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Hello again. First off id like to mention that I was typing the title in and considered “final post” but then decided, I don’t hate this format and maybe I’d like to use this Blog in the future so why use a title that sounds so final. Anyway, I digress.

The task at hand is explaining what I got from this course. I learned that as much as I like to shop online and surf news websites, I know very little about the depths and interconnectedness of online resources available today. For a girl who did not grow up with a home computer ( they weren’t in every house back then) the ease of access to information is a bit staggering. Not just the access but the organization of it.  Attention to detail and distribution impresses me. The subject doesn’t matter, you can access genealogy records from the Mormon’s in Utah or read a snippet of a poem and cross check Olinks only to find the hardcopy  is available two buildings from where you are sitting!

Being excited or even perplexed about a topic and going online to discuss it with classmates, friends or colleagues in a chat room or on a discussion post is so helpful and engaging and helps make it feel more like a class and part of a community.

I learned I can use flash cards from websites but that I really prefer writing out flash cards old school style because I learned that I am a visual and tactile learner. Reading it while copying to the index card helps me retain the information. Another thing that I learned about myself over the course of this class is that I am not a procrastinator. I think a lot of it has to do with age but what I can get caught doing is wasting time. I can be trying to accomplish something say a reading online for a class, and I will look up, into the room and get distracted by my physical environment. So I have learned to “set the mood” as I like to call it. I study in my bedroom primarily so it is a dual use room. When I have study time designated ( oh- I learned to designate study time too!) I kick out the dog, cat and kid. I put the dirty clothes in the hamper and the clean clothes away. I spread up the bed and do a quick general tidying of the room. This helps me stay focused once I get started because when I do look up, I’m not thinking – oh I should wash that laundry or walk the dog etc.

I’m going to keep applying what I have learned so far and just keep plugging away by taking advantage of  the many resources at my disposal and being open to new avenues of learning.

In closing, I must confess that in addition to liking handwritten flash cards , I also still prefer to write papers and as it turns out ( who knew), blog posts in long hand before typing them up as the picture below illustrates. There is something about paper and pen. Defiantly scratching out something I decided in hindsight was wrong and drawing arrows all over the page, moving one idea here or there. For me it is more personal than typing into a bright white screen. This class is helping me to be more open to technology at least so far as using it to my advantage educationally but I’m still a hippie at heart. Thanks for reading.

Wow this was a big week for this class, more than normal. Developing search strategies didn’t seem like a big deal to me at first but this unit changed my mind. I was surprised to find that I was using several of the strategies already but just didn’t recognize them as such. Repeatedly narrowing my search results by inserting or removing terms, and  using “+, -” or using quotes around your search terms is a great way to narrow your search results.

Researching is more detailed. Finding reputable sites with proper references like using google scholar to identify peer reviewed articles and journals is a great tool. I have recently been studying international environmental politics so using a site like UN.org as a reference assures me that I am using credible information with citable sources.

Again with being old school, I really like outlines, hard copy pen and paper rough drafts we used to call them. What kind of information do I want to use? Where in the paper will this data have the most impact?  I want to include examples that will appeal to my audience (after identifying my audience of course).

Using both effective searching skills and research strategies will allow you the confidence needed to produce a spectacular paper and those tools will stay with you moving forward for the many many other papers in your academic future!

Hello again,

I would like to discuss web enhanced listening and viewing strategies in this post. I am currently taking a political science course and within that class was a section on the Israeli Palenstinian conflict as it pertains to International Relations and Political Theory. I love history and politics but I must admit that I have always been rather confused and gun shy about this particular conflict and if I was going to understand the weeks readings, it was time to brush up on the history behind the conflict. I found this youtube video very helpful. The techniques used in the video include easy to follow simplistic language (they don’t assume you already know/understand the conflict). The video uses animation and graphics to draw a simple picture explaining how the conflict started and the difficulties that began and still go on today. They use simple color to distinguish between the Israelis and Palestinians.

Also the video itself is only about 6-7 minutes long so there is little chance of bordem setting in or my mind wandering off before I grasped the jist of the situation in general. Can a 6 minutes video fully explain the conflict? No, but it was enough to give me the basis to start with so that I have a better chance of grasping the concepts being explained in excruciating detail in my poly sci class!

My favorite part of reading on the web or listening to a web lecture is being able to go at my own pace and even relisten to it as I get closer to taking the exam or test. I am constantly hitting the pause button or rewinding a smidge to catch something I missed. I always print the powerpoint slides 3 to a page with the layout including the slides to the left and space to take notes to the right of each slide. It helps that most of my instructors seem to prefer this layout as well and many come already laid out in this format. I have used the taking notes/typing notes at the bottom of each slide but hard copy works better for me – remember I am old.  When I do add notes directly to the slides electronically, I open a seperate window for the slides and for the video lecture itself. I am fortunate to have 2 large monitors at my disposal so I often show the lecture on one screen and the slides on the other.  I use the – taking notes electronically directly on the slides when I am preparing to give a presentation myself as it helps me decide exactly which information I want to to cover on each slide before I click to the next one. I learn the best when I have visuals to go along with the listening part of the lecture. For some reason, ideas and concepts seem to click easier for me when visual aids are involved.

We’ll I spent the week reading about reading. What I came away with I can’t say surprised me but sometimes just reminding yourself of the basics is enough to get you going on the right track or at least can lessen the odds of a derailment. Preparing to be an active reader and removing distractions were the biggest tips I took away from this weeks reading.

To me preparing to be an active reader really means getting in the right frame of mind to learn. Take a few minutes to do some cleanse breathing. Allow your mind to walk away from whatever you were doing or thinking about moments before. This is your time to focus on your goals. Before you log in, think about what you are about to read for for a moment, allow yourself to be open to new ideas.

Removing distractions is another way of saying, set the mood. Is the temperature of the room conducive to allow your concentration? Are you in comfortable clothes? Do you already have a drink and or snack by your side, do you need the radio to be on a low hum while you work? Did you find an activity to distract the kids while you read? There is no point in setting down to attempt a reading or any studying if the distractions around you have not been addressed.

As great as the web is, I think sometimes it can socially retard us to an extent if we allow it. We can become lazy in its ease and anonymity.  We can’t stay behind the screen forever so adopting good online practices early is key.

If you want to be taken seriously by classmates and teachers you must present yourself as such, even more so online where word are all you have. Correct grammar, carefully chosen words and a sense of personalization is important.  Re-read texts and emails before sending, use spellcheck etc. Try to read it as though you are the intended recipient. Are you interpreting it the way you intended when you wrote it?

Including a “how are you today, or How’d your paper turn out”, let’s the person know the message is not one sided. You are interested in them and not just what they can do for you.

First impressions are important because eventually there is a decent chance that you are going to meet in person and the first impression you gave online, already exists.  First impressions are just that, and not repeatable. Even though you are staring at text on a screen, you gain ideas about that person and they of you. Taking time to carefully craft your message is crucial.

This blog will be directed towards a student audience.