Biweekly Journal: Week of 5/25

Objectives

Brainstorm/execute final project

Website!!!
Put data in paper
Get other miscellaneous stuff done
Journal
I finished my data analysis after a long time of collecting responses. Although the results
were mostly expected, some findings were interesting that Id like to include in my paper. For
example, the huge discrepancy in sleep between weekdays and weekends ties in directly with the
shifting of circadian rhythms that teens experience.
I also talked to my advisor and she said a website would be nice to communicate my
findings. I think talking to her definitely helped me get my research on track, and shes been a
wonderful person to talk to.
I plan to start my website next week and come up with a good final product. I will have to
talk to you about it again, but Im not sure where to go next. Theres only three weeks or so left
of school, and I have to get everything done within two and a half! I know that itll be a bit
painful but Ill get everything done within these two weeks so we can enjoy summer vacation. :)
Im kind of confused on what to do for the digital portfolio. According to you (Ms. Sasser) itll
help us a lot to keep our research organized, so Ill just go with it and get it done too.
So the things Ill have to knock out include: final paper with data, final abstract, website,
final product, and then the advisor letter and IR book. I cant wait for next year when I will do
the same stuff for Intern/Mentor :):)

Biweekly Journal: Week of 5/11

Objectives
Analyze data
Write up personal paragraph for mentorship
Begin revising paper w/ data
Journal
I am so tired of my survey by now. The week before last I was caught up with stalling,
but last week I went around to four more teachers, only two of which Ive had before. None of
them really helped me get a lot more respondents - unless its Ms. Casper making her students do
the survey its not easy to get people to pay attention! I asked Ms. Chamness, Ms. Curry, Mr.
Tromble, Mr. Napolitano, and Ms. Appel, and Ive gotten about only 20 responses. What is this??
Sigh. I cant force the teachers to suggest the survey in their class time, so its only fair that a few
people would actually take the time to type in the link on their website/board.
The data analysis seems to be due next week, so Im leaning strongly towards just closing
my data collection at 129 responses. I dont want to give up but Im so tired of trying to get more
uninterested people to fill out my survey :,( Is that okay?
Revising my paper further, Im still looking for better sources such as swapping out
reviews for textbook references when needed. I would be lying if I said I enjoyed going back to
annotations like in the beginning of school, but it does help. My topic seems so broad and Im
not sure if Im actually saying new things here in my paper. Part of the difficulties of this class is
believing that your topic is worthwhile to spend time on. I think the best thing is to just keep
moving forward with this. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming

Biweekly Journal: Week of 4/27

Objectives
Continue getting out survey
Type up timeline/goals
Journal
Ive gotten about 105 responses so far to my survey, but I still havent quite figured out
what to do with that information yet. I plan to attack more classrooms next week for my survey!
Hopefully I will be able to do 150-200 respondents, although responses seem to be slowing down
a lot. :(
As for my personal goals, I really want to think of more ways to produce a good final
product for this class. One of the major things standing in the way is my research topic; I dont
feel like Ive done nearly enough research to be able to confidently present it in front of a critical
audience. However, I think that would be a challenging final product for me. Besides my paper,
Im leaning also towards a website, although Im not sure if I should do one because I suck at
making technology work the way I want. Just kidding, I have no excuses. :)
APs are coming up quite soon, and I havent studied at all!! YAY! This journal is really
short but I dont have anything else I want to say.
I think Ill email my advisor soon on my project too, since I have been pretty quiet lately.
I really want to be done with my survey and get everything put together soon!

Biweekly Journal: Week of 3/23

Objectives
Finish board layout
Try to deploy survey (?)
Journal
These past weeks were spent working on my survey and starting my website/board. I
finished putting together all the parts of my board, but I have to cut out a lot of extra information
that I included from my paper. I also need to include many more visuals for the board.
Even though spring break is almost here, I need to get my survey out. I have emailed my
advisor who has not contacted me back about my survey, as she is probably on spring break, so I
think Ill just go ahead and use the survey as it is. Over break I plan to get back to my paper and
edit based on Ms. Millss suggestions. I also want to relax over break and not be quite so
stressed. This journal is super short but theres not much else to write about :(

