TECHNOLOGY & ONLINE RESOURCES

This class has helped me become much more adept at maneuvering the internet to find useful study tools. Before this class I did not use the internet to study and did not realize all the useful web-based tools that were available to use! Not only have I learned new methods of finding study tools, but I can create them online myself. Before this class, I had never even seen a mind map before and I had no idea there were ways to create animations and timelines online. These will be super helpful in my future classes!

The last module addressed a huge issue I struggle with: maintaining motivation throughout the semester. Before semesters, I did not have trouble keeping up my motivation in classes. Quarters were only ten weeks and in one month, you were already halfway done with the course! Semesters seem to drag on to me and some of the instructor’s tips were very helpful for me to consider in the future:

• Linking ideas to real world situations – This will help you remember topics better for tests when you can relate them to real life situations.
• Linking topics to personal interests – This works just like the tip above. You’ll remember things better if you link them to something you like.
• Focus on how your performance in this class will affect your long term goals – This helps to put things in perspective if you’re having an “off” day. For example, if you don’t do this assignment, you could fail your class, bring your GPA down and have a hard time finding a job when you graduate.
• Remember bite size pieces: think about how your daily and weekly goals relate to your long term goals – Think about things in smaller chunks. Divide up your goals into daily goals (things you can complete today) and weekly goals (things you can finish by the end of the week).
• Reinforce your goals by creating incentives – I find this really helpful for long days of homework and studying. I set myself up with a short term goal of completing one assignment and then rewarding myself with watching 30 minutes of TV or getting a snack.

WHAT I’VE LEARNED ABOUT MYSELF

When I started this class I wasn’t very good at online courses and I was a HUGE procrastinator. I feel so much more comfortable taking online classes in the future now! I was worried I wouldn’t learn the material as well without an instructor verbally telling me the course information and that I wouldn’t leave enough time in the week to complete my assignments since I didn’t have a regular class time to worry about. I wouldn’t hesitate to sign up for another online course in the future.

MOST MEANINGFUL COURSE EXPERIENCE

The best experience in this class is learning how to use Googledocs. I have been in previous classes that discussed using Googledocs as an option for group projects but I didn’t know how to use it so I couldn’t utilize this tool. Thanks to the informative videos, I feel confident I could use Googledocs again in another class or for personal use. In future classes, I think students would really benefit from learning even more in-depth how to use this great online tool.

My favorite assignment in this course was the Time Management Tracker. It helped me realize how much time I waste every day when I could be doing homework. I have since changed my procrastinator ways and used this tool to schedule out my week so I know when I have to do homework and when I can do personal activities I enjoy. It has de-stressed my life considerably and I would recommend any student try using it!

APPLYING THIS CLASS TO THE FUTURE 

This is one of few classes I can recommend to other students that will truly help them be more effective in school. I will use the online tools I learned in future classes for studying and completing projects, as well as in my future career. I have already used Googledocs in one of my other classes for a group assignment and plan to use the other online study tools in my classes this fall. I am so glad I signed up for this class – it really will help you throughout college!

EFFECTIVE NOTETAKING

This chapter focuses on different notetaking strategies that will help you take effective notes while still listening to your professor. When I first started college, I had trouble listening and understanding the lecture because I was worried about taking enough notes. I would have loved to have learned these different strategies at the start of my college career – it would have saved me a lot of time and energy. Here are some strategies to help you get started with taking effective notes:

1. Skeleton – This method looks like an outline. Your first line is the main subject and the following lines are bullets or sub points that further explain the main subject. Use keywords and abbreviations – don’t try to write out every single word. You won’t have enough time and you’ll lose other valuable information from the lecture.
2. Keywords – This system requires you to divide your paper into three columns: Keywords, Further Details, and Supporting Material. You should only write one or two words in the first column and gather more information in the other columns to support the Keyword.
3. Cornell System – This strategy uses the 5 R’s: Record, Recall, Recite, Reflect and Review. You divide your paper into two vertical columns – one is Recall and and the other is Record. You will also add a  bottom box for Review. This will provide space for you to make additional notes or edits.
4. Classifying – This method uses multiple pages of paper and uses one theme per page. It separates the themes of the lecture into different pages.
5. Mind maps – This is the best strategy for visual learners. This strategy resembles a “web” and starts with the main topic as the center bubble and branches off into smaller topics and details from the main topic.

One of the main things I have learned throughout college is try different methods until you find one that works for you. It will make classes easier and help you with studying in the future. Use technology to your advantage. If your professor posts their powerpoint lectures online before class, take notes in the footnote area of the powerpoint to save for studying. If you can’t type fast enough, print the lectures out and hand write notes in the margins of each slide.

ONLINE LEARNING MATERIALS

If you’re having trouble learning or understanding a topic, use the internet to help you! Here are some ideas to help you get started:

• Videos – Search your topic on Youtube or Vimeo to find a lecture by another professor or an interesting/interactive video that will help you understand the topic better.
• Podcasts – This is a relatively new learning tool that allow you to listen to lectures on many different topics. Just search your topic of interest on iTunes U.

This video explains the solar system and all the planets that revolve around the sun. The beginning of the video shows how all the planets orbit around the sun and then explains why the sun is so hot (hydrogen reactions between molecules). Then, the video goes into detail on the orbit and climate of each planet in the solar system, starting with the planet closest to the sun, Mercury, and ending with the planet farthest from the sun, Neptune. The video also talks about Pluto and that it is now considered a region instead of a planet.

