Writing to Inform, Convince, and Persuade: Rhetoric 1101 Section 7

Study Skills

Wed, 06 Dec 2006 20:05:58 -0600

Sweet, I was finally able to login. I read the link about study skills. It had some interesting suggestions about how to study more effectively. It suggested that when you begin an assignment or a paper, you write down on a piece of paper the time you want to be finished with it. The little bit of pressure with help you work more efficiently. It also said to give yourself less time the more you do this, to increase efficiency. Another interesting point made was that if your mind wanders when you read or if you have difficulty taking in what you are reading, you should stop at the end of each page and slowly count to ten. You should also not read entire lines or phrases at once. Rather, you should read each sentence word by word, to help comprehension. These three are good techniques for me to use because I have trouble making myself actually sit down and do assignments and my mind often wanders when I read, to the point where I read something and have no idea what I just read.

Procrastination

Wed, 06 Dec 2006 18:28:55 -0600

I found that the one on procrastination was helpful to me. I have a really bad problem with waiting till the end of time to do something. Even when i dont have anything to do i just wont start it untill the very last minute. The resource says to have a schedule and i can see how that would be helpful. It also says to study in between classes and after the lecture itself. I already do this but i usually get tired or someone comes to talk to me so i dont get much acomplished.

Don't Study Too Much at One Time

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 17:28:57 -0600

I found the resouce page about scheduling and procrastination to be very helpful and definetly true of my life. I have always been a terrible procrastinator and this page was helpful ain some of the suggestions it gave. For example, it said not to waste the in-between-classes time and study. The one thing on the page that I really agreed with though was guideline about not studying the same material for more than 2 hours at a time. I always tend to get restless after just an hour of work! This is helpful because I don't feel obligated to sit down and study forever before and exam.

Helpful Resources

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 16:39:42 -0600

I found that the article on planning a better schedual was helpful. I never seem to know where the days or even weeks go. It seems that time always slips right though my fingers. I realized that the little odd hours of time that I have between classes should be used wisely, and that I should plan my time for relaxation later. I also found that it is helpful to study at a same time and place. When I do this, i mentally tell myself that this is the time that I should use for studying. Although this article gives good advice it is hard have the self discipline to follow it.

making better use of my time

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 08:42:10 -0600

I chose to read the article under "time" called "Some hints on planning a better study schedule." It's not that I am unable to get work done on time, but more that I waste a lot of time before actually working. Since the swimming season has recently ended, I overestimate how much time I actually have in order to complete assignments... so I thought it might be useful to learn how to manage my time more efficiently. Some useful tips I learned: 1) Study at a regular time and at a regular place-- establishing habits saves time! 2) Utilize odd hours during the day for studying-- especially useful for me since I commute and often have downtime between classes. and 3) Study as soon after your lecture as possible-- that way you will spend less time trying to re-learn everything!
So yes, I hope this helps those of you who waste as much time as I do!
Liz

Study Skills

Mon, 27 Nov 2006 23:48:58 -0600

I read a section on how to make your study habits better which really helped me a lot because it showed a list of reasons why students are not interested in studying na dthe things that come up that prevent you from studying. T hen they made a list of the things that can help to change this problem it gives you a solution for each and every one. I have some of these problems when studing and they provided me with some good solutions that I can apply and see if they work and if they do it will be one less thing I have to worry about in college.

planning a better study schedule

Mon, 27 Nov 2006 22:27:57 -0600

I thought that "planning a better study schedule" in the area of time management was very helpful. I have trouble telling myself when i should study and how. This gave several ideas about balancing work with recreation, and establishing strict study habits. they suggested that it is wise to consistently study in one place or setting, and that it be relatively distraction free. What i found most helpful was their idea of "study nights" in which you force yourself to spend 3 nights of the week at least on just schoolwork, and if an event comes up which prevents this, promptly reschedule for another night.

Note Taking

Mon, 27 Nov 2006 14:02:49 -0600

I choose to look at the website discussing note taking. I have always taken notes in my classes, but was never really sure why I took some of the notes that I did. I think my organization of notes isn’t very good. I learned some great tips from this web site I was looking at. The site told me to read over my notes right after I take them. This helps me retain all the information I learned, and it helps remind people why they took some of the notes. It also said that when not taking notes to make sure to keep eye contact with the instructor. This is one aspect of note taking I will have to work on because if I’m not taking notes I tend to day dream and not listen. I found this web site very helpful in making myself a better note taker in years to come.

