September 28, 2010

Whether the Weather be: Foggy/overcast (55F)
In the News: CA re-introduces executions.
Events of Note: Unit 1 almost done!.

* I'm unhappy with how this new Term isn't shaping up. Lots of technical difficulties with the Seminar platform, as well as with course-related and school emails somehow landing in my Junk email folder. This really sets me off on the wrong foot, and is not the strong start that I needed or wanted. Oh, well.

* Today, I continued to volunteer in my daughter's kindergarten class, which I am enjoying in new and surprising ways. A friend who has been visiting with us from Montana, left today, to continue on with their Pre-Winter travels. It was a welcomed diversion having them stay!.

Well, that's it from here-I have an exam for A&PII to study for, and some student responses to post on DB. Hopefully certain issues will self-resolve soon.

September 20, 2010

Term Break (cont...)

Whether the Weather be: Fair (59F/15C) A beautiful day!.
In the News: Bed-bugs close Nike store.
Events of Note: Final Grades posted.

* Well, I accomplished what I set out to do this last Term, with an A in Comp II. I ended up with an A- in Anatomy and Physiology, which was pretty pleasing, everything considered. Yesterday's party went well. It was a lot less stressful on me than those events typically are-likely because it was a Children's Party. So, there was a much nicer atmosphere, and far fewer bad manners in evidence (less alcohol being consumed by guests). No "Jolly Jump" unfortunately, because of torrential rain, but there was an abundance of different and engaging, indoor art activities, games, dress-ups, movies....

* This morning, I volunteered in my daughter's Kindergarten classroom. A great group of children. I put together homework folders, worked in groups in a comprehension color, cut and paste activity, and worked one-on-one with a student who was trying to learn how to write his name more clearly. It was a real pleasure, and the time went by so quickly.

* I'm almost done with my Holiday shopping for family back in New Zealand. This was my ambitious task for Term break, when I'd far rather be doing anything else but that. Still, I'd better start looking over my Pharmacology textbook. It looks a little daunting, to say the least.

September 18, 2010

Term Break

Whether the Weather be: Rain (63F)
In the News: Pope visits Britain
Events of Note: Term Break

* This break from school is rapidly disappearing over the horizon. We've had the most rain all year, beginning from yesterday. The slight viral illness that I picked up from my daughter in Unit 9 of this Term, is still bothering me. This afternoon, I spent two hours in bed, asleep, and I rarely, if ever, do that. Tomorrow, I have to get up early and prepare cakes for a kids party at my husband's boss's place. Depends upon the rain, too, I guess, because she's having a "Jolly Jump" up at her house. Well, I'm off to check if grades have been posted at Kaplan, yet. Wish me luck. Luck.

End Of Term Wrap-Up

End of Term Reflections:

This Term, I ended up with good marks in Comp II and good marks in A&PI. Although, A&PI was slightly intense, balanced out by Comp II, which was straightforward, by comparison. For next Term, Pharmacology will be interesting, particularly when it is paired with A&PII. For now, I'm simply enjoying being able to catch up on some sleep, and to do something not school-related. I've even been wrapping Christmas presents!. Yesterday, I spent my morning with three friends, at the Starbucks directly across from my house. We had a lot of fun, just joking around and catching up on each other's lives. Next Term will be about not taking on too many extraneous tasks, as well as prepariing for Clinicals. Eep!.

September 13, 2010

Whether the Weather be: Cloudy (59F)
In the News: San Bruno fire aftermath
Events of Note: Unit 10-End of Term.

* I'm preparing to sit my Final Exam today for A&PI. I'm not typically a good test-taker. So, I have really attempted to go 'all out' on pre-exam prep, with sheets of notes, flashcards and diagrams. It's all making me slightly batty, and I'll be quite glad when it's over with. Between the 7.0 earthquake in my home-city in New Zealand, over a week ago, and my then being admitted to Stanford for a specialist medical procedure, Unit 9 was a bit of a struggle for me to get through. But, from tomorrow, I can relax a bit and do something else. On Thursday, a group of writing friends and myself are getting together for some socializing and fun. I need to laugh and de-stress with some like-minded souls!. Then, on Saturday, I'm catering for a kids party. It's all go!.

* I'll be maintaining this blog for the foreseeable future, so I hope to keep in touch with all of you, one way or the other!. I'm taking A&PII and Pharmacology next Term. Good luck to all!.

Unit 10 Blog Response:

Keeping It Scientific: Tips on Writing a Scientific Paper.

In many ways, writing a scientific paper can be quite a bit easier than writing a general essay or an informative paper. This is because you can quite intentionally have some distance between yourself and your chosen subject material. This allows you to be both more critical and more objective. It can also really help to focus on the most plausible, verifiable and justifiable answer to your research question, or to firm up your ideas about your hypothesis. In this way, writing a scientific paper is much more of a prescriptive task. Here are a few general tips:

* Leave writing your introduction and conclusion until last. In many ways, your conclusion should mirror your introduction, to an extent. Remember, a conclusion is a summary of all the points and material that have been written up until that point. So, you shouldn't try and include new information in a conclusion. Rather, your conclusion should re-iterate your main points, and also re-link them back to your original thesis.

* Use peer-reviewed journals and periodicals that deal specifically with the precise and pertinent aspects of your topic. These are usually self-evident through their title. Also, try and stay with current articles as much as possible. Less than a year old, and no more than 10 years old-unless you are providing some historical background. Given the fast-paced nature of certain fields, it's also better to use the latest editions of certain, well-recognized 'standard' texts, too-such as Mosby's. They may not look that different, at first gloss, but many have been significantly updated, abridged (shortened) or revised.

