Category Archives: University

Funny how things change

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Welcome to the year 2013, summer edition.

Life took a dramatic swing in January when I was officially accepted to Trent University’s Politics program.

((Which, by the way, I can’t explain to you how awesome that sounds. ))

This also means that life turned into prep, work, and the odd outside activity. Working five days a week has been working out fairly well. I love my employer & co-workers, and I hope to continue to work there during the school year.

At the moment, I can’t officially register for any courses. I have to take Politics 1000 (which focuses on democracy and power), and also considering: indigenous studies 1000 (which is a study on the culture & history and how it relates to now), international development 1000 (which is focused on world poverty & why/how it happened), history 1400 (history of globalization), Philosophy 1100 (general philosophy intro), and Canadian studies (most likely canada & globalization).

If I get the lecture & seminar times I would like, I will only have to travel to campus three days a week. That would be excellent. All in all, this year is shaping up to be rather great… Now if only I had the motivation to update this blog. ;)

University, life, and the sleep deprived.

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Ok – so my life has gone whirling by very quickly this past week.

I am so freaking tired. Work was fun, crazy, challenging, interesting (except for the two days if bad weather = slower day).

The biggest day of excitement happened on Thursday. After spending the whole day at work, coming home dead-beat tired.. I sit down before dinner & check my email (which I generally do not do). And I freak out. I see the email from admissions (which I was not expecting).

Oh. My. Word.

I’m heading to University this fall. Beyond excited. Beyond happy. Way over the moon. I am going back to school, full time, at my #1 pick in the program I wanted.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Pure happiness. I know it will be a lot of work, this summer will be a lot of work, and it will be a long four (ish) years. But I am so unbelievably happy right now.

Sunday was fun because I had the opportunity to start sharing my news in person. But it also came with that wall.. The wall which comes after big life changes are on the horizon, and life starts to demand a lot more from me. Am I the only one who wants to hide in bed & sleep forever after these cool announcements? It’s just too much excitement and anticipation and emotions and stuff.

So yes. I’m tired. But I am so happy & at peace with what this year will bring.

What did you learn today?

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There are a few things in life that I am really passionate about, and most of these passions I can directly link to the way my parents educated me, life has influenced my choices, and events that have made me reconsider those choices.  To specifically name some of these passions: Video Games, Books, Politics, and above all else learning. And I don’t mean just sitting down and doing math problems, because–you know that is what you were told to do. I mean really and passionately pursuing the knowledge of (or in) a certain subject, because you need to know the answer.  You may not understand why the answer has become such a big deal, but for the simple sake of learning and education you are now pursuing it.

I love those moments. but for a very long time it has been difficult to articulate what these moments are like, why I love learning, and why I believe the Internet is so important to allow this learning to happen. Leave it to John Green, whom I have stated to absolutely adore (in a non-creepy, admiration type way) to articulate the very emotions and thoughts I couldn’t convey. Ted Talks are one of the great things that the  Internet has brought to learning, and John Green gave a great talk on education  learning, and why it is important to have a community of learners.

I was fortunate enough to grow up in a community of learners, and people who passionately pursue the right to ask questions and debate the more difficult answers. We all have taken this passion of education and learning to different fields of interest, but in the end our dinner table is never filled with “what did you do today?” — it was always “what did you learn today?”

I’m still not sure where I will end up next year as I pursue my education. Perhaps, I will stick with Athabasca and pursue my education in a way that fits my comfort zone. But I have also come to realize that to pursue my education in this way, I will need to find a community of learners to travel with (at least through cyberspace).

For the first time, I found a way to express the passions I have for learning. I found someone who shared one of my most intimate thoughts. I love the Internet and the meeting of minds that is often found in the most unexpected ways.

So to answer the question:  I learned today that procrastination on a paper, can sometimes lead to education in other areas. But in the end, the paper still needs to be done. That education in nontraditional ways can be healthy, appropriate, and lead to an interesting travel through life.  And that even the most strange of passions are there for a reason.

I dream that I will do good.

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“All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible.” –T. E. Lawrence

Today I went back and hit the books. The first half hour was admittedly a struggle as every tiny noise was a huge distraction.  The neighbor’s radio, the neighborhood dogs gossiping, a small cry from a delighted child.  Every little detail was ten times louder in my head as it screamed “you are still on Holidays!”

No mind, I am not any longer off the clock.

Please cease your endless bickering and focus on the task at hand.

