Wednesday, November 24, 2010

survivor. jtcc edition. week eleven.

alright guys here's the deal. 

if you can survive until turkey day, then......YOU'RE GOLDEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hollah!

happy thanksgiving folks! we'll see ya next week with some new posts!



peace! 
heather and annemarie. 

p.s.
heather's back from india!

Friday, November 19, 2010

Last Chance to Be Green!




Did you know that plants cover 50% of our new Science building at John Tyler's Midlo campus?! That's right. The plants are also native to Virginia so they need minimal care. 


Here at JTCC, we like to award fuel-efficient people. That means car-poolers and low-emission vehicles have parking spaces specifically assigned for them!


Who has a bike? A well working bike? Use it! John Tyler provides bike racks for those who can bike to class. They also provide showers and changing rooms to freshen up in. You can get your exercise on and go to class all in one fell swoop!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

survivor. jtcc edition. week ten.

Here's our tip for surviving school this week: DON'T PROCRASTINATE. It's really not worth the stress.



However, some of you might ask, "How does one become an anti-procrastinator?"

Well, lucky for you, Heather and I happen to be pros at this stuff (for the most part, anyways ; ). Here are some tricks that could help.

One. Do your assignment or at least plan when you will do it immediately after your teacher gives it to you. Then, plan the rest of your day around your assignment rather than doing your assignment whenever you can "find the time."

Two. Plan out your day. Leave time for school and for yourself. We like to list out our plans on stickies on our computer. So, if you have a Mac, that's a great option. If not, just make sure your plan is some where that you will see it or you could forget about it completely.

Three. For big assignments, give yourself enough time to do everything a little bit at a time. Don't wait until the last two days when your teacher originally gave you two weeks...major pressure there if you ask me.

Four. Set constant reminders on your phones and/or computers throughout the week. This is great because it will keep you thinking of what tasks you need to accomplish.

Hopefully, this will help some and if you have any other tips...send 'em our way!

heather. hjt244@vccs.email.edu
annemarie. ary20@vccs.email.edu

Monday, November 15, 2010

Artsy Folks!

(flickr.com)

Hey guys!

This post is for all you "artsy" folks out there at John Tyler. We would really like to post your work here on Connect (if you are comfortable with putting yourself out there). It can be anything from charcoal to sculptures and oil to poetry. Seriously, we want to highlight you guys!

If you would be so bold as to send pictures of your work (or documents for you poets) our way, we would greatly appreciate it! Once again, our emails are hjt244@vccs.email.edu and ary20@vccs.email.edu.

Thanks you guys! We hope to be receiving photos in the near future!

Sunday, November 14, 2010

be green, guys.

Be green and be healthy! John Tyler's efforts to be green, really help the air quality. So if you get sick....don't blame it on John Tyler!

It's true...some of our carpets and walls at JTCC are recycled. How great is that?



Wednesday, November 10, 2010

survivor. jtcc edition. week nine.



Okay, so everyone pretty much knows that there's an "app" for pretty much everything on your iphone/itouch/whatever it is that you have. Turns out, there are also so apps that might be helpful for school...

One app is CourseSmart....

With this app, you can download some of your textbooks straight to your phone! How cool is that? This way, whenever you have some spare time and homework that needs to get done....just whip out your phone or ipod and you're good to go!

Another app is the handy dandy Graphing calculator...
                                                         
We've all forgotten to bring our ridiculously expensive graphing calculator to class before. Now, though (if your teacher will allow of course), you'll always have it with you. It might also be helpful to have this one for when you're not doing homework at home. 

Also, there's an app called My Homework...

                                                             

This app provides an easy way to schedule and plan your homework/assignments.

Oh and of course how could we get through the school day with the Facebook app...; )
                                                             

For more apps to help you with school go here.  This is where I got all of the info/photos.

Ciao ciao!

Monday, November 8, 2010

an interview with professor colin ferguson. w00t.

Hey guys! Here's an interview we did last week with Professor Colin Ferguson! Hope you enjoy!

1.     How long have you been at John Tyler and what classes do you teach?
I started here in the fall of 2000 and I teach the drawing and painting classes, but I’ve taught other classes here as well.

