The Internet's Effect

The internet has helped my education immensely through the years.  Whether is it for research for assignments or finding assistance with something I cannot figure out, the World Wide Web always provides options to support your efforts.  Doing searches for homework and projects with sites like Google can produce very helpful results.  Google’s search engine will give excellent results for just about anything you can type into it.  Also with sites like Wikipedia and Research Gate, for example, I can find references for any topic I have chosen to cover.  References come in handy to verify your own assertions and make them credible when discussing topics.  Nearly every topic you will write about during the education process has had previous research done on it.  If you are going to reintroduce an idea or add to your own original thesis, citing previously published work will always be useful.  These are just some of the available resources to use as an encyclopedia or document database.  Though there are more sites I could name, those are usually the first I run to when needed. 

 

The internet has changed the way we communication in a variety of ways.  Personally it began with instant messenger and e-mail for me.  Using America Online’s aim service was the best way to chat with friends over the internet when I was growing up.  It became a popular third option to meeting in person and using the phone during those years.  Sometimes we were so infatuated with it that we would talk on the phone and aim at the same time.  Nerdy, I know.  When I became older, e-mail was the best way to send resumes and apply for jobs other than directly through a corporation’s website or in person. Finding the e-mail addresses to human resource departments was just as important as having the number to the business.  In those days, you could simply send a well-crafted resume and cover letter through e-mail instead asking if the company was hiring.  Occasionally employees were able to review information from candidates that they were not even seeking which lead to employment. 

The next phase of the internet revolution will be with the social media sites like Google Plus, Facebook and Twitter for hiring practices.  Having an online persona that fits the corporate culture will be as important as whatever is printed on your resume in coming years in my opinion.  Having a credible reputation will include how you present yourself to others and what you associate yourself with.  As you complete applications, your perspective employer may see who you claim to be online, one way or the other, before they speak with you in person for an interview.  Now this does not mean to change the way you are but it does mean to expect people to believe in what you say and do at all times.  It may be best to have a uniform identity but it will be up to you to have all points of the spectrum covered as long as the shoe fits.  Just know that people may make the decision on whether to move forward or not based on what they see with images in addition to what they are reading on paper.  

Study Habits

Being a senior undergraduate at age thirty-one, after mistakes when I was younger, I may not be the best person to give advice but I should let others decide from what is written here.

1. Read to comprehend
2. Learn for yourself beyond the classroom
3. Putting emphasis on what the professor or teacher says
4. Connecting the materials to other topics
5. Create the proper amount of time to study
6. Summarize your notes
7. Use homework and assignments to prepare for tests
8. Start your day and end your day positively
9. Never be upset with the amount you have to study
10. Study to remind yourself of information rather than learn it for the first time.

Each of these points is imperative to any favorable result I have had while in school.  The education process is distinctive in that you can always improve from past performance.  If these techniques do not work for you, you can modify to what you feel is best.  Let me try to elaborate on how each has been constructive towards my erudite learning.

Reading to comprehend means to try to understand more than the words printed on the paper.  It is getting the concept of the overall message and how that particular phraseology is being used to express it.  This can be a timely activity to adjust to and really take in. Then it can become facile or second nature with the right amount of repetition and practice.  The level of thought to master that will transition to our next point, learning for yourself beyond the classroom.  Just acquiring knowledge can become a habit that you begin to complete for more that tests, quizzes and assignments.  Increasing your all around intellect can turn into a hobby as well.  The next one is something that I had to learn the hard way.  Put an emphasis on what your professor or teacher says during class time.  In college, we are given a syllabus and know what to expect on each test for the entire semester.  The professor who creates the exam will usually speak about what is most important from the required text and may cover material that the author does not discuss.  They could be speaking from personal experience or just adding something they think you should hear.  Becoming an elite student incorporates both excellent reading abilities in addition to paying attention in class.  When something is giving you difficulty, connect the material to another topic you know better.  A simple example of this was applying English and Math to Computer Programming when I first began.  Thinking about what causes errors during compiling and execution were some of the common rules from those subjects.  Once I was really able to grasp that, I could get through the elementary concepts of programming.  Some of the more advance techniques require a higher level of thought but that is a fair place to start.  Another idea is creating the proper amount of time to study.  I attempt to avoid studying too early in the morning and too late at night.  Therefore, I schedule time to study during the day similar to my courses.  Setting aside a period of 50 to 75 minutes to review material is very valuable to my study habits and maintaining some form of consistency.  I do not have to cram for a test in one day if I can constantly give the subject some type of attention for weeks leading up to the approaching date.  Summarizing your notes can help too.  Though most teachers have set the precedent of students reproducing absolute regurgitation for answers, it is good to write it in your own words.  If you can translate a message to your understanding, you can ask if your interpretation is correct.  This can not only help you but someone else who is having trouble with the vocabulary of the topic.  Use homework to prepare for tests.  Your performance on graded work is a fair indicator of what you may do next.  You can learn from your mistakes and gain confidence from what you already stored in your memory banks.  The next one is both important and sort of a side note.  Start and end your day positively.  If there is nothing that causes excessive stress or avert your attention to other areas, it will help to retain information that you received during your courses.  The second to last one has to do with coping.  Never be upset with the amount you have to study.  This applies specifically to what will be on a test or what has to be read before a certain class.  All assigned work is within your capability as long as you are a student in the course and your professor might be more aware of that fact than you are at the time.  Some professors do take pride in their students’ progress in a class.  Lastly, study to remind yourself of information rather than trying to learn it for the first time.  Whenever you study, it should be to reiterate something already presented to you.  You should be going more in depth to think on a different level and comprehend in another sense.  If you are studying a completely new subject or theme, it may be challenging to balance with everything else you are responsible for.