Journal 3

Most of us have learning activities we enjoy doing and those we find more challenging. We also find excuses or tasks to do that deflect us from the task at hand. Our feeling of accomplishment and how well we complete a task can often drive our motivation to engage. Over the coming month, note the course tasks that you find enjoyable (easy to attend to and complete) and those that you don’t (put last on your ‘to do’ list after the ironing). Once your list starts to shape up, try to provide a rationale for each entry: why was it easy or enjoyable? Why was it so hard to get started on? The more you understand the reasons for the way you prioritize learning tasks, the further you will progress to overcoming challenges. What you learn may also enable you to better understand the children you teach.

• Journal Entry
o I like this more because it has short responses and I like seeing the different activities. Each one is different.
• Lesson Plan with guidelines
o Once I’m on a role I like this activity. It’s hard to get started as I have a hard time following exact guidelines
• Book Talk
o I’m not a fan of this task because I have to present but I like choosing a book for others to choose. It was hard to get started because I’m scared of people seeing me mess up.
• Asynchronous work
o It’s very intimidating as there is a lot of different categories for this work. I have a hard time reading a lot of papers and answering questions along with other work I am doing.

• Question #1. Why is online gaming so popular? Are there drawbacks to being engaged in these activities? Do you think they offer opportunities for learning or are they just passive pastimes?
Online gaming is popular because they are easy to access. These games allow people to understand them easily and without much effort. They are also very fun to most people and a way to unwind your mind as it doesn’t require a lot of concentration. I think video games can offer some opportunities for learning. For younger students they allow students to work on their spelling to be able to chat, their vocabulary and comprehension as they will have to read and understand directions in most games and also work on their typing skills as they have to understand where letters, numbers and arrows are on the keyboard. For teenagers and adults, it can inspire new ways to solve problems and also develop an interest in coding. In some cases, videogames can be a passive pastime but I feel as though we are always learning something.
• Question #2. How do you manage your study schedule when faced with doubt about your capacity to engage, learn, and succeed?
Managing a study schedule is hard especially when you have doubt about your capacity to engage, learn and succeed. Something I do that’s not very good for me is wait until the last minute. I do not like waiting until the last minute for any assignments but when I feel like I am disengaged the time limit of the assignment can force me to become engaged. I also try to listen to positive affirmations and do my work with a friend. When I have feelings of uncertainty my friends will help me feel better about my doubts. When my friends are in the same class they can help me by asking questions and also discussing the work. This can inspire me to look at the materials in different ways.
• Questions #3. What do you do to help yourself remember new things? For example, do you create concept maps to link connected ideas? Share some of your ideas
To help myself remember new things, I try to study in a way that is efficient for me. I love to take notes that are color coded. I start by taking notes and putting them in categories. I then go back and highlight really important details and vocabulary words. When I go back I make sure to rewrite vocabulary words on a notecard and say where it is in the book I’m studying. I also try to do practice problems. What helps me the most is discussing what I have learned with someone. When I say it out loud it makes me think of it form a different lens.