Posts

Maintaining Motivation- Module 7

Motivation is a big driver for success. I’m sure we all have times where we struggle getting motivated; whether it’s being motivated to get out of bed, doing laundry, and most importantly studying for that exam. Good news is that there are tips and tools that can help you increase your motivation. Module 7 is full of amazing tips so I’m sure there’s something in there that will peak your interest.

Let’s think about that exam you need to study for-  first, you should find a place to concentrate (slide 7). Next, my guess is that a lot of you like to listen to music just to block out the silence, but do  you ever find yourself singing along or dancing in your chair, and after 20 minutes realize you didn’t get any studying done? Well, one of the recommended apps that I recently tried is White Noise (slide 8). This app has tons of different soundtracks available. They are perfect for blocking out background noise but not distracting enough to keep you from studying. My new favorite sounds are the thunder storms and rain on metal roof. These sounds are relaxing and can help to keep your mind motivated and on track.

Once you get your mind motivated, you need to curb your addictions… your technology addictions (slide13). One of the apps suggested that I plan to try is called Forest. It’s an app that you use when you want to have focused time and not use your phone for other things like texting and social media. As long as you stay on the app, you’ll be able to grow trees, if you leave the app, your tree dies. It sounds kind of neat and definitely something I want to try.

Additionally, this module does a great job of discussing managing  your stress and protecting your mental and emotional health – which is so important. There are some wonderful resources available to students such as counseling, wellness coaching and relaxation tips (slides 23-24).

Stay motivated! Stay Well!

 

 

 

Searching and Researching- Module 6

Module 6 on searching and researching is such a valuable lesson for college students. We write a lot of  research papers and it’s important to have good, quality resources to include in the paper. The best tip from this lesson I can recommend is from slide 11 on Narrowing a Topic  . If your topic is too broad, you’re going to get a lot of information that might not be useful and you’ll spend a lot of time weeding through the information trying to figure out what you can use.

Another reminder from this lesson is make sure your resources are credible. You’ll want to make sure they have reliability, quality and utility (slides 14-16).  Be careful using Wikipedia, remember that it is an editable, user generated website s there’s no way to ensure that the information is exact (slide17).

Something that I found useful and will definitely use in the future is from slide 24, the Article Express. I wasn’t aware that this was available. One of the things I just recently started using was Google Scholar (slide 25) and the only reason I found out about it is because someone at work told me they googled me on Google Scholar and I didn’t know it even existed. When I put my name in, one of my recent papers shows up, third in the list. That was pretty cool!

There are so many wonderful resources available to us, we can all be great writers!

 

 

 

Web-Enhanced Listening and Viewing Strategies- Module 5

One of the great things about this week’s module is that you’re learning about ways to use online resources.  A wonderful point was made on slide 20 of the lesson and that is that you should not limit your learning to just your textbook or instructor.  There are millions of wonderful online videos, blogs, discussion forums, online databases and journals, etc. that are available and free for you to investigate. If you need additional ways to study something or there’s a class concept that isn’t sinking in for you, go out there and google it! See what is available because you never know, you might find a cool website that has a different way of breaking down the information for you. We all learn differently so we can’t expect our instructors to be able to cater to each of us; we are responsible for our own learning.

Who knows the tune to the BINGO song? I’m guessing the majority of you do. So, those of  you that took Spanish as a foreign language, did you know that there is a YouTube station for a professor who teaches verb conjugations using the BINGO song? The song is catchy and it’s a unique way to teach the information so that it sinks in. This is the kind of online independent learning that is available to you; all you have to do is get out there and search for it! Happy Learning!

In case you’re interested, here’s a link to the -AR verb conjugations in the present tense:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoJmchlWJks

Web-Enhanced Reading and Study Strategies Module 4

Finding ways to interact with online readings, annotate electronic notes and decrease distraction during online learning is the first step to being successful in an online environment. Module 4 is full of great ideas for each of these topics, plus more. I’ve never thought much of changing the way I read things for an online class but there is a way to interact more with online readings. Slides 6-10 in the module give tips on highlighting, what to write in the margins, mnemonics and even when to pause and quiz yourself on what you’ve read.

Additionally, there’s some great information on multitasking (slides 17-19). This lesson shared some interesting info about multitaskers not performing as well, they are easily distracted and they struggle to regain focus.  Who knew?? To wrap up the module, we learn about online resources that can be helpful to students- great info here!

On the list of online resources to check out is Quizlet. This is a really cool tool to use to help you study for tests. You can input the information and it will put the info into flashcards and other testing/review options. You can even search by class – for example ‘OSU Spanish 1103’ and find other students’ studying information. This is a great option if you’re short on time and can’t put in your own info. Just check it for errors before you start studying them- you only make that mistake once!

For me, I’m going to check out some of the online resources that are suggested. For example, the Spanish Checker has some great pronunciation hints- who doesn’t need that?

My advice would be to check out some of these resources as they can help you be a more efficient learner and make studying more enjoyable.

Happy Learning!

 

 

Efficiency in the Digital Age Module 3

Students nowadays are so lucky to have access to the technology that we do; cell phones, computers, social media, etc. However, it does make it so much easier to get distracted when we’re supposed to be working on schoolwork. The module 3 lesson has provided several really great ideas for how we can use technology to manage our time better, create focused time to work on schoolwork and ways to make us more efficient.

The best suggestion that I currently already have in place is having a calendar. Creating a google calendar, or any other kind of calendar app, that you can add time for your classes, your homework and tests dates and your personal time as well (slide 13). Your electronic calendar is a digital tool that can help make you more efficient and keep you on track with everything you have going on. Another wonderful tip that is probably my favorite is making a task list. You can do this using technology- your phone reminders or notes app, or like me, you can use good old fashioned paper. I write down all of my assignments, things I need to study and test dates, sorted by the date that they are due. I draw a check box next to each task so that I can physically check the box once I finish the task. It is very satisfying to see a piece of paper full of tasks and all the boxes are checked.

Another way to increase your efficiency and help with time management is to set timers for when you need chunks of focused, heads down time (slide 22). During that time, you should turn off all notifications and anything else that may distract you. This is a good idea if you have roommates or family that you live with that need help remembering that you need some quiet time to get stuff done.

Have fun playing with different types of technology that can help you be more efficient and good luck!

Communicating and Collaborating: Module 2

Hello! 🙂

Communication is so important in the every day work we do, whether it’s with family and friends, coworkers or classmates. When we communicate in person, it’s much easier to understand the emotion, the context and the reason for the communication. If this last year and a half has taught us anything, it’s that being able to communicate and collaborate virtually is so important. If you would have seen me on campus, I would have smiled at you and said hello. Well, in this electronic communication, I wrote hello and included a smiley face to show you that I’m trying to be friendly even though we aren’t communicating in person.

In module 2 we learned a lot about online communication. Specifically, I like the example given on slide 8 of the lecture, regarding writing an academic email. Writing proper emails is pertinent in school and for your career. It’s extremely important to always write a professional email to your professor or a prospective boss. Including things like greetings and closings are so important because this is what sets an email apart from a text message. Making sure you have the complete context, including who you are and why you are writing are things to always include.

This is something that I’ve been trying to do more often, if I’m emailing someone new, I include a short sentence about who I am and why I’m reaching out to them. This alleviates a lot of confusion for your recipient and they are more likely to respond quicker. Another good piece of advice is to always look for the information before you send an email to ask about it. It will show your recipient that you respect their time and are taking ownership for your own knowledge. This information is great for school and for your prospective career so it’s definitely something you want to get good at now.

 

 

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