Final Reflection Blog

 

From the beginning of the course to the end of the course I definitely learned a lot more online resources. I discovered many websites that I can now use as tools to study and take notes more effectively. I knew most of the study and learning strategies but being reminded of them was good so that I could consciously remember to incorporate them in my day to day life. My knowledge and study skills are definitely more efficient now. One of the most interesting things I have learned is what type of learner I am. I learned I am more of an active, sensing, visual, and global learner. This was interesting to me because it explained a lot of the reasons why I learn better in some classes and with some study methods vs others. It also helped me feel less bad about struggling in certain classes because I realized the teaching style didn’t match my learning style. I can help this by using online tools to supplement what I don’t understand. I have learned how to write an effective discussion reply because it applies to this class and my french class. In my french class we peer edit papers so I tried to implement what I learned in this module by being more thoughtful in my feedback to the papers. On page 54 it talks about if all you have to say is “I agree” then it probably means you didn’t listen well enough. So in my french class instead of just saying good sentence structure or good use of vocabulary I try and give more specific feed back like good use of particular vocabulary tenses. I will apply what I learned in this class in the future by continuing to study more effectively and use online tools like quiz-let, Purdue, and kahn academy to study. I will also use what I learned about how to google to be more efficient when I research for my research papers. I have already had to use those tips in some of my classes this semester such as my peace studies and comparative psychology class. The advise I give to others is to make sure you experiment and try different study and learning methods to see what works for you. For example even if you know you work best when you learn from flashcards. Try different websites such as quizlet and study stack because you might find that one website actually works better for you than the other. To do this you have to take the time to explore the internet. Furthermore make sure to stay motivated to do your work because if you fall behind it is harder to catch up. I like to make goals for myself to stay motivated. This way I have something to obtain. After you reach your goals you will feel so much more accomplished. Make small daily goals. This can go along with making daily to do lists. Stay organized so that you don’t miss important deadlines or confuse yourself. Lastly, make sure to not procrastinate by managing your time better. I do this by planning out my day in my planner.

First Year Reflection

Looking back at my first year at THE Ohio State University I am able to see all the growth that has happened within me these past 9 months. Coming to OSU from Kansas was a decision that was hard to make. I wanted to be the person from my high school that could go out of state where I wouldn’t know anyone and be able to survive. This was a decision that some of my friends and family questioned because I was and still am a very dependent person who doesn’t like to be alone that often. So coming to school with over 66,000 people and not knowing a single person not just at school but in the whole state of Ohio was a big deal for me. I’m not going to lie there were a few times when I wished I was back home in Kansas at a state school with all my friends from high school and my parents a short 45 minute drive away. These times were however few and far between. I am so happy to be one of the lucky few who genuinely ended up at the perfect school for themselves. I believe a big part of why I love OSU so much is because of the people I’ve met through the IA scholars program. I have made some of my best friends in this program and have learned so much about the world and myself through them. Further having such a positive, caring community around me everyday has made it feel like I have a second family. Outside of IA I have made so many other amazing people that have each impacted my life greatly and have encouraged me to better myself.  Sometimes I still look around campus in awe that I am able to go to such an amazing school. Overall I see my first year as success.

MODULE 6 BLOG: Searching and Researching Blog Post

I this module I learned a lot about about searching and researching online. The most useful thing I learned in this module was how to research to find good articles online. I learned that I could do this through the OSU library catalog. Some of the books are actually already online which makes it convenient so I don’t have to go pick up the book from the library. Something from this module that I have put into my life is checking if my source is credible. I have had two presentations this week on the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting for my freshmen seminar class and then another presentation in my Peace Studies class on the habitus of North Korea. While finding sources for these two topics I looked for three things in my sources like how the book said: reliability, quality, and utility. Something I can put into place is to not use Wikipedia as much because it is not always accurate especially if I am looking for a source to cite. The advice I’d give to other students is to make sure while you are searching to make sure your searching clues are specific. This will make it so much easier to find sources for what you are looking for.

Module 5: Enhanced Listening and Viewing Strategies Reflection

In this module I learned a lot when it comes to how to take notes via web enhanced listening and visual strategies and also general note taking strategies. The most useful thing I learned was how to use the cornell method to take notes. I feel like this will be a very efficient way for me to take notes because it provides summaries and cues which will be helpful for testing for big tests like a midterm or finals.  I have already but this method into use by using this method to take notes for my extreme weather class. So far I think it is working out. I feel like my notes are more organized and more in depth. I could listen to more podcasts to get to know more knowledge about the subjects I am learning about it my classes. I could also start recording what my professor says. I plan to also try this out because it will help me catch some information I didn’t get while listening to the lecture in class. Some advice I would like to give other students is that make sure to prepare for class notes before class so you can be ready. Further do not be scared to try new note taking strategies to see what works the best for you.

 

Module 5 education video

https://youtu.be/2jetAlrIDps

 

In this video it talks about the best ways you can prepare yourself for an exam. Some of the tips  in this video is to  arrive early, add to calm your nerves. The speaker in the video also recommends to make charts to organize thoughts.  Some other really good points that this video made was to determine a pace. The speaker recommends to spend no more than 10 minutes on an exam to try your hardest on your first try cause you may not have time to come back to it.

This video helped me enhance my learning on this subject because it gave me recommendations to do on exam day. I think many of these tips can be applied to al types of tests for a multitude of subjects. Many of the recommendations were basics. I often forget these basics such as calming your nerves.  I  plan to use some of these key tips in this video for my future exams.

 

MODULE 4 BLOG: Web-Enhanced Reading & Study Strategies Blog Post

The most useful thing I learned in the module is how to take good notes. I find that often I end up being a passive not active reader. For example I will read the same page again and again without actually absorbing the information. I think the tip of summarizing the text at the end of sections is good because it will let me know what I didn’t pick up from the reading. Something that I have put into practice is turning my phone off my phone while I study (page,17). This was really helpful for me because it helped me not be as distracted because my phone is usually my main distraction. It worked out well for me because I was able to definitely focus more. In the future I think I can focus on managing my time in class better. I often am distracted in class with other thoughts or surfing the internet or looking at my phone. I can improve this by going to bed earlier and putting my electronics away. Some advice I would give to other students is that staying focused in class is important. Also if you actively do your homework you will actually learn the information and usually finish assignments quicker. Lastly there are many online resources like khan academy if you need help with tricky subjects and don’t have time to go to your professor’s office hours or to go to tutoring sessions.