Name:
Major:   undecided
Interests:   Ojibwe culture, gardening, poetry
Daily Website Check:    Poetry Daily
Who am I? (3 words):   quirky, thoughtful, nurturing
Learning Style:   Auditory
Favorite Quote:

"Treat everyone with politeness, even those who are rude to you -- not because they are nice, but because you are."

Anonymous

 

Useful Links:

è  Ojibwe Language Resources (vocabulary, pronunciation, and more from Native-languages.org)

è  Ojibwe Tribal & Community Links (from Native-languages.org)

è  SBA (U.S. Small Business Administration) (I'm still really thinking about starting a garden shop)

è  iVillage Garden Web (I love the blogs and forums!)

è  HGTV Gardening (LOTS of resources)

è  Poets' Corner (Fun to dip in and sample)

è  The Poetry Archive (they have a Poet in Residence who participates in online discussions)

è  Poets.org (From the Academy of American Poets -- I really love this site)

è  Poetry Daily (starting the day with a different poem makes me stop and think about what matters)

è  Common Errors in English Usage (by Paul Brians, this is an awesome resource!)

è  The Columbia Encyclopedia (from Bartleby.com a really nice online encyclopedia...I use it a LOT)
 
Work Samples:

Profile of a Problem-Solver: Evelyn's Score: 62. How did she interpret her score?

I’m pretty good on the affective end. I could improve a bit in my skill set, though, especially when it comes to seeking outside help...it’s becoming clear to me that I really do need to work to strengthen this skill in order to start finding a solution to my problem. I’m also a bit weak in my approach to using technology, but I’m good at assessing!

Use of the Problem-Solving Methodology:

Scenario: Evelyn has completed her first semester at college and has available time during the Christmas holidays. Her husband is between jobs. Since she will be home for five or six weeks, she wants to get a short-term job to earn money to help her family pay bills and for when she returns to school. Her husband can take care of the children so they don’t need to pay for childcare.

Step Explanation

1 Define the problem

Finding and choosing a job during the Christmas break.

2 Identify key issues

It must be a short-term job, must make maximum money, and must be within commuting distance from home.

3 Collect data & information

Obtain a list of temporary agencies from the phone book, names of stores in nearby malls, scan the “jobs” section from a local newspaper, and peruse craigslist online.
4 Identify assumptions

Retail businesses need short-term, full-time employees in December, and employers reward initiative.

5 Break the problem apart

Determine who is hiring for the most money, the most hours per week, and how many weeks the employment will last.

6 Model sub-problems

Amount of money = number of hours/week times hourly wage times the number of weeks worked.

7 Integrate solutions

The temporary agency can get Evelyn work for 5 weeks at 40 hours/week for $7/hour, a possible total of $1,400. That is if they are satisfied with her work evaluations. If they are not satisfied with her work evaluations, she may get no other job offers from the agency. Evelyn has found two jobs on her own. The best paying job is for $10/hour for 15 hours/week for 3 weeks, a possible total of $450. The other job is for 6 weeks at 40 hours/week at $5.50/hour, a possible total of $1,320. She chooses the job offered by the temporary agency.

8 Test and validate

Evelyn calls possible employers to verify her information.

9 Generalize the solution

Evelyn generalizes that the temporary agency is a good solution because she can use the agency to seek summer employment also.

10 Communicate the solution

Evelyn writes a letter to the agency accepting a job offer. She explains the process used to make her decision to her husband.