My Blogging Experience

 by Nakesha Willis

I would like to start by saying that this class has indeed been interesting! From blogging to classroom discussions, everything has had its ups and downs! Starting this class, I did not really know what was expected or how to complete certain things and I was quite interested to be enrolled in an English hybrid course. As time went on, I got used to the course and my instructors expectations. I learned lots of creative things technologically! There were three of my blog posts that I chose particularly because they highlighted most of my personal opinions and/or views on certain subject matters.

Photo credit: huffingtonpost.com 

    

The first blog post I chose is blog post #3. That post was to answer the question, “What is college (good) for?” I chose to respond, taking the approach to explain the aspects in which college benefits students individually, society as a whole, and/or both. In this post, the feedback given was for me to expand on the topic, pay more attention to drawing better conclusions and proofread thoroughly. I took that into consideration and revised that post as blog post #6.

In blog post #6, I tried my best to correct the weaknesses of blog post #3. I focused on researching to expand, having my peers and a mentor assist me with proofreading, and decided to write out a simple outline first. I believe those small weaknesses have been improved post after post.

The final post that I chose was blog post #4. That post was to answer the question “Is College Good Enough; Is It Worth the Investment?” I chose to answer on the bases of college being more than good enough due to the fact that only in college will you gain college experience. You also learn responsibility and academically.

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 Out of all our blog posts, these three in particular helped me decide to plan goals for each and everything I want to accomplish! I’ve learned that college is well worth the investment because there’s always room to improve in every aspect of life.   

What is College Really Good For? (Blog Post 3-Revised)

by Nakesha S. Willis

            College is an educational institution or establishment that provides higher education or specialized professional or vocational training for students. College is an awesome investment for reasons such as networking/involvement, amazing experiences, and gaining knowledge to obtain a degree in the field of your choice.  

Photo Credit: http://www.jsu.edu/admissions/Images/final_logo_3_color.jpg 

             Networking is considered meeting new people who could one day be your support system and getting involved while in school to gain opportunities that fulfill your goals. Involvement on your college campus can open up many opportunities in the community, surrounding areas, and even other positions on campus. Being a member of Freshman Forum here at Jacksonville State University, I have met over 70 new people and those people are becoming some of my closest friends. That organization, for example, can help me become more involved with Senate, Go!Leaders, and Ambassadors. Members of those organizations display teamwork, school spirit, and professionalism in everything they do to accomplish many different tasks. That’s networking! Louis Maynard states in Live and Learn: Why We Have College that college exposes future citizens to material that enlightens and empowers them, whatever careers they end up choosing. By that, he means college is to prepare you for what you choose to pursue. If you skip out on the college experience, you’re missing a valuable part of your life. College teaches a great deal of responsibility. It’s an environment where you learn to network and learn new things each day.

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            Many people, like me, believe knowledge is everything! Most professions or occupations today require a certain level of degree and experience.  In the article Professor: Value of College Extends Beyond Paycheck by NPR Staff, Professor Mike Rose, speaks on the importance of getting an education. He is adamant that we are not learning just to make a living, but to assure that you will be able to pursue the things you desire most. I definitely support that statement. I have always been told that nothing will be handed to you, it is up to you to work hard for what you would like to accomplish.

Photo Credit: http://colletonae.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/graduation-cap-and-diploma-1024x749.jpg

   

            Many people want to know, does a degree vary in importance based on your field of study? There are various statistics that give responses to this question; one being How Much is a College Degree Worth? Depends On Your Major. I believe all degrees are important. While pursuing a career, you learn many things. With most majors, students are allotted the opportunity to intern in their field to get an idea of the type of work that is to be done. Interning allows you to meet many people as well, such as business owners, school administrators, etc.

           All in all, I am adamant about the idea that college is very beneficial to everyone and their future endeavors. Knowledge is key! It is up to the individual to decide whether or not they want to complete short term goals to succeed long term.