The solar system is fascinating, but can be difficult to understand and visualize. This video shows an animation of how each planet spins on its axis and how each planet revolves around the sun in their unique orbit. When I read about the solar system, it’s hard to imagine how everything orbits together, but this video puts all the pieces together and is easy to understand. It is a supplemental piece that enhances my knowledge and understanding of how our solar system works.

HOW TO EFFECTIVELY READ ONLINE

The internet has become one of the main tools for teachers and students to communicate information and to use as a learning tool outside the classroom. One of the main features teachers use for homework is assigning students articles or journals to read online as supplements to their lesson or textbook. Sometimes, teachers only use online readings for their class instead of textbooks. Online readings are becoming increasing important to a student’s college success. Here are some tips to keep you focused and to help you get the information you need from your readings:

Before you read

1. Review your syllabus or assignment. Make sure you know the information you’re looking for before you start reading.
2. Remove ALL distractions. Online learning is the easiest thing to be distracted from – make sure you don’t have any other websites popped up in your browser that would distract you or make you lose focus, ie. Facebook, Twitter, etc.

While you read

1. Scan through the article to identify main points before you start looking for details.
2. After you read each section, see if you can summarize the section you just read. It will help you remember the information, just like studying, and it will help you see if you effectively read the section. If you can’t summarize it, you need to re-read it and focus or take a break.
3. Ask yourself questions about the text that you might see on a test. Take notes on your readings and thoughts to help you remember the information.

After you read

1. Make notes of key points by annotating in a PDF, writing down notes, or copying main points into a Google doc or Word document.
2. Summarize the article and keep your notes organized.

Online reading is much different than reading a book. Online articles can include verbal narration, videos, other embedded articles and interactive elements to keep you engaged. There are multiple reading strategies, according to “Reading Efficiently by Reading Intelligently” to help you narrow your focus:

1. Think About What You Want to Know – This is reviewing your syllabus or assignment to understand the questions you need to answer.
2. Know How Deeply to Study the Material – You can get an idea of how much detail you need to look for and it can save you time ie. if you should skim the article or read line by line.
3. Read Actively – Highlight main points and underline important sentences to keep you focused and engaged while also creating easy study tools for the future.
4. Know How to Study Different Types of Material – Reading books is different than magazines when trying to draw conclusions and find information. Know how to tailor your reading to get the most information out of each type of text.
5. Make Your Own Table of Contents – Write down the questions you want answered before you read the article and write the answers down as you read them. It organizes your information easily.
6. Use Glossaries with Technical Documents – This applies to difficult text. If you’re reading an article with words you don’t use every day, keep a glossary handy to reference so you understand each word.

CREATIVE STUDY TOOLS

The best way to study is to create your own study materials. The internet is a great resource for creative study tools that allow you to learn while you’re building your study guide and provides a useful study tool once you’re done. Here are some study tools and links to help you get started:

• Infographics: http://www.easel.ly/
• Narrated or Annotated Presentations: http://www.voicethread.com
• Timelines: http://www.timetoast.com/
• Animations: http://goanimate.com/
• Mind Maps: https://bubbl.us/
• Googledoc Flash Cards

If you need help with any of these resources, YouTube has lots of tutorial videos for each of these study methods.

Mastering online reading will help you in school and in your future career. The more you practice using these tools, the quicker you will be at gleaning information from online articles and documents.

THE IMPORTANCE OF NETIQUETTE

With the increased use of Internet and email in this digital age, online etiquette known as netiquette, is very important to your success not only in college but in your career and throughout your life. You always want to come across as professional and mature when communicating online. Follow these tips:

• Always make sure your emails are clear in their objective – do not allow any room for miscommunication or misinterpretation. I have had numerous issues with miscommunication online that resulted in confusion and wasted time for all parties involved because an email was not clear to understand.
• Never use sarcasm or humor that could be taken in a harmful or offensive way. Remember, there are no verbal cues when communicating online!
• Also avoid using ALL CAPS as this can be taken as you YELLING or RAISING YOUR VOICE to someone online.

These tips will not only help you in college, but will help your future employers know you are mature and can handle the professional world.

HOW TO EMAIL YOUR PROFESSOR

One of the trickiest emails to send is to your professor. There are many benefits to emailing them: asking questions about an assignment, being able to think through your questions or concerns without the intimidating factor of talking face to face, building a relationship with them, etc. However, if you do not handle your emails professionally and do not use netiquette, you will do more harm than good. When you email your professor, imagine you are emailing a CEO of a large company and use the terminology and diction you would use in that email in the one to your professor. The more mature you sound, the more serious they will think about your question, request, concern, etc. Some tips:

• Always format your emails like a letter and use opening and closing responses, state your name, context around your question/concern and then ask your question.
• Also, I have learned from personal experience that it helps to end your email with “thank you for your time” or something similar to show your respect for their time.

Another important factor to think about when emailing your professor is this relationship does not only exist online – you meet with this person face to face. Not only does your online reputation rely on your netiquette here, it also impacts your personal reputation.

RSS FEEDS & BLOGGING

Before this module, I knew very little about RSS feeds and blogging. I have heard these terms, but it was fascinating to learn the use for RSS feeds. RSS feeds are a great timesaver! You can subscribe to your favorite websites and read all new updates in one place. Blogging is another useful tool to learn and interact with other people online. It opens up a new way to think about learning in the digital age and gives you a place to store your thoughts and ideas, like a personal diary or library.