Presenting in class this week made me feel more like a salesman than anything I've done. It was fun using the flip-charts too. I thought the whole setup was great, class was really enjoyable. Class was not just fun, but I also learned how important it is to stand out.
Jeff had an awesome guitar bit as part of his presentation. His performance is the thing I remember most about the entire event on Thursday. The reason his performance was so memorable is that it was unique. Most of our presentations were very similar; we talked, wrote acronyms, and flipped pages. Even though there was a lot of great information, it has mostly melted together into one indistinguishable blob in my head.
So what? I’m going to be more like Jeff. When I am teaching, I will consider using unique methods at key points in my lessons to help my students remember the most important things. p.s. watch general conference: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/watch?lang=eng
The last week of my life was consumed by preparing for our report and presentation. I am becoming an Mcom prisoner! I want to describe what my experience was like this week, and talk about what I learned.
The project was on my mind all week. Because I knew there was more work to be done before a rapidly approaching deadline, I couldn’t stop thinking about Mcom. When I had a spare minutes and wanted to relax, I couldn’t! I either had to be working on our project or feeling guilty for not.
I learned a gospel lesson from this week. I don’t think I should feel stressed, but I think I should have at least somewhat of a sense of urgency about completing the project of my life. If I spent as much time thinking about the state of my soul as I spent thinking about my Mcom assignments I might be living with Enoch by now.
So what? Keep thinking about Mcom, but think about my soul more too.
So, this is super late, but I have a good excuse. When I first tried to access my go-react video from our first team presentation, I was denied access. I checked back regularly waiting to have access, and then stopped checking until this week and found my video there. Here's what I think after viewing the video:
I had no idea how much I use my hands when I talk. I'm more like a video than a speaker! I was so distracted by my hands the whole time. I can see value in some of the gestures, and think when used correctly they add great emphasis, but I overdid it.
It was also pretty clear that we didn't prepare as much as we did for our second presentation. We didn't interact as a team very well, and it was good to be able to see that on the video. I think we did a much better job of supporting each other the second time because of our preparation.
Cupertino Consulting met together via google hangout to fulfill our remote meeting assignment. It was a very similar experience to other remote meetings I have had. I'm involved with some summer camp programs out of the state, so google hangout is our preferred method of coordination when camp starts getting close.
I appreciate the ease and efficiency of video conferencing. I also miss the feel of meeting with someone in person. One of my teachers told me that at IBM, they have conference rooms with great cameras and projectors that allow for a better experience than a conference on a laptop. I would like to meet in one of those rooms to see what it's like.
When Prof Middleton told us she was going to teach us how to use a flip chart I thought she was joking. I thought it might be a little less useful to learn about flipcharts than it would be to learn how to use Fred Flintstone's car. Though I am not completely sold on the idea yet, I saw value in the flipchart for classroom excursions and group projects.
I love using the whiteboard while I am teaching, but I also love walking around outside while I am teaching. The flipchart might allow me to have my cake and eat it too. While Prof Middleton was demoing the chart, I imagined a nature walk with my missionaries where we were able to sit in the grass and do group work on our flipchart.
I also liked the idea of being able to write on a page, stick it on the wall somewhere, and work on another page at the same time. I think this could still be done on a whiteboard, but sometimes it’s nice to write on paper.
So what? Rather than converting to using a flipchart, I am going to invest in a large sketch book. I’ll have the paper available for the uses I want, and stick to Prezi for presentations.
Working on my briefing article has been like trying to tame a wild beast. I am struggling to sort through vast amounts of research and to focus on the most important aspects of my topic. I’ll explain what I am learning and thinking, and if you feel kind, you can give me some suggestions.
My research question is, “Why does the debate about legalizing same-sex marriage matter?” I chose this topic because I am a Family Studies major, it’s a hot topic, and I have been surprised by how many of my peers in the School of Family Life have responded to the issue. I am not going to make an argument for or against legalizing ssm. I want to explain why the decision matters.
Some major considerations about legalizing ssm are that: (1) government has a legitimate interest in protecting the vulnerable citizens we call children, (2) government interest in marriage is about social stability, not personal love life, (3) law is rooted in morality, and it is ok to consider moral values when determining laws, and (4) expanding the definition of the term, “marriage”, could make the word meaningless.
Because children are unable to protect themselves the way we expect adults to protect themselves, government has a legitimate interest in protecting them. Marriage laws should consider outcomes for children, rather than only considering the desires of adults. The debate about ssm is largely focused on the rights of consenting adults and neglects the consideration of children.
Why is government involved in any marriages in the first place? Why is marriage a legally recognized status? Government’s interest in marriage is about social stability. Marriage is a way to connect children with parents who will care for them and help them become competent adults. If marriage laws are changed to reflect other standards, the government should get out of the marriage business altogether. We don’t need a government friendship registry.
A common argument when discussing ssm is that moral or religious values should be kept out of the discussion. That is stupid. Why do we have laws against killing and stealing? Who says those things are wrong? Those are moral values of the majority. If most of the world’s population thought that it was moral to steal and kill, those things would not be illegal. Citizens who have moral arguments about ssm should not hesitate to use those moral arguments-all laws reflect moral codes.
All words are meaningful because they are more exclusive than inclusive. If the definition of, “spoon”, was expanded, it could refer to a chair, a tree, a person, a fork, or anything else. “Spoon” means something because the definition excludes most of the other objects in the world. If the term, “marriage”, is expanded too far, the meaning of the term will be lost. The term is becoming increasingly synonymous with “friendship”. We already have a word to describe that concept, we don’t need another word to say the same thing.
So what? Give me some ideas or suggestions if you care to!
The internet is huge! I don’t understand where it keeps itself and puts all of its stuff. In class, as we were learning going through the library’s MCom website, I was amazed by the quantity of information available. Reflecting on the vastness of information that is so easily accessible to us, I think of a statement of T.S. Eliot as quoted by Elder Oaks: “‘wisdom’ is ‘lost in knowledge’ and ‘knowledge’ is ‘lost in information’” (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2001/04/focus-and-priorities?lang=eng).
Information
Information is abundant. We have the resources that would allow us to acquire new information every waking hour of the day and still not make a dent in what is available. It has been estimated that it would take around 60,000 years to read only the books cataloged in the library of congress (Stefani, http://somanybooksblog.com/), and there is a lot more information available than in just those books!
Knowledge
Knowledge is like nourishment derived from a wholesome diet. As we analyze, ponder, and mentally digest information, we can obtain knowledge. Often, action and application will be required for information to be transformed into knowledge.
Wisdom
Wisdom can be defined as the ability to apply knowledge properly. Having the knowledge to do a homework assignment is not the same as having the wisdom to complete it. Likewise, having knowledge about the gospel and the purpose it brings to our lives does not necessarily mean we are wise. Wisdom is a choice.
So what?
As I study my scriptures this week, rather than gathering loads of information and insights, I will spend more time planning how to develop and apply the insights I gain.
