ESL Tech 2011 has taught me many helpful learning strategies and technologies that have improved my online learning experience. I have many takeaways from this class, but here are three:
- My biggest takeaway was the importance of goal setting. Setting goals allows you to take initiative and gain control of your life. Whether they are short term or long term goals, you will feel more confident in your ability to be successful by setting SMART goals. SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time bound. To set a specific goal means focusing on what exactly you want to achieve, why, who is involved, where you will achieve it, and recognize any restrictions. A measurable goal allows you to know how much progress you have made and helps you stay on track. Furthermore, the goal must be achievable and realistic but not too easy to achieve. A relevant goal that matters to you is essential, for it must seem worthwhile and match your needs. Lastly, the goal must be time bound, so you should set a specific due date. Overall, this class has taught me the importance of setting SMART goals and the benefits that come from goal setting.
- Another major takeaway from this class was the benefits up staying organized by using the Study Scheduler App. Study Scheduler is a useful app to exercise planning strategies and stay on top of your tasks to help you reach your goals. This app was developed by a research team at Learning Technologies Program at The Ohio State University. For me, it was very helpful to know what specific tasks need to be done at what time. It gave me a reminder and asked questions related to what I was doing, where I was doing it, and how I was feeling. This allowed me to fully be aware of my task and emotions. If I did not feel focused, I gave myself a quick break and got back to work. Overall, Study Scheduler was very helpful to remind me to stay on top of my work and manage my time throughout the week. This is a tool that I will continue to use in the future to help me stay organized and focused while I work.
- A final takeaway from this class for me was the benefits and drawbacks of matching teaching and learning styles. I previously thought that it is most beneficial to always work however I learn best. I used the same apps and the same note taking strategies to study each week. However, this class provided me with many new useful tools and readings that taught me the benefits of trying out new learning styles. Although I do still believe that students learn best when they are taught through their preferred learning style, I do not think that it is very beneficial to limit themselves to one or two styles of learning. Being adaptable is a great strength in today’s workplace, and I think that by utilizing different learning styles, students can improve their adaptability. While students may learn best from their preferred learning style, in the long run, they will be better off adjusting to different styles of learning and incorporating new methods in their learning experience. Reading other students’ articles about learning styles and using tools provided by this class taught me the benefits of trying new ways to learn.
