Self Reflection: Freshman Seminar 2010

This semester's freshman seminar class was definitely nothing compared to what I expected. Although I greatly enjoyed the lecture series and the various presenters, I was unable to truly enjoy the class due to various absents due to sickness and injury. It was also difficult trying to be placed in a group because I had missed the first day of class to attend to matters with the courts system. I didn't get my group for several weeks later and had issues accessing the blogs and Blackboard because it was stating that I wasn't registered for the class. I personally thought that the class would help us to learn how to get around and survive for our extended stay here at Howard. As a sophomore political science major, I still know various freshman who don't know how to calculate their GPAs. I feel as though maybe a compromise between the way that the freshman seminar classes were run last year and this year would be truly beneficial to the students. I think both the lecture and classroom style would be an interesting way to run the class, but I also understand that with the size of the classes it is not always problematic to run a course of this size in a classroom that can fit 25 students at max. Overall, I truly did enjoy the class and loved the wealth of knowledge acquired during the lecture series and am truly glad that the auditorium style was large enough that I did not have to try and override into it and be turned away once again due to constrained seating.

Dr. Dana Williams

The final lecture for the freshman Seminar series was presented by Dr. Dana Williams. Dr. William's main objective of her presentation was to discuss with us the various types and processes of how to conduct research in order to better equip the class with the material needed to complete our group presentations. Her lecture was entitled "Basic Componets of Research" and she gave the class various examples as to what topics we could choose to do our presentations on and how to go about finding the research. Dr. William's presentation was extremely helpful in clarifying any questions, concerns, and issues in regards to our group presentations for the end of the semester. She also went on to go through various blogs of students in regards to the course so far. Dr. Williams also discussed the syllabus with the class and the expectations for the rest of the semester. She elaborated on the specificity of the blog posts and other factors that would affect our grades for the course.

Peer Presentation #2

One of the student groups within our section decided to choose the Effects of Child Prostitution on Society, as their final presentation topic. They when on to explain how almost 100,000 children are being taken from their homes and lived and thrown into the business of human trafficking with many of them put specifically into prostitution and sex trafficking. Many of these children come from highly populated metropolis throughout the United States and various countries in both Europe and Asia. Many of these children are between the ages of 9 and 17 but the average age of the child is 13 when they are initially taken. The group also noted certain bills that have been passed in order to try and stop this shattering of lives, but in my opinion, none of them are really doing the job. I personally was intrigued by this group's presentation because I did a paper on human trafficking and prostitution a few years ago. It is so depressing to see the statistics are almost exactly the same with no new reforms in government to try and prevent this. The business of child prostitution is so detrimental on these children that many of them, both those who are lucky enough to get out of the system and those still stuck within in are emotionally and physically damaged. They are unable to get their childhood back and ultimately end up commiting suicide if the harass conditions and diseases of the system that they are in don't kill them first. I'm glad that the topic of child prostitution was discussed because it is one that rarely gets much light shined upon it for the world to see.

Peer Evaluation #1

One of the groups within our section did their final group presentation on sex and STDs from a not only a political, educational, mathematical, medical persepctive but also fashion standpoint. Then elaborated on the concentration of HIV/ AIDs within the District of Columbia region and how it is still a rapidly growing epidemic. In these few slides they broke down the percentage increase of affected individuals over the past few years and also how many people actually know about their status. As the presentation progressed, one of the members of the group talked about the political aspect of sex and STDs. In his slides, he explained one of the reasons as to why homosexual relations are so opposed to, because the risk and percentage of spreading HIV/ AIDs and other sexually transmitted diseases is higher. The medical perspective was also explained during their presentation. It is here that diseases, such a chlamydia, gonorrhea, and hepatitis B, were elaborated on. She discussed how they are spread, some of the symptoms of these diseases and their lasting effects if left untreated for an extended period of time. Another student then discussed the educational viewpoint on this topic and explained how sexual education classes or health classes are not fairly equipping today's youth when it come to safe sex. Schools are preaching about only abstinence and sexually transmitted diseases rather than safe ways to have sex if you are active. The group's final presenter talked about the sex and how it is being affected by fashion. Clothes for younger children is becoming increasingly provocative and showing more skin. She also noted how skirts are getting shorter, jeans are riding lower, and the cuts of shirts are being made to hug the body like skin. I enjoyed the overall presentation and learned so new information, as well as making known facts more concrete.

