Wednesday, August 24, 2016
The Windy Path
The Windy Path
Draw the Windy Path that represents your four years in college. What campus programs,
resources and opportunities will be available to you as you move through your Freshman,
Sophomore, Junior and Senior years? Which of these will further your personal, professional or
vocational goals? Which will help prepare you to live a happy life? Which do you want to
participate in for other reasons? Draw them out along your Windy Path.
Are there other accomplishments you’d like
to make during your time here at NDNU?
Draw those along your Windy Path as well.
As you consider what to include in your
Path, ask a variety of members of the
NDNU campus community what they think.
Ask a respected coach or professor… ask a
mentor, a librarian, a staff member with
whom you developed a connection, a
student who has been on campus longer than
you. Ask the director of a graduate program
you’re interested in, or a person whose job
or career you think might suit you.
Think big. Be creative. Remember that the
line of your Path is just a way to help you
focus… to help you begin to organize your
thoughts. Feel free to build some flexibility
into it… after all, at the end of the day it’s
really up for debate: are you following the
line, or is the line following you?
Here are some things you might include in your Windy Path, but don’t be limited by these!
* Alternative Spring Break
* Bonner program
* Campus employment with the Center for Spirituality
* Campus employment with the Dorothy Stang Center or other office
* Community Engagement courses
* Capstone course
* Founders’ Week (help with preparations)
* Internships
* Model Arab League
* Musical, Dance or Theater performance group
* O-Team
* RA
* Student club leadership
* Student Mentor for Freshman Seminar
* Study Abroad
* Teaching Assistant for a professor
* Summer employment back at home
Close Reading Exercise
Close Reading Exercise
Close Reading is a very simple reading technique appropriate for short, dense readings.
You will understand the reading better if you follow this technique. You will need three
different colored highlighters for this exercise.
First… Read the article and highlight its main points with one color. Write notes in the
margin as desired.
Second… Read the article a second time and highlight with a second color any additional
words or phrases that help you understand it better. Write notes in the margin as desired.
Third… Put the article away for at least one day, then read it a third time and highlight
with a third color any additional words or phrases that help you understand it better.
Write notes in the margin as desired.
Do this exercise using the article “Serving is Different from Helping and Fixing” located at this url:
In writing margin notes, see if you can make connections between the reading and the
Hallmarks. Do the opinions expressed in this article reflect the Hallmarks in any way?
Writing about Sports & Other Performance Events
Writing about Sports & Other Performance Events
adapted from a prompt by Steve Kinney
Reflecting on sports and other performance events is a specialized art. There is no one
formula for composing an effective story or reflection about an event. Choose an event
that you're passionate about, or one that you’re curious about, for this assignment. That’s
the best way to ensure that the reader feels the same drama and excitement you do.
Obtain a program before the event begins, and if it seems appropriate for the situation,
take notes during the event. In general, if the lights are on it’s probably OK to take notes.
If you need a flashlight to take notes, it’s probably not appropriate to do so… in that case,
take your notes immediately after the event or during intermission. In your notes,
describe the actions of individual players or performers. Keep track of scores and other
data that might be pertinent. If possible, conduct a brief interview with at least one player,
performer, coach or director after the event to get their perspective and see how it
compares or contrasts with yours.
Begin your reflection with your most important point: for example, the outstanding
performance of an individual athlete or performer, or the vital importance of this
particular performance. Then move on to a summary of the game or performance,
focusing only on the highlights, mentioning key moments for individual athletes or
performers and creating a sense of drama. End your reflection by placing the performance
in context: how has the team, cast, group or individual performed throughout the season?
What is the significance of this one performance? If this was an athletic event, were
civility and sportsmanship well practiced by the players, coaches, referees, and fans?
Integrate a couple of quotes into this reflection, if you are able to get them, to emphasize
your points or observations.
Online Portfolio / Blog
Online Portfolio / Blog
Over the course of the semester, students will make a minimum of 10 posts to create an Online
Portfolio. The purpose of the Online Portfolio / Blog is to collect students’ reflections on cocurricular
activities and other first-semester college experiences outside of Freshman Seminar.
The first step is to create a web presence. Unless otherwise directed by your professor, please
follow the instructions titled “How to Set Up Your Online Portfolio – Blog.” Following are the ten
minimum required posts.
1) Orientation Engagement Experience (OEE), August 26
Choose one Hallmark you feel is particularly relevant to your OEE activity. Explain why this
particular Hallmark seems relevant to you. Does the Hallmark express a value that resonates for
you personally? Did your OEE activity in any way express that value? One half page.
