[pennyforyourthoughts-idc]

Blog Prompt #6: If I Were A Teacher...

I think to start out this blog post, I will need an updated version of Beyonce’s “If I Were A Boy” playing as you read this. I never thought the day I would be a teacher would come. Well, technically I’m not one yet, but just the thought of becoming one gives me shivers. My respect goes out to the teachers who remain calm with such rowdy classrooms. I don’t know how you do it.

If I were ever a teacher in Mackenzie, I think I would best suit the subject of Writer’s Craft. Since June of 2012, I have been actively writing different stories and scenarios while reading the work of other authors and finding ways to improve my work. It had taken me almost a year until I finally found my own style of writing, and as of today, creative writing remains one of my favourite hobbies. If I were to be a teacher, the best way of enjoying what I teach would be sharing my passion for expressing one’s own thoughts through the medium of writing.

The class I would teach would revolve around one of the biggest problems I had when first starting: finding my own style and maintaining motivation The curriculum would mainly have to do with different assignments and small projects in finding inspiration from different authors and moulding different methods of writing to fit the taste of the student. Not only that, but most of the semester would be having the student individually research and share prompts or ideas to base storylines off of.

As for introducing technology into the course of Writer’s Craft, I think having a website where students are able to keep track of the class at any given time is necessary. The website would simply include assignment pages, rubrics, a calendar marking due dates, and the add-on Reminder. Like other teachers, I would use an app called “Remind” to text students of reminders of due dates and even sprinkle in some warnings for the upcoming days only given to those who choose to accept the text messages. Remind is one of the most beneficial applications a teacher can integrate into their classrooms as it allows the student to be more engaged outside of class and more prepared than they would be if they were not reminded.

Next, I have a firm believe that writing is best done with a screen and a keyboard. Like most courses, brainstorming would be done on paper and shared amongst peers. However, from personal experience, I know that the process of writing a story or scenario is not easy as ideas come and go as well as change very quickly. Adjusting parts of the story can be difficult if the area you aim to fix is almost a page before what you are currently working on.

I think it is only necessary to allow students regular trips to the library or other computer labs in order to give them the freedom of writing without having to worry about erasing an entire page in order to add in a single idea. With this new age technology being able to store work on the internet is only natural. Most of all, it will be convenient for the student as they are able to constantly work at any time without having to worry about having access to a school computer in order to adjust their writing or forgetting their USBs with the saved documents. There should be no limit or boundary in allowing a writer to alter their writing for what they think is for the better.

Also, students would be given permission to bring in their laptops and cellphones as I believe writing requires students to have the access to internet they may need in case the common feeling of “writer’s block” comes along the way. There are many everyday things and ideas of others both online and off which can spark a sudden flame of motivation and inspiration needed for someone to keep going.

My cellphone policy would be simply this: use it as you wish. There are students who focus better with or without music - for this example, if the student thinks that they need music, as long as they bring in headphones it is alright with me. The main distraction of cellphones is the constant flow of notifications. For this case, I would recommend activating Airplane mode in order to help students keep focused. If airplane mode is activated, notifications are not seen and if the internet is needed, the student can activate their Wi-Fi and still not receive text messages or phone calls.

Thought I do agree that focus is needed in any class - no matter the subject - and cellphones can lead to distraction, it is up to the students themselves on how they use it. Being able to write something self-satisfying or fulfilling of the requirements can take much longer than one thinks. If the student chooses to waste time on their cellphones instead of being productive while given the time, it is their loss of time and their problem once the deadline grows near and the only time they have to work is at home.

I do not believe that punishing a student by taking their cell phone away is a consequence they learn from and banning cell phones for the whole class is a fair one. A rule breaker really only learns from their mistakes after it effects them in the long run, I believe high school students should be able to learn and pick up on those mistakes on their own. My job as a teacher is to teach and lead those who wish to learn towards the right path - not to hold the hands of those who do not and force them to do what I expect.

So, maybe I’ll be what is known as a “lenient” or “chill” teacher by letting technology be integrated in however the students pleases, but in other ways, it can also be most cruel to allow a student to go on their own and face the consequences.

