thinkPhD

Does FreeRice really make a difference? Rice donated through the quizzes on FreeRice is distributed by the WFP. FreeRice rice fed 750,000 Mynamar citizens after the cyclone, 13,500 pregnant and nursing women in Cambodia for two months, 66,000 schoolchildren in Uganda for a week, and 108,000 Bhutanese refuges in Nepal for three days. It takes about 19,200 grains of rice to equal 400 grams, which is enough for two meals per day per person.

See more at: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1684958/freerice_make_a_difference_in_the_fight.html

I turned in my last assignment in MGT5028 Statistics this week and Dr. S graded it and submitted my final grade. I got an “A” in the course – which hardly reflects the number of hours I put into the assignments! The 12th and final assignment had 4 sections. Using the renal.sav file, I had to perform a nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test, a Kruskal-Wallis H test, a Chi-square test and then a Correlation and Regression in SPSS. The directions required analysis of each of the test results and points were awarded based on the responses. I looked back over the assignments focusing on these tests and followed the analyses, as I had received good marks on those papers.

MGT5028 completes all the core courses for the degree. Now I begin the first research phase course RSH9101B – Research Topic, Problem, Purpose and Questions. I just keep pinching myself! I don’t think it has really hit me yet that I am ready to start the intensive work for the PhD. I have a few options in front of me now. I can start right now, or wait up to 45 days and still be considered as continually enrolled. I know my father must have some more surgery so I plan to wait and begin June 1st. We are also planning a trip back home to Alabama/Georgia soon so this will give me some time to visit without thinking about school. A breather! I really need it, too!

I get many requests asking about different types of online degrees. This is an article I wrote for Associated Content that you may find relevant to your own search.  

If you have ever considered becoming a teacher, an online education degree may be right for you…

Read the rest of the article here:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1648060/should_i_get_an_education_degree_online.html

A friend of mine asked me to start tweeting so I signed up, just to see what the chatter is about. Here is my link on Twitter: http://twitter.com/thinkphd

I am very new at tweeting so if you are already on Twitter, let me know and I’ll follow you. I see this as an opportunity to get the word out about how education plays a part in our lives. I realize that some folks are on Twitter all day long, but I will tweet just a peep. With a couple of jobs and going to school, I won’t clog up your twitter page.  

Give me a tweet and twitter me!

President Barack Obama will not receive an honorary degree when he delivers the commencement address from
ArizonaStateUniversityon May 13, according to ASU President Michael Crow. This highly controversial decision has refueled the debate about honorary degrees and who should receive them. Instead of an honorary degree, a scholarship program for students with financial need has been named for the president.

Spokesperson Sharon Keeler stated that honorary degrees from ASU are conferred on individuals with a body of work, and President Obama did not yet have a body of work because his presidency has just begun. Many have claimed that President Obama already has already made a significant contribution to society and is deserving of the honor. ASU President Michael Crow indicated that the university did not award honorary degrees to sitting politicians. Previous honorary doctorates have been awarded to scientists, humanitarians, and public servants. However, donors and business leaders are also on the list. According to the Arizona State University website, author Erma Bombeck, astronaut Frank Borman, Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, journalist Walter Cronkite, and film director Blake Edwards among many others have received honorary degrees from Arizona State University.

There are two sides to the controversy of awarding honorary degrees…

Read the rest of the article:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1643590/asu_chooses_not_to_award_honorary_doctorate.html

April is National Poetry Month and to join the fun, I wrote a haiku in celebration of John Denver and his music. John Denver’s music spoke to me as a teenager, and still does even today. His clear and honest voice reminds me of the beauty of our world and relationships to our loved ones. John Denver was once called the “Poet for the Planet.” Here is my haiku for you to enjoy:

John Denver

Rocky Mountain High:
Soaring eagles, endless sky;
Colorado home.

The poem is published over on Associated Content, here’s the link: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1638238/john_denver.html

Click the poster and learn more about National Poetry Month:

One of the questions I answered for Assignment 10 in MGT5028 was a little vague. I pulled together what I thought was a pretty good answer. When I proofread my paper, I took out a portion because it seems off target based on what the question was asking; it seemed as though I had overreached the goal of the question. It was as though the question was asking for an “apples-to-apples” comparison, but I had written an “apples-to-apple cobbler” response with a more in-depth analysis. So I turned in my paper, thinking I had been succint. And right.

Got back my paper yesterday, and Dr. S said that I missed a certain part; which was also the part that I had taken out. Bummer! I thought I had read too much into the question and overthought my answer. Overanalyzing can be good in many instances, but sometimes the more obvious answer is the right one. It’s really hard to say how much is the right amount when answering some of these questions. Putting on my educator hat, the question was poorly written and subject to too much leeway to answer. I have had to ask myself several times in this course, how much of an analysis is the right amount?  

This weekend I turned in Activity 9 and Dr. S. just graded and returned it. I can’t hardly believe I am to this point! There are 12 assignments and as I am not a statistics guru, I am quite relieved that I am doing well. My average is 99% for the course. The three remaining assignments are worth 38 points together. I have working on activity 10 most of the day, and am almost finished. I should be able to turn it in on Tuesday. I have a meeting after work on Monday and won’t have time to finish this one up. This course ends on April 24 so I should be OK.  

The activities build on each other. Every third activity (which can consist of multiple assignments) is a “project” in which you emply the statistical tests learned in the previous two. Activities 3, 6, 9, and 12 are “projects.” Typically these are worth more points than the activities leading up to them. Some students complain that they cannot post multiple assignments, but for this course, it is a good thing. I look to see Dr. S’s comments on an assignment, and make sure that I modify the project to reflect her wording. For example, it is more correct to state, “fail to reject the null” rather than “accept the null.” In one assignment, I used the words, “accept the null.” I made sure when I got to the project that I used the words “fail to reject the null.”

I have found some wonderfully helpful sites from other universities. I don’t know why NCU does not have a statistics website. I learn from example and even though the answers may be different, the methods help me walk through the rationale for my explanations. I am certainly collecting lots of statistics notes to help me through my dissertation.

After a long winter, spring flowers in my yard remind me of warm days to come. I take a garden walk and discover that even the bumble bees are smitten with flower-love.

See more at http://www.associatedcontent.com/slideshow/15016/spring_flowers_herald_the_season_.html

My goal was simply to replace the 17” monitor with a widescreen. I had a tight budget but elected to move up to the $279.99 Samsung P2370 after looking at the monitors on display. I took it home, set it up and proceeded to get blown away…

See more at…

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1604058/nontechie_review_samsung_p2370_23_widescreen.html