Monday, November 16, 2009
Blog #10: Reflection
Group 8 we made it!!!! I would like to say it has been a pleasure reading all of your posts and being able to help you Cornerstone students along your IDS journey. For me it has been a very rewarding experience knowing that I may have been able to eliminate your frustrations or questions you have encountered in Cornerstone. For our last discussion I have three things I would like for us to talk about. The first question is I would like for you to share your understanding of reflection and tell us how it is different from description for you. The second topic is for you to share how you have used reflection in developing your e-portfolio content pages. For this you can tell us if any assignment you had to do was very difficult or any you enjoyed the most for your e-Portfolio. The last topic I would like for you to reflect on this assignment. What have you enjoyed the most from this assignment and how have we been able to help you in your journey? It has been a wonderful semester with you all and I wish everyone the best of luck in the future!!
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A reflection allows you to take all of your personal experience on an issue or topic to further understand it and reach an outcome.
ReplyDeleteA description does not give you the same understanding as experience which is the only way one can reflect upon a subject or issue.
The assignments have been very helpful, especially the interviewing and career goals topics. This blog has helped me to understand IDS, which was so vague up through week 3. I am not entirely sure if I will stay in the same areas of study but am thankful to have been able to learn from the Group 8 bloggers and wish everyone the best with there IDS studies.
Have a good one!
April Dilio
For me a description only tells 'about' something, what it is, what it should do etc. Whereas a reflection is something that allows you to think back on something and look at how it affected you and what you gained from it.
ReplyDeleteWe Capstone students have been describing our experiences with you all term and now we get the opportunity to reflect on how mentoring you-all has helped us grow as students in the IDS program.
It has been a pleasure working with you all and I hope you-all the best in all your endeavors!
-Amanda Anthony
I know that this isn't truly a 'rflection' but I do want to share with you all a great tool for studying for the GRE which some of us have already taken or are thinking about taking.
ReplyDeletenumber2.com
I recently found this tool and I think it is pretty amazing. I hope you all find it useful too!
-Amanda Anthony
April,
ReplyDeleteI felt the same way as you did with the vague feeling when I started the IDS program. Unlike you I was forced to learn for myself because this project was not created when I took cornerstone. I am glad it helped you realize that you may not want to continue with the areas of study you have chosen already. It is ok that you may change your areas of study, many students change things about their major multiple times before getting it just perfect. I am happy we have been able to help you in your journey as an IDS student and good luck in the rest of your education at UCF.
Stephanie Hart
My understanding of a reflection is something that you look back on. It's taking that time to really think of the impact this thing made in your life. I think it is something that makes you pause and realize what it was all about. Reflection differs from description because it has that twist of personality. Description tells about something in a general manner. It is more straight forward and tends to not include personal experience.
ReplyDeleteJoanna Goldonowicz
At first, when we were assigned to write about ourselves I found it difficult. Then I realized that if I just stopped and took a little bit of time to reflect, I would be able to write about myself. Reflection isn't always easy, especially when I have such a crazy schedule. By taking that time, I was able to write my personal statement and feel good about what I was doing. I am happy that I took that time to reflect on my life and now I have a story to share with others. Reflection in order to write my about me section of my e-portfolio was time well spent.
ReplyDeleteJoanna Goldonowicz
Charles Ovnand and Richard Vande Geer.
ReplyDeleteAn odd way to start a blog entry about reflections, but as usual with me, there is a story.
You see, those are the first and last names inscribed on the The Wall, the awe-inspiring 246-foot long memorial to the 58,000 American service personnel killed in Vietnam, whose names were painstakenly etched into the stones, covering 16 years of our country’s history. The granite was chosen from a quarry in India due to its highly reflective quality (ah, there is a connection!). When one stands in front of The Wall, that person's reflection is engaged with those names and, as has been often noted, brings the past together with the future.
A study whose name and audience I have long ago forgotten (and I may have referenced in an earlier blog) suggested that people of the same generation/era have similar outlooks on life because the external influences at three age ranges are similar…dictating, somewhat, their views on life, their heroes, and general disposition. Those age ranges are 6-8, 12-14 and 16-18. For me, (at last, she brings it around to the personal!), these ages reflect the assassination of President Kennedy (fraught with conspiracy theories), the Vietnam War (distrust of government and an outspoken youth movement), and Richard Nixon/Watergate (more of the same). Is it any wonder that I would be a bit cynical and needing proof before acceptance?
As a young teen-ager, I railed against our country’s involvement in Viet Nam, often at the dinner table and often, as might be expected in a family with three young sons serving in that conflict, resulting in my being sent away to my room. I detested that war, I detested the leadership of our country that had led us into it, and for a great part of my formidable years, I carried that hate and distrust with me until I realized how powerful a weapon against it that I would soon have…my right to vote!
Many years later, standing in front of The Wall for the very first time, I found myself, within minutes of arriving, crumpled in front of it, in inconsolable tears; for in my reflection were the names of those who might have disagreed as ardently as I had, but who had made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, in spite of that disagreement. Every time I get up early or stand in a long line to cast my vote, I think back to that day and reflect upon those who, perhaps, never lived long enough to be eligible to vote (one had to be 21 to cast a ballot in a Presidential election until 1976) and it is a profoundly honorable thing to do.
