Tag: Learning

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Taking The First Step To Write A Novel

I’ve Started Taking Brandon Sanderson’s Writing Lecture Series!

Written August 19, 2024

Hello Dear Readers,

My wife and I are avid fans of Brandon Sanderson, so when I discovered a BYU lecture series on YouTube focused on writing, I knew it was something I wanted to explore. Initially, my intention was to watch the series to enhance my writing skills. Still, I used it as a convenient excuse to postpone starting my writing projects. You know how it goes—there’s always one more thing to learn before you feel “ready.”

Today, however, I finally took the plunge and began the lecture series. While it’s just the first step, it’s an essential one. The series includes 14 videos: an introductory short video followed by 13 in-depth lectures, most of which are over an hour long. These lectures are designed to guide you through writing your first novella, which is exciting and daunting. I’ve already scheduled dedicated time to watch each lecture, understanding that this commitment is critical to progress.

Starting today marks my first real day of action. Although I still have many more lectures to watch, I’m already thinking ahead to the true challenge: beginning and finishing my own story. Starting with a blank page can be intimidating. Still, luckily, I already have a seed of an idea and a few themes I’m eager to explore. This gives me a bit of a head start, so I won’t be starting from nothing.

So far, Brandon Sanderson’s advice resonates with the common wisdom I’ve encountered across various disciplines: you only get better through practice. There’s no shortcut, no magical advice that will instantly make you a skilled writer. Consistent effort and the willingness to learn through doing are the only feasible paths to reaching my goals. While this isn’t groundbreaking news, it’s a reminder that all great achievements start with small, consistent actions.

Interestingly, my wife is also keen on watching Sanderson’s lecture series. She’s currently engrossed in another lecture series about book criticism. Still, once she finishes that, she also plans to dive into Sanderson’s series. She asked me for my thoughts, and although I’d just begun, I shared my excitement with her. Her interest was piqued, and it’s nice to know we’ll likely be learning from Sanderson together soon.

In the meantime, I’ll keep moving forward, one lecture at a time, hoping that by the end of this journey, I’ll have gained knowledge and completed my first novella. It’s a daunting goal, but as Sanderson himself would likely agree, the only way to get there is to keep writing.

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Rediscovering Mythology: A Couple’s Journey Through Greco-Roman Legends

Written 4/14/2024

Hello Dear Readers,

Over the recent months, my wife has developed a profound fascination with Greco-Roman mythology. Her journey began with exploring ancient philosophies, which naturally evolved into an interest in the mythological narratives of the Greco-Roman world. As a liberal arts graduate who majored in classics, I’ve always held a keen interest in these ancient stories, making this newfound shared interest an excellent source of conversation and intellectual exchange between us.

There’s something inherently captivating about Greco-Roman mythology. The narratives are not only rich with drama and adventure but also offer deep insights into the human condition and the complexities of life. One of the tales that resonates deeply with both of us is the tragic story of Orpheus and Eurydice. Orpheus was celebrated in myth as a musician of extraordinary talent, and he managed to impress Apollo, the god of music, so much so that he was gifted a lyre. His music had the magical ability to touch anyone who listened, casting a spell of adoration and love, including on Eurydice.

The love story of Orpheus and Eurydice is one of passion and profound sadness. These types of stories often contain living blissfully until a tragic mishap; their story takes a somber turn, prompting Orpheus to venture into the underworld. There, his enchanting music softened the hearts of Hades and Persephone, who agreed to allow him to return his beloved to the living world under one condition: he must not look back until they reached the surface. Overwhelmed with anxiety, Orpheus turned to look at his wife just as they neared the exit of the underworld, only to lose her forever as she vanished back into the depths.

As my wife points out, this poignant story shares thematic elements with other cultural myths, such as the poignant “Forget Me Not” and the Japanese tale of Izanagi and Izanami. It’s fascinating how diverse cultures echo similar themes, often exploring human desires and the consequent tragedies that these desires can precipitate.

My wife’s engagement with these myths has not only brought her joy but has also enriched our relationship. It provides us with endless topics for discussion and a mutual space for learning, discovery, and rediscovery. The expansive realm of Greco-Roman mythology offers a vast array of stories and characters, each encapsulating different facets of life and moral lessons, making it a treasure trove that keeps us intellectually and conversationally engaged.

