My first online class has left me with a feeling of confidence and pride. Not only did I overcome some fears of using online resources but also feel as though this experience has helped me for future online training. I believe this online way of learning, will be the future for other generations of college students and feel comfortable navigating my way through it. I have learned there are so many online resources and training aids that actually are more helpful to the way I learn. I found that the surveys for the way we each learn are different, and if we can tap into what helps us understand a difficult concept, will only help us further down the road. For myself, I have learned how much time is spent wasted when it could have been directed to more useful avenues of accomplishment. The seven day charts we each made of how our time is spent really put it into perspective for me. How easily we can become distracted and waste time.
Time management for a college student and anyone for that matter, is the single most important thing that I will take away from this class. If we can set time aside each week for not only our studies but for the important things in our lives, we will not let time slip through our fingers. I have also learned that peer reviews are very helpful. We each see the world through different eyes, and receiving other online tips and strategies from our classmates really helps with taking in new information. I also really enjoyed the module about finding and citing sources.
Throughout my college experience at Ohio State, and being a History major, Finding information is key. Having the ability to gather primary and secondary sources was vital when it came to researching and writing essays. A freshman needs to learn these skills very soon when entering the University level of scholastic pursuits. There are a few sites that I usually always use for finding information, but taking this class, I have learned a few more that will help me in the near future. Something else I would like to pass on that may help someone else out is the necessity of saving your work. A student never knows when they may have to use or turn in previous work for a professor or even the academic board for proof of completion. I ran into this problem my freshman year when I was dropped from enrolment and had to prove to the college that I did in fact take three courses and passed them because I had saved all my documents from each class. The use of technology will only become more complicated as time goes on and staying up to date is only going to help, the further removed we become from the college scene. Online training in the Army is becoming more mainstream and feel that with this class under my belt, it has only opened the doors for my future success. I have enjoyed this experience very much and feel that I am lucky to have put my reservations aside of online training.