Time Strategies

My schedule for this class: 2 hours for reading on Monday, 2 hours for storytelling and commenting on Tuesday, and 2 hours for working on projects on Wednesday will work perfectly!  I am sure I could find some down time to do the extra credit assignments as well!

One thing I have done really well in college is time management.  It has led me to become a successful student who is also able to enjoy free time with friends.  I read The Psychology of Checklists by Lauren Marchese, and I think her advise is spot on.  I've time-bound checklists for the last three semesters and they have been incredibly useful.  I don't forget about assignments that are due.  Consequently, they get completed on time.  Also, there is no better feeling than checking finished tasks of a list and watching the list get shorter and shorter.  Checking an item off a list actually released dopamine in your brain!

The Myth of Too Busy by Tim Grahl is a great article.  I always find myself complaining about being too busy when the truth is that I could have prioritized my time better.  As an effort to combat being "too busy" I plan to start going to bed earlier.  I am really good at wasting time between 10 pm and midnight.  If I used these hours for sleep, I could wake up earlier and have extremely productive mornings!

Check ↗ Check ↗ Check ↗ : Air Force Safety Center

Turning to Technology

Endless Possibilities: Flickr

This class is definitely going to increase my ability to use different technology tools.  For someone who is 20 years old, I am really behind the curve in my knowledge of technology.

I do not know how to create a website, but I will by the end of the semester.  This will be an great skill that I can use later on in my life.  One day I plan to be a dentist.  A dentist needs a well organized website that patients can visit to find information about the practice.

Image editing and graphics creation will be a blast to learn about.  Everything becomes more interesting when cool images or graphics are attached.  Images really draw in people and spark interest.  This blog will get better and better as I get better and uploading images.

The class wiki is really cool.  I have never been in a class that has used it before.  So far the wiki has been easy to navigate through and bookmarking the calendar will help me stay organized.

Technology is growing rapidly this day and age! This blog will help me keep up with it!

Intriguing Assignments

I am especially excited for the reading assignments this semester.  I love a good story, and something tells me that I will read a ton good stories this semester.  I imagine that the Indian stories I read in this class will be unlike any of the stories I read as a kid.  I am ready to dive right in.

The storytelling aspect of this class will really grow me I think.  So far, my college career has consisted of mostly science classes in which the creative portion of my mind is not always used.  I think I will surprise myself with some of the stories I am able to write.

As far as the extra credit assignments go, I see many great options.  The two that spark my interest the most are the Wikipedia trails and the growth mindset assignments.  I think an incredible amount of knowledge can be found following the links on Wikipedia.  I also know that it is often times easier to learn when you are able to connect ideas.  The Wikipedia assignments will help me do that!  I am also excited to learn more about the growth mindset and how I can better myself as a human and a learner.  There might not be a better way to accomplish that goal this semester than through the growth mindset assignments.

                                       Me (Right) in 2006                                                            Me (Right) in 2017

While my body is no longer growing, my mind is!

My Newfound Growth Mindset

I am four days into this semester and am already overwhelmed with all the things I need to do.  I have homework in all five of my classes already, and I have to prepare to take the dental admissions test in April.  This semester might be the most challenging yet.  For the last couple days, I looked at this challenge with the wrong perspective.  I was ready for it to be over. 

After listening to Carol Dweck talk about the growth mindset, I realized that this semester is a great opportunity to grow.  I will be uncomfortable, but as I reflect on the times I've grown the most in the past, they were the times I had to step out of my comfort zone.

The growth mindset proposed by Dweck makes a ton of sense, and I really enjoyed how she supported her claims with her experimental findings.  My perspective has changed a bit, and I am very thankful for that!

Image Caption: Workout Your Brain: Flickr

Introduction to a Guy with A Big Smile

                                               Photo of Me Off the Coast of Florida 2016


Hi! My name is Braden Merrill and I am a junior biology major here at OU with aspirations to go to dental school.  Biology is a super cool major because I get to learn about all the mind boggling processes that give way to life.

The best class I took last semester was Biochemistry.  While it was no doubt-ably the most difficult class I have ever taken, I enjoyed the challenge.  We covered complex biological processes on a molecular level which was incredibly fascinating.  We memorized SO much information and had to apply what we memorized.

