Posts

Maintaining Motivation Blog Post

Motivation is sometimes hard to come by. Personally, I am sometimes motivated by deadlines to get things done. This leaves me room to procrastinate. Instead, I think finding more rewarding and less stressful motivators can increase productivity. Intrinsic motivators depend on your own personal interest that relies on your growth or how you feel about yourself. For example, motivation for studying for an exam can come from your want of learning the material in order to understand how you can apply it to your future career. This more positive motivation can differ from being motivated to get a good grade because it feels more purposeful and personal to you. Your surrounding is also an important factor in maintaining motivation. Sometimes studying in groups is helpful sometimes it leads to distractions. A good study environment is one that is removed from distractions and makes it easy to concentrate on the task you are trying to complete. If you are trying to study in your room but it is cluttered there’s a chance it may be more difficult for you to clean so having an organized workspace is helpful. In addition to this taking small breaks in between studying is good to reduce any burnout and lack of focus that might creep up while you are studying.

2.2 Organizing Your Space

Searching and Researching Blog Post

Wikipedia has been the forbidden fruit of research during my middle school and high school years. Ever since my teachers began asking me for any research-based assignment I  was always warned not to use Wikipedia. One of the biggest surprises in college has been hearing my professors actually encourage its usage. When beginning research you need a starting point and Wikipedia provides that. Rather than having to filter through tons of sites in order to get the information you want you can cross-check information presented on a wiki site. It’s much easier when you have a point of reference in research so you are not blindly going through sites with no real idea of what you are looking for. A Wikipedia site contains tons of information on a single page that you are then able to take from and form more specific research questions. It makes it easier to narrow your search because you know exactly what you’re looking for. I can slightly understand why we were turned away from it because for kids it seems like a no brainer to just use the site alone without cross-checking. But, I think explaining further how Wikipedia can actually be useful and not just an unreliable site would have been more productive.

 

https://marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky-Search_vs_Research-01.pdf

Web-Enhanced Listening and Viewing Strategies Blog Post

The way you take notes has an impact on how you process your information. That isn’t to say that there aren’t people who still get the results they want no matter what approach they take. Personally, I enjoy taking notes by either typing or on my iPad. They allow me more flexibility when organizing and moving around my notes without having re-write things like I would have to do in a notebook. When I initially take notes it’s more of trying to understand it while simultaneously getting the material down. Since I’m using my Ipad I am able to restructure my notes the best way I understand and process the information. While I do believe there is an efficient way to take notes in a lecture-style setting where information is flying at you quickly. I think that students should feel comfortable in rearranging their notes in a way they personally prefer to read them. Also, to allow them to return to their notes at a later time and still understand the contents of the notes. Handwritten notes have their upsides. According to studies, handwritten notes improve students’ short and long term memory retention of their material. Since it is also a slower process of writing it allows more time to summarize the information as you go. I think it’s possible to mix and match different note-taking styles to fit your liking while still being able to retain information. For example, you can initially write out your notes into a notebook and later type it out for easier access or the other way around.

 

Handwritten vs. Typed Notes: Which is Best for You

Web-Enhanced Reading and Study Strategies Blog Post

Something about reading texts online feels less focused than when reading them on paper. This could be the reason many people struggle with being able to summarize/understand course content they’ve been given online. Some classes give 2 pages of reading a week others get 40 pages a week and if you struggle with understanding long text it can be detrimental to your grade. Although, it may sound intimidating there are ways to get the best out of an online reading. Learning to annotate online readings is necessary to not only be able to understand the reading but be able to return to it at a later time with no issue. The perfect annotation isn’t too long it is just enough to summarize the information in each section. Additionally, highlighting should not be used excessively it should be used sparingly. There are certain concepts that the text explains well enough that it does not need to be annotated. Annotating is easier when using tablets or touch screen computers because of a stylus but there are sites and resources that allow annotating on a regular computer. Google drive is one resource that can also help with annotating but additionally has a multitude of resources. Other resources for annotating are Kami, XODO, and Mendeley.

 

 

https://learningcenter.unc.edu/files/2017/07/Annotating-Texts-S17.pdf

Module 3 : Efficiency in the Digital Age

Procrastination is an ugly demon that attaches to even the best of us. There are many different reasons why someone procrastinates, in this case, their studies but it can be any other activity. A common one that I know of is the procrastination because a task seems to difficult to do and be successful in. There are times where someone might want to complete an assignment perfectly but there is never the right moment to start and get the outcome they want. You want the final product of your work to reflect perfection but the possibility that it may not stops one from beginning it. Instead, it is easier to leave it be till you feel you are ready but at that point, there isn’t enough time to possibly get it to where you want it. In the end, procrastination did more harm than good. I feel that procrastination can not be fixed with simply motivation because not everything holds the same weight to people. I think in order to counteract procrastination discipline is needed and a routine. It doesn’t matter the task if you create a routine/ a habit of finishing an assignment the day it is assigned or a couple of days before it is due then it’s possible that you can keep this habit for your other tasks. Practicing functionality, discipline, and organization can all be key factors in fighting procrastination.

https://hbr.org/2017/10/5-research-based-strategies-for-overcoming-procrastination

Module 2: Communicating and Collaborating

An idea found in this module that I would like to put into practice is the daily use of a spreadsheet. I think it can be a very useful tool in my daily life for scheduling study times, assignments, and keeping track of grades, etc. It allows for a place where I can keep my life manageable without having things slip through the cracks that could later result in stress. Sometimes it is easy to be overwhelmed and feel like there may not be enough hours in the day to get things done. But, using a spreadsheet allows you to organize your day to allocate time for different tasks you need to accomplish. You can schedule in your sleep, time for yourself, and school work. This can give you a sense of control over your life and provide you with more balance being able to see your day planned out. Although, for some, it may cause more unease having your day planned out down to the half-hour. Instead, you can schedule yourself for blocks of time in which you had a vague task you wanted to complete. For example, you can schedule a block of time to work on school with no specification on the assignment or the course. The use of spreadsheets, especially google docs ones that you can share with anyone who is curious about your schedule (maybe you shouldn’t though), can provide you with a sense of control and organization over your life.