Learning Profile

The overall summary of the text, that we read this semester in student connect, is helping the college student mesh his first year in college. The chapters helped us learn how to organize our lives and what steps we can take to get the tasks done that are needed. It also helps us prioritize our lives by making us contemplate what is most important to us. The chapters even taught us how and what are the best ways that we as students learn. This knowledge will help in the decision making of our career chioces. Wether you learn better by reading the text alone by yourself, or maybe your better at more of a hands on type learning are big factors in what kind of a career you should look into. College is all about learning the materials needed to further your career in whatever you decide, and knowing your best assets is important.

I myself learn better by more of ahands on type learning. I would rather see someone else show me how to do it before I can fully understand what is being talked about. This in my opinion is kind of a weakness, but knowing this is how I learn is my strength as a learner, and helps me in my classes. This type of learning, in my opinion, helps tremendously in mathematics. Seeing how a problem is done then being able to do the problem right after that. I have always been i logic type thinker, and mathematics involve huge amounts of logical thinking. This is also why i have decided to go into pre-engineering here at Butler. If anybody was having trouble with mathematics i would definantly be able to help them or show them how problems are solved.

As i said before, I feel that my see-before-do type learning is kind of a weakness, but along with that are many others. I am terrible with just reading the text by myself. I am very easily distracted and this causes me to not fully comprehend what i have just read. When teachers assign reading homework I have to start early, because not only am I easily distracted, I am also a very slow reader. This hurts me more than any other of my weaknesses that I know of. When in class reading assignments are given i always lie about whether or not i have actually read it to save my the embarrassment of the class waiting on me to continue. This is one weakness that i have always struggled with and will have to work very hard to better myself.

I learned this semester, after taking this class, of all my strength and weaknesses as a collegiate student. Before taking this course i had no idea as to what kind of learner i actually was. Knowing this now will help in any classes that i may take after this one. After taking and completing this class, I have realized that the way i learn is the biggest part of your actual comprehension, or the grasping of the meaning of what you are to learn. Knowing this is important, because now I know what feilds to look into as far as career goes. One skill that I am glad I learned during this course is that I am a logical thinker and I would rather have someone show me how, rather than just reading it out of a text book.

Out of all the assignments that we have done in this class, I particularly enjoyed the blogs. Never before have I had a class where we used the internet so much. This is a good skill to have learned, because the world is becoming a better high tech world and everyone needs to adjust to it. I have never done a blog before I have taken this class, and I have enjoyed it tremendously. I also liked the reading tests that we took on the computers, and the training seemed to help me a lot. I only wish that we could have done this exercise more than we did. I think it was imperative to learn about alcoholism in colleges today. I understand that it is an increasing problem that needs to be taking care of, and I feel that this is a step in the right direction.

I felt that this course worked for me very well from the perspective of a learner. I felt that all the material we covered was relevant to a freshman coming into college. Learning faster ways to read, what type of learner that person is, how we should manage our time, etc. Time management, I feel, is a huge chapter that most college students learn about the hard way. Most college students blow off learning about it until it hits them hard later. The assignment we had to find what careers best suited us was great as well. I feel that the blogs was a very creative and fun way to be evaluated on everything we did in this course this semester. I felt that knowing about all the homework we were going to be assigned helped me plan ahead. I also liked that all the assignments could be found on the internet. Other than that I feel that the evaluating system was great and nothing should be changed.

I major part about making it through this course is to attend class as much as possible and staying ahead on all the assignments. If you know what is going on in the class and can keep up in the assignments this class should be a pretty simple and passable class. If you decide to wait until the last moment to complete all the assignments assigned, you will be in a world of hurt. It will be hard to keep your sanity and even harder to pass the class.

Now that I have completed this class, I feel that it will be much easier now that I am taking with me the knowledge that I have. Knowing what type of learner I am and what are the best ways for me to study and take notes will help me in all aspects of life, not only college. I will spend less time partying and hanging out with my friends and more time studying and doing my homework. This is because of the chapter we did on time management. I will make better choices as to who I decide to hang out with.

Time Management

When I have failed to complete a task due to porr time management, it makes me feel upset that I was not able to get all my tasks done. When you do not get your tasks done, you run the risk of failing classes, losing jobs, losing money, etc. If you succeed in managing your time well, you feel great because most times you get rewarded with all the above rewards. Steps you can take to manage your time well are:

• Set time aside to go through your schedule
• Make a list of your tasks
• Prioritize or arrange them from whats most important
• Plan time to get these goals accomplished

Most colleges you go to require more time being set aside for homework and studying. Classes are more complexed and have more homework given out. When i have accomplished my goals, i feel great that I am getting something done. I feel that my Judgement in college has matured alot since being here at Butler as well.

Academic Plan

My academic plan is based around what happens to me as far as football. If i come back to Butler next year and decide that football is not for me, or if i do not make the team, I will just get my B.S. in manufacturing engineering. If i decide later, or go on to a bigger school after Butler football, I will go ahead and major in engineering. Right now, I'm getting all my general education classes out of the way while I decide what I will do as far as football and/or going to a bigger school. I can not take any CAD classes while I'm in football here, because all the CAD classes are over in Andover in the evenings, and with football being in the evenings, it takes priority. Other than knowing the dergrees I want, I have absolutly no idea what i have planned as far as classes and where I'm going.

Communtiy Service

Global warming has become an increasing problem in todays world. With the exhaust and fumes that we in this world have been giving off, it is killing our ozone. The more informed that a person knows about this subject, the more he will know how to help fix the problem. The biggest cause of global warming is the burning of fossil fuels, such as oil and coal. When we save energy we help to fight global warming. Other ways to fight global warming is to avoid using arousal cans, or finding other ways of transportation other than driving, or putting togethor car pools. There are many other ways to help fight the battle of global warming. It is as easy as going on the internet and looking for sites that will give you ideas to help you in this fight.

Academic Honesty

The definition of plagiarism is using another's words or ideas without proper citation. This has become a growing problem with the invention of the internet. It has become too easy for students to just cut and paste a document from a website. Ways to avoid cheating are very easy to be found as well. Some people might be plagairising without even know it. Their are websites all over the internet telling you what it is and how to avoid it. Not only do students steal documents from websites, they also steal music from the internet. Their are websites you can go to download programs that were made for this very purpose. These programs are illegal and students have been known to be fined fifty thousand dollars per song that they've been caught downloading illegally.

Coping with Change

One of the biggest changes i have gone through this year is graduating high school, and attending college on a football scholarship. It hasn't been that difficult yet, but football always gets harder in the spring making itharder to consentrate on school work. Change is not that difficult for me to deal with, it never has been. I guess a have always felt that it is necessary for change to happen. College is different from high school, because football takes up more of your time and causes less time to study for classes. I have initiated change many times and people have always reacted good to it. I have not experienced any emotional change since being here but physical change due to football. Football hasbeen the biggest stress load of all the change that has happened. People who do not keep an open mind to change will stop or hinder change.

Failing Classes

Failing classes is a big concern on most students minds. Most students do a decent job with keeping their grades and classes in check, but when they start finding friends and partying, they lose track of time. A good way to get back on track is by seeing a counselor. They are a big help with what classes might help u stay on task and also which classes to take to get the degree you want. Another great resource to use is peer tutoring. This is a free tutor that will help you with your classes and grades as well. Other useful activities will help keep a students head off parties and drinking. Alos, becoming a member in a club or organization will help keep a students mind off of drinking. The more a students stays away from parties and drinking the better off their grades will be. The Gayle Krause Learning Center is a place for for students to study and keep their heads in the books.