By Christine Cioppa

It’s been drilled into our heads that UV light is bad for our eyes, so we wear sunglasses outdoors. Now, we’re hearing the same about computer blue light. Blue light does, in fact, affect vision, but what’s fact and what’s myth?

FACT OR MYTH?

Blue light affects vision

Fact. But not in the way you think. Blue light is a short-wave light that our eyes perceive and transmit into images in our brain. It is a naturally occurring light from the sun and an artificial light from electronic devices and fluorescent bulbs, including compact fluorescent bulbs.

Hours and hours spent on computers, tablets and cellphones can make eyes work harder and cause eye strain. “We know that blue light, from a computer screen or tablet or cell phone, makes it harder to focus,” said Adam Gordon, O.D., M.P.H., F.A.A.O., clinical associate professor of Optometry at UAB School of Optometry. Compared to an image in a printed book or page, Gordon says “a pixilated electronic image is definitely harder for the eyes to maintain a clear, sharp, consistent focus.” Because of this, “blue light can contribute to eye strain or eye fatigue,” he says.

THE FIX: Gordon says follow the 20/20/20 rule. “It means after 20 minutes of continuously viewing the computer screen, it’s best to look away from the screen and look at something at about 20 feet away, off in the distance, for about 20 seconds.” He suggests focusing out the window, down the hallway or on some distant object, which he says will give the focusing mechanism in the eyes a break before you go back to reading or studying. “Also there are OTC lubricating drops or moisturizing drops that can relieve some of the dryness associated with staring at a computer.”

Blue light affects sleep

Fact. Blue light affects circadian rhythm or the body’s sleep-wake cycle. “It does this by inhibiting the melatonin production, that normally occurs in the brain, which helps us get drowsy and fall asleep at our bedtime,” explains Gordon.

“If someone is staring at their cellphone, tablet or computer, or studying for exams extensively for many hours in the night, then tries to go to bed, there may be an effect from the excessive blue light exposure,” says Gordon. “It may make it harder to fall asleep … or even get restful beneficial sleep that you’ll need.”

THE FIX: Use computer screens or eyeglass lenses that minimize or block blue light. Also, shift Apple devices to the nightshift setting.

“There are screen protectors that you can buy that are fairly inexpensive for most computer monitors, tablets, and just about any kind of cell phone. What it does is block some of the blue short wavelengths coming out of the device.”

Adjusting your electronic settings may help too. “In the latest version of the Apple operating system, especially with the cell phones, there is this nightshift setting. This setting on Apple devices basically shifts the color spectrum from the normal one to more colors in the yellow, orange, red end of the spectrum. The idea is to do this at night or in the evening after dinner, before bedtime,” says Gordon.

Blue Light Causes Macular Degeneration

Likely False. There’s been lots of controversy about the link to this eye disease and blue light, but Dr. Gordon has not seen evidence of this. “Just based on the fact that the exposure from outdoor sunlight is so many more times intense than anything coming from a computer, or a cell phone or a fluorescent light bulb, in my opinion, it is unlikely that there is really any threat of physical damage to the eye, including macular degeneration.”

Read more about blue light and vision at:

http://www.aao.org/eyenet/article/back-forth-controversy-on-blue-filtering-iols

https://www.uab.edu/news/youcanuse/item/7258-debunking-digital-eyestrain-and-blue-light-myths

Ever wondered if the money and time spent on a college degree is worth it?

It is.

A new report from the Center for Education and the Workforce at Georgetown University says most new jobs are going to college graduates, both those holding bachelor’s and associate’s degrees, CNN reports.

When the recession hit the U.S. between December, 2007 and January, 2010, 7.2 million jobs were lost.

Since the U.S. job market began recovering in 2010, 11.6 million jobs were created. More than half of those, 8.4 million, were given to college graduates.

Unfortunately, the report also points out that American workers who hold only a high school diploma still have not recovered from the cut into the labor force.

In the same time period that college graduates were being hired, only 1 percent of the 5.6 million workers who hold only a high school diploma and lost their job during the recession have found work.

Want to read the entire breakdown of the report? Visit http://money.cnn.com/2016/06/30/news/economy/college-grads-jobs/index.html

And, keep studying. It will pay off in the end.