2.     What is your favorite thing about teaching art?         
      I suppose one thing I really enjoy is what I kind of call the “aha!” moment where somebody had been kind of struggling, but then, they suddenly can see what we’ve been talking about in class. It’s the break through moments that you’ve helped facilitate.

3.     Where did you go to college?
      I did my undergraduate at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and I got my M.F.A. at Ohio University of Athens.

4.     Tell us how you received the opportunity to illustrate for a textbook.
      I’ve known Mike LoPresto since the second grade and we were actually roommates at Edinboro freshman year. So, I’ve known him all my life. He first did Cycle in the Sky and then kind of an extended version called Fundamentals of College Astronomy; he asked me to do illustrations for both.

5.     Was this work very tedious for you or was it mostly enjoyable?
It wasn’t tedious. It was kind of a fast pace because I had to get them done. I started them in the middle of May and I had to have them done by July 4, so I was busy. It was interesting and because I did the illustrations I learned about the people and subjects I was drawing.

6.     Do you think you would ever do it again?
Oh sure, especially for a friend.

7.     What’s your favorite drawing in the textbook and why?
Hmm. I liked doing the one that was the extinction theory because I got to be a little creative with it and I liked drawing Edmund Halley because he had one of those crazy, poofy wigs. Plus, I just thought that one turned out nice. Then, a couple of interesting ones, too, were ones where I had to show not just the person but the invention that was with them like Stanley Miller and Wilson and Penzias.

8.     Other than art, what are some of your hobbies you enjoy in your free time?
I am a cyclist and a downhill skier, and I enjoy other outdoor activities as well.

9.     What’s your favorite thing about Richmond?
I really like spring in Richmond because, where I lived, we didn’t really have spring. We had fall, winter, and, then, right to summer.
10. 
     What advice do you have for a student wanting to pursue a career in art?
     Work hard and try a little bit of everything to really find what direction in art helps you find your voice.





p.s. Keep Heather in your thoughts for these next couple of weeks. She flew out to India last night. How cool is that?!



Friday, November 5, 2010

g-g-g-go green peeps.

Here's your dose of green for the week!
Hopefully you guys have seen the plethora of recycling bins on the campuses. Take advantage of those! Baby steps, guys...they make a big difference in the long run. Plus, Heather is watching you...


That's right guys...we're all walking pollutants whether we like it or not. Our shoes pick up and carry around all the nasty stuff we don't want to have around. Thankfully, though, JTCC's mats in front of the doors solve the problem. : )

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Interview with the President!

You guys, we really did interview the President! Well... of John Tyler that is. Dr. Smith is a pretty cool guy. We had a lot of fun talking with him and looking at pictures of his sweet dog and him. Take a look at the interview!


