Posts

Module 7 blog post

The most useful thing I’ve learned in this module is the information on “Managing Stress” on slide 21. It gives a lot of helpful recommendations for managing stress that I definitely plan on taking away from this course. The most interesting tip in the list is “making time to enjoy being with friends” this I’m seeing more and more how beneficial it is because I have the tendency to work on assignments all day and try to get everything done in one sitting and get ahead and then when it comes time to hang out with people I’ve been in the zone all day and I just feel out of it. So taking breaks to spend time with friends is important and has definitely helped me! Something that I’ve already put in to practice is the tips on slide 24 for relaxation. The link on relaxing stretching workout for stiff muscles and stress relief has been helpful in reducing stress during this module and I plan to use it in the future. Some things I could put into practice in the future is the information on slide 34 of “the importance of honest self-assessment” self-reflection is vital in evaluating what things are working and what aren’t in our productivity and management of time and this is something that I don’t do nearly as much and would like to start doing more. I will do this by setting a reminder on my phone to have a time set aside 1 day a week to reflect on the past week and what I’ve been doing and how I’ve been using my time and the tools that I’ve been using. Some advice I would give to students would be to exercise regularly to reduce stress, this is something I’ve been doing for awhile and helps me to manage stress and maintain balance in my life amongst the busy schedule that I have. It keeps me sane and gives me energy throughout the day to stay alert and focused on tasks and its also good for you!

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vTsf2ZT9EM1lbzVBxgTSPu-BrF5YV3bmw2r6qDdoZyBN_JX34mJ81sheuvdDWjhUTP9pO7VeGS2jOmt/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000&slide=id.g3cf2681289_0_70

module 6 blog post

The most useful thing I’ve learned in this module is the section on search vs research in slide 12. It distinguishes between the two by saying that regular questions typically have a right or wrong answer but with research questions there is not always a right or wrong answer and can vary depending on certain factors. Something that I’ve already put in to practice is how to develop a research question, in slide 11 there is a link to a resource that gives a guide of how to formulate a good research question. Something I want to put in to practice in the future is utilizing the university libraries webpage for scholarly research/searches. I have never used this resource and I think it could come in handy in the near future when I have to do research for other classes. Some advice that I would give to students based on what I’ve read and experienced during this module is that coming from a fellow student I myself find this module very helpful because I normally am not thinking about how to go about coming up with a research question and making a well-structured research paper. The link on. slide 5 of writing an academic paper is a helpful tool to check out if you are curious about where to even begin with writing a research paper and the steps involved.

link to resource on slide 5:
https://umanitoba.ca/student/academiclearning/media/Writing_an_Academic_Paper_NEW.pdf

module 5 blog post

The most useful thing I’ve learned from this module is the information on typed notes vs. handwritten and the pros and cons of both. Slide 8 states that typing can lead to mindless typing with out much time to filter out important vs. unimportant information and it could be difficult to retain much of it. But it can also be beneficial because it allows the person to store a lot of information to review at a later time and to make it more organized with other software and apps. The resource from south college states that research shows that there are benefits to handwritten notes such as better short-term and long-term memory retention and also helped those who hand wrote notes to understand such material conceptually and were better at the application of such concepts. However, with handwritten notes it can be difficult to reformat and or add new material to it. Something that I’ve already put into practice is the utilization of different programs such as word and OneNote to store, keep track of and organize my notes. I’m still getting use to typing notes because I’m so used to taking handwritten notes so its been an adjustment and will probably continue to be for awhile. I have noticed though that it’s much easier to organize typed notes rather than handwritten and it’s easier to keep track of main ideas. Some things from this module that I could put in to practice in the future could be using outside resources that help me to understand the material better. Slide 19 talks a bit about how important this is in learning the material, if we want to master the material then we need to look at different perspectives of the material and try to enhance our understanding of it. I plan on doing this in my other classes by looking up instructional videos and information related to the material that I’m studying and taking notes of the material I find and adding them to notes I’ve taken from class. Advice that I would give to other students based on what I’ve read or experienced during the module is use other resources to enhance your learning of the subject/material your studying. This can go a long way and you want to be able to take notes of material that is not just in the book or notes your instructor is giving you but material outside of the classroom that allows you to look at the subject in a different light and truly allows one to master it.

slide 10 resource:

Handwritten vs. Typed Notes: Which is Best for You

slide 20 resource:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vR-CucX-jZUVsp0vhLQ0BpXulqFRh325N1XLMQrlzdbWnZvG8SZi4Sy8JKXrrtwfXD-BDUXr_l6Jkj7/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000&slide=id.g3d08199471_0_116