[pennyforyourthoughts-idc]

Blog Prompt #6: Collaborative Project Reaction

As the famous quote goes, “one’s a company, two’s a crowd, three’s a party.” But what would it be for twenty? The more the merrier, I guess.

Being a member of the secondary research team (or squad, as we have named our numerous documents), most of our work was done online. We spent a majority of our time finding and reading articles, making sure to summarize them as concisely as possible. With thousands of articles related to our topic of technology in education online, the group needed communication to ensure no articles were repeated and everybody had something to do.

Through this project, I believe I further developed my level of communication with others. After assigning roles to one another, such as myself being in charge of the physical changes to our body due to technology and Jerry being in charge of the more broader positive and negative aspects, we continuously ready over each other’s writeups and pointed out changes that could be made. With communication naturally came teamwork, and learning to strengthen one another’s weaknesses was one of the largest learning experiences of this project.

For example, my strength was having a specific flow in the writing and correcting grammar mistakes, as well as condensing the information while still maintaining the detail of the research. Therefore, my biggest role in the secondary research squad was to go through the information we collected multiple times and cut it down enough to not be too overwhelming yet maintain the certain flow and order we had organized our notes as. My weakness, however, was taking the information from a large article or research paper online and filtering out the most necessary and useful information to input. There is where my groupmates helped me decide which facts were most relevant to take note of.

Not only was I a member of the secondary research group, but I participated in the inputting of information onto the website as well as concluding the research done. More specifically, I had taken the student section of the secondary gone over it multiple times. After proofreading the research, I formatted in a way that the passage would seem to flow and make it easier to read and understand for the reader, rather than having facts or points jump from one subject to another. Also, for a brief amount of time I assisted the primary research team in distributing and collecting student surveys in classes. And then later on, after all student surveys were conducted, I helped others quickly input the results on paper by reading out the answers to them. Moreover, I took part in altering writeups posted onto the website. After posting both the secondary research and conclusions for both students and teachers, I took part in going through every page of the website and reading through passages while noting grammar mistakes or typos and fixing them.

Honestly, I don’t think I am able to say I completed a fair share of work. Not because I had left my part for others to do, but because not everyone had committed to completing as much work as they could. With the imbalance of division of work, I can objectively say that I witnessed some of the class had done more than others. And if I were to compare the work I have done with the work done by others, I cannot objectively say whether what I did was a fair share or not due to the sheer difference in who had pulled their weight or not.

If I were to compare my workload to the amount of work that had to be put into the project as a whole, however, then I would most likely lean towards saying I pulled my weight throughout the duration of the project. Though there was a lot to be done for this large group project, I believe my role in mainly secondary research and editing all the work as a whole was a fair amount of work compared to all the work that had to be done in order to successfully complete the project. With some of the class excelling in the design and format of the website itself, or others who had spent most of their class time on experiments and videos done about technology usage in Mackenzie, I believe my class time was well spent on writing up the research and posting it an edited copy onto the site.

Now that the project has completely wrapped up, I don’t think I can particularly say I enjoyed or did not enjoy doing it. In fact, I think it was a fun experience, but I am not too sure it is one I would like to repeat. The highlights of this journey was definitely the teamwork and communication that came about between myself and my classmates. However, the obstacles of this project definitely had to do with the moments of disorganization. There were times during the project where the class would split up to complete their portion of the work and I would sit there wondering, “Wait, what’s happening?” The fact that I was not aware of some of the projects or experiments that were going on is either an example of my incredibly short attention span or the fact that there was so much going on all at once, not everyone was completely informed, and decisions were made and conducted without everyone’s valid opinions.

But I wouldn’t completely put the blame of my mixed emotions of the project onto that sole reason, I believe I am just the type of person that enjoys working in smaller groups. Within smaller groups, each member feels more involved on everything that is going on within the project. However, with a group of 20, I can honestly say it seemed like one of those very disorganized and frantic offices in the movies where some were in their own cubicle, oblivious to the papers being thrown around, and some were the workers screaming at the top of their lungs because of the stress that was put upon them.

