Time Strategies

Eat the Frog

“If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it First Thing in the Morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the BIGGEST one first.” — Mark Twain

This line from Mark Twain was included in the first of the two articles I read for this assignment:
Eat The Frogs First Thing In The Morning by Thomas Oppong. The main idea is that, if you have an unpleasant task that you know you need to accomplish, get it over with first, ideally within the first hour of being awake. This way, the rest of your day is more pleasant, and rather than procrastinating on that one Very Unpleasant Thing, you can be productive on all the smaller things you have left to do. For me, when I have the self-discipline to implement this strategy, I find it to be really effective. My day is much more pleasant after having accomplished whatever thing I was looking forward to the least, and I tend to be more productive with everything else afterward. He also talks about not saying yes to everything - another area I should work on.

The second article I read was about the Psychology of Checklists, by Lauren Marchese. It talks about the benefits of using a checklist (i.e. the little dopamine boost you get when you check something off) and of setting "SMART" goals. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-bound. Personally, I enjoy making checklists when I'm feeling overwhelmed with things I need to do, or when I'm trying to remember a lot of tasks.

Technology

Global Technology

This post is in response to the listed tools/tips for using technology in class this semester. I'm looking forward to learning more about some of these available tools over the course of the next few months.

I was kind of sad, though - under the section about websites for Storybooks/Portfolios, I tried to view the examples of branching story websites, and none of them would work for me. The links would take me to the sites, but then I couldn't view the stories on them, which was unfortunate because the idea seems really fun to me! I'm hoping I can get it figured out by the end of the semester, because I think that might be a fun route for me to go on my project. 😊

Assignments

Storytelling 

After perusing the types of assignments we have to anticipate from the upcoming semester, I am definitely most looking forward to the story-reading and the storytelling assignments. I think I mentioned in my introduction post that one of my minors is English Writing - as you might expect, I very much enjoy reading and writing, so these assignments seem like by far the most fun to me.

I also thought the Wikipedia Trails extra credit option seemed interesting. It's sometimes easy to go down those rabbit trails anyway - you look something up because you're curious, and then there are just links upon links of other things that seem equally interesting, so this seems like a really fun way to engage in learning.

Growth Mindset Reflection

Image from Professor Gibb's Blog, originally from Cheezburger

This post is a reflection on the "growth mindset" idea presented by Carol Dweck. A growth mindset is essentially a way of thinking wherein you focus on the improvements that you can make in an area, rather than on the things you feel as though you've failed to grasp or master yet. According to Dweck, one of the problems our society/education system faces is its failure to create a growth mindset for students. Dweck proposes that this failure causes students to celebrate when things are easy and become frustrated when things are challenging, rather than valuing a challenge when it comes along as an opportunity to grow and learn.

Though there are aspects of Dweck's presentation that I don't totally agree with, I do agree that people today seem to be always looking for an easy way out (I have found myself guilty of this on occasion as well, and I am working on redirecting my own way of thinking on this matter), and shying away from challenges which could be beneficial for them. One example that I see a lot of in my peers (and this is where I tend to find this flaw in myself, as well) is the desire for easy classes with easy professors who will give them easy A's. In fact, in the last year or two, I have felt a growing frustration with some of the programs here at OU, because it seems that the majority of my classes require very little effort on my part to receive a good grade, and at the end of the semester I end up having learned very little. Granted, some of that is on me. Just because a class doesn't require me to put in much effort or extra time doesn't mean I can't do it anyway, and take my learning more into my own hands. I am trying to work on self-motivating to actively learn and improve on my own time. That said, I would have an easier time of this is my courses were more challenging in general. However, I have had a difficult time finding many classes here that offer that kind of challenge to me, so in my opinion, the issue is partly on me, and partly on the courses/school system.

That said, I can still work on improving my side of things, even if I can't do much to effect change in academia. So, I'm taking steps this semester to require extra work from myself, regardless of what is required of me to make A's.

Introduction to a French Major

Hey everyone! This post is a brief introduction of me and my interests, pursuits, goals, etc.

Firstly, my name is Allison Murphey, but you can refer to me either as Allison or Alli - either way is fine! I am twenty-two years old and a senior at OU. I am majoring in French, but I am also minoring in English Writing and Studio Art, but I'll get into that a little bit more later. I am married - just over one year now! - and my husband is also a student at the University of Oklahoma. He is currently working on a Master's degree in the field of Electrical and Computer Engineering, focusing on radar. My husband's name is Alan (I know, Alan and Alli - Al^2), and he's pretty much the best.