Dr. Carr

The first lecture in the Freshman Seminar lecture series was given by Dr. Carr. His presentation focused on knowledge, the wealth of knowledge, history, and wisdom. It was entitled Learning,Wisdom and the African World Experience: An Mbongi" and focused on the roots of knowledge and mankind. It was in Africa that many mathematical methods and sciences began. Dr. Carr then went on to give us a breakdown of Egyptian names, symbols, and terms that he continued to reference to throughout his powerpoint presentation. Dr. Carr also explained how the ancient writing form of hieroglyphics is one of the most advanced forms of writing to date and were used by the egyptians. The Greeks had actually taken their known from the Egyptians and even modeled their gods to mimic those of Egypt. It is in Greece that European history tries to tells us that all of these mathematical, scientific, and teaching methods began, but even the Greeks admit to taking this wealth of knowledge from Egypt and studying in their education system through their references in their work. The time constraint of an hour was nothing in comparison to depth of knowledge in which Dr. Carr presented the audience with. The history and information that I received in this single lecture quickly shadowed any form of historical teachings about African culture that I have had in primary schooling. His lecture left me begging for more and has definitely influence me to pursue taking a course with him before I graduate from Howard University.

Dr. Felder

For the freshman seminar lecture series, Dr. Felder was the guest speaker of the evening. Dr. Felder is apart of the United Methodist Church and is an ordained minister. For his lecture, he decided to inform us on the significance of the teachings of Jesus. Dr. Felder also explained how these teachings were more than just religious stories told by Jesus, they also go into depth about moral values such as freedom and righteousness. He then went to explain exactly what freedom is, the ability to exercise choice and is has ample consequences for every choice that you make. We are more than capable to make both good and bad decisions and a consequence of such a nature will be the result. Dr. Felder then went on to elaborate on the Garden of Eden and its existence in Ethiopia. It was through the changing of books and history over time by different civilizations that is said to have made people believe that it is not a real location but a fictional paradise. The Garden of Eden is indeed located in Africa because of the references to both the Blue and White Nile running through it. As his lecture progressed, Dr. Felder explained why we, as African Americans, were in slavery as a result of bad choices that ultimately had slavery to follow as bad consequences and the robbing of our history and culture is why we caught in such a detrimental institution for so long. He then went on to give an astounding recitation of the speech "Ain't I A Women?" by Sojourner Truth. This was by far my favorite part of the lecture, because when I was younger I recited this poem at an orators competition and it truly hit a nice chord in my past to not only look upon but reference towards in the future with a new spectrum of understanding. I enjoyed the entire lecture and was glued to the speaker the entire time.

Dr. Georgia Dunston

During freshman seminar, the guest speaker, Dr. Georgia Dunston, did a presentation on the Human Genome. I was especially excited for this presentation because I am a pre-med student and think very highly of Dr. Dunston. Her presentation was entitled "The Abandonment, Dismemberment, and Reawakening; The History and Legacy of Howard University." She continued to discuss the importance of the human genome and how it defines us as human begins. Dr. Dunston then went on to tie in our African roots to the dawning of the human era. The human race did indeed begin in the beautiful contenient of our ancestors, in Africa. As much as we may seem different because of the various shapes, sizes, and colors that we come in, all of us share a genome that is 99% the same as anyone on this planet. It is that single 1% that gives us such diversity. It was the expansion of the human population over various contienents and environmental conditions that account for this variation in culture and physical appearance. Her presentation encouraged me to become apart of the leading force that Howard University will become in the education and knowledge of the human genome in order to better inform the world, make medical breakthroughs, and influence social change to better benefit society and the world. Dr. Dunston also educated the class on the fact that we need to become more involved in clinical trials and case studies to help further the research of the human genome and various conditions that can effect the development and various of that 1% difference in each and every human being.

Dr. Segun Gbadegsin

During this week's lecture for Freshman Seminar Dr. Segun Gbadegesin spoke to us about the topic of Self Actualization and Communal Responsibility. Dr. Segun discussed how the African goddesses, such as Ma'at and Pharaoh Amenemope were in existence long before many of the Greek gods and goddesses that we hear about. I found this fact very interesting being as I am in a Classics course now that discusses Greek Civilization and how they claim to have been the founds of rhetoric and other forms of mathematical and scientific methods. In discussing these African gods, Dr. Gbadegesin touched upon ancient books and pyramid texts that predated modern concepts and ideals, like Mill's Utilitarianism. They were known as the principles of Maat. He then went on to discuss the importance and significance of not only knowing yourself, but also knowing your past and those who laid the roadwork for where you are now. It is through knowing your past that you can truly see where you are headed in the future. I, as an individual, was challenged to pay respect and honor to my ancestors and truly appreciate what I have and where I am now. To evaluate my character and hold others up in their endeavors, because a man of character is a man of wealth. Dr. Gbadegesin also stated that ,"good character is beauty." This statement is evident all around us, because some of the most physically beauty people in this world are starving in good character because of superficial materialistic ideals that robbed them of "their internal wealth." I greatly enjoyed and appreciated his lecture and look forward to hearing from him in the future.