Biweekly Journal: Week of 3/9

Objectives
start draft of board
start data collection from survey
talk to advisor about paper/data collection
Journal
This week was spent revising my paper again and searching for an appropriate survey to
use for my data collection. Although I havent gotten much concrete results, I plan to put
everything in action this week. Finding a good survey hasnt been easy, because my topic
involves a lot of factors: technology, adolescents, sleep, multitasking, etc. My goal is to find a
survey that encompasses the different ways technology impacts the survey taker. Do you have
any suggestions for that Ms. Sasser? :)
I still need to do more editing on my paper based on the articles my advisor sent, and
some more in depth research. This part will be difficult because everyone else has moved on
from the paper, but its crucial if I want my paper to be taken seriously and for my advisor to
help me publish it. Im still unclear on how its going to happen, and how my paper will need to
be changed to be published.
Additionally, the due date for our boards is coming up soon, which I really need to start.
It doesnt seem like I have a lot of information to put on the board, but I guess Ill just find things
along the way to include about my process, results, etc. I also want to come up with a good
project board layout that will attract attention. So, I will mainly focus on these things the next
two weeks.

Biweekly Journal: Week of 2/24

Objectives
finish advisor edit on paper
project proposal
continue to gather resources
Journal
Finally my advisor has found time to edit my paper! I plan to edit out everything and
incorporate her feedback as soon as possible. My advisor wants to work with me further to
change some parts of my paper for submitting to a journal, so Im prepared to put in work there
as well.
Tomorrow our project proposal is due so I have to start brainstorming ways to incorporate
my research into a full-scale presentation. Although Im not entirely sure how Im going to
present my research, I have a couple ideas so far. I plan to get a survey out to River Hill students
and maybe even students from other schools to analyze their technology use, sleep levels,
multitasking, and self-assessed cognitive capacity. Furthermore, I will most likely compile my
findings in a presentation and powerpoint.
I have to continue gathering resources to make the presentation work, however Im not
too sure where to start finding pictures and videos to put on the website. Next week Ill start
setting up the website and working more with my advisor on editing my paper. I hope that at the
end of the year Ill be able to get it published and introduced to a large scale audience.

Biweekly Journal: Week of 2/8

Objectives
Fill holes in rough draft
Make sure paper fits APA format
Adult edit on paper
Advisor edit on paper
Journal
The previous week was spent on revising my paper outline from the peer edit we did in
class. There are still holes in my research I need to fill, such as my argument on information
overload. Additionally, I need to revise my background section, as there are sections that I dont
need. Although I still have a long way to go Ill try to be optimistic and pull everything together.
I also looked at a few sources that my advisor sent me, some of which helped my paper. I havent
yet found graphs or images yet for my website, but Im hoping to start that for next weeks
annotation.
For the next week, my goals are to align my paper with APA format, including the works
cited and the overall paper structure. My advisor said that she will be fairly busy, but I hope to
get some small pointers from her as well as asking a friends mother to edit my paper. I hope that
through repeated editing the final paper will turn out satisfactorily! Although this next week will
be pretty hectic in terms of work that I need to get done, I will push through! :)

Biweekly Journal 11: Week of 1/12

Objectives
Compiled annotations
Midterm assignments (questions, etc)
Paper rough draft
Try not to go crazy
Journal
Ive spent the previous week revising and polishing my outline, and Im preparing to do
more work on it this week. Ive been feeling pretty prepared for our write-ins, because my
outline helped a lot (thanks for making me redo it Ms Sasser!).
Not too soon to start celebrating yet, because next week is midterms, and that means a lot
of studying and stressing over every single subject, IR included. Ill have to annotate 7 more
articles to make the bare minimum (20 sources). Ive gotten a start on Monday by printing out a
lot of material from databases on my topic. Doing the write-in in class helped, because Im really
seeing the holes in my research that I need to find more information on. Some of the areas that I
need to cover include more background studies, and information on the more scientific parts of
my research, such as brain regions and development. Besides doing the annotations, I also have
to write up some of the questions that are in my midterm, but with some focus I think that should
come pretty easily.
I think the write-in is helping to show me how I need to manage my work at home and
maintain focus. Hopefully in these next two weeks Ill learn from this and do well on all my
exams! :)

Biweekly Journal: Week of 12/23

Objectives
prepare website pictures, etc
read on topic
revise outline, email mentor
Journal
Creating the outline last week was possibly the worst experience of my life. (But of
course thats my fault). Although I did not leave it to the last minute, I found that there was a lot
of stuff that I had to take care of that I hadnt anticipated, such as reorganizing my works cited. I
also need to find a lot more sources. Through creating the outline I discovered that I needed more
support for some of my arguments. I plan on centering my research around my outline and fill in
the points that are vague and unknown, as well as adding more and revising the outline.
Additionally, I need to find sources dealing with the technical side of my topic, and find out
more about the regions of the brain my advisor described in her interview.
Over break I plan to review my research and organize using post-its. I also plan to talk to
my advisor about my controls and revise if needed. Of course, this is my plan, and I have about a
65% chance of following through with it. Hopefully I wont come back from break crying about
the work I didnt do. Yay for Christmas!!

