It's all about you!

**According to my notes, we are 1/2 way through the semester**

This week we are talking about my favorite topic – me! Well, you will be focusing on you . .you are your favorite topic too right? Again I am attacking a topic that many of us do all of the time, but we all clam up when we put a name to it – Reflective Writing (cue the violins!).

Reflective writing isn't straight-forward description or conveying information (Moon, J Reflection in Learning and Professional Development, Kogan Page, London 1999.) What is it then? According to the Kentucky Dept. of Education - Reflection—the careful consideration and serious contemplation of past events for the purpose of evaluating or making sense of those past events. What does this look like? Diary? Blogging? Time when you want to write things down to help figure them out? Yes!

I think that spending 4 minutes with Parme Giutini from OTIS College will give better insight into the topic for us. Pay extra special close attention starting at 3:45 until the end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRF8whWLjqc


Otis College of Art and Design Teaching Tips: Reflective Writing with Parme Giuntini. The Liberal Arts and Sciences Faculty share their tips on a variety of classroom suggestions to improve the quality of teaching. and therefore learning.

As I may have mentioned, I do work as a photographer and have my own company. One way that I use reflective writing is by keeping a notebook that I enter notes about every shoot that I’ve been on. There are some technical aspects – like who was there, what was the purpose, what are the expected results. After the shoot I also visit the book and list what went well, what didn’t go so well, and why, and most importantly, if it’s something in my control – how can I fix it for next time? This book has been great in that over the last few years it’s been a manual of best practices that I can revisit to increase the chances that my results on the next shoot will be better than the results of any in the past.

For the purpose of class, you will focus on reflective writing because it can be integrated into your e-portfolio. If not by writing, do you have a process in place in your life to reflect on past experiences?

Also, your e-portfolio has a specific purpose, and is basically a device designed for sharing. How would your reflective writing be different if you were writing privately?

Lastly, offer your thoughts on the how you agree or disagree with the definitions of what is and isn't reflective writing as they are written above. How would you explain how reflective writing is different than description?

Standard end of blog warnings, disclaimers, and reminders still apply – Per Ms. Spraker, you do not need to respond to all of the prompts presented in order to get credit. You do need to sign your post with your real name that matches the name in Ms. Spraker's grade book in order to receive credit.

Byron Faudie

Your Foot's in the Door, Now Don't Put it in Your Mouth!

Hi Mentees!

John here again.  So you did an awesome job on that resume from last week, right?!  Now your phone is ringing off the hook and you have butterflies in your stomach because you did such a great job on the resume that every employer is calling you up for an interview!  As the Staples commercial says “Wow, that was easy!”

Well, now you need to start getting ready for your interview.  How can you do that?  Follow the motto of the Boy Scouts – Be Prepared!  This week, you will try something to help prepare you for future interviews.  Every little bit of preparation only works to help you.  I still remember my interview for an engineering position I applied for several years back.  I was seated in front of the interviewer's desk (the manager for the department), which was literally covered with electronic parts, pieces (broken and good), puzzles like Rubik’s Cube, and so on.  I thought “Wow, lots of neat toys, but he sure is messy”, but I made sure to keep my mouth shut!  The manager asked me a few of the standard questions, and then he handed me a cube made out of resistors (an electronic component).  He then asked me how I would find the total resistance between the two opposite corners. See the Resistor Cube Puzzle here.  Well, trying to jog my memory from WAY back in basic electronics class, I began to write out a bunch of calculations.  As I was writing, I mentioned that in a situation like this where I needed the answer quickly, I would probably just put a meter on the cube to find the answer instead of doing the calculations.  When I finished and gave my answer, he told me that although I had worked diligently, my answer was wrong.  I asked what the answer was, but he refused to tell me.  I left that office absolutely sure I had just blown the interview.  I went back to my office and looked the puzzle up on the internet.  I quickly found the answer, and called the manager to give it to him.  He asked how I had come to the correct answer so quickly.  I was honest and said I looked it up on the Internet.

Long story short, I ended up getting the job.  This manager was really not interested in my answer to the puzzle during the interview.  He was more interested in seeing how I approached a problem presented to me in a pressure situation, and what methods I used to solve it.  He mentioned that I showed good diversity in my approach through the logical calculations, my practical knowledge (using a meter to find the value), and my resourcefulness of using the Internet.  I held that position for five years before getting another promotion!

I would like you all to Log on to Perfect Interview. (http://www.perfectinterview.com/ucf/).  Once there, for "Your Level of Experience," choose the level that fits you the best.  Next, complete one "short" interview where the selections are chosen for you. Complete one "short" interview where you make the selections. Choose at least three areas you'd like to work on the most. Note the options of the "Alternate Response" and the "Coach" that can be used.  You may choose to either use video capture or no video capture.  Save both interviews.

For responses this week, comment on your interview experience.

You might comment on what questions were problematic. What were the strengths of your responses? What could you improve in your responses? How did you responses compare to the "Alternate Response"? What did you learn from the "Coach?"

Give one question about interviewing or a piece of advice that you've gained in your interviewing experiences.