Dr. Eleanor W. Taylor

On September 16th, Dr. Eleanor Taylor was the guest speaker for the lecture session and spoke to the audience about the group Hissaid. This group was comprised of various intellectual thinkers and scholars that had emerged from Howard University. She also went into detail about the various gifts or powers that a few of these individuals had and how that specific power was able to impact the world in some shape or form. Dr. Taylor went on to confirm that we students also have such powers that must be harnessed and looked after. As the lecture progressed, she gave us insight on some of the poetry of Langston Hughes, facts about Zora Neale Hurston, and Toni Morrison. She also spoke about the immense diversity within Howard's campus and throughout its student population both back then and at the current period in time.

African Burial Ground Trip

During the month of November, I had attended the bus trip to the African Burial Ground with the freshman seminar class. Although I was not too excited about waking up at 5 a.m. I was more than exstatic about the day ahead of us. When we had finally arrived in New York City and was able to go to both the inside and outside of the building, I was truly touched by what I saw. Those six graves held my ancestors. The pictures montage on the inside was the family that worked so hard to make sure that I could be a student at Howard University today. Those who slaved long, grueling hours and lost the ones that they loved because of a system to hatred used to fuel the economy of this so-called great nation. They lay there in those graves to remind us of how far we've come, but also to fill us with the spirit to keep laboring for better than what we have no matter what the obstacle. I truly appreciated the trip with Dr. Carr because it gave me a better sense of history and purpose in life. Going on this trip also showed me the amount of disdain and disrespect that people can have based off of the fact that they attempted to build an office building on sacred ground and didn't want anyone to find out. This is a clear cut example of the fact that the fight for equal rights and respect as a African American culture is nowhere near over and we as the next generation must continue in that struggle to make tomorrow better for those to come.

African Burial Ground

On October 23rd Thursday's Freshman Seminar course got on the bus at 6A.M and drove up to New York City to visit the African Burial Ground. Though we arrived at the museum late, the information presented was very interesting. The first thing that I noticed when we got there was the Sankofa symbol (a friend of mine had drawn a picture of it before but he only described it to be an African heart). What I learned of the Sankofa, from our guide, that it is not just a heart, but a symbol of the importance from learning from the past. What I also noticed outside was the hills in the grass that looked like grave sites to pay respects to the slaves who buried their own loved ones in that corner those years ago.
When my generation was being brought into the world, the discovery of the slaves buried there was being found out by archeologists. These slaves may not have had to work in fields and farms, but they started to build the huge buildings that makes up New York today. The burial ground was a place for these slaves to come together and pay their respects to their loved ones who have passed with a special ceremony.
I have lived in New Jersey all of my life and never knew about the African Burial Ground before I went there with my class. It's amazing of the information that you learn with being around your own race of people and people who have respect and knowledge of their ancestry.

Peer Presentation #2

Dazed and Confused presentation was about relating suicides to IQs around the world. Their presentation was well researched and the presentated a lot of facts and statistics from around the world, mainly Europe. It's very interesting that they chose this topic because I never thought about relating a person's intelligence to a person's depression. From their research, it basically showed that there is no consistancy between suicide and IQs. Personally, I believe that suicide is an emotional reaction to life and it can not be related to how smart a person is. The group brought up the main point that no matter who the person is, every person who considers suicide has the power to ask the question of 'Am I going to do this?' That means that no matter how depressed or how smart you are you ultimately have the choice between life and death.

Self-Evaluation

I had no idea what the Freshman Seminar course was going to consist of. At first I thought it was probably going to be a lecture course talking mainly about Howard University or freshman coming together as a class and discussing and presenting different topics pertaining to our generation and majors.I now know not to assume how a course is going to be or should be by the title given. For me, freshman seminar was a course that made me think about the importance of 'being true to myself' and having an idea of what I want to do for my future career. It made me think about self identity as a young African American woman and what I need to do to make sure that I stay here in order to get that degree in the end of this journey. Though I am a freshman and I have a long way to go. I realize that success does not happen overnight, but I hope for the best in the end of it all.