Share or Die: Learning Outside the Academy (Eric Meltzer)

by : Nakesha Willis

People often think learning academically comes primarily from being in school when, truth is learning takes place in every aspect of life. With everything comes a reason or purpose. As stated in this passage, it is up to you to decide which lessons you gain or wish to gain from everyday activities and/or goals. You could simply figure up what you would like to learn more about, make a curriculum for yourself, make practices as close to real life routines as possible, find things you enjoy engaging in, and find people to assist you in your efforts.

Photo credit: http://www.southerncompany.com/learningpower/

This passage was a story being told by Eric Meltzer. Eric had a particular goal to learn an alternative language. Eric had trouble locating academies/educational institutions that would fulfill that accomplishment to his personal standards. He later came to the conclusion that he would figure out how he would achieve that by himself. Eric figured that he could basically lay out a plan that would be somewhat like a normal academy. Here are the details to those plans of action.

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Eric decided to create a curriculum, breaking down information that had to be learned. He then realized that our generation is said to be disconnected. By that, it means, being raised on video games, networking, and television. Those forms of technology are helping us so much that it hurts us at times. In the book Net Smart by Howard Rheingold, Rheingold spoke about the fact that if you’re out of touch with technology, you’re basically out of touch with the world.

Technology has become a way for people to navigate information and find almost anything they search for. They can almost travel the world online. People often operate based on the things on television and video games as well.

I think technology is awesome but when people don’t search further for information they wish to acquire, they believe solely what they hear from the mouths of other and the sources they come from.

“Is College Good Enough; Is It Worth the Investment?”

By Nakesha Willis

                College is an educational institution or establishment that provides higher education or specialized professional or vocational training. Many people question the worth of college and whether or not it helps or hurts you in the long run. In my opinion, college is worth every penny invested in it. Knowledge is everything and I stand firm on that as it was instilled in me.

 

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                 For me, college was not really an option and I was always encouraged to further my education and succeed while doing so. I am learning that college is a wonderful place where you learn wonderful things. College provides many experiences and teaches various lessons/skills ranging from responsibility, hard-work, and dedication to networking, service projects, politics, etc. Being involved throughout your college years makes your experience well worthwhile.

                While I believe that college is worth the investment, others may differ for various reasons. According to the article “Why Your College Degree Is Not Enough” gives some reasoning that include debt from loans, the fact that a degree no longer sets you apart from other applicants, due to a lack of experience offered for a particular field, and drop-out rates.

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                Based on a United States poll, only 22 percent can afford college while 75 percent cannot. In an article “What is College For,” 74 percent of graduates from four-year colleges say that their education was very useful in helping them grow intellectually, 69 percent expressed that it was very useful in helping them grow and mature as a person, and 55 percent claimed that college was very useful in helping them prepare for a job or career. All in all, 86 percent of those graduates think college was a good investment for them in a personal capacity.

                I have been in college for a little over a month and so far, I have done great with time management and prioritizing. I would place myself in the category of people who do believe college is a great investment and an awesome preparation for the workforce. Education is to produce well-rounded citizens rather than productive workers. One of my teachers gave me the advice that if I do what I have to do, I’ll be able to do what I want to do. If you pursue a field in something that you’re passionate about, you never really work. Robert Hoggard made a statement that I definitely agree with; College may seem unrealistic to some because they cannot afford it; however, college is worth placing yourself in debt because of the success one can find after college. It is better to be overqualified than under-qualified. That statement gives me comfort with the idea that college is worth the investment and it is good enough. It backs the idea that knowledge is everything!  

“What is College Good For?”

By Nakesha S. Willis

According to research, college is an educational institution or establishment providing higher education or specialized professional or vocational training. In my opinion, college is an awesome investment because having knowledge and being trained in a certain field may make your living someday. Let’s see what others think about it!

