Getting It Together!!!!!

Hey remember you’re good old strategies such as the Target Planner and Ranking Priorities? Well, I have and they NEVER fail to help me when I am in a time of need to get assignments completed. So this week I had many assignments due which is usually the case every week except this weekend was Halloween Weekend so I needed to have all my work done before the Halloween festivities began. What better way to plan my schedule out than to use Ranking Priorities?! The aim of this week was to have all of my assignments completed before or by Friday 11/28 and low and behold I did!

Because I was so fascinated by the way one of my blog team members used the Ranking Priorities Strategy on his iPod, I decided to incorporate the same strategy on my iPhone. It’s a quick and easy way to list everything that needs to be accomplished and since I always carry my phone around this was very convenient. Ranking priorities helped me categorize the numerous tasks and responsibilities I had this week for the majority of my courses. I was then able to identify which of those tasks needed the most immediate attention. After creating a list of everything that needed to be done, I ranked each items on the list according to the following:

A=Absolutely essential

B=Important

C=Optional

I then grouped the items by letters and ranked them numerically within each group according to due dates and their difficulty level. Because I am a visual and kinesthetic LEARNER I was able to visualize my most important tasks that needed to be done first. Seeing what assignments I needed to do, got me started to take ACTION as soon as possible and get these assignments completed!

In my HTW 303 course I used the Target Planner Strategy for my Environmental Health Risk Assessment Project. Since this project is a long-term assignment, the target planner was the best strategy for me to divide the project into smaller tasks. I divided the Environmental Health Risk Assessment Project into smaller steps. I then assigned a due date for when each of these steps should be completed by in order to keep myself on task. Afterwards, I drew small circles to create a bull’s eye target planner. I used my own adaptations and instead of having the inner circle be the main goal, the outer circle was the main target. I labeled each circle with its steps and due dates progressing me towards completing the assignment. I am still working on this assignment, but so far the Target Planner has me on task with when each of the previous steps should be completed.

(Target Planner for HTW 303 Environmental Health Risk Project)

I have used both the Target Planner and Ranking Priorities strategies before and it’s safe to say these strategies will lead you to the right way!

Test Preperation

Test prep for 11-7 test

As the semester continues to progress, I find myself coming face to face with my second wave of tests. YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!!! It is time to take action and prepare. I'm pulling out the 20 minute test prep for two of my classes I have exams next week in, my Ist 195 class and my History 101 class. This is a strategy that I am very familiar with and one that I enjoy using. I use it because it keeps me organized when it comes to studying because I am a visual learner also because it is easy to use.
After each lecture I would take 20 minutes to write down questions from the notes that I got in class. Since this is my second test in my Ist I know my professors style of question asking. I took advantage of this and made my questions the same way he would go about asking them to me. After the questions are made I leave them in my notebook for when I review all the material I got at the end of the week. When it comes time to review at the end of the week I answer my questions so I can see if I remember the material and I correct any mistakes I made. This has been a useful strategy for me also because I am using it for my test exam project.

test prep answer

I also used the 20 test prep for my most recent History 101 class. This is a class I like to type my notes out for because he goes so quickly through his slides in class and I type quicker than I write. I took the same steps I did with IST. I would take notes in class then I would write down the questions  when I get time after my lecture. I would then review all the questions then answer them when I review at the end of the week.
I honestly love 20 minute test prep because its useful for classes you want to study for, but the material is too difficult to understand. Its also useful for evaluating yourself to see if you retained any information from your lectures.

Getting Back on Track

This week for the topic of my choice I chose to re-visit the Problem Solving strategies as I feel this is an important time during the semester to tighten up any loose ends in my subjects. I chose to use the strategy I found the most effective, One Step At a Time, in two of my courses. The courses I chose were MAT 295 and PHY 212 because I recently noticed that previous problems within the courses have resurfaced. I felt that going back to the basic problem solving techniques would give me a better outlook on the two courses, and a means to solving the problems I struggled with before.

One Step At a Time MAT 295

The One Step At a Time Strategy (shown above) helps to list a problem and determine ways to solve the problem. It is done by listing consequences of the problem and possible ways to go about solving that problem. After all the listing is done you are required to choose which option you are going to take to ensure  that the problem gets done. What I like about this strategy is that it is an evaluation of the problems you have within a course. As a kinesthetic and somewhat of a visual learner I found that this "listing" of consequences and possible to do's allowed me to gain a clear view of what needed to be done. I also created solutions that were plausible so that I knew I would get them done.

