Posts

Throughout this module we looked into methods to maintain motivation and reduce our procrastination even more. For myself, I found the discussion board this week to be extremely helpful. Using the other students posts to find a good way to remain focused and get rid of distractions is very helpful. The most beneficial thing a college student can do is maintain their distractions. If you sit down to study… actually STUDY, do not sit on your phone for 30 minutes then do one practice problem and go right back to your phone. You tell yourself and other people that you studied “so hard for like 3 hours” last night, but we all know that you spent more time during those three hours on your phone rather than actually studying. So, why not put the phone down for an hour and be extremely productive? That way, you spend less time in the library and still retain the same amount of information as you did in your 3 hour “study” session. This is something that has taken me a while to realize, but the old saying “work smarter, not harder” fully applies to a college kid studying. Put your phone down and get the most out of your time while doing schoolwork, you might surprise yourself with how much time you have on your hands afterward.

Many people claim to do “research” on a subject by just doing a simple google search. In Module 6, we learned that there is a big difference between this google search and actual research. A big issue for a lot of students is that we google our question, click the first link, read the first sentence, and believe that what we just read is an undeniable fact. the source of this information could be anything and most students would not check on it. This is the idea that this simple search is enough for us is not good. As students it should be our nature to ask more questions. Questions like “who wrote this article and why should I take their word for it?”. This simple question can lead you to much more valid information than that of the first link that shows up on your google search. Making sure the information is of good quality and from a good quality source is extremely  important. Especially if you are putting this information in a paper (or whatever it is) with your name on it. Not doing enough research, not just on the topic at hand but on the articles used as well, can seriously reflect poorly on you as a student.

This weeks module focused on web-enhanced listening and viewing strategies as well as note taking strategies. Something that was brought up in this module that I learned long ago was the note taking strategies. I was in late Middle School or early High School when we were taught the Cornell note taking method. Although, I admit, I do not follow this system to a “T” nowadays, I did attempt all throughout  high school to take my notes in perfect Cornell method. However, once I got to college the professors moved so fast and I was a slow writer that I found myself constantly playing catch up instead of fully understanding what I was writing. It was then in my second semester of my freshman year that I realized that my notes did not have to be perfect Cornell format or a perfect outline. MY notes only serve one purpose, and that is to work for ME. So, with that in mind I found a great balance between outline and Cornell that helps me retain the most information possible as well as keeping up with those speedy professors in college. That is the biggest advice I can offer on this subject. Your notes do not have to be pleasing to anyone but you, find the best note taking strategy for you. If you are like me, it could be a mixture of two strategies.

Many useful things were presented in this weeks module, but one that stuck out to me personally was the video on the best ways to study (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJbKXmujI00&feature=emb_title). This was a video that I found incredibly useful, especially this weekend. In the past I have been the type of person to attempt to cram all of the material for an exam into my head at one time then tell myself that I studied. All this time I knew I was not attaining the information fully, but I also thought that if I stayed up late and jammed the information into my head, that meant I was working as hard as I could. However, throughout a lot of situations in my life I like to live by the old motto “work smarter, not harder”, but I never thought about studying in this way. That was, until this year when I transferred to OSU. I now have a good balance of the things mentioned in the video, and let me tell you it works so much better. since I have been studying hard in short bursts and then taking a break and reflecting on the material, I have been doing so much better in my classes. In fact, I am doing this method right now as I prepare for two midterms tomorrow.

This weeks module asked us to set up a google calendar as well as create a task list. These are two tools that I have toyed with using for a very long time but I have never actually decided to take the time to develop the list or calendar. So far, after creating the list and calendar, I already feel less stressed about the classes and assignments I have coming up in the next couple weeks. I really enjoy having a calendar online that I can view anywhere thanks to modern technology. This is a tool that would be great for any student to use to give them a view into their future weeks so that they do not feel overwhelmed when the week arrives. Combine this calendar with a task list to lessen the stress of a school week even more. A task list gives you a great look at the assignments coming up in each class and including dates on the task list lets you prioritize these assignments based on class and due date so that you never get too stressed about homework again. HOWEVER, these tools are only as useful as you make them, so take your time creating them and do not cut corners. Taking the time to make a well thought out task list and calendar will prove helpful for anyone.

Whenever I email a professor, boss, or even a friend, I always make sure to follow an appropriate template in order to write a well written email. Starting an email with a greeting that contains the persons name is always an appropriate step to take in the email writing process. To some students nowadays this seems unnecessary, but I can assure you that this formality is a necessary part of the email. The body of any email I write to a professor always starts with a sentence that contains my name and what class of theirs I am in, this gives your professor an opportunity to put a face to the name while also letting them know what topic this email pertains to. The body of the email, whether it is a question or a statement, remains to the point and professional. This means you stray away from contractions and abbreviations. This is a rule that should be followed no matter who you are emailing because coming off as professional and appropriate is never a bad thing. The concept of brevity and professionalism applies to the subject line as well, making sure it contains just the general subject of the email typically not containing more than two words. Lastly, always sign your name at the bottom of the email and include your phone number if necessary.