Thoughts on Resubmissions

At this point in the course you may have had to resubmit an assignment.  While there have been almost no issues with resubmissions, they are worth discussing.  With the final deadline looming, you may have to resubmit an assignment.  While this is not something anyone wants to encounter, resubmissions are actually learning opportunities. 

LIBR. 203 is designed to give you a real sense of what will be expected of you in all of your SLIS courses.  When you are asked to resubmit an assignment, try to think of it as a helpful head’s up.

So let’s look at some of the most common reasons for assignment resubmission in LIBR. 203 and then look at the remedy.  These remedies can be applied to your other courses so that your future assignment submissions will be as good as they can be.  Here is what I’d call the top three.

1.  The original submission does not address one or more requirement(s) of the assignment.

Remedy:  Read assignments carefully.  Remember that your instructor has chosen the words in the assignment instructions with care.  The instructions are not mere suggestions, they are marching orders.  Before you hit submit, make sure that you’ve substantively covered every item mentioned in the assignment.

2.  The procedures reflected in the submission don’t match those taught or offered in the course content.

Remedy:  Review the content covered by the assignment because good instructors leave a very generous breadcrumb trail from the material to the assignment requirements.  Remember that assignments are designed so that you (the student) will demonstrate your understanding of course material.  Nine times out of ten, the answers, and the procedures for arriving at those answers, will lie within that course content.  For instance, our Unit 8 APA Assignment is tough.  The APA Manual is essential.  However, pouring over the unit’s content, especially the very excellent Checklist for Libr 203 APA Reference Citation Assignment (Periodical Article), will help you avoid many common mistakes.

3.  The submission has grammatical, typographical or formatting errors.

Remedy:  Edit several times.  Use spell check but don’t rely solely on it.  Read your submission out loud or ask someone else to give it a read.  Make sure that your submission is properly labeled inside and out. 

In summary, if you find a LIBR. 203 resubmission request email in your inbox, seize the opportunity.   There’s a lesson in there somewhere.

It’s a Saturday!

Maybe it was my father’s habit of always playing music in the morning, because I do the same thing.  I get up, make coffee, turn on the computer, Reddit, and listen to music.  My tastes change depending on mood or time of day.  Sometimes I prefer my morning mellow with Blockhead, Portishead, or Massive Attack.  Other days I’m feeling gangsta and it’s Warren G or Dr. Dre.  Then other days, I’m already feeling metal at 7:30 in the morning and I have to put on Slayer.  Whatever it is, music plays a central part in the beginning of my day.  

Similarly, I must listen to music when I do homework (or grade), as it keeps me focused.  Then it’s usually mellow, with the aforementioned artists like Blockhead, Portishead, and similar artists that Pandora associates them with.  Lately however, I’ve been able to listen to my favorite genre of all while I grade,(and while I write this): Hip-hop.  I find the beat gives my work a rhythm, making it easy to focus.  Normally, when I’m not working I listen to each and every word the artists are saying, as I’ve always had an appreciation for word play.  But when I’m grading, I let the rhythm of their voices takeover, letting the words blend together to become another element in the song, another instrument in the band.  Hip hop has impressed me since I was 12 but I was too into punk rock to get deep into it until 8 years later in college.  Now I mostly listen to 90s hip hop although I will always have an appreciation for hard or angry music.  

Whatever the time, whichever genre, music guides me, reinforces my mood, and creates a rhythm to work to.  Working in silence has never seemed beneficial to me, while others require it.  Music is what has always worked for me during school (and in life) and I feel I would be lost without it.  

My First Week

My first week as a peer mentor has been excellent if not busy.  While there have been a few missteps and miscommunications, I have largely enjoyed this experience so far.  I’m happy to see that well over half the class has begun working through the content.  I have been reading all the blog posts being generated from Unit 2 and many have made me laugh while others have made me thoughtful.  It seems like many of us began the SLIS program not entirely knowing our path in life, while many others already have library experience and currently work in a library.  If you are like me and have never worked in a library, just remember that internships are available and will likely provide work experience that simply can’t be provided by the classes in SLIS.  I plan to do this myself next semester if possible.

The most important piece of advice I can give to any incoming SLIS student is this: Be organized and do not procrastinate.  I was not a very organized student at the beginning of the SLIS program.  It took me all of one semester to realize I would not survive without detailed organization and planning of my time.  Similarly, if I procrastinated and did not give myself enough time for complex assignments, I was setting myself up for failure and I would also not survive.  This is why I now organize my class workload weeks in advance and am always aware of pending assignments.  Working full time and taking two classes each semester is about all I can handle with the amount of time I have.  With organization and time management (avoiding procrastination), I can make it work well without being too stressed out.