One Step At a Time PHY 212

For my Calculus and Physics courses I noticed problems with understanding the material and test taking. Both of the classes I chose evaluate me by testing my understanding of the material. So finding solutions to misunderstandings with the material is an essential thing to do If I wish to achieve success within my classes.The consequences of these problems are very dire so I made sure to write those down so that they could serve as motivators to carrying out the possible to do's. The materials offered to me in each of the courses consists of the book and online homework sites. So to solve the problem of misunderstandings with the material I decided to take action and participate in study groups and use the book for practice problems. There are always options offered to me for help within the courses, so deciding which option to take wasn't very hard to do. I like participating in study groups as a kinesthetic learner, and teaching and asking questions within those groups helps to clear the misunderstandings I get from lecture.

For anyone struggling with understanding class material or getting better grades on tests, I recommend using this strategy to give yourself a reasonable method to going about solving these problems.

Getting Organized!

For this week's blog, I had an option to pick any strategies to preform again. I decided to use "Ranking Priorities" and "C.O.S.T." I never used the Ranking Priorities strategy and being Halloween weekend, where time is scarce, I knew it would be very beneficial in recognizing what I had to get done and by when. I picked C.O.S.T again because the first time I used it, it was very helpful and successful. I am a visual learning and both of these strategies are very organized and showed me what I need to do, when I need to do it, and what my current situation is.

To begin, I ranked my priorities for the week. As I previously stated, Halloween is a very busy and fun weekend leaving little time to accomplish any work. Yet, because I have so much due during the week, I could not wait until last minute to complete my tasks. By organizing my homework, I was able to clearly see (which I love!) what I needed to do and which tasks I need to do first!

(Ranking Priorities Shown Above)

My first action was to organize my classes by color and figure out the work I needed to do. The reason I picked to use colors was that way when I took it a step further and put my tasks into a table, I would be able to identify what work was from what class. As stated above, "A" is absolutely essential, "B" is important, and "C" is option work. From there I further categorized by deciding which task in "absolutely essential needed to be completed first. What I like most about this technique is that it is another form of a target planner but for all tasks. It shows my what I need to get done and the dates each assignment is due. It also shows me what tasks are most important. For example, my CLS journal is due before my WRT 105 paper, yet the paper is much more crucial. The paper is worth 45 percent of my grade and needs much more attention than my journal, which is only worth four points out of forty. Due dates are also a reason why I ranked each priority in a specific order. My PHI 107 questions are never due and are optional. Even though I would like to get them done, if I do not have time that day or week, I can put them on the back burner until the next day. This is what I needed to get through a busy weekend when I have a lot of work. Another benefit is that it does not take much time. I was easily able to recognize all my tasks and order them based on importance and due date!

The next strategy I used was C.O.S.T. This stands for change, option, schedule, and test. I have already used this strategy for my PHI 107 course two weeks before the midterm. Over that time period, I was very stressed and this allowed me to set up a plan to recognize my problem and become organized. I took my midterm last week and now I would like to become much more organized in preparation for my final. Although that is December 14th, it will be a lot of questions and I do not want to cram or feel stressed again.

(C.O.S.T for PHI 107 shown above)

As one can see, this is very organized and visually appealing, something a visual learner like me loves! My action was to immediately figure out what I need to do for the second half of the semester to stay organized, calm, and on task. I figured out what I needed to change. For this half of the semester my professor will be giving out the questions for the midterm weekly, rather than all at once. This already is a great way to stay on task. Every Sunday I can sit down and answer the questions by using my materials. My materials for that class are his power points (put up after class), my textbook, and my class notes. By recognizing my materials, what I need to change, and how I can do it, I was able to set up new options. My main option/ priority is to complete the review questions each week and review them through out the week for short periods of time. I also need to complete the readings and if I have questions see my T.A or Professor. There are multiple options for this class and multiple ways to succeed. The next thing to do was create a schedule. Since my midterm is far away, I made one that can be changed. My priority is to complete the questions each week and review them daily. Once it becomes closer to the final, I will create a target planner with the topics I find difficult and need more help with. the final stage of this technique is to test. Since I only have midterms and finals, I will need to test myself by making sure I am able to answer the questions he supplies each week. These are the exact questions that will be on the final so I will be able to see what I am doing right and wrong and where I need to study more. This will be my evaluation not only for the class but for the strategy. Since everything is weekly, I will complete it on Sundays where I have an extra twenty minutes compared to during the week when I am busy with classes, activities, and homework.

