Topic 4 - Interdisciplinarity in the Real World

Interdisciplinarity in the Real World

Hello folks! I’m Hope Diehl, a senior here at UCF in the IDS program. I, like many of you, wanted a degree that suited my needs, not the other way around. My subject areas are American Sign Language (Health) and Sociology (Behavioral and Social Sciences) with a minor in Writing/English. Through the IDS program, I have created a Deaf Studies curriculum that has enabled me to study the disability, deafness from a cultural perspective, and the language nuances of deaf and hard-of-hearing people. 

Watch this brief click to get an idea of what a sign language interpreter does: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWzZcebdJjQ&feature=related  I wish I could find one in the education setting but all I kept finding were sarcastic, funny little bits to alleviate some of the misunderstanding of roles interpreters are often faced with so this will have to do. 

As a Sign Language interpreter for D/HH children, I’m always using interdisciplinary thinking to solve problems and make connections. For example, if a teacher is making an analogy that involves the child waking up due to their parent’s alarm clock going off I have to automatically consider the child’s frame of reference (most deaf kids have never woken up to any sound since you don’t wear hearing aids to sleep) and instead use bright light from another room or hallway as the awakening factor in my interpretation. How do you use interdisciplinarity in daily situations? 

One way to discuss what interdisciplinarity is, is to point out what it is not. What is not interdisciplinarity?

As I mentioned above, much of my job entails interdisciplinary thinking. Who do you know that has an interdisciplinary profession?

Not everyone integrates their disciplines the way the program is built to support. Say whether you are integrating your disciplines or not, and explain how if so.

Lastly, list any opportunities (personal, professional, or academics) that can increase our interdisciplinarity. And don’t forget to respond the other’s posts to get full credit!

~Hope

Topic 3- Critical Thinking

Hello Cornerstone students. My name is Jodi Farbish and this week’s topic will be about your critical thinking skills. For me, I define critical thinking as analyzing and applying information that was gathered by previous experience. It’s another way to apply knowledge to something unfamiliar.

Critical thinking could be considered in dealing with everyday occurrences in life, whether it’s solving a problem or deciding what action to take. Interdisciplinary studies can be used to integrate multiple perspectives when analyzing, evaluating, or interpreting a situation. Both critical thinking and being interdisciplinary can go hand in hand; it helps you think beyond your normal everyday understandings, and to look beyond your common sense knowledge.

First, please visit the Virtual Philosopher website:

http://web.uncg.edu/dcl/courses/ethicsTechnology/video/VP/ethics_vp4/vp4.html When you complete the activity, please remember to post your responses and answer the questions as followed:

1. Were your responses consistent or inconsistent?

2. From the comments you received about your responses, what insight have you gained about your own critical thinking and reasoning?

3. How does your critical thinking relate to being interdisciplinary?

4. How does the outline of your critical thinking disposition match with the application of it in doing the Virtual Philosopher?

5. Reply to at least one person’s response and give your insight about the virtual philosopher.

Don’t forget to respond to your classmates!

Topic 2- Integrating Areas

Hi Cornerstone Students!! It was great getting to know you last week and we are looking forward to working with you this semester!

My name is Sara Farinelli. My focuses are Education and Physical Sciences with a minor in Health Services Administration. My future plans are to become a science or health teacher at the secondary level. I chose this major because there isn’t a science and health education major, just one or the other. I felt like this was a great way to get the education that I wanted for the types of classes I want to teach. Integrating each of my areas is very important for what I want to do. I can pull knowledge from all three areas. I think this is what this major is all about. It took me a very long time to figure this out. I have had many major changes throughout my college career.

This week we are talking about integration and how it ties into our major. Integration is defined, by Webster, as a way to form, coordinate, or blend into a functioning or unified whole.

Please answer the following questions in detail.

· Why is integration of areas/minor important in terms of professional, academic, and/or personal developing?

· How have or haven't you integrated your areas and minor?

· How can your areas/minor be better integrated?

Read this article,

http://www.hhmi.org/news/nexus20110608.html

This article shows how four universities are working together to create a new interdisciplinary science program. Tell us what you think about this article and how integration takes place here, in a few sentences. Then find your own news story and explain its importance of interdisciplinarity or what an interdisciplinary solution might be for the problem raised in the story. Post the link so others can view.

Don’t forget to comment on one of the other students posting! Good luck!

Meet and Greet Topic 1

Welcome IDS Students to the Cornerstone/Capstone Mentoring blog! We are very excited about this opportunity to get to know all of you and to be able to help you through your first semester of the Interdisciplinary course of study. My fellow group members and I will be posting a designated ‘blog topic’ each week for you to comment on and for us to respond to. We ask that in order to reply to us you COMMENT on our links instead of posting new blog topics, so that we can stay organized and respond to you as needed. We will be available to answer any questions you have throughout this course, so please don’t hesitate to ask us... & now let’s get started!

To begin I’ll tell you a little about myself- each week a new group member will be posting on the blog, and they will introduce themselves as well.

My name is and I am a senior (graduating in May, yay!) here at UCF. When I first began taking classes, I was very unsure of what path I wanted to take career wise. A friend of mine introduced me to the Interdisciplinary program and right away I knew it was the correct choice for me. My areas of study are Commerce and Education, with a minor in Mass Communications. I am looking forward to hopefully working in the Marketing field when I graduate; and eventually owning my own firm. I try to stay active and I am currently a member of UCF flag football and soccer intramural teams; I am definitely going to miss all of the extracurricular activities available here at our school when I graduate.

So to begin, tell us about you! Remember to comment to respond to this post; we look forward to hearing from you all.

What is your name and what do you like to do for fun?

What made you choose an IDS major, and how to do you explain it to others?

What are the advantages/disadvantages of an Interdisciplinary education?

Activity- After answering the above questions, tell us your areas of study and minor as well as what your dream job might be. Explain how you plan on integrating your education to work at this job, and then find us an example of this dream job online (using craigslist, monster.com etc.). Post your reply in a comment, and then reply to one other Cornerstone student. Thanks guys, have a great week!