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In this class I became more comfortable with using the internet. Going in I thought I wasn’t going to get as much out of it, I thought it would be a nice simple class. I was expecting that the course would teach me one or too little things that would help me out, such as using search engines and emailing etiquette.  I did learn how to search more effectively with Boolean operators, and how to better utilize resources available through OSU, and the depth of additional tools available online. For instance when I was searching for other students blogs, to comment on them, I searched for the name and dot number, but I did not readily find everyone by that method. I was able to modify my search. I knew that the blogs were all though the OSU system. So I was able to narrow my results quite effectively by adding site u.osu.edu. .  Proper searching is incredibly useful; recently I was able to quickly find an article online that would have otherwise been a long and tedious search. I had begun to read an article on NPR but I had to leave, and shut down my computer. I was able to find the article by searching google for the article with the added site operator. The little things like this will help me throughout my future education and career. Additionally the course was helpful in my future success because it was a course that was very easy to forget about. There was no physical class, and the work could be done any time. This forced me to take on more responsibility for my time and actions. It has also made me more aware of my tendencies and beliefs. I have realized that I am over confident, I believe I can do all of the work in a short period of time, and while it is true that I can, that is not the best way of doing it. I have also found that I am shy, while at the same time over confident. That combination causes me to put off work, because I both believe that I can’t do it now, but can do it quickly when I want to. Those two beliefs disprove one another. In future classes will have a better ability to recognize my motivation, and to recognize that I want to start projects earlier and I want to be more organized in my approaches, because of the scenarios in this class in which I missed out on easy assignments.

This class was meaningfully because it exposed me to things I had not previously been exposed to. The course forced me to write blog posts and comment on something in a professional manor. As an engineering student, I haven’t had to write to a more general audience, like I did in the blog posts. I was uncomfortable with the idea of writing in such a manor, and since being forced to do it I have gotten more comfortable with it, and have gotten better. The blog posts were the most meaningful experience of the course because they we exposure to something that I have not done in a college setting. Communication is important, and experience will increase my confidence in this form of communication. This class will help me to better communicate and to better find the information and tools that I can benefit from online.

In today’s world there is a wealth of information. It can be overwhelming. There are many useful bits of information that can be obtained. As a student in the twenty first century the uses of online sources is critical.  The most often used sources are Google and Wikipedia, there are also resources available through the library here at Ohio State.  Wikipedia is a useful tool used for general reference, and as a guide for finding more information. Wikipedia however is user created, which can bring into question the credibility of the source, so it is important to use other sources.  The library along with other OSU resources can give access to many credible sources.

Google is an effective tool. It is capable of searching the web to find relevant sites.  Searching effectively is key to success, because the information you seek is almost always out there, it is more of a matter of finding it in time. Setting parameters on your search is a key way of narrowing down the results to those you are interested in. For example as I prepare to study for finals I type into Google ” site.edu organic chemistry exams “. The search engine leads me to the sites I desire, If I had found many general chemistry or physical chemistry material I could refine my search by typing “organic chemistry” -“physical chemistry” -“general chemistry”. Parenthesis lump the words together into phrases, and a minus sign excludes the phrases you do not want. Google scholar is another part of Google. It is a much more effective way to search for scholar articles. I have used Google scholar to find research papers.

World’s Roundest Object, Veritasium

( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMByI4s-D-Y )

In this video the worlds roundest object is seen. It is a sphere of silicon 28 atoms. The reason this is such an interesting sphere is because it has the potential to redefine the metric system. The video goes on to cover the history of the gram, kilogram, and the importance of the gram. The gram is the basis for multiple other unites. The video outlines the problems of having a physical object as the standard for a unit, and goes on to explain how this sphere of silicon can be used to give a new standard for mass. It explains how a certain constant is determined by the unit of mass. I am personally irritated by this, because I would like constants to be constant.

This video has given me additional insight into basis of the metric system. In the video it detailed which units where dependent on the gram, and how even Avogadro’s constant is dependent on the gram. This video covers material that is important for physics, chemistry, material science, and it is relevant for all fields of science. The researchers in the video also contextualize material that I have learned in my material science class.

The internet has many useful tools which can make college much easier. There are many tools which can aid in many different facets of the academic work. The web can aid studying just as it can improve every other facet of life. There are tools which have flash cards made by others, and allow you to make your own. Flashcards are very useful for review and memorization. They are excellent for vocabulary that you would encounter in language classes, and memorizing vocabulary is also useful for biology classes.  The flashcards made by other users are generally accurate, but a word of warning, they are not necessary correct, or covering the correct material for the class that you are taking.  On the internet there are also videos which will walk you though many different topics. On which I have used is Khan academy, which covers topics including mathematics, chemistry, biology, finance, and many more. Online videos such as Khan academy videos are a helpful supplement to the lectures and reading of a course. They are often used as a quick way to understand material that was difficult to understand during class, or while reading, but it is important to remember that while these videos are a good overview, they should not but used alone. The understanding required to do successfully in a college level course is deeper than the summations used in most videos.

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Technology can be a helpful tool for the collaboration of people. The use of internet communication has many beneficial aspects. Email can allow for communications with an otherwise difficult to reach professor. The communication through online tools must be used in a proper manor. The internet, communication via blogs, comments, post, and emails, allows for swift communications, but it is important to keep track of the tone of said communication. People easily forget that they have a reputation at stake when they use the internet, because the lack of the lack of physical interaction. The lack of physical interaction can also lead to misunderstandings, because non verbal communication can not be observed. The lack of non verbal cues makes sarcasm and slang  a liability for internet communication. It is best to avoid conversing in this manor, because a misinterpretation can be harmful to your own personal reputation, which would have many repercussions.

Collaboration online is an emerging way in which to do group projects. Services such as Google drive are helpful in online collaboration. It allows for the sharing of documents, and shared editing. I have personally used a Google drive account for a shared project in my engineering class. Using this technology allowed all members of the group to be aware of the work that was being done, and we keep the schedule of our work on the drive, so that the group was aware of work that needed to be done. Online communication has become a vital part of society. In college is very close to a necessity, and I have no doubt that in industry it is as not, if not more necessary. While the use of the internet for communication has some downfalls this can be avoided by carefully assessing what you as an individual post and email, and the manor in which you write your postings and emails.