Click on "Review Saved Interviews." Click on the "Share" button. E-mail yourself your interview if you want to save it and include the links in your posting if you’d like to share.

Here are some things that you might want to discuss in your comments.  Remember, you can answer as many or as few as you want!

• Discuss the results of your interview practice
• Discuss the best way to answer some of the standard and non-standard interview questions
• How to deal with phone interview and panel interviews
• When is the time to talk about salary?

·         How would you answer some stale boring interview questions like, “Where do you see yourself in 10 years?” and “Why should we hire you?” - and those do come up.

·         How might you respond if the interviewer moves to questions that are not legal to ask in an interview (sometimes done without even realizing, like, “when did you graduate from high school? (age), or asking about the origin of your name, or “how long have you been married? (familial status) "I like that accent, where are you from? (potential race).

·         What was the occasion for your last interview – would you share some highlights that helped you be successful?

Reference information:

Further information about informational interviews:   http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/2002/summer/art03.pdf

Information from UCF"s Career Services:  http://www.career.ucf.edu/UserFiles/File/Plan%20for%20the%20Interview/player.html

John Seybert

You’ll Never Make the Sale Unless You Advertise!

Hi Mentees, over the past several weeks Dana, Samantha, Byron, and Kevin have talked about what interdisciplinary studies are, critical thinking, integration, interdisciplinary research, and problem solving.  Once we get some basic understanding of those topics under our belt, we need to DO something with them.  As you work with your e-portfolio, you will begin to shape your knowledge and experience into a tool that you will be able to use in the future to help obtain that all-important career that you have worked so hard to land.  Finding how your strengths and experiences integrate together will help you prepare an awesome resume and cover letter to present to prospective employers.

In times of yore, a well typed resume on crisp linen paper was critical to getting your foot in the door of a company.  Most of the time you interviewed with someone fairly high up in the company, who actually took time to read your resume and valued the added effort of using the finest quality stationary available.

So what’s different now versus those “old days”?  It all depends.  Many companies now, especially medium to large sized employers, use technology to at a minimum pre-screen resumes for potential candidates.  Resumes are scanned by computer and compared to a database of keywords and requirements to match candidates to potential positions within the company.  When a match is found, those resumes are forwarded on to the respective departments to further weed out the candidates and set up interviews.  So as far as the initial screening goes, that fine linen paper and Harrington 18 point font are not going to make much difference.  What does make a difference is the CONTENT you put into that resume.  One of the things you will work extensively on in your e-portfolio is the content pages.  It is the type and quality information that you convey that is critical to a good resume.  It is best to know the company and position you applying for, and tailor your resume to match.  Putting down the fact that you were a lifeguard for last summer is perfect if you are applying for the Beach Patrol, or even a paramedic type position, however it won’t trigger the right flags for a financial advisor position.

I have been in an occasional position to read resumes submitted for positions within our company and give feedback to the hiring manager as to my thoughts on the applicant.  One of the most important things to me when reading a resume was the candidate’s spelling and grammar (did I spell that right?).  Since we no longer use the IBM Selectric and the Merriam Webster Unabridged Hard-bound dictionary to create a resume, there is absolutely no excuse for a resume containing typographical errors.  This is one of the most important documents you will ever create, a “sales brochure” to sell yourself to prospective employers.  Every computer word processing program available has some type of spelling and grammar checker built in.  USE THEM! There are many tools available to help you create the perfect resume and cover letter.  UCF has many resources on their website and the web is full of great resources.  Take a look at some of these:

Write Effective Resumes and Cover Letters

Write a Winning Resume with Quiz

Cover Letters and Thank You Letters

How to Write a Resume

Sample Resumes and Cover Letters

So now it’s your turn.  Think about the following questions, and respond to any (or all!) that you want to discuss.

·         What are ways your resume can highlight your interdisciplinarity?

·         What are some questions about cover letters you've have?

·         Share your best cover letter

·         What are questions about resumes that you have and/or share some advice?

·         Share any resources you've found about cover letters and/or resumes.

Getting your resume right is one of the most important parts of any job search, so take the time and use the resources available to give yourself that key advantage!  Share your thoughts, and don’t forget to sign your comment!

John Seybert

Let's get Interdisciplinary!

Hey there! My name's Kevin Pilsbury, and this week's blog post deals with research skills and interdisciplinary problem solving. The first half of the topic is a major one, because research skills are a necessity for the interdisciplinary thinker. The second half is an approach to problem solving that you may not be used to yet, but as you progress through Cornerstone, you will further hone the skill of interdisciplinary problem solving. These two skills will prove invaluable to you for the remainder of your life. Last week, Byron challenged you to think critically, and showed you that critical thinking is a valuable skill to the interdisciplinarian. This week, we're going to build off of what Byron opened up for us.

For me, the issue of interdisciplinary problem solving is a major portion of my undergrad career. My areas of study are in Writing and Humanities, while my minor is in Education. In my Education classes especially, I find myself taking an interdisciplinary approach to creating lesson plans. I think this is unique because often times, teachers approach teaching a lesson from their subject area. Example being: a geometry teacher teaches like a geometry teacher thinks. However, if your students don't think in that same manner, your lesson is potentially lost on them. If you approach your lesson using a blend of multiple subjects, you will instead attract the attention of multiple students. This is just one example of how I use interdisciplinary problem solving in my, personal, undergraduate career.

