Panel and Advising

1. Last class, the First Year mentors came in and talked about the different resources that are on campus for us to utilize. They advised us to load our "shopping cart" ahead of time for registration so we get the classes we want. Also, they talked to us about sites such as ratemyprofessor.com to help us pick a course with good professor. Many of them stressed to us the importance of time management and how many of them take advantage of any free time we have during the day to work on assignments that are due.  

2. Justin Snow was able to explain to us how degree tracker worked, which was really helpful considering the fact that I had no idea how to even use it. The handouts he gave us on degree tracker were also useful since they had screenshots of what to click on, along with guided descriptions. He also showed us how to find out how many credits you have and which ones will actually count towards graduation. I already scheduled an appointment with my adviser at that point, so I did not have questions for him on how to reach to her.





3. 

This is my pre-made class schedule. Of course it has not been finalized yet since registration has not begun yet, but these are the classes I expect to be taking next semester. 

4.  https://www.salemstate.edu/academics/2424.php 

Mini response 2: Sense of Place

1. Referring to the article, please reflect on ways to develop a sense of place. Explain

Here are some interesting ideas that I took away 

• Understanding Yourself: This can be a great way to see and understand your surroundings. Also, you can relax and take in the environment.

• Changing Positions: Changing your physical position on viewing an object can change your way of thinking and give you an idea on how another person/animal could see something.

2.Record what you have done already as part of developing a sense of place in Salem.


I have been able to walk down to Forest River Park multiple times and enjoy the surrounding an

3. List the way the article suggested to foster a sense of place and explain what you have done that is similar. Explain in depth.

I have done the "Finding Patterns" one in my Biology Lab. I have had to take note of what I see out in the environment and take pictures.  

4.Record what you read about in the article that you have not tried but want to.  Share the aspects from the article and reflect on why you chose these. Explain.

I would like to try "Magnifying the World" because I think it would be cool to see what an object in nature would look like magnified. It is always interesting to see what can be easily overlooked by the naked eye.

5.Record what you read about developing a sense of place that you have not tried, but are afraid to try. Explain why.

I don't know how I feel about "naming plants and animals". There is usually too many to track and I'll uncomfortable doing it in general.


6. Record what you read about developing a sense of place that you have not tried and have no interest in trying. Explain.

I could not see myself "speaking to nature" not because I am scared to do so, but because I can't see myself speaking to rocks.

Farmer's Market (Grant Family Farm)

Last Thursday October 13th I met up with two other classmates at Sullivan and we were able to walk down to the market and meet two other group members to ask the farmer so questions and interact with him.

I expected the farmer's market to be a little bigger than what it was, but seeing the location it was in I understood why. I was not too surprised at how busy it was considering that it is October and many people like buying their produce from farmer's markets nowadays. I was also surprised at how many people were coming from afar to buy items from the market.

Here's some questions and answers I got from Chris:

1. When did the farm begin operation?  The farm was purchased in the 70's and the participation in the market began in 2006
2. How many people work for the farm? Just family members and Chris is the only full time worker, working about 80 hours a week during the summer. 
3. What did you do for work before working on the farm? Chris did office work for a few months for a catalog, thought it was boring, and then decided to do farm work.
4. Is the farm "certified organic"? They do their best to do everything the organic way, but they are not certified.

Some other interesting things I learned was:

• The farm usually brings 60-70 dozen eggs to every farmer's market they go to.  
• The dry 2016 summer negatively affected the farm's vegetable growth
• Lettuce,Arugula, or any salad type of vegetable is the most popular item(s) sold at the markets
• They have no farm stand on-site because the farm land is conservation land

I think that the farmer's market scene in Salem is an interesting little part of town that is not widely known (due to the witch reputation). The farmer's market definitely contributes to sense of place for those who go there frequently and for those such as Chris who value the farm very much. 

For me, I think it contributed to my sense of place because I did not know about the farm up until I took this class even though I had been to downtown Salem recently. 

   

Library Reflection

When thinking about having a sense of place in a building, like the library, where could you see yourself feeling comfortable?  

The Salem State Library provides a comfortable and quiet place to study and do homework for all students who attend. For me personally, I usually go up to the second floor to do homework on my laptop and sit at one the tables or the arm chairs depending on the mood I am in. 

Think about the campus, and the location of the library.  How does the location of the library contribute to the sense of place of SSU campus?

The library is located on North campus near two major academic buildings which almost all students have classes, so it is not hard to miss. It's central location on North campus makes it easy for people to access it and it's resources make it a popular place for students to do homework, research, and study. It is a popular gathering place for students and even some staff.  
  

What did you learn from Jason about the library itself, and its places?

Since I took a tour earlier in September for my Biology lab, I had a different person show me around. I was showed the lower level and the different study areas throughout the library. I learned about the private study rooms that you can reserve on a first come, first serve bases which I did not know about.   

What did you learn from Jason about researching?

I was able to learn about Refworks which is a website that I will use often in my bio classes.I was showed how to site websites and databases among other sources. 

What did you learn about Mapworks?

I did not get to learn about Mapworks on my tour of the library, but I did take the survey that was constantly being sent to my email.  

I did not feel comfortable taking pictures since when I went to do so, it was busy and did not want to invade people's privacy or make them uncomfortable.

Refworks was the main website that I was showed how to use it and it has been used to cite papers and other assignments. 

Link:
https://www.refworks.com/refworks2/default.aspx?r=authentication::init