Module 6 Reflection – Research and Search

I found this week’s module to be particularly valuable to individuals facing the challenges of students. We are all used to using sites like Google for personal, casual use, but many of us lack concrete knowledge of how Google, and other resources can be better used for the academic person. We too often try to apply the same strategies that we would use for getting information on “Justin Bieber” as we would on “Pulmonary Lung Disease.” In particular, I really gained insight from finding out more on Google’s advanced search parameters. Usually I just settle for a basic search and opening 30+ tabs, but by narrowing my search from the start, I save time and get higher quality results. By using some of these now, I’m seeing definite improvement.

 

I would advise everyone to take these tools and use them to their advantage. There are so many ways you can create value and save time in your academic and personal matters whn you take a little bit of time to refine what you’re looking for. I also encourage people to seek out new ways of searching and organizing information. Nothing I mentioned is exhaustive, and finding tools that serve your needs is crucial.

 

 

Module 5 – Note Taking Reflection

I found a lot of value in taking time to learn about and understand the benefits of the Cornell method of note taking. I had some exposure to it in high school, but didn’t really appreciate it because it was something we were forced to do.  Now that I’m learning about it with genuine interest and through a college student’s perspective, I better understand how it can be useful. One thing from the module that I already practiced was rewriting my notes. While has been helpful for me, it was also valuable to get insight about why/how it’s helpful, rather than just reaping the benefits without completely understanding them.

 

I think that being more deliberate about the way I take notes can help save time and improve retention. Sometimes, especially when I take lazy notes, reading what I wrote feels like a hodgepodge of information fragments that don’t connect in meaningful ways. Improving the form of my note taking can bridge those gaps and convey complex information. I would recommend that other students try to do the same: focus more about relationships and implications in note taking. The raw information will often always be in your textbook or online. The discussion and lecture in class are what you need to notate, and focusing on writing and organizing those will have a profound effect on your performance.

Educational Video – Formal Logic

This video goes through the basics of formal logic that one may learn about in an introductory philosophy class. The video touches on two main points: conditional logic and contrapositives. Conditional logic occurs when a particular condition is satisfied, and a necessary condition follows 100% of the time. This point naturally led to the second main point in exploring contrapositives. Contrapositives are derived from conditional logic rules, but things are flipped around. If the logic is that “An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away,” then you can rephrase the logic as “If the doctor isn’t away, you aren’t eating an apple a day.” Often, people make the mistake of swapping without negating, which would give an incorrect result.

I think formal logic like this is valuable in all areas of academic study. Logic is like a skeleton that can lie underneath the particular subject matters of any given argument. This video has not only helped show me how I can apply the principles discussed, but also how to handle logic that can easily be misinterpreted. The aforementioned issue that stems from not properly contraposing is difficult to grasp, and the video was helpful in solidifying my understanding of the matter.

Module 4 – Online Reading and Study Tools

 

Hello everyone! For this weeks blog post, I want to reflect on some of the things I took away from our lesson, and talk about the implications this has on my life. Online learning has so many more avenues for distraction and mistake, so organization and competency are key. The study tools we were given in our lesson and by our peers are all good resources to help achieve this goal. I learned a lot about things that centralize information and help with time management. I think each of these things can help keep one accountable, and time-efficient. Conversely, lacking those qualities can facilitate procrastination, and general wasting of time. Often an assignment will feel considerably more difficult than it actually is because we are approaching it in a way that uses up a lot of time and effort. This example epitomizes the “work smarter not harder” mantra. On top of the general benefits, there are a lot of smaller put practical benefits to being congruent with online tools and their function. On page 125 in particular, the text mentions how a simple mistake can cause embarrassing and cumbersome results when somebody replies to the entire group in a mailing list. I’m sure all of us have received that annoying email when someone asks a silly question to the professor and ends up CCing the entire 300+ person class.

 

Broad or specific, these tools are helpful and practical. Thanks for reading!