I have chosen two reflection papers that i have written that show exactly how this class has allowed me to use certain skills to advance in my educational and professional career.
Reflection Paper Week 3- success when working with a group
An issue that has come up in the past when I have worked in groups with online learning is scheduling differences. This is very true when the group size is larger than three members. The larger the group size, the harder it is to allocate time to work on certain assignments together. Also, in the past, I have worked with groups where there is a clash in roles. It is very hard to do an assignment where everyone wants to be a leader or if nobody wants to be a leader.
I believe that with a larger group, it is inevitable that there would be some scheduling issues. When working with a group of students everyone has such busy schedules, most people are full time students on top of also having a job while still maintaining a personal life. Assigning roles within a group is also challenging because no one wants to be the person that lays everything out, so people start randomly choosing parts of the assignment to complete without the consultation of the group. A lack of roles can lead to an assignment not being completed in its fullest with multiple misunderstandings.
The solution I have found to be effective when dealing with a lack of roles is simply to assign them. Stepping up to assign roles is beneficial to all group members in the long run. Assigning roles gives everyone a chance to understand the assignment as well as to understand each group member. A solution to scheduling is to use a method where people are free to work within their schedule. For example, my group used a google document and we found that we were able to work at our own pace on our own schedule, as long as the work was completed before the due date.
Reflection #6 – information about online note-taking/online reading
When dealing with an online course, it can be tricky to organize notes, readings and other useful materials for the class. Sarah experienced this first hand, and I am also no stranger to the difficulties of an online learning environment. In my experience, it is always harder to stay focused with online reading than if it was reading done from that of an in person textbook. Note-taking for me has never posed much of an issue as I am able to take hand written notes and transfer them into papers if need be.
From my experience, I recommend that Sarah should print out her readings and continue to highlight them as she has been doing and to gradually start to practice strengthening her ability to read things online. I personally like to break online readings down into sections. I will read a section at a time and process the information as to not feel overwhelmed. I take notes on each section before I move on to the next to ensure that I am retaining the material and not losing focus. Sarah needs to find a way to not go off track when it comes to online reading. I feel that it is easier to organize notes than it is to organize readings and thoughts so I believe that if Sarah follows this method that I have listed above, she will have a good plan to tackle the difficulties that come with online learning. This is the method that has helped me to succeed in this class.