SSC100
Week Two: September 13-17, 2004
Click on a link in the table below to
go to the part of this page you want to read
| Keeping Up and Setting Goals | Time Management (Ch.2) | MySeneca Account |
| Learning Commons Help Desk | Class Schedule: Assignments | Looking Ahead: Learning Styles |
Many of you probably need a little work on time management - you're in luck - that's the topic this week. Be sure to bring something to write with to class as you will be doing a little writing for an activity to help you with setting goals and with time management.
I am hoping by now you all have your textbooks so that you can keep up with the reading assignments. It is important that you really use this book - it may be worth more than the money you spent on it if you fill in the blanks, take the quizzes, mark it up, write all over it so it is really a "work" book.
Have you got a notebook where you take notes? What have you written so far? When you look at the notes are they helpful? If not, perhaps you should skip right over to the note-taking part of the text book for a few ideas. You don't have to wait! You can look at any page in your new book at any time - even if you wake up at 3 o'clock in the morning and can't get back to sleep - reach for your new book! Read a new section and test yourself - what do you remember of what you read?
Getting behind in a class is one of the major causes of disappointment when it comes time to reflect on what you "could have learned". This course will help you experiment. Even if you have never worked like this before, try it just this once and see the results. If you feel some of the new techniques are helpful, you may want to make them a habit for all of your classes.
Employability Skills Questionnaire
Please take the time to do the Employability
Skills questionnaire on pages 19 and 20. Remember that this is one of the
items that goes into your portfolio. Are you taking notes
on what you have been reading in your new book? Try taking notes as you
read then when we get to the section on note-taking, see how your method
compares with those suggested by others.
What have you discovered so far in this course? Is it what you expected? Are you having fun yet? It is important to enjoy learning if you want to get the most out of any experience. In life, learning is a wonderful part of road you are traveling and you have chosen to do much of your daily learning these days in classes at Seneca. It's great to have you here!
Now that you've had your book open and have been reading a little, I hope you have been bold enough to go ahead. Take a peek at other chapters that may contain help you already recognize that you need - you don't have to wait until the chapter is assigned. And you may want to treat yourself to the luxury of writing in your book. By now you may have been hesitating to get started on this course. Don't! It may be the most important course of your college career if it helps you to be a more successful student.
Each week for the first nine weeks of the course, you are asked to read a chapter in the POWER book. Last week, it was Chapter One. This week, please read Chapter Two.
Take time to preview the chapter and mark the sections you think look most interesting before you start reading it. Remember, as part of managing your time, you don't have to read the whole chapter at one time.
The following are suggestions for ways to get more involved in the reading of the chapter.
1. On page 30 - check out the Time Log - Get ready to create your own Time Chart.
2. On page 31 - Answer the questions in the Journal Reflections section, "Where Does My Time Go?"
3. On page 32 - look over the list of activities given on the chart and see if you can come up with any new ones not listed.
4. On page 34, Read about priorities - what items will be on your list?
5. On pages 37 and 38 you'll find a weekly timetable and how it might look when you start to fill it in.
6. On page 44, see what your procrastination quotient is.
7. Look at the career timelines on page 47 - do you think those are realistic figures for the careers listed in this chart?
8. On page 50 you read about Krista McGraw. Who do you know that you could write about who may be an inspiration to others in the same way she is? Is this person a good role model for you?
9. How could you draw inspiration from your goals worksheet. What would be a good reminder to you of your goals - what goal can inspire you to do a drawing or to write a song about what is important to you? Does the mandala idea on page 53 work for the career you have in mind?
10. Read the Case of "Where Does the Time Go on page 55 and answer the questions.
NOTE: For Web Links with help for Study Skills and Time Management, see Resources and Links on the Course Home Page.
This week you'll learn about the MySeneca account on the Web. You'll log in and click on the link for this course. Click on the MySeneca link in the sentence above and practice going to your SSC100 course. Read the announcement. Go to the Introduction Forum to post your information. You will be writing at least fifty words to tell us about yourself - about the program you are in and what you hope to accomplish here at Seneca.
When you log in and go to SSC100, you will see a row of buttons down the left side of the screen. I hope you have clicked on each one to see what is there. To go to the Discussion Forum, you can click on the button that says Discussion Board or you can click on the button that says Communication then go to the Discussion Board.