If this project were to be repeated next semester, I would recommend implementing more solid due dates and suggestions for organization. As the class naturally splits up into multiple groups, assigning a leader or a student to pull everything together within each group would be a much smoother process. Instead of depending on solely two students to pull it all together and organize each group, having a student who is focused on one aspect take part in concluding and assuring a smooth finish would most likely solve a lot of the unorganization that can occur in such a large project with twenty students. I also believe setting dates for students to come together as one large group and share their progress and ideas. That would be the most ideal situation to ask others what they think and make decisions on what is to be done about other projects or studies. Not only that, but other students as well as the teacher can input their thoughts on the problems that come about for others, rather than having only the small subgroup decide.

Over all, a group of twenty isn’t particularly a party.

It’s more like a very hectic raid where everyone has an idea of what is to happen, but not really.

[pennyforyourthoughts-idc]

Blog Prompt #5: Technology and Me

Okay, I’ll admit it: technology rules my life.

I surround myself with my computer, my smartphone, my tablet, and my television - all that’s missing is a laptop. But there’s not much to worry about since I’ll be getting one within a few months anyway.

Without missing a single day I’m either on my phone or my computer, but most of the time, it’s both. I can sit at the computer for hours on end, scrolling through websites like Facebook, Tumblr, or YouTube, practically searching for my next distraction.

And I know what you may be thinking - how can you focus? But the truth is, I don’t think I’m completely focused either. However, allowing myself to have constant stimulation with a video on the left and work on the right is what keeps me motivated. It does, of course, come with its drawbacks. If my brain were to suddenly pick up on an interesting word or action from the YouTube video, my attention will automatically shift to the left and I will have to replay a few seconds back to understand the context. Like if I heard the person in my video laugh like a maniac, I just have to know what happened, don’t I?

Because of these interruptions, though, I do deal with a break in my thought process. Instead of long, flowing ideas, mine would be best expressed using the musical term staccato, meaning each note is sharply detached or separated from the others. Or if I have the right of my screen opened with my online textbooks as I answer them on pen and paper, I get distracted for a mere second and I may have to reread the question to continue my work.

Now, I guess you could say technology is negatively affecting my education. But technology is what offers me solutions to problems I have no clue of the answer to. Technology is what offers me the option of asking a friend for comments or questions. Technology is what offers me the resources to having what I need to learn because in the midst of this technological era - everything is now online.

Personally, I now bring home my physical textbooks to do homework while having a YouTube video up on my entire screen, and surprisingly enough, there are times where I finish a whole subject’s homework with one clean swoop. I believe I am a mix of being a technological learner and a classic pen and paper learner. Now that I’ve learned how to balance my use of technology, it is only helping me further understand myself as a student and how I can continue to grow as one. Technology isn’t destroying education if it’s being used right, but the hardest part is learning how to do so.

Subsequently, it may seem as if having constantly accessible technology is destroying not only the education, but the social relationships of teens, but I can surely say that isn’t the case for me. I am the type of person that has a smaller group of friends, preferring to be closer to those I have than raising the number. That being said, technology allows me to contact friends who I can’t see everyday and keep the connection I have with them. We don’t need to see each other’s faces in person to keep talking comfortably to one another like we always have been.

Although I do see others being impacted by the line that technology draws, such as awkward first meetings or talking to someone completely differently in person than they would through a medium of technology. I don’t find myself in any of those situations as the only people I talk to through technology are the people who I know I can be myself around - online or not. My social life, on the other hand, is only as good as it can be thanks to technology allowing me to keep in touch with my small group of friends.

Now let’s talk TED talk.

“I share therefore I am.”

Honestly, I can see exactly where this quote comes from. After scrolling through different social media outlets for as long as I have, I came to notice the constantly appearing norms that occur. As said by one of my favourite YouTube users, social media is basically a giant highlight reel. Most, if not all posts, are made to showcase only the best image one could possibly present to the world. We, as humans, are always striving for approval, after all.

