else you might need in this arena.

Handling Technology

For this class you are required to keep a blog (what you are reading now is a blog) as well as establish and develop an e-portfolio...

1. Don't be a techno-phob. I promise I am about as computer illiterate as they come but this stuff is b-a-s-i-c. A rudimentary working knowledge of the internet and an open mind is really all you need - and a little patience!

2. Don't be afraid of new things - you adapted to the New Facebook just fine I assume :)

3. Don't be afraid to ask for help! We don't all work at CCIT but there are people who do! And Mrs. Rogers is extremely helpful and understanding as well. USE YOUR RESOURCES.

Making the Most of the Class

1. Use your time wisely. Mrs. Rogers does a great job of letting you know when things are due so you have no excuse to say you didn't know. Follow her To-Do List and you will be golden!

2. Don't throw everything you learn out the window after an assignment is done - you are going to be in the work force the rest of you adult life - you need this stuff!

3. Put your heart into the Client Project. As I previously stated, this project is happening in real life. Get excited about making a difference!

Best of luck to you all!!!

Client Project Reflection

Overall, I have really enjoyed working on this project. In the beginning I was not really sure what to expect and I did not feel like I had a good grasp on what was expected but Ms Rogers did a great job of clearing things up.
My group has been really wonderful - such a blessing! I have been in horrid groups before and that is always a real fear of mine but praise the Lord He provided and we all work really well together. As a group our biggest obstacle has definitely been TIME. We are all super busy and so finding time when we can all meet has been a bit rough.
My group has been awesome on a personal discovery level as well. It is a habit of mine to think that I have to take on everything or it wont turn out ok and my group has really helped break me of that because of the mutual diligence, intelligence, and conscientiousness we share - a fact for which I am MUCH appreciative. The faith they have endengered in me will certainly aide me in future collaborative projects.
My favorite part of the project is definitely seeing how far we have come from the beginning and knowing that what we are producing is going to have a "pay it forward" effect - very cool and inspiring!

Dual Coding: like NIKE, your brain "just does it"

As we discussed in class, the crux of Dual Coding Theory is that there are (at least) two different cognitive systems operating when a reading stimulus reaches the senses.

The first system processes the written stimuli, the second system processes the visual stimuli, and lastly, a third system assimilates all the information to infuse meaning.

It is important to note that these two systems are involuntary, meaning that the individual does not ever consciously have control over this process. Simply put, no one ever says, "I am going to start processing the words I see; now time for the pictures; ok, brain, now it is time for you to work your mysterious magic and integrate everything I see into a comprehensive schema of some kind" - the brain just does it!

The NIKE ad posted on this week's blog prompt exemplifies dual coding theory quite well.

For starters, the words definitely jump out at you first, thus supporting the theory's claim that written stimuli are processed first.

[Strictly speaking perceptually, it makes sense that the words would capure the initial focus because they are symetrically centered in the ad and appear in color against a white background.]

After processing the words, my mind (as the theory would predict) immediately began to scan the environment surrounding the words/phrases I had just read. Although the environment was pretty stark as far as visual stimuli was concerned, I was able to pick out a door frame, a color divide on the back wall, and a small box-like structure in the lower-left corner. I also noticed that the "We Believe" phrase appeared to be written on a separate background from the white wall and that there was a sliver of color on the left side of this background.

Luckily, my brain does not stop there!

The final component of Dual Coding Theory came into play when my brain integrated all of the aforementioned stimuli and helped me to consciously reach the conclusion that I was looking at the door of a gymnasium or locker room leading out to a sports arena of some kind. At this point I infer that the words "We Believe" are written on one of those banners that team players run through before the start of a game and that the "Practice like Champions" is a phrase painted into the actual gymnasium wall - something the players would likely see every day.

Beyond this, my brain attaches further meaning to the scene when I take into account that this is an ad for a sport's brand company.

All in all, a fine example of Dual Coding Theory!

An Apple a Day Does NOT Keep the Embarrassment at Bay

I had a job this summer with a corporate wellness firm in Columbus, OH where, all things considered, most days went really quite well.

There was one incident the first day I started though that I will not soon forget..

I will try to make a long story short here:

Right when you walk in there is this big bowl filled with green apples which I thought was clever because they are a wellness firm and so what better business tactic than to promote health from the second someone walks in the door, right?

I made some comment about them and one of the ladies (Amy) said, "Oh I know don't they look delicious? If I hadn't had such a big breakfast I would snag me one!"

