Reflection

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I still believe this class is helping me learn information that is relevant to my career goals of becoming a pediatrician. Because I am learning about how development takes place, I will have a better understanding of how to aid those with developmental malfunctions. The information in this course most closely relates to the information I am learning in Genetics, but this week, it related to Organic Chemistry as well. In chemistry this week, we were learning about step-wise reactions, which related to the signal transduction cascades in the major pathways. I usually learn best by writing information down as I hear it -- taking notes in a sense. Since the beginning of this class, however, I have now incorporated visual learning into my learning style. It helps me a lot now to be able to see a diagram or a figure of what we are discussing in class. Sometimes, it's hard for me to understand what is really being talked about unless I am able to see these picture references. I am proud that I am able to alter my learning style after so many years of getting into specific habits. I feel this will help me, both in future classes, as well as outside of the education field as it shows that I can adapt to the environment around me...given enough time. One of the most important things I have learned during the course of this class has been the development process, from fertilization to fully developed organism. Everything in this class relates to the process, and it helps to know it backwards and forwards for reference purposes. The other thing I'm glad I learned has to do with lab. Never before, in any of my science classes, have I had such involved labs. I am glad I am learning the entire lab process from setting up the experiment, performing it, recording data, and writing the lab report. It makes the process seem fuller and more meaningful. Again, I feel this will help me, not only further in my education, but after I am out of school as well. One of the things that is most confusing to me is the difference between induction and specification. These seem like one in the same process to me, and I still need to clarify the minute differences between the two terms. This is the topic we are currently discussing, however, so I am sure more discussion will help my understanding. Taking this class has really opened my eyes as to how such a small thing, like a small mutation, can affect the quality of someone's life for the rest of their life. It's unbelievable to me that so many of us turn out "normal" when there are so many things that  can go wrong during the development process. The information I've learned in class has impacted my life in a positive way. I am definitely more aware and considerate when I notice people with diseases or malformations. I feel like I am a better person for this.

Reflection



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 I love being in this class for the sole reason that I feel like I am finally learning something useful. This is the point at which we have enough foundational knowledge from core concepts to apply it what we encounter in the everyday world. My future career goal is to be a pediatrician, so it is very important to me to learn about developmental diseases, how the develop, why they occur, and how they can be treated. What better class to cover all these topics? Learning about gametogenesis and the difference between mitosis and meiosis in males and females has also helped me in my Genetics class. I am able to understand, now, why mutations occur, as well as the effect they have on an individual. It is nice to learn about an entire concept, especially through the use of two classes. I learn best by writing things down, which includes both visual and audio learning. Taking notes and doing the various assignments for this class, especially since they have been in paper format up to this point, have been very helpful for me. I am working on incorporating other learning styles into my learning, but this has worked for me so far because this is what I have encountered. The two most important things I have learned about so far are spermatogenesis and oogenesis. Understanding how, when, and why these processes take place is key to understanding the development of some diseases, as well as the seeing the large number of mutations that can occur along the way. The ethical side of these processes becomes confusing for me, especially concerning genotypes of individuals. If there is a mutation somewhere in development and an individual ends up with three alleles instead of two, I am still confused as to how society should treat this person, mainly with isues concerning their personal rights. I need to study this more on my own to decide on these issues and take a clear stance on them. This class has opened my eyes to the world around me. Individuals with physical disabilities now peak my interest rather than scare me because of the nature of their disease and how it developed. It automatically becomes a new research project. This has opened my eyes to my future as well. A lot of individual research time will benefit me because I will no longer be ignorant to these issues. I will, instead, be aware and informed of them.