Journal for week of 03/ 23/2009

My spring break for the most part was uneventful. I work more hours. I had a good time with my boyfriend, but we always have a good time so that's nothing new. I kind of missed school. Working more hours made me realize how little I missed being at place of work more. I really do appreciate school and having the opportunity to get a great education. I am really saddened and trouble by the killings of the four officers this weekend in Oakland, especially since my school is in the city. I feel really sorry for their families. what a tragic event. I am happy to be back and I can't believe there are only seven more weeks left in the semester.

CRCB- Ch. 4 Managing your Reading Time mind map

CRCB- Ch. 4 summary, Managing your Reading Time

In college reading efficiently isn’t just based on time, but rather on time and comprehension. Efficient reading is defined as, “Being able to read and comprehend textbook material in an appropriate amount of time for you.” The “appropriate amount of time” varies from person to person; and it depends on many factors, such as your availability of time to read for each course, the level of difficulty of the reading material, and the grade you seek in the course. Comprehension or understanding of the material should be your main goal. Instead of comparing your reading rate to other students you should compare it against your past reading rates. As most people know it is not helpful when you compare yourself to others. A College student reads an average of about 300 words per minute, when reading for pleasure. Conducting small experiments such as tracking your reading rates for two weeks will help you not only see the rate at which you read at but will also allow you to make any needed adjustments to your reading behavior. Speed reading is when a reader visually groups words together, reading them in chunks instead of separately. Students are sometimes advised in speed reading courses to skip words, not to reread, and not to read out loud. Speed reading is something I would not be good at. I like to reread sometimes and read out loud other times. Speed reading is not a critical reading strategy. Critical reading is completed efficiently, at a far slower pace than speed reading. Reading critically involves lots of thinking and processing of the information. The goal of speed reading is to finish the reading assignment as soon as possible. The two methods are complete opposites of each other. When you skim a chapter you don’t read all the words, you only read some of them. Before reading a chapter in its entirety I usually start out by skimming it. Then when I go back to read the entire chapter I have an idea of what it is about. Reading quickly consists of reading groups of words together. It is okay to use your hand to help keep your pace up, and it is ok to go back and reread the material. When you come across a word you don’t understand reread the sentence. Try using context clues to figure out the meaning, and if you’re still lost use a dictionary to look up the definition. Sub-vocalizing is basically reading out loud. When reading out loud you use both your eyes and your voice to read. It can improve your understanding and help you remember the text better. I read out loud often. Sometimes it can be very helpful hearing myself when I read, but once in a while as the author also notes my voice does distract me and I lose focus. Pacing your reading can improve your reading speed, and can heighten your concentration abilities. The author mentions you can use your fingers or a bookmark to help you pace your reading. When I was in grade school I was taught to use a ruler for pacing purposes. Another strategy to help you read more efficiently is to develop a daily reading plan. A daily reading plan is a list of reading tasks for all your classes on a certain day. It is best if your daily reading plan is incorporated into your general study schedule. Reading efficiently takes practice, time, and patience. Utilizing these skills and tips should help make anyone an efficient reader.

Journal entry for week # 8

This week I was not in the mood to do any work at all. Usually I look forward to my homework, but I've had things on my mind that are distracting me from my work. I am frustrated and angry.

TFY, Chapter seven mind map- Evaluations: What's Judged?

TFY, Chapter seven summary- Evaluations: What's Judged?

An Evaluation is one variety of an opinion that can be either honest or hidden and manipulative. When you evaluate you, “Determine or fix the value or worth of something, or you examine, judge, appraise, or estimate. People make evaluations on a day to day basis. Evaluations can be made consciously or unconsciously. Evaluations are not facts. Try not to mistake evaluative words for facts. The author states, “Human tendency to evaluate first and think afterwards has a survival function. Our innate tendency to rush to judgment might save our lives in some situations but endanger us in others.” After the shooting and killing of Oscar Grant by a BART police officer, I noticed in the days after that I was wary of all police officers especially Bart police. I rushed to the judgment that they were all aggressive and I would become uncomfortable around them as if they were “the bad guy”. I let my feelings influence my evaluations and made judgments that were unfair. I was not thinking critically. An expectation is the act or state of looking forward or anticipating. Expectations influence our perceptions as well as our evaluations. Word connotations can be manipulative evaluations. Word connotations carry evaluations that influence our feelings, and in turn our feelings can form our opinions. An expert is a person with a reputation for making skilled evaluations. Experts such as doctors and lawyers are highly paid for their skilled evaluations. The author defines propaganda as, “The manipulation of public opinion for the benefit of the propagator.” Propaganda shows no respect for a rational argument or the truth. During the Holocaust, Hitler used propaganda to convince his nation that they the Aryans were superior to the Jews; In turn his people looked the other way while he committed genocide. In the years following 9/11 the Bush Administration used propaganda to get the backing of Congress and the American people to invade Iraq. He convinced the public that Iraq had “weapons of mass destruction” In the end no weapons were found but hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians have lost their lives, as well as thousands of American soldiers. Today’s propaganda is different; it is created by highly sophisticated public relation firms. These firms have a sophisticated knowledge of human psychology. Your television is used constantly to manipulate you. According to the book The plug-In Drug, television itself induces an immediate trance state in viewers, regardless of the content shown. People need to wake up to think critically. Learn to recognize propaganda strategies, in order to keep the power of decision making for yourself.