Research skills come in all "shapes and sizes," as they say. Critical thinking, as mentioned before, is an important research skill, because it allows the researcher to challenge every 'fact' that they come across. Critical thinking allows researchers to evaluate and weigh the different sides of every argument they come across. Problem solving exists as another critical researching skill, because it allows the researcher to first identify a problem, then form a hypothesis as to how they might alleviate that problem. Then you have a basis for what you want to research. Problem solving requires new approaches to traditional problems, which is where taking an interdisciplinary approach comes in.

Like I mentioned above, taking an interdisciplinary approach is similar to using a "two-pronged" attack to solve a problem. Because you're not addressing it from one discipline's standpoint, you are using multiple discipline’s strengths and biases in order to come up with an unorthodox solution.

The next major research skill is the ability to analyze and synthesize the data that you acquire through the course of your research. Through synthesis and analysis, researchers are able to determine patterns in their data, reduce the amount of raw data they have, and determining the value of the data you have collected. The final major skill in research comes in the form of dissemination. After you determine your issue using problem solving and critical thinking, you begin your research. Once you have gathered your information, you use analysis and synthesis to process your information and pick out the useful parts. Finally, using dissemination, you summarize and explain all of your research. This is essentially where you present the fruits of your labor.

Taking all of this into consideration, answer the following questions (Remember, you don't have to answer ALL of them!):

• How do we use research in our everyday lives? In school? At work?

• Which specific skills are used when completing a research project?

• How might these skills be translated towards future employment?

• How might your ability to solve problems from an interdisciplinary perspective be valuable to a future employer? Current employer?

• What's the best researching tool you've found?

Leave your thoughts below! Have a great week!

Don't worry, you're doing it already

Right off the bat back in week one, we asked you to “put on your thinking caps” and “answer questions” about your choosing your major, and how you explain that. Also, you were asked to “comprehend” an article about GAP brands and “form a conclusion” after “gathering pertinent information” regarding advantages of an interdisciplinary education. Last week if you look at the first picture, it asked you to “identify,” “evaluate,” and “blend” information in talking about the integrative process.

My name is Byron Faudie and I chose to post this week because one of my areas of concentration is education. Many people in the education business, as well as other disciplines will recognize the bold words as those related to the broad area of thinking known as critical thinking. This is the part people clam up . .oh no .. critical thinking!! (Runs screaming from the room pulling out hair) . .. but you've already been doing it, now we are just going to take a little closer look.

One way that I use critical thinking all the time in my job through what I call, “consider the source.” I work in the financial service industry and there is a lot of information that flies over my desk all of the time. People want me to know about the status of the economy, other people want me to know about what sectors of the market are ready to do better, some people want me to know more fact based information such as rule and law changes in the industry. The critical thinking that I have to put into much of this material to decide if it goes in the regular file cabinet, or the blue file (recycle bin, we're green) is who is behind the publishing of the material, and why do they think it's important for me to know that. Is this an ad? Who paid for research? What is the data really saying?

Critical thinking can be thought of partly as the sorting process of the brain. What am I going to keep, what am I going to pitch, what can I take a piece of and mix it with something else and put pieces of information together to make new information – draw different conclusions based on different versions of material presented.

My example focused on critical thinking in one field. The question for discussion though it, how does your critical thinking relate to being interdisciplinary?

So far we talked about critical thinking being fact based. My example talked about research, finding sources and reasoning. We looked at critical thinking as it applied to university studies. Another realm in the critical thinking world falls under ethics, values, and beliefs. These are longer term ideas that you hold deeply – but how did you get there? Why do you hold the values you do? – those questions aren't necessarily part of the discussion, but I pose them with the likely answer that you've determined your ethics, values, and beliefs using the critical thinking process over a long period of time.

As a way to practice, here is a critical thinking activity called the Virtual Philosopher developed by Dr. Wade Maki from the Philosophy department at University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

(note: It's Flash) http://web.uncg.edu/dcl/courses/vicecrime/vp/vp.html

Click on the link above to get to the Virtual Philosopher.(or copy and paste, I can't tell if it's hotlinked when I am making a post) The activity only takes a couple of minutes. I am going to be specifically vague because I don't want to give away my answers or thoughts on the activity until you've had a chance to try it and comment on it. In your response, comment on how the Virtual Philosopher scored your responses. What insight have you gained about your own critical thinking and reasoning?

Lastly, two reminders. First – in your response, you don't necessarily have to respond to all of the prompts – they are designed as springboards for further conversation throughout the week. The requirement per Ms. Spraker does not include having to respond to every single question posed. Also, reminder number two -- please sign your responses with your real name (this goes for every week). Ms. Spraker can't give credit to “UCFGRAD2010” or “STUDENT4EVR” - she needs your name for the grade book.

Have a great week everyone!