* An Abstract is a first impression, snapshot of your paper. Some abstracts use the intro, method, discussion, conclusion format, while others are a little more broad. An abstract should be written in a neutral tone, too.

* If you have any doubts about the origins of any of your sources-leave them out entirely. They should be able to be easily located by any reader.

* Developing your research questions is a good start towards writing a thesis statement.

* Avoid collaborative electronic sources or websites, like Wikipedia, Ask.com, About.com. If you can, talk with the Information specialists or Help Desk at your Library. They often have very helpful tips about locating secondary sources, electronically, and some even offer this as a service to students. This can save a lot of time, and really help you to focus on exactly what you're interested in most.

* Finished your draft and find that you've written too much or too little content?. Try writing it over again, by hand. Or, print off a copy. Sometimes, it's clearer to visualize and edit, when the content is directly on the page in front of you and not on the screen. It can give you a better sense of and feel for where there are gaps, or where you have focussed on too much of one aspect, versus another. Quantity does not always equate to quality. Conversely, if you've written too little, look for ways that you can use topic sentences and transitions to expand your paragraphs. Including illustrative examples can also sometimes help. While quotes should be used sparingly and shouldn't be used as 'filler'-if you have a good quote-use it!.

September 03, 2010

There was a major earthquake in the South island of New Zealand, this morning measuring 7.4, where all of my extended family and many of my friends live. Considerable damage in the city of Christchurch. So, at this time, I am very worried about my famly and have yet to make contact with them. I will try calling my Mum later, today. Lots of aftershocks happening-up to 5.0. They are now worried about aftershocks of 6.0 and above. So, I am a little distracted at the moment.

Unit 9 Blog Response

Feelings This Close To The Finish Line

With your paper almost done, how do you feel?.

With my paper now almost done, I'm feeling largely indifferent and ambivalent about my Final Paper. I usually like to let it sit and settle some more, before I return for one, last round of polishing it up. Paying a little more extra effort, time and attention can really make a difference to the overall quality of the end result. Generally, just by quickly scanning my paper, I can have a good 'gut feeling' of what stage I'm at, this far on in the writing process. It is satisfying to look back at the bare bones of my pre-writing, and to compare that with the numerous, subsequent versions of my paper. Then, on a personal level, at least, I can feel contented and enlightened with how my paper has evolved and taken shape.

Do you feel nervous, accomplished or just plain tired?.

I feel accomplished. Writing energizes me, while also expanding my horizons and perspectives on several, contrasting levels. I feel as if I can take on my next writing challenege with more vitality and insight.

How do you feel about your writing at this point?. Has your idea of writing changed throughout the course?.

I feel mediocre about my writing at this point, mostly because I am very self-critical of my own work. My writing is a little more like a journey to me, rather than simply being a final destination. In this sense, my idea of writing hasn't changed much throughout this course. At least, not at the core of my basic academic writing skills. Perhaps, slightly more so on other, more minor technicalities and details. This is because I have quite deliberately spent a number of years identifying what works best for me, and in making those writing techniques and approaches work to my greatest advantage, time and time again.

What other topics would you like to research?.

The other topics that I would like to research are numerous and varied. In the shorter term, I plan on researching Kidney Function and the Urinary System for A&PII next Term. As a part of my public health professional activities, I intend to expand on my research interests in bioethics. Specifically, by looking at the legal and ethical issues to do with developing Medical Futility determination guidelines and protocols for health providers here in the U.S..

September 02, 2010

Whether the Weather be: Fog (55F/13C)
In the News: Hurricane Earl (CNN)
Events of Note: Unit 9; Anat&Phys Seminar 9

* Neurology at Stanford called yesterday morning, so that is where I'm headed next week, for some outpatient medical treatment. Which puts the squeeze on me right at the end of this Term, especially with my completing Final papers and exam study preparation. There will be an additional treatment schedule following this one, which I'm going to have to map out carefully in consultation with KU. It's a 12 hour return commute between here and Stanford, so there has to be some advance planning, whenever possible. In some ways, it'll be nice that this Term is over with, but the next one will roll in just as quickly. Term break isn't really a vacation, from my point-of-view-it's just brief bit of a non-contact time, is all.

* Today, I hope to do a lot of final editorial work on my paper for Comp II. I want to be sure that my Abstract is well-thought out and reads well, too, and not just something tacked on there at the last, possible moment. Mainly because the abstract sets the 'tone' and reflects the overall slant and quality of the paper itself. After that, I can respond to this week's Discussion Thread for Comp II.

September 01, 2010

Whether the Weather be: Cloudy 51 (F)
In the News: Hurricane warning issued for part of the U.S. East Coast (CNN)
Events of Note: Unit 9 begins.

* Haven't blogged here for a few days because I'm trying to get into a new routine with my daughter beginning kindergarten, as well as preparing for Final Papers and for the A&PI Final Exam, No particular plans for this holiday weekend, as I'll be wrapping up this Term's work, and I think that my husband will be working all this weekend, too. This Term has been a strange one for me. It hasn't really felt like I've moved too far, nor too fast in my learning processes. Same old, same old. Maybe that's because I've been in school for so long. Or, perhaps I'm a little run-down with it being so close to the end of Term. I've been feeling quite tired for much of this week. But, I'm doing better today, after a good night's worth of rest. I'm not making any predictions about my final grades-they will be whatever they are.

Hope you all have a great Unit, and see you in the threads!.