In this week’s module, the most important thing that I have learned is how to avoid distractions. I thought that the video on slide 14 was very helpful in providing options when it comes to avoiding distractions. I think that it is very smart to create a second account on the PC for working and studying so that we are not distracted by most of the normal distractions that we get from the normal data that is pre-existing in the normal personal account. Normally it would be too much of a hassle to just constantly turn on and turn off notifications and other distractions that we might be prone to and would take too much time out of studying. It would be much faster to just log out and log on to another account without all the applications installed and just work. Another technique that I have learned is to take breaks in between long study sessions. I have personally tried this out this week and found that when I study too long and don’t take a break, I end up losing motivation to study for the rest of the day. However, if I add in small breaks, I can study and work for more hours in the day.

In this week’s module, the most important thing I have learned is taking notes as an active listener. I learned how to keep up with the instructor lecture when they go too fast and also what to take note of based on how the instructor speaks. I have learned that abbreviating really helps when the instructor speaks too fast and writing down important details takes too much time. I have learned when to pick up important information based on auditory cues. For example, an instructor may drag out a certain idea to emphasize it and make it important. I learned these two techniques while working on the note-taking assignment from the 24-minute video we had to watch to complete it. I thought that the video on slide 15 was especially helpful in explaining the different types of note-taking. I learned the outline method and how simple it. It is a note-taking system based on bullet points and a hierarchy. You simply take top-level bullet points for main ideas and branch each one into smaller ideas for more in-depth detail. This is a note-taking style that I have been unknowingly doing since 8th grade when my history teacher taught his lessons this way to be able to easily learn and memorize historical facts.

In this week’s module, the most important thing I learned was active reading. I always have trouble reading and understanding text. The one reason this happens for me is that every time I am reading a large amount of text, I find myself zoning out and not retaining any information. I don’t notice this until I have finished reading the text or get through a majority of it. I thought that the “SQ3R reading method” on slide five of the powerpoint sounded extremely helpful and insightful. I already usually skim the material first but I never thought to start writing down questions of my own and try to find those answers in the text.

Another thing I found very helpful and already started taking advantage of was the video about smart studying on slide 15. I already take some time out during the day to exercise and usually do it at the very end of the day. The video taught me that it’s better to exercise during the study break so that I give my mind a break and greatly improve brain performance. I usually study alone, but the video said that it would help to have a study partner so that we would have someone to test our knowledge with. This small change alone will help move the information from short term memory to long term memory.

In this week’s module lesson, I have learned the various amount of techniques for time management. Like a lot of other students, I have a big issue with procrastination. It doesn’t matter if I start doing the work ahead of time, I still end up procrastinating. I would tell myself that I still have time and it is okay to slack off now. Some things lead to other things and I would allow myself to give up on doing the work at the time I had originally scheduled it for. I thought that the video on slide seven of the powerpoint was especially helpful. Breaking down tasks into smaller tasks is a technique that I have already used this week. It has been helpful for me to complete some work early on so that my Sundays are much less stressful. The best strategy I had learned from this video was the “ultimate goal vs immediate desire”. I have been unknowingly using this technique for years in the part of my life that I have spent working out and eating healthy, now I know how to use it for my academics.

The “Time management strategies and tools” section was very helpful. As I have stated earlier that I have already begun to break down tasks and work ahead of time by using google calendar.

I also have an issue with distractions in my day. It doesn’t matter what I am doing, I am easily distracted by things around me. The “Digital distractions” section showed me how to counter this issue. I have learned to turn off my notification and even leave my phone in different rooms when at work. This way I have one less distraction to deal with.

Welcome to u.osu.edu. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!