RESPOND TO THESE STUDENTS POST
In each response, focus on the area in which your peer appears to be most concerned. Review what your peer says about sources of help for that area. What else would you suggest?
Catherine post
At this time, the aspect in the doctoral process that holds the most confidence is the coursework. I have generally been rather successful in completing tasks, and earning decent grades. The history of coursework, grades, and determination to complete things that have been started provides the confidence to support the previous statement.
The aspect of the doctoral process that is most concerning is the Comprehensive Exam. While I work “well under pressure”, I am concerned about the amount of work required for the rather short time frame provided to compete the Comprehensive Exam (28 days, 3 questions, each answer being 12-17 pages in length). These requirements, at this point in the doctoral journey, are intimidating.
At this point in my life, career, and education, I have learned the value of asking for, and accepting help. I believe that self-sufficiency is extremely important, but not to the extent that my health and sanity should be at risk. While I feel more confident in many aspects of my life when I am doing well in other aspects, I am not beyond taking care of myself. As I tell my clients often, you must take care of yourself, to be able to take care of others. If I do not perform self-care, how can I care for my clients? Ruscio (2006), in Critical Thinking in Psychology, referenced the “well-established correlation between self-esteem and academic achievement” (p. 99). While there is controversy in this correlation, I personally feel that academic achievement increases self-esteem, rather than the other way around. However, they both affect each other differently, for different individuals. As most things in life, it is dependent upon the individual, rather than 100% one way or the other.
The sources of help in the process of doctoral learning that appears to be most helpful would be the dissertation mentor and academic advisor. These individuals would be helpful in providing feedback, support, answering questions, and helping to take the mystery out of the process. The presentation “Welcome to Dissertation” provided insight on the process, and solidified the thought that they will be useful in the dissertation process.
Michele post
I am still not sure if I have confidence in any aspect of this process at this point. I do feel like I am slowly getting a better understanding of the dissertation process and no longer think this is something that happens to end your Ph.D. but rather starts from day one. I am starting to gain confidence in my topic of interest and my ability to create new and important research in the field. I largely think that my confidence in this area is coming primarily from peer feedback in the discussion posts. This group of people has proven to be supportive and inquisitive in the best of ways. Having that feedback now and throughout this course I believe will prove to be vital to my success.
After this week’s studies the part of the program that is most concerning for me is the comprehensive examination. I have test anxiety as it is and to know that the results of not doing well there could result in administrative withdrawal from the university made my stomach drop. I was heartened by the amount of help that is offered for the examination but still I am going to have to spend some considerable time meditating to ease this anxiety and clarify my focus both now and before the exam.
I am a true Midwest born and raised child we don’t ask for help and we apologize for EVERYTHING. In fact, there are many memes that float around Facebook about our inability to ask for help. What I find interesting about this in comparison to Ruscio (2006) is his discussion about the influence of media on our perceptions. Are the memes based on a strong reality or do we simply identify with them and thus small traits are reinforced to become an important part of our perception of self. I have said this in previous posts and am still working on this in all aspect of my life, not just academically, but asking for help is not my strong point. I feel like interaction from peers will continue to be the most helpful for me. I am very curious about the courses that are more peer than instructor driven. I have found that thus far my peers have been able to inspire and challenge me to think in different ways and I feel that is a wonderful tool in helping me grow academically. I am also excited about the smart guide writing help because I have been engaging in clinical writing for work that coming back to academic writing can be a bit of a challenge and help is certainly welcome when I think to ask for it!
Focus on the extent to which your peer’s post of three aspects is consistent with the feedback described. If you see anything that your peer may be missing, make a suggestion. Considering the three aspects that your peer has chosen, select one additional resource that you think might be helpful.
Sherita post
Self-Assessment
The self assessment helped me refresh many of the skills I have become too comfortable with to further advance. Beginning with Bloom’s Taxonomy, the course introduced a different perspective and purpose behind individual approach to research and literary production (Persaud, 2018). How the resources provided are viewed can dictate an individual’s approach and perspective on what is considered ethical and credible. The goal behind doctrine level writing may different but should follow a certain construct to retain its integrity. The Writing Assessment reminded me to remain open to credible sources, refresh my APA formatting and to utilize said sources in a manner that reflects *excellence.
