Happy Consitution Day

September 17, 2015, marks the 228^th anniversary of our nation’s founding document.  On September 17, 1787, the U.S. Constitutional Convention signed the Constitution.  Constitution Day has shared some really interesting Constitutional facts:

• The U.S. Constitution has 4,400 words. It is the oldest and shortest written Constitution of any major government in the world."
• The oldest person to sign the Constitution was Benjamin Franklin (81). The youngest was Jonathan Dayton of New Jersey (26).
• Although Benjamin Franklin’s mind remained active, his body was deteriorating. He was in constant pain because of gout and having a stone in his bladder, and he could barely walk. He would enter the convention hall in a sedan chair carried by four prisoners from the Walnut Street jail in Philadelphia.
• When the Constitution was signed, the United States’ population was 4 million. It is now more than 309 million. Philadelphia was the nation’s largest city, with 40,000 inhabitants.
• Four of the signers of the Constitution were born in Ireland.
• There was initially a question as to how to address the President. The Senate proposed that he be addressed as “His Highness the President of the United States of America and Protector of their Liberties.” Both the House of Representatives and the Senate compromised on the use of “President of the United States.”
• A proclamation by President George Washington and a congressional resolution established the first national Thanksgiving Day on November 26, 1789. The reason for the holiday was to give “thanks” for the new Constitution.

If you’d like to learn more about the Constitution, visit Constitution Day.  Here you can read the Constitution and Amendments, the Declaration of Independence and learn more about the different facets of our government.  You can even discover your inner founding father and test your Constitutional IQ.

Happy Constitution Day!

Avoid Procrastinating and Meet Your Goals

We have arrived at the point in the semester where many students are juggling multiple projects and assignments with looming deadlines  - and, sometimes students find themselves procrastinating.  Education expert Skip Downing reminds us that, “successful students [and professionals] master self-management, consistently planning and taking purposeful actions in pursuit of their goals and dreams.”  In other words, successful students avoid procrastination and practice sound time management strategies.

Here’s a quick 3-minute video with three techniques to help you avoid procrastination and work toward your goals.  

A Key to Success - Time Management

 

iStudiez Pro

As a college student, one of the most challenging and critical habits of success is time management.  CCV students are often juggling multiple priorities – kids, work, class time, homework, and family.  The most successful students do not underestimate the number of hours they will need to spend on studying and completing assignments outside of class – 6 to 9 hours per week per class. 

To help you manage all of your obligations and keep track of all you have to do, you need a time management system that allows you to stay on top of your game.

•   The CCV Student Planner is a great free tool to help you track your assignments and obligations.  The planner has the added benefit of providing the CCV Handbook, CCV policies and procedures, and tips and tricks for student success.  Pick up a planner in your CCV academic center.
•   Google Calendar is another powerful time management tool - and it's free.  Google Calendar allows you to view obligations in a daily, weekly, or monthly format.  Users can also create and track tasks and print an agenda that serves as a to-do list.  You can access your calendar from any computer with your Google username and password, and you can even load Facebook events onto the calendar with the click of a button.
• iStudiez Pro for Windows, Mac, iPhone, and iPad has been rated the Best College App by readers of BestAppEver.com.   iStudiez allows you to sync across devices and organizes your daily schedule, calendar by semester, assignments, grades and instructor information. ($2.99 in iTunes, $7.99 for Windows).
• Studious is a to-do tool for Android devices.  This free app tracks your schedule, including upcoming homework deadlines – and it can also be used for managing notes.  One of the cooler features is the ringer automation; the app automatically turns your phone to silent when you’re in class.

Once you’ve decided on a time management system – use it!  

Create a plan for the semester.  Enter class meetings, assignments, deadlines, exams, work hours, etc.  Be sure to break larger assignments into smaller chunks and assign deadlines to each step of the assignment.

1.       If you are using an electronic tool, transfer all of your information during the first week of the semester.  Be sure you can view commitments by day, week, or month.

2.       Highlight the most important deadlines and activities.  Consider color coding by category.

3.       Create to-do lists – either on paper or using your app.  Weekly and daily to-do lists are best.  You will soon discover the immense satisfaction that comes with crossing completed tasks off your lists.

4.       Finally, if you are using an app tool, back everything up by syncing all of your devices.

Do you have a system that works for you?  Have you found a great app that keeps you organized?  Let us know.

Source:
Gardner, John N., and Betsy O. Barefoot. Your College Experience. Boston: Bedford St. Martins, 2014. Print.