Overall, C.O.S.T for my PHI 107 and Ranking Priorities are good ways to become organized and see what I need to do. I never used the ranking priorities strategy and now I will do it every week instead of the Ds, Do, and Due. The reason why I will do this is because it shows me what is important, when I need to do it by, and what I need to do first. If I am having problems in my courses I will use C.O.S.T. This strategy is quick and effective because you identify what you are doing wrong and how to fix it. I think these are good strategies to use together because they go hand-in-hand with what you need to do and how you need to do it. Both strategies also do not take long so instead of spending time on them, you do them and then get right into your work. I will continue to use both of these strategies and see which class C.O.S.T is most beneficial in!

Chunk, Read, Summarize, Test

Tired of those long boring reading assignments that are assigned in almost every class? Well, there’s a resolution! The Charlie Reads SmarT strategy is the way to go when you must get a reading assignment done and done well! Many times I find myself reading my assignments over and over again because of the fact that I did not grasp t

he information the first time reading through it. With the use of Charlie Reads SmarT you are guaranteed to have remembered all of the readings if you follow all of the steps required in this strategy. I have two exams coming up in the next two following weeks for my HTW 303 and CHE 106 courses. In preparation for my examinations, I reviewed this strategy.

For HTW 303, my professor has a list of assignments in the syllabus she wants us to have done. Listed are those long and tedious readings that we must read before coming to class. To make these reading assignments easy and not seem like a task, I chunked each reading assignment into topics and chapters. This step is necessary just once per source. By doing so, I was actually able to COMPLETE my readings. I noticed that the most number of pages I can read without wanting to close the textbook right there and then, were 20 pages. SO if my readings were more then 20 pages I would stop at every 20^th page and take a break. Then I returned back to the readings. However, I wasn’t reading aimlessly. I read with a purpose! To fully understand what ideas and concepts my professor wanted us to gain from reading each assignment, I checked the syllabus to see the topics for each listed reading assignment. This helped me get an overall idea of what I needed to know from reading this assignment. As I read through the pages and came across new heading topics, I turned the heading into questions. I then read for the answer, which helped keep me interested in the readings and remember what important details I was reading for. Because my HTW 303 professor posts lecture slides on BlackBoard that are highly detailed and contain almost all of the important information from each chapter, I related how the reading selection relates to material presented in class. After each reading, I would create an outline of words, definitions, and/ or examples to summarize what I just read. I then anticipated 3-5 questions based on the outline I made.

I followed the same procedure for my CHE 106. I read a chunk at a time ( 20 pages) and read section-by-section. Like many of my other professors, my professor for this course posts lecture slides on BlackBoard. making it easier for me to know what ideas & concepts (aside from what is said in the syllabus) I should focus on while completing my reading assignments. When completing these reading assignments, I am essentially reading for clarification and to gain a better understanding of the material. At the end of each chapter, I summarize and create an outline of key words. To test myself and see if I understood the material I complete several of the questions that are at the end of each chapter and I try to create questions similar to those questions.

I am both a visual and kinesthetic LEARNER so this strategy was the perfect way to get me started on studying for examinations while actually getting me to read the book! I took ACTION and read for my classes using the all of the MATERIALS provided to me. If you are one of those students like I am who have a hard time with getting reading assignments completed then The Charlie Reads SmarT is the strategy for you!!!!!!!!!

How to make your T.A.R.T. readings sweeter

Reading assignments are usually every college student's pet peeve. I take classes that require me to read a boat load amount every week. I often find myself drowning in the massive amounts a text every night because I am unable to fully grasp the main topic of the chapters I read. THIS WEEK IT ALL ENDS! I used T.A.R.T. in order to help understand the material. I used T.A.R.T. for my History 101 class and my IST 195 class because those are classes I often find myself taking on reading assignments in which I have to retain what I am reading, because my tests are based on the readings. Visual learning involves a lot of organization and structure and through using this strategy I found a lot of organization.

