October 2012:May Issue.QXD
9/30/12
12:03 PM
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OCTOBER 2012 THE PENNON IS ONLINE AT:
northshore.edu/pennon
Ten Online Tools
A Three-for-One Spectacular
• A Monthly Publication For The Students of North Shore Community College, Danvers, Lynn & Beverly, Massachusetts •
for the Broke Student
BY LYDIA WAHL SENIOR EDITOR, FEATURES
The following are websites to help you with ten issues students run into. Some are very familiar to you and others will be new. However, make sure you’re getting all you can out of these tools. Some websites have features you may not have considered before. I hope you find them useful. Language Courses www.Livemocha.com From English to Icelandic, this website covers most foreign languages, even some really obscure ones like Urdu...I don’t know whether to be embarrassed or not that I don’t know what that is. For each language you can decide how far you want your education to go or the commitment you want to make. The program starts you off with just the basics but will take you all the way to complete fluency. One way they totally immerse you is by matching you with some people already fluent in the language you are practicing. At a certain point, in the advanced lessons, they do want you to start paying but it's not even close to college course expensive. On websites like groupon.com, Livemocha will put up some pretty generous deals to help pay for the courses. If you’re struggling in your language class, need a refresher, or just curious Livemocha’s got your back. Book Swaps www.paperbackswap.com There are several book swapping websites, I use paper back swap. Here’s the concept: you put up books you don’t want and get books you do. When you start at this website you will automatically get two credits. Credits are the currency required to request books. Each book is one credit. You can buy
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credits or you can get them by sending out some of your own books. It’s basically like a library with no late or misplacement fees. Keep your eyes peeled, I was lucky enough to find books for both my English and Speech classes. Study/Charity www. freerice.com FreeRice combines charity with study. FreeRice gives grains of
rice to a country in need for every question you get right. They are partnered with the UN’s World Food Programme. Their goals are plainly stated as bringing free education for all and to end world hunger. People can even make an account to keep track of donations and change up the topic from chemistry to algebra to languages. Just twenty minutes a day and you’ll be studying hard and doing some good. eBooks - www.amazon.com, https://play.google.com Kindles and Nooks are expensive but don’t cast off eBooks too quickly. Many times when renting textbooks, eBooks can be cheaper and easier to carry around. However, you will find that many books, mostly for English classes, are public domain. Meaning the rights to books, music, etc have expired, CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
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BY ANTHONY HARRIS SENIOR EDITOR, A&E
At the House of Blues
Ah, folk music – the acoustic guitars, the beautiful harmonies, the weighty messages. While traditional folk is a nebulous genre spanning a vast number of cultures and styles, contemporary folk music is a more welldefined entity that rose to prominence in the 1960s, when iconoclasts like Bob Dylan and Joan Baez brought protest songs to the masses. Around the same time, The Byrds ushered in the folk-rock era by fusing narrative songwriting with rock & roll backbeats. To this day, the hallmarks of folk – no-frills instrumentation, tightly controlled vocals, and lyrics exploring both internal ruminations and social issues – command considerable influence in the music industry.
Wesley Shultz of The Lumineers (Photo credit: Steve Benoit of Boston Concert Photography) In recent years, indie groups like The Decemberists and Mumford & Sons have risen to stardom by blending the pastoral sounds of folk with indie
rock’s do-it-yourself credo and introspective songwriting. One of the most exciting bands to join this bustling subgenre is The Lumineers, a Denver-based trio one decade in the making. Fresh off releasing a self-titled debut in April, the band’s shoutalong single “Ho Hey” is one of the most distinctively catchy songs of the year. The up-andcoming group performed at Boston’s House of Blues on August 9th, alongside fellow folk artists Milk Carton Kids and Old Crow Medicine Show. I went in expecting a great show from The Lumineers, but I ended up seeing three fantastic performances from three uniquely gifted artists. First up were Brooklyn’s own Milk Carton Kids, straight out of the 60’s folk scene with their classy suits and gentle, soul-stirring CONTINUED ON PAGE 9
Amplify Your Study Time
BY JESSIE PAIVA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
From the Editor
Often in times past, I would find myself reading a chapter from my textbook and getting bored or distracted while my eyes scanned the page. I tried to convince myself I was reading, though I retained nothing of the information before me. As it turns out, half-heartedly scanning does not translate into effective studying. Enter SQ3R, a reading strategy that details how to make best use of not only your studying time but your studying energy, as well. SQ3R stands for: Survey! Question! Read! Recite! Review! By following simple guidelines, my study time becomes much more interactive with my conscious mind
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than merely annotating. Survey! Before you read, Survey the chapter. Read the title, headings, captions under photos, review questions, and summary. Question! Question while you survey. Turn the title, headings, and subheadings into questions. Read the questions at the end of the chapters and ask yourself, “What do I already know about this subject?” Read! When you begin to Read, look for answer to the questions you raised. Reread captions under photos, study graphic aids, and reduce your speed for difficult passages. Recite! Recite after you’ve read a section. Summarize or ask yourself questions aloud about what you just read. Remember, the more senses you
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use the more likely you are to remember what you read. Review! Reviewing is an ongoing process that you can continue for up to a week after you first read the passage. Of course, the more you review the more information you are likely to retain. Flash cards, written questions, and rereading the text all assist in reviewing. In earnest, reviewing is not as cumbersome as it sounds. SQ3R is a useful tool for not only studying but also slowing down your thought process and focusing on the task at hand. We all lend ourselves to a myriad of distractions in life, but let us not forget that while in school we should make the most of the education that we are free to enjoy.
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