The semester is winding down and finals are coming quickly. A bittersweet time as it is rewarding to complete another semester and have fourteen weeks of hard work payoff (hopefully!). On the other hand, it is saying goodbye to roommates, peers and teammates. The global health crisis threw us a curveball, yet we are managing to go on with our lives and pursue our goals. Reminiscing on the semester and what I have learned has made me even more excited to become a nurse. My professors and clinicals this year taught me so much building my professional nursing foundation strong. Things coming to a close academically and my nursing assistant job starting up soon has encouraged me to think about my next steps and the future. As a rising junior at Bloomsburg University, I will be placed in more intensive clinicals and advanced nursing classes requiring higher level comprehension and critical thinking. While I will be building on my nursing skills and education, I will also have to continue to grow as a professional.

A professional in my eyes (specifically in regard to the healthcare field) embodies confidence and knowledge while remaining approachable and constructive. It is important for healthcare professionals such as nurses to embody these characteristics for the highest quality patient care. In this course, we worked on our resumes and wrote a letter of application that can be used in our future professional lives. Although we are no longer assigned it, the e-portfolio would serve this purpose as well. One thing all these documents have in common is the importance of knowing the audience you are writing to. We constructed our documents to the audience of Dr. Martin, probably the human resources contact or position recruiter (letter of application) and future employers. Being specific in narrowing down the audience helps to craft the diction and style of any writing. Knowing this was my audience, I emphasized using technical and to-the-point style to best portray professionalism as this was a showcase of my personality to land a professional position. In the e-portfolio article about audience by Gallagher and Poklok, it was concluded that many students failed to address the multidimensional audience their portfolios were for and swayed to writing towards a general audience. Failure to write to a specific audience can negate the effects of writing completely. For example, as a future nurse failing to identify my audience as people with knowledge of healthcare can make my resume or portfolio look generalized and ignorant. To effectively address an audience requires analysis of who it is, what their experience is and possibly find the common ground such as the company that is employing both parties. This information can guide the document’s style to better show why the applicant is the right person for the position.

The e-portfolio is similar to a resume in the sense that it depicts one’s work and experience that makes them suitable for a professional position. As students at Bloomsburg, we have access to many resources on My Husky and Professional-U to aid us in showcasing professionalism and character. Keeping track of community service, awards granted to, scholarships, club involvement and achievements are important areas to keep updated as parts of an academic profile to base professionalism off of. Much like what was done in the resume when using past, what may seem inapplicable, experience or knowledge- these academic doings can be used to show character, involvement and work ethic. Community service is a great way to show a selflessness, compassion and voluntariness. While it may have only been a few donations or an hour here and there, it all adds up overtime and can effectively portray one’s personality just through acts of service.

The semesters coming to an end means graduation and the real world is one step closer. While we are to enjoy our time at Bloomsburg, considering the future and how to build my professional platform is crucial to my success. This course has offered me insight on professional and technical documentation that I will use to effectively showcase my achievements and why I will be a great nurse.

Amongst a pandemic flipping our lives upside down, school has continued, and students are adjusting to the new normal. Online education has presented many challenges with staying focused and managing new due dates. I find it necessary to keep a daily planner in order to organize upcoming assignments, exams, work schedules and to-do lists. New class schedules coming out considering the extended break and changes to curriculum has been hectic to reorganize, but as I am reviewing the assignments and weekly content for this course, I found it ironic that this week’s content was about usability testing and experimenting with technological learning.

We are doing none other than testing the effectiveness online modulated learning ironically enough. Students and professors are quickly learning what works and does not work through practical experience on a weekly basis. The correlation between our recipe project and what is currently happening in all of our lives is profound. We are moving into usability testing of our recipes requiring two people to use our set of instructions to make three dishes. Novice or expert in the kitchen, the people must take what is given and complete the task without outside help. Upon the semester moving online, students were given new syllabi, schedules and modules in order to complete the semester. Most students are proficient with technology but going online and losing face to face interaction is challenging for some students. In a way, we are testing online learning as much as we are testing the effectiveness of our writing skills. Does one side have a little more riding on it? Obviously yes. The university has provided students with a pass-fail option as a buffer to the anticipated impact on grades. The pass-fail opportunity is only an available option to courses without a policy requiring a “C” or higher, so for all nursing classes (my major)- I must learn quick how to maintain my grades and adjust my learning to better suite online education.