Peer Presentation #1

K.A.S.A de Blogs' presentation on HPV was the first to ketch my attention. The virus is the most common and can cause cervical cancer among females. Luckily, for girls there is the gardasil vaccine which helps protect girls from getting the virus and prevents cervical cancer. Unfortunately for boys there is not a way for them to get tested for the virus. Their presentation reminded me that it is so important to have safe sex with your partner and to get tested regularly. Also because the HPV does not have to be transmitted through sexual intercourse it makes it very likely for many people to be diagnosed with the virus. It also made me realize that it is important to know who you want to be sexually involved with since HPV is so common among people--espicially women: eight out of ten women have been diagnosed with the virus.
I was very impressed with the passion and message behind the group's reasoning for presenting this topic to the class. Being aware of STDs, HIV, HPV, etc. is very important, especially for the upcoming generation. It is becoming more and more common among teens and young adults so awareness of the diseases out there can be frightening, but as long as people take precaution and stay protected people will be less likely to have the viruses.

Peer Presentation

This group K.A.S.A de Blogs presented about the STD, human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is the leading and most common STD for young women between the ages of 13-26 years old and the most common effects it has on your body are genital warts and cervical cancer. I wrote about this blog because us a young women and men need to take extreme precaution to not practicing safe sex and know the stats of how this can affect your health. Although it's lopsided for men and women to find out if you having seeing as though women can be tested and men can not. Both men and women need to practice safe sex but also both can be prescribed the medication Gardasil but women can also take Cervarix. Gardasil is a shot that you can get from your primary care doctor and you get the shot three times in three month increments. STD's are no joke amongst our peers and around the nation so I advise all of my peers to take precaution because this is your health in jeopardy especially my fellow females. I'm glad that one of the group members was very passionate about this rarely touched subject because she had contracted the STD and felt the need to promote awareness and I agree.Because sometimes you can walk around and not know that you have HPV continue spreading it so go get tested and be ONE LESS.

Peer Project Evaluation #2: Life Changers

Immediately following K.A.S.A. de Blog was Life Changers, who had a heartbreaking subject matter that has always interested me. They were talking about the effects of child prostitution on society as well as on the young ones who are trapped in the institution.

First, though I cannot remember what the quote said exactly, I loved that they used such an honest and direct one. It was startling and really put me in the problem immediately.

Here's what I found out: The girls who end up being put up for sale are normally troubled in some way; homeless, abused, etc. The pimps who end up controlling these children introduce themselves as nice guys and present themselves as boyfriends. They house, clothe and feed the girls and treat them seemingly right. The girl already made vulnerable, the pimp forces the young lady to do as he says, which entails going out on the street and selling sex for money.

What shocked me was the typical age of such prostitutes: nine to thirteen years. I suppose this shouldn't have surprised me, but it did completely break my heart.

Just as I was thinking, "How do people get away with this, anyway? It's completely illegal," they gave the reasons the institution still stands with little police interference. Children normally have stolen identities, prostitution is a low-priority offense and even has police who participate in the debauchery.

My favorite thing about the presentation was the information they gave for the rehabilitation and treatment options and the honesty they had to say that there weren't enough. It made me want to get involved.

Moreover, it made me decide something about my career. As a music therapist, I decided I want to work with women and children rehabilitating from being on the streets. I learned from the presentation that this is something I'm passionate about. I appreciate them for that.

Peer Project Evaluation #1: K.A.S.A. de Blog

On November 4th, the same day I presented, K.A.S.A. de Blog (which I think is a really great name to begin with) gave the class their presentation on HPV, or the human papillomavirus. I had already known a bit about HPV before the group presented, so I was very interested in finding out more. And that I did; all the members of the group seemed to be very knowledgeable about the virus. I learned the following incredibly stunning facts: twenty million people are currently infected with the disease. Types sixteen and eighteen of the virus end up causing genital cancers. Eight out of ten women currently are carrying the human papillomavirus. The fact that really shocked me was that it can be transmitted through sexual activity, but you DO NOT have to be sexually active to contract it. This also frightened me, because this means that every woman and girl is at risk.

Luckily, the group talked about the part I did know about to help circumvent any problems, Gardasil. It's a vaccine that helps prevent HPV. The group listed the ingredients and told me certain information that I didn't even hear about on the commercial I saw for it.