When I was in my preteens to my early teens, I craved for approval. And to get that, I posted statuses and pictures trying to prove to the world that I was a sociable and utterly happy human being. The reality, though, was that I wasn’t the happiest girl on the block and I preferred being in my own little world than joining everyone else. But hitting that “Post” button on social media and seeing those likes gave me this feeling of pride because other people would see me as the person I wanted to be. They wouldn’t be able to see the reality of who was sitting in front of the computer screen.

So, I get this. I can even say this quote probably would have defined me in the past. Even if I have mostly grown out of that phase, I understand the people who say it, and the people behind it. Sometimes, technology is the way we can fulfill that want for approval.

“I’ll tell you what’s wrong with having a conversation. It takes place in real time and you can’t control what you’re going to say.”

I don’t know how to feel about this quote. A part of me completely disagrees. I know I can carry a conversation and I am more than glad to do so. Being able to talk to someone about anything is what keeps me from exploding internally and is the outlet to the emotion I feel. Typing out how I feel just isn’t as satisfying as saying it aloud. Technology isn’t as comforting as people.

But, unfortunately, the other half of me agrees. There is a fear I feel when talking to someone unfamiliar that I may slip up my words and say something I wasn’t meaning to say. There is a fear that I will embarrass myself at an interview, and a fear that a mistake will follow me. Having technology, though, allows you to think your message through. Technology gives you the chance to keep what dignity you have left without threat of a slip up.

“I would rather text than talk.”

This quote, however, I completely disagree with. I love to talk. Sometimes, I talk for ten minutes straight while telling a story without letting anyone else interrupt. Talking is the outlet to my emotion, my imagination, and my thoughts. As said above, talking is an outlet for almost anything and leaves you, the speaker, with a feeling of satisfaction. For example, after a confession, there is this relief like the words were a weight on your chest you’ve released and now it’s easier to breathe.

Also, being able to receive upsetting or exciting news in person can feel so much better. I’ve said this to other before, but receiving an apology through text or message only leaves a rotten taste in the receiver’s mouth. Apologizing through text is almost telling the person they aren’t worth your time for a face to face talk or even a phone call. Texting and typing just doesn’t have the same feeling of satisfaction that saying something in person can.

Unfortunately, I have this terrible habit of using my phone before bed. And when I say before bed, I mean I’m laying in bed with my phone above me, my face constantly at threat to be flattened if I drop it. I remember the saying that the bed was supposed to be your sanctuary meaning no stimulation around it whatsoever. The bed is a place of rest. But I’ve broken that rule way too many times to go back now.

I spend about an hour, sometimes more, on my phone before bed. Technology has this magic of making one lose track of time, and because of that, by the time I go to sleep I will either have less than 7-8 hours of shut-eye or I will wake up in the afternoon. Being the deep sleeper I am, I don’t think it completely ruins the quality of my sleep, but then again I don’t clearly remember a time I have gone to bed without looking at my phone at least once.

It’s become a rotten habit of checking updates I’ve missed throughout the day through my phone. And with that, this habit will probably be the hardest one I will have to break. Using my phone before bed is what keeps me updated on social media as I am not a frequent phone user during the day. I don’t think there will ever come I day I will try and stop that habit either. It’s become a part of my daily life and completely erasing that behaviour would feel as if I were completely taking away any other daily routine.

I’m a multitasker. Even as I am writing this blog, I have my screen split with the right half dedicated to a Google Chrome window with tabs related to my blog and the other half with an Internet window dedicated to YouTube and Facebook. My time on the computer usually consists of a YouTube video playing through my headphones or as my main focus, a Facebook tab open in order to talk to friends, a tab of my writing blog open in case I feel like scrolling through, and other scattered tabs that are school-related. Most of the time, though, I know I should close a few of the tabs I no longer need.

This is absolutely not an effective strategy for any form of productiveness. My eyes are constantly looking back and forth from one window and/or tab to another and there is no sense of focus unless I use my willpower to close the more distracting window. I can usually only maintain my attention on one thing for at most an hour. Sometimes, my eyes will only graze over what I need to know before something else catches my eye.

