Artifacts

1st Year, Fall Quarter

Artifact #1: Zoom University!

Most of my classes have been either in person or hybrid. This picture is of my Arabic class that meets every morning at 10:30am. On Fridays we meet on zoom which allows for some flexibility and being able to see people's faces.

One of the things I love about this class is how our professor makes us repeat new words and phrases out loud many times. I can learn words much more easily with this strategy, and it makes class more engaging and interactive.

We are required to meet with study groups at least once a week, which helps us get to know each other better.

This class has shown me that I really need to be self-motivated to go deep in the language.

Artifact #2: Weekly Discussion Summary

This document is an example of the weekly work required for my Humanism, Transhumanism, Post-Humanism class. We have group discussions and have to complete a discussion summary answering questions provided by our professor. It's a meaningful piece of work for me because it took me a long time to learn how to do this group assignment effectively.

At the beginning I was stressed about the discussion topics, they seemed so deep and philosophical that I couldn't understand them, much less write about them. But I learned to take detailed notes during the discussion, to help me summarize our responses, thoughts, and tangents. I've learned that the most important thing is to show my learning. I always have to be open to new ideas and ask lots of questions as I process new concepts.

Artifact #3: First Dorm-Made meal

I love to cook, and so not having a kitchen in the McMahon dorm has hurt just a little bit. I get so excited about experimenting with spices and vegetables and making the whole room smell good.

When we were able to find a used Instant Pot on a secondhand website, my roommates and I were so ready. It doesn't look like much, but being able to put together my own stir fry and know what goes into my food meant a lot to me. It also gives me more awareness of how I'm taking care of myself. I'm learning how to choose the right nutrients for my body and what I need to keep my energy going.

I don't mind dining hall food at all, but being able to use my creativity in cooking has been pretty exciting too.