The best thing about the group's presentation, I believe, was the fact that one of the group members was so brave about the fact that she has HPV. She openly stated that she has it, and rattled off the information as if it were second nature, and took all questions without flinching.

Overall, I really enjoyed the presentation, and learned a colossal amount of information that'll I will definitely be spreading to other women.

Interview with Faculty Member for Research Project

In a personal interview with Dr. Anthony Randolph, professor of music theory and composition, he was asked and answered the following:

Q: Why is it important for the music community to participate in relief efforts?

A: "It's important because musicians must prove that they are not only artists, but humanitarians. People think that musicians and other types of artists are too wrapped up in themselves to care about what's going on in the world. And this just isn't true."

Q: If the music community hadn't mobilized for the Haiti relief effort, what do you think the situation would have been like?

A: "It would have been exponentially worsened, because the artists who participated in the different kinds of relief efforts were very popular, and therefore got a lot of attention it."

Self-Evaluation

I had completely different expectations for freshman seminar. I thought it would be a class about surviving freshman year at Howard University and ways to make a smooth transition from high school to college. But I was taken by surprise with the approach of having groups and blog sites seeing as though it was about 250 of us per class. I didn't see how the group projects would go because I'm not too much of a group person and the class was so big but it all worked out in the end. I wouldn't say that this class helped me during first semester but it enhanced my listening skills and I learned a lot about significant members of the faculty in the COAS department. And although the class was once a week I felt like our time was being used adequately because in the end I did leave the class learning something new every week which i cant say for some classes Ihave either two or three times a week. But overall I don't see any tremendous length of growth because of the class but that was okay because it wasn't a high demand for work and like previous stated only once a week.

Peer Presentations

I chose the presentation on "The Effects of Child Prostitution on Society". This group talked about how approximately 100,000 children each year between the ages of 9-17 years old with 13 being the average age are being kidnapped and forced into sex trafficking, sex slaves and sex rings throughout the world. The children primarily come from dysfunctional families from popular cities like Los Angeles, Atlanta and New York City and in other countries in South America, Asia, majority of Europe and West Canada. I chose to write about this particular presentation because child prostitution is such a non exploited problem and because its such a low offense with no filed complaints and most times police cooperation because they enjoy the young children. You just never hear anything about it while these children lives are being screwed leaving them the leading problems of drug abuse, alcohol abuse, infertility, STD's, murder, pregnancy and suicide . This is a serious problem because its effecting our generation and there is no major help to stop these people behind this.I feel like the same way people support the HIV/AIDS campaign, world hunger and natural disaster relief funds is the same amount of work and aid we need against child prostitution because this is our future.The only thing that has come remotely close is in 2000 President Clinton signed the Trafficking Protection Act. But alternative ways we can help is reaching the National Human Trafficking Resource Center 18003737888, checking the offender tracking list online, urge the revaluation of laws regarding the top. And to continue to educate our peers like this group has done and report any type of suspicious activity you assume or know to be child prostitution.

E-Portfolio #10 Peer Presentation 2

The second peer presentation I saw was on the dangers of substance abuse. This presentation was interesting in that it covered substance abuse in colleges. The group began by explaining what substance abuse is and how present it is on college campuses. The presenters than spoke about the most prevalent form of substance abuse that was on college campuses, alcohol abuse. The presenters spoke of how dangerous alcohol can be and how it can affect students socially and educationally. They said how some students can only socialize if they are under the influence of alcohol and how dangerous that is because alcohol, when consumed in large amounts, is extremely dangerous. They then continued and said how it can affect student’s grades because students become dependent on alcohol and either go to class drunk or don’t go at all, which both are detrimental to student’s grade point averages. After this the presenters had us raise our hands if we agreed to certain statements. I was surprised at all of the responses to all of the questions and it was extremely enlightening on the dangers of alcohol abuse. I feel that this presentation was extremely informative and important to college students because new college students have not been away from their parents for too long, and without their parents to keep an eye on them, some students decide to cut loose and they may begin to abuse different dangerous substances. This group was very well spoken and used note cards and their visual aids well to keep the presentation interesting, and clear. 