How long have you been working at John Tyler?
September 1st started my 21st  year, so about as long as you two have been alive and then some. I started in September 1990.
Have you always been the president, or have you had other jobs at John Tyler as well?
I came here as president. Obviously, that wasn’t my first job, though.
What are some of the responsibilities you have as the president of John Tyler?
That’s a good question. I guess it’s probably about what you think it is. Internally, it’s trying to provide leadership to the institution. Externally, it’s trying to make friends with the surrounding colleges and the community. I’m sort of an ambassador, I guess. 
John Tyler is responsible for 10 different jurisdictions. Chesterfield is obviously the big elephant in the room, but we have others, so it’s a really big area to cover. In fact, geographically, it’s the third largest area in the community college system in terms of square miles. 
What’s changed the most about John Tyler since you’ve been here?
Well, there was the Chester campus, period, when I started.  It was built in 1967. The Midlothian campus opened in 2000. The Nursing Education Center opened in 2006. So, there has been a lot of physical growth, and the number of students has just about doubled. 
Having more than one campus is really a big kind of change if you think about it. You have two of everything, and you have to go back and forth. Plus, you have to keep track of the nurses! 
What’s happening at the college right now that’s exciting to you? 
Well, because of the enrollment growth, we’ve really been able to add to the faculty.  A college is not about buildings, as much as it is about people.  I’ve been really excited that we’ve been able to add faculty members. And, we’re adding nine more in the spring, which is good, because it is really important to have a diverse mix. 
Now we have international faculty. We have faculty from India, Vietnam, Turkey, and a couple years ago someone from Wales. I think that’s a good thing for students, because you get to see different kinds of folks.
Another piece is that we’re continuing to look toward adding to both campuses – a building here at Midlothian and a building at Chester. It shows you’re growing when you’re building things. 
What’s something you would like to see happen in the future at John Tyler?
I hope you two will graduate. Besides that, let’s see: well, I think it’s pretty much unknown, and that’s what makes it interesting. 
As a community college we are responsible for meeting the needs of the community. We have to be alert and tuned in to the community to see what’s needed.  For example, right now we are expanding the paramedic and EMS programs. It’s about finding out what’s needed, and stopping things that aren’t needed.  If there’s not a demand, then we stop doing it. So it’s being alert to see what the opportunities and expectations are. 
Also, we’re getting younger. For years we were getting older and older, and now we’re getting younger and younger. Now, we’re talking more about things that would be of interest to an 18-, 19-, and 20-year-old, as opposed to people who are 30 or 40. 
What surprises you about students today?
143. I didn’t know what that was until yesterday. They were telling me all the codes that are used now for texting. Ms. McIver [Web Content Manager at the College] was giving us a lesson in all of it. 
If you take them as a whole, I think there’s more uncertainty about the future than there has been in the past student generations. They’re really worried about what their future is going to be like. Each generation sort of has things that interests it and frighten it. But I think that just generally the world is kind of unsettled now. 
There are four boys next door in my neighborhood, and one was walking his dog and I was walking mine and he said, “What about France?”  He was really concerned, so I think there’s just some apprehension about, “What’s the world coming to this time?”
What are some hobbies you enjoy while you’re not working?
I’m never “not working.” But, this one will prove what you already think about boys: I still build model trains and model ships when I have time to fool around. 
I do a great deal of reading, history primarily. That’s what I studied: naval history. 
I don’t have a lot of spare time to tell you the truth, but I follow sports. I went to Alabama, so there’s always football. 
Tell us about some of your favorite sports and sports teams. 
I’m a baseball and football person. Collegiately, it’s Alabama, and professionally, it’s Atlanta. That’s where I lived for a while.
And years ago, when I was your age, I played a good deal of racquetball, but I’m afraid old bones have taken over that – old knees particularly. 
What kind of dog do you have?
It’s a Westie, a West Highland Terrier. His whole name is Duncan MacDonald. He’s a Scots dog, so he had to have a Scots’ name. 



What do you think about social media and its contribution to the community?
You know about the presentation yesterday?  [There there had been a social media presentation at the College the day before.] I thought it was really good for me, because let’s face it: I really am from an older generation.  It’s interesting for me to see what kinds of things your generation is interested in. 
Social media has made the world a very small place, but I think it’s not something everyone has learned to use responsibly. I think some of your friends and neighbors have realized that nothing done in social media is private, but not all of them have.  
Social media certainly makes your generation very connected, and that’s good. However, it’s diminished reading, generally, and being a teeny bit old-fashioned, I still would like to see people read. 
So, there you have it! Our interview with the President of John Tyler!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

survivor. jtcc edition. week eight.

Here's a little story for you guys....

Since I (Annemarie) take online classes, I have to sometimes take some of my tests and quizzes here at JTCC in the Testing Center. Last week I had to take a quiz for my Humanities class. So, I made my appointment right away and everything was fine and dandy. However, when I arrived the morning of my quiz, I discovered that the power had gone out that morning and blackboard was down completely. My two options were either to check back every fifteen minutes to see if blackboard was working or to reschedule my quiz. Thankfully, I was able to wait and blackboard was back up in about half an hour. Also, since I scheduled my appointment right away, I still had two weeks left to take the quiz if I needed to reschedule.

So here's your survival lesson today......

MAKE SURE YOU SCHEDULE YOUR TESTING CENTER APPOINTMENTS RIGHT AWAY.

Who knows what could happen!

If I hadn't scheduled so early and had enough time to wait for blackboard, I would have been in quite the pickle, you see.....so remember guys, don't be dumb and schedule those appointments ASAP!