We Gave It Our All

Despite giving it out all, the last class still found us in last place for points :( As much as I would have loved to win the friendly competition, I wouldn't have changed our group for anything! I had so much fun struggling through brain problems and working together. Even though we came in last, I was so proud of figuring out the other groups puzzle and still having time to finish some of the extra ones. Our group's creative way of taking a picture with the orator to solve the final piece of the puzzle made my day. I think it really showed how we find a way to accomplish our goals, even if not in the intended way! I'm not really sure what I expected from this seminar, but I'm so glad I signed up for it! It definitely made Monday's better and I learned a few things along the way. Put us all together and I think we may have just found our brain!

"If I Only Had A Brain" members, George Washington Carver and our special guest!

Personal Reflection #7

You guys get to listen to me talk about programming one last time...

I completed my scheduling program for my work, but there was one major problem. I based the entire thing off of jobs from last year because I did not know this years jobs at the time. Now that I do, my challenge has been to incorporate changes. However, one of my goals is to have New Student Programs (who I work for) be able to use my program after I'm gone. So, I've had to come up with a creative way to be able to have the program compile without having things that need to change from year.

I had already made use of inputting information into the program via reading in text from various .txt files, so I figured it was the best route. However, the question I had to ask myself was how can I have the program read in the information without knowing how much is written. The answer came to me when I was remembering what my computer science professor said about something called ArrayLists. They basically allow you to create a list of something without knowing the final size. Using this idea, I was able to implement a new design to my program, and now it can read in different jobs and people, and assign those people to fill the jobs, no matter how many people/jobs are changed. While I still have a few bugs to work out, I can look back and see that when I thought of my program in a more creative way, I was able to implement features that make it more valuable altogether.

Personal Reflection for 02/05/2014

Well guys we made it. Next week is finals week and then freedom starts! Reflecting back on these past several weeks in Honors 324A I've thought about ways that I might be able to use my creativity and problem solving skills this summer! Because I plan on staying home for at least part of the summer, I thought that maybe I could do something that I usually wouldn't do to mix things up a little bit. Instead of staying inside and playing video games or watching Netflix, maybe I'll go on a nature exploration at the local park. Anyways, try to do something creative with yourself this summer. I wish you guys the best of luck with the rest of the semester. Have safe trips home and enjoy the freedom!

Class Reflection for 02/05/2014

Well guys, it seems it's time to start my final class reflection *sheds a tear*. It was a great last class though! We had fun solving the Platypus's scavenger hunt even though we didn't solve it in the way that they had intended, but hey, that was a creative way to solve the problem without doing it the normal way! I've had a great time in this seminar and I'm gonna miss you guys! If I'm lucky, maybe I'll see you guys later. Until then, cheers and good luck on your finals!

Class Reflection #7

Instead of reflecting on this week's class, I'd like to focus more on the class as a whole and what I can take away from this seminar. Coming into this class, I had a very narrow mindset when it came to solving problems. I approached problems thinking that there would only be one way to get a solution, and typically this way involved some sort of mathematical equation or idea.

As I went through this class, I began to see that there are many ways of looking at and solving problems. I think a lot of what creativity is is a measure of how well you can look at things from different perspective. Looking back on this seminar, I can say that my creativity has increased greatly. I know I still have a lot of work to do, but I think I now have the tools and strategies I need to improve how I approach problems. I used to set myself up for failure when I approached a problem the wrong way, but now I will be more conscientious of changing my outlook so I can come up with a solution.

I now have all the Honors seminars done that I needed to complete. Although I enjoyed my other two as well, I have to say this has been the best of the 3!

A Review of Janine's Shepard's TED Talk " A Broken Body Isn''t a Broken Person"

“A Broken Body Isn’t a Broken Person” is a Ted talk title that immediately caught my attention. I am fascinated by the human body and intrigued by the idea of finding ways to fix what may be broken with it. Janine Shepard found out the hard way what it is like to live with a broken body but also what it was like to live with broken hopes and dreams. Her lifelong journey has taught her that it takes a creative mind and a new perspective to see past the bodies we live in and to the person who lies within.

