The piping plover is one of the endangered species we learned about in this week's environmental science class. They are especially unique because they blend in with their surroundings and oftentimes are in danger from natural predators and everyday activities from humans (building on land where their habitat is, which causes a disruption in their pattern of living; or jogging in the sand, where the tiny birds are often not seen, because they blend in so well). So for the few 'inconveniences' we complain about in regards to the plovers, we should be concerned about what our activities are doing to cause their demise or near extinction.

As for this week's Access project, I really am getting the hang of the queries. And I knew I had seen it in action at my job; our systems analyst uses it to pull up the records of the people who have monthly charges for the programs at our facility for either themselves or their children (for adults, it would be Total Facility; for kids, it would be Kids' Club or Afterschool). Access is a really useful program for record keeping; it's similar to Excel in some ways, but I think it's a little easier to use than Excel in that all you have to do is plug in the criteria that you're searching for and the information appears in record form on the screen. In Excel, you'd have to go a little further, especially for such things like the Currency setup.

This week's math case study is proving to be a challenging one; I've never actually done a financial statement before. But it'll help me in my field later in life when I'm working in a corporate environment and won't have anyone to hold my hand and guide me. I'll have to be able to rise to the challenge and show that I can do the work. And Professor Luing encourages us to show her the work before we submit it in the assignment manager so that she can show us where our mistakes are and encourage us where we're doing good.

As for this week's Word project, I'm really fumbling. But I think it's because I'm trying to rush through it instead of taking my time to take the project in. I'll probably be more relaxed when I get to the Berkeley library this Friday and make my corrections there. It'll be nice to be in a quiet environment with little to no distraction while I work steadily on my assignments. I just can't wait to see what the outcome is for all my hard work this semester.

So I got an e-mail early this morning for a student survey, which I gladly and promptly completed. It's nice to know that Berkeley cares what we think (hence the polls and surveys like this). For me, this is what school should be all about: the exchange of thoughts and ideas, not just with fellow students, but with the faculty, as well. That way, the full benefit of the college experience is realized (kinda reminds me of the new movie coming out, "The Great Debaters").

And this week's Business math lessons is on financial statements and ratios. We had to look up some information on the stock market and terms that we had never heard before, like front-end load. This term was unfamiliar to me in my previous business and accounting courses. I like that Professor Luing has us doing more of our own research; that way, when we really grasp the information in the end, we can say we really hand a hand in our own success. I am confident that I will have more opportunities like this as I continue my education with Berkeley College.

Now I know how marathon runners in a race feel in the final stretches: a little weary, but satisfied that it all has a purpose. This week's Word project is the most challenging yet, but it is rewarding in the end when you see the finished product. And it's good training for the working world; we won't have it so easy with the step-by-step guidelines laid out in our textbooks. This week we're not only merging documents, we're saving them as Web pages and e-mailing them. I've never encountered this in any of my previous word processing classes. I think it just shows how really far technology has come, and Berkeley is not only keeping up with the times, but they make sure the students are ahead of the game in comparison to students at other universities.

I even did well in my Business math course this past week. It really just shows the professors' dedication to the students they teach. And this week's environmental science readings look very interesting, indeed--particularly environmental politics, economics, and world views. As I said before (and it bears repeating) how we treat the earth and how we use the resources available to us is all interconnected. And the discussion board on maintaining of species' habitats could prove to be very spirited. I look forward to the posts from my fellow online classmates, as they offer insight and wisdom that I can always apply to a situation that may come up in my lifetime.

I actually saw my picture on the Berkeley College website under the heading "Meet The Berkeley Bloggers"!!! It's something of a big deal, considering I've never had my picture posted on the Internet before. But it's nice to note that it's for something positive, like promoting Berkeley College to prospective students. I'm already looking forward to the next quarter, when I can more fully immerse myself in campus life and have more to share with students coming in and students considering Berkeley.

