The Phase 1 of IS101 was full of surprises. The entire course feels nothing like any of the classes I have taken before, and I mean it in a good way. I think I did alright—I have always been mediocre—I did not become a part of the 'failing' group that needs to catch up, but I was not a part of the group that excels either. What I need to do differently is definitely manage my time better, and of course, strengthen my mental stability. I can't always just stay in my comfort zone because things feel overwhelming. I need to toughen up and push through. I want to stand out and excel like the others, because that is what's going to help me succeed in this class and in the future outside of it.
I picked 4.2.2 - The Clipboard. This is very useful for me, as I am someone who loves to use the em dash (—), as you can see in the paragraph above. The problem is, I don't see the em dash anywhere on my laptop keyboard. So I decided to use the clipboard for storing symbols that I cannot find anywhere on my keyboard in the pinned section. This is especially useful for students who need citations and references while doing their research papers, saving links of articles, names, and blocks of texts, instead of having to rewrite everything themselves.
To prepare for the upcoming MO-110 Word certification exam, I took the advice of my awesome seatmate, Kevin. He seems to be one of the best students in class. He told me to just keep redoing everything that I have been getting wrong in the practice tests, and eventually it'll stick.
Something to share with the World Wide Web is the fact that all of us are too distracted by social media trends, government problems, old men's wars fought by and sacrificed for by the youth or younger adults, and our own problems as we try our best to survive this chaotic world. We don't even notice or know about the more important news anymore: There's a LOT of bizarre things happening to our planet Earth, the North Pole's magnetic field changing rapidly being one of them. And I wish people would unite to help figure it out and remedy our planet's issues before it's too late for all of us.
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A little note to explain what the title means: It is an analogy of improvement.
"In biology, exuviae (singular: exuvia) refers to the shed exoskeleton or outer covering of an arthropod (like insects, crustaceans, and spiders) after molting. Essentially, it’s the ‘skin’ they leave behind after growing."Danielson, Bill. “Speaking of Nature: Ever Heard of an Exuvia? A Triumphant Use of Unexpected Science Vocabulary.” The Greenfield Recorder, 29 July 2025.
Hi Chae, I like the title of your post because the idea of shedding an exuvia is actually a really good analogy for growth. Sometimes learning something new feels uncomfortable at first, but it’s part of improving and leaving old habits behind. I also relate to what you said about being somewhere in the middle of the class, not failing but not exactly excelling either. Honestly, that’s where a lot of us are while we’re still figuring things out.
ReplyDeleteYour idea of using the clipboard to store symbols like the em dash is actually clever. Small tools like that can save a lot of time when writing papers. And I’m glad my suggestion about repeating the practice tests helped you a little, because that’s usually how things stick for me too.
About what you said regarding distractions, I have to admit I’m one of those people. When I get burnt out from Word assignments, LabSim, or when my accounting professor starts talking about debits and credits like it’s the end of the world, I need something funny to survive the day. I usually watch memes or random TikTok videos just to laugh for a few minutes. Otherwise my natural personality is basically either emotionally sad or slightly angry most of the time, so comedy is kind of my emergency medicine.
Glad to hear you see the surprises in Phase 1 of IS101 in a good way, Chae :-)
ReplyDeleteI like using the em dash (—) too. Pinning symbols that are not available on the keyboard in the pinned section of your clipboard is an excellent idea!
Taking advice from a seatmate that seems to be doing well is smart ^_^
I agree that many people are distracted by the abundance of information and agendas from the World Wide Web. I think people will see through the smoke and noise and come together when it matters to them.
Thank you for introducing me to the term "exuvia". The spell checker feature in Microsoft Word and Notepad does not recognize "exuvia" (singular) but does recognize "exuviae" (plural). Strange...
