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Procrastination Graph Link Time management is something I struggle with in almost every aspect of my life. Whether it comes to assignments, gifts, dates, scheduling, and almost everything else, procrastination always has a hold on me. For example, I am writing this blog post almost one hour before it is due. Procrastination is in my nature, and it always has been. Thankfully I have people around me who keep me in check. In Caroline Webb's article  How To Beat Procrastination , I saw that she spoke of the tactic of pre-committing, publicly. This tactic has helped me out greatly. Thankfully I have friends who want the best for me and know how capable I am of doing good work so if I tell them the priorities I have and the things I need to complete they often remind me to complete my work and stay on schedule.  One of my main objectives in life is to surround myself with good people and I think that that has helped me a lot with the decisions I make because of th...

Technology Art Link This class is a wonderful way to learn about new technologies that help one express their creativity. One way that students can express their creativity is by creating a storybook using Blogger. These storybooks are able to be navigated through and built upon in different ways and that is all due to the tech that supports these kinds of projects.  Blogger is a tool that allows students to create their own website in their own unique way. When I navigated through the different examples of storybooks I saw that each Blogger storybook was completely unique from the one I viewed before it. I think that this tool will allow me to create a storybook that is completely unique to me and my stories that I want to tell. I am allowed to create different pages for different stories, different labels for different categories, and different tools that allow me to embed links, pictures, and videos into my stories. Blogger will be a great tool to use for me to expr...

An open storybook with a castle and a garden. Link This class is unlike any of the other classes I have ever taken because of its relaxed grading system. I truly feel like I will be genuinely more inclined to learn because of the "work how you like" structure of this class. What I mean by this is that I have never had a class where I can create my own assignments through the work I complete. I have also never been in charge of grading my own work. I am the one in charge of declaring that I have submitted an assignment, and I am the judge of my own work as well as my classmates. This class allows me to have the freedom that I have never had in my other classes due to the face that I am not more than ever in control of my own grade. Of course, I am the one who decides the quality of my work in other classes, but in this class, I not only have the power to choose how hard I work, but what I work hard on. That aspect alone I believe is completely unique to this class. ...

Link The Growth Mindset that Professor Carol Dweck speaks of is a mindset I believe has been pushed in recent years more than ever before. The notion of "positive thinking positive outcome" can be beneficial in many ways for many people but I think when taken too far it can be detrimental to one's success.  As I understand it, the growth mindset is the notion that there is no definite failure, only learning experiences. While I do agree with this statement to a degree, I see a major flaw in this ideology. Through this mindset, the concepts of success and failure become foggy. The harmfulness of failure is lessened, the triumph of success is diminished as well. A common example people use for this concept is the topic of participation trophies. The issue is that if we start to celebrate the experience gained more than the goal reached we will eventually lose sight of the overall goal.  This is why I think that the growth mindset should always be followed by ...

Sooner Schooner taking a ride on Owen Field Link Hello class, this is my formal introduction post to tell you more about me.  I guess we should start off with the basics, my name is Ryan Ard, I am a junior here at OU, and my major is Public Relations. One of my favorite things to do is to be an active Oklahoma RUF/NEK member. Through the Oklahoma RUF/NEKS I care for the school's official mascot the Sooner Schooner as well as care for and maintain Boomer and Sooner, OU's two white welsh ponies.  When people ask me if I have hobbies I usually can't think of any on the spot because I am always busy fulfilling responsibilities with the club or planning for future events with the club. I guess some would say that my membership in this club has consumed my life but I think the contrary is true. This club has opened up so many opportunities for me and without my membership, I wouldn't be involved with many of the opportunities I have had. Through this orga...

"A Great Place to Read" photo taken personally by Ryan Ard I have found three storybooks that I favor from a first impression and I look forward to continuing reading more from them. The Three Storybooks are "Bedtime Stories," "The Mystical Horses of Hogwarts," and "LGBTQ+ Stories, The Other Side." The first storybook that I enjoyed glancing through was the " Bedtime Stories " Storybook. I thoroughly enjoyed the welcoming tone of the storybook. On the homepage, there was a link to crackling campfire audio so one could listen to the soothing sounds while they read. There were four characters that have stories to tell and I really enjoyed how each character came off as conversational, they each greeted the reader and then went into their story. This storybook was genuinely a pleasure to read and I look forward to reading more. The next storybook was a continuation of the beloved Harry Potter book series " The Mystical Horses ...

Image from visittheusa.com "Riding the Estes Park Aerial Tramway to the top of Prospect Mountain" Estes Park Colorado is my favorite place in the world for many different reasons. One is that I have grown up vacationing to this town. My great uncle created a homestead in this town and ever since this my family has grown and stayed in this area. I've built many memories here and looked forward to growing with my family here throughout the years. I also love this place because of the connection to family that ties with Estes Park. My grandfather lives there now and i look forward to always going to visit him along with the rest of my family there. Throughout the summer, school year, and every time in between I dream of the next visit to this magical place because of the joy i get when i visit my family and the town I love.