They certainly did look appetizing, but I too had had a big breakfast and was not hungry.

I went about my business, showing various clients to the appropriate rooms when they would come, getting coffee, etc.

Then it happened. THE INCIDENT....

One of our biggest clients was coming to visit to hear some of the new health insurance proposals and my boss had given me explicit instruction to "make him feel right at home" while he was waiting.

So in he comes.

I greet him.

I offer him coffee.

I offer him a seat.

He takes the seat right next to the apple bowl.

Knowing I am supposed to make him feel at home, I say, "Sir please feel free to have an apple while you wait if you would like".

He looks pleased at the offer.

He extends his hand.

He grabs an apple, dusts if off on his [expensive] trouser pants, and is about to take a giant bite when my boss walks out of his office and anxiously cries, "Mr. Kerpline, STOP!!!"

The whole office is startled and comes over to the area.

Turns out it was a plastic apple!!!

There was apparently some humor miscommunication between Amy and I in the morning because I thought she was dead serious about eating one if she hadnt been so full and they looked so real it never occured to me that she was JOKING.

Clearly, I learned a valuable lesson here: when in doubt - assume they are plastic.

This could have been avoided if I had taken a better assessment of the situation from the get-go, but alas..

Interview Reflection

1. Were you nervous? How did you deal with this? I have done a few interviews already so I was not too nervous. Also, I felt confident because I know the direction I would like to see my career go in and am extremely passionate about it. The fact that I know Mrs. Rogers and feel comfortable talking with her helped to =)

2. Did you get any questions that threw you? How did you handle those questions?
The very first question "Tell me about yourself" always gets me. I never know exactly what to say to answer that because there are so many things to say about yourself. I never know what aspects the interviewer is really looking for and what will just sounds cliche...
I handled this by trying to give a few tidbits from my personal life, some from my academic life, and some from my spiritual life.

3. If you could do the interview again, what would you do differently? I would probably have tried to be more aware of what I was doing non-verbally because I know that that can speak volumes and I wish I had been more cognizant of that.

4. What did you learn from this experience?

This interview really just affirmed for me that I do indeed have a huge passion for what I am seeking to do with my life and that makes me feel so blessed =)

Presentation Reviews

Let me start out by saying that I sincerely enjoyed all of the presentation and honestly felt that all of my classmates did a really fine job and truly seemed to have fun with their projects.
In particular, I enjoyed the fact that Ms. Rogers allowed us to choose something that we care about to present on because it gave me further insight into my classmates' wide range of personalities and interests.
This being said, I would like to say that the three presentations I have chosen to write about are not better or worse than anyone else's - they just happened to grab my attention the most based on my personality and interests :)

1. Rob Painter: Historic Events of October 3rd

I enjoyed this because it was very unique and unscripted. Rob presented it with the perfect balance of spontaneity, sincerity, and sarcasm - not an easy task! Well done, Rob; I will forever remember October 3rd.

2. Shawn Corey: Officiating Triangle Style

What drew me to Shawn's presentation was his topic of Duke vs. UNC - a rivalry that has healthily occupied my heart since I was a young lass. My older brother brought me to love the Tarheels of the early and mid-90's and I have retained a special affinity for them ever since because they stir up fond childhood memories of my brother and me.

3. Frankie Bennett: Marijuana

You have to laugh! I cannot imagine why he chose to do marijuana over every other topic in the world but it was hilariously unexpected. It leaves me to wonder how exactly he knows so much about it and why exactly it is so near and dear to his heart... Care to comment, Frankie :)

My Favourite Things

Since we have a free topic this week I thought I would indulge everyone a little in the life of ME :)

*these are in no particular order - aside from the order they popped into my mind*

1. Cloudless days

2. Eating half-ripe peaches

3. Eating ricecakes with overripe bananas and strawberry applesauce- no comments allowed until you have tried one prepared by yours truly :)

4. Seinfeld

5. Gilmore Girls

6. The color green

7. My nose stud

8. Getting dressed up

9. The smell of cinnamon

10. My roommate, Juliana

11. Making (and eating) my own Hummus

12. Running in the rain

13. Laughing til it hurts

14. Whole Food grocery market

15. Watching people sneeze

16. Finishing a run

17. Wishing upon a shooting star

18. Sitting by a fire with friends

19. Sunbathing

20. Watching "the light bulb go off" when a child learns something

The D.L. on the C.L.