2) Call to Action Day, October 11
What did you learn about the value of service as a learning experience through your community
engagement activity on Call to Action Day? In what way did the activity give you opportunities to
develop meaningful community with your community partner organization? If this was your
second activity with the same community partner, how did this second activity deepen your
connection with the organization or the people it serves? One page.
3) Social Justice Speaker Series, November 17, 4:30 pm
Please attend the talk by Rose Jacobs-Gibson. In preparation for this, please read “A High Price
to Pay: The Economic and Social Costs of Youth Gun Violence in San Mateo County” located at
http://www.abag.ca.gov/model-ordinances/YouthGunViolenceRPRT2011.pdf . After the talk,
post a reflection to your online portfolio: In what ways does Rose Jacobs-Gibson’s approach to
leadership reflect one or more of the values expressed in the Hallmarks? Do you personally
aspire to reflect these values in your own approach to life and leadership? Why or why not?
Three pages.
4) Freshman Research Conference, November 3
What did you learn at the Conference? To what extent did you learn from the content of your
peers’ presentations? …from their example as presenters? …from the communal act of
supporting them as a member of the audience? One half page.
5) Student Life activity
Attend any event or activity put on by Student Life / Campus Programs. Describe the event or
activity and reflect on its value to you as a student and/or as a human being. Would you
recommend other students attend this event or activity? Why or why not? One half page.
6) Student Performance event
Attend a student performance event. For NDNU athletes, the student performance event must
be a non-athletic event, such as a play or a musical recital. For non-athletes, the student
performance event must be an athletic event. Use the prompt titled “Writing About Sports &
Other Performance Events” to help guide your reflection on the event. One page.
7, 8, 9) Three examples of student work
Choose three examples of your first-semester work from any class. Choose work of which you
are particularly proud. Reflect briefly on why you are proud of this particular work… perhaps you
explored a challenging idea in it, or maybe you revised it 5 times to finally get an A on it. It could
be an art project that demonstates creative talent you didn’t know you had. Post both the work
and your reflection. One half page for the reflection.
10) End of the semester reflection on Mission, Values & Engagement
See the prompt titled “Mission, Values & Engagement Reflection.” Two pages.
How to Set Up Your Online Portfolio / Blog
How to Set Up Your Online Portfolio / Blog
1) Go to www.blogger.com.
2) If you already have a Google account, use it to log in. If you do not, follow the on-screen
instructions to create one. Make sure you write down your Google account name and password
for later use.
3) Once you’ve logged in to blogger.com, follow the on-screen instructions to create a “new
blog.”
The title of your blog can be anything you want
The unique part of your address should be something simple like gregsmithsportfolio
Your full blog address will be:
http://__________.blogspot.com
example: http://gregsmithsportfolio.blogspot.com
4) If Google prompts you to monetize your blog, get a domain or make it private, just say no.
5) Now that your blog exists, open up your email account and email the blog address to your
professor. Remember, your blog’s address begins with http:// and ends with .blogspot.com.
6) Log out of your blog and log back in again to make sure it all works OK. Then click on the
pencil symbol to make your first post. All your first post has to say is “Yay – I’m done!” or
something like that.
7) You’re done!
Martyr of the Amazon Study Questions
NDNU Summer Reading 2016
Martyr of the Amazon:
The Life of Sr. Dorothy Stang
Reflection Questions:
Please read Martyr of the Amazon and write at least a half page response for each of the
three questions below. Your responses will form the basis of informed discussions and a
writing workshop in your Freshman Seminar class; please be sure to bring them with you,
along with the book itself, on the first day of class. Use 12 point Times New Roman
font, single spaced.
#1 According to Hallmark Two of a Notre Dame de Namur Learning Community, “We
honor the dignity and sacredness of each person.” How do Sr. Dorothy’s words and
actions suggest she lived by this simple principle? Provide and analyze two examples
that stand out.
#2 Some may argue that in her ministering to the people of the Amazon Sr. Dorothy
strayed too far from the spiritual needs of the people and got too involved in the earthly
politics of the region. Do you agree? Why or why not? Please explain your answer.
Should a clergy person be involved in social transformation to such a degree that it
involves taking sides in legal and political issues? Why or why not? Please explain your
answer.
#3 Students often tell us that their goal in life is to be happy. What do you think is
necessary to live a happy life? Did Dorothy live a happy life? What is your evidence?
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