When I first began using T.A.R.T. I abbreviated terms that I found on the first page of the chapter. These are terms that I am gonna find in the chapter. I put a star next to the terms that I without a doubt knew my teacher was going to put emphasis on. Once I skimmed my readings for Ist I went to class the next two days and my professor spent an abundant amount of time talking about Networks and internet protocol addresses. After class I waited a day then re-read chapter 9 and made test questions that would probably be asked on his multiple choice exams.

I did the same process for History 101. However, instead of taking words down that were in bold letters in the beginning of the chapter, I took down terms and definitions that I found through out the chapter that were text aids. Such as, titles, subtitles, and headings. Due to the fact that in History my professor goes over just about everything he read I did not have to star things because he spoke about everything the next day. When I got the time to reread I thoroughly looked over the readings to see if their was any discrepancies between his class and the readings and to see if I fully understand things the way he wants me to.
T.A.R.T. was used to help get a better understanding of the readings that I do, rather than make them easier. I also found evaluating the information that I was able to hold on to became a lot easier as well.

Pop T.A.R.T !!!

For my upcoming midterms, I decided to use the T.A.R.T technique in two of my courses. T.A.R.T stands for Terms, Attend Lecture, Read, and Test Questions. The courses I chose to use the technique in were PHY 212 and CHE 106. I chose these courses because the book is the Major Source of Information and my reading for both classes is to be done comprehensively rather than skeletal. As a kinesthetic leaner and somewhat of a visual learner I chose T.A.R.T because it broke down the reading process into 4 simple steps.

T.A.R.T CHE 106

The T.A.R.T technique (shown above) allowed me to break down the way I process material into 4 steps. As my chemistry professor told me in my interview that the book should be read BEFORE and AFTER lecture, I found that this technique was a perfect way to go about doing that reading. My reading prior to the lecture was done to find and list the key terms within the section. When I attended the lecture, my goal was to listen for the terms I had listed beforehand and try to make connections between them. Because the main objective while attending lecture was to listen, I took skeletal notes so that more of my focus was directed into hearing the professor explain the material. The reading after the lecture was the most important as I knew what I needed to focus on due to attending lecture and listening for key terms. I found that the reading was EASIER to do because I was reading with a PURPOSE. It was then easy for me to anticipate upcoming test questions for my midterm because I knew what the most important material was.

T.A.R.T PHY 212

Physics wasn't any different from my Chemistry T.A.R.T technique because within both of the classes the book is the major source of information. I did however find that it was harder for me to breakdown the material in Physics than it was for Chemistry. This is because the books have different formats so I had to put in a little more effort in deciphering the physics material. To do this I looked at the chapter summaries and focused my attention on the sections it had described. I then went to each of those sections directly to find the key terms. The process after that was the same as the one I did for Chemistry.

The T.A.R.T technique was really effective for me because I have classes which required me to read before and after the lecture. I found that the most important part of this technique was that it required me to read with a purpose. As a kinesthetic learner, having something to relate my reading to and finding connections with the material served to be very helpful. The technique made the reading more informational as it allowed me to separate the important from the irrelevant. I would recommend this technique to anyone who has an aversion to reading the book because it doesn't seem to help. It allows you to get involved with your reading and lecture to better help your understanding of the material.

T.A.R.T For Two!

For this weeks tech assignment, we were able to choose between two techniques, T.A.R.T and Charlie Read SmarT. I choose to work with T.A.R.Tin my Philosophy 107 and MAT 285. T.A.R.T stands for Terms, Attend (the lecture), Read, and Test. This strategy was ideal for both my classes because the information is lecture based and it is good for visual and kinesthetic learners, which I am. This is good because it allowed me to get familiar with the terms and definitions before class and then pay more attention during the lecture. It further forced me to study by reviewing my notes and terms after class and anticipating test questions.

The first class I used this technique in was MAT 285. I have a large exam coming up on Thursday and my next class will be a review session. In order to prepare, I took three topics that were causing me trouble. In the terms category, I put the formula and definition for product rule, quotient rule, and chain rule. By filling in that category before class, I knew what I would need to focus on during the lecture. My materials for this class are my lecture notes and textbook, but I solely use my class notes. This is because I am a visual learning and by seeing examples of how to complete a problem is better than reading a paragraph in the textbook stating "how" to do it. By completing this action of organizing the terms I have trouble with, I will be able to get the most of out the review because I am focusing of three specific topics.