Overall, I found the readings to be helpful and I more or less agreed with the advice offered. While the concept of having a cover letter is not particularly novel to me, I would be lying if I said I did not learn a few new nuggets of knowledge concerning them.

Here is a run-down of the new things I learned:

• An employer looks at the cover letter AFTER the resume ~ Not totally sure I believe this. It is possible but the article made it seem like an absolute. Also, I fear it downplays the significance of having a good, strong cover letter if you go into it thinking it is merely going to be an "after-thought" to your potential employer

• The resume is the place to highlight me; the cover letter should focus on the company and how I can specifically meet their needs ~ Seems to be a logical point

• Mass e-mailing/posting is pointless; unsolicited people do not really stand a chance - the best they can hope for is to be filed away (not thrown away) and miraculously resurrected at a [much] later date ~ I think this came across as way too strong, absolute, and pessimisstic to be considered accurately valid. While it does help to know someone at the company, I do not believe I am destined to fail at any & all attempts of being recognized by an employed human being if I send out my resume to several businesses via the internet...

• Take time to investigate the employer and his/her business - why should they invest time in trying to get to know me if I have invested no time in trying to get to know them? I really liked this point! It was not an angle that I had previously viewed the situation from but it makes complete sense!

• A successful resume should specifically and personally address (1) What the product [me] can do for the customer [prospective employer] and (2) What the customer [prospective employer] needs to do to buy product [me] ~ Not being a business major, I had never really looked at the situation from this "marketing" stance before but I think it is a really neat way to do so and will help me keep my focus as I think about what kinds of things to include in my cover letter

• The "Squeaky Wheel Gets the Grease" is alive and well in the workplace ~ While I can specualte as to the article's motivation behind making a statement such as this, I am not so sure I agree with it. I believe that it is important to "stand up in order to stand out" [so to speak] but I also know that there is a fine line between ensuring you are recognized and just being way too presumptuous and forward. If you achieve the latter while attempting the former, you will most likely not get the job. It is also important to consider the personality and atmosphere of your prospective employer - a "squeaky wheel" attitude may be valued by some and abhorred by others. In job seeking situations, it is not very often that you know enough about personality or atmoshpere to take this risk...

Taking all the articles into consideration, I would say the most helpful/useful section was defintely the Sample Cover Letter one because it is one thing to read about all the "how-to's" but it is another to actually arrive at a product that utilizes all the information you just gathered. Seeing an example helps make the final product seem less scary and more tangible!

Learning a Few Tricks of the Trade

After reading several of the articles from the blog prompt link, I decided that the two I found to be most helpful were "Worst-Case Scenario Survival Tactics for Job Seekers" and "An Interview Strategy: Telling Stories".

The issues raised in the "Worst-Case" article were particularly helpful because they were the kinds of issues that are not your "typically addressed" issues when it comes to formal interviews, yet they are the ones that can really make or break it for you.

Not to mention, I have been unexpectedly late to an interview as well as been called the wrong name and I would be hard-pressed to believe you if you told me I would never again encounter one or both of those faux pas at some point down the line in my professional career. I know myself well enough to know that the odds are not in my favor in that respect so I am very glad that I now have some ammunition (i.e. this article) to combat these very delicate interview situations.

Whatsmore, It is very awkward to be called the wrong name on numerous occassions by an entire board of people, hence, I found it comforting to read this section of the article because it reminded me that the interviewers are human just like me. They are prone to mistakes just like me. That doesn't mean they should not be respected (they absolutely should!) - but it also means that I need not be afraid of them or feel so intimidated by them that I don't have the courage to stand up for myself.

As far as the other article is concerned, it covered an issue I already knew about, but none the less served as an awesome refresher. For example, it is so very easy to forget the real purpose of an interview. They really are not suppose to be interrogations -if they were they would be called interrogations and not interviews!

This article put the emphasis on answering questions via short narrations versus stiff, rehearsed cookie-cutter answers - and rightly so!

Even though it sounds like it might be alot of work to prepare "short stories" about yourself, I definitely see where the article is coming from. By formulating stories, you are able to paint a fuller picture of yourself than can be generated on a paper resume or through cliche question answering. These stories will, in turn, be more memorable and help you to stand out from the rest of the applicants.

A clear win-win!

In His Hands

When I first saw the blog topic for this week, the gears in my brain immediately started churning out hopes, dreams, aspirations, and the like. As a matter of fact, within a five-minute brainstorm session, I had almost entirely mentally constructed what I envisioned the status of my job, habitation location, house, car, (significant other?), hair, clothes, friends, and family to be ten years from now.

