In the eye of the midterm storm:

1670 days ago

Well, it’s been a few hectic weeks of midterms and an eye opener as to the ways in which I learn. So, as boring as lists are, here is my midterm...

Well, it’s been a few hectic weeks of midterms and an eye opener as to the ways in which I learn. So, as boring as lists are, here is my midterm damage assessment.

  1. Study what you’re interested in and if you don’t have a choice about what you study… become interested in what you are doing. At the moment I am doing fantastically in all of my hard subjects, but poorly in all the easy ones. Why? Because I am interested in the hard ones and don’t care about the others. I spend time thinking about algorithm efficiency and the way CPUs translate code… I don’t spend time thinking about redox reactions. One of the hardest things for me this term is going to be to forge an interest in Chemistry and Statistics.
  2. Your tools are only as good as the way you work with them. I’ve been using things like mindmapping software and OneNote and they have really helped me assimilate information. Only however, when I worked at it. Just making a mindmap on statistics is not going to help you learn it. You have to interact with that mindmap (something the software lets you do) move things around, create new links etc. Without this extra effort you are never going to learn anything.
  3. Go to class. I can’t tell you how much I have lost by just not being in the class (or not paying attention when in class). The amount of information that one learns in class is honestly a lot more than you would ever imagine.

Ok, agreed, that was not the most interesting post of all times, as soon as I get out of this midterm storm I will be able to write more riveting stuff.

Cheer,

Andre

P.S. More XKCD for your enjoyment:

I find this really funny

1676 days ago

OK, I am just too much of a Computer Scientist, this has to be one of the funniest things I’ve seen in a very long time: xkcd has to be the...

OK, I am just too much of a Computer Scientist, this has to be one of the funniest things I’ve seen in a very long time:


xkcd has to be the best webcomic that I have seen (if you find better let me know). I’ve spent hours reading everything he has and laughing myself stupid!
That’s it for now, more to come from me after midterms this week…

Quizlet Rocks!

1683 days ago

Quizlet is an online flashcard program that allows one to input matching data and test yourself. After using it to study for my Chemistry midterm I fell in love. The reason?...

quizlet%20header.jpg

Quizlet is an online flashcard program that allows one to input matching data and test yourself. After using it to study for my Chemistry midterm I fell in love. The reason? It makes remembering long lists (like the names of chemicals in my case) much more enjoyable than anything else that I have ever tried.

Sure, there are probably better ways to ensure that you learn the data for life than flashcards. However, when you find yourself as a student in the situation where you have to learn a long list that you are really not going to need for life, then flashcards can really help.

Some of the benefits that I found from Quizlet are as follows:

  • You have to type the answers in, this means that unlike flashcards you get a better sense of the spelling, as well as better interaction with each word pair.
  • It records the percentage of times you get things right, allowing you to see immediately if you are improving or not.
  • It keeps a continuous record of the words that you missed the most.

    • quizlet%20most%20missed%20words.jpg

  • You can combine sets of cards. So for instance if you have to study 3 different sets of material for midterms and then all of it for the exam, you can create one set before each midterm and then combine them at the end to make one massive deck of cards.

    • quizlet%20stuff%20to%20do.jpg

  • Quizlet is collaborative so other people in your class can help to create decks of flashcards.
  • You can discuss the data with others in quizlet.
  • You can be tested on either the word or the definition.
  • You can be quizzed in more than one way, there is a match the card game, a test mode (including fill in the blanks, multiple choice and match the columns).

    • quizlet%20question%20types.jpg

All in all Quizlet makes the traditional flashcard redundant. No more shuffling, no more trying to make sure all the cards are the right way up, no more wondering if you actually know the things, Quizlet takes care of all of that for you.

So, you think you know your basic chemistry? Try out the set I made for my midterm…

Get Teched Up!

1686 days ago

My presentation on academic tech tools went as well as could be expected. About 15 out of the 100 people invited showed up (which is apparently really good for an academic...

My presentation on academic tech tools went as well as could be expected. About 15 out of the 100 people invited showed up (which is apparently really good for an academic program in residence). I got mixed reactions, there were some bored looks but then there were also those who saw things like google docs and Netvibes with wide eyed amazement. I also saw some of them setting up accounts, so at least they are giving it a go.

Below is the flyer that I handed out and that I’ve had a few requests for from people who weren’t there:

Get Teched up:

There are some things that I left off like del.ico.us…but I’m keeping that in my arsenal for later on in the year when I start getting questions on how to do research.

Midterms are coming up soon, so stay tuned to hear how some of the tools that I have been testing are working out.