Assignment 15

What I would say to a new student taking English 311 is that the class is nothing like you expect it to be. I feared this class for the simple fact is that I am not very knowledgeable in the English area. I was scared of not succeeding and not finishing the class. Fortunately, I hung in there and learned so much to be a success in the future. I am very grateful for the opportunity to have been in this class.

Assignment #14

The Service Learning Experience was great in developing myself as a person. In my previous blog I spoke about the importance of volunteering in our community. The learning objection in the course was outlined very well and these 15 weeks has taught me a lot. I have learned a lot about my community and it helps me to determine how my future goals will be benefit me as a person by continuing to be an active part of the community. My son and I have both made a commitment to being involved.

Assignment #13

SLP

In my SLP I learned a lot about the different volunteering that goes on in our community. Not just from my own but from others. There is a great need for service and it helped to be a part of it. There is a need on a local level that is unimaginable. I have seen first hand that food banks, hospitals, and other outreach centers in the Lansing area. Making a commitment to our community is something that makes your self worth valuable.

Assignment #12 Small group projects

The group projects gave us to chance to work with different people in my class. It was good to get other ideas and the groups that I worked with all pitched in with information. They would focus on working on the task at hand. I really enjoyed the different people that I met in my class and the things we learned.

Assignment #11

Posted diigo list on collaboration to my blog.

Individual Technical Definition

By being in this 311 class we did things I never expected. I learned a lot about the things I can do and one was creating a web design. I know this was written before we did our business, but this was something I thought I would never do. The internet is so full of information that it can only make you want to try something new. "Think out of your box".

Assignment #7

Strategies to make consistent language choices:

For my PLCR the interview that I did with Jane Crowner did not enlighten me to a cultural language in the packaging field. There were many facets to the packaging field and without knowing if I will specialize in the food industry or being in physics. The jargon will definitely be different.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Habit 1: Be Proactive

Being proactive is something I associate with finishing school. I have been a student on and off for many years and now I am trying very hard to stay focused and finish what I have started many years ago. By going over the 7 habits it has left me feeling very positive in my effort.
Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind

This has never been a problem. I always have the vision of the end I just need to be patient and consistent with my decisions.

Habit 3: Put First Things First
Organizing myself is very difficult. I think I would be more successful with things in my life.
Habit 4: Think Win/Win
Competitiveness is something I enjoy. I always want to be a winner in the things I do.
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
I really need to read this book. I see a lot of these habits in my personal life. In everything I do I want to be understood (especially in a relationship). In writing this blog I see where I this book will definitely be of great help.
Habit 6: Synergize
I may be turning this into a personal relationship verses developing myself. But by trusting in anything you do you can only have success.
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw
I think this habit speaks for itself.

PLCR

The PLCR project started really well for me. I had a wonderful interview at Michigan State University with Jane Crowner and the excitement was really there. Unfortunately, there were some changes in my like and the second half of this semester has been a real challenge. I hope to maintain and keep plugging away.

SLP

I am really excited about my Service Learning Project I will be working with Sparrow Hospital/St. Lawrence to draft a brochure to recruit Volunteers for the gift shop. They currently have over 1600 Volunteers between the two hospitals and are always looking to increase. The gift shop is in need of recruitment and this will hopefully give them something to help with that need.

The Volunteer program has a long history which began in 1896 and was known as the Women's Hospital Association. This is how the hospital first got started and became what it is today. I hope I will be able to create a brochure that will be worth wild and rewarding.

Behavior in the workplace, professionalism and how social networking tools fit into this mix

Online has become one of the new way of communicating. Networking has been given a new face in the world today. You can virtually do anything online that was once something you had to do in person. Behavior in the workplace is not something that is just something visible. It can also be seen on the internet. Social networks like Myspace, Facebook, etc. can say quite a bit about your character that may not be very favorable. Some. of these networks can be used for positive outcome and can lead to great potential.

I have enjoyed "making over" myself and having a more professional image that will hopefully lead to opportunities.

