Learning Challenge: Sleep over Studying

Learning Challenge

This week for the learning challenge I chose to read the article Why Sleeping May be More Important than Studying written by Katrina Schwartz. To be honest there has been many times that I have stayed up late to cram for an exam and I have many times felt like going into the exam exhausted does more harm than good. This article definitely confirmed my idea by describing how a good nights rest can be even more beneficial than a late night cram session. The biggest surprise from reading the article was the suggestion that school should start at 10 a.m. to ensure that students have enough sleep. That would be great!

(Sleepy Student, credit to Love Krittaya)

Growth Mindset: Week 14

Growth Mindset

After reviewing what the growth mindset was last week, I was inspired to dig a little deeper into the concept of growth mindset. Specifically, this week I am exploring how I am using the growth mindset in other aspects of my life outside of school. 

Where I apply Growth Mindset Outside of School

So when I am not studying for exams or completing assignments, I really enjoy trying to express myself in creative and artistic ways. This can include playing piano drums or guitar, or even drawing sometimes. When it comes to doing the best job of applying the growth mindset it would have to be when I am learning something new on piano. Since I genuinely enjoy playing piano it is easy to relax and allow myself to take time and focus on what I am learning rather than get frustrated every time I mess up. Even when I am learning a difficult piece I can usually find a way to embrace the process and be excited for the outcome even though it is time consuming and difficult. I hope that in the future I can apply this amount of patience with myself when I am trying to learn a new concept for class rather than get frustrated when I don't understand it immediately.

(Growth vs Fixed, credit to Jessica Ottewell)

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Tech Tip: Touch Typing Games

Touch Typing Games

For this tech tip I chose to try out some typing games online in order to assess and improve my typing skills. Being an engineering major I do not do too much writing, and this translates into not doing too much typing. The first game that I played was the NinjaCat game, and I must say I have some improvement to m ake! I was not terrible at the game  but it was clear that I am not an expert typist. I also tried out the game Typing Alien. I personally enjoyed typing alien more since it reminded me of the old game Galaga.