Discussions, Thus Far
The discussions have been interesting and have made me think, more than I expected. I almost feel ashamed for not expecting this level of intuitiveness from the course given the expectations of a doctrine degree. Sometimes courses only seem to address content from one perspective, giving me a falsified sense of “what to expect”. The very way the course has addressed simple ideas and questions has pushed me pass my current understanding of psychology and into a realm where I, once again, wish to know more or see the outcome. It has been a while since I was this intrigued by a course’s discussions, especially one centered on writing.
Feedback
Last week’s feedback should have been my biggest concern for this week’s response. Proofreading has always been one of my greatest disappointments as my process for review has been flawed for a while now. I will often begin by writing a great paper and verifying my points have been met. Each section is written and proofread as I scribe them. In many cases, particularly when adjustments are made, I forget to reproof the changes made. When rushing, I often continue to my next section without notice. As a result, when done, I now have an extensive number of pages which need to be reproofed (again) and small issues may slip through the crack such as wording, phrasing, punctuation, spelling or correct dictation. Remembering the goal and purpose of doctrine level writing and the feedback will support a more apprehensive approach to my proofreading on a continuous level.
Smarthinking
I have not yet submitted my Discussion 3 or 4 to Smarthinking yet but I will do so once I have proofed my Unit 4 Discussion again, per the instructor feedback received. I would like an additional review of my post but not with what I already understand as an issue. I would like to correct these mishaps first and then utilize Smarthinking to evaluate my writing skills. Improvement is my goal and my writing is now beginning to develop based on the purposes selected during composition. This course has shown me that my writing can be more than a grade when applying the correct method for presentation. The creation of viable sources is also a goal I plan to achieve.
Important Aspects
Three aspects I find important in writing are: integrity (as it relates to honest and credible sourcing), alignment (content and purpose) and flow. Capella offers many resources to assist into the development of my writing style and skills. Academic Integrity and Plagiarism Is a document, available for download, detailing the need for honest and productive writing. Many organizations will offer similar resources as guidance to how research should be approached. This form of assistance helps provide a constant and accessible resource on the policy as well as a statement of Capella’s dedication to the credible application of writing. The Capella Writing Center is a great asset when determining how to aligned and develop my paper. Coupled with resources such as Capella Library, Youtube and Google, locating references, guides, research and data is seamless easy and comprehensive. The articles found within the Library and podcast located on Youtube also assist in how the flow of doctrine level writing is completed. Graduate Savvy has supported many of my formatting concerns while concepts like Bloom’s Taxonomy And Ruscio’s discussions of pseudoscience have helped shaped how my research should be used in order to retain the balances* necessary to produce credible primary and secondary sources of content (Persaud, 2018).
Nikki post
When I completed the self-assessments in the Capella Writing Center I was able to determine that I am fairly familiar with APA style writing as well as citing. I have some areas to improve upon, but overall I found that I am able to operate at a Master’s level writing. This does leave room for improvement especially at the doctoral level.
I have found myself re-evaluating my writings more critically, questioning if I am writing in a scholarly fashion or if I am just writing to fill a requirement. I have been more intentional in my writing in this course in hopes that I get feedback to help me improve. I have also found that I am excited about this course and this process so writing feels more natural and not as forced as in courses in the past that I may not have been as excited about. Writing about topics that interest me help to engage more fully with the writing assignments.
To be honest I was a little stunned with the feedback I received, I expected more feedback showing areas that I need to improve upon. Other than some grammatical errors and/or formatting errors the feedback provided showed that I did well with my writing. I expected that it would not have been at a distinguished level at this point but I am grateful for the ability to practice. Annotated bibliographies are so useful even though they do not appear in dissertations because they help organize our thoughts and what we are reading. This was useful for me as I look ahead to creating a literature review.
Grammer, grammer, grammer is the area that I need to improve on the most. I am already excited about utilizing Smarthinking for our Unit 6, 8, and 10 assignments. I think that the extra eyes to assess my work and to provide unbiased feedback will help me become a better writer overall and continue to learn and grow in this field.
The three most important aspects of writing for me to improve on include grammar, formatting, and focus or organization of writing.
Comment on the information other learners have focused on in their postings. Would you come to the same conclusions about the information or different ones? Why?