Focusing on one subject is extremely difficult as technology is practically made for the everyday multitasker. Tasks such as memorization, studying, reviewing, and others require more focus and time, thereby make me more vulnerable to the stimulation that other tabs can provide me. I don’t think any task is made easier by multitasking. The only truly effective usage of multitasking is when I have to complete a long list of assignments in a short amount of time - in other words, I’ve procrastinated and I have to pay the price.

There is no doubt that focusing on one thing at a time is much more effective. Being able to focus allows my brain to wrap itself around the information and be able to make sense of it. Instead of reading over it and then tossing it to the side when something more interesting comes along, focusing on one thing at a time can help my train of thought flow as it should and my memory make stronger connections.

Overall, although technology does have its benefits for the average teen in this technologically advancing generation, it does have it fall backs for tasks that require classic approaches. Technology not only solves problems, but creates them as well. For example, communication in reality vs. online. But in my case, I do think being able to grow up in an environment where there was always a balance between technology and reality greatly helped me be able to take the more effective approach to many tasks these days. Technology is definitely a great addition to our lives, but it isn’t the best option to choose.

Or maybe that’s the old fashioned 90’s kid in me talking.

[pennyforyourthoughts-idc]

Blog Prompt #4: Teacher Placements

After over a month of working with teachers and constantly searching for the most fitting technologies, we have finally completed our tasks to the best of our ability. It was a great series of ups and downs while butting heads with not only the tasks, but with technology itself.

I would personally have to say, looking past the frustration or confusion that initially came about with so many tasks at hand, it was an overall enjoyable experience. Getting to create something that will be used for later years and benefit future students gave me motivation throughout the placement. It was fascinating to see how teachers were willing to take the time to learn how to use and operate newer technologies to make the lives of their students even just a bit easier. Whether it was a simple reminder students could access to remember there was an upcoming test, or a quiz platform students could access at any time to review their work. I was able to learn about different technologies while coming to the simplest solutions for many given tasks.

As for the best thing to come out of this placement, I would have to say it was the teamwork that came about. Getting to learn how to divide the workload and be as efficient as we could altogether was definitely one of the best parts of the placement. The coordination we had communicating with the multiple teachers assigned and planning for meetings to attend altogether really did make me feel proud in itself. Creating a connection, not only among ourselves, but with different teachers also made me feel more comfortable working with different people and collaborating our ideas to make something that would satisfy everyone involved.

Now something that was both good and bad was the amount of work us, as a group of three, ended up with. At first, the tasks seemed doable. Even as we went on with the placement, the workload was not too overwhelming, but as the due date came closer, we began to realize how the demands of teachers were harder to satisfy than we had initially thought. Technologies constantly update now that we are in the twenty-first century, and because the technologies we used had updated, it was difficult to integrate as well as we could have before. Finding the perfect technology to use for the teacher’s request was a harder task than we thought and not only time consuming, but draining.

Because we have finished a majority of the teacher’s requests, I would say that our placement was as much of a success as it could be. We tried our best to complete the tasks and updating two websites, researching group assignments, redesigning another website, and completing as much as we could for quiz platforms was, I would say, as much as we could handle - even as a group of three. There were moments where we were discouraged and ended up looking back at the projects we completed before feeling motivated again. That would have to mean we did a pretty good job, wouldn’t it? Satisfying the teachers to the best of our ability is the greatest success, and hopefully our teachers would think the same.

I believe this IDC placement benefits teachers the most as they are able to constantly update the technologies and share with the vastly evolving generations to come. Not only that, but the students involved are able to work together and expand their knowledge on technologies, while at the same time finding the platforms that may benefit them as well.

For future classes, I would best recommend a more clear outline of what is to be expected of the students before the project begins. Also, giving teachers who request placements a better idea of the limits that students have in terms of time and resources would benefit students as well. Allowing the teacher to also meet the potential students they would be working with before being formally assigned would improve the basic understanding teachers would have of the students’ capabilities in order to satisfy their tasks. This would increase efficiency in the whole integration process of the requested technologies and help with the time management of both teachers and students involved.

