Time Strategies

When it comes to time management, check lists have always been my best friend.  In both articles that I read- "Four Questions to Help you Stop Procrastinating" and "The Important Habit of Just Starting", they talked about key qualities in helping one be successful when it comes to getting things done. Back to what I was saying about checklists, whenever I am feeling overwhelmed with the amount of things I need to do, I tend to fall victim to not being able to do any of it or as one the articles called it "paralyzed".  Because I feel the stress of all the things I need to do, I find myself not knowing where to start and therefore just ignoring all of it.  As you can tell, this is not a good approach.  However, whenever I feel this way if I make a checklist with all the things I need to do in order of importance, I am almost always able to knock them all out rather quickly.  For me, being able to visualize what I need to do and see that maybe there's actually not as much to do as I thought is always a breakthrough. The four questions in the article about procrastinating were much like questions that I ask myself when I am writing a checklist, and the Important Habit of Just Starting had a really great point about the pain of actually working on something is usually much less than the pain of stressing about not doing it.  So that being said, my main time management strategy would be checklists! They can be as vague as possible or scheduled even down to the time that I'm going to do them depending on the situation.  Moving forward this semester I am going to continue to apply this strategy and work even more on "just starting". 

"To Do List" 

Technology First Impressions

I am unfamiliar with most of the technology sites we will be using this semester, but I am familiar with google docs, and Pinterest.  Pinterest is on of my favorite websites! In past online classes I have taken, we posted our thoughts and answered questions just like we are doing in this course however it was all done through a discussion board through canvas.  It will be interesting to actually view other students blogs and learn more about them in a more interactive way! Moving forward I would just like to learn more about all the sites mentioned and learn how to produce my own images and memes!

"Dream desk". This looks like a desk I want to be at!

Assignments- First Impression

After completing my first week of this class I am excited and intrigued to move forward! My first impression towards the beginning of the week was that it was a little overwhelming.  But as my worked my way through the assignments I found that the directions for each one were very helpful and guided me through exactly what to do which made me feel much better.  I really enjoyed browsing other students storybooks as it was a great break from my other classes. I will however need to specifically set apart plenty of time to complete assignments moving forward as I found that they can be quite time consuming. 

So far, this class is very different from other classes I have taken because I've never had to "decide my own grade" before.  In other words I've had to turn in assignments or complete quizzes for points, not necessarily just answer a question about whether I did the work or not. However, I am optimistic moving forward and I am really intrigued by the idea of finishing the course early with the help of extra credit! Some extra credit opportunities that grabbed my attention were Growth Mindset, H.E.A.R.T., and Wikipedia Trails.  I am looking forward to exploring these soon!

Here's to a great semester of learning and exploring!

Curious Puppy. Image Credit: Official Husky Lovers

Growth Mindset by Carol Dweck

Coming into this assignment I had not heard of Carol Dweck before, or her idea of Growth Mindset. I learned about it by watching a series of videos made by her explaining the power of changing our growth mindset and the great potential it could have on our overall knowledge and learning ability.  On the scale of growth mindset I feel like I am in the middle when it comes to my school work.  Obviously, I like when I am able to finish something quickly with little difficulty, but on the flip side I love feeling the sense of accomplishment when I finish something that really challenged me and that I had to put a lot of effort into.  I have found this especially as I have advanced into my degree, the classes continue to get more difficult and require more effort but the reward is so much greater at the end.  During my time at OU, I have learned the value of preparing for class and studying in small amounts each day rather than trying to cram a units of information the night before a test.  As I've set about learning new things one of the biggest challenges for me has been being able to except a "not yet".  In high school everything came pretty easily to me and I wasn't really faced with a whole lot of "not yets".  But coming into college that has changed especially again as my classes progress.  But after watching Carol's videos I now realize even more that failing means you tried! and that is better than never putting yourself out there to succeed.  I think the growth mindset could help me this semester in my learning and I am looking forward to learning more about it.  I am also taking physiology this semester and I know that a lot of these principles would be a great tool to apply as I move forward in my education.

Growth of Fixed? The Growth Mindset.

Introduction to the life of McKenzie

Hello! Many of you know this already, but my name is McKenzie and since you will be reading my blog posts I wanted to tell you a little bit about myself! I have a bit of a unique background so buckle down and get ready for the ride.