Over this last break I was able to go with an on campus ministry called StuMo to a conference called SMC.  Four thousand college students from the Midwest gathered together to learn about Jesus and it was awesome.  SMC lasted 5 days, and these days were some of the most intense and energetic days of my life!  Right after SMC I went skiing with a group of my best friends.  We stayed in Keystone Colorado and skied there for two days.  We also spent a day in Vail, which was some of the best skiing I have ever experienced!

A Photo of Me (far left) and My Buddies Skiing 2019

In continuation to the topic of traveling, I am actually going to spend seven weeks in Mumbai, India this summer.  I am super excited to learn about Indian culture, make new friends, and try new foods.  I really enjoy spicy foods so, from what I've been told, I have a lot to look forward to.

My favorite food is probably steak, while any kind of fish is a close favorite.  Every time my family visits the ocean, we go fishing.  The night after we catch the fish, we cook it and enjoy time together.

One thing I really love is music!  I enjoy almost all genres but my favorites are rock and country.  As a kid my dad always played classic rock on the radio in his car.  My uncle played drums in a rock band call Midwest Kings with the former American Idol winner David Cook.  I can still remember going to his concerts as a little kid.  I love the depth in songwriting in rock music as well as the skilled musicianship.  A good rock band combines all the ideas of the band members to create really good music.

The country side of me comes from my mom.  She had three country CD's that would play on repeat in her car back when I was in elementary school.  These three CD's were by Toby Keith, Tim McGraw, and Rascal Flats.  My favorite part of country music is the storytelling involved.  Country music artists are very skilled at writing relatable lyrics that bring about emotion.  The best music in my opinion, creates emotion.

Glad I can share with you who I am and what I am interested in! This should be a fun semester!

Storybook Favorites: Who doesn't love a good story?

Storybook Favorites

Storybook 1:

One story book that caught my eye from the very beginning was Delilah's Radio Hour.  The title sparked curiosity in me because I grew up listening to the radio but had never seen a radio show in writing.  I think using a radio show themed storybook was a brilliant way to tell stories.  Almost all radio shows have guests speakers, and these guest speakers get to share their stories.  The introduction clearly states the goal of the book and what the readers should expect.  It also includes the topics of some of the upcoming stories.  The book is easy to navigate through because it is clean looking and organized.  Overall, a job well done!

Storybook 2:

The Range of the Mountains storybook tells stories that take place on some of India's well known mountains.  I love mountains so I had to check this storybook out.  This storybook had some of the best visuals of any of the books I viewed.  The introduction and stories not only included incredible pictures, but had their own background.  The backgrounds were awesome but they didn't distract from the writing.  I really appreciated that!  When reading the introduction, I felt that I could see Mount Meru.  Well, I could because there was a picture of Mount Meru right next to the words.  But if that picture wasn't there, I still think I'd be able to see the mountain through the writing.  That's how well written the introduction was!

                                          The Layers of Mount Meru: Point of View

Storybook 3:

The best title I think I saw was Tales of the River Ganges.  In the title I already knew that the book was a collection of stories.  I thought flipping the words "River" and "Ganges" was a genius move.  The title "Tales of the Ganges River" just doesn't have the same affect.  Rivers have always been mysterious to me.  Where does the water come from?  Where is the water going?  The stories in this book seem to answer these questions as well as what happens along the middle of the river.  The introduction itself includes a brief story as an example of what's to follow.  This was a very well done storybook!

My Favorite Place: Rocky Mountain National Park

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. I have visited Rocky Mountain National Park twice in the last four years.  I went with family in the summer and friends in the winter.  With my family I was able to walk with heard of elk above the tree line where the wind blew so hard it almost knocked us over.  At lower elevations we found glistening lakes tucked between towering peaks.  In the winter my buddies and I trekked through two feet of snow while the woods surrounding us were still and silent.  Waiting for us in our cedar cabin was hot chocolate and a warm fire.  Rocky Mountain National Park is stunning at all times of the year and will always leave me in awe.

Bear Lake in September: Wikimedia Commons

                                                Elk Grazing Above the Tree Line: Flickr