Charlotte post
After reading about little Johnny Wilson I discovered that he is a 6 year old child that is once again repeating kindergarten. He battles in school, both with his academics and his social skills. After perusing his case, I realized that Johnny’s home life has influenced his school life. Now at one point in time he was an energetic and inquisitive child, he is presently pulled back, however for what reason is this happening and is now the case? His mom doesn’t generally appear to think about the enthusiastic prosperity of Johnny and may be trying to claim ignorance. I accept she is willfully unconscious in light of the fact that she states she doesn’t raise dumb children and in the event that you remove things from him, he will improve in school. She doesn’t fully comprehend that there might be hidden variables and her activities could influence him more than she knows. Since there has been ceaseless child study groups (SST) gatherings, I accept the teachers and staff accept this too. They are attempting to help Johnny through different instructing methodologies. The SPED educator has done haul out administrations (two times per day), where he takes a shot at the PC and in little gathering. The SPED educator may see that he is a visual student, so innovation may work best for his learning. Despite everything he battles when working in the general ed. homeroom, basically when it is managing paper and pencil. With that battle, and him being hesitant to come up short, he has been determined to have the confusion seriously genuinely bothered (SED); he likewise has been determined to have a lack of ability to concentrate consistently issue (ADD). I trust with the nonstop gatherings and coordinated efforts between the general ed. what’s more, SPED educator, Johnny can get the assistance he needs.
Jacquanta post
After reading the transcript, concerning the information about Johnny I could definitely relate to this situation. This information provided insight to how a child’s home life is a major reflection in the classroom and how it effects their ability to learn! Johnny seemed to be an typical kindergarten in the beginning but what all he faced after school weighed heavy and emotionally on his mind. Especially having to deal with a mother, who mistreated him and verbally abused him, may have been the start of his turn around. Now, from what I gathered from the information, the team is possibly has the mindset in helping him succeed and to help the overall family. As for his general education teacher, she seemed very negative and did not seem to offer positive or motivating words for Johnny. As for the learning style, the teacher did meet with other personnel in regards to her concerns for Johnny. But maybe she could have first adjust her tone and made classroom more welcoming or just demonstrated a little more sympathy for child. The teacher could have worked along side special education teacher in other ways to work with Johnny inside classroom. After reading the transcript, mom may have been the cause of his Severly Emotional Disturbed disorder, because she would scold him and “smack” him, as well as closing him in a bathroom. This may have been the result of him not able to remember or do anything that he once did. The instructional strategy used by the Special Education teacher, consisting of him being in smaller groups and verbally communicating, demonstrated progress. About a year ago, I had a child in the same predicament like Johnny. The only difference was that his mom stayed in and out of jail during the school year along with them living in multiple hotel. The child left during the last month of school and I remember seeing the mother in the local paper for a crime in another state.
RESPOND TO BETHANY POST
Local sanitary landfills can pose potential increased health risks for local residents. With the increase in garbage production, we run the risk of increased hazards to human and animal health. There is always a risk that our garbage and disposed chemicals can be diverted into local waterways from a landfill site. The increased amount of dumping into our local landfills can also damage and kill the local wildlife if certain precautions are not taken. One of the biggest risks with sanitary landfills is increased air pollution. When waste breaks down at these landfills it creates methane gas that can potentially escape into the air of the surrounding community. The methane gas build up can also be dangerous because it is highly flammable and could be potentially explosive.
In the past, our waste was more biodegradable, but today we use more products made from toxic chemicals and other hazardous substances that can be ultimately damaging to our health and environment. Many plastics and pesticides are poisonous or become toxic under certain conditions. These chemicals can also enter our food chain by being ingested by animals that we eat or absorbed into our crops. Another substance that can be toxic to human health is mercury inhalation from landfills that comes from fluorescent light bulbs.
There are many things that are being done as prevention to limit human harm and exposure to these types of hazards. There are newer landfills that are being constructed with synthetic membranes to prevent mercury from escaping into the soil. (Bausback, 2016). These newer types of landfills are designed to drain the toxins through pipes into a designed sewer system for retention and conversion into fertilizer. (Bausback, 2016). Other solutions are being designed in newer landfills to capture methane before it escapes into the air and reduce the initial methane production. There are other processes available that use anaerobic digestion in a confined space to capture methane and convert it into energy. (Bausback, 2016).
