Well, we’re finally done. I’ve learned a lot of important things from this course that I will continue to carry out during the rest of my time in college and even in the workforce. This module gave me even more to remember on top of everything else: how to find and maintain motivation with online work. The most important thing I learned from this was a quote from sociologist Christine Carter that said “on average, interruptions take 23 minutes and 15 seconds to recover from-even if that distraction is only a minute!” That’s something very interesting that I never knew and I will keep in mind whenever I get distracted to limit that time. Something that I have already put into practice from this module is listening to relaxing music while doing work, and it definitely works for me. I usually listen to movie/game soundtracks or classical music because they don’t have words and it’s easier to completely focus. One thing that I’m going to put into practice is stop having the TV on when I’m doing work. I do it just to have noise in the back but I could just use music. This was a fun and informative class and I wish everyone who reads this success. It’s a hard time right now, but we’ll all get through this!

This module was something I didn’t know I needed. It was over the importance of finding credible sources when researching. By far the most useful thing I learned in this module was that Ohio State has a website full of reliable databases.

It can be accessed at this link: https://library.ohio-state.edu/screens/databases.html

This will come in handy when I need sources to write a research paper with. Something I’ve already put into practice is boolean logic searches. A b0olean logic search is using a boolean command, such as “AND” or “OR” to help refine your results. They greatly help limit results and are a good way to find exactly what you’re looking for. I also have used EasyBib since high school and I still use it now as a quick way to cite. Something from this module I can put into practice is using Google Scholar. When I watched the video I saw that it is designed to find reliable sources, and there are filters such as a date filter. Some of my old essays could have been saved by this as I have a problem of using old sources. To end it off, I want to offer some advice: Try not use random websites. Find websites that are known amongst many people and reliable.

This module was centered around ideal practices when learning online. The most useful thing I learned was from the video on slide 7. It said to look out for keywords that highlight important topics in a lecture. This is important to me because I find myself writing A LOT during lectures, and I rarely need most of the things I write down. Something I’ve already implemented is the outline method that was talked about in the different types of note-taking methods video on slide 15. I like this method because when looking through all of my notes, it’s easier for me to see the main points of each page because it’s organized neatly. When I’m taking an open-note test/quiz I can easily go through pages. One thing I’m definitely going to try out is writing my notes out instead of typing. Just like it said in the PowerPoint, I struggle to retain the information I type. I haven’t really written my notes down in a while so I don’t remember if it helped or not, but it doesn’t hurt to try, right? You won’t know which is better for you until then. That’s my advice to offer. Experiment with different things until you find what best works for you.

Online reading is one of the most crucial parts of an online class. In order to understand a certain unit or assignment, it’s important that you take the time to read the material provided by the professor, or you’ll end up lost on a quiz or test–something that has happened to me too many times before. Something that I recommend and already use is the SQ3R method talked about on slide 5. The acronym stands for skim, answer questions (Q) you have for yourself, read, recite, and review. I usually do this for every assignment that requires reading, and though it takes longer, it’s a good way to retain every necessary part of the reading. My grades have been relatively good since I’ve learned this method back in middle school. Something I learned from the module was that exercising has a positive effect on studying. The video on slide 15 listed some of the effects on the brain when exercising, such as “more fluid problem solving” and a “longer attention span”. I usually work out first thing in the morning, but I may possibly try to work out in between study sessions on days I spend studying as the video recommended.

I have a feeling that this is going to end up being the most helpful module for me. I’m a very big procrastinator, but I feel that it’s a common thing in our generation because of technology. One of the videos in the module (slide 6) talked about the type of procrastinators there are, and I definitely identify with the ones that do work later because they are afraid of failure if they did do the work earlier. I tell myself that my best work comes at the last minute, but that’s not true at all. There were a lot of useful things in this module, but the most helpful thing in my opinion was the “use technology to manage technology” slide. It lists apps that will limit the usage of certain things on phones or computers. This will definitely come in handy for me because the number one reason I don’t get work done is that I have trouble putting my phone down. I’m definitely going to put this into practice next week and see if it actually helps me stay focused. Another thing I’m going to try that was in one of the videos in the module (slide 16) was to set a time limit for assignments. I won’t do it for every assignment because some of them need a lot of time and thought, but for the ones that don’t, I’m going to put it into place. With these things implemented into my daily schoolwork schedule, I feel that I’m going to do a lot better!

This week’s module was loaded with information. One of the first things discussed was netiquette, which is what it sounds like, online etiquette. It’s important to behave well online because everything that you post can follow you in the future, and if you have proper etiquette online, that will help you immensely in things such as the job search. Make sure not to get into arguments or post illegal/inappropriate things. It’s also a little harder to communicate online because you usually can’t pick up on facial expressions and gestures. Make sure to get straight to the point when communicating with someone. Jokes and sarcasm can be hard to pick up on and can be taken seriously, I know I’ve dealt with that before. When writing an email to someone such as a professor or boss, make sure to keep it professional because you could be perceived as uneducated. One of the most important things I learned this week was how to deal with people who don’t pull their weight in an online group project. Some of the things recommended were to create short checkpoints to monitor work, take the leadership role, and assign everyone a task. I usually find myself trying to do all of the work in a group project, so these are things that I am definitely going to be taking into account. What I recommend to students is to keep their online profiles clean and stay professional. You shouldn’t be tweeting out a bunch of cuss words or getting into a bunch of online arguments. That can be seen by anybody and everybody and can hinder your chances of getting a good job in the future.