studentlinc

2007!

My guilt-free resolution for 2007...

To do more of what works and less of what doesn't.

That way...if it doesn't work out...I'll simply stop doing it.

Best wishes at the start of a new year!

Are You A Leader Or A Super Hero?

Have you ever had those conversations about which Super Hero is more powerful? Or which super power would you have if you could have only one?

I'm always striving to be a better leader, but I've never considered what kind of Super Hero I measure up against...until now.

I came across a site that allows me to take a brief quiz and gathers the data into a pretty, scientifically accurate analysis of my affinity to one of the members of the Super Friends.

Here's what I found out...

Your results:
You are Hulk

Hulk 75% Spider-Man 65% Superman 65% Green Lantern 60% The Flash 50% Iron Man 50% Supergirl 45% Robin 35% Batman 35% Wonder Woman 30% Catwoman 30%

You are a wanderer with amazing strength.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero am I?" quiz...

The only thing I might take issue with in this analysis is that I'm 45% Supergirl. Other than that, I can live with the results...unless you make me angry...you wouldn't like me when I'm angry.

Top Ten Student Leader Success Tips for 2006

These are the best tips I shared with my student leaders during the 2006 year, but they don't expire on New Year's Eve. Keep these ten things in your leadership notebook and refer to them often:

10. Do what you do best.

9. Focus on a few things.

8. An event's not over until everything is put away and everyone is thanked.

7. Communicate in such a way that people don't just hear you, but they actually respond to what you're saying.

6. If you do it all yourself, then you're not leading anyone.

5. Integrity is not a personality trait.

4. Sometimes you meet your expectations, so keep them high.

3. Be on the lookout for someone to take your place.

2. Your greatest opportunities to lead may lie at the point of someone else's frustration.

1. The ultimate failure is the failure to finish.

If you have something that you'd like to add to the list, please write it in the comments below.

Merry Christmas 2006!

Thanks to all of my readers for a great year. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

Some More Last Minute Finals Advice

Lifehacker has accumulated a list of helpful post for those of you who will be spending the next 48 hours cramming as much information into your skulls as humanly possible.

You can find links to such helpful posts as...
    * How to pull an all-nighter
    * LitSum free, online Clif Notes
    * How to make effective flash cards
    * Grow your brain 22 different ways
    * Tips for off-screen reading
    * How to defeat writer's block
    * Best music for studying
    * Social note taking for students
    * Automatic bibliography generator

To read more go here.

The Best of Michael Leddy - Student Tips & Advices

I've been a big fan of Michael Leddy's (author of Orange Crate Art) posts over at lifehack.org for quite some time. Many of his posts have been linked to and promoted from this website.

Well, lifehack.org has just published a great list of some of Leddy's best post in regards to student success.

I know we're just hours away from the onslaught of Finals Week on our campus. You might want to re-read some of these articles for the first time to get your bearings.

• Granularity for students
  Granularity is a tremendously useful strategy for students. The typical spiral-bound student-planner doesn’t seem to encourage it; that tool is often little more than a place to store due dates: “research paper due.”
• Getting details right
  Here are a few details to get right, always, when you are writing for a college class.
• Twenty uses for a Post-it Note
  Jot down less familiar keyboard shortcuts on a Post-it to keep by your computer.
• New year’s resolutions
  Here’s a suggestion for the beginning of an academic year: Make and keep a resolution or two to address what’s really urgent in your academic life.
• Five tips for success in college
  Here are Rachel Leddy’s tips for success in college
• Writing by hand
  My evidence is only anecdotal, but it’s consistent enough to suggest that writing by hand may have several significant advantages for many student-writers
• Homework-eating dogs, and how to avoid them
  “And then, when I tried to print my essay, it disappeared!”
• A good place to study
  Find a good place to study and make it your own. The more time you spend in that place, the more it will become associated with the work of learning.
• How to do well on a final examination
  Final examinations can indeed be scary stuff. Studying ahead of time and getting a good night’s sleep before an exam are two good ways to defuse stress and do well

There's a few more, so I encourage you to head over to lifehack.org and read the rest of them.

A Short & Sweet Blogging Manifesto

I submitted a post over at Joyful, Jubilant Learning in regards to the theme we're currently running on "How I Blog!" It's been fun to hear everyone's take on their investment into the blogosphere.

If you are a blogger or interested in blogging, I trust you'll find my brief manifesto helpful in your writing.

According to a WSJ article by Jason Fry in March, 2006, while the blogosphere is doubling in size every 5.5 months, less than half those blogs are still getting posts three months after their creation.

That's because blogging takes work. Blogging takes time. It's not for everyone.

From the WSJ article, it appears the very act of blogging is initiation enough to see who sticks with it and who moves on to something else. If you're a blog reader, thanks for stopping by. If you're a blog writer, this manifesto is my succinct challenge for you to keep at it.

Maximum impact occurs when a blog becomes a "positive" force on the web. Every blog starts out small. Most blogs stay small. But those that reach maximum impact stay engaged, stay focused, and reach a point over time where they escalate very quickly in readers and recognition.

The internet is littered with "one post" wonders. Don't let that happen to you. Let the manifesto begin!

1) Write about the kinds of things you want to read about.
The best blogs are created from the heart. If you have no passion in your message, you will bore your readers. Bored readers don't stick around very long. Writing a blog that you wouldn't read is like collecting recipes for food dishes that you'd never eat.

2) Be real enough to recognize.
When you write authentically, you find your own voice. Over time your voice becomes unique from the other voices. The blogs that have dramatically increased their readers are easily recognizable even when there is no name attached.

3) Be brave.
Writing with passion and authenticity takes courage. You are putting your ideas, thoughts, feelings, and perspectives out there for all the world (you hope!) to see. Have the audacity to have your own opinion.

4) Go with what you know because you never know.
Starting a blog is like writing notes to yourself. You have no idea who is going to read it let alone come back for more. You check your stats, hone your writing, develop your skills. You never know which post will attract the most hits. You never know how long it will take to build a strong reader base. So you keep writing because your next post is always your best post. It could be the one that gets 5000 diggs...you never know.

5) Give it away.
It's the Google way: create really cool things that people can use for free. It's the Seth Godin way: create an ebook that you can download for nothing. It's the Tom Peters way: here's my power point presentations, my treat. It's the Web 2.0 way: give away as much as you can and people are happy to pay you for your very best stuff.

Manifesto over...let the work begin.