Year three! Or should that be year two?

Well blimey, I can't quite believe that I'm writing this post two weeks (ish) before the start of my third year at the OU!

As any part-time degree student will tell you, trying to explain exactly what year of university you're currently studying in is quite difficult; rather than studying two modules a year over three years, a part time degree student usually studies one module a year over six years, and so, I am starting my third year of study this year, however this is only the beginning of my second year!

I know!

On the up-side, this being the beginning of my "second year" means that I'm about to officially enter the unknown and will be the furthest I have ever reached in Higher Education; I have completed two modules (level one) and my third module heralds the beginning of level 2!

This module, A230 Reading and Studying Literature, is a solely English Literature module, which will be a big change from the multidisciplinary structure of AA100 and A105. I have not studied a 100% literature module since I was at college, and I admit that I will miss the other disciplines I've been able to learn about, Philosophy, Art History, Music, Classical Studies etc...

I am about half way through reading the set books that we've been given, my favourite so far is The Sign of Four, a Sherlock Holmes story by Arthur Conan Doyle; the copy I have is one that my uncle gave me when I was in year seven at school, so I've taken my time getting around to reading that one!

Another text I'll be studying is Dancing at Lughnasa, a play by Brian Friel, set in Ireland in 1936

: I was lucky enough to take part in a production of this at the Talisman in Kenilworth a few years back so I am looking forward to revisiting it and seeing how we study this in contrast to actually performing it!

As I'm only half way through the texts though, I ought to get cracking!

:-)

Apps and Widgets - OU Anywhere

Following my last post, it came to light that the StudentHome app is only available on Android (sorry for that, not my fault!) and although I'd heartily advocate getting an Android phone (it's just how I roll) never fear!

For those of you with an iPhone (and I'll research the availability on the Windows phones, too) there is the Open University app,"OU Anywhere", which provides another great support tool for your studies.

I have to admit, it's a little clunkier than StudentHome, but is fairly straightforward to use.  On opening the app, you will see a list of all the modules that you're currently studying, or have studied in the past; clicking on these can either take you to study materials such as Assignment pdfs, or the textbooks themselves to download.

From the first page of the app you can also access the mobile version of the "Study Planner" page of the Open University - this is exactly the same as that on StudentHome, so you're not missing out on being able to access and join in with your online Forum work.

This app is another great piece of kit for online studies and makes any online collaborative work a lot easier to manage.

There are so many things out there to help navigate distance learning with the use of modern technology - let me know if there are any useful gadgets/apps/widgets that you've found!

Fay.

Apps and Widgets - StudentHome

Evening all!

Firstly I have to apologise.  No, not because I haven't posted in a (long) while, but because I have been sitting on what appears to be a rather big secret for the last few years:

StudentHome - the app

Recently on the Facebook A105 support group, I’ve noticed a lot of comments from people concerning free time and the inconvenience of doing on-line work like forums, especially since APT02!

If only joining in forum discussions on your mobile was as easy as opening up the Facebook app and posting a message in the A105 support group…

Well, I tell you now, that it 100% is!  If you’re not already aware, some lovely ex-student (MBarr, I think) of the Open University helpfully created the “Student Home” app (available on Android/Google Play Store), which allows you access to all the things that you’d find on your student homepage when you log into the OU website from a PC (see pic below left!)

The beauty of this app is that you can access your forums, read the threads, reply to the threads, and create new discussions without having to sit down at your desk and wait eight years for your PC to boot up, log in to the OU website etc… etc… 

I found Student Home really useful during the Assignment Preparation Task we did recently – I was able to keep up to date with the discussions and replies going on in the forum anytime I had a free moment or two, I could also pick and choose when I wanted, or was able to, reply myself; I could post an idea as soon as I thought of it so I didn’t have to worry about forgetting it before getting to my computer, and didn’t have to set out many specific slots of time in order to contribute to the task.

If you have a Smart Phone, I cannot recommend this app enough, and I believe it is free though they do request a small contribution – a small price to pay for something that makes life so much easier!

Another post will follow shortly on other aspects of this app, and how it can help manage your studies!

