This was the last assignment of unit 4, and once again started out by completing the unit 4 review sheet. After this, we had to review the term project instructions, settle on one project and one presentation media, and begin preparing the previous units. Next, we had to post about these decisions on the discussion and talk about what work we have done so far.
As mentioned previously, the review sheets are cumulative, so I had to input information about units 1, 2, 3, and 4. Unit 1 asked about previously feared technologies that are no longer feared, so I included the written word, chess, the phonograph, newspapers, novels, umbrellas, bicycles, pencil erasers, and pocket calculators. Unit 2 asked about the 5 fundamental principles of learning in which higher education capitalizes, which I included that it can lead to better mastery, can optimize performance, can deepen memory, can promote critical thinking, and can enhance writing skills.
Unit 3 asked me to list five challenges that college students face today and how Internet-based education can tackle each challenge. My first challenge was unaffordable tuition costs, which internet-based education can tackle this by creating more MOOC’s, or online courses, that are free or have a low cost to take. My second challenge was expensive textbooks, and internet-based education can tackle this by not requiring textbooks for their courses, or providing all of the necessary materials online for free for all students in the course to access. My third challenge was lack of sleep, and internet-based education can tackle this by setting assignment due dates in advance, allowing students to work at their own pace, rather than working late into the night. If they are tired, they can go to sleep and not have to worry as much about waking up for an early lecture or exam.
My fourth challenge was having classes too early for optimal cognitive functioning. Internet-based education can tackle this through its flexibility, as having all the materials online means that students can work on the course when they are at their own time of peak cognitive functioning. My fifth challenge was the lack of open and accessible education for everyone. Internet-based education can tackle this through the utilization of MOOC’s, or massive open online courses. These courses can be taken by essentially anyone so thousands and thousands can learn from them.
Unit 4 began by asking if the internet is making our communication briefer, and if it is making it less formal, and the answer to both of those is no. Next, it asked me to explain what it means that the Internet is manifesting our preference of intransient and asynchronous communication. I explained that people prefer intranscience and the internet because it is long lasting, and can be viewed and remembered as long as people want. I then explained that people generally prefer asynchrony because it provides convenience and controllability, for example, to develop and maintain friendships.
It then asked me for 6 guidelines for emailing a professor. I included use your university email account, use your professor’s LAST NAME in your salutation, start with a new message, write an informative subject heading, do not address a professor by their first name unless they have explicitly
instructed you to do so, and write grammatically, spell correctly, and use appropriate capitalization.
For the term review project document, I started out by explaining that my project was going to be a daily journal where I itemize the content along with my reflections, and my media was going to be a blog. I explained what I had done so far, creating a blog on Word Press, and writing my first post. I was waiting to hear feedback from professor Gernsbacher before I wrote more posts.
Reflecting on this assignment, as always, the review allowed me to master the previous unit concepts even further. For example, I have gotten to know the 9 technologies from unit 1 very well, and I do not have to even check anywhere to remember them. Each passing unit allows me the chance to take another look at the main concepts, which is always helpful.
Additionally, continuing to force us to wean down our options for the term project was a good idea, because it makes us think about it and combats against procrastination. When we have to create documents explaining what we have done so far on the project, this encourages us to do some work first, so we actually have something to write about. So, this requirement kickstarted my work, and now I am working at a really fast yet thoughtful pace!
Once again, this is not an assignment for new learning but was still helpful for me to get to know the course material better and get some early term project work in. I enjoy each opportunity I get to grow in my course knowledge!
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