(T.A.R.T for MAT 285 shown above)

As one can see I was able to organize the three formulas I found most difficult before my

MAT 285 review. I was able to sit in the lecture and focus on those three topics and take more notes and complete more examples because I knew they were giving me trouble. This was also beneficial because I will be evaluated in short answers such as the test questions I anticipated. My T.A will give us problems and it is our job to figure out what strategy we need to use and to complete the question. That is another reason why this technique is good because it shows me what each formula looks like, how to associate a problem with it, and how to solve that problem. My evaluation of this technique is that it is very useful and easy to organize. Rather than spending time setting my notes up in a specific table, I am able to write down the information in a organized manner with clean examples.

The second class I used this technique for was my PHI 107 class with Professor Van Gluck. I just took my midterm in that class so I know exactly what to be looking for in the second half of the semester for my midterm. The midterm was based off of definitions and their meaning and concepts. As we start a new section, there are many definitions that make up the base of the unit. These new terms are very confusing and T.A.R.T allowed me to identify them before the lecture so I could pay close attention. My first action was to go to the text book and identify the new terms I would need to know. There were ten and all of which are very confusing and new. Once I had the definitions down, I reviewed them, went to the lecture and see how my professor used their definitions. After the lecture, I re-read the chapter and it seemed to make much more sense. Then I anticipated test questions. This was easy because after the midterm. I know the kinds of questions my professors conducts. He uses mostly compare and contrast and state the defination. Since I had the terms organized, I focused on making questions that asked to compare and contrast.

(T.A.R.T for Philosophy 107 shown above)

After I made these questions, I went back and reviewed the powerpoint from class. My main source of materials for that class are my professor's powerpoints. In each one, he has all the information from the readings, his lectures, and everything we will need to write a paper or for the final. This technique allowed me to get ahead because when he hands out the questions for the final, I will already have some of them and the definitions to answer the ones I do not know. As I said before, I am evaluated in this class by essays and the final, all writing based. By using T.A.R.T I have will have most of the information for each topic organized with questions answered. My evaluation of this technique is that it is extremely useful for philosophy. Philosophy is a term and concept based class so by using this strategy, I will be able to stay organized and efficient with my information. I also like how clean this looks, being a visual learner, it keeps me calm to know I am organized and it looks appealing.

Overall, this stratgy is very effective in both MAT 285 and PHI 107. It keeps my notes organized, forces me to study more than once, and allows me to become prepared for my lectures. For both classes, I will continue to make these for the rest of the semester because then for my final I will already have review sheets made. As I also stated earlier, these notes do not take too long to create and you do not need to waste time focusing on the set up. As long as you put all the necessary and vital information in, you will be able to succeed in your class using these notes. I cannot wait to try using this strategy in my other classes and see the outcome on my exams!

NEED A HAND? USE YOUR NOTE-TAKING STRATEGIES!

This week’s TECH assignment is on NOTE TAKING!!!! A skill that every college student must have is to know how to take good notes. I have trouble deciding what I should write in my notes. Sometimes I forget that my notes do not have to contain everything, just the most important things such key concepts and terms. I focus too much on trying to capture everything, when in reality I won’t have the spare mental “cycles” to recognize what’s truly important!

Dr. Blumin has provided us with a variety of note-taking strategies that are useful in helping is take down notes for almost every class. I have two exams coming up in the following two-week for my MAT 194 and HTW 303 courses. I tried using several note-taking strategies which I found to be very effective, such at T Notes strategy for my Math and Chemistry courses because it breaks down notes into formula and solutions, the PowerPoint Notes strategy since most of my professors post their lecture notes on blackboard, and last but not least the 1 Plus 3 Note-Taking Method which I found to be useful for every course. Although these strategies worked well for me, I was limited to describe how I used the 1 Plus 3 Notes Strategy and they the Plug-In Note Strategy. I had already used the 1 Plus 3 Notes Strategy, so for this week’s TECH I decided to explain how it helped me study better in my HTW 303 and MAT 194 course.

