Technology

I believe that technology has definitely helped our group and played a vital role in our collaboration efforts throughout the project. Our group page, specifically the file exchange, proved to be very useful in sharing information, individual work, documents, group minutes, and our agendas. Our group page made all of our information pertaining to the proposal easily accessible throughout the project and was very helpful in keeping everyone in the group aware of the status of our project and what needed to be done. Also, I think that the use of e-mail definitely helped in keeping all of the members of our group on top of things; it provided a means to keep all of the members of our group aware of what needed to be done and enabled us to communicate easily with one another. Even if a member of a group was not there, the use of e-mail made it possible for their work to be submitted and seen by all other members of the group. Although our group never had an virtual group meetings, technology definitely played a large part in our collaboration efforts and ultimate completion of the project.

Ethics

I think the examples we discussed in class definitely reflect ethical lapses in judgment in the business/government/social setting. The people involved in the given examples employed dehumanizing language so as to alleviate their conscience and not to equate their behavior with an immoral action. I believe that a strong sense of ethical responsibility is vital for those involved in business. Power can often be abused and can have disastrous results, as demonstrated in class with the examples used regarding the space shuttle “Challenger” and the correspondence regarding the Nazi’s transportation of "items."

I, myself, am currently applying to several medical schools with the hope of becoming a surgeon one day. Those involved in the study and practice of medicine face several ethical issues including issues with epidemiology, genetic diseases, medical care, and medical resources allocation. One example of how ethical issues can arise in epidemiology involves a medical study at the Tuskegee Institute. I believe that this example demonstrates how strict ethical issues apply in any study involving humans. In 1932 US Public Health Service and scientists from Tuskegee Institute performed a study of about 400 black men in Macon County, Alabama where syphilis was rampant. The participants in the study were not to receive treatment, and investigators didn’t explain the purpose of the study or ask patients’ permission. The men were deceived, and they weren’t told what syphilis was or that they were part of a study—they were led to believe that they were receiving treatment. Regarding genetic disease, there is a fine line between the worthy goal of preventing disease and disability and the use of genetic screening and abortion to select desirable traits and eliminate undesirable ones. For example, when a serious disorder is diagnosed in a fetus, aborting the fetus with a genetic or teratogenic abnormality is often the only alternative to the birth of a child with a handicap. One ethical issue with medical care would be whether mentally competent, terminally ill patients have the right to physician-assisted suicide. For example, ethical issues arose when Dr. Jack Kevorkian helped to end the lives of people who were suffering or afraid that they would suffer painful or degrading deaths. With regards to medical resource allocation, ethical issues arise in the decision of who gets access to scare health care resources. For example, during a shortage of dialysis machines, God Committees were formed in order to select the most worthy candidates for the life-saving treatment. The committees tended to favor those who had jobs, family responsibilities, youth, good general health, and strong motivation. As a result, many patients were denied treatment.

It is my hope that I will become a doctor one day. As a doctor, I will, first, do no harm. I will work to save lives, improve the heath of the people I serve, and the health of society. I will determine the method of treatment and surgical course of action, which according to my ability and judgment, I consider in the best interest of and for the benefit of my patient. I will use my knowledge to better serve others. I will be truthful, respect the rights of the patient, and always help when I can.

Miscommunication Experience

One experience that I have had in the workplace in which information was miscommunicated happened while I was working as a lifeguard several summers ago. It was about two weeks before the country club pool would open for the summer, and I had spoken with the head lifeguard about coming back to work. I told him that I was definitely interested in working as a lifeguard again, and I asked him to please let me know when he had posted the schedule. When I didn't hear from him, I went to the pool the day after it had opened to see what was going on with the work schedule. Sure enough, the schedule was posted, and I had been scheduled to work the day before. I immediately called the head guard, and I spoke with him about the situation. He apologized and told me that it was no big deal, but I believe that the whole situation could have been avoided if our head lifeguard had made sure that all of the lifeguard staff was aware of the fact that he had made the schedule and that it was posted at the country club. As a result of this miscommunication, schedules were made and posted several weeks in advance.

Presentation and Portfolio

I really enjoyed Erin's presentation on first aid. Being certified in first aid and cpr myself, I feel like it's important for everyone to know the basics. Erin had great information, and I liked that she included demonstrations in her presentation. Like Erin said, you never know when knowledge of first aid, cpr, and the heimlich maneuver might come in handy!