Biweekly Journal 9: Week of 12/9

Objectives
interview Kate Mills
revise outline
read!
Journal
Yesterdays thesis board with Anna and Amanda helped me focus clarifying what I want
to say in my outline and give it a little more structure. Since my topic evolved so much, I had to
reassess the areas I wanted to cover in my arguments. Explaining my topic to others really
showed me the gaps in my research and my argument structure. I felt that the thesis board would
probably help more if I had gotten more support for each point so I could explain them better.
After revising my thesis to clarify my points, my new thesis is: Adolescents frequent
technology use directly impairs cognitive function due to digital multitasking, data
overload, and sleep disturbances. As I research further, Ill try to base my support around
what I need in the thesis.
After school today I have a Skype interview with Kate Mills, whose current research
topic connects with my own - does internet use affect brain development? Additionally, I have
received two more replies for interviews in the future. I hope that Ms. Mills will agree to be my
advisor in this subject. I also plan on reading a lot of the information that Ive found online
through my advisor search and creating my topic outline, so Ill have the information I need to
continue.

Biweekly Journal: Week of 11/11

Objectives
Narrow area of research
Continue practicing presentation
Interview
Find mentor
Journal
Within my broad topic of adolescent anxiety, Ive decided to focus on the impact of
technology and information overload as an anxiety-inducing factor. In my previous weeks
annotation, the description of feelings of being overwhelmed and confused under so much data
and information connects to previous articles Ive read on technology and anxiety, and Im
interested to see where this topic takes me. Im also hoping to relate my topic to the students of
River Hill, in the form of surveys or studies. Presentation-wise, Ive come to realize that it takes
a lot of practice and work when you arent a natural speaker. After doing my first presentation to
a class, I could feel myself panicking at some parts, and although I thought I didnt cover my
topic thoroughly, the presentation ended up being much longer than it should have. Im not
ashamed to admit that I need work on presentation skills and the idea of doing it again and again
gives me slight anxiety. But now I know the parts that I really need to work on. Any suggestions
on how to practice at home and get a better flow? :)
This Friday, I have my first interview scheduled with Dr. Solomon, so I hope to gain
some information there. However, Im a bit unsure as to what to ask him because its such a vast
topic. Additionally, now that I have a better idea of my topic I need to hustle and find myself a
mentor!!

Biweekly Journal: Week of 10/28

Objectives
READ a lot more on anxiety
Talk to Dr. Solomon
Work on powerpoint
Practice speech
Journal
This past week has involved a lot of trying to meet deadlines and not getting enough
sleep, but thankfully I have also been getting some reading done. Im half excited and half
worried that Ive experienced some of the physical symptoms of anxiety, such as muscle tension
and irritability. The idea of anxiety being a response to fear, like a fight or flight response, and
the natural reaction to try avoiding the problem, makes a lot of sense when it comes to problems
that teens experience. I have a lot of questions about why anxiety can be seen to relate to
biological causes and gene expression. Based on what Ive learned in biology class, acquired
traits that do not affect genetic information of an individual should have no impact on offspring
genes, yet there is considerable evidence to prove that anxiety acquired in parents directly affects
offspring. Im also interested in what causes normal anxiety to develop into a disorder different
from the worries we experience in everyday life.
For the following weeks, I plan to delve deeper on this topic and read scientific studies
regarding this field. I created an outline on the basic points of anxiety and plan to practice for the
presentation. Also, I sent an email to Dr. Solomon requesting an interview, which I hope he will
reply soon and schedule an interview.