Motivation and Concentration

Mon, 27 Nov 2006 13:08:08 -0600

The topic I chose was motivation and concentration. I chose this because in some of my classes, I feel that I am not doing as well as I could be because I am not interested in the class. I also procrastinate, and sometimes assignments take me twice as long as they should because I am doing other things (talking to friends, going on the internet, etc.) I learned that I should set a time limit for myself, and this sets a little pressure for me to get things done in the time I allowed. I also should try to relate the class to my goals and future, instead of thinking about how it is/isn't helping me now.

Time Management

Sun, 26 Nov 2006 08:51:00 -0600

I chose this topic because I feel like my time management could be better. I feel I have ok time management skills but sometimes it's like I get overwhelmed with the homework so I think this is a good site to help a person manage their study time better. One of the things i found intersting in the site was studing the material from the lecture right after the lecture was given. The site said that even studying for an hour after the lecture can be as helpful as studying the same material several days later for several hours. One thing I liked the best was study your work during those long breaks between classes. If a person where to study or do homework in that hour or so between classes, that would mean more free time to do other things later. The other thing I also found interesting was the site said at the end of the week, take time and review all of the things you have learned so far in the semester from that class. Just review everything so you know you understand what is going on. I found this information very interesting and some of it very helpful. I especially like the studying tips. By using this information I would hope that I could retain the lectures better and be able to still have time for free things outside of school.

Note Taking

Sat, 25 Nov 2006 20:47:44 -0600

I chose to explore the note taking links on the resources website. I found this list of 21 tips for notes taking tips to follow. It was interesting reading these tips because some of the things they say not to do i did and vice versa. The main tip I remember reading was about doodling..."DON'T doodle, it distracts. Keep eye contact when not writing." In lectures whenever I get bored i always doodle, to keep myself awake i doodle, and sometimes i doodle without knowing i'm doing it. Another good tip I found that i know i don't do but should start is reveiwing the notes i take right after i take them (when the class is over). This is supposed to help you retain information better. Also review notes from the last lecture before you attend the next one, write down any questions you might have. I always take notes and they don't come out again unitl i do an assignment or when i study for a test. This sight has so good tips, i recomend reading them...and i'm not just saying that. Really take time to read them.

Anxiety

Sat, 25 Nov 2006 19:17:00 -0600

I am feeling pretty stressed out right now, so I read the links about stress. It was actually a lot more interesting than I expected. I thought that there was going to be a lot of information that I already knew about taking deep breaths and thinking about only the present, but I actually learned a lot. There were a lot of life lessons such as get acquainted with people who love life, ask for help in a straightforward way, and stop collecting people with problems. I think all of these are good, but only to an extent. As far as I’m concerned, you can’t just abandon a person who needs your help. I know that would make me feel selfish and I would end up feeling worse off than I started. I liked the other two though. It is true that you mirror the emotions of those around you, so if you’re always around people how complain about life or are depressed, you’re not going to feel too well either, even if you were perfectly content going into the relationship. Also, asking for help in a straightforward manner is hard for me. It sounds dumb, but I don’t like asking people to do things for me – and I’m not really sure why. I want people to do things without me having to ask, which is absurd because how should they even know I’m in need. I think that is the biggest thing I will take from this. I need to be more frank about my needs.

Wild Rice Conservation

Mon, 13 Nov 2006 19:41:06 -0600

The audience for my blog are the voters of Minnesota, more specifically the
Ojibwe voters of MInnesota. I chose them for my audience because they are
the ones who have a voice when it comes to the issue of Geneticalyy
engineered wild rice. They determine whether or not a bill is passed
protecting the wild rice from being engineered. The repsonse from the
Ojibwe people will be against the engineering of the wild rice. Other
Minnesota voters i don't think know too much about the issue so i am unsure
what they would say.

audience

Sun, 12 Nov 2006 16:42:50 -0600

my audience for the final paper will be tthe people that download or steal music from off of the internet. i will be trying to persuade them to see that it is wrong what they are doing. if i dont get them to change there ways i at least want them to think about what they are doing.

Audience

Wed, 08 Nov 2006 22:42:59 -0600

My audience for my final essay will people who don’t care about hunting or don’t believe in it. I will try to convince people that hunting is a great recreational activity that may be coming to an end because of the lack of public land to hunt. I will try to convince my readers to give hunting a try. I will also try to convince my readers that hunting in needed for a balanced ecosystem. Lastly, I will talk about the tradition of hunting in many American families.