Overall, I haven't really had much experience with online portfolios. I remember going to a presentation about our eportfolios freshman year for CU101, but, honestly, I haven't touched in since then. I should probably hop on that since it's required for graduation and all :) I guess we'll see how the experience goes. In order to ensure that I'm ready for the portfolio draft, I need to start collecting and organizing all of my materials. Since I have already completed my resume, chosen a job description, created an individual presentation, and have written agendas/minutes for groups meetings uploaded onto Blackboard, I need to finish preparing my cover letter and continue to work on my follow-up letter. In addition, my group and I will continue to work on our proposal for Healthy Campus Initiative. Hopefully, I will be prepared after completing these tasks!

3 presentations

I really enjoyed Laura's presentation on women's gymnastics at Clemson. I have a sorority sister that was a founding member of Clemson club gymnastics, and she is always talking about how Clemson should make gymnastics an official sport. I think that Laura made great points in her case for making women's gymnastics an NCAA sport at Clemson. Not only was she passionate about the issue, but she had sound facts and statistics to back up her main points. Also, I really enjoyed Stephanie B.'s presentation on Locks of Love. I think that Locks of Love is a great cause, and I think it's wonderful that Stephanie has donated herself, along with several other classmates. Not only did I learn about the purpose of locks of love, but I also learned what goes into the process. For example, I didn't know that each prosthesis requires 6-10 ponytails! She had great facts and information on the topic, and she also made it easy for me to take steps in donating myself should I choose to do so by including the "hair donation guidelines." Stephanie seemed very passionate about the issue, and I thought she gave a great overall presentation. In addition, I really enjoyed Nate's presentation on "when the shark and the fish first met," written by Galid Shalit. Nate seemed very knowledgeable on an issue that I myself don't know much about. Before this presentation, I had heard about the story, but I hadn't heard the story behind it: how the plot of the story symbolizes the conflict between Israel and Palestine, and its author, who began IDF service in July 2006, was abducted and is currently being held prisoner by Hamas. I learned a lot from this presentation, and Nate definitely presented us with some thought-provoking questions, like "can Israel justify releasing 1000 potentially dangerous prisoners for the release of one p.o.w. (Galid Shalit)?" I guess only time will tell. I think that Nate did a great job! Until next time...

Cover Letter Advice

I agree with all of the advice given here. I feel like those who have written the advice have more experience on the topic than most college students, whether it be through an accumulation of knowledge from others’ experience, trial and error, or personal experience. The section on “The Best Use of a Cover Letter” was most useful to me. I think that knowing what to how to use a cover letter to your benefit, knowing what to include in a cover letter and how you could benefit a particular company, is essential. I wasn’t aware that the cover letter should be as specific and personal as they described, so I will definitely be more specific and personal when I write my cover letter for my mock interview in this class.

Client Meeting and Group Ideas

After meeting with the client from Redfern and hearing the mission and goal of the Healthy Campus Initiative, our group has been working on an approach to the project that would incorporate the use of Facebook, currently one of the most popular networks of communication among college students. I believe that accessibility, usability, and availability are important aspects in incorporating the project on Clemson’s campus. The idea is to create a Facebook group/application that would display the 6 core areas of health: physical, emotional, environmental, intellectual, social, and spiritual. Clicking on one of the 6 core areas of health would give you access and information on all of Clemson’s resources relating to that particular category of health, in addition, to linking you to the university’s website. For example, one might find more information about Clemson Outdoor Recreation and Education under the “Physical” area of health. By making all of this information easy to access and freely available in such an organized manner, I believe that Clemson students will be more inclined to get involved, use the university’s resources, and find what they are looking for. I think that one of the biggest concerns of our group is how to actually translate the idea to the computer and make the site easy to use. So far, I think that things in our group are coming along nicely; this weekend, each member chose a core area of health and is researching Clemson’s resources and available programs pertaining to the area. Hopefully, once research is completed, we can get this thing going…by then I’m sure we’ll have plenty of questions :) Until next time…

Interview Mistakes

Although I'm sure that there are plenty more mistakes that a person could make during an interview, I agree that these are probably the biggest mistakes. Personally, I have never had a formal interview, but I think that it is important to be aware of the biggest mistakes that a person can make in a job interview. Also, I believe that knowing the biggest mistakes can help me to avoid making them myself when the time comes. In order to be prepared for a job interview, I think that a person should do their research. It is important to be prepared, to practice, and to not be afraid to ask questions or ask for help. Being honest when asked questions and knowledgable on the job position will not only help the interviewer, but it will also make you seem like you are serious about the opportunity, you have done you're research, and you will be able to jump into the job immediately.