On a non-SLIS related side note, as I stood outside last night, grilling in the middle of January, I couldn’t help but think of how lucky I am to be born and raised in Southern California.  I am spoiled rotten with this weather and I have been all my life.  I can’t even handle Northern California weather for long periods; it’s too damn cold.  Maybe this realization dashes my dreams of ever living in the Pacific Northwest, but it sure makes me appreciate being a native San Diegan.  If I can still be outside grilling steaks in the dead of winter, when it is freezing virtually everywhere else in the country, life is good.  Here’s to a great semester!

Grilling steaks and onions on a Saturday night

My return

During my first semester of SLIS I never imagined that I would return as a peer mentor.  After 5 semesters in SLIS, I have taken classes that focus on a variety of topics from creating and searching databases to the history of books and libraries.  In this time my interest has turned towards the research end of the library and information science world.  While my background is in English, I find myself more interested in fulfilling information needs with internet search engines than reading literature.  It is possible that during your time in the SLIS program, your interests may change or they might be entirely reinforced.  Whatever the case maybe, I hope everyone entering the SLIS program does so with an open mind and is ready to absorb information that might be entirely new.  If you are like me and have never worked a day in a library, much of the information will be alien.  However, with hard work, dedication, and organization, most students will be successful in the SLIS program.  Perhaps, at the beginning of your sixth semester, you too will find yourself in the role of a peer mentor, with the knowledge and understanding necessary to aid new students.  Just 2 1/2 years ago I would have never thought that would be the case, but I am happy my education has taken me on this path.

Good luck everyone and please expect an e-mail from me once you begin the class.

Online Classes, Group Projects, and a Dead Format

The MLIS program at SJSU is my first completely online educational experience. As such I had some misgivings about applying, but ultimately decided to, because moving to San Jose for school simply isn’t feasible at this point in my life. Fortunately, after looking at SJSU’s “Is Online Right For You?” I feel confident that it is. After teaching for a year and half, my organization skills are strong, since I had to organize classes for 150 plus students. I also believe my computer skills are strong, since I grew up using a computer and the internet as a tool for learning. The only issues I am a little concerned with are my time management skills, since I have spent much of my life procrastinating. Fortunately, I learned some valuable time management tricks as a teacher, that I hope translate into this program. The only other major challenge I see are completing group projects online.

I’ve honestly hated almost every group project experience I’ve had, which isn’t shocking since this seems to be a common experience. Fortunately Dr. Haycock had some interesting ideas on how to improve my group experience and performance. I particularly found his tips on managing conflicts helpful, since it demonstrates how to successfully solve a conflict, without angering anyone. While I suspect there will still be issues with group projects, I am now better prepared. As a side note, I can’t help but notice that Dr. Haycock’s lecture is in a Real Media format. It’s frustrating that SJSU’s MLIS program is very technology based, yet this lecture is provided in a format that hasn’t been popular since the late 90’s. Instead of downloading Real Player and supporting a format that is more or less dead, check out VLC player since it will play anything.

My favorite IPA

For the last three years or so I have sampled beers from around the U.S. and abroad, even going so far as to trade for beer in other states, that wasn’t available here in California.  Over time, my favorite style became Indian Pale Ale, otherwise known as IPA.  This is a style of beer allegedly made popular among British troops stationed in India.  The British would sent extra-hopped beer on ships to India, that was able to make the long voyage without spoiling, and could then be watered down for “regular” beer.  Allegedly someone tried the extra hopped-beer and liked it, so it became unnecessary to water it down and the style of beer known as IPA was born.  While I’ve tried many IPA’s from all around the country (and England), my favorite is a local San Diego beer; Alesmith Brewery’s IPA.

The central reason I like IPA’s are their taste and aroma.  IPA’s are generally bitter (an effect produced by extra hops as well as different varietals of hops), and Alesmith is perhaps one of the more bitter ones.  But really, it’s more than just bitterness.  When you smell an Alesmith IPA, it should have notes of pine, citrus, and a little sweet malt.  A sip of this beer should smack your tongue with a heavy pine flavor, that then gives away to a pleasant bitterness and hints of oranges.  Once the citrus has subsided there should be a light, sweet, maltiness to balance out the flavor assault your tongue endured.  Even with such complex flavors IPAs are fairly easy to drink and a great session beer.  If you are new to IPAs or simply looking for a good one that’s new to you, check out your local liquor store for Alesmith IPA.  If you’re outside of San Diego (they do distribute elsewhere) and can’t find it, check Stone’s IPA for another great San Diego beer, that you probably have a better chance of finding.