The main issue for me with online learning is the seemingly never-ending distractions at home. I find myself on my phone, talking to my family, exercising or watching television in place of sitting down and studying. I end up procrastinating assignments, studying less and therefore compromising my learning. I think an effective way to manage this issue is to start to schedule out a few hours of the day solely dedicated to schoolwork in increments with breaks. Adding in scheduled breaks will hopefully encourage me to work diligently during workhours because I know I will have a break soon.

In the one study posted by Dr. Martin, the confidence levels of students during an online learning semester were reported to increase (Calloway-Graham, Sorenson, Roark & Lucero). I cannot imagine this being true for myself at time soon. Since going online, I feel lost in the material being presented to me because of complications with delivery, not being able to ask questions during exams and having difficulty focusing during voiceover presentations. While confidence in online learning may take time and seem difficult in this moment, I know it is possible for me and that I just need to adjust. The entire process for many students moving back home and losing their social life due to social distancing practices has not been mentally easy then new learning modules placed on top of it can be challenging for anyone. At the end of the day, the semester will be completed, and I can only do what is in my power. Much like the usability testing and project in general, through trial and error we will create something of this. Whether it be a lesson or two about your preference of learning style or how to make a new recipe – we take what we are given and make the best of it. I hope all students are settling into the new reality. All said and done, we only have three more weeks of classes then finals week!

March, a month that students look forward to as midterms get completed and spring break rolls in. The weather starts to warm up if we are lucky and the greenery starts to reappear. Spring sports have a start on the season they have been working for all year. Students begin to buckle down in the semester and are finally getting comfortable with their spring schedule, responsibilities and new professors perhaps. Spring break offers a week of mid semester relaxation to recoup with friends or family. NCAA athletes enter into their early competitions with sights on a postseason and even a championship. Does this sound like March of 2020? COVID-19 has forced universities to shut their doors and transition to an online mode of learning for their students. This sudden and substantial change in learning has brought on much stress, anxiety and emotion in students, yet the only option we have is to comply and make the best of material provided. Suddenly, March is now not only the beginning of a new season but the beginning a pandemic. Spring has sprung.

For students specifically, COVID-19 has uprooted lives in many ways and will force us to manage multiple challeneges. First being that we all must adapt to the new online lectures and exams. This generation’s fluency with technology will make the online component less challenging from a technical standpoint, but what are the consequences to our learning? Online lacks the face to face experience many students prefer when learning and may make it more difficult to ask questions or ask a classmate a quick question; this is a great way to learn/ gain understanding. Many professors prefer to set up meetings and strongly suggest students to attend their office hours for supplemental help as Dr. Martin says, “we can accomplish more face-2-face and speaking in 15 minutes or so than we might in 10 emails.” The question is now, how do we match face to face efficiency through online communication?

Another challenge students now face is with their social lives. Moving back home away from friends, heavily decreasing social interaction due to online modules and social distancing practices, as well as being taken out of their niche and routine can be mentally difficult for students. Many people thrive off structure and routine of classes or even just day to day life. Students’ routines being uprooted will be a major challenge and source of needed adjustment for most. For any of my peers reading this, I am offering a few suggestions on how to stay productive in our situation below.

