One of the most effective takeaways from ESLTech 2011 is how to verify the validity and accuracy of a source utilizing the 5W method. The Who, What, When, Where and Why. Over time the access to resources and the ability to publish information has become something you can do from your phone as we found out in week 5. The 5Ws help to sort through the information to weed out biased/opinion based sites and articles as well as ones that do not site their own sources or those that maybe outdated. In my future studies I intend to use this method for my research papers and group projects. In the past when researching a topic I have been guilty of just searching google for sources. With EBSCOHost this will allow me to choose from sources that I designate. You can filter to the publishing year, as well as specify that you only want peer-reviewed sources.                           

Another great thing that I will take away from this course is the concept of a self-regulated learner. As a self-regulated learner a student should be able to control their behavior, motivation and affect, and cognition. They often have a long-term goal they are trying to achieve and make plans to monitor progress towards that goal. This is also ties in with the third characteristic of self-regulated learners which is responsibility aspect. They have to put in the work and have an intrinsic drive to accomplish their goal, they can not be motivated or forced by someone else. I feel like for the most part I am a self-regulated learner however I recognize that no one is pushing me to make the choices I do. Yet, other people are largely my motivation as a first-generation student.  

This class has also reinforced the importance for SMART Goals. I have learned about them before and recognize that they can be very helpful, especially in order to combat the procrastination that has been seeping in for senior year. In order for my last semester to be as effective as possible I created a study goal. I will study every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 2:00-3:30 starting January 6th,2020 at the Union, reviewing my notes from previous classes and going back over any readings so that the material is fresh in my brain. I will measure my progress through the app Notability and creating a new page for each study session. Laying out the specifics for how you will achieve your goals and incorporating them into your schedule makes it easier for them to become reality.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Throughout my life I have come to recognize that I am a mixture of a Visual and a Kinesthetic learner. I thrive best when I am able to color code my notes, see diagrams and visually categorize the differences. Yet, when it comes to certain classes like Anatomy I am a very hands-on learner—I need to I be able to put organs, bones, etc. in their place like a puzzle. Through the course I learned that despite feeling like being taught in your learning style is most effective, if the content is well-developed then all students comprehend the material and do well at equal rates. This actually makes a lot of sense given I have had professors who are purely Auditory and yet I was able to be successful in those courses. 

However, in my future studies when preparing for an exam, quiz or trying to familiarize myself with course content— I will still heavily rely in visual learning techniques such as designating specific colors for key words in notes and using flash cards with pictures. When it comes to teaching with younger students I do feel that the most effective way would be incorporating all four styles into the curriculum. As we get older we are largely able to learn from any style as long as it is well developed. Yet, I believe this starts from being exposed to all of them in our first years in school.

One of the most helpful tools I have been introduced to this semester is Trello! Not only can it be used on desktop but they also have it as an app for your device. I have always enjoyed a good to-do list as it allows me to see the progress I have made as I get through my tasks. However, whenever I have utilized to-do lists, whether on paper or digital,  I often forgot about them before I am able to check everything off if my list because I become preoccupied with the craziness of life. Since I began using Trello in Week 3 I have consistently been completing my to-do lists. As I am constantly moving balancing two jobs and going to school full-time, I am often quite forgetful. This is one of the reasons that Trello is so helpful to me because you can set reminders within the app that will then show up as a notification on my phone. This helps me remember what tasks are still in progress and I can set the reminder to alert me at a time when I know that I will be free. as opposed to randomly remembering something as I am driving down the highway or on my way to class. Also this app allows for different boards for different things. I have one for work, one for classes, and one for personal life like reminding me to make a grocery list. A great feature is the ability to add deadlines and details such as a list within a task. So for me school one, I had the Eportfolio as a task broken down into several steps each week to keep myself on track with making progress. I also set a reminder to order the groceries by no later than Tuesday because my dog would be out of food by Thursday. The Trello app allows me the freedom to dictate what I feel is important and remind me what stage of complete each task is in. This has helped to teach me how to stay organized in a way that is convenient and works well with my busy schedule.