From a young age I have always looked forward to the individual I will someday become. I want to develop into an individual that people can rely on consistently as well as to be an outstanding member of my field. I am an operations management major, so whichever route my life takes me, I want to be the best at what I do. Deploying methods of SMART can help me as I progress through different phases of my life. It was always be important to consider a specific plan of action, consider my progress, consider the ability to achieve my goal, consider the relevance to my job, and to consider the timeline in which I can accomplish my task at hand (Chastain, 2012).

Moving forward, I anticipate challenges will arise that will question my integrity and willingness to pursue my “professional” self. Some of these challenges may include workplace conflict with coworkers, academic struggles in courses I am taking, financial burdens that will put my intentions in doubt. Part of being a professional is having the mindset to overcome any challenges that will be presented in any setting, and I intend on using SMART methods to keep me most aligned with my motivations. SMART does not only have to do with academic subjects, but also social ones as well, which is why I can use it when facing social conflict. Furthermore, it will help me to develop a strong financial plan in order to help me keep my head above water.

According to Cuseo (2010), successful individuals are those who have a strong locus of   control and have the ability to take initiative in all scenarios; that is the mindset I intend on embracing in my lifestyle. In doing so, I will not only see a positive growth from myself, but I will be able to benefit those around me as a result of the steps I will be taking towards becoming a “professional.” I will use school to my avail as I will be taking a variety of courses to expand my knowledge of the workplace, and I will be partaking in internships to gain experience early on.

Prior to taking this course, I never really typified myself as a certain type of learner. Throughout much of my life, I had been able to grasp information in virtually any setting and under any circumstance. After taking the survey, my expectations of myself did not really change. Many of the questions that asked about basic learning and application skills I already have in myself. I do not think I will necessarily make any changes to my learning style, but I will use my results as affirmation of my goals and use it to motivate me further into becoming a professional both in school and in the work setting. I look forward to seeing how I will be able to incorporate these various learning styles and desires into my growing professional self.

References

Chastain, A. (2012, May). SMART goals help you achieve success. Retrieved from http://www.canr. msu.edu/news/smart_ goals_help_you _achieve_success (Links to an external site.)

Cuseo, J. (2010). Chapter 2 Goal Setting, Motivation, and Character. In Thriving in the communitycollege and beyond: Strategies for academic success and personal development (pp. 39-62). Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Pub.

Throughout my life I have experienced a variety of challenges when attempting to get my work done on time. Earlier in my life, these challenge came more so a result of dealing with my environment and having to adjust, for my family and I moved houses often, something Globokar notes in his writing as difficult for getting work done. It was then difficult to ever get that work done because I didn’t really have a conducive learning atmosphere. Never did I not get my work in on time, so I had to adjust and pick up a more on the go lifestyle in order to keep up in school. I got really into calendars and planning out my weeks so I knew what I had to get accomplished. As a result, I am very organized and always have my work presentable and readily able to do.

Now that I have transitioned into college, I am presented with a whole new challenge of time management. No longer am I in a consistent, binary high school setting in which I had set hours of school and then could go home and do my work. The college setting is much different and requires a different approach because my classes are at random different times on different days, combined with other student organizations and meetings I am also tasked with attending in between. As a result, it has become challenging to find time in the middle of all that to get school work accomplished at a high level, find time to eat, and get a little free time for myself, and maintain an adequate amount of sleep as Marano notes in his article.

In order to attend all the necessary classes and meetings within my schedule on top of getting accomplished everything else I need to do, I have developed a strategy/system that has truly allowed me to not procrastinate. I often set numerous miniature deadlines for myself throughout the week so that I am able to finish assignments before they are due. While it does feel like I am always working, I find myself with extra free time because I not forced to cram out all my work in one sitting.  Additionally, when I have gaps in my day, I will work on assignments so that I do not have to worry about them at a later time. Furthermore, if I get out of a class early, I will use that extra time to accomplish something productive because I know it will only help me in the future. To keep myself organized, I have adapted my old habits of using calendars and scheduling so that I stay on top of my tasks. I have my schedule linked between all of my devices, so no matter which one I am using,  I will still have access to what I need to get done. Doing this helps with setting and completing those mini-deadlines and preventing myself from getting stuck in a pattern of procrastination.

References

Globokar, J. L. (2010). 3 Getting Organized. In Introduction to Online Learning: A Guide for Students. (pp. 29-44). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc)

Leach, A.(n.d.). Time Management Tips for Non-Traditional Students. Retrieved June 26, 2017, from http://spsblog.cofc.edu/blog/6-time- management-tips-for-non-traditional-students (Links to an external site.)

Marano, H. (2016, June 9). Procrastination: Ten Things To Know. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200308/procrastination-ten-things-know

• Feasibility of Online Learning
  • One of my biggest takeaways from partaking in the ESLTECH 2011 course is idea that online learning is just as doable as in person learning. This was my first time taking an online course, so I had no past basis on what to expect from this class. As I approach its completion, I now realize the benefits of the course and how possible it is to maximize learning capabilities. With online learning, there is also the potential to expand one’s knowledge as much as possible; what one puts in is what one will get out of the class. To succeed in an online class, I learned to be resourceful, meaning if I am struggling I will reach out to others for assistance; to get work done on time and set mini-deadlines throughout the week to manage my time well and make sure I can’t procrastinate; and to put full effort into the class so that I can get everything out of it.
    
    
• Importance and Usefulness of Online Collaboration
  • Prior to this course, I did not realize how important and useful it is to cooperate with other likeminded students online rather than in person. Through this I was able to complete a group presentation solely online, for we communicated through multiple mediums and still effectively spoke with each other and completed the assignment. We were able to designate role responsibility from the beginning so that no conflict later arose and so everybody knew what to do, as well as established deadlines. We held each other accountable yet did so without causing conflict. Having to collaborate online taught me how to get work done using technology more effectively, and how to solve problems with my online group. It taught me responsibility and accountability because each member of the group had roles in which we needed to fulfill by certain times.

• Technology I learned
  • Three of the most useful technologies I learned in this course are Trello, Voicethread, and Evernote. I found Trello to be especially beneficial to me because I use scheduling planners very often to stay on task in my classes. Trello allows the user to have folders for work that is “To do”; “Doing”; and “Done.” There is the ability to customize the screen and personalize it to the users interests and needs. With regards to Voicethread, I found it to be extremely useful when needing to do a voiceover for the group presentation and effectively synthesize the information and then export it to a readily accessible outside source such as Canvas. For Evernote, it was a software that I used in high school, but through this course I have been able to learn more about it and exploit its benefits. It helps me with taking notes and personalizing them to my own needs, while being able to upload various types of media and export it to different devices and sites.

I walk away with a more sincere and full appreciation for online courses and learning, and I am thankful for the opportunities it provided me and taught me.