[pennyforyourthoughts-idc]

Blog Prompt #3: Technology In Education

Within the twenty-first century, the education system is the only thing that seems to stay at a standstill while the rest of the world evolves at the speed of light. The current curriculum and teaching methods are similar from those of the early 2000’s, the early years of technology development. Now, in 2015, with student’s naturally integrating technology and social media into their lives and it playing a daily role, students are more dependent on a box full of connecting wires rather than a box full of pages of endless paper.

Combining traditional learning and technology is the best step forward for this current technology crazed generation. Finding a balance is key. And with that, the three technologies I think will create that balance are: Google Keep & Calendar, Quizlet, and Kahoot.

First, with Google Keep and Calendar, students and teachers alike can practice organization for a more efficient classroom. Both Google applications are accessible using any forms of technology with access to the internet, and therefore is portable and much more convenient for the current generation. Personally, as a student who more frequently depends on my cellphone rather than my agenda to schedule and remind myself of events, I believe Google Calendar is a useful tool. Students have the ability to sync other teacher’s calendars, and with that option, have the ability to reschedule and add in dates to study for tests, prepare for quizzes, or come ready with the appropriate notes. Google Keep enhances organization, and allows students to share notes among one another while keeping track of what assignments are due by creating a checklist in one website. Both Google outlets can send reminders to the user, allowing students to never have an excuse to forget.

In terms of Kahoot, after using Google Calendar to plan out study dates and keep track of class, the next thing that needs to be done is review. To test what you know and understand what you do not. Kahoot is a useful technology that is both interactive and engaging for students. When utilized by teachers, Kahoot encourages student participation and collaboration, creating an environment where students learn from one another and the technology used. With the questions made in Kahoot, after completing the activity once, students and users alike can go back and play in ghost mode, allowing them to play against themselves and continue to improve and build upon their skills.

After setting up a study schedule using Google Calendars and reviewing with Kahoot, finally assessing the amount of knowledge known before a test can be tested through Quizlet. Quizlet creates a great series of games and activities to accompany the large amount of flashcards on a variety of different subjects. In Quizlet, difficult definitions or ideas can be more easily memorized when using flashcards that can complete or find a definition and using other flashcards saved in the website’s database to expand on knowledge and retrieve different perspectives on the same subject. Also, students and teachers can share their flashcards within a class, aiding in one another’s learning and creating a more collaborative learning environment. After the creation and utilization of flashcards, students are able to play different games to test their memorization, fully preparing them for upcoming assessments and strengthening consolidation.

Some ways I would apply Google Keep and Calendar into my education would be through collecting my notes for classes like Biology or Chemistry were put on a calendar. For example, in chemistry, each date has the plan of the day or lesson of the day, giving students the option to allow themselves to prepare ahead of time. Also, using calendars, planning my study schedule for spaced practice is much more efficient as Google Calendar allows a user to readjust times and dates when needed. Moreover, I would use Keep to note due dates, assignments, and important assessments to be done and handed in and keep track of progress as work continues to be assigned..

With Quizlet, students would be able to study subjects containing more definitions and detail more effectively. For example, subjects like Biology, English, and Chemistry introduce numerous terminology that can be difficult to identify and define. Using the flashcards and study games provided with Quizlet, teachers and students are able to go over which terms need to be reviewed and can grasp the level of understanding each student possess.

Finally, in terms of Kahoot, as the unit goes on, teachers and students can begin building a quiz, adding one or two questions after every lesson. After the unit has ended and a test date is assigned and steadily approaching, students would be able to play the quiz, even share it with classmates, and determine which subjects of the quiz need to be studied more than others. Furthermore, teachers could use Kahoot to assist students before tests, allowing students to retrieve information and test their knowledge of detail or true and false with Kahoot’s option of multiple choices. For example, Kahoot was used many times after a unit in SAP or in math to encourage students to retrieve the information and practice faster processing and thinking skills.