I hope that each of you will find something to reflect upon that will bring real meaning to something that you are privileged to do and that sometime, in the near or distant future, you have a group of people with whom to share those reflections who have been as kind and generous as you all have been as I have told my stories during this semester.
Gail Weinstein
Joanna,
ReplyDeleteReflecting about yourself can be difficult at times, like you have seen, but if you put your mind to it, it always comes out great because you are talking about someone you know better than anyone. Developing your personal statement will come in handy in your capstone class because as this semester draws to a close, we are tweaking and writing our own personal statements for our e-portfolios as one of our final projects. It will help you that you already have yours completed and you will be able to revise it and alter it in any way you like. Make sure your personal statement is exactly how you want it to be and unique to yourself. Leave the reader with wanting more! Good luck to you on your IDS journey!
Stephanie Hart
Reflecting on this assignment has brought to light many of those questions that I really haven't thought about in great detail before. By blogging, I have learned different views and ways of looking at the same concept. I have enjoyed corresponding with everyone and reading everyone's posts. Posting has helped me to express myself through words. It has also helped me better discover who I am and what I want with my degree. Overall, this little community has shown me that in order to know what I want with my life, I have to be able to express myself to others.
ReplyDeleteJoanna Goldonowicz
I see a reflection as an introspective and critical look at personal experience. It differs from a description, which is simply a passionless retelling, by including how an event affected us and how we might use grow as a result.
ReplyDeleteThe ePortfolio assignments have all had their degree of reflection. I found the "finding a path" assignment to be one of the more interesting ones. It required that I think about where I am and where I am going. It was very useful and enlightening.
I have really enjoyed the Mentoring Blog. It has been a refreshing little aside each week. It is not your standard schoolwork, it has been more fun and more personal than most. I thank you all for the feedback and advice I have gotten. Take care and good luck.
Jaime Pazos
I plan on using reflection in developing my e-Portfolio content pages by looking back at the work that has been completed and can be applied to my areas of focus. Reflection takes you back through the experiences you been through and what you learned or got out of it. Description you have to think hard about how to explain something to someone else so that they can feel like they could have been there. I think that reflection is more when you tell stories about what you been through to get where you are today.
ReplyDeleteIn my e-Portfolio I’ll reflect back on classes that I’ve taken to apply them to what I will be doing in the near future. When going into an interview, I’ll be able to use reflection when I answer the questions. It’s not easy to reflect back on such a broad period of time and encounters because we have so many of them but once you start, it’s kind of fun reminiscing! I think being able to reflect back will show potential employers that you are able to use the knowledge you’ve learned from previous years and apply it to that job.
I’ve enjoyed reading and seeing everyone’s stance on the different topics we had every week. I believe doing these blogs helps people open up and even see things from another point of view they may have never had. Having to blog each week also forced me to think in depth more about what I wanted to do after I graduate, communicate with others in the class, and just more open minded in general. I hope everyone had a great semester and good luck with finals!
Lauren Larson
In my opinion, a reflection is looking back on your personal life experiences as well as knowledge obtained over your life span and coming to a conclusion about oneself. Seeing how much a person has changed over time is another way of looking at it. Description is more what you can see, not really evaluate. What you see is what you get kind of when i think of description and reflection is more subjective. Reflection is really adding your own input and insight on how you see yourself.
ReplyDeleteIn developing my e-portfolio, I put both reflection and description. I reflected on my experience, accomplishments, and knowledge gained over the years that I feel will represent me in the best light in front of the admissions committee. Incorporated in my reflections are descriptions of myself made by myself of course haha. My personal statement is pretty much my personal reflection of myself. Allowing my personality show through my personal statement is what makes me stand out more that other candidates. Being able to evaluate oneself, showing both strengths and weaknesses, is what makes a reflection more valid in my opinion because you aren't too biased. The course study section in the e-portfolio is more an example of description and objective. All in all, the e-portfolio as a whole has both descriptions and personal reflections.
ReplyDeleteI want to use my final blog entry to wish everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving and good luck with your upcoming finals! At first when we started this blog, I thought this was a waste of time, but over time, I feel as though Ive really come to get to know a few of you. Next semester I will be a capstone student and probably have to do this blog with new cornerstone babies and I hope they get out of this as much as I have. Reading everyone's input has helped me see things from many different perspectives and I think that is a great way to look at every situation that comes up in life. As a final thought, dont give up if you hit a bump in the road. I hit a bump and the road and then became and IDS student which was the best decision of my life! BYE EVERYONE!
ReplyDeleteI think it may be impossible to compare/contrast the words "description" and "reflection" without thinking of Michael Jackson and one his most amazing songs "The Man in the Mirror". While description might be how others see you, reflections should be how you see yourself. In the song, the man wants the world to be a better place and knows that it starts with the person staring at himself in the mirror...himself!