My Biggest Pet Peeve

Many people would say that manners are as quintessential to Southern culture as shrimp and grits, sweet tea, pecan pie, and the classic drawl that I myself find to be more eloquent than provincial. It is a way of life as inlaid as the cobblestones in the streets of Charleston, which I personally find myself tripping over on a regular basis. I, myself, was born and raised in the South. Born into an old Southern political family in Charleston, I learned at an early age that manners were something to be expected, not merely simple pleasantries characteristic of the region or signs of Southern upbringing, often exaggerated in movies like Gone with the Wind. In this blog, I want to address how a lack of manners has become an issue, not only to those raised in the South, but also to those who have come to call the South a second home. Manners are important to everyone. I find that they often go hand-in-hand with respect and impact how a person perceives you. First, I am going to tell you why I feel that a lack of manners has become an issue—and my personal pet peeve. Next, I will propose a possible solution to the problem. So let’s talk about why a lack of manners is one of my biggest pet peeves.
In the place where cotton was once king and “southern hospitality” has become a household name, I have found that some people have simply forgotten the importance of good manners. Whatever happened to that Southern hospitality?...holding the door for someone, saying “please” and “thank you,” saying excuse me when you bump into someone, “yes ma’am” and “yes sir.” Down here in Dixie, it’s not just about being polite; it’s about showing courtesy and respect to other people—treating people how you would want to be treated. It’s demonstrating a kindness that is not cliché that many people have seemed to have forgotten. So now that we see that a lack of manners is a problem, how do we solve it? I believe that the solution is effort. Everyone should make an effort to be polite and courteous to those around them. With manners, it’s almost like a “use it or lose it” phenomenon. If everyone made a conscious effort to show respect and be polite to those around them, after a while it becomes a habit. Also, I am a firm believer in the fact that manners are contagious. Not only could your use of manners brighten someone’s day, but that person just might be more likely to show the same courtesy to someone else. Southern hospitality and manners could definitely have a pay-it-forward effect if everyone made an effort! As you can see, a lack of manners has become a problem, but a little bit of effort can help to solve the problem.
All in all, some people have simply forgotten the importance of good manners, but if everyone makes an effort to be polite and courteous to those around them, we can bring back that famous “Southern hospitality.” Maybe it’s where I’m from, maybe it’s how I was raised, or maybe it’s me, and manners are as big a part of me as those cobblestones in the streets of Charleston. So please excuse me when I say that a lack of manners is my biggest pet peeve…Thanks ya’ll!!!

Where I want to be in ten years...

Upon graduation from Clemson, I intend to pursue a career in medicine, specifically in the area of surgery. Being a Charleston, SC resident, I would like to attend medical school close to home and eventually live and practice in Charleston. Although I haven’t quite decided a surgical specialty to undertake, I am leaning more towards neurosurgery or cardiothoracic surgery. After doing some research on both specialties, I have found that residency training in both programs is approximately seven to eight years. Hopefully, that’s where I will be in ten years. Although my career is important to me, I also hope to get married and have a family, creating a balance of both my personal and professional life. We’ll see how it goes, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed! Stay tuned...

Response: The Machine is Us/ing Us

After watching this video, I feel like the content really describes the revolution of Web 2.0. Because the web has become more user-friendly, no longer requiring complicated codes to upload content, the web has become not only a way to link information, but also people. I believe that the title of this video ("The Machine is Us/ing Us") implies that there are both positive and negative consequences of the internet revolution, and that people are ultimately the driving force behind its form and content. Web 2.0 may affect someone who is ready to enter the workforce by providing them with accesible information on job opportunities and potential employers. In addition, Web 2.0 may affect someone who is already in the workforce by increasing commerce and making tasks easier to accomplish in a shorter amount of time. Furthermore, the increased ability to find employees, provided by Web 2.0, may present more competition for someone who is already in the workforce and instill a sense of replaceability among workers. When the video states that "we will have to rethink everything," I think that it means that our culture's way of doing things and our way of thinking has gradually changed with the increase in use of Web 2.0. Because humans are the driving force in this revolution, we are ultimately teaching the machine and giving it new ideas. Unfortunately, this could potentially have both beneficial and harmful consequences. People are sharing, trading, and collaborating with one another. The availability of information is almost limitless, and as a result, things like copyrights on information, authorship, and user-identity will have to be assessed. Additionally, individuals must consider ethics, security, vernacular speech and expression, motive, and personal character when judging the credibility of not only information, but also people.

A little about me...

Hey everyone! My name is Ryanne Dodds, and I'm from Charleston, SC. I have lived in Charleston my whole life, and I don't think I could ever be away for too long. At home, I live with my parents, my two younger brothers, and our three dogs; needless to say, our house can get pretty crazy, but honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. I love going out in the boat, going to the beach, and being surrounded by friends and family. I'm a junior here at Clemson, majoring in Health Science with a concentration in Pre-professional Health and a minor in Psychology. After graduation, I would like to attend medical school at MUSC and hopefully become a surgeon one day.

Hope ya'll enjoyed learning a little bit about me, and I look forward to getting to know everyone in the class!