Biweekly Journal: Week of 10/14

Objectives
FIND A SPECIFIC TOPIC
visit UMBC for more resources
set up interview
Journal
This past week Ive been reorganizing my research process and topic. Ive realized that
my former topic on OCD wasnt very interesting or engaging to me - I have no experience with it
firsthand, and reading articles on studies conducted was difficult. But something thats always
been a part of me is now becoming my topic: anxiety. Anxiety from stress, from social media,
from insecurities, and factors such as family problems that have started from a young age I
plan to read a lot about things that teens now are experiencing and struggling through.
Changing my topic is a bit worrying at this point in our classs progress, but I believe that
I can do it! I need to read a lot more and catch up, and plan to go back to UMBC and find more
books and also try using their database. I dont think Im ready for an advisor just yet. I want to
feel comfortable and not out-of-place talking to someone with more knowledge than myself. In
order to do so, Ill have to become as close of an expert as I can on the different aspects of
anxiety in order to figure out the exact problem I want to study.

Biweekly Journal: Week of 9/30

Objectives
Research current news on OCD
Thoroughly skim the books on OCD checked out
Formulate NEW questions to research
Journal
This past week I found a ton of new books on my topic, which really propels me to do
more research! At UMBC not only did I find a lot of material on OCD, I checked out some other
books on government and other behavior disorders for a variety of topics to check on. Reading
the very thick guide to behavioral disorders, I gained a lot more knowledge about the field of
psychotherapy. Although some of the descriptions are hard to understand, many parts of the book
are fairly good for my research study.
Once Ive skimmed through some of this material it really raises a lot of questions.
Treatment techniques are described fully, but little seems to be known about the causes of OCD
and how it starts in a patients brain. I plan to find out more on any research studies that have
been done on the causes and not just the effects or the solution to this disease. Since Im dealing
with medicine, which involves increasingly new technology, its also important to look at new
knowledge people have found on the topic. Even though there are many studies involving the
treatment of OCD, there still is little new information or study on the causes of this disease. I
hope that through my letters sent I can get even more detailed information. Additionally, to
further get an understanding, I plan to watch videos or movies that portray people with OCD
well, seeing as I am not familiar with how the symptoms look like in real life.

Biweekly Journal: Week of 9/15

Objectives
Read a scientific journal on an experiment dealing with OCD
Broaden research perspective (books, videos)
Formulate questions to ask on site visit
Read current news on OCD research
Journal
This past week I changed my topic from anxiety and medicine to focusing on obsessivecompulsive disorder. I found that through trying to research on the former topics, they were very
broad and overwhelming, so I decided to pinpoint a specific facet of anxiety: the commonly
misunderstood OCD. People with the disease are described in the sources I read to have a
disordered part of their brain, causing them to repeat compulsive motions and their minds to be
overtaken by obsessive thoughts. It seems unreal that so many people are suffering under such a
bizarre condition, and Im curious to find out everything about this. I also plan to watch The
Aviator in which Leonardo DiCaprio had mild OCD after playing his role as a man with the
disease. Seeing this very different but real part of someones thoughts makes me want to
understand it more and more, how humans are subject to powers outside their control.
Part of the reason why Im so interested in psychology is that the brain controls everyone,
and the better understanding, the easier it is to relate that to our everyday lives. Why does stress
feel like it impacts me in a mental way? Teens would benefit from knowing the true science
behind what they experience.
Site visit? A trip to UMBC would be helpful in my early stage of research, but I also want
to narrow it down to more places that would give me a better source for psychology.

Biweekly Journal: Week of 9/2

Objectives
My goals for the next two weeks:

Read more articles on various topics to broaden my perspective

Find appropriate places for site visits
Conduct a site visit and ask for advice
Check out and read a book on my topic of interest
Journal
This is the second week of IR, and Im feeling a little amazed by how fast the pace is
going. Im really excited for whats to come! The deadlines are a great way to keep us thinking
and acting instead of standing still, but I do feel the pressure because I have a lot to learn in the
area of speaking, doing effective research and finding people to help me.
My mind is cluttered with several different things that I want to learn more about. Im
interested in mental health, mainly anxiety and stress, and how it affects the body. Meditation
and yoga have always been fascinating to me, and it would be interesting to research how exactly
they impact our mind. However, I want to stay away from doing topics that do not offer depth of
research and new conclusions, so Im uncertain as to how I can research these and pinpoint the
area I want to focus on. Additionally, Im also interested in medicine technology and the science
behind how different types work. I enjoy reading about factors that have a direct impact on our
health, and learning the how behind them. I plan to keep finding out more on my interests!