         Many have raised the question of whether college is worth the investment. Many people, like me, believe knowledge is everything! Most professions or occupations today require a certain level of degrees and experience.  In the article Professor: Value of College Extends Beyond Paycheck by NPR Staff, Professor Mike Rose, speaks on the importance of getting an education. He is adamant that we are not learning just to make a living, but to assure that you will be able to pursue the things you desire most. I definitely support that statement. I have always been told that nothing will be handed to you, it is up to you to work hard for what you want to accomplish. Louis Menand stated in Live and Learn: Why we have college that college exposes future citizens to material that enlightens and empowers them, whatever careers they end up choosing. By that, he meant college is to prepare you for what you choose to pursue. If you skip out on that experience, you’re missing a valuable part of your life. College teaches a great deal of responsibility. It’s an environment where you should network and learn new things each day.

Will students today occupy jobs that do not yet exist? As stated in Don't Miss the College Forest for the Career Trees, a college may not always be able to anticipate what technical skills students will need about ten years from now. That article stated thirty percent of students will work in jobs that do not exist yet and sixty percent graduate in majors different from those in which they began. Being a college student, I know that’s a fact. People change their majors multiple times throughout their college duration for various reasons. One of those reasons would be due to the fact that people think they wanted to pursue a career but had no idea of what all intelled and realized it wasn’t for them. Many people want to know, does a degree vary in importance based on your field of study? There are various statistics that gives responses to this question; one being How Much Is a College Degree Worth? Depends On Your Major. I believe all degrees are important. While pursuing a career, you learn many things. With most majors, students are allotted the opportunity to intern in their field to get an idea of the type of work that is to be done.

All in all, if you ask me, college is a priority. Knowledge is key! It’s up to the individual to decide whether or not they want to do what it takes to obtain their goal! I am here to succeed in the field of Elementary Education/Collaborative Teaching and that’s what I’m adamant about.

 

Labels:

http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2011/06/06/110606crat_atlarge_menand

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bobby-fong/dont-miss-the-college-for_1_b_1677766.html

http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2011/05/27/136613490/how-much-is-a-college-degree-worth-depends-on-your-major

http://www.npr.org/2011/06/11/137093258/professor-value-of-college-extends-beyond-paycheck

"WHY College?"

"Why College" is a question that reminds me of my purpose for being here at JSU. That brings me to the question "Why Not College?" College is supposed to be a place and a chapter in your life where you explore new atmospheres, meet and network with new people, and study in the field of your choice. I am an Elementary Education/ Collaborative Teaching major. People often say that I am following in the footsteps of my dad, granddad, cousin, grandmother, and godmother. My dad is principal at Smith Middle School in Birmingham, Al and my granddad was a driver's education instructor and assistant principal at Jackson-Olin High School in Birmingham as well. My cousin has been teaching elementary education for about four years now. My grandmother has taught all grade levels and was principal at a high school in Mobile, Al. My god-mother teaches juniors and seniors at a high school in Mobile also. So, I guess it could be said that 'it's a family thing'! I am very passionate about working with kids and it is and has been my aspiration to pursue that field. Not only will I change lives but it has benefits as well. Some benefits would be free summers and holidays. I am aware that a child's elementary years are the most valuable moments of their lives. Children deserve to be educated and motivated in the same setting and that's my goal. I worked at a summer camp for the past three years with 3rd and 5th graders. That experience made my decision even more easier to come upon. I not only want to achieve my life-long aspiration but I strive to make my family proud and make a positive difference in my community through educating kids who will one day be the future of our world. :)

Welcome to My World :)

    Hello, my name is Nakesha Willis. I am a student at Jacksonville State University, majoring in Elementary Education/ Collaborative Teaching. I was born on December 5 during the "Blizzard of '93." I'm from Birmingham, Alabama. I am a graduate of Ramsay High School. I cherish several things but the most important would be my relationship with my family and God! I have one younger sister and four god sisters, 3 younger and one older. My hobbies include dancing and shopping. I have danced for 15 years since age three. Christopher Reeve once said,  "A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles." That quote has been my inspiration for the past couple of years. I find comfort in knowing that I can and will be whatever I set my mind to strive for, for faith without work is dead! My support system is and has been strong. That system consists of my parents, other family members, friends, and mentors. With that being said, I look forward to this course and the challenges it may have in store!