Identity Strategies

Last week in class we had an assignment to Google our names and see what we could find out about ourselves. Fortunately (or unfortunately) I have a very common name and there were more than 3 million hits. For some of my classmates they were not so lucky. They had some of their private information shared on the internet. A plethera of information and knowledge is stored on the internet and some of it may not be something that you are wanting the world to know about you. This is why it is important to manage your professional online identity.

Since this assignment was done in a school setting we all have one thing in common. We are all hoping to become graduates in something and look for some type of career for our future. Our online identity is a new way for potential or future employees to find out information about you. In a world where the job market has become very competitive it is important that you are leading with your best foot forward. In watching Adrienne Youtube video she outlined some key factors in how to develop a professional online identity. It is important that you put things out there that are presentable to be seen and if they are not set your accounts to a private status. I found a short article on Identity Construction of Facebook. Maybe that will help others.

Abstract

Early research on online self-presentation mostly focused on identity constructions in anonymous online environments. Such studies found that individuals tended to engage in role-play games and anti-normative behaviors in the online world. More recent studies have examined identity performance in less anonymous online settings such as Internet dating sites and reported different findings. The present study investigates identity construction on Facebook, a newly emerged nonymous online environment. Based on content analysis of 63 Facebook accounts, we find that the identities produced in this nonymous environment differ from those constructed in the anonymous online environments previously reported. Facebook users predominantly claim their identities implicitly rather than explicitly; they “show rather than tell” and stress group and consumer identities over personally narrated ones. The characteristics of such identities are described and the implications of this finding are discussed.

Article Outline

1. Introduction

2. Literature review

3. Focus of the present study

4. Methods

5. Results

5.1. Facebook audiences

5.2. Modes of identity construction

5.3. Types of identity claims

6. Discussion

Acknowledgements

Appendix 1. Rules for coding Facebook pages (abbreviated)

References

References

Zhao S., Grasmuck S., Martin J. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2008.02.012

Identity construction on Facebook: Digital empowerment in anchored relationships

(2008) Computers in Human Behavior, 24 (5), pp. 1816-1836.

The 5 hardest interview questions:

#1 What are your strengths and weaknesses?
This question can be very difficult to answer. Especially in a tough economy it is very important to make yourself stand apart from other candidates. Selling yourself can sometimes feel like your being over confident, but sometimes it is necessary. I answered this question by stating some to the point facts. I feel that my strengths are being a team player, loyal, dedicated to achieving the goal or task that is put before me. Some of my weaknesses is that I tend to want to control the situation/project and take more of a lead. I also like everyone to take some part of a task and not everyone may not be on board. I have to step back and let people work on what is best for them.

#2What qualities can you bring to our company?
This question needs to be honest and forthcoming without sounding conceded. My response would be I am honest, loyal, and hard working. My organizational skills allow for effective time management. I am also someone who believe in leading by example. (I would then give an example). I feel these skills bring a positive work environment.

#3Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
There are many different phrases for this one. It could be 6 months to 10 years. I have always been told to answer honestly, but also answer to make yourself stand out. I see myself building a career with this company. With the client contact and the new business that has been generated I have trained my staff to always step into my shoes. I hope to have more of a trainer or leadership role with the company within that time frame.

#4How do you resolve conflict?
To be an effective leader you must listen to all sides of the situation. What are the factors and is there a way for resolution that makes sense. It is not always fun to be the leader but certain situations may cause for some sort of corrective action if necessary.

#5Why did you leave your last job?
Being honest is the most important. I was let go due to the fact that I inadvertently gave information to a husband that was not listed on the account and only the wife was. This information had also been given by others but because I knew the customer the situation was to have my employment end.

Jennifer Marshall-Introduction

Her name is Jennifer Marshall and she is in her third semester at Davenport University. Her major is business with an emphasis and finance. So far she has found the University to be challenging and rewarding. As her classes begin to get more difficult her need to succeed becomes her motivation. She has also taken advantage of some of the opportunities that Davenport has to offer such as being a part of the work study program at St. Lawrence Hospital.

In her spare time she is a single mother to a twelve year old boy named Caleb. This is one of the greatest joys and hardest work that she has encountered by being a single parent, but very worthwhile. Some activities they enjoy are camping, traveling, playing games, and other family adventures. She hopes by working and studying hard these traits will be instilled in her son as he becomes an adult,