1. Make yourself a daily schedule
   • if zoom lectures are asynchronous- schedule out times when you will listen to recordings or review the material and complete assignments weekly
   • schedule in times to be active, do something for yourself, study and spend time with family/friends (within precautions)
2. Maintain daily hygiene
   • Can your classmates smell your breath or that BO? No, but simple tasks like brushing your teeth, showering, changing out of pajamas, styling your hair and dressing as if you were going to regular class will make you feel better
   • Add in some extra self-care into your routine such as a face mask, exfoliation or trying a new product
3. Stay active
   • Sitting in front of a screen all day will lead to burnout quickly, take frequent breaks (every 30-60 min) and you will actually be more productive and retain information better
   • Many social media influencers are posting equipment-less, at home workouts that can be done anywhere- give one a try!
   • Go on walks or runs outside to get fresh air
   • Try to reach 10,000 steps a day
4. Reach out
   • Despite social distancing and quarantine practices, keeping daily communication with friends and relatives over facetime, text, call and email will brighten your day
   • Think about the healthcare professionals on the front line and see what you can do to help them
   • Be active in community resources/donations to the elderly and those in need during times of crisis

For athletes, this has been an even more devastating week. The NCAA suspended all spring seasons meaning there will be no further competitions. For my team and all others impacted by this suspension, it was truly heartbreaking to hear. In our offseason we wake up before sunrise to be on the field by six am warmed up ready to practice for two hours every day­­. We push our bodies to their max in lift and practice for nine months to prepare for the three months we call our season. We sacrifice weekends and family time to play in tournaments because we want to be better than the next team. We are given team issued gear that we are proud to wear and represent Bloomsburg Women’s Lacrosse. Then, rumors begin to go around that seasons are being canceled or temporarily suspended due to COVID-19 as we enter into our spring break which we had to stay on campus for. Nobody thought this would actually happen to us. I am writing this blog as my team and I’s season got cut twelve, possibly more games too short. Nine months of preparation for a five-game season. My heart reaches out to my seniors because this was their year, yet everything got taken from them within days. The senior season is destined to be the best one yet for many. Thankfully, the NCAA has granted an extra year of edibility, but this is not an option for many student-athletes financially or practically. This season suspension is an all too early end for many sports careers.

            The takeaway I am promising here is this: despite having eight am classes, walking to campus when it is twenty degrees because the bus is nowhere to be seen, barely being able to walk because your legs are so sore from lift and committing hours to Andruss Library for an exam that you ended up getting a D on anyway – we cannot take anytime for granite. It may be frustrating and the worst at the time, but these moments are what build us. The inconveniences and experiences Bloomsburg University puts us through shape us and it is within ourselves that we must use them to become our best selves. A major lesson is to be learned from COVID-19, and I am sure more lessons are to come as research develops.

Technology is exponentially becoming more and more advanced, but is this always beneficial to society? It is safe to say majority of the population owns a smartphone or smart-device and that these devices hold a lot of value sitting at a hefty price. The value of these devices can be seen as superficial yet vastly necessary in my opinion.

The superficial value, meaning quite worthless, stems from the fact that some people are so buried, addicted and hidden behind a screen that physical interaction and conversation skills are compromised. This leads me into the social media aspect of technology. Today being a “social media influencer” is a career, yet there are no credentials except having a unique trait to offer. Social media is quickly becoming a career field requiring so called influencers to be extremely active on the app, spark constant creativity and collaborate with companies as well as other influencers. The impact a single post can make on a follower is substantial considering it is just a message or picture on a screen. What many of these followers fail to consider are the rhetorical aspects of the influencer and their message. As touched on before, there are no credentials or education required to claim yourself as a nutritionist, stylist, designer or athlete to name a few titles on social media, so influencers can be posting without any ethos or logos at all. The information on social media is coming from unreliable sourcing in most cases. On top of the fact, there is no guarantee the person on the other side of the screen is even who they say they are. A lack of ethos and logos relies on strong pathos to make their somewhat weak claim seem valuable to their followers. Tying their claim or personal belief to relatable emotion is an effective strategy to growing their platform. Yes, personal experience on a topic can contribute to ethos, but the science behind it is missing. False information has the potential to skew the majority’s mindset regarding a subject and leads to bias, potential environmental danger and health risks depending on the topic of concern.