I really would like to join one of the clubs that the school offers, such as the Finance Club that I saw advertised on the bulletin board at the Newark Campus, or the International Club that I see posted on the Blackboard often. It would help to broaden my view and scope of the world around me, instead of being limited to just one of of the world (my view). As the title of one album says, there is a 'world outside my window'.

But even if I can't do it now, I can certainly urge other students (first-time or otherwise) to do so for themselves, especially while they're young and have no other pressing responsibilities outside of school. Pay attention to the e-mails that you receive from Berkeley College regarding different activities that are offered on-campus. The polls are another avenue in which you can participate in the Berkeley College experience (particularly if you're online); these polls are really the voice of the student body. For instance, there was a recent poll regarding freedom of speech. It was nice to see that most (if not all) of us shared our views on how far we should extend freedom of speech.

My mom is considering going back to school for supplemental education (oh joyous, happy day!!!!). She's graduated from college and business school, but with the ever-changing job market and the need to keep up with the latest technology, she realizes she needs to continue to hone her skills.

So guess who's been talking up the College like crazy to her? ;) In all seriousness, though, I feel that my mom would greatly benefit from a school like Berkeley. She's certainly smart enough to keep up with the demanding and challenging educational programs and courses that could be offered to her. And I'll even do some research to see exactly what it is they offer as far as her area of interest. I'll even do a little research for my brother, as he's taking courses in Hudson County College, which I think is a little farther away than he needs to be. With the campus in Newark just twenty minutes away from where we live (and he drives), he could concentrate on his field of study.

This means I'm going to go to the Berkeley College website in a few minutes and see what the areas of interest are for both my mother and my brother (and quite possibly my sister, who wants to go back to school to get her teaching degree). And I know that they have campuses in New York, and they probably aren't that far from where she lives in Brooklyn. And as Berkeley has daycare available, she could put my little niece Zakiyah in the nursery while she pursues her education.

And this is not just talk; I'm really satisfied overall with Berkeley as a college. :)

Week 9, ladies and gentlemen, and I'm feeling pretty confident about the end of the quarter. I've been working really hard to show my mettle to not only the Berkeley professors, but all those who had a hand in my re-entering college. I saw a commercial just the other day on television advertising for Berkeley College, and a huge, Cheshire-cat type grin spread across my face. There is no word in the world to describe how I feel about Berkeley College. I'm still having a little difficulty in Business Math, but I know that with Professor Luing's help and my active, attentive participation in homework and Discussion Board activities, I can still pass this course satisfactorily. Education is very important to me, as my mother is an educator (both by trade and by nature).

So I finally went down to the Berkeley campus on Broad Street in Newark to use their library. Everyone was pretty helpful, and I was proud when asked to display my Berkeley ID to the guard for security and identity purposes. It was nice to know that not only did I have a sense of belonging, but that Berkeley cares enough about its students to ensure their safety. And I did get a chance to look at the bulletin board, which was right outside the library. I saw that there was a posting for a finance club of some sort. I plan to go back down this week to use the library again and take down the information for this club, as this looks like something that would be right up my alley, considering I'm majoring in finance. And it could certainly help me in any of my future classes. The only thing I didn't get to check out was the bookstore, but that'll happen in due time. Besides, they're closed until December, so I wouldn't have been able to look around, anyway. But I still want to look around when I go back, at least get familiar with the location. And I understand that this is where we can purchase the Microsoft Office 2007 software for next term. I am VERY excited, as I'll finally have my new computer and won't have to try and save my work to that computer at my local library.

Every single professor this semester has been very helpful. Professor Buonaguro just helped me solve a major problem I've encountered for this week's Access project. As you know (and as I've mentioned before), my computer at home crashed, and I don't have 'access' to Access at work. So I got to the library and thought maybe I'd be able to save it to the hard drive. Turns out that when the librarians shut the computers down at night, EVERYTHING is wiped out (even the files that I created). So she showed me a way to save the files to Blackboard so that should I have trouble saving it again, it would be in my Blackboard files.