ReplyDeleteAllow yourself to be the best person you can be...you will be proud of the face you see in the mirror and the descriptions others use about you will be in close agreement to how you see yourself.
Gail Weinstein
I started this semester unemployed and unsure if I had made a wise decision by enrolling in courses that would tie me down and affect my availability to work...or which would have to be sacrificed in order to make work the priority that it has to be.
ReplyDeleteI am happy to say that I did find work...right where I started out and being in school probably enhanced my chances because it said to my interviewers that I was not satisfied to sit on my laurels (accomplishments)...that I was interested in growing. That's always a good thing. I did enjoy the personal profiles, introductions and other writings we did and I truly enjoyed meeting you all (as well as myself!) through this blog.
One big thing that I learned and I beleive that it is one that will help me thoughout my writing career and that is that the first sentence doesn't have to be the first one you write. Write out your thoughts...as they come to you, you'll find that first sentence, someplace, and moving it to its place of honor is a lot easier than struggling to find out how you will start. Seems pretty simple,eh?
Best wishes to all!
Gail Weinstein
Leeron-
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about reflection being the way you look back on the events in your life. Being able to reflect and be descriptive is a positive thing because it can only help you grow. You’ve had lots of good advice and entry’s over the course of the semester and hope you have a great Thanksgiving and good luck with all.
Lauren Larson
Gail-
ReplyDeleteI believe that you’ve had the most interesting stories on the blog that I’ve read throughout the semester. You always put a lot of thought into your writing and it really shows. Your advice about writing down all your thoughts instead of sitting there pondering what your first sentence is going to be is something that I hope people take note of. You’ve had such great advice, good luck to you!
Lauren Larson
Reflection and description are close, but to me description is more of someone giving a meaningless explaination about something. When I reflect on something I not only do I give a descripiton, but I also think about what the experience meant to me. Usually when I reflect on anything I think about what it meant to me along with what was the purpose and did I get what I was suppose to get out of it. I also found what Gail said to be interesting that description is what someone may see you as, and reflection is what you see yourself as; good way of thinking of the two. Gail you always have a personal story or a different way of explaining things, but enjoyed your posts.
ReplyDeleteThe actual e-portfolio pages we are working are actually a liitle difficult for me to put together, since my majors are science I really do not have many assignments other than maybe lab reports, and that is if I had a lab for the class. With that being said, gathering artifacts is actually my least favorite, but I still appreciate what the overall product is suppose to be. I'm actually glad that we had to write a personal statement, I killed two birds with one stone because I actually need a personal statement for my pharmacy school applications. I like the fact that I now have an e-portfolio, I now have another way of presenting myself to these schools, something I'm pretty sure many other applicants may not have.
ReplyDeleteMentoring blogs were different from what I am use to in other classes, and being able to read about everyone's experience opened my eyes to somethings that I was not aware of. My favorite part of the mentor blogs was reading Gail's blogs, lol, she had some very interesting stories and a different way of thinking. I have nothing to complain about, I appreciate all the knowledge I have acquired. I hope everyone gained something positive from this Cornerstone experience. Have a Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, and a Happy New Year everyone! Good luck in all of your future endeavors!
ReplyDeleteIt has been a truly wonderful semester, and I would like to thank everyone on this blog for their wonderful insight and dialogue. Reflecting back on this semester, and on my college career, I see that discussion and discourse are the foundations of learning. I beleive that through blogs, and classroom discussions that real learning takes place. In the real world thats how most businesses work, people talk with each other, and work out problems through meaningful discourse. Over the last four years I have only taken two classes online, this one and the Cornerstone course. I always enjoyed the face to face conversations, but with an assignment like this blog, I feel like we got acheived the same goal. We conversed about particular, and applicable topics and I have really learned a lot. It has been a wonderful semester....a bit hectic.....but great. I wish all of you the best with the remainder of your studies!
ReplyDelete-Benjamin DiBiase
Felicia,
ReplyDeleteYou know the hardest part of the cornerstone, and now the capestone classes, in my opinion are the e-portfolio. It is difficult to set up, and like you mentioned, difficult to find the best assignments to showcase, but there are always ways around that. For example, any writing labwork is good, but also any reaserach you have done in your field, such as assignments relating to a particular lab or experiement would work well. It is good to have some sort of writing sample, as that tells someone a bit about the person behind the lab results. Althought the personal statment does that directly, writing samples tend to show a reader how you may have approached a certain topic, which reveals somehting about you. I dont know, just something to think about. Good Luck! I am finishing my e-portfolio right now, and having the same problems.
April-
ReplyDeleteI know how you feel about not wanting to keep the same focus'. I changed from an Education focus to Anthropology (even though I only had 1 class left to finish the Education focus...) It is ok to want to change, you want to enjoy your major. My only advice is be careful, changing too many times can make you into VanWilder... :)
Like my fiance... He has been in school for 9 years and is just starting to figure out what he wants to do. (That isn't supposed to scare you though, lol.) He worked all the way through premed and at his last term he finally did his rotations and discovered that this wasn't something that he would be able to do for the rest of his life. Volunteer! It helps you figure out what you like! :)