EverNote (pictured above) is the tool I use to take notes.

As an older student who did not grow up with the technology millennials take for granted, I find that I’m still getting used to staring at screens to read and take notes. It just does not come naturally to me. As I mentioned in one of my reflection papers earlier in this course, I prefer to read paper copies of the course material and I prefer to take notes on paper in a notebook. That said, this course has certainly introduced me to some new possibilities, and I really have tried hard to tackle the strategies discussed in the course.

I think one reason I struggled in the past was that I was not aware of the technology that is available to students these days. While I still wrestle with some of the tools that Watkins writes about in Chapter 8, “Online Readings: Gaining the Most from What You Read” (2004), I plan to practice using tools like the highlighter or sticky notes feature in pdf documents (Watkins, 2004, p. 98), features I knew about but never tried, even when this course ends. Maybe one day it will become second nature to me.

Also, when reading for a class, I usually just dived right in and started my reading. I didn’t prepare for reading. No one ever taught me how to do this, and that’s sort of crazy! As Watkins points out, “…it is often important to reflect on the purpose of the reading within the context of the e-learning experience…This reflection will provide you with a clear set of goals…” (Watkins, 2004, p.100). Additionally, I really liked his tips for increasing proficiency, such as “follow the major concepts or ideas more closely than the individual words” (Watkins, 2004, pp. 104). Another important concept was reflecting on your notes (Watkins, 2004, p. 105). I usually never look at my notes again, unless I have a test or something. No wonder I have memory issues! I must start doing this.

Besides online reading, we also looked at note taking in this module. I tend to stick with the outline method when taking notes, but I am very proud of the fact that I have started using EverNote. I even used it over the weekend when I attended a workshop at my church. We were getting ready to start a discussion and I grabbed a pen and started fishing around in my purse for a piece of paper, then I thought, “No!” I whipped out my cellphone and brought up my EverNote app and used that to take notes. That is a huge step for me. I felt so hip and wise! I really appreciate the opportunity that this course has given me to try new learning techniques. Thank you!

Source:

Watkins, Ryan. (2004). Online Readings: Gaining the Most from What You Read. In G.M. Piskurich

(Ed.), Getting the most from online learning: A learner’s guide (pp. 93-110). San Francisco: John

Wiley & Sons.

Over the past several months, there has been much public debate over “fake news” and the media. We spend much of our spare time on facebook and twitter, and it is very easy to just click “share” without thinking. Writing a research paper for an academic course is similar. Sometimes we Google sources and use them without thinking. We don’t take the time to consider the source, content, or appropriateness of the information. This week we looked at some ways in which we can evaluate resources to use in our academic study.

Because I have worked in academia for a number of years, I am familiar with monographs, peer-reviewed journals, and abstracts. I have had to edit many! I still find it hard sometimes, though, to find sources to use in my own work. I’m so used to using Google that I forget that the library exists. Indeed, Ohio State has a first-class library, and it was relatively easy to perform a search on our library’s web site for journal articles related to my chosen topic; however, I had a hard time locating books on the subject (Does eating processed meat cause cancer?).

I find that I rely on digital sources because of convenience. I hope after learning some of the strategies we discussed this week, such as thinking about the 5Ws, that I will make more informed choices when selecting sources for my research papers in the future.

I often say, “I hate group work.” But that is not entirely true. I have to collaborate with my colleagues at work every day, and I enjoy that. The main reason I “hate group work” when it comes to college courses is that it is incredibly difficult to schedule time for collaboration, especially when taking an online class. One of the reasons that people take online classes is that they like the flexibility. A student may be taking an online class because they live far away, work weird hours or have other responsibilities. When a group project is thrown into the mix, you now have to work around other students’ schedules. That definitely has been the primary stumbling block for our group in completing the first step of our group project.

Even though I already have two college degrees (B.S. Secondary Education and B.A. History) and work full-time as an administrative associate in the Department of History at Ohio State, I often ask myself: “Who am I? Who do I want to become?” I have tried many careers: I have been a clerk in a law firm; I was a registered sales assistant at a stock brokerage firm; I worked in IT; I worked in the Arts; I worked in the fashion industry; and, I have even dealt blackjack for a living. I think the reason I have had so many vocations is that I am interested in learning…everything. My intrinsic curiosity, combined with a deep longing to “find myself” has propelled me through life. It may sound simple, but I am very happy doing what I am doing now (being an administrative assistant), surrounded by smart people (professors and staff), having a tremendous amount of resources at my disposal (Ohio State libraries and courses), and pursuing what I really want, which is to be a good human being. As I get older (I am nearly fifty), it does get harder to keep up, though. Technology has become an integral part of society, and I don’t want to get left behind.