I am both a visual and kinesthetic LEARNER, which means I have to take ACTION when I am studying. I need to have my notes set out clearly so I can be able to read it easily and the 1 Plus 3 Notes Strategy is the perfect way to get me started on my studies.

For my HTW 303 course, my professor usually just reads off of Power Point lecture notes and posts them on Black Board so it was fairly difficult to write all of my notes into the note section of the 1 Plus 3 Notes Strategy. I figured that if I just noted key concepts and terms then it would be easier for me to create a graphic organizer, which would visually represent the key terms and concepts, and surely it did. I took one day’s worth of a lesson and condensed into a small study guide filled with key terms and concepts that I would need to know for my upcoming exam. The chapter topic was about Indoor Environments. I then listed what MATERIALS I could use to study the information I had listed in my notes. For Section A, I listed subtopics that fall under Indoor Environments. In Section B, I noted causes, sources, and ways to prevent/ reduce problems of Indoor Environments. From that information that I listed, I anticipated questions that may be on my upcoming exam.

In my MAT 194 course, I followed the same steps for the same strategy, however, I broke my 1 Plus 3 Notes down into a topic per page just because there is so much information and steps that need to be known in for math. In Section A, I listed the two topics which I was focusing on which was Linear and Exponential Function. Since those topics are similar, I differentiate how each topic is different/similar in Section B. I also listed formulas that can help me tell the difference between Linear and Exponential Functions. After writing out these notes, I then wrote a few test questions that I thought my professor would ask based on these notes.

I found this method of note-taking can be well suited to any of my courses that requires me to review the material multiple times because the information is difficult or unfamiliar. The 1 Plus 3 Note-Taking Method incorporates a combination of other strategies as well, such as anticipating test question. This method uses the both comprehensive and skeletal notes because it is brief and concise and also has details. In addition, by using this note taking strategy you can get a clear image of what key concepts and terms you need to study for. If you need help with studying I would suggest using the 1 Plus 3 Note Taking Strategy. Good notes are the corner stone to achieving success in a test!!!!

Organize yourself: Succcessful notetaking strategies

Note taking is a skill that varies from student to student. This skill is also dependant on what type of learner a student is and what type of material is being covered in a class. I decided to use 1 plus 3 notes this week in two of my courses, Religion 101and Ist 195. I decided to take action and use 1 plus 3 notes in both my religion 101and ist 195 classes because these two classes give me a trailor load of notes and I feel like this note taking strategy would definately be a big help in terms of organization. This strategy requires three lines to be drawn. One section for notes, another for questions, and another section for a summary of your notes.

Ist Notes

IST 195 is a class in which I get a lot of difficult computer terms and notes. Before using this strategy I would just write down notes as I got them and they would be disorganized. Me being a visual learner I decided I definately need to be more organized! What better way to star than using this strategy to organize my notes. After I went about writing down my notes in class I went home and began to review my work. I wrote down questions and summarized everything I learned during my review.

Religion notes

For religion 101 I went about doing the same thing. I took all the notes I needed to take in that class because we had a guest speaker that day. After class when I found time to go to my room I wrote down questions and summarized my notes. Through these methods I found myself pretty much preparing for my test without actually using a test prep strategy.
After using these two strategies I found myself way more organized than I was before. I actually was able to recognize the material that was being covered through summarizing the notes we learned in class. I feel by combining this strategy with 20 minute test prep you will be able to dominate any test that may get in your way of obtaining that A+.

Effective Note-Taking

For my upcoming Calculus 295 test this week I decided to prepare by taking a different approach to the note-taking throughout the week. I used both of the note-taking strategies Dr. Blumin recommended this week, the 1 Plus 3 notes and the Plug-In Notes for preparation for the exam. These note-taking strategies cater to a visual or kinesthetic learner, as they provide an organized way to view the material and they provide visual examples to relate the notes to. I used the 1 Plus 3 notes for each topic within chapter 3 of the class material, but I used the Plug-In notes strategy for the topic which i found the hardest: Related Rates. I separated the Related Rates Topic from the rest of the topics because I felt that I needed to spend extra time on this topic to understand it. Spending extra time on the topic meant making a study aide that was more effective, so I added visual appeal to the problems to make them easier to understand. Doing so really appealed to me as a kinesthetic learner as I could relate the problems to real life examples and diagrams.