And so, simply integrating these three technologies can prove to show a greater amount of focus and understanding in the current generation where technology is a constant role in all of our lives.

[pennyforyourthoughts-idc]

Blog Prompt #2: Learning Strategies Reaction

There are two sayings that come to mind as I start this blog post.

Practice makes perfect

You can’t teach an old dog new tricks

I think those two phrases can almost perfectly express the conflict I had trying to commit to my chosen learning strategy of spaced practice.

After two weeks of setting aside half an hour almost every day during the weekdays to review and plan, I found the results to be surprisingly pleasant. My original goals were to feel more confident in my methods of studying and to be as prepared as I could be before entering a test and not having to stress about forgetting to study something. Being pressed for time was one of my worst assets, and with just 30 minutes set aside to review, I didn’t feel that kind of stress once a test or major assignment was announced in the coming days.

The best feeling during this whole project was seeing the results showed spaced practice actually worked and turned out as I hoped. I improved the way I learned and understood information I reviewed. I was finally able to make sense of some complicated concepts and practice my knowledge to retain most of what overwhelming amount of knowledge was received that day. On the first day of the trials, after much debate, I decided to change the focus of this strategy for a subject that required more memorization of material, whereas physics needed more applying. And so, I chose the wonderful science of chemistry. 

I’m glad I made the shift, though. My grades for chemistry rose more than I expected. Though some days were set aside for physics, a majority of my time was set upon chemistry as a test was decided to take place during the last few days of the trial period. As that test date neared, though, I noticed that with spaced learning, there was much less cramming on the night before than I had expected. For the first time in a long time, I felt confident when walking into the test room.

The best part? That confidence followed me out.

Now that I’ve addressed the good, let me address the bad. There were days when I had to shorten the review session or delay it as projects and ISPs for physics and other courses were set all at once. There was a sudden rush of work that I had to do and so finding the time to set aside to review became increasingly difficult. I know, it may sound like excuses you’ve probably heard before, but those excuses had to come from some place of truth, didn’t they? 

Another problem was it was harder finding a place at home to have as my own study space because of the clutter and noise that surrounds my home. Although, it wasn’t the worst problem as simply swiping some things to the side for space and stuffing some earbuds into my ears muffled out the noise of my brother attempting to become a lead vocalist and my mother almost yelling into the phone.

Now there’s the ugly...as a matter of fact, I don’t think there was anything truly ugly about this experience. Maybe there was the fact that I had to break a few old habits of mine to try and get this new one started, but that would a pretty good ugly, wouldn’t it? 

But maybe the ugliest part about this experience is that, knowing me, I will most possibly slip some bad habits back into my life because that’s the way I have been functioning for all the stressful years I have been in high school. Old habits are hard to break, and that is the worst part about this all. It’s that no matter how much I may try to maintain the streak of spaced practice I have been keeping up, once obstacles are thrown into my face, I may return back into the old way of things.

I believe this experience has taught me to be much more organized and efficient, though, and I am positive those traits will be carried on for as long as I can manage it. With every day that came increasingly difficult to maintain, I managed to persevere and that is what I am most proud of during the past two weeks. I am proud to learn more about myself and realize I can keep going forward if I truly reflect bring it upon myself to do so.

Besides, I’ve seen it: you can always teach an old dog new tricks as long as you do it through practice.

[pennyforyourthoughts-idc]

Blog Prompt #1: Learning Strategies

This is it. This is the year that counts.

One step closer to adulthood, but the most difficult step there is yet to take. With all the pressure on your shoulders, how can you ever completely focus? How can you really improve on what it is you need to in order to get into that university you’ve dreamed of? How can you start better patterns now before life gets even more hectic and it’s too late? Most importantly, how can you learn what you need to in the most effective way possible? It’s time to break old habits and start new ones. It’s time to be organized. It’s time I start using my time wisely.

The learning strategy I chose to take on? Spaced practice. 