By Amy Neilsen

It is the first week of school. I have a new learning format and website to navigate, a new app to load onto my phone, and I have to figure out where to buy headphones that don’t dig into my scalp. I also need a better journal and a real notebook.

Granted the first week of any new school is bound to be filled with a lot of organizing, rah rah welcome to school speeches, and generic, big picture philosophy stuff. But, I absolutely love my school. I am so happy with my choice. It feel like listening to my own words sometimes. I love the guest keynote speaker they choose for our welcome session. Her message rang true to me and proved a point I wanted to make to myself about the program. Our lead instructor is going to take some getting used to, but I think it will be better once I am used to his speech patterns.

The style the material is presented in is mostly engaging and not too repetitious. They also use a good mix of teaching methods to make sure every type of learner is able to grasp the lesson. Each module is clearly labeled on the student website and the times for videos are accurate so I can determine exactly how long I will have to spend on each section excluding the exercises. This makes plugging the chunks of time into my schedule much easier.

So far the only thing I don’t like is the peer to peer interface between students. We’ll see if it gets better over time. I suspect they will have a more interactive forum later in the program. There is an unofficial Facebook group, but, there is no place to have a personal discussion among classmates unless they are friends on Facebook. And right now, I don’t know any of these people well enough to add them as a friend. I am sure there are students who do not have Facebook accounts and there has to be a way to have a discussion with them in the school learning website. I just need to roam the virtual halls a bit more to find it.

I am unhappy though that the modules for lectures open so late on Monday mornings, though. This school is attended by many international students. By opening the modules so late they have taken away almost a full days’ worth of study time for our European classmates, an inconvenience some students were already discussing. I hope the school addresses this issue too, since the late Monday start takes away one of my prime study times too.

But, so far so good. It’s Thursday. I have finished my module, earned 100 percent on the quiz and posted my discussion answers. I am banging out this blog post and then on to making ice cream sandwiches for the Edge of Summer Homeschool Faire for my children. And, I have an empty day on the calendar this weekend!

By Amy Nielsen

Classes start next week. Ducks in a row? Not so much! Heck, at least they are all in the same pond. Crud, there goes the little one . . .

Somehow the month that I had set aside before school started has flown by in a constant parade of field trips, large expenditures, unexpected sickies and calendar shuffling.

As I look at the calendar going forward and plug in all of my classes, tests, and group sessions, I can see that I am walking a very fine line as I juggle a whole lot of colorful balls. I have a lot of stuff already planned for the summer and really for the remainder of the year.

Yesterday, I planned the school year out for my homeschool co-op for 2016/2017. Talk about advanced planning! But, that is what I have to do to make sure I don’t get myself overcommitted going forward. If this insane month has taught me anything it is that I have to be very careful to protect my school time and my kids' school time. Planning our time together will help mitigate this one, I think.

Also, advanced planning means budgeting time and money. I need to have the ability to throw money at a problem that becomes too big of a project to complete alone. We had a tree limb fall on our fence, which meant replacing a large portion of a 4-foot tall post and wire gate fence. We have been able to band-aid it so the animals are safe in the yard. But, now we have to come up with either the time and/or the money to fix it properly.

If we had a little extra savings I would be able to hire someone to fix it in a day rather than spend hours doing it myself. This means tightening our belt a bit so we have a little savings set aside on top of our regular saving plans.

And then comes the inevitable sickies. It’s the change of seasons, so everyone is getting sick and passing it around. I thought we might be safe since only our peripheral friends have had it, but then on her birthday, my little one got the sickies. We have had to postpone all of her birthday plans until next week, on the only day we had free.

On top of that, she has complained that her leg braces hurt and has refused to wear them. This can mean one thing, a growth spurt. Which means possible treatment is needed. Which means more doctor appointments and more travel.

Finally, we received an email from the in-laws in Florida. When are we finally going to visit them? Calendar shuffling, here we come, again. Quack.

By Amy Nielsen

I did it! I paid in full for school.

I completed the student agreement. I have accessed the classroom portal for the first time. Now, I have two weeks to get my life in order for real. Classes start and away we go.

The imminence of this decision is finally hitting me and I am starting to panic. Holy cow, what did I get myself into! I know I can do it, I know I can do it, I know I can do it.  Breathe.