On the very opposite of the spectrum, I do also believe technology is indeed necessary in today’s society. Americans are go, go, go; thriving off efficiency and transcendence. Technology opens a lot of doors in terms of communication and marketing. The ability to send a text handsfree, call by asking Siri to do so or sending an email without even opening a laptop offers so many opportunities for communication to larger and farther audiences. The ability to get an answer to practically any question in seconds via a google search increases productivity. Technology also opens door for opportunities like this class. We as students enrolled in an online course are learning valuable technical writing skills, completing general education requirements and are obtaining credits toward graduation in the comfort of our schedules and home. The convenience factor of technology is remarkable. The instant gratification in getting an answer this quickly is addicting to the mind. Why read a book or multiple research papers to get a well-rounded understanding when google can give an answer without having to move more than a thumb or two? That is a hypothetical question, but it crosses the minds of people every day. In a few years as technology advances alongside the green movement to eliminate waste in the environment, hard copies of flyers, newspapers and so called “old fashioned” literature may become a rare sighting.

Tying these two opinions together as a technology and social media user, smartphone owner, and online course student is a balancing act, for examining the rhetoric of online sourcing is key to doing so. The three components of rhetoric- ethos, pathos and logos- work to effectively transmit a message to an audience. By considering this trifecta, people can use technology efficiently and with confidence in accuracy. Although there are so many issues resulting from technology the advantages cannot be ignored.

Starting the second week of classes, hopefully students are overcoming the initial stress of getting back into a routine here at Bloomsburg. My first week back was stressful to say to the least as clinical orientation, lab procedures, class requirements and starting my lacrosse season has been challenging to balance. With that said, I personally thrive off having a routine and sticking to a schedule. The demands of nursing while also being a member of the lacrosse team definitely keeps me busy, but I would not trade either. As a student athlete it is important to take advantage of opportunities given to me due to the fact of time being so valuable. Having a busy schedule keeps me being proactive with my studies because in order to play lacrosse I need to keep my grades satisfactory.

Being here at Bloomsburg University, I am grateful for every opportunity I am given from the people and experiences through lacrosse to the academic opportunities the university provides. Taking control of my own education to accelerate my learning and build relationships along with professional experience will hopefully payoff in my future career as a nurse. This point is exemplified in the reading Claim Your Education throughout the topic of joining a scholarly community. It is up to the student to decide how to the take these four years here at Bloomsburg as far as opportunities and involvement go. We are a part of an opportunity not everyone has the chance to get which is another reason to take full advantage of opportunities here. Furthermore, I resonated with the section regarding intellectual curiosity, always wanting to know more and why. Staying active in the classroom is challenging some days when I am tired or have a lot on my mind, but it is something I want to work on this semester. Actively participating in class is crucial during this semester for me because I am starting clinicals which means patient care. No longer is getting something wrong just a point off, it is now compromising care to a client. This is a lot of pressure, but the nursing department offers opportunities to practice skills in the simulated learning lab, SLL, which I use frequently. For me this reading recapped a few points I either try to implement in my studies or am working on being better at. It also motivated me in the way that I am in control of what I make of my time here, so I better make the most of it.

I was interested in the discussion about Gen Ed classes merely because the majority of students look at these classes as something to just get through or a GPA boost. There is a side to consider with Gen Ed classes regarding other disciplines and how they can benefit your own. Also, I believe Gen Ed classes provide a great basis of knowledge that can be used in multiple walks of life. Of course, it may seem odd to learn about a tribe in Guatemala with a population less than 50 people that follows an unheard-of religion, but to the open minded student learning about them might spark an idea that can improve their own life. This all ties back to the idea that being part of a scholarly community is participating in learning to be a better individual.

Through this class, I want to become a better writer, but I also want to become a better student. There will most likely be an abundance of resources, including Dr. Martin, aside from the textbooks for this course that will aid me in doing so. Being able to efficiently communicate a message that is understandable about patients to the next healthcare professional is a very important component to nursing. I hope to be able to apply techniques taught here to my education and future career. Overall, A degree from any university is a chance to become something greater- to what degree? That is up to the student. It is our responsibility to be the best student we can be while growing as an individual in terms of maturity along the way.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

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• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

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