epic blog

As an infamous procrastinator, time management is something I need quite a bit of help with. Time is the bane of my existence. Because of this, I chose to read the articles  The Important Habit of Just Starting  and  How to Beat Procrastination .  In these articles, two of my biggest issues are talked about. Although I do good work, I always have a hard time starting. In  The Important Habit of Just Starting , it speaks about the present you vs. the future you. This is an analogy I use often, but is usually in a joking way. It was interesting to see that in place in academic writing. A technique that I use and find very helpful from this article is the "I will do X work on X day for X amount of time."  In the second article,  How to Beat Procrastination ,  there are a few other techniques that I use that are helpful. My favorite one is publicly announcing to someone what I am going to get done. It gives you an accountabilit...

(Image information: picture of a computer keyboard obtained from  Investing ) Although I have not blogged on Blogger before, I have on WordPress. I did not care for it that much, but I am really enjoying Blogger!  Aside from the blogging platforms, I have used Google Sites before for a previous class. I enjoyed using that platform because of all of the layouts and customization it offers.  This semester, I want to develop my writing skills more, and I already know this class will be a great help in that. It is also forcing me to write more which is a great challenge for me. Another thing I would like to learn more about is different browser plugins. I had no idea there were so many out there. As for the class as a whole, I really enjoy the environment overall. It is a lot different from any other online class I have taken--in the most positive way! The organization and detail is to a level I have never seen before, and I can tell Dr. Gibbs has taken a...

Firstly, this class is unlike any class I have taken before, but in the most positive way. As an education major, I really love the student-centered curriculum that is utilized. Not only that, but this is the most organized, detailed online class I have taken. As someone who learns better when detailed instructions and an outline of all due dates are given, I think this class layout is amazing.  Upon going over the assignments, I am most intrigued by what the stories we will be reading will be like. As I have not indulged myself in anything like the content of this class, I am excited to see how the readings go! Along with that, I am excited to see how I can make these traditional stories my own. For the extra credit opportunities, I am most looking forward to micro-fictions and famous last words. As someone who likes to write but has a hard time getting motivated to do so, I think having these two options as extra credit assignments will push me to...

Prior to this class, I had heard about growth mindset, but I did not know who Carol Dweck was. My mom works at an elementary school, and growth mindset is something they talk about a lot. When it comes to schoolwork, I definitely see myself possessing growth mindset. I really enjoy a challenge and learning new things. Even with my cooking I find myself wanting challenges and to try out something I never have before. I do not face challenges fearfully in most areas of my life. The main thing I've learned about my personal learning experience while I've been at OU is the fact that I feel like I have never been challenged in school the way I'm challenged here. To some people, this may sound like a bad thing. To me, it just seems like I'm reaching my learning potential by being faced with challenging topics and work.  Although I am not consistently looking in growth mindset, I think it is very important to employ it at a young age. When children are challenged from they j...

Hello! I'm Katelyn Callahan, a soon-to-be 21 year-old senior at the University of Oklahoma. Originally, I'm from Tulsa, OK, and I have lived in Oklahoma for the majority of my life minus about three years when I lived in Kansas. I'm an enneagram type one, so do with that what you will. In college, I'm studying Language Arts Education in hopes of becoming a middle school English teacher. As you might be able to presume from my major, I love to write. I especially love all things technical about writing, especially grammar.  Aside from my love for writing, I love cats! In fact, I love cats so much that I have a memorial tattoo for my childhood cat, Jasper. Below are some pictures of Jasper and the tattoo I got in his memory. Another fun fact: I got this tattoo in London while I was studying abroad! (Image information: personal photo of my late cat,  Jasper, July 2016) (Image information: personal photo of my tattoo  of Jasper by Georg...

Upon looking through the storybooks, there were three that caught my eye. In no particular order, the three are:  Ghost Stories: Where is Everyone? ,  Indian Horror , and  Ramayana Counseling, Inc. .  Firstly, there is  Ghost Stories: Where is Everyone? . This particular storybook stuck out to me because I absolutely love ghost stories and all things creepy when it comes to reading. Along with my interest in the genre of the storybook, once I began reading the introduction, the subject matter was something I could more easily grasp and understand since the author brought in campus-related things. Also, the introduction was clear and made me anxious to read the stories that followed with the conspiracy theorist tone that it is read in. Overall, I thought the layout was a little plain and I did not particularly care for the way they embedded the photos, but there is a ton of creativity in the story itself.  My next favorite is  ...

Last spring, I studied abroad at University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich, UK for five months. As I am very much a homebody and love to be with my family here in Oklahoma, I was very unsure about how I would enjoy being abroad in Norwich. Little did I know, it would become my favorite place! Norwich is a quaint English town with quirky spots and beautiful, traditional architecture alike. Below is a photo I took while exploring the city my first month there. (Image Information: personal photo of a street in Norwich; photo from  January 28, 2019) Not only is the city itself beautiful, the campus of the University I attended was quite impressive as well. As most everything on UEA's campus is made of concrete, the students refer to it as the concrete jungle. The most interesting and notable thing that I recall about the campus are these funky dorms--the Ziggurats (Zigs). Although I did not live in the Zigs, they were fun to look at from the window of th...

This is a test post to ensure my blog is up and running properly. I'm excited for this class!