As we continue to explore these ancient narratives, we appreciate the stories and the opportunity to connect through a shared interest. It’s a reminder of how ancient or modern stories hold the power to transcend time and space, bringing people closer together through the universal themes of love, loss, and human nature.

Indeed, the myths of old are timeless, and their exploration can enrich one’s life and relationships in unexpected and beautiful ways. I look forward to many more evenings spent discussing the fates and fortunes of characters that, though millennia old, feel as relevant today as ever.

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Crafting My Path: Unveiling My Ten-Week Chess Improvement Strategy

Hello dear readers,

Embarking on a journey of personal growth and skill enhancement, yesterday marked the culmination of my meticulous efforts in drafting a comprehensive chess improvement plan. With the serene ambiance post-dishwashing and the anticipatory aroma of the next day’s coffee setting the stage, I’ve dedicated myself to devoting a substantial 90 minutes each day to the intricate art of chess.

In the vast and intriguing landscape of chess, openings form the initial steps that lead to the myriad possibilities of the game. Recognizing their significance, I’ve carefully curated a list of 10 esteemed openings, each holding the potential to unravel new layers of strategic depth. The intriguing aspect of this endeavor is not just the diversity of the openings but the systematic approach I’ve adopted to study them. Every week, a selected opening from the list becomes the focal point of my exploration.

Mondays, the heralds of a new week, are dedicated to adjusting a well-structured template study plan, aligning it with the nuances and subtleties of the specific opening chosen. This initial adaptation lays down a solid foundation, facilitating a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the opening throughout the week. From Tuesday to Friday, I diligently adhere to the tailored plan, immersing myself in the intricacies and strategies that each unique opening presents. This structured approach ensures a gradual yet comprehensive grasp of the selected opening, paving the way for mastery.

Weekends bring with them a different flavor to my chess improvement journey. Stepping away from the theoretical and strategic studies, I engage in practical application by playing a game or two against the unrelenting and unbiased computer. This transition from theory to practice is instrumental, as it allows me to witness the real-time application and effectiveness of the strategies I’ve been immersed in throughout the week. The computer, with its calculated precision and absence of human error, serves as a formidable opponent, challenging me to elevate my game.

Spanning across ten weeks, this meticulously crafted plan offers a balanced blend of theory, strategy, and practical application, each component reinforcing the other. As I navigate through the varied openings and adapt my strategies, I am not just learning; I am evolving, refining my approach and enhancing my skills with every passing day. The journey, while demanding, is as enriching as the game of chess itself – filled with endless possibilities, challenges, and moments of triumph.

As the final week approaches and the completion of the ten-week journey is on the horizon, the anticipation builds. With enhanced skills and a plethora of new strategies under my belt, I will start scouting for a local tournament. This will serve as the ultimate testing ground, a platform to apply, assess, and showcase the knowledge and skills I’ve accumulated. The tournament is not just a competition; it’s a reflection of my growth, a manifestation of my dedication, and a testament to the effectiveness of my chess improvement plan.

 

In conclusion, this ten-week chess improvement journey is more than a structured learning experience. It’s a personal endeavor of growth, reflection, and continuous learning. Through a balanced mix of study and practice, adaptation and application, I am not only navigating the complex world of chess openings but also crafting my path towards mastery. As I look forward to the challenges and triumphs that lie ahead, I am reminded that, like chess, life too is a game of endless possibilities and strategic moves.

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How to Learn in a Digital Environment

There are multiple ways to learn. The introduction of Internet technology enables us to gather knowledge online. When I was young, accessing the internet was expensive since we were charged by the minute. I still remember it took us almost 6 hours to download low-grade pictures. Although the internet was more accessible when I was in the university, the students used a hybrid way (library in person or online) to do their academic research. I still can’t forget how excited I was to access academic journals from the online library. By the time I was doing my MBA, most people exclusively used the internet for their research. 

We can gain many types of information from the internet. I do not have to physically go to a library to access journal or newspaper articles. You can quickly learn the name of a capital city of a country. I admit my life changed because of the internet; however, I sometimes fear I skipped a fundamental step of the learning process, such as creating my hypothesis or acquiring foundational knowledge of a subject. I admit that the internet enhanced our lives in many ways, yet I sometimes fear losing something due to acquiring convenience. 

When I was a child, we once had a big argument about why frogs lay eggs over the water surface. Most of us were eight-year-olds. Since we lived in a tiny city in Japan, we knew we could always find frog eggs over a still creek near our school. The argument started with a simple question from one of the children. We used to catch Tadpoles in the water; we all agreed that eggs must be over the water’s surface. But how do all frogs know where to lay eggs? We had an excellent, elementally teacher who encouraged us to discuss a child’s questions. Instead of answering the question, she told all of us to find out the reason. I checked the school library and my father’s library. I pulled out the encyclopedia and looked for the answer. I do not remember whether I found out the answer by myself this time. I do remember how hungry I was to find out the answers. I think the experience impacted me immensely later in my academic life. 

I found out later in my life that my school teacher guided us to understand why a frog lays eggs above the water surface by using Bloom’s Taxonomy. Bloom’s Taxonomy elaborates the framework of the six levels of learning stages. According to Bloom’s Taxonomy (as cited in Armstrong, n.d.), we go through six cognitive levels: Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation. 

Figure 1. Bloom’s Taxonomy Vanderbilt Center for Teaching

Knowledge: Recognize or Remember facts, terms, or basic concepts without understanding why.

Comprehension: Demonstrate or Understand the reasons behind the facts, terms, or fundamental concepts.

Application: You can apply acquired knowledge to solve problems in a new situation.

Analysis: You can analyze and connect or differentiate the facts, terms, or basic concepts in a single dimension.

Synthesis: You can connect the facts, terms, or basic concepts with multiple dimensions.

Evaluation: You can evaluate ideas or create or plan a new idea or a product from facts, terms, or basic concepts.

It would be easier if the teacher just answered the children’s questions; however, we would have stopped at the first cognitive level, knowledge. A year before, we came up with an identical question with a different teacher. The teacher scolded us for discussing something irrelevant to the subject. I was fortunate to have a teacher who motivated us to think and research. Remembering my early school year learning experience prompted me to question whether current children get this learning experience since they can obtain answers very conveniently from the internet.

Finding quick answers from the internet can easily prevent us from progressing in our cognitive level of information if we are not careful. The use of the internet can make completing our assignments efficient; however, I am not sure of the effectiveness of the learning. I have no desire to quit using the internet since it is convenient; however, we must be mindful of how we integrate technology into our learning process. 

I understand the theory behind Bloom’s Taxonomy, yet, I caught myself getting easy answers from the internet. A YouTube channel shows dropping an ant from 10m, 20m, and 30m. The show was demonstrating terminal velocity, and nothing happened to the ant. I should have known the theory since I learned it in my undergrad. Instead of putting my effort into understanding the idea, I was satisfied finding the terminology. 

My husband, who teaches at a university, told me that finding out “what” from the internet would help us think about the idea or information ourselves. It would be ideal to think about the idea before finding out the “why”. Processing the information with the concept first helps us identify what we need to find out from further research. Now, you have more purposes or objectives, and you can progress into the 2nd cognitive level of comprehension. Of course, we still need to be careful about biases caused by doing so; but it still enables us to progress to a higher cognitive level. 

There is nothing wrong with using the internet, but we must be mindful of how we use it to acquire our knowledge. There are steps I use to prevent my experience of acquiring information from limiting my knowledge. Once I obtain the information, I rephrase the concept within one day. Then, I categorize the idea; then, I link it to other information I acquired previously. I used to do this process on paper with great difficulty. Now I use Zotero, a computer application, to do this process. It is a free app until you become a heavy user. I discovered this software from a book, How to Take Smart Notes from Sonke Ahrens. This made me re-think how I learn. If you get a chance, it is a good book to read.

References

Ahrens, S. (2017). How to take smart notes: one simple technique to boost writing, learning and thinking – for students, academics and nonfiction book writers. [Kindle Edition]. North Charleston

Armstrong, P. (n.d.). Bloom’s Taxonomy. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/

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Completing Project Management Principles and Practices Specialization

I have led many financial transformation projects throughout my career. I gained knowledge from years of experience and certification courses provided by companies I worked with. I have been leading much more challenging projects at work last several years. So, I have been seriously considering becoming certified with a PMP certification. The objective of taking this course is to determine if I want to proceed with actual PMP certification.

This specialization consists of 4 Courses:

Initiating and Planning Projects: the key roles and responsibilities of the project manager and project team are to define the objectives for the project is the critical component of a project. In this course, you will also learn how to defines the goals of the projects.

