Reflections on Week 1

1. I believe that this year I do have some factors that may affect my participation in the class or the course itself as a whole. First off, I feel like my biggest set back at this point is not having access to my blog on a daily basis. Right now, my computer has decided to crash and therefore I am constantly having to borrow my brothers or use a family members which can sometimes be difficult because they need access to the equipment as well. However, I am in the process of getting a reliable laptop and hope to have this problem fixed rather quickly. With that said, I also do not have access to the internet through my phone and therefore I cannot participate in class circumstances where we shall need the internet. Also, this hinders my experience because I will not be able to constantly check the blog for updates nor will I receive updates if anything should change after my class period. Because I am licensed, transportation should never be an issue but again, my schedule is going to be hectic. With the course load I took on while also trying to balance softball and volunteering as well as 4-H into my schedule its not going to be easy. On the other hand, I did put myself into this position and will always keep my academics my number one priority.

2. My best and by far most memorable learning experience was sophomore year when I had asked my best friend whom was graduating from another high school what it was like knowing that everything we've been used to and the routine of a daily school life was changing and she responded saying that it was scary but because it was scary she knew that she was taking a risk. She said that if something doesn't scare you than your not doing something right and your don't have anything worth losing. Even to this day we remain best friends and as our application process comes up I always keep what she said in the back of my mind. If what I'm doing doesn't scare me, than what I'm doing isn't worth it. Unless there is a risk there isn't satisfaction.

3. This year, I am really excited that I am learning a new way to learn. I love that I am being exposed to different formats of learning and that I am also getting used to the constant reliance on technology in place of a pencil and paper. With that said, this class also concerns me because I am in unfamiliar territory and because of that, I'm not necessarily in my comfort zone. Open Source Learning, when you think about it, is very practical in comparison to the real word, especially in a college atmosphere. In many cases were going to be given assignments and there not going to be 'due' or 'mandatory' yet its on ourselves to follow through with our course work and do what needs to be done in order to succeed.