Originally, I am from Iowa, but I've lived in Oklahoma for four years now, and since I got married here, I'm an Oklahoma resident now! I've really enjoyed living in Oklahoma while I've been here, and I'm really grateful for the opportunity I've had to study at OU.

Now, the question people always ask when they hear that my degree is in French is, "What are you planning to do with that?" Fair enough question, so I'll answer it for you! My long-term goal is to do Third World mission work, and a great deal of Third World and developing countries speak French or French-variant languages. For example, I've spent a good deal of time working at an orphanage in Haiti, where Haitian Creole is the most commonly spoken language. Haitian Creole is a French-based Creole, so my knowledge of French has been hugely instrumental in assisting me as I learn Creole, and I have been far better able to communicate with people there because of it. Similarly, many other impoverished island nations - and many developing nations in Africa - speak French or French creoles or pidgins. So, the hope is that French will be useful to me in communicating with the people I hope to work with. My art minor is simply for my own enjoyment, but the writing minor is with the intention/hope of publishing about the work I do in these nations and perhaps helping others learn more about what they can do to help as well.

After I graduate from OU, and while my husband works toward his Professional Engineer title, I hope to get my RN certification and become a nurse, which will be extremely useful to me in my aforementioned career goals as well. Ultimately, I would love to work in a village clinic or orphanage clinic and help provide health care and health education in areas where it is severely lacking.

My other interests include drawing/painting, ceramics, and reading. If you have any questions, feel free to drop them in the comments! Below is a picture of my fantastic cat, Atticus (the Catticus) Boots Murphey!

My own image

Storybook Favorites

After going through a number of the storybooks provided to us, I have selected three which I particularly enjoyed.

1. My Brothers Grimm

     This storybook was an interesting new take on a set of old classics - the Brothers Grimm's stories, told through the perspective of a secret sister. In this storybook, the author relates the same stories of the Brothers Grimm, but through the eyes of their sister, who claims to be the real reason for all of their successes and grand tales. She talks about confronting them and telling them how she was secretly saving their butts all along, and then offers up her version of several famous stories as evidence. This storybook was intriguing because of its twist on something as well-known as the Brothers Grimm, and the design and layout of the blog lent a foreboding, mysterious atmosphere to the stories as well.

2. Queen of the Underworld

     The second storybook I selected was called "Queen of the Underworld," and it concerns the stories of Persephone, bride of Hades, in ancient Greek mythology. This takes the myths about Persephone - the most famous of which is the myth of Hades abducting her to be his bride in the Underworld, much to the dismay of her mother, Demeter - and offers Persephone's view on them. One thing I enjoyed about this storybook was the variation in the way the story is told. Specifically, much of it is told in simple first person narrative, as though the narrator is talking directly to us, but for the discussion of the abduction myth we are offered insight into the narrator's diary instead. The image below was included at the introduction, which immediately offered an idea of what the storybook would be about and the general tone the reader should expect.

Persephone and Hades

3. Touching the Skye

    The third storybook I chose was actually my favorite and the most genuinely interesting to me. Since I knew precious little about Scottish fairy tales going into this, I really enjoyed getting to learn more about them, and I thought the author's choice to set the story in the 1930s, rather than today, made the story even more interesting by adding another layer. I did wish that there was more to the story, however; it felt as though I got partway into a story and never got to read the ending.

Favorite Places

I have difficulty choosing favorites of anything, usually because I feel that there are so many wonderful options and I simply can't pick between them. Choosing a favorite place is no exception - I have a habit of falling in love with nearly any place in which I spend very much time. So, rather than bore you with what would end up being nothing more than a comprehensive list of every place I've ever lived or visited for more than a day or two, I will just share my first "favorite" place: my hometown.

La Porte City, Iowa, is a sleepy little town of around 2,200 people, and my family lives a few miles outside of it. Surrounded by the whispering green of endless cornfields, the landscape is certainly serene. 

(Iowa cornfield)

However, despite the (mostly correct) popular belief that Iowa is composed of nothing but corn, there is more to it than that. I hail from the southeast corner of the northeast quadrant of Iowa - almost central, but not quite. If you're willing to travel a bit further to the northeast, there are achingly beautiful scenes to behold: deep, green forests coating soaring bluffs, the Mississippi River carving its way through trees and limestone, and lakes and ponds scattered amidst it all. 

(View of the Mississippi River from Pikes Peak State Park, Iowa
Photographer: McGhiever)

Iowa is a beautiful state, and it was my very first home.