Some problems I’ve had with online reading is staring at a screen for long periods of time. I find it difficult, especially at night, reading long passages on my devices. I have also had problems annotating my readings on devices as well. For textbooks and readings that are available for PDF by teachers are usually scanned in and don’t have the option to write on the file. When it is short, I will usually print it at the library, but since the printing cost money, I can only print so much. I prefer having a hard copy of what I am reading in front of me, rather than reading off my devices. For notetaking, I have had problems knowing what information is important and what to write down. I have also had problems trying to write fast enough during lectures.  

As explained by Watkins (2004), the longer we read on our electronic devices, we tend to lose where we are, our eyes lose focus on the material, and we can become distracted by other things on our device. He explains that taking accurate notes is the best way to ensure that you only must read through the material once. The best way I found to solve my online reading problems is to section the reading over a period. This way I don’t stare at my electronic device for an extended period. Taking accurate notes will also help me refresh what I had read previously if I do split up my readings. For notetaking, I have found downloading the lecture, if available, is the best way to take notes for lectures. I don’t have to worry about writing every word in each slide, I can focus on things said by the professor and topics not on the slides. 

References 

Watkins, R. (2004). Online Readings: Gaining the Most from What You Read. In G. M. Piskurich (Ed.), Getting the most from online learning: A learner’s guide (pp. 93-110). San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons. 

For me, I can easily say that I have used each of the 6 reasons described by the Academic Success Center (2017) as to why I have procrastinated. I get influenced by my environment and what I surround myself with. I also tend to put things off until I feel like I’m in the mood to do them. I find that unless I am feeling motivated to get a lot of things done, it is hard to convince myself that I should get things done because it will benefit me. I think this is because I am still slightly in the high school mindset that I can put off tasks until the last minute and be okay. As a solution, I find that using Landry’s (2018) tip, using my peers for support, helps me become motivated to do my assignments or study better. I have realized that being alone I get distracted easily as opposed to me seeing everyone else getting work done, then I want to go work done too. Another challenge I have is using my time wisely. My Mondays and Fridays consist of one class in the afternoon, and I always tell myself I should be productive during those times but end up being lazy. I always end up regretting not getting work done those days, but never fix the problem the next week and end up in this vicious cycle of regret. I think this happens because the time is always before or after the weekend, and I am not wanting to go back to work. While in Globokar’s (2010) reading it mostly refers to allocating your time because your schedule is packed, I think that I need to allocate my time because I have so much of it. I should get into a schedule and set time aside for leisure and time aside for studying, that way I am still balancing study and playtime.

References:

Academic Success Center. (2017, August 1). 6 Reasons People Procrastinate. Retrieved from http://success.oregonstate.edu/learning/6-reasons-people-procrastinate

Landry, L. (2018, May 2). 6 Time Management Tips for Online Students. Retrieved March 5, 2019, from https://www.northeastern.edu/bachelors-completion/news/time-management-for-online-students/

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

I want my “Professional Self” to be someone that people are comfortable coming up to and who is successful in my field of work. Breaking it down into categories, I think the main ones are academic, workplace, and goals. In terms of academics, while I am always trying to do my best, I know some knowledge comes easier than others. I am going to keep up with the skills I am struggling with while continuing to excel in the skills I do well in. Overall, I believe that maintaining a 3.2 GPA or above during my college career would support my “Professional Self”. In the workplace, I want to be known as reliable and independent. I want to be able to receive a project and be able to meet all the requirements, exceed expectations, and meet deadlines. Being financially well off and having a great environment for my future self is what motivates me to excel in these areas. Challenges I may face are altercations with other team members, coworkers, and anyone I can meet. This can be having to approach other students who are working on a project with me or coworkers not performing to the expected expectations. Some other challenges I could face is over-estimating the workload I can accomplish. As explained by Cuseo (2010), self-awareness is an important aspect of setting goals for myself, and I need to be aware of how much work I can handle. 

Goal for myself using the SMART acronym (Chastain, 2012): 

S: Acquiring the required GPA to get into the Computer Science and Engineering major at OSU by the end of the AU19 Semester. 

M: Gain a GPA of 3.2 or higher. 

A: Must achieve a minimum of A- in 4 classes this semester. This can be done by staying on track with my studies and doing well on exams. 

R: Getting into the major will help get into classes required to graduate with a BS in CSE and help me gain useful knowledge to help me gain a job out of college. 

T: 3.2 must be achieved by Dec 4th. I must stick to a study schedule in order to not fall behind on my studies. 

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 

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

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