Hi Chae! I would also identify myself as mediocre student, neither failing or exceling. I get overwhelmed easily and drawback into my comfort zone as well and I need to kick that habit. I need to use the clipboard more, it sounds very useful. Typing up a document takes me forever. I agree that many people, myself included, get very distracted by everything going on in the media. I'm trying to involve myself more in the community lately by signing petitions and picking up litter at Red Rock as an attempt to not be the type of person who thinks "I'm just one person I can't change anything". Because if 200,000 people think the same thing of course nobody is going to make a difference.
ReplyDeleteHi Chae! I kinda relate to being in that middle spot too, not failing but not fully excelling either. Time management is something I also need to work on, so I get what you mean.
ReplyDeleteThe Clipboard thing is actually really useful, I didn’t even think about using it that way for symbols and stuff. And yeah, Kevin’s advice makes sense, just repeating what you get wrong is probably the best way to actually improve for MO-110.
Hello Chae, I totally agree the key to excelling within this class is how you manage your time of course you can just stay within the norm and keep the pace as expected, but being ahead graces you with more time to understand the material and be more than well prepared!
ReplyDeleteHey Chae, yeah being in our comfort zone too much can lead to procrastination and time mismanagement, something we all face from time to time, especially since we have a lot of distractions nowadays in our smartphones. By the way, the dash is in my name, glad you like using it haha, have a great rest of the semester!
ReplyDeleteHi Chae. Your use of the clipboard to create the em-dash is interesting to me. I like the use of the clipboard because it allows you to paste a passage so you don’t have to type it. You can even paste text by using your clipboard history, even after copying another passage.
ReplyDeleteHello Chae, I completely agree we have to unite and do what we can in order to save our planet. Everyone's differences and views will not matter if we don't take care of earth now.
ReplyDeleteHi Chae, the clipboard is definitely really useful in keeping copied information. I agree that social media is distracting us from problems in our society.
ReplyDeleteHi Chae, let me start by saying I love your analogy, ever since your presentation, I’ve admired how knowledgeable you are about marine biology and all things related to animals and ecosystems. It really shows in the way you think and explain things. Also, your point about how distracted the world is hit hard. There really is so much happening on the planet that gets buried under everything else. It’s a reminder that we should pay attention to the bigger picture, not just the noise.
ReplyDeleteHello Chae, Yes, I agree with you, I'm easily distracted by social media. I spend 3 hours a day on social media at least, which is crazy, I believe lol.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate how honest and self-aware your reflection is. It takes a lot to admit where you are and still have the motivation to improve.
ReplyDeleteHi Chae! It's always better to be at least "mediocre" than falling behind! Don't be too hard on yourself for not being as ahead as you want! It's impressive as it is to keep up!
ReplyDeleteHonestly an inspiring read. I also count myself as mediocre when it comes to almost everything. Not the best, not the worst, just right in the middle of things. It always surprises me when I achieve something great and tell myself "I don't deserve that". Sometimes it can be humbling, but most times it's just putting myself down for no reason at all! It's great to see you're aware of it and yes Kevin is truly inspiring to see push through those school work. Also, what a word to read, sounds exotic.
ReplyDeleteYour post was really deep and interesting to read. I liked the way you connected the clipboard feature to something you actually use daily. Also, the part about wanting to push out of your comfort zone was very relatable.
ReplyDeleteHi Chae, I hear you! When it comes to the planet it seems like there is far less focus on what we can do to save it. That's why I believe that it is important to place the right people into powerful government positions. The problem is that the more liberal, green and earth loving policies don't often make it into the discussions. We really should figure out how to lessen our harm on the earth. As far as you being mediocre that feels like an unfair description of yourself. Keeping up is a huge accomplishment, everyone faces different obstacles, it's not necessary to compare.
ReplyDeleteHey Chae, Kevin is him. Literally. In our friday night class, Professor Wu gives credit to Kevin thats great he's throwing out pointers?
ReplyDeleteHi Chae, I liked your reflection on pushing yourself out of your comfort zone while still being honest about where you are right now.
ReplyDeleteHello Chae. The clipboard feature is great! Even outside of Word, I use this feature nearly everyday.
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