When you get to the Discussion Board, you will see the Introductions Forum underlined - click on it. Next, click on the button that says "start new thread". Fill in the subject box with the name of your message. Then go to the larger box and type in your introduction. You could also use a word processing program like WORD or Word Perfect, type you message and copy and paste it into this box after conducting a spell check. Whatever you decide, once you have your message in the text box, preview it first or if you are confident that it is the way you want it to be, go ahead and click on the submit button. You can go back and edit your message if you want to change it and submit it again.
An easy way to read the messages that have been posted is to click on the tab at the top of the messages where it says Options. Click "select all" and check marks will appear in the boxes beside each message. Then click on the word "collect" and all of the messages posted so far can be read one after the other - neat, eh?
You have also been asked to create a student
web page by going to the button (down the left side of the course page)
that says Student Tools. Then click on the link to "Edit your home page".
There are two text boxes to use for writing about your life. When you click
on the browse button, you can find a graphic file to upload for your page.
Remember the graphic needs to be reasonably small and it also needs to
be in the .jpg or .gif format to work on the Web. You also have a place
to put three favourite links. Be sure to write http:// at the beginning
of each URL or web address. Also write a description for why you like this
site. After you have submitted your page, you can check it out by going
to Roster (under the Communications button) and put your last name in the
search box and submit. There will be a link to your page. You can revise
it until you have it the way you want it. These two things, the posting
to the Introduction Forum and the Web Page are due in Week Four, when we
will look at them in class in the AV room. This week, we will find the
AV room together and I'll show you the MySeneca site.
By now, you have hopefully found your way to the Learning Commons computer lab. Although you may have a computer at home or somewhere else off campus you will probably want to take advantage of this resource here at Newnham campus. One of your goals is to do better at time management isn't it? So if you find yourself with extra time you may want to go to the library or to the computer lab.
The students in the blue shirts behind the desk are there to help you. I hope you will take advantage of their expertise and learn how to do all of the things you want to learn how to do.
On your MySeneca page there are tabs at the top of the page just after you log in. One of those tabs is to Services. Click here and you will see a link to services for Full Time students. There will be links to the following:
SIRIS (Student Internet Registration and Information System) (https://siris.senecac.on.ca)
Seneca Full-time Student Registration System
Get help with a problem
Plan your career
Find a place to live (http://www.senecac.on.ca/student/start.htm#housing)
Access listings of various types of accommodations
to meet your housing needs
Access your Insurance Plan (http://www.senecac.on.ca/student/needs.htm#health)
Find out about your Seneca College health
and dental coverage.
Take care of yourself
If you click on the last link in the list, "more services" you will find links to a DIgital Student Handbook, information about fun and fitness and not least, a link to information about the Learning Commons - and you will find another list of links to some very valuable resources. These links may not be active yet as this is a new resource. We will be checking back to see when these links are available. Meanwhile, go to the Help Desk in the Annex and ask questions regarding whatever you need to know about using computers on campus.
In class in Week One, I asked you to print out the Class Schedule linked from the course Main Page. There will be changes to the subject outline activity schedule from time to time and I will do my best to keep this schedule updated so you know what we are doing each week and when you have things due. Please let me know if you have questions. If you want to e-mail me you can go to your class link for MySeneca and click on the Communication button then click on "send e-mail" and here you choose "instructor". Please include your full name and section. If this is an urgent situation - please put HELP REQUEST in the subject line so I can get back to you as soon as possible.
Assignments: Goals Worksheet
You have a handout asking you to put down ideas about your long-term, medium-term and short-term goals regarding a number of parts of your life. After you have completed this form turn it over and fill in the Action Plan for Goals with one important goal from each section - short, medium and long term goals.
For next week, you will be turning in your Goals Worksheet and Action Plan for Goal Setting (given out in class this week) and you will start your Time Chart. (also see page 38 in your book) Remember that in Week Four, we will be taking a look at your introductions and your web pages at the MySeneca site for this class. Read Chapter Three.
Regarding Chapter Three, look at a Learning Styles Inventory to see potential strengths and weaknesses that your learning styles suggest. Maybe this is something you've never had an opportunity to think about before. You may find some new ideas about what might work best for you.
http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/instruct/4mat.html - The 4MAT System which explains how you perceive and process information.
http://keirsey.com - The Myers-Briggs Personality Profile and the Keirsey Temperament Sorter
You may also find it helpful to review the Maslow Qualities for a self-actualizing person on page 29. Read over the list - if there are any words there you would like to investigate, try looking them up on the Web at the Dictionary link. Learning new things, whatever your style is part of being a Master Student.
Week Two: September 13-17, 2004