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In taking this class, I have learned many things that will definitely help me in the future, not only for school, but also for work after school.  I have learned about technology, online tools and resources, reading strategies, and certain things about myself and my study and time management habits.  One very important technology tip that I learned was how to embed a video into a blog post or PowerPoint presentation.  In high school, I had previously been taught a way of how to embed a video into a PowerPoint presentation, but it was a very complicated way to do it.  Therefore, I forgot how to do it.  The way that I learned to do it in this class is easy and a less complicated way to embed a video into a presentation.  Another important thing that I learned in this class is how to perform a better internet search when using Google.  Getting good search results from Google is very important when you are trying to write a research paper.  Probably the most useful feature of Google Search that I learned was the “search within results” feature.  With this feature, you can search something, and then make a more refined search within the results that you got from the first search.  Another useful feature I Google that I learned about was the Google Scholar feature.  Similarly to the “search within results” feature, this feature helps tremendously towards writing research papers.  Google Scholar is a search that essentially only provides search results that would be considered reliable sources.  This is great because in the past, I was always unsure which sites would be considered reliable and which ones were not.  Now, I can search with Google Scholar and find sources that I know will be good for my research papers.  Another important thing that I learned during this course was how to properly read an online article or text.  One strategy that I found to be extremely useful was to put away all of your distractions (including your cell phone) while reading.  I had previously known this tip, but never actually did it because I was unaware of just how much putting my phone out of sight would help me to not only retain the information in the reading better, but also to read considerably faster.  Lastly, I learned a lot of things about myself in terms of my time management and how I study.  During this course, by looking at the results of the time management self assessments, I found that I am, in fact, a procrastinator.  However, even though I am a procrastinator, I always put in the necessary time to get the work done.  I just happen to do it at the last minute instead of days before the assignment is due.  The main reason for my procrastination is probably because I don’t see getting the work done as a major priority until right before the assignment is due.  Nonetheless, I am working to become less of a procrastinator by planning certain goals to get things done well before they are due.

In Module 6, I learned many new techniques for how to use Google search better.  One thing that I was completely unaware of that I will definitely be using in the future is the “search within results” feature of the Google search.  This feature is pretty self-explanatory; for example, instead of searching “archaeology in ohio,” you can first search “archaeology,” then search “ohio” to get a better, more refined list of sources.  I also learned how to use the Google Scholar feature more efficiently by limiting what databases my search results come from.  By doing this, I can find a much more refined list of sources when I am using Google Scholar as a search.

Another thing I learned to do was use The Ohio State University libraries to search for sources.  The good thing about using The Ohio State University libraries is that you know that the sources are credible.  I highly doubt that the libraries would put up any sources that are not credible.  Once you have found your source, a great feature that you can use is the “cite/export” link if you need to make a citation for the source.  Within this link, you can get a citation for almost any format you need such as MLA, APA, etc.

In this Module 5, I learned many new effective strategies on how to take good notes.  For me, I have always often used an outline to take my notes.  However, this module taught how to make an even better outline of notes.  One thing that I had often struggled with was when I should create a new bullet point or add another section.  In the workshop we did, I learned the common words that professors use when they are transitioning into another point.  Another thing that I had often struggled with was that I would take notes, but wouldn’t really remember them as well.  I found that I wasn’t a good active listener.  I would get into the grove of writing down the notes really fast that I would turn on “autopilot” and wouldn’t be able to really remember anything that I wrote down.  What I learned in the workshop though is to write my notes using my own words, not my professor’s.  Lastly, I learned to use the Cornell Method to take notes even more effectively than my previously way of outlining notes.  This method essentially breaks down the outline into two sections: Recall (which is like the headers of the different points) and record (which is the content).  Also, it adds a third section which is a summary of all the notes.  I will definitely be using the tips that I learned in Module 5 for the rest of my classes.

In this video, the Latin forms for the present tense are taught.  Use the first principle part for the first singular present form.  For the other forms,  for the first and second conjugations, simply remove the -re from the second principle part, then add the correct ending (2nd sing: -s; 3rd sing: -t; 1st pl: -mus; 2nd pl: -tis, 3rd pl: -nt).  For the third conjugation, remove the -ere from the second principle part, then add the correct ending (2nd sing: -is; 3rd sing: -it; 1st pl: -imus; 2nd pl: -itis, 3rd pl: -iunt).  For the fourth conjugation, remove the -re from the second principle part, then add the correct ending (2nd sing: -s; 3rd sing: -t; 1st pl: -mus; 2nd pl: -tis, 3rd pl:   -unt).

The video makes learning the forms of the present tense much easier because the viewer is able to get a visual of exactly how to create each form correctly.  The video also provides many visual examples of when and how the present tense is used.  Learning the present tense of Latin is much easier learned by watching the video than by reading the above paragraph.

In Module 4, I learned the importance of applying certain online reading strategies.  For the most part, I had known these strategies, but never really tried them because I thought that it wouldn’t make that much of a difference if I used them.  However, after actually learning about the strategies, I decided to try them out, and I found that they make reading so much more easy and efficient.  The one that I found most useful was to put away all of your distractions.  This seems to be a no-brainer, but I used to almost always have my phone with me, texting someone when I was reading.  I was so unaware of how much more information can actually be retained when no distractions are present.  The reading took a lot less time as well.

I also learned how to use the internet to study and write more effectively.  During this module, there were very many helpful study sites that I had previously not heard of.  For writing, I found the site scholar.google.com to be extremely helpful when trying to find reliable sources for writing research papers.  I will definitely use this often in the future.  For studying more effectively, I found quizlet.com as a very useful site to help memorizing class material in an interesting way.

In the readings and learning that I found during Module 3, I made the huge realization of just how much time I use doing everything throughout my day.  In making my estimated daily schedule, I found that I spend way too much time as down time, which includes hanging out with friends and senselessly surfing through Facebook, Twitter, etc., and I don’t spend near enough time doing things that I should do (i.e. studying).  Also, I found that sleeping during the day takes up a ton of my time, and I want to lessen the time that I sleep during the day so I can use my time more effectively.  This has led me to become more conscious of what I do during the day, and I want to make another “goal” schedule of how I actually want to spend my day, which includes ample study time and less time wasted.  I suggest that everyone do this so they are able to make the realizations that I have made.  It will really help you to be able to control exactly how much time you spend throughout your day.  Doing this is such a great help and I will continue to go through my goal schedule daily.

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