This assignment started out by completing the unit 10 review sheet. Once completed, I had to continue working on my term project, and to take screenshot of my journals from the current unit. After this, I had to write up a document that described the work I have done so far for my term project. Finally, I had to upload the review sheet and the term project document through an assignment link.
As always, the review sheet was cumulative, so I had to complete the review sheets from all of the previous units before starting the page for unit 10. Once I arrived at unit 10, it asked me to list the three primary decision-making heuristics and given an example of how each applies to Internet use.
I first listed the representativeness heuristic. An example from the handout of this applying to internet use is that internet shoppers are very biased by one super positive review instead of considering the base rate of multiple non-positive reviews. So, a shopper may see one person’s review that was super positive and enthusiastic about a product, and assume it represents how everyone sees the product, even if that was the only review.
Next, I listed the availability heuristic. An example of this applying to internet use from Professor Gernsbacher’s lecture video was that if teens view a photo on Facebook of their friends drinking alcohol, they are more likely to overestimate how many other teens are drinking alcohol. This also applied to people seeing pictures of families on vacation, and can apply to many other situations.
Finally, I listed the anchor and adjustment heuristic. An example of this from the lecture video applying to internet use was if three plans are offered for an online product — the Basic for $59; the Premium for $125; and the Premium Plus, which provides a few more benefits, but also costs $125 — most consumers choose the Premium Plus plan. However, if only tthe basic plan and the premium plus plan are offered, most choose the basic plan. This is because the middle option was initially and anchor, and made the third option look like a great deal, when it may not really be one.
For my term project update document, I described once again that my project is a daily journal in which I itemize the course content along with my detailed reflections, through the medium of a blog on a website called Word Press.
Describing the work I have done so far, I have made 60 blog posts so far. I make one post for each assignment, and have made at least one post every day, with the exception of Spring Break, when we did not have any assignments.
The blog posts vary in terms of how long they take me to complete. However, on
average, I would say that each unit of posts takes approximately two and a half hours, which exceeds the recommendation of two hours per unit.
Reflecting on this assignment, it was business as usual. The sixth assignment is always completing the review sheet, followed by writing up my progress on the term project, including a screenshot. Even though this can feel old and a bit boring, it still is valuable and allows me to work on valuable skills.
Completing the review sheet reminds me of information from previous units, when I would not have interacted with it otherwise. It also provides a great example of distributed learning, because interacting with the same material a little bit each week has led me to understand and remember it more and more.
Personally, I do not get that much out of writing up the document describing my term project progress. However, it does bring me one thing, pride in all of the work I have put in so far. Making 60 separate blog posts, including one each day, is not easy work, so it is cool to see the culmination of it all and how it increases each week!
I do like the structure of this assignment, because I know what is coming, and what it brings for me. However, I don’t think it would hurt to make minor changes to the assignment six sometimes, just to ensure that students are staying engaged with the assignment, rather than solely following a routine. However, this is not a huge deal in reality, and the assignment still has many positive aspects!
Nicky's Blog 