Tomorrow I'm off to Berkeley for the final completion of my Access project for this week. Lots of typing, but I don't have to work and I don't have to rush home for any reason. I don't how long I'll be there, but I can get my other coursework done, too, like environmental science and business math (this week in E.S., we're learning about energy and human toxicology). Professor Jackson asked us to discuss on the Discussion Board what we felt the real answer should be for the issue of global warming (less cancer-causing and ozone-depleting agents, anyone?). This should be a pretty lively discussion.

So Access wasn't the big monster I expected it to be, although as Professor Buonaguro pointed out, there IS a lot of typing. And the bad thing about the library where I live is that you're only allowed an hour on the computers with Internet access. And one of the ones that just so happens to be really popular is the one with--you guessed it--the Microsoft Office Programs downloaded. So I'm going to go to the librarian and ask her if there's any possible way that they could download Access to one of the word processors. If not, I won't let that stop me. I will do what I intended to do in the beginning: just type a little each week and then submit it all at the end of the week. I don't intend to let anything deter me from my goals. Where there's a will, there's a way, and that should always apply to anything that you want in life--particularly in your educational life.

I'm wondering, too, if the College is open the day after Thanksgiving for me to catch up on some coursework (or at least give me a head start on the following week's projects, since I'm pretty current with my work at this time). The beauty of the Thanksgiving break is that I'll get caught up on some necessary reading for any projects that have to be turned in. It's sometimes difficult to do at work, what with the phones ringing and co-workers and customers stopping to talk to me about anything from work to membership information to what I'm studying in school (although I'm always willing to share what I'm learning in school--just not while I'm studying).

I'm also wondering if Berkeley has a student bulletin board (in addition to the Blackboard Announcements that we have online) where students could gather information. As I said, I've been to the Newark campus, but that was only to take the placement test; I never really got a chance to look around. And there's always the chance that in the future, I'll be able to take a course on campus, so why not get a feel for it now? With the babysitting available to Berkeley students, maybe I could leave my niece for an hour or two while I took a course or got some work done in the library.

Now I know why business math is so interesting and why some of the subjects are so familiar; some of these same subjects were covered when I took accounting I and II and algebra at UCC. This week, we're working on FIFO and LIFO (first-in, first-out and last-in, first-out) and inventory. Since it's a familiar topic, I gather I shouldn't have much trouble (but if I do, I'll just e-mail Professor Luing and have her help me).

So Friday is the big day; I'm finally going to be making use of one of the Berkeley libraries (the campus in Newark, to be precise). While I'm there, I'm gonna browse the bookstore, too, just to see what they offer as far as software and programs for the upcoming Winter quarter (I know that the Microsoft Office products are being updated to 2007 for the next quarter). In the meantime, I'll be working on my Access project this week from my mom's place of employment. As it turns out, they have a library where she works that's open to the public and they have many of the same programs that we use in our online courses. I'm like a big kid, I'm so excited.

With astonishing speed, the end of the Fall quarter is in sight. So now that I've put in my time and work, I know what to expect for the next quarter and how to be prepared this time around (as far as books and keeping up with the coursework, that is). My first introduction to my professors won't be "I didn't get the book in time"(lesson to all: prior proper planning). As soon as I get the course requirements and the text requirements, I'm gonna order the books RIGHT AWAY. Even if I have to do it in pieces, I'm gonna be completely ready for this coming quarter.

This is the last week of Excel with Prof. Buonaguro, and next week we start Access. I'm a little nervous, but excited at the same time. This deals with databases and records (similar to what we do in both Excel and Word; but more with Word, because it looks as if we'll be doing some merging there, too). I've done Access briefly, but this time I plan to learn it more proficiently. When you look in the classifieds, most of the office jobs today require you to have a working knowledge of most (if not all) of the Microsoft programs. I'll probably be using the Berkeley library in Newark (if allowed) to do most of my work with Access, as I'm only allowed limited use at the library in Summit and at work, there is no 'access' to Access (only the systems administrator has Access). I can't get a laptop fast enough.