As fun as this was, I had to stop myself.

"Why?" you might ask.

Well, I am going to put myself out there a little bit (hopefully not in an inappropriate way) and be humbly honest.

I am a planner- Type A personality would be an understatement. There are definitely days when it makes me gutt-wrenchingly nervous to think about dealing with things I have no control over. In case you hadn't already guessed - my future falls into that "no control" category.

I know myself well enough to know that, in an attempt to cope with this anxiety, I often convince myself that I can in fact control circumstances that I cannot. The mind is a powerful thing let me tell you. Sometimes it works - like during that 5 minute brainstorm "future extraveganza" I mentioned at the beginning - and other times I don't even bother.

ok end of background introduction -here's what I was leading up to:

I am a fairly new Christian (I just began my walk with the Lord last summer), and, as such, I never before understood the notion that really I have no need to worry about my future. Part of the journey of walking with the Lord is learning to trust Him completely and ultimately to surrender and lay everything down at His feet in full confidence that He will take care of and provide for me.

In one way knowing that if I surrender my future to the Lord [admitting that I have no real control over it because ultimately His will will prevail and I will be most happy when I am on His path] I need not stress about what will or won't happen, where I will end up, or who I will be with is a HUGE relief; on the other hand, I am WAY scared to let go.

This sounds crazy because I know that God loves me and that He is the one who knows what is best for me (even though I like to think I do...) but it is very hard to change your thought process after 20 years, let me tell you!

In light of this, I have been making a concerted effort to trust in the Lord more. I still definitely have plans and goals but I am learning to not hold on to them with the death grip that I have been. Although I feel like the Lord has laid it on my heart to go to grad school next fall and pursue a Masters in Mental Health Counseling, I have been praying that I remain open and willing to His plan for me.

I hope this doesn't sound like a cop-out for this assignment, I promise you I meant it in no such way. I just know that making plans and mapping out my life to a "T" is something that creates a stubborn hurdle for me in my walk with the Lord and I am trying to put more trust in Him.

Ms Rogers, please let me know if I need to re-do this blog if it is in any way inadequate.

The End of the World as We Know It?

The Web 2.0 video clip definitely got me thinking. It absolutely blows my mind to think how far techonology has advanced in the last 20 years - heck - in the last 2 years! I believe it is probably called "Web 2.0" because the Internet and all its associated technologies have expanded so much such their humble beginnings that it has become necessary to distinguish this era from its birth era.

There was a time, not so long ago, that one computer machine took up an entire room; now we have computers that are faster, hold more space, and can perform far more functions than earlier ones, yet are a fraction of the size. It really is incredible.

As amazing as this "technological revolution" is, I believe it also raises cause for concern on many levels. One thing that worries me is that technology in our society is advancing exponentially while the actual people who make up that society are not. As a matter of fact, the only exponential growth people are having is in the horizontal realm and it is called an Obesity Epidemic...

I have strong reason to believe the two are invariably related in a double-edged sword sort of way. Allow me to explain:

Where do people get ideas for technological advancements? Why, everyday life of course!

The vast majority of all (if not in fact ALL) ideas, inventions, etc. take form when a person has a need in his or her daily life and envisions a product or appliance that would fulfill that need in a faster, cheaper (?), more efficient way. BOOM. Advanced Technology is born.

The catch is that now people are sitting on their bottoms more than ever before because technology has literally brought the world to our fingertips - we need not hardly move a muscle.

Don't believe me? Just look around at the personal appliances you are personally a consumer of and ask yourself "Why did I buy this?" AND more deeply -"What am I using this to replace?"

The answer to that second question is where my real fear for the future of the workplace comes in. The more we "feed the machine" as the video so accurately suggests, the less we as humans are needed. That may sound harsh to some but, if you really stop and consider what I am saying, I believe you will come to agree.

Allow me to elaborate a little using an example most everyone will be able to understand:

First there were people.

If person A wanted to talk to person B, person A would have to stop what they were doing, go find person B, get in a close enough proximity that person B could hear them, and speak the same language as person B in order to effectively communicate.

Some time later, mail was invented. This helped things because now person A need not seek out person B themself, they simply needed to buy paper, a writing utensil, and a stamp and write person B a letter about whatever it is they wanted to say and the glorious Pony Express (or later government-run postal service) would take care of the rest. Person A and person B would still need to have knowledge of the same language.

