Posts

Module 7 Blog Post

One thing I learned from this module that I already put into practice is to create a great environment as a motivator. When I study, there are many things that may distract my attention. A bad physical environment will have many unrelated things that would affect my study efficiencies such as outside noise, sound from the television, and other people talking. Moreover, there are also lots of distractions from the online environment like messages from friends, and pop-up advertising windows. I try to avoid those distractions to make my study more efficient. As a result, I will do some preparation every time before studying. I will find a quiet room, turn off my cell phone, play light music, and adjust my room light. These steps all guarantee I have a comfortable study environment. It’s really hard at the beginning to eliminate online distractions. You not only need to keep out of the Internet, but also need to have a strong will that keeps away from social media, apps, and games. You may feel hard as just started, but it’s really beneficial for concentrating on study or work. From my own experience, a good environment indeed enhances the efficiency of learning as a motivator.

Module 6 Blog Post

In module 6, I think the most useful thing I learned is “Research”. Research is not simply finding information, it has to look for quality resources with a critical view. Before I learned this lesson, I usually confused myself about search and research. And through the lecture, there are many differences between search and research. With research questions, there is typically no right or wrong answer. And the information that we look up should be trustworthy, accurate, and reliable.

Three things are really important when we considered source credibility, reliability, quality, and utility. Ask ourselves related questions before we utilize a source is really helpful. For instance, ask yourself the information quality question that is the information consistent? Is the information up to date? Reliability, quality, and utility questions toward sources could help us better distinguish is the article credibile or not to our academic writing.

Moreover, three major ways the search engines search that mentioned in the lecture are also useful that effectively research a topic. That keyword search, category search, and metasearch. I prefer keyword search most, and I also like use this way to do my research. Because everything you find out is related to your topic. And you can easily access into them and find what is apply to you research.

Module 5 Blog Post

This week, the most useful thing I learned is about how to find online resources. Don’t ever block yourself to your textbook or instructor. Nowadays, there are plenty of useful online resources we could utilize for our study. I used to watch many free online courses and scholarly presentations to enlarge my view. I noticed that there are many useful online courses websites that were already posted in our lecture. Some of them I had viewed before, and I will try others in the future. I also reviewed academic journals through the online library and discussed academic problems with my peers through the online discussion board. Discussion is another strong weapon for study. Different perspectives provide your different thinking. One’s vision is always limited and for that, you will need others to help you enlarge your view of thinking. Our purpose is not only to get an A in our exam but also to absorb any knowledge we need to become better people. All these online resources are easy to get and free for you to use. What advice I want to tell you is that integrating any resources you could utilize would make you successful not only in class but also in your life.

Module 4 Blog Post

Through module 4, being aware of the risk of multitasking is the most useful thing from my perspective. I had been distracted and suffered from multitasking in my past study. When I listen to lectures from online courses, I usually think viewing the browser or using my cell phone is more effective than just sitting there and listening to class. Because I can both handle many things. However, I found that I was wrong. When I look at my phone while I listen to the class, I will always miss some points that result in having to review what the lecturer said before. And the information I receive will also fade very quickly because lots of different information crash into my head at the same time.

I think what the lecture said is that working on one task at a time is really important. This ensures you keep the focus on one thing and be concentrated on it. I usually am distracted by my cell phone when I was studying or working. It’s will increase the time you spend on what you have to finish. And I already learned a lesson from it that missed due to multitasking. Last semester, after I finished one essay, I saw a message from my friend. And I start talking with him, and we talk a lot. But when I remember I have to submit my essay first I had already missed my due date and had to receive a 50% reduction on my grades.

In conclusion, being aware of multitasking is important for any student. Keeping your focus on one thing at a time is one of the biggest elements of success in your study and work.

Module 3 Blog

This module is helpful to every student who is in college life. And from my perspective, how to beat procrastination is the most useful thing I learned in this module.

The lecture introduced three ways to beat procrastination, and I believe breaking a big task into small pieces is the most efficient and easiest way to beat procrastination. When we face a big task, it’s easy for us to be lazy that the big task will cost us a long time to finish. Especially there are many interesting things that may distract our attention. So, if you break a big and hard assignment into many small tasks, it’s much easier to finish. Short-time work is hard to be distracted, and when the task is finished also motivated you to move on. Besides, strong self-control is also very important. I like the idea of the ultimate goal versus current desire. It’s another way to beat procrastination. When you want to quit or when you are lazy, think about your final rewards. It’s your choice and you should be responsible for your final goal.

One more thing to mention is time tracking techniques. I think everyone should also learn how to track their time. I already use google calendar to track my daily life and I found that it’s really helpful to conclude your schedule and make your time usage more efficient.

Module 2 Blog

One very important thing I learned in this module is to remember our audience can’t see our nonverbal communication when communicating online. Actually, studying online is not easier than studying face to face. We can not express our ideas or meaning through body language or eye contact. As a result, it’s really essential that illustrate everything you want to express clear and be specific. When I started my college life, I often mess up with my email to my advisor. I just put my question and request in the email but ignore the details and context of my request. So the communication was really ineffective at that time. However, keep in mind that be specific and provide detail to your audience when communicating online. And email format in this module is also really important. As an international student, I send emails just like sending messages on social media at the beginning which also bothers me for a quite long time. Until now, I sometimes will get wrong with the email format. So this part of the module really helps me a lot that ensure I send emails in the correct way in the future. In conclusion, for students who preparing for college study or are already in college, communicating online is inevitable. So, keep in mind that people who receive your message can’t see your face, and a good format of email is also important to let others have a good impression of you.

Reference: https://osu.instructure.com/courses/120847/pages/lesson-module-2?module_item_id=7892120, page 8

Personal profile

My name is Haobo Zhang and I am 18 years old, born in Beijing, China. In my spare time, I like to play badminton and read novels. I think reading could enlarge my knowledge. As for novels, I could imagine whatever I like such as a well-known scientist or a kung-fu master. In addition to reading, I also like to play PC games. A lot of grownups think playing PC games hinders the students from learning. But I think PC games not only could relax me but also could motivate me to learn something such as English or Japanese.

 

I graduated from Beijing No.80 high school this summer. And I already miss those good old days and those old hard days. I think all Chinese who experienced high school will have the same feeling, how hard and stressful the days in high school are, but memorable. I met my best friend in senior one. We played basketball after school, we went to the library together and we shared almost everything that happened in daily life. In my opinion, he is more than a friend, he likes my brother. It’s my fortune to have my friends and we experienced those good days.

Currently, I am a freshman at OSU and study communications as my major. The reason why I come here is that this university has a long history and has its own culture. Lots of vintage buildings situate around the campus and people here have strong connections with this university. Besides, Ohio State Univerity has one of the best colleges of art and science in the U.S. and I believe I could be successful here. Also, we have the biggest gym here and have one great football team. So, I truly hope I could make lots of friends here and acquire knowledge at OSU. Go Bucks!