Budgeting and Scheduling Projects: The project budget defines the constraints that can prevent a project team from completing the project. This course teaches you how to plan and monitor your schedule, costs, and any other constraint to ensure the success of your project.

Managing Project Risks and Changes: In this course, you will learn how to manage the risk of projects. You will learn the tools to monitor and manage the identified risks to minimize or mitigate risks for your team and other project stakeholders.

Project Management Project: Capstone course: In this course, you will create several key project planning deliverables using the knowledge you gained from the specialization courses.

Capstone:

  1. A narrative charter statements
  2. Work breakdown structure
  3. Sequence project activities
  4. A Project Schedule
  5. A Project Budget
  6. A responsibility assignment matrix
  7. Project risks and define responses for those risks

This course is offered by the University of California, Irvine. The courses consisted of videos, slides, reading materials, quizzes, and guided capstone for the last course. Additionally, there are optional reading materials:  I obtained the suggested reading materials: a guide to the project management body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) and Fast Forward MBA in Project Management. They are optional reading materials, but those books helped me a lot in completing these courses.  Since I decided to read all the suggested materials, completing each course took longer than recommended.

Paid courses in COURSERA have multiple choice quizzes or Peer graded assignments. The first three courses had quizzes, and the capstone had peer-graded assignments and a guided project. Make sure to read the requirements. I found that it is easier to find reviewers if you submit the assignment on Friday night. Many students seem to work on their course from Friday to Sunday.

You can start a course any day of the week for this course. The good thing was you could begin the capstone as soon as you complete all prerequisite courses. In the past, I had to wait a few months to take the capstone course because it started on a specific day.

Challenges

I did not have a lot of time to study. So, I spent at least 30 – 45 minutes working on this course every day. It can be hard to complete courses if you sorely relied on your motivation. Once I started studying for 10 minutes, I found it was easy to continue for another 20-30 minutes.

The Specialization course in 3 Sentences:

This specialization course teaches the most effective method to deliver the required product or function within the target cost and schedule. You will gain the fundamental knowledge to manage a project after taking these courses. You will produce a project plan that includes the product scope, a work breakdown structure, a project plan, a project schedule, budget, and risk management for the capstone course.

Impressions

Most videos are short; however, they are clear and concise. The videos and reading materials provide essential knowledge, and they are easy to understand. There are two optional reading materials for this course. If you want to take your learning to a higher level, these optional reading materials help. There is no limit on how much you can learn from the courses.

** Make sure to check the current PMBOK edition. This course recommends the 6th edition, but there is the 7th edition. 

How I Discovered It

I discovered this course from Coursera. I have a subscription from Coursera, and I am always taking courses from their website. I decided to take this course because I want to refine my project management skills. I also want to determine whether I want to obtain professional certification.

Who should take this course?

You do not have to own a title in project management to do these specialization courses. Anyone should take this course. We are often working on projects at work and personal life. You can apply the project management skills gained from these courses for your projects, such as wedding planning or home renovations.

I do not think this counts toward the required 35 PMP contract hours; however, the course gives you an idea of whether you want to proceed with the PMP certification.

How this Course Changed Me

I decided to proceed with PMP certifications, and then I will get a SCRUM master certification. Since most project leading involves change management or continuous improvement, I hardly use the SCRUM technique to manage a project. First, it would be better for me to learn the traditional method because the methods used for SCRUM are based on the traditional project management approach.

I found a great project plan that was submitted by one of the students. The project plan was clear and concise. Many stakeholders (especially sponsors) do not want to spend time figuring out the details of the project. I was fortunate to see his assignment, and I applied some of his techniques to improve my future project plans.

During this course, I realized the APA format changed again. Not to promoting my university but use Purdue OWL if you do not know how to style your academic paper.

About Coursera Courses

Finally, I want to mention few things about the courses offered in Coursera. Generally, there are optional reading materials recommended by instructors. You can adjust the depth of learning by reading optional reading material. If you want more intensity, don’t stop at just optional reading—research external academic journals for the assignments. I use JSTOR, Scientific Research, and Academia since I can read some free journals. There are also YouTube courses. Since I have a Skillsoft account, I use it for some business-related research. It takes me longer to complete courses, but I end up acquiring more knowledge than it offers. I have a subscription to Coursera because I can access more courses with the subscription. If you do not care for assignments or certifications, you can audit courses for free.

Interested in taking this specialization course? Check the link below.

https://www.coursera.org/specializations/project-management