Module 4 blog post

The most useful thing I’ve learned in this module is slide 17 on advice with multitasking. It talks about how multitasking is something we all do and must do in certain situations but it can actually interfere with those who want to be serious about learning and can actually prevent someone from being more productive because it doesn’t allow for balance between tasks. This is helpful for me because I have a tendency to overload myself with tasks and function through tasks without much thought in to if trying to manage all these things is actually beneficial, so I’m beginning to reevaluate how to go about changing my habits. Something specific from this module I have already put in to practice is the use of online study tools such as Quizlet to help me study a certain subject, I like how it allows for you to test yourself too and choose different study categories to switch things up. Some things from this module that I could put in to practice in the future is slide 6-7 on interacting with online readings, I have trouble interacting with texts and I have a tendency to either highlight too much or none at all and then I don’t know what to include and not include in regards to important information and I try to memorize as much as I can without these helpful practices so I really just waste time and put too much effort in to it than what is really necessary. I will put such things in to practice by setting reminders when working on assignments where I have to read something and take notes to look for important areas to focus on and go back through and create a summary of the information. The advice I would give to students based on what I’ve read and experienced during this module would be when working on multiple tasks, try to focus on the most important first and then the least important last. So before you even begin working on something gauge whether or not this should be something I spend more or less time on compared to other important things I need to work on.

slide 17 of lesson:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vToEQ056lQZucyWkZWBk4xFCkex97IhbcbWG5YsbJ46Mss5M7_WWas8Z1AaWskYt8_tJix7Zh6Jz4-C/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000&slide=id.g3cfe7eebad_0_141

Module 3 blog post

The most useful thing I’ve learned from this weeks module was the ideas on procrastination; the importance of identifying the root causes of why we procrastinate, what to do when we identify those and how we can go about being productive, and helpful tips and techniques to beat procrastination if we are lost at how to overcome it. The video on techniques to beat procrastination and the 3 helpful tips that the video gives was really helpful and I will definitely be using these techniques next time I find myself procrastinating. Something I’ve already found myself using is the 5 research-based strategies link for overcoming procrastination on the “strategies to overcome procrastination” slide. One of the strategies listed was “Do something to get started”. I didn’t want to work on this blog post and instead wanted to “chill” but I knew I needed to get started on it because it’s due tonight and I wanted to work on other things as well so I made up my mind and just started it any way even though I didn’t want to. I found this to be really helpful because acting on something I know to be the best decision even though I don’t want to do it always works out in my favor and this clearly has too because I won’t have to rush to get this assignment done later. Whats interesting about this module was the word of caution slide on technology being not only something that helps us with productivity but something that can actually distract us, being aware of this is helpful because its often not something I think about and now that I think about it its often something I fall victim too with all the tools at our disposal. With the knowledge that I now have of the liklihood of technology becoming a distraction and actually hinder my productivity I will try to be more aware of these next time I am working on something and set up rules for when I’m working on stuff such as not looking at my phone or browsing another website unless I need to for the assignment and set timers so that I can take a short break and get back to work right after. The advice I would give to students based on what I’ve read and experienced with this module is that we’re all susceptible to procrastination, its human nature, but when we are willing to admit that we do it, even if its only a little bit, we can take steps to prevent it and become more productive.

link to resources used:
slide 9
https://hbr.org/2017/10/5-research-based-strategies-for-overcoming-procrastination
slide 7
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vRUZVXxptiijmNmsehddN36zGYtV9oSDhm91HK5ijp_QmdiXdBBfh8ZGaxz8AFg-NlYnsCim03Lsj02/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000&slide=id.g3b5b2f7a21_0_52

Module 2 blog post

This module has been very interesting to learn about. The most useful thing I’ve learned about is probably all the communication and collaboration tools that we have access to such as Trello, OneNote and Slack. I never realized how easy it was to share ideas and group projects with fellow students on a number of different platforms and truly how convenient and effective it can be with facilitating individual effort and ideas. Something specific from this module that I’ve been able to put in to practice already is my Netiquette in terms of emailing. This is something I’ve always done well, just because to me it seems like common sense to be formal in the way you approach someone online that you don’t have a personal relationship with. The academic email outline is a good template of how to structure one’s email in a professional/academic setting because it allows the person on the receiving end to fully comprehend the purpose of the email and gives them all the details they need. Some ideas from this module that I could put in to practice in the future could be the tips in the Group Communication section for online students to work successfully in virtual groups. I liked the point on assigning group roles and responsibilities with each person’s individual strengths and interests and identifying what project activities must be accomplished in what order and when. I will put these things in to practice by saving these tips in a document for future reference as a helpful guide. The advice I would give to students based on what I’ve learned in this module is to not overlook the importance of these such tools, even the ones that you may well be aware of and tend to use, you can always refine and get better at the way you use such online tools. And for the student who doesn’t use at least one of these tools, think about which one you could benefit most from and challenge yourself to use it more frequently and be watchful to see the ways in which it grows you to become more effective at utilizing online resources.

Link to resource used

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vQDfFfTekNgYcbrYPPkUhWXlokk8kZ0vBsy6JbPfO6XxCFxAsOpaGwqpZG0YCteIT0UwhNSv2eqpl0e/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000&slide=id.gd01f746_27_0