I'm Here, I'm There, I'm Everywhere...Or Am I?

Right now as you read this, count how many tabs are open on your browser, how many applications you are running, how many people you may be texting, and any other things you might be doing your multitasking adventure. I am at seven. Seven different distractions fighting for my attention as I write this post. I have music playing, e-mail open, and many websites available in different tabs. And who would have thought that as I wrote that last sentence I received a text, upping my total to eight. All in my attempt to stay connected. My attention is divided over eight different sources which makes it harder to focus on writing this post. It is interesting to think about all the distractions we face today in the hyper-connected world we live in.

Give Us A Break

In many other countries, young adults are encouraged to work a full-time job before they continue towards a college level education or some equivalent. Not so in the United States of America. Parents seem to think that if their children don't go to college right after they graduate high school, they will never go onto higher education. But this year off can be huge in a person's life of self discovery. In my own personal opinion, the more experience they have in the working field, the better chance they know what direction they want to take their education.

Yes, No, Maybe So?

Decisions, decisions, decisions. Everything a person does requires some decision to be made. All these choices essentially boil down to a yes or no answer, unless you are in my generation. We (as a generation) have made the "maybe" answer the most popular. It seems as though nobody is willing to make a solid commitment regarding the big life choices. Even on simple choices such as which classes to take next semester, students often dwell on minuscule factors, such as whether any friends will be in a certain class, or what time it should be taken. This fear to make big decisions is one of many reasons this generation is stuck in limbo.

When in Doubt, Choose "C"

For the past couple of years I have disliked the concept of multiple choice tests. They give a person who doesn't understand a topic the chance to get points just for guessing. And a lot of times the questions can be so confusing that the writer doesn't always realize what he/she has written. But this summer I have taken a summer class which has changed my attitude toward this type of test. The key is to make sure each question only focuses on one specific idea and there are multiple questions testing the same topic with slight alterations to the questions. This results in many questions that will have similar answers, yet those who really understand the concepts will most likely see the various nuances in each question, therefore have a better chance at receiving a higher grade than the guesser. I still believe that free response questions are the best method in order to test the knowledge of a student; yet if multiple choice questions are formed in this manner, they can be almost as effective and is best used as a quick test for students.