1 Plus 3 Notes

The 1 Plus 3 Notes strategy (shown above) was extremely helpful as it really organized the material, making it easier to interpret. I am also a very linear learner, and it helped to let me know which topics came after each other. This is a very important thing to know within a Calculus course as each topic is cumulative and builds upon the previous topic. I can also pinpoint my misunderstandings with material and find out how to solve them. With this note-taking strategy I was able to do 3 things all at one: View the key topics, Assess each topic with examples from each, and create test questions based on all of the information. The best thing about this strategy is that it serves as great exam preparation as well.

Plug-In Notes

I used the help of the Plug-In Notes strategy to grasp a greater understanding of the Related Rates topic withing my Calculus class. The Plug In Notes required me to leave spaces between the material taught in class so that I could later add visual examples or graphic organizers to understand the material shown. In this case I wrote down the problems in class, but later drew detailed pictures to give myself a visual aspect to the problems. Doing this enabled me to gain a greater sense of how to approach the problems by thinking about how they would actually happen in a real life setting.

The use of two of these strategies came in the clutch as I have an exam this upcoming week. I feel that with these strategies however I can link all of the topics I've learned and make sense of the things I do not understand. Aside from providing an effective note-taking strategy these techniques are great for organizing data, making them more visually appealing and easier to assess. I would recommend these strategies to anyone who like to add visual aspects to their notes, and to those who like to have a list of all the information with detailed examples right beside them.

1 PLUS 3 NOTES!

After class on Wednesday, I found Wendy to discuss what notes I should be using for this weeks blog. Seeing the work I had done for class, we both decided that Jeopardy Notes would work best for the classes I was planning on doing. Yet, when I went home to compete the tech assignment, I discovered that Dr. Blumin only was allowing her students to use the "1 plus 3" and "plug-in-notes" strategies. I looked over both way and found that "1 plus 3" notes would be best for me. I adapted the categories to fit the key information I needed to know. I also choose this strategy because it was very visually appealing and organized, something I like. Being a visual learner, I need to see everything laid out and organized. I decided to use this strategy for two of my classes; PHILOSOPHY 107 and MAT 285.

When I began to use this note taking strategy for my philosophy 107 course, I wondered how I could use this chart to organize key information. I have my midterm coming up on Tuesday and there was one part left that I did not know yet. My materials for that class are his lecture power points, which he puts online, and my class notes. For the 1 plus 3 notes, I focused on a specific idea that involved three different philosophers and their ideas on a specific subject. I let column A be "the name of each philosopher", column B be "their opinions and explanations", and column C was "anticipated test questions." I also put some background information of the top of the paper so I could see what topic was causing debate when I used these notes to quiz myself again in the future. I chose to set it up like this because if I wanted to, I could fold my paper on the line and then quiz myself by just looking at the philosopher's name.

(1 Plus 3 Notes for Philosophy 107 shown above)

As one can see, this note taking strategy is very efficient because I have all my key information organized. In column B where it says, "Opinions and beliefs" I made a small summary for each philosopher and their opinion. I did this because it was a great way to debrief all the information I just wrote on each topic. The four test questions I anticipated are questions that my professor asks commonly in class. This is beneficial because after I read all my information, I can again fold my paper and answer the questions. The questions test my knowledge because I need to know all the information. One asks to compare and contrast the philosophers and their ideas while another asks how the human mind plays a role in their beliefs. I made these types of questions because this is how I will be evaluated on on my midterm. My midterm is all short answer essay questions and the ones I anticipated have multiple parts just like the test will. These questions also cover the section in its entirety, helping me remember everything. This was also very convenient because when I was reading over my notes for this section as review, I was confused. I printed out my 1 plus 3 notes and everything was laid out clearly for me. Overall, this note taking strategy was extremely important for this class because there is a large possibility I will have a questions on my exam like this.

I also used the 1 plus 3 notes for my MAT 285 class, which is calculus 1. The reason I chose to take these notes for this class is because the section was very confusing to me. It had four major important key terms and their definitions, which are formulas. My materials for this course are class notes and I wanted to rearrange them in a way that would allow me to study and keep them very organized. The 1 plus 3 technique allowed me to do this. I wrote these notes by hand because it was much easier to write the formulas and complete examples. I let column A be "key terms," column B be "formulas," and column C is "anticipated test questions."

