1. Effective Note Taking

Beginning college this September was the first time was the first time I would ever have to take academic notes. I was apprehensive about note taking before college as I am very slow at writing and typing. In the first semester of college we had a communications lecture and tutorial which covered the different types of effective note taking which I found very helpful.

It showed me the different types of note taking and allowed me to use which one worked best for me.

All together there are around 5 different note taking strategies which many people find their own one that suits them.
These are: 

• Cornell Format. 
• Outline Format.
• T-Note Format 
• Sentence Format. 
• Mind Mapping.  

I also found some tips for note taking in a simplified way by using the acronym L.I.S.T.E.N which is explained in this short video. LISTEN stands for Lead, Ideas, Summarize, Talk, End, Notes and is explained further in the video clip.

This short video explains The Cornell method, The Outline method and T-Note styles of note taking in a simple understandable way and also discusses the 5 R's of how to use your notes to get the most from them which are: 

• Record
• Reduce
• Recite
• Reflect
• Review

I personally found the mind-mapping format best for me as it is based on visual learning using pictures, colours and symbols and I find it is easier to simplify notes using mind maps.

6. Harvard Referencing

There are many various styles of referencing used today, found in many kinds of books, articles, research and websites. One of the main styles of referencing which we are encouraged to use in college is Harvard Style Referencing.

One of the first new aspects of college I discovered is that Harvard style referencing is essential to the majority of college work, assignments and exams which we will be doing. I previously had no experience or information on referencing and found it very difficult to grasp and adjust to. I looked into Harvard style referencing using books and websites so as to find the most simple and understandable source to learn from.

I personally found the UCD's sample of Harvard Referencing most useful and understandable. Referencing is used when including somebody else’s work or research in your own piece. Referencing must be found in the body of your work and also in a reference list at the end of your work.

Plagiarism is a result of not referencing or not correctly referencing somebody else’s work thus passing somebody else’s work off as your own and attempting to take credit for it. Plagiarism is taken very seriously especially in my college which is why I believe we have been constantly reminded of it since beginning college this year.

 

 I also found an interactive game and quiz on the internet to test how well you understand referencing, when it should be used and how. It is well worth a look.

10. Effective Revision/ Exam Techniques.

Before attending a super generations seminar I was unsure of how to study properly by just reading a book for an hour and finishing no better than when I began. I found it very difficult to study and prepare for exams so I would procrastinate and become overwhelmed just before the exam. The seminar thought me how to study properly and made me aware of my goals to strive towards which I previously hadn't got so I saw no reason to study as I didn't know what I wanted as a result of all the hard work.

The seminar introduced me to mind-maps which I find simplify all the study material and put it into basically a big colourful poster. I find this very useful as I am a visual learner.

The seminar also thought me that studying in my room with the television and radio on whilst texting was just wasting my time and that the best place to study was somewhere quiet with no distractions replicating the environment where the exam would be held so I would be prepared and most likely to remember what I was revising.

Effective time management also plays a substantial role in revising effectively without wasting time and also for exam situations it helps to spend appropriate time on each question as I outline in my previous blog.

Revision-guides.com has many tips and a step by step guide on how to plan your revision which personally gave me an idea of where to start by organising and prioritising my different modules for revision and how to place each appropriately in a study time table.

9. Time Management

Time Management plays a large role in many aspects of academic life and also daily life. As I will mention in the coming posts time management is a key factor in Effective Presentations, Compiling a Literature Review, Effective Revision and Exam Techniques.
I myself struggle when it comes to time management. I tend to let college work get on top of me by being unorganised and spending too much and too little time on different pieces of college work such as too little on this blog and too much on daily life such as my hobbies. When I leave college work too late I become overwhelmed leaving me highly stressed and in a very unsuitable state to do work. This is reflected then in my overall grade which is why I have decided to develop a plan to help me towards better time management.

This video made me realise I was a not so good student.

I found tips on this web article on time management skills and techniques.

There is also an interesting video presentation available on Time management.

I plan to have a better layout of a timetable for each day which includes timing by the hour which includes my allocated times for my college timetable and breaks, assignments, study, work, dinner and of course time to relax and unwind because I feel it is essential to have spare time for yourself to reduce the stress load of constant academic thinking.

As result of putting this plan into action I hope it can benefit me and other people in completing tasks and assignments to a high standard before the due date and the effort be reflected in my grades beginning with the following blog posts. :)

4. Effective Presentations

I recently compiled and delivered a power point presentation for my communications module. I found the build up to the presentation extremely nerve wrecking and found myself feeling stressed about getting the presentation started, completed and delivered to my entire tutorial group as well as being graded and judged on it.
I found this step by step activity helped me through my presentation.

I soon got to work and received a moderate 16/20 marks for my presentation although I gained experience and tips on how in the future I may deliver a more effective presentation.

Getting started as soon as possible is a key to an effective presentation in my opinion as it gives you time to ask for advice and suggestions from other people and lecturers, modify and adjust it accordingly, proof read and also will allow more time for practising your presentation which I believe is the most important factor to delivering an effective presentation.

Our lecturer gave us great tips and hints on how to deliver an effective presentation which would keep people's attention and interest. Time management was a big part in the presentation with a time requirement of 5 minutes given which meant need for a lot of practise.

Well prepared simple cue cards were a great help for keeping the presentation on track and for jogging my memory when I forgot what to say.