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As the class winds down, there are many reflections I have over the course of the semester. The class has taught me many new things about technology and online resources. Coming out of High school technology was just on the verge of being standard in schooling. I remember when we learned that our grades were now going to be posted online so our parents could see, that was scary! Then, entering college and having to almost solely rely on computers was overwhelming. Luckily, through classes like this, I was able to learn and gradually become more comfortable using technologies. I didn’t know so many resources were out there to help us with college.  One of the biggest things I learned in this class was how to manage  my time better. The module that made us track how we spend our days is something I will always use to help me gauge how each and everyday goes.

From learning about how I manage my time, I also learned a lot about myself. I tended to put things off until the last minute most of years in college and it always left me with all nighter’s in which it never ended up being my best work. When using the google spreadsheet I saw that I spend way to much time having fun in the summer, and then regret it when I need to finish my homework. I liked the online system though because I could have a busy day and then set some time away to finish my work. Sometimes this was on a monday, other times I waited far to long and did them on a Sunday, like today. I always give myself plenty of time to do it .

The modules that showed us all the different resources may have been the most helpful in terms of what I use on a daily basis. With having a Political Science major I spend much of my time reading articles and doing research on Ohio States Library, luckily this course showed me even more ways I can find info and that has been great. I would say that these resources have been the most meaningful aspect I have taken from this course, since I use them all the time.

In the future I will use this course in many ways. For one, I work at a lobbying firm in downtown Columbus and often times I do research. Our firm represents a number of types of corporations so I really have a lot of ground to cover. For example, last week I was researching fracking (the type of oil drilling). One of our clients wants to build a pipeline from Pennsylvania to Ohio. They are holding meetings with interested parties soon at the statehouse to go over how it will all happen. My boss asked me to put research together on fracking, so that he could present an argument to the legislature on how it works and the affects. I was able to find several academic studies done by world known scientists on the subject through google scholar and Osu’s library system, and the meetings went great. I see myself using these databases quite often in the future

In this module I found it very fruitful to learn better ways to find research. I think the biggest change between high school and college, well one of them, is that your sources have to be perfect and reliable. The quality of your research completely reflects the quality of your paper. Especially when writing on dense topics and having to really understand a topic, the more good research will help your paper. I also find it important to have multiple academic sources. If someone were to rely on just one large academic study they would only be portraying what that study found important in the research, which perhaps could have been very specific. The OSU library catalog has helped in so many jams while writing papers in college. The databases I like the most are the ones the cite the source for you! Those are always gems.  The module could be the most important one of them all for those with majors that are writing based. In political science I write papers all the time and constantly have to find research on theories and ideas. I took a terrorism class that used quite a bit of academic research on the aspects of terrorism and why they do it, and I used the catalog to find great studies, some even done at Ohio State at the Mershon Center. Overall, I took quite a bit away from the module and will increase my research ability.

I really enjoyed this module because I think it may be one of the most important aspects in college life. In Highschool, you learn in a very structured environment and rely on exercises and homework to learn the material. In college it is largely based on your own responsibility and finding out the way you learn. Therefore, when attending lecture, there is a large weight on making sure you learn the material. When I first started I tried several strategies to see what worked for me. I found reading the material for that days lecture the night before was one of the best strategies I ever used. I was able to be fresh on the material and already have a general understanding of what I needed to focus on for that day. Secondly, I found I write extremely faster with my computer than hand writing. With that skill I was able to take more notes and be able to read them later, as my handwriting is less than neat. Thirdly, I like to sit close so that I can stay engaged and not use google or read random things online. That is one of the problems with having your computer with you, but if you can stay disciplined and focus, having your computer can prove fruitful.

Video Post

This video is one that strikes me relatively hard. It was shown to be in lecture during my International Terrorism class a few years ago. It is narrated by A New York times writer who covered the Kennedy assassination. It is called the Umbrella man and begins by setting up the idea that a man with an umbrella out on the sidewalk in front of Kennedy on a bright sunny day had an contraption in the umbrella that actually killed Kennedy. It then describes how it was actually just a visual protests to the actions made by Kennedy’s father while he was the US ambassador to England, and the umbrella was a tribute to Neville Chamberlain. The idea of the educational historic documentary is to prove that some things really are just unexplainable. In what he calls sinister facts, he describes that coincidence really does happen, and conspiracies are nearly always wrong.

The man with the umbrella testified in front of Congress and they believed his explanation”. If you have any fact that you think is really sinister. You can never think of any sinister explanations to come up with the reason for that fact”- Josiah Thompson. I end the blog with one of his ending lines because  it really hits home with a lot of conspiracies, and I think its something educational everyone should see. The video helps educationally as well in the sense that it provides a visual of the Kennedy assassination and just how it really does look like the man with the umbrella did it. I think digging for answers and providing arguments are skills that help in all aspects of life and in college

This week the module was very helpful. It seem like people don’t realize how much is really out there on the internet that can help you with school. Its nice this day and age to have a plethora of resources that can help us with pretty much anything. I started using study blue last semester and it actually saved me big time on an extensive exam.  A group of us all split up the study guide and chose different sections to work on, and then we all put in into study blue and made flashcards. Since we all had our laptops we were able to read off the flashcards and we all learned it really quickly. I think study sites are more helpful for general education classes because they are usually less conceptual and are more based on memorization. For example I am political science major and many of my exams are essay based and very conceptual on theory and thought. I typically read the material extensively and then I will write what I feel is important on paper and revisit that topic. I had used the Purdue writing tool in High School when were learning about the vocabulary and I always remember how great and smooth it was, I learned quite a bit from that site.

Module 3 was very interesting in that we got to actually see how we allocate our time throughout the week and whether that was affective or not, as well as to learn some new ways to collaborate and communicate online. I had never heard of netiquette or that it was even a word. Growing up in the age of technology, computers and emails we truly have been pioneers in this whole process. Its almost like we are making the rules as we go as things become more standardized. I liked the bit that discussed when to either call or use email. I have this problem sometimes in my job, as I work in politics and I am constantly communicating with politicians. If I have a quick question I will usually use the phone but if the response may take some time and thought, I will write an email and give them the opportunity to think. I totally agree on the section that talked about over analyzing through email, as its a problem I continue to have today with work, and attempting to not make things so wordy. Lastly, I struggle with putting in headers to my emails, its something I always forget! So the reinforcement of this module will put a mental note in my head that hopefully sticks