Post Planning: Planning Is One

¶ … Post

Planning:

Planning is one area in which I have consistently struggled in many areas of my life. I have a tendency to meet with crises as they happen, rather than planning for long-term events. To deal with this problem, I have bought a calendar and entered in specific slots for 'study time' and 'project work' time on a regular basis, rather than just focusing upon deadlines.

Time management:

Learning to say 'no' is an important component of effective time management. I have listed my priorities, including succeeding at school and will not let low-priority events take precedent, no matter how much people will try to 'guilt' me into doing so (Time scheduling suggestions, 2013, Virginia Tech).

Effective communication:

I will try to be more formal in my academic communications and evaluate (and spellcheck) all of my responses so they are clear and succinct (Betts 2009).

Effective use of technology:

I will try to be a more critical consumer of online information and evaluate all information I access for potential bias and make a commitment to my classmates equal to those I would encounter in a brick-and-mortar environment (Stanford-Bowers 2008).

Writing assignment

One of the greatest challenges of being an online learner is the need to engage in effective planning of study sessions and assignments, as well as the need to attend virtual classes on time. Without the formal structure of classes at a brick-and-mortar location, it is easy for a student to feel as though he or she has an infinite amount of time, despite the fact that time is, in fact, finite. With online learning, there is no face-to-face reinforcement of one's fellow classmates. It is easy to ignore the need to come to class without the pressure of having friends say "I missed you" when they see you on campus, or without a 'live' teacher's reminder that an assignment in immanent. Having a schedule where I write down all of my class assignments, including time allocated for studying, is an essential component of success in online learning ((Time scheduling suggestions, 2013, Virginia Tech). Time must be set aside for study and learning -- it is not something that just 'happens,' otherwise other obligations and distractions can easily get in the way.

Similarly, an online learner must be careful not to take on too many obligations, even though he or she is learning from home. Friends and family do not always respect the process of online learning as equally valid as traditional classwork, and it is very easy for others to make unreasonable demands on one's time. Distractions of children, pets, and employers can easily get in the way of study time. Simply because someone is not a full-time student at a standard university does not mean they are not a student and all students must study, but not everyone understands this! The student has the responsibility to maintain consistent time slots in his or her schedule to allow for studying and the completion of assignments. Some assignments may be more time-consuming than others, especially team projects that require the learner to coordinate his or her schedule with other students. Allowing assignments to 'build up' until the day before they are due is unproductive and unprofessional. If several assignments are due on the same day, the logical thing is to complete one or two early, or get an extension from a professor well beforehand, rather than waiting to the last minute to do them all.

Online learning demands communication in many capacities -- through standard papers, through online chatrooms, and through email. Sometimes there is video conferencing and phone calls involved. Both synchronous and asynchronous communication is required to participate in an online class (Betts 2009). Communication for online classes must be taken seriously. Even if I am sitting in my sweatshirt and pajama pants, I must write and speak formally as if I was in a classroom, not as if I was texting to my friends or using Facebook. Not doing other work online while I work on classes or using 'fun' websites is a critical component of making sure my communication is clear, formal, and worthy of a classroom environment. Understanding others and communicating well with classmates and teachers is a skill that must be worked on -- it is not something that is innate, except for the gifted few.

Learning how to use technology is a seemingly obvious important component of online learning. After all, a basic familiarity with a computer system and the ability to use the Internet effectively for research is a prerequisite of being an online learner. But the ways to use technology in a positive manner are not always immediately obvious, even to someone who is familiar in using the Internet for personal or work-related use. The learner must be effective at discerning which sources are reliable and which sources are not. Using academic databases rather than simply Googling a topic is important, for example. All sources, even sources from journals, must be evaluated for potential bias.