(1 Plus 3 Notes for MAT 285)

The reason why I set my notes up in this fashion is because again, I can fold the paper and study. By putting the name of each rule in the first column, I can think about the answer and then flip it over. Once I flip it, I can see what the formula for the key term is and how to do it; that is why I added an example. I then went into my textbook and found the hardest problems from each section as anticipated test questions. These are the types of problems that would show up on my exam and therefore, if I can complete them, I can do well on the test. I picked the hardest problems because the formula gives me the basic knowledge of the subject. If I can apply the knowledge and solve the hardest problems, I will be prepared for the exam. My exams for math are always the same, short answered based off of the information from class. They are all solving problems rather than knowing definations. That is why I made the second column formulas rather than defining the terms by a word definition. This is also useful because I was able to make a study guide for three sections in one because they are all based off of one and other. I can go back before my exam and use this to study. In fact, there is a large possibility I will be making 1 plus 3 notes for all the sections on my exam or altering it in some. I have a quiz on these three sections next week and I will be able to review before my exam and complete the practice problems. I can also complete the examples in column B and not look at the answers right away. That way if I do get one of them wrong, I can look at it step step to see where I messed up.

Overall, this method was very effective for multiple reasons. The first is that it forced me to study more than once. Rather than taking notes in class or just listening, I had to come home, re-review my notes and study them. From there I was able to make a study guide and rewrote the information in a way that is easy to understand. These notes were also more organized because I was able to take the time and put different subjects into different sections rather than in class when I am just trying to get all the information down. For there I was able to form questions like the ones that would be on the exam. I believe this topic was more useful for MAT 285 because it set up examples and was very easy to read. Yet, it is was effective for philosophy 107 because I took one topic and broke it down. I also added the last sentence that was summed everything up which really was beneficial. And because both sets of notes are just one sheet of paper, I can bring them to the gym while I work our and take them any where and review when I have a free moment. I will continue to use this method because it is organized, effective, and extremely helpful.

Preparing for a Test? USE EXAM PREPARATION STRATEGIES

This week’s TECH topic is on…drum roll please: EXAM PREPARATION!!!!! During these past two weeks, I had exams in two of my courses: CHE106 and HTW 303. In order to prepare for my examinations in these courses I used the Anticipating Test Questions strategy. In addition, to see where I could make room for improvement I used the Directional Word Analysis strategy.

For CHE 106, instead of anticipating my own questions to prepare for the exam, I simply used a sample practice exam, which my professor provided on BlackBoard. With the use of the sample practice exam, I was able to visualize the format of how the actual exam would be and also to get a sense of what type questions would be on it. Since we learn so much material in this course it is nearly impossible for the professor to test us on every single topic. I was able to analyze which topics would be on the exam by using the sample practice. In addition, the syllabus was a great tool in finding out the pattern of the exam. Chemistry is based on cause and effects so I knew the majority of the test questions would be in a cause and effect

pattern form. I made sure to practice question. The questions I had difficulty answering, were the question topics I focused mostly on. If I still had trouble after practicing similar problems to the practice exam and re-reading about the topics, I then asked for help from a tutor.

This strategy really helped me study and understand the topics on the exam. Although I found this as a good way to anticipate exam questions, I still need to improve the way I prepare for exams. I did not get the score I wanted to receive. Perhaps trying a new strategy or making sure to come up with my own questions would be helpful next time.

In my HTW 303 course, I used the Directional Word Analysis strategy to prepare for the exam I had last week. My HTW professor gives us a list of review questions and definitions for every lecture, which are broken down into chapters. Since she does not give out sample practice exams or allow is to keep the test we take, it was best for me to use her review questions as a source material to prepare for the exam. When reading the

syllabus, I can tell that the pastern of the exam questions will be based on definitions & ideas+concepts. Surely they were! This strategy was straight to the point and helped me understand the specific information my professor wanted me to know for the exam. I would definitely recommend anyone to use this strategy especially if one is preparing for an exam that will solely be on definitions.

These strategies taught me how to become more organized and how to better prepare myself for further examinations. As Dr. Blumin says,“The key to success in test achievement is test preparation.”