Time to get down to brass tacks and make sure I have planned enough time into my weekly schedule to keep up with the work load. I know we live a busy life and that I am a key motivator in that busy. Because I choose to homeschool our children I won’t have the built in several hours a day where I am child-free to be able to concentrate on my studies. However, this presents the perfect opportunity to lead by example and plan a family study time.

My one non-issue: I am not concerned that the work will be too hard for me to complete. I know I am a smart cookie. I know there will be challenging classes. But, I know that I can do the actual work of the classes. It’s making sure I have the time to get them done that seems to be my main concern.

From what I read, it takes 21 days to make a habit. Which means – ugh, math – I have 14 days to be build whatever study habits I need to squeeze into my weekly schedule by the time classes start. If I do it right, that first week should be only a little bit of a bumpy ride of rescheduling things.

Luckily the school I have chosen makes working this time into my week easy by posting interesting videos and other pre-work we can access through our student online portal. I can practice being a student for the next two weeks and get the family ready for my virtual absence during my study times.

This practice study time will also allow me to know whether I will be able to complete the video portions of the class with the commotion of two kids, two dogs, and daily life distractions, or, if I am going to have to set myself up for early morning work when everyone else is asleep.

Knowing that I work well early in the morning rather than late at night will already help me decide if I need to move some study time around. By being honest with myself, and admitting that I will not work after the kids go to bed, helps set myself up for success.

So, now onward and forward with the first introduction video.

I’m about to be really, really honest. 

I hate programming. I hate, hate, hatehatehate with the fire of a thousand suns, hate programming. And that pure, unadulterated hate means two things:

1. It’s required by my degree plan.
2. I suck at it.

I’m not going to tell you what program I’m in, because it’s a long, involved explanation that I don’t like to give. What I will tell you is that I’m going to school to stop bad guys … and I’m good at stopping bad guys. And, I’m good at the classes related to stopping bad guys. Like, really good.

Unfortunately, I’m terrible at programming. Even more unfortunately, I have to get through a semester of C++ programming if I want to continue in the “stopper of bad guys” program.

I really wish that this were one of those “Great news! Here’s a solution to a problem!” kind of posts, but it isn’t. Really, it’s just me venting. And just so you don’t think I’m venting for no reason, here’s a picture of an assignment I had to complete:

Would you like to know what this nifty little bit of crazy does? Well, I’ll tell you! It does this:

By Amy Nielsen

Whoops.

I got myself overcommitted and missed some answers on my recently submitted homework. It may not be a big deal to many, but it is to me. It shows my lack of commitment to my studies and to my teachers. I’m not so worried about the material the lesson taught. I know I need more time with the material and the universe handed it right back to me and said, “How’s about ya give a little attention to detail and effort next time?”

 I’m more worried about my reputation with my teachers, many of whom I see on a regular basis.

I missed rewriting all of the explanations and one entire problem on my monthly homework. I have the messy notes for each. They are where I left them on the end table in the living room. But in my Yuletide insanity, trying to complete the lesson and get it sent in before the new year struck, I failed to proof read the final copy. I screwed up. I wasn’t as committed to my good standing as an student as I was to enjoying my holiday.

As I study to become an herbalist, it’s as important to be present in the moment as it is to know the materials and herbs. I wasn’t ready with either and that message came through loud and clear in my homework.

My lesson this week: beware the giant O! Overcommitment. I wanted to do so much before the end of the year that I rushed through several things just to have them done by December 31^st. Check mark in red pen and all. In my haste I not only missed important work, but I gave only 80 percent effort to any one thing. I didn’t have it to give one hundred percent to anything because I was doing one thousand things.

So how do I fix it now? What can I do to gain my personal confidence back and also show my teachers that I am willing and able to be teachable and admit and fix my mistakes? I have already submitted a leave of absence for two months to take a more in-depth class on anatomy and physiology. I could sit here today and redo the homework from the lesson and resubmit it in the mail tomorrow as that new class doesn’t start until Monday. But instead, I think I will wait.

If I rushed and redid the lesson this weekend, I still wouldn’t understand the lesson much better. I am still in the same place I was when I submitted it last month. I got some of the formula I submitted wrong. So I obviously need more time to study the material. I haven’t really gained much more knowledge since then. While my answers would be more complete, having actually submitted the full answers, they would be no less enlightened than when I wrote out the answers the first time.

