The Final Say

The end has arrived. It has been a long and fascinating 12 weeks. In this, our final blog, we would like to say farewell and thank you for your participation, your heartfelt efforts and your insights. You have been exceptional students, and we expect you to find success and satisfaction in your future studies. It is our sincere hope that you will remember the skills you’ve learned and developed and apply them to your courses. They will truly increase your productivity, your communication and your grades!

Good Luck and adieu!

Audrie & Jenna

Unit 7: Academic Relationships and Group Dynamics

Here is your blog topic for Unit #7. Responses are due Friday, December 3, 2010.It is very likely that you will have to participate in group assignments during your post-secondary education. Consider this following article on both the teacher and student perspective of group work.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/students-split-work-to-slash-marking/2007/07/15/1184438149575.html

What are the pros and cons of group dynamics?

Do you believe that group work better prepares you for the workforce?

What concerns do you have about doing group projects?

Unit 6: Oral Presentations

Here is your blog topic for Unit #6. Responses are due Monday, November 29, 2010.
Use the internet to research Randy Pausch. Learn about him and watch some of his presentations. What makes this man a good speaker? Is it because of his situation or in spite of it?

Understand, this man is not known as the world’s greatest speaker, but he is probably the most famous at the moment. So what does he do to make his talks interesting and inviting? What techniques and skills we’ve discussed in class does he employ to create dynamic presentations.

Discuss your observations, opinions and ideas here. Generate a discussion with your peers that is insightful and compassionate. Tell us about what you have learned and learn from each other.

Unit 5 - Writing Skills

Here is your blog topic for Unit 5. Responses are due by Friday, November 19, 2010.

For this week's blog, we want to compile your opinions on academic (formal) writing at the post-secondary level. Choose a particular focus to incite a discussion using personal observations and experience. By reading the article below, you should be able to develop a framework for your discussion. Feel free to use bulleted questions as a guide to your response but be sure to expand on them in paragraph form. The site is:

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/June2009/02/c2005.html

Be sure to address most of the following questions in your response:

Is proficiency in writing a valuable skill?
What are some of the benefits and drawbacks of formal writing?
Do you find academic writing difficult to understand? Why or why not?
Is a society of good writers essential or non-essential to a thriving economy?
Do you feel that academic writing is part of an elitist attitude at the post-secondary level?

Unit 4: Reading Comprehension

Here is your blog topic for Unit 4. Responses are due Thursday, November 4, 2010.
Note: You must answer A; B is optional.

A) Read both of these short news articles related to reading comprehension. Choose one and respond critically. Feel free to share your opinion or real-life experience. Do not summarize. Be sure to engage in discussion with your fellow bloggers.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/mews/story.html?id=72650217-4ed7-4869-aa2b-afc6c1a24bf6

http://themonitor.com/articles/dyslexia-14163-people-myth.html


B) Research an internet article or resource related to reading comprehension or note taking. Write a short summary of the article (two sentences or less) and explain why it is useful to your peers. Post the URL link so others can access the information.

Unit 3 - Research Skills

Here is your blog topic for Unit 3. Blog responses are due Friday Oct 29, 2010.
Search information on mature students in post-secondary education and find one article that will assist you and your fellow students in college or university. Along with a properly formatted citation (in MLA or APA format), post a summary of the article, an evaluation of its content, and how it may be useful. DO NOT REPEAT ARTICLES! The internet is a huge source of information with plenty of inspiration for all!
Comment on at least one of the articles posted by your peers.

Unit 2 - Study Skills

Here is your blog topic for Unit #2. Responses are due by October 14, 2010.Read the short articles related to study skills using the links below. You must respond critically to BOTH articles. Provide a critical review of the articles and your personal opinion. Feel free to use real-life examples or experiences that you can connect to the topics being explored. You may also post any additional information that you have found, explaining why you believe it is important.http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9805E0D81F3BF934A35752C1A96F958260

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/main.jhtml?xml=/health/2008/07/14/haspergers114.xml

A note about the second article: Think about how a learning disability, such as Autism or Asperger Syndrome would affect an adult trying to learn in a post-secondary environment.