E-Portfolio #9 Peer Presentation 1

The first peer presentation I saw was on vaccines and specifically the vaccine for HPV, otherwise known as human pappilloma virus. The group began by explain how the virus is spread, which is through sexual contact, and how it can not only cause the effects of HPV, genital warts, but it can also cause cervical cancer in women. The presenters also spoke about how HPV is different from other STDs, sexually transmitted diseases, in those using forms of contraception, like condoms, doesn’t fully protect against HPV. The presenters explained how many males can carry the virus without having and symptoms and they can pass it on to women without knowing. The presenters than moved on to the main focus of their presentation, the vaccine for the most dangerous types of HPV, Gardasil. I have heard of this vaccine before from their commercials on television, but I wasn’t exactly sure what it was for. The presenters explained how important the vaccine was because people could protect themselves from this potentially cancer causing sexually transmitted disease, just with a few shots. I was truly impressed by the passion and time and focus this group put in to their project and topic, but I noticed that the group only mentioned soreness at the injection site as potential side effect of vaccines. I know that vaccines are mostly safe, but there are cases in which it can cause serum sickness which is extremely debilitating and dangerous, but the group must’ve not come up with that information because it is extremely rare. I felt that the group overall did an amazing job on their presentation and I was truly impressed by it. 

Self Evaluation

From the very start of the course, I was confused.

It didn't help very much that I was absent for the first class, and had failed to receive a syllabus as well as a general idea of what the class would entail. Then after I attended the first lecture and the second class, I discovered that everyone else was just as confused as I was. People were even writing it off as a joke since it was so disorganized to some. I was beginning to not take it very seriously myself, but when I finally got ahold of a syllabus, I decided to actually work hard for the course. The syllabus was written very sternly and seriously, with a very strong mission statement attached. This motivated me to take the class as seriously as it seemed to take itself, and to not miss anymore lectures or meetings. I was even on time for them all, and took notes for a few of them, too. I was proud of myself for this, since I did actually find most of them slightly boring. Dr. Williams's lecture was very detailed and she spoke very intelligently and eloquently, and I was proud of myself for both paying attention and fully understanding her explanation of the research project.

The research project went pretty well, all things considered. We were assigned the project during some of my midterms, and I was very, very stressed out about them all. I was working on a particular paper that was a huge 15 pages long written in one week. Regardless, I was happy to finally meet my group and get things started. We all worked well together and put in a good amount of work.

Overall, though, the class itself remained an afterthought. I don't, however, blame myself for this. The course was only once a week, and didn't demand as much work as the others.

As an honors, music major student, I'm proud of myself for doing enough to (hopefully) pass the class.

African Burial Ground Evaluation

The trip to lower Manhattan to the African Burial Ground was highly enlightening and intriguing, overall. The day started rather early, around 6:00am, and began with some bus trouble. The bus I was on was the one that wouldn't start or had break trouble of some sort. Hardly anyone was sure what the problem was, but everyone was very ready to depart for the trip. When we finally did, it was almost seven, but we were happy to get on the road. I believe it was a four to five hour ride, and that entire time I slept. However, when I awoke my excitement reignited and I happily hopped off the bus to see the exhibit. After hearing Dr. Carr's (always enthusiastic) speech before going in, we heard from the tour guide. He was also very excited to impart knowledge upon the class. The exhibit itself was fascinating, to say the least. I had no idea the kind intensive work archeologists employed to evaluate the age, and occupations of the different people buried there. I thought it was beautiful that Africans of the time maintained many of their customs despite the oppression of slavery.

I especially found the film very moving and realistic. It made me proud to know that Howard University was at the forefront of the discoveries made for the burial ground, and that it took part in its existence today.

After the exhibit, of course, it was a lot of fun exploring Harlem and getting to roam around. Overall, I enjoyed the experience and I hope to visit the burial ground again.

E-Portfolio #8 Self Evaluation

I feel that over this semester I have truly learned so much about learning, and the process of it from this class. Though the beginning of the class was rocky because of the fact that I wasn’t sure what was going on and I didn’t know who my group members were or what we were doing our project on, I learned that I have to be proactive to get things done, and have them done correctly. I acted proactively and I was able to communicate my group and create the group, and the blog. In the beginning of the year, I wasn’t  sure what I was supposed to get from this class, but as I sat through the lectures and listened to these intellectual minds share their knowledge with us and coming from different disciplines of knowledge, I was able to see an important theme that was knowledge in all of its differences, can come together to teach the same message. Our class focused on learning and the active classroom and I was able to see that after listening to a few of the presentations. With the group presentations, I learned how work with other and how to plan out extensive things and execute those plans. I learned the importance of group communication and in the end, our group was able execute a great presentation on a topic that I was truly interested in. Though this class was not what I had expected it to be, I feel that I have come out of it learning something that I did not expect to learn.