Spaced practice involves organizing notes, times, and dates to study and sticking to the schedule as if it is a habit. If this learning strategy is used efficiently and correctly, the information you practice studying in intervals over the course of several days is continuously pieced together and stored. Spaced learning strengthens the practice of relying on long term memory instead of memorizing for short moments and forgetting later on. I picked this strategy in order to practice my time management and organization. Also, I want to have a better understanding of physics and be able to retrieve information I’ve already learned again over a longer period of time instead of constantly cramming and forgetting.

How I will implement this strategy will be through keeping myself reminded of what needs to be done in order to achieve the best results. I hope to slowly introduce spaced practice into my life and guide the strategy into becoming just another old habit of mine that doesn’t particularly lean towards the ‘unnecessary’ side. So the general game plan I am aiming to stick to is spending at least 20-30 minutes a day after all homework and other assignments are done and over with. Afterwards, it will be time to completely focus on reviewing lessons and redoing questions I struggle on - which, in physics, will most probably be most of them. I want to allow more time for subjects I have less of an understanding of before moving on to ones I have the outline for within my memory. Finally, I could aim to study about 4 days a week and at the end, review anything I missed.

With a plan set in mind, it is only normal that I should have a goal to keep me motivated. The first one? Feel confident. The main goal I have in mind is being able to complete a test or assignment knowing I studied and tried as best as I could. But most of all, I want to walk out of that intense class with no regrets. Instead of thinking, “I totally bombed that” like I usually do, I want to be able to say, “I think I did pretty well.” The second: I want to finally have a schedule I can stick to. I usually throw myself off track when thoughts of procrastination come to mind -  thoughts saying “there is no difference if you do it today or tomorrow.” I want a habit I know I can count on without wondering why I am sticking to it or what the whole point of this process is.

So what am I going to do specifically to start out this whole new strategy? Now is the time to decide my critical moves before tackling this game plan. First of all, I need to start with a schedule. I will plan out the 4 days I have chosen to study per week and keep a mental note of other activities going on in my life to leave some time for adjustments. Next, I will write down any questions or unclear parts of a lesson I have on my phone or in my agenda just so I know what needs to be cleared up in the time I have allowed myself to study. I need to write down key points I must keep in mind while reviewing so I can refresh my memory of what I am reviewing before totally immersing myself into it all. I have decided to choose the time of 8 PM, after I have finished my homework, to start the learning strategy. Every day I have chosen for the four days a week, at 8 PM I will sit down and review questions, notes, and key ideas that I can work to understand for 20-30 minutes.

It all seems a bit overwhelming when I see my goal and how I’m going to get there. I need to shrink the change to something I can slowly introduce myself to before making it a full-force habit. The most important adjustment I will have to make at first will be taking this strategy one day at a time.  I need to be committed to this learning strategy every day instead of focusing on monthly schedules, the outcome, or even that test I have in a few weeks. Essentially, I need to ignore what I have scheduled ahead of time - if it is a Monday, I will focus on my Monday schedule. What do I have to get done today? Can I stick to the time of 8 PM and focus for the full on 20-30 minutes today? If I can’t stick to the allotted time, can I make some adjustments where I can still implement the learning strategy today and not push it off to a later time? No questions about tomorrow or next week. I’m going to take baby steps and do this one day at a time.

Now that I have some minor changes, how can I put myself in an environment that is beneficial to me and motivate me to keep going? Well, I have this dirty habit of studying in front of a computer or having some type of device that connects to the internet nearby. Those components of my surroundings can only serve as a distraction when I really need to sink my feet into the mud that is physics. Before I can even start effectively studying, I need a space that I can call my own little bubble. Like the bedroom is only supposed to be a sanctuary for sleeping, I need to find my own learning sanctuary. I have to find a space where there is no technology that can pull me away or distract me with updates. A desk at home where I can surround myself in books and notes instead of desktops and tablets. That is my ideal destination to get this ball rolling.

So it’s a long journey aiming for that 85% average I’m really hoping for. Lesson after lesson, time only passes as the day comes closer to when my university applications are sent in and the staff in charge will be noses deep in thousands of ones like it. But before I will be drowning in university work with old habits hanging on my shoulders, this first mission I need to tackle before a long journey of finally getting my life together.