I am going to take my time and really get into the lesson and understand what it is all about. Going through the anatomy and physiology class at the same time will help build my understanding of the formula in the lesson better. It can only make my homework better if I submit it again after taking the new class. I will have a better understanding and more knowledge to draw from the second time around.

And now, as I plan my year ahead, I already see places on the calendar and feel that tightness in my solar plexus and know that I already cannot cram another thing into that week. I know that if I don’t start looking ahead to this time next year, and plan better, I will find myself with chunks of time where I am overcommitted. I’m not saying I am planning out every day for the next 365, but I am saying I know that every other month for the whole year, I am already slated to be traveling one full week, if not more.

For the first six months of the year, I am still a student, in three different schools. That is a lot of learning and studying to work through. I am also working to build a set of class offerings to teach. The second half of the year will be dedicated to building my business, class offerings and client base. Pacing myself through this schedule will be key. Making sure I hit all of the deadlines to keep my word will be crucial to my success.

What happens if I find out that I have too much on my plate? What then? I have to learn to gracefully restructure my time or my commitments. I might have to reprioritize. I need to understand that it is ok to do so. In fact, by doing so, I show my commitment to that project even more. It says to me that I need more time to be more focused on this than I have to give right now. By moving that project to another time I can be more fully present for it and it will, by that commitment, have a better outcome.

So for now, I will swallow my bruised pride and embarrassment at submitting incomplete work. I will take this lesson from the universe and vow to take my time and be fully present for all of my endeavors this year. I will go back and reread the whole lesson from start to finish again. Only then will I rewrite the answers and resubmit them along with the next lesson after I finish the anatomy and physiology class.

Lesson learned, in more ways than one.

By Christine Cioppa

It’s not just attending class that’s important. It’s retaining what you’ve learned that counts! That can be hard to do when you are studying, caring for children and working a fulltime job.

There are some great beverage choices that can help you actually boost your memory power as you tackle your day. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Spokesperson, Jen McDaniel, MS, RDN, CSSD, LDN, shares some of her favorite beverages for boosting memory.   

 Water— “A dehydrated body can damper memory and overall brain function. The easiest way to assess hydration is to ensure urine looks like lemonade, not apple juice!” McDaniel says.

 Caffeinated Coffee/Tea— “Studies have shown drinking two to three cups per day of either coffee or tea has been associated with both short- and long-term memory health improvements. The effects of caffeine are largely determined by one’s usual caffeine intake. A regular caffeine consumer might not get the same benefit from an afternoon cup of tea that an infrequent user would,” says McDaniel. For students attending night classes, she says to be careful with caffeine consumption. “The last thing we want to do is interfere with sleep. A tired brain will not function well the next day!”

Hot Cocoa—“Enjoying as little as one-third of an ounce of chocolate per day (50 calories worth) may help protect against age-related memory loss. The benefits from chocolate and cocoa powder come for polyphenols—antioxidants that move more blood to the brain, McDaniel says.

Veggie-Berry Smoothie—Vegetables such as dark leafy greens (spinach, lettuce), broccoli and beets contain both nitrates, which increase blood flow to the brain, and high levels of antioxidants. The combination of these nutrients acts like a broom in our brain clearing out the cobwebs, McDaniel says. Then there’s berries, which she says help protect against short-term memory loss and help undo age-related memory decline. “Some studies have even shown brain activity improvement within five hours of consuming berries,” McDaniel says. Mix veggies and berries together and double up on their healthful properties.

 Recipes:

Brain Boosting Blueberry & Spinach Smoothie:

Ingredients (one serving):

1 cup frozen/fresh blueberries
½ cup milk
1/3 cup plain yogurt
½ cup spinach
1 T. honey
1 T. hemp seeds

Directions: Place all ingredients in blender and blend!

Hot Cognitive Boosting Cocoa

Ingredients:

1 cup milk of choice

1 T. unsweetened cocoa powder, non-alkalized

½ tsp. cinnamon

1-2 tsp. sugar

½ tsp. vanilla extract

Directions: Warm milk in microwavable cup for 30 seconds on high in microwave. Whisk in cocoa powder, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Heat for an additional 30-60 seconds. Enjoy once drink is cool enough to safely consume.

Enjoy!

So, I’m in this microeconomics class.

