Week 15 Review: Staying Creative

My favorite item from some of the recent announcements is this picture showing 29 different ways to remain creative.

29 ways to stay creative; Week 13 Announcements

I think this is a great graphic that can help motivate people to find ways to harness their inner creative beast. Sometimes people lose motivation or run out of ways to think outside of the box, which is a normal thing that occurs to everyone now and then. This image can help kickstart the imagination and potentially help get the creative juices flowing. I know there are a few tips on there that I use myself in order to elevate my ability to think outside the box.

Famous Last Words: Week 15

Well, we've finally arrived at the final week and final day of the course. Naturally, I've procrastinated to the point where I'm up late at night finishing up the last few assignments needed in order to me to reach an A in the course. It's been a frantic dead week so far, with all my final exams being this week instead of next week (when finals week is actually scheduled to be). But I'm thankful to be finishing up with finals earlier than anticipated because I am so completely done with school. I honestly checked out of the semester a couple weeks ago and have barely been getting by the past two weeks. I'm definitely looking forward to my long awaited gap year while I wait to hear back from the optometry schools I will be applying to at the beginning of July.

My other classes have went well too, with only a short paper remaining for my communications class. Other than that, I'm done for the semester! It looks like I'll be ending my years as an undergrad pretty strong, since I managed a 4.0 this final semester. I'm proud of myself for sticking to it this semester and not letting my procrastination get the best of me. I gave myself a great chance to succeed this semester by getting my work done. I'm looking forward to summer break, although I'll be studying for the OAT and retaking a class. My family is planning on going on vacation to this summer so it will be a nice mini break until I'm back hitting the books. I also plan on shadowing and working in an optometry clinic this semester in order to gain more experience in the field. It was nice being in this class and getting the opportunity to learn more about other cultures and about the other students in this class. Have a great summer break!

Graduation is here; Flickr

Wikipedia Trail: From Divergent Thinking to Cerebrospinal Fluid

Divergent Thinking - I decided to search this term as I went back through the assignments and came across an image detailing two different types of thinking: divergent and convergent. According to Wikipedia, divergent thinking is a method used to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions. It is spontaneous and free-flowing.

Divergent thinking; Wikipedia

Convergent Thinking - After searching divergent thinking, I thought it was only right to also know what convergent thinking was. Convergent thinking generally means the ability to give the correct answer to standard questions that do not require significant creativity, according to Wikipedia. You can refer to standardized tests as examples.

Convergent thinking; Wikipedia

Electroencephalography - Next I came across this term, abbreviated EEG for short. Basically, it is a electrophysiological monitoring method used to record electrical activity of the brain. I thought this was interesting because it is so widely used in the medical field and also a vital part of many research studies.

EEG readings; Wikipedia

Cerebrospinal Fluid - After EEG, I came across CSF, which is a clear, colorless fluid found in the brain and spinal cord. It acts as a cushion or buffer for the brain, providing protection to the brain inside of the skull. It also is vital to many other important functions that the brain and nervous system are a part of.

Vials of human CSF; Wikipedia

Learning Challenge: Health/Happiness Cartoon

Advice from a tree; Learning by HEART

After looking through the images, I found this one above to be my favorite. I like it because it focuses on nurturing oneself and having a positive image of who you are. I think it also gives good advice on how to keep your mind in a state of peace when everything around you may be chaos. Life can be serious, but it can also be fun and enjoyable if you let it be.

Growth Mindset: Growing in All Classes

I see a lot of similar challenges between my classes at OU. Obviously there's the challenge of staying disciplined and turning in all work on time. By refraining from procrastinating, I have been able to get my work done in all classes in a timely manner, at least for the most part. I've also challenged myself to be more vocal and active during class discussions and participate more thoroughly. It's been a challenge that has applied to all my classes, not only this one. I think this is a great challenge that encourages you to improve in more than one way.

Growth mindset; Flickr

Tech Tip: Canvas Mobile App

I downloaded the Canvas app onto my iPhone last semester and it has been one of the most helpful apps on my phone. It's so convenient to be able access whatever materials you need for the class so easily. It's also come in hand in class when my laptop has died, and I need the lecture notes to follow along. I can just access the notes on my phone through the app! It's been quite the resource over the past year and I think I can say that Canvas is way better than D2L in terms of ease of use and accessibility.

Reading Notes (EC): Khasi Folktales

The Tiger and the Monkeys

I thought this was a nice little entertaining story about how the monkeys had outwitted the tiger. This story could definitely be the basis for a retelling, as it's got a lot of components that make it so good. My favorite part was how the monkeys decided to trick the tiger by dressing up a fake clay figure. It's quite bold and genius if you think about it. I didn't understand how the tiger could so easily "fall in love" with the singing of a tiny insect. I thought it made him blind and rash, which ultimately led to his beatdown by the monkeys. I thought the story highlighted the tiger as almost being the villain, due to his arrogant and self-centered nature. I think this story could be retold from the point of view of either the tiger or the monkey, which would give a new perspective and greater insight into their thoughts.

The Legend of the Lei Tree

I thought this was another interesting story in this unit about a tree that threatens to take over the livelihoods of people in the surrounding area. After much consideration, a handpicked group of men were sent to the tree in order to cut it down. No matter how hard they worked, all progress they had made was reversed at night as the bark regenerated. A bird comes and tells them that the reason that the tree keeps healing so quickly is because a tiger comes by to lick the trees wounds because he does not want it to be cut down. It helps him hide in the shadows when he hunts for prey. This story would also be a good one for retelling because there are multiple directions for the story to branch out into.

Hokenakal monkey; Wikimedia

Bibliography

Khasi Folktales by K.U. Rafy