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Did I learn anything from this class? That is an interesting question because I am about to graduate in a week. When I enrolled in this class, I knew that I knew a lot about taking online classes and using online tools. So I can’t say that I learned anything new. After 4 and a half years in college, tons of classes, and turning my grade point average around from below a 2.5 to 3.2; I know how to be successful in college courses.

I would say that the most interesting thing that I have learned this semester is Google scholar. Although this is relatively basic knowledge, I honestly had no clue about it. I am glad I have learned, although it is a little too late because I am done with school. But I do plan to utilize that feature heavily in the future, and I’m glad I know about it now. Not really the most interesting of things, but like I said to me, it is key.

One thing that I have learned about myself is that as much as I like to deny it and pretend it isn’t true; I am a big procrastinator. I have found myself consistently doing assignments for this class on the last day before it is due, and the unstructured feeling of having no class to attend doesn’t help me. Spending time in this class making a schedule online, keeping track of the things I do, setting goals, and thinking about studying habits and learning styles has also helped me see that I procrastinate a lot. I usually end up getting things done but at a more stressful price for myself.

For me the most meaningful experience was recording everything I did for an entire week. I often think about how much time I spend doing what, because I often feel that I just waste time. For me to actually keep track of the time I spend on things was very interesting. Like I suspected I often spend a lot of “leisure time” not really doing anything. This semester as driven me to spend as much of my leisure time doing things like applying to jobs and internships, reaching out to professionals for informational interviews, and working on making art. I also spent a lot more time exercising this semester to try and use some of my free time wisely.

In the future I will no longer be in the classroom environment. I will be working, and from my experience so far, will most likely be using a laptop to do certain things. In that sense being proficient online and using online tools will always be important for me in my career. Also from what I can tell, I will be doing research occasionally so understanding reliable sources and webpages, as well as citing sources properly, is certainly something I can take away from the class.

And finally as for any parting words for anyone reading out there. Work hard, you have it in you. Even when things seem really difficult, there is always something to be grateful for and something to keep striving for. Work for what you really want to do, because you can fail doing something you don’t love just as easily.

I have done a lot of research papers in school, so I am very confident navigating the web for reliable sources. Sometimes it takes longer than usual, but I always find useful webpages in the end. However, I would say the one new thing that I learned about in this module, embarrassingly, is about Google Scholar. I have always seen that Google search feature but I was never sure what it was there for. I often spend a long time searching for good scholarly articles, and the whole time I did not know about this feature.

In this module we have had to look at webpages critically based on things we have learned. I found this very useful, as I approach my finals. Doing projects and papers, I’m going to need a lot of sources and finding ways to look critically at websites for their reliability is important for me.

I also hope to utilize Google scholar more in the future. I am graduating so I don’t plan to do very much academic research for a while. But whether in a job or at grad school, I feel that Google Scholar can be an important tool for me.

If I can make any suggestions based on this module, I would say take the time to properly vet your sources. It is usually pretty easy to tell what websites are good and which ones seem unreliable. Also proper source citation is key in college. I didn’t address it very much in this post, because citation is almost second nature to me now. However, it is incredibly important that your citations are accurate in any research, from a power-point presentation, to a big paper.

The video I chose is a basic summary and analysis of the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. The first part of the video is a summary about what happens in a play and then an analysis follows. Certain images and motifs from the play are analyzed as well as famous quotes. And the narrator of the video also talks about themes of the play as well as important interpretations of it.

The theme of these videos, Thug Notes, is the idea of analysis of famous literary works through the eyes and language of a “Thug”. This has helped me learn about a lot of books because the information is presented in a funny and interesting way. As opposed to overly intellectual explanations, these videos provide perfectly sound literary criticism and analysis through language that anyone can understand as long as you know common current phrases and lingo. This makes it entertaining for teens and young adults to learn and if they pay attention they will definitely pick up something.

I would say that the most useful thing I learned in this module was using the online study tools. I have never used info graphics, timelines or mind maps online like that as a study tool, so I found it very interesting. I really enjoyed using the mind map and I would like to use it again for something in the future because I thought it was easy to use and very helpful.

One thing that I always put in the practice is everything about online reading that the module talks about. In all of my classes for my major, I have online readings every single day. Over a couple years of doing that I have found what works best for me when doing online readings. I always need to be taking notes when I do online readings, it helps me retain important information, and also helps during class discussions.

In the future I don’t really see how I am going to use anything from the module in real life. It was all about online studying, and in another month once I’m graduated I’m not sure I will need online study help. Perhaps if I decide to go to graduate school, I could use the things I have learned, but that also what be any time soon.

If I could give one piece of advice to any students I would say find what online studying tool works best for you and stick with it. It took me about a semester or two to really figure out my best online study habits and what tools I need or didn’t need. Also when doing online reading, always take notes. It will keep you on track and help you retain the information.

For me I felt that the module we just learned about was pretty straightforward and just common sense stuff. For example, proper etiquette online and in emails to colleagues and professors. I think that the most helpful thing I got out of this module is how to write more effective discussion posts and blogs. I have only had a few classes with discussion post assignments, and I have never had my own blog before this class. So I am pretty new to posting, let alone making them effective.

I have definitely already put all the internet and email etiquette things that the module talks about. Many years in high school and college helped me communicate better online with my teachers. And also looking for jobs and internships, I always try to make a good impression when communicating online with someone.

I hope that I can use the knowledge I learned about effective blogging, however I don’t see myself blogging much after this class. One thing I hope to use from this module in the future is the part about staying organized online. For me it is sometimes difficult to get everything organized online. When it is on the computer, I just know it is somewhere on there so I don’t worry about it.

If I could offer a student some advice based on what I read it would be the importance of “netiquette”. I always make sure to re-read any email I might send, I make sure the name is spelled right, that my email comes off respectful. One important thing is to always say thank you. No matter what, I am sure to respond with a thank you email.