You may have taken a microeconomics class before, and you may read this and think that I am a whiny, self-pitying pain in the butt, and that is occasionally true.  At any rate, I’m going to give you a rundown of the first two chapters of my lessons:

Nebraska and Iowa grow corn and wheat, right? (Understand that this scenario may or may not have any kind of basis in reality, but I don’t care.)  Anyway, they grow corn and wheat, and they each grow specific amounts. But who grows corn better? Who grows wheat better? Why? Could one grow corn or wheat better than the other if they stopped growing the other crop? What if they only grew part of the other crop? What are they each missing out on by taking the time and money and resources it takes to grow the amounts of corn and wheat that they grow? What if they combined forces and became some kind of Midwestern corn/wheat superpower? Or what if they both stopped all growing of any kind and started making Blu-ray players?

Yes. These are all actual questions. And if all these questions seem crazy or boring (or crazy and boring), you are not alone, my friend. Now obviously there’s a lot of math involved with answering these questions. Frankly, it’s a lot like easy algebra, which should make life easy as well, right?

Unless the book sucks, and the formulas in it suck.

It’s not so much that the information is wrong, but that it’s oversimplified. It’s oversimplified to the point that you can use any of the formulas the textbook provides, and get the same (super wrong) answer!

Have any of you had this kind of problem with a textbook? What did you do?

Help me!                    

Don’t believe me? I’ll give you an example from my book:

                      E=  %  Change in Qd

                            % Change in P

Seems simple, right? Well, it is. Anyway, here’s the second example that can be found everywhere else:

So technically it’s the same thing, but the textbook version is so oversimplified that it makes it almost impossible to get the right answer.

One thing I do know, after this, I have no interest in eating, buying, selling or seeing wheat or corn.                      

Have you ever cheated on a test? Copied a friend's answer?

You were tired. You studied. You couldn't remember it at that moment, but you knew it.

It was just one. Right? Not a big deal. 

It's a really big deal.

And colleges are not just going to catch you, they are developing technology and changing their methods to catch you.

But unfortunately, you are not the only one they will catch.

Earlier this year Stanford University posted an Academic Cheating Fact Sheet assembled by the Educational Testing Service and the Ad Council's Campaign to Discourage Academic Cheating.

Among the statistics they list, Stanford reports that about 20 percent of college students admitted to cheating in high school during the 1940's. Today between 75 and 98 percent of college students surveyed each year report having cheated in high school.

And cheating comes in all forms.

According to a survey conducted by Rutgers University, of over 63,700 U.S. undergraduate and 9,250 graduate students between 2002 and 2005, cheating is more than simply looking at someone else's answer during a test.

The survey found that:

                        *  36 percent of undergraduates admit to “paraphrasing/copying few sentences from Internet source without footnoting it.”

• 24 percent of graduate students self report doing the same

• 38 percent admit to “paraphrasing/copying few sentences from written source without footnoting it.”
  • 25 percent of graduate students self report doing the same

• 14 percent of students admit to “fabricating/falsifying a bibliography”
  • 7 percent of graduate students self report doing the same

• 7 percent self report copying materials “almost word for word from a written source without citation.”
  • 4 percent of graduate students self report doing the same

• 7 percent self report “turning in work done by another.”
  • 3 percent of graduate students self report doing the same

• 3 percent report “obtaining paper from term paper mill.”
  • 2 percent of graduate students report doing so

Stanford University's fact sheet says that while many advanced students feel their cheating is warranted so that they can get ahead of those who cheat because they cannot keep up, the cheating does not end on graduation day.

Often, those same cheaters continue to take shortcuts in the workplace and even lie on their resume.

HireRight.com, a provider of on-demand employment background screening, reports that 34 percent of job applicants lie on resumes.

Forbes.com, reports the most common thing applicants lie about are education, employment dates, job titles and technical skills.

Unfortunately for cheaters both in academia and the workplace, lies are very easy to catch.

Technological advances allow professors to search for previously written term papers and research. Advanced programs also allow professors to see how quickly online students answer questions. If it took them less time to answer than it would for most people to read the question, they may have a cheater.

Employers can follow a virtual trail on nearly every employee by simply Googling the names of previous employers and business associates.

Still think you need to cheat to get ahead? Don't. As a student or professional, eventually, the lies will catch up with you.