Primarily, I want to exercise my mind. I want to keep it in good working order. I want to delay the “aging” process. One way I can do that is by taking college courses. Because I work a full-time job, most, if not all, of the courses I take will be online, and I don’t want to feel intimidated.  One way I plan to overcome this particular challenge is by taking this course. The “three Ds” of motivation – drive, discipline, and determination (Cuseo. 2010, p. 52) will be vital to my success. By mastering the material covered in ESETEC 2011, I will have more confidence when I enroll in other classes at Ohio State so that I may continue my mission to constantly learn new things and “exercise my mind.”

I have taken many self-assessments in the past, so I don’t think I learned anything new from the Week 2 Self-Assessment. I am not taking college courses to get a job, obtain a better salary, or to prove something to my parents. Before taking the assessment, I knew I was self-motivated. One category that was surprising to me, though, was “Learning Strategies.” I noticed that my “Deep Strategies” and “Surface Strategies” scores were fairly close. I thought my score for deep strategies would have been a lot lower.  My score for “Collaboration” indicates that I can work in well in a group, and I can, but I really do prefer to work independently.

Source:

Cuseo, J. (2010). Chapter 2 Goal Setting, Motivation, and Character. In Thriving in the community college and beyond: Strategies for academic success and personal development (pp. 39-62). Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Pub.

Online learning is different from face-to-face learning in many ways. Primarily, I chose to take this online course because I can fit it into my schedule easier than a face-to-face class. I am not alone. According to Long (2004) lack of time is one of the two major obstacles in continuing to learn (p. 10). But after working in academia for a number of years and being in on discussions where faculty debate the legitimacy of online learning, I worry that my online coursework will not be taken seriously. Luckily, in Introduction to Online Learning: A Guide for Students, I learned this is a myth. Globokar (2010) explains that “the line between traditional and online education has blurred substantially,” and that “with the sheer growth of online education, more people are gathering an understanding of the rigors of online coursework through personal experience” (p. 14). Globokar (2010) goes on to say, “school administrators are beginning to recognize the power and versatility of the technological tools that support online learning, sometimes beyond what would be possible within a traditional classroom” (p. 14).

My online learning experience comes mostly from job training, where I simply had to view a power point presentation and complete a quiz afterward. I think my primary challenge by learning online will be staying focused. Even when reading the instructions for assignments, I find myself skimming, as if I were looking at my Facebook page instead of comprehending and remembering what I read. I find myself spending a lot of extra time re-reading things or printing them out so I can make notes or highlight key ideas.

I am amazed by all of the resources available at Ohio State. Even though I am an Ohio State employee, I never knew that some of the resources highlighted in Module 1 even existed. I am particularly interested in gaining access to Lynda.com tutorials. I am a self-taught InDesign user and I sometimes feel Lynda.com tutorials could teach me the “right way” to do things in InDesign. Now that I know I can access Lynda.com for free through the Columbus Public Library, I definitely will utilize this resource.

There are several elements that will determine my success in this program. Obviously, if I complete all of the assigned coursework and receive and “A,” one could say I have been successful. But beyond that, I think the true measure of my success will occur when I take what I have learned in this class and apply it to future online courses. If I can find sources easier, user present technology like a pro, and comfortably engage with instructors and peers, then I will feel like this program was a success. How will I ensure I am successful? There’s a saying that goes something like “you get out of it what you put into it.” I firmly believe that. I think hard work and a good attitude go a long way. I intend to get as much out of the class as I can.

Sources:

Globokar, J.L. (2010). Debunking the Myths of Online Education. In J.L. Globokar (Eds.), Introduction to online learning: A guide for students (pp. 1-14). Thousand Oaks: SAGE.

Long, H.B. (2004). E-learning: An Introduction. In G.M. Piskurich (Ed.), Getting the most from online learning: A learner’s guide (pp. 7-23). San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons.