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Final Hixson Blog Post

Final Hixson Blog Post

Well the end is here, seems like yesterday I was writing my first blog post! This semester was a very good one and had a lot of fun. Making new friends and making new memories.

This week in class we had a more laid-back class than the previous nights. Megan and I created out co-recitation leader agreement. We had to come up with goals and a mission statement as a group. We didn’t have a hard time coming up with what we wanted and how we were going to run our class. I don’t believe we will have a problem with one another we both are hard workers and want to get it done right the first time. We also had to figure out times to meet to create our lesson plan and when to meet up with to review our plans. After all of that was done we played a game of charades. Everyone was having fun acting out our character. We of course won. The teams were Wednesday’s class vs. Thursday’s class. Might be a fun activity we can do in the fall. Now that school is over I am definitely looking forward to the summer. I am also looking forward to enjoying some time off at the farm. But when fall comes back around I will be excited to come back to see everyone. 

Until my next post, have a wonderful summer!

Cole Schlitzer

Hixson Blog Post #12

Hixson Blog Post #12

One more week of school left for me and I will be heading back to Dubuque for the summer!

This past week we finished our group's DST project. (Digital Storytelling Project) My role in creating the video was a producer as long as an actor. Being the producer was tough at times and also very rewarding. Getting all of the group members there for the film shoot wasn't always the easiest. I found out quickly that there was going to be no time where everyone could all meet up. In order for me to deal with a situation like that, I had to schedule multiple filming times. One tool that helped in collaborating everyone together was the program DOODLE. This helped by sending out a survey to all of the group members on which times worked best with them. You had to make sure that everyone filled out the survey and you then had to choose a time. As being a producer I also helped with direction of the group members to where and what they had to do. For this to go smoothly my other co-producer, Kat and I sat down and went through the script to smooth out some scenes. As for being an actor, I was a student who failed out because I step on the infamous Zodiac!

A little bit about the DST project story line...We based the idea off of the book and movie: The Hunger Games. We called it the Cyclone Games. The video is suppose to help out incoming freshman by showing them what not to do and what to do. This will help them "survive" in college. Originally there are 11 students or tributes that start out and by the end only two will prevail and graduate by following the steps to succeed college.
 It was a great learning experience to lead a unique project like this. I defiantly have learned from it and will have confidence in the future on such projects. Hope everyone had fun with it as well!

Happy Finals Week and Good Luck with all of them!

Cole Schlitzer

Diversity Event " A Thin Line"

Diversity Event "A Thin Line"

The diversity event I attended on Thursday, 28 Feb 2013 at 7:00 pm was an event called “A Thin Line.” The Thin Line is a story of one girl's struggle with her eating disorder and the struggles of those close to her in their efforts to understand and to help. This performance provides the audience with compassion, understanding, and the means to seek action against the deadly disease of eating disorders. During the skit or play, there are four characters the actress portrays. One character she portrays is a girl who is struggling with the illness. The other three characters are her internal negative voice, her mother, and a close friend. These character all help explore the realities of eating disorders.

First off I had no idea that there was such a coalition in Iowa. I also never really thought that eating disorders were so prevalent in today’s society. Looking through a couple of websites, I found out there is actually a week that is dedicated for spreading awareness about this disorder. It’s called the Body Image and National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. One question I had during the performance was how bad or common is this disorder. So after reading some information on different websites I found out that an eating disorder is a mental illness. I also found out that it has the highest fatality rate in this country. The research funds from 2011 that went towards eating disorder research were around 28 million. They continue to receive inadequate research funding.

              The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) is the leading non-profit organization in the United States advocating on behalf of and supporting individuals and families affected by eating disorders. Source: http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/get-facts-eating-disorders

Hixson Blog Post #11

Hixson Blog Post #11

Wow already the end of the semester!

Today’s blog post will include a reading we had to do for Chelsee. The title of the article was, "Social Intelligence and the Biology of Leadership" by Daniel Goleman and Richard Boyatzis. empathy, attunement, organizational awareness, influence, developing others, inspiration, and teamwork, were the 7 qualities that were pointed out in the paper. Our question was to describe two of those qualities we were good at and one quality we were can improve on.

Two qualities of social intelligence that I feel I am good at are teamwork and attunement. I work well with people. I almost prefer to work in a group of people than by myself. I feel like most of college you will be required to work in groups. There are also many opportunities that you are able to be a team leader throughout your college career.  Another quality that I feel that I have is attunement. I am aware of how people are feeling most of the time and I can adjust to help them when possible. I am able to listen to them and provide them with a reply that will make them feel good.

One characteristic of social intelligence that I feel I can improve is influence.  Being able to influence others would be one of the more challenging characteristics. You have to teach yourself to influence in a way you are not being in power. The answer is being able to use influence and being persuasive, without the use of power or control. I want to influence the peer men-tees in a positive way so that they can enjoy their first year at Iowa State. I want to be able to affect them in a positive way rather than trying to persuade of push them. 

Hixson Blog Post #10

Hixson Blog Post #10

Hello all! Happy Spring...well sort of

As a peer mentor, you may come across different types of contact with students. So being a peer mentor, what are some examples of good ethics that you should use?

                                                         

In chapter 10, there 12 principles for good practice that should be demonstrated by peer educators in the 

classroom.

1. Respond within the limits of your training and skill.

2. Acknowledge your limits openly by saying that you do not know rather than providing false expertise.

3. When in doubt-consult!

4. Maintain student privacy and confidentiality, as long as privacy protects the person being helped.

5. Show respect and dignity for others.

6. Understand your own personal bias and avoid imposing bias on others.

7. Continue to deal appropriately when working with persons for whom you might feel conflict with.

8. Act appropriately when working with persons for whom you feel attraction.

9. Knowing and managing your emotional response, while helping another, is crucial to your own well-being 

and to your ability to help.

10. Take responsible action if you learn about illegal behavior.

11. Remember that as a peer educator, you are a role model!

12. Maintain integrity and do not promote hearsay in commenting on professional relationships with others.  

All of these are very important when being a peer mentor. Different situations you will run into, so you have

to  be aware and know how to handle them properly. It is extremely important to understand the problem 

and take appropriate action.

Thanks and have a great week

Cole Schlitzer

Hixson Blog Post #9

Hixson Blog Post #9

Today I am just going to go through some academic resources and strategies for academic success here at Iowa State

The main acedemic resource that is available here at Iowa State is the Academic Success Center (ASC) The ASC is a collection of services and programs designed to help you reach your academic goals.

One resource that you are able to use is the Academic Coaching, which provides one-on-one meetings with students seeking help in evaluating and correcting academic challenges. Students are encouraged to seek academic coaching to develop skills that can improve areas of their lives such as time management, note taking, study skills and test taking. The coaches are trained in teaching effective college success skills and can also assist students with test anxiety or motivational challenges. For example you can meet with them to go over  productive use of study time, goal-setting for improved academic success,  reading and note taking strategies, and overcoming test-taking challenges. Pretty much any other academic skill you want to develop or improve! The best part about this service is that here is NO cost!

Another helpful tool for academic success is taking the class Psychology 131 It is designed to facilitate students' development of academic skills, behaviors, and attitudes. Content in this course helps students immediately, but also prepares students for academic success throughout their college career. Psych 131 is one credit, graded satisfactory/fail.

I’m sure many of you have had or are currently taking a class that has a Supplemental Instruction (SI) This is also a free program that have regularly scheduled study sessions for difficult courses. SI sessions are facilitated by SI Leaders, who are undergraduate students who have previously taken the course and demonstrated academic competency in the subject area. Each SI Leader facilitates at least three 50-minute sessions per week using collaborative learning methods. Attend once or attend every session.. data suggests that the more you attend, the higher your final grade will be in the course.

And of course there is tutoring, which is free for all of us Hixsons. As you can see there are numerous resources on campus to help you succeed academically. So in conclusion if you haven’t taken advantage of these resources you defiantly should, almost all are free and very useful.

Cole Schlitzer