I am originally from Owasso, Oklahoma where I grew up with my older sister and parents. Owasso is a 6A suburb just north of Tulsa.  Growing up I lived and breathed dance, where I competed with my local studio and was also on my high school's Pom Squad. Fun fact: I was also in "The Pride of Owasso" our prestigious band program where I was an all- state bassoon my senior year. Moving in to college I decided to continue my dance career at Oklahoma City University as a dance major. After two years, I realized that although dance was my passion, it wasn't what I wanted to earn my degree in, as I had other passions as well. That being said I decided to uproot and transfer to the University of Oklahoma and completely start over as a science major. (sorry mom and dad). I am now a senior on the track of Pre-Dietetics with a minor in Health and Exercise Science. Hopefully if all goes as planned I will be a registered dietitian in a few years!

Now that that's out the way (whew!) here's the more fun stuff about me. In my free time I enjoy teaching dance at Massay's Dancestar Productions here in Norman, working in a clothing boutique at Campus Corner, and running my own Rodan + Fields business! (The #1 skincare products in the U.S.) I also have the great opportunity of being a member of the OU Pom Squad. There is nothing quite like cheering on my favorite team in front of 86,000 people!

A photo of me cheering at the TCU game this past season 

(taken by my mom) 

I also enjoy working out regularly, spending time with my family, friends and boyfriend, and playing with my dog Anna when I get to go back to Owasso! Anna is a retired show dog and quite possibly the most loving being on this planet. She loves to cuddle, play, and especially enjoys being the "little spoon".   

                                                                                                 

A personal photo snapped of Anna begging for attention. 

Holiday kisses. (again, taken by my mom)

Recently over the break I traveled to Orlando, Florida with my boyfriend Peyton and his family, and I was able to experience the magic of Disney World for the very first time! I was also went to Universal Studios and experience Harry Potter World (my personal favorite).  

Peyton and I at Cinderella's Castle

(taken by a friendly stranger) 

Last one.....

"Dreams do come true" Enjoying butter beer at Universal Studios Wizarding World of Harry Potter. 

(taken by Peyton) 

Well that's it for now, I hope you enjoyed reading a little bit about me and I'm looking forward to reading about you!

Storybook Favorites

OU's Haunted Halls

My first favorite storybook that I came across wile browsing past projects was entitled "OU's Haunted Halls- Ghost stories of OU". This project immediately caught my attention because I have always been interested in ghost stories- and especially those that have to do with things that I'm involved in...like OU! As soon as I started reading my attention was grabbed and I was intrigued to continue on. The project consisted of four different ghost stories that had been revised from real events that have happened during the history of OU. It was very interesting and creepy! I definitely enjoyed reading this. Read about OU's haunted halls for yourself!

Toto's Adventures in OZ

Another favorite storybook that I came across was a story told by none other than Toto himself, retelling the events that took place in the classic film, The Wizard of Oz.  I have always been a huge fan of the movie so this title also intrigued me, and it did not disappoint! It was very humorous being that the point of view was coming from a dog, and it gave me a new perspective to the story that I had never thought of before.  There were also interactive videos that made the reading even more fun. If you are a fan of lions, tigers and bears (oh my!) then I would highly suggest giving this storybook a read.  Join in on the fun here - Toto's Adventures in OZ

Toto peeking out of Dorothy's basket 

Elf Tales- A trip down memory lane

One last favorite that I found was entitled Elf tales, and it was a spin off of the famous movie Elf.  This is one of my favorite movies so I couldn't resist this one.  This version however is written from the perspective of Buddy's dad, Chaz.  In this project Chaz tells four different stories about his past life before he became Poppa Elf at the North Pole.  I found this project again very humorous and enjoyable to read. I thought this introduction was especially good because it did a really good job at explaining what the next few stories would be about and it gave all the info necessary for the reader to understand what was going on.  Enlighten yourself and read about Chaz's past life for yourself! 

By browsing through all of these past storybooks made by former students I was able to get some really great ideas about what I want, and don't want to do for my project this semester.  Not to mention, it was super fun! 

My Favorite Place....Orange Beach

My favorite place is Orange Beach, Alabama. Located in the Gulf, it's perfectly white sandy beaches and warm, crystal clear water make a wonderful paradise! I first visited a couple years ago and since then, it has become my favorite vacation spot by far.

Orange Beach, Alabama: