Week 1
Introduction to online learning
Prior to week one, I was not quite familiar with the whole online learning thing. I never had used a technology that allowed for videoconferencing like Zoom. Additionally, I had no idea what BuckeyeBox was and I was even clueless about what the whole U.OSU thing was. I set out to learn more about online learning and online technologies that would aid in online learning. My first step towards online success was achieved after I watched the Setting up Notifications and Email Settings in Canvas video. After I watched this video, I was able to set up push notifications on my phone for updates about coursework and messages from instructors and classmates. From here, I began to click through the links provided to get hands on experience with the university-supported technology and further my understanding. From gaining knowledge on learning online and how to be successful when doing so to communicating with instructors and classmates with use of technology, I really learned a lot during this first week.
Week 3
Goal setting and task/time management in online learning
One of the main goals that I set in Week 2 was, with that week being the last week before Spring Break, I wanted to be able to keep my usual schedule of completing coursework for my History of Art class on the Friday-Sunday of that week. I knew this would be difficult for a few reasons. The first reason being that I would have less time than I had previously had to complete the work because I would have to pack and travel back home for Spring Break on that Friday. Another reason that came with traveling back home was that I would be presented with a different work/study environment. Another reason being that when I would be home, I would have different obligations than I was accustomed to (dogs, family time, dinner time, etc.). I used a few strategies learned from this course to complete this goal and several others during these past couple of weeks. One strategy I used time management, I had to set aside certain times where (A) I would be able to avoid distractions and (B) get the work done that I had scheduled to get done. The challenge I encountered here was that not all times were good times for academics when you have family obligations. Another strategy I used was task management. I wanted to stay focused on the work I was doing so that my best work would be done. One challenge I encountered here was that my dogs did not understand the difference me working and me playing with them. The last strategy I used was environment management. One challenge I encountered with this was finding a good place to get my work and studying done in my parent’s house.
After reading the assigned readings and watching the videos, I was able to come up with possible solutions to many challenges presented in using different tasks/time management tools. My first challenge was the one presented with time management, I needed to, “chunk my time by breaking things down” (Hensley, 2015). I achieved this by planning things out on my Schedule Manager app and using SMART goals. Another challenge was the one presented with task management, I was under tighter time constraints, so I had to be more focused and in sync during my set out work times. This kind of went hand-in-hand with my challenged presented with environment management, finding a good place to get my work and studying done in my parent’s house. I had to, “create a study space with limited distractions” (Landry, 2018). Again, I tried a number of different areas for working to find the best one. The best ended up being purchasing and installing a desk that mounts into the wall in a corner of my room.
The strategies that work well for me to achieve my study goals are primarily scheduling my work out for the week using a printed out calendar with due dates and then breaking down each specific set of coursework into smaller tasks and achievable tasks with SMART goals. I found the best way for me to complete my work with maximum efficiency was to find the right study environment for myself, even getting a little creative sometimes. I liked using printed out calendars combined with printed out syllabi to keep my schoolwork on track, whereas for projects that required my attention outside of the classroom and were not directly associated with a course, I enjoyed using Trello. Trello help me visual things that needed to be done and really feel more accomplished when completing even the smallest of tasks.I would recommend trying a few different strategies to find what works best for you and your lifestyle because everyone is different and so is their lifestyle.
Hensley, L. (2015). Video Lecture: Tips on Managing Time, Tasks and Study Environment for Online Learners. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/TDme7FwnU2Q (Links to an external site.)
Week 5
Researching online
This week really opened my eyes to the quality of online researching that I was performing. The video provided (here) source evaluation was the first thing that really got me thinking about my process for finding credible sources online. I realized that I was prone to just being okay with information provided by sites based on popularity when I should have been focused on credibility. Looking for credibility brought about a whole new way for me to look at websites when doing research. Now, instead of first looking for through the contents of the page for information on the specified subject, I now go and look for authors, publishers, affiliates first so that there is proof that the information contained on the page is credible and accurate. This is the first step in the 5W method for evaluating an online source, asking “Who?” Next, I proceed to asking the question of “What?” Here, I am checking to see if the content is biased in anyway and credible. Thirdly, I ask the question of “When?” Here, I am checking the currency, or the time at which the information was put researched and put online. Fourthly, I proceed to asking the question of “Where?” Here, I am checking to see if this site has been recognized by others as a reliable site. The last question I ask is “Why?” Here, I am checking the purpose of the site. This is my last step in determining credibility for an online source. I learned a lot during this week. I even completely changed the way I do online research. I find this approach to be a bit more time consuming, but it provides higher quality online resources and more accurate information.