                As an Olympic contender for the Australian cross-country skiing team, Janine was at her prime. However, a bicycle training trip with her teammates changed her life forever when she was hit by a utility truck.  A broken back, broken neck, cracked ribs, fractured arm, head torn open and right side of her body torn up and covered with gravel are just some of the injuries that left Janine in the hospital, fighting for her life. When she drifted back to consciousness after 10 days, the life she remembered was gone. 

                Among many other jobs, Janine now travels around the world as a motivational/influential speaker.  Her storytelling skills capture the audience, while her wit and humor help lighten what is truly a horrific experience. Although the first few minutes of her speech focus on her injuries, how her life changed and how she dealt with losing everything, this speech is far from being just a sad tale. Janine is out to inspire others to embrace the sort of creative mind that has helped her become the person she is today.  The turning point of the story comes when Janine explains “I was an athlete. That’s all I knew. That’s all I’d done. If I couldn’t do that, then what could I do? And the question I asked myself is, if I couldn’t do that, then who was I?” Not many people ever have to face the harsh reality of questions such as these ones, but Janine goes on to suggest that “maybe being at rock bottom is actually the perfect place to start.”

Overall, Janine Shepard does an excellent job appealing to others who may be facing disabilities as well as to those who only seek to understand them. One of her most insightful quotes from the entire lecture was “But now I was about to embark on the most creative project that any of us could ever do: that of rebuilding a life.” This is a new way of looking at the term creativity. For Janine, it wasn’t about just solving a problem, it was about creating a new life and finding a way to be happy again. Janine isn’t looking to convince anyone that they need to work on being creative, but rather showing others that they are creative in ways that they never thought. Janine went on to rebuild her life in an unexpected way that not only shocks, but inspires others who are in a similar situation. Just 18 months after waking up in the hospital, Janine earned her pilots license and advanced to being able to teach others how to fly. To sum up her ideas about creativity and what it has meant to her, Janine quotes the philosopher Lao Tzu, who said "When you let go of what you are, you become what you might be." In Janine’s own words, she explains that “I now know that my real strength never came from my body, and although my physical capabilities have changed dramatically, who I am is unchanged.”
 While Janine’s TED talk focuses on motivation and inspiration, her insight applies to what I hope to be doing in the future. As a physical therapist, I will be working with a person who is in a broken body. To be honest, before watching this talk, I would have said that I’d be working with a broken person, however after listening to Janine, I’ve found a new way to look people’s situations. In my work, it will take more than fixing the body to truly help a person. The creativity of rebuilding a life will have to become a part of my everyday work. I can’t expect to rebuild a body without also addressing the life of the person who lives in that body. When Janine said “I know that I'm not my body, and I also know that you're not yours,” I really had to think about that. Much of our lives focus around our bodies that it’s easy to forget that we can be defined by so much more. While Janine’s talk did not outline new innovations in the mobilization of the human body, she presents a point of view that I believe is essential for all people in the health care world to consider. 

This TED talk by Janine Shepard, once an Olympic team member, but now a pilot, inspirational speaker, mother of three and so much more, showed me a new perspective to the word creativity. Depending on the situation, creativity can be defined in numerous ways, but for the work I hope to do, I think Janine’s definition of creativity will be one of the most useful for me.  According to Janine’s advice, when you have a goal and set little goals to accomplish along the way, the mind’s creativity can’t be stopped. Whether it’s my creativity in helping others, or the creativity of someone I work with, we can work together to live our lives as Janine does,  “the ultimate creative expression of who we are.”

A Creative Way to Study

As the end of the year comes into view, most of my time is spent finishing up final projects and study. Although there isn't too much to be creative with, my study group and I did come up with some fun and unique ways to help us study for our Spanish exam. We were able to use movie quotes, dance moves and even hand signals to remember multiple choice answers. It may have looked ridiculous, but it helped me a lot because during the exam I remember the funny things I did while we talked about that specific topic.