After mail there was a nifty little invention called the telegraph, followed by the electric telegram. These two machines were quickly outdone by Alexander Graham Bell and his invention of the telephone. All of these helped person A and person B communicate faster and farther away than ever before , but -with the telephone -an important era began: person A could now actually voice a messeage to person B without being anywhere near person B. This concept resulted in many a business/industry boom.

I think you all see where I am going with this...

Now,not only do we have mobile computers and mobile phones, but we have phones that are computers and computers that are phones (i.e. SKYPE)! With today's extensive technology, persons A and B are able to see and hear one another thousands of miles away - even if they do not speak the same language (via internal translators). It is absolutely mind boggling.

But let me ask you something - how many of these super-intelligent machines have all but replaced one or more human occupations?

Yes, a human still has to operate some of the machines but others are, for the most part, completely autonomous. Machines doing jobs that humans used to do, hmm...

Small scale = efficiency

Large scale = down right frightening

How much longer before the divison between humans and machines is indistinguishable? How much longer until we are the machine? Are we already?

Another question to ponder - how much interaction/intimacy has gotten lost in the technology boom? Well, the decline started long ago. Refering back to persons A and B, we wrote instead of visited, then we called instead of wrote, now we text instead of call and webcam instead of visit.

Many people have jobs where all of their client interaction happens over the computer and neither client nor service provider ever actually meets the other. Keeping in the job realm- the vast majority of job posting, applying, and resume sending is all via the internet nowadays. No personal interaction required.

Maybe I am old fashioned but that doesn't sound like something I want to be a part of.

It is also important to note that employees prior to and including the baby-boomer generation are being "let go" to make room for new, young hire-ees who are web wizards. The entire dynamics of the work place is changing.

The rest of the world is changing too -and at such an EXTREMELY quick rate - that many are just getting swept up in the technology tide without even thinking about all its implications. It is for this reason that I whole-heartedly agree we must, as the video spells out, rethink everything.

Our world is changing and we must decide how we feel and where we stand on issues.

I believe it will be a sad day when/if people ever submit (consciously or unconsciously) in such a way that implies they are okay with a machine (s) dictating their life.

Hello My Name Is

Hi Everyone!

First- let me just say that I am really looking forward to learning about all of you!

In the meantime, I am going to briefly introduce myself. My name is Marie and I am just beginning my senior year here at beautiful Clemson University. I plan to graduate in May 2009 with a degree in Psychology and Health Sciences and then attend grad school for my Masters in Mental Health Counseling with a concentration in Christian Counseling. Ultimately, I am pursuing National Board recognition and State Licensure so that I can have my own private practice.

I was born at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio on December 15, 1987. I come from a relatively small family (just one brother and my recently divorced mother and father) and they all currently still reside in Columbus. Sadly, I have never had a pet and, though I want one, I fear it would not live very long because I really haven't a clue as to how to take care of them... I think a dog would be nice because I love, love, love to be outside (more than anything in the world) and it seems as though a dog would be a swell companion for outdoor activities.

To give you a little better idea of exactly what it is I enjoy doing, I have compiled a list of my favorite pastimes:

1. running

2. lifting weights

3. pilates

4. reading

5. listening to music and dancing [I, personally, have no musical talent whatsoever in the singing/playing realm but I definitely can appreciate amazing music when I hear it!]

6. watching funny movies (Jim Carrey, Jack Black, Will Ferrell and Chris Farley are definitely some of my comedic heroes)

7. scrapbooking

8. extreme sports [i.e. skydiving, basejumping, hanggliding]

9. Anything and everything outside...stargazing, hiking, laying out to get a tan, walking, camping, kayaking, you name it I will try just about anything once (minus any illegal activity)

10. traveling

This is by no means a totally exhaustive list of the things I love, but it is a good start. The above items are not in any particular order - it would be far too difficult to pick a favorite and I would feel guilty about relegating any of them to the number 10 spot...

To expound just briefly on my love for traveling, I have been to Belgium to study abroad and this past Spring Break I was fortunate enough to go to Egypt on an Educational Tour. Both were absolutely incredible, life-changing experiences and definitely wet my appetite to travel more. As a matter of fact, if I could have one wish it would be to be completely fluent in every language/dialect in the entire world so that there were no language barriers and I could fully interact with every man, woman and child.

On a somewhat less exciting note, I have some food allergies that get in the way of things sometimes: no dairy products and no white flour.

Well, that's me in a nutshell!

I would love to share more and answer any and all questions ya'll might have!

Thanks for reading,

Marie