Eventually  the text started to make sense once again and the distractions were filtered out slowly, but I could not help to dream as I read the scenarios being illustrated in detail. I often wonder if great figures in history, such as Mr. Churchill, knew the role they were playing. Everything I have read on the subject suggests that Churchill was very aware of the ultimate role and his destiny to do great things. However, on the other side it appears that Hitler had the very same thoughts of destiny and achieving a greater goal than most men can dream of. Somehow specific men and women are clearly aware of the influences that they are making, and the struggles they must make for the (hopefully) good of their people and the world.  Is it not strange how our desires and dreams may seem so outlandish, but in the eyes of history will be viewed as some of the greatest moments of destiny?

I choose to dream about my future today, and to think about the difference I may make to another person tomorrow. It is my greatest hope that I will always be aware of my small place in the history of my country, nation, and the world. That I may always choose to better the situation of another, to show love and compassion, and to learn from the many mistakes I will make. I hope that I may take this education and dream about the future I may create for others I influence.

I dream that I will do good.

My Favorite Apps for University

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University resources have changed dramatically since I last took my humanities 201 course roughly four years ago. While I have always considered Athabasca University (where I am currently “attending”) a strong competitor in the “University 2.0″ online world; the resources to aide students of this, and other online, open universities have been limited to computers and laptops with poor battery life and are difficult to carry around.

That has changed dramatically in the past few years. While battery life and size have improved on laptops and net books alike, the iPad would be one of the mot influential devices in the change of university learning. How cool is it to be able to write my essay on a lunch break, and not worry about draining the battery with a heavy program like Word? I no longer have to rush home and write, or lose the inspiration I may have picked up during my lunch hour or break due to poor battery life. The iPad’s battery and unique apps allows the goal of universities like Athabasca to shine. Through this device and apps available University-and other education–can even be found in the staff lunch room.

And the apps, oh how glorious some of these apps are. I have never felt more productive in my studying before, and the educational possibilities are amazing. From note taking, to free university level learning, to course planning and essay writing. The iPad and apps have made it all a little easier to manage.

While we may be ending a traditional school year, there are a few of us may be continuing, starting, or planning school for the summer/fall semesters. Thanks to Athabasca, I am able to continue my studies year round if I choose to do so.

With that in mind, here are my favorite apps for university.

1.) Evernote: this app makes note taking almost fun. Simple to use, Evernote syncs your notes across multiple devices. So while I am working on that essay at work, I can pull up my notes on the iPhone and add additional material from earlier thoughts. Furthermore, Note taking has never been so easy to share. You can create and add groups of people to your notes and share them. Have thoughts to add on your history class? Share them with your fellow students. Best of all it’s free. Seriously.

2.) iTunes U: iTunes U received its second breath of life a few years back. Started as an area for Universities to upload lectures, iTunes U has developed into one of the coolest–and most underrated–educational tools out there. Interested in A specific field? You can add fuel to that passion for free. Textbooks are rumored to be on the way for the future, but chances are that you will have to purchase those. Free lectures by super cool professors in some of the greatest departments inthe world? Sign me up.

3.) Pages Best. word. processor. At least on the iPad. It’s a little pricy, but the amount of essays and research papers you will be pumping out in any university career makes it worth it. The app is easy to use and easy to share from. My only complaint is I wish you could manually save and revert back to previous versions. I end up with dozens of “draft” copies just to maintain the Integrity of previous thoughts.

4.) iStudiez this need little app allows you to set up your course schedule. Need a reminder for when your first assignment is due? Need to plan some study time? This app will let you accommodate that wish. The free version does limit how many assignment deadlines you can add, but it’s a nice way to test the waters.

5.) iBooks: I wish this app was utilized more. How cool would it be to have your entire textbook collection downloaded onto one device? Redeem this code and bam… Plus the iPad is a fraction of the weight in that messenger bag! This is the App of the future, but you can still download some cool additional material for free or at a reasonable price.

6.) ThinkBook: another note taking app which added capabilities. Integration to drop box makes it easy to use between iOS and computer devices, edit to me and send to another. However it’s strongest feature is the outlining abilities. If you are a visual learner, and work better with a reusable outline, this app may be worth the $1.99 to you. Project outlines and planning = a breeze. Definitely worth a look, and for an added bonus it really compliments your new Evernote system.

If trends continue to be followed, Apple’s dream of the iPad replacing traditional text books and laptops in the classroom may just be realized. Honestly, I could totally live with that. Those books are flipping heavy. The internet is here and at our disposal, let’s move University to the students and their future advancement. Happy studies!