This week in Business Math, we're learning about consumer rates on credit cards and mortgages and that sort of thing. Prime rates are something we need to be concerned about, especially if we plan on taking out a loan for a house or a car. If the prime rates rise above what we can comfortably afford, we can find our cars and homes repossessed, not to mentioned our credit scores would be lower (and quite possibly our credit ruined).

As it turns out, my student peer is in one my online courses (environmental biology). She is very intelligent, and she really seems to love Berkeley and the professors, as well as her fellow students. I'm hoping that we could meet one day and she could show me around the Garret Mountain campus in West Paterson, as opposed to me just interacting through the Internet. Don't get me wrong; discussion boards are great for interaction, but sometimes you just need human contact.

This week's Word project....

Professor Ritt wasn't kidding when she said that the assignments would get more challenging. We learn how to merge letters AND labels in this chapter, as well as how to create a directory. Now I've done stuff like this before, but this was in business school about 13 years ago, and we never did the projects that we're doing now.

But it's interesting, because the question Professor Ritt posed to us was: Do you see a need for use of the mail merge feature where you work or will you see a need for mail merge in the future (or the merging of different records)? And I can think of a few uses now.

For instance, when we have to send out letters for camps, scholarships, or different registrations, instead of using a form letter, we could do a merge with the names of the recipients and their addresses. And we could also use the merge feature for households where either the parents or the children have signed up separately, instead of as household members.

This week's biology reading....

So as I've said before, I'm really enjoying environmental science in a way I never thought I would. But this week's readings were a bit hard for me to process (especially when I saw some of the pictures in the readings).

The first had to do with food production and how in some parts of the world, there are people who suffer from undernutrition, malnutrition (particularly in recently developed and developing countries), and overnutrition (particularly in developed countries and the U.S.).

Then the chapter on maintaining biodiversity (the species approach) was especially hard to take; to see what people have done to animals for either sport, skins, or other valuable resources is cruel and oftentimes demeaning to the animals. And if these animals are not left alone to fulfill their roles (or niches) in society, pretty soon, the picture will be grim for all of us. :( There were some pretty graphic photos, too; I actually burst into tears looking at one of them. It's made me seriously consider becoming a vegan in the future, but at present, it's spurred me to do some more research on my own in addition to what we cover in class. The great thing about the book is that there is a website link posted where you can look up more information on your own.

A disadvantage to learning online....

It didn't even hit me until I got to work this morning and our server went down that I considered the downside of online learning: computer malfunctions. If you don't have a chance to save your work on a backup disk before submitting it to your professors and the system goes down, that's a whole lot of work to be redone.

Both our regular and administrative websites went down, and people were calling in and asking what could be done to register their kids. And I thought about that in relation to attempting to do coursework online and/or registering for classes for successive quarters online. What if, in the middle of registering for a class, power goes out in your house and you have to wait until the power comes back up and when you go to register for the class, you find that it's closed? Or, what if you've typed a really long essay for one of your professors, only to have to re-type it or re-submit your work?

Fortunately, I've submitted my work right away to my professors so that this hasn't happened. But it is a thought that I've never considered before now. All the same, the benefits outweigh the negatives, and it's a viable alternative to anyone planning to enter (or even re-enter) school that doesn't have time to set foot on campus. And the Berkeley professors and advisors are the greatest; they take even your smallest concerns seriously and work with you to give you a schedule that meets your educational needs.

Okay, so I've been enjoying my classes from the start, but I definitely like the feeling that I get when I feel like I've helped somebody else understand something. It's not like I'm just taking up space on the Discussion Board by saying, "I agree" or "That's so true". I'm also able to offer some input or help someone to see where they went wrong with a problem or a step (especially if it was something that I originally had trouble with), and I'm able to give the benefit of my experience in certain classes (like with the business math and environmental science).

It's made me seriously think about becoming an online tutor for Berkeley, although a few years ago I never would've imagined it. I would want to help other students not only learn the material, but get enjoyment from what they've learned and help them to put it into practice not just in the classrooms, but in everyday life. Something else for me to consider farther down the road.