Let me know what apps help you study!!!

Fay!

I have contacted the creator to ask about other formats (iPhone, Windows) to see if availability is in the pipeline for these - but, for now, it appears it's only available on Android (and for once, I'm genuinely sorry to hear this!)

Apps and Widgets - Pomodoro Timer

On the recommendation of a friend of mine I decided to download a Pomodoro app for my phone to help with my study focus.

 

The idea behind Pomodoro (which I believe means Tomato in Italian…) is that an optimum block of time to study in one go is 25 minutes, followed by a 5 minute break (described in a bit more detail here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique).  A Pomodoro app allows you to set the timer going and pootle off and do your study for 25 minutes; when this “study” block is over an alarm will sound and will suggest you start a 5 minute “break” (also timed) or to stop.

 

For me the most beneficial thing about this type of app is psychological – rather than overwhelming my brain by thinking “oh goodness, I have 2 whole hours of study to get done this morning” I’m now more likely to approach it with the attitude that I’ll sit down to study for 25 minutes, after which I’ll have a five minute break. Study. Break. Repeat (x4)

 

What I found out last year is that my brain also works better under pressure (I’ll post about this one following the first TMA of this module, I’m sure!).  Knowing that I have a set time in order to do something seems to inspire me to think about what I want to achieve in each study section – so who knows, I might even use this technique when actually writing my TMAs too!

 

If you’re like me and the temptation to nip quickly onto social media is quite strong – ClearFocus: Pomodoro Timer (the app I use on my smartphone) allows me to turn off wi-fi/4G during the 25 minute “study” time, however if you do need your phone to access your module website or any online resources you can toggle this option off and on.

Have you come across any tips or tricks to help your focus and concentration?

Fay.

Apps and Widgets - Google!

Well module one of my degree (Year 0.5 as I affectionately like to call it) is now well and truly over, and what do you know?  It’s October already and beginning of Year 1.0!

The one thing I realised last year, is that I really need to work on my organisation skills – so in order to do this (and no, this blog is not sponsored) I have been making use of Google’s OU Apps for e-mails and calendar on the OU website and on my smartphone.  This is so far proving extremely valuable for a number of reasons:

1/ E-mail – using a separate e-mail has allowed me to sort my ‘Real Life’ from my ‘Study Life’ – my phone allows me to show my University e-mail inbox separately from my personal one, ensuring that important university communications aren't lost in the sheer volume of e-mails that enter my hideously unkempt personal inbox! 

2/ Calendar – Having a Google university e-mail address is helpful in that you can set up reminder e-mails and/or pop-ups for your phone to keep track of the important things coming up like assignment deadlines and Tutorial Dates.  I already had a personal Gmail calendar before starting OU last year however Google allows you to create any number of calendars for different things that fit within one account…

3/ Widgets – If you've ever used a calendar widget on your phone, you’ll know how awesome they look (see pictures left and below if you've no idea what I mean!). A calendar app such as Calendar+ on your smartphone allows you to create a calendar widget which you can then filter to show the particular calendar you’re interested in, or you can create a separate widget for each calendar to save you time and hassle!

This is just a snapshot to show what you can do with your OU Gmail or Calendar app, and how useful they can be on your smartphone - if you're interested but not sure how they work, feel free to get in touch!

In the meantime, if you have any Apps or Programs you find useful for Uni life then please let me know; I'll be posting a few more bits about the apps I come across as I go!

Fay

Time Management (but not as we know it)

This won't be the first time I post about time management, but it'll probably be the last time (for a while at least) I post about this particular aspect of it!

I've had a busy few weeks, seeing friends, going to gigs, settling into a new job - but the one thing I haven't been doing since the submission of my End of Module Assessment is studying, and I've found that it's come as quite a culture shock!  Even now, it crosses my mind that I should be doing some studying, reading some course materials or looking to see when my next essay is due - so much of my last 8 months has been taken up by these things that I have to remind myself that it's OK, that I don't have to study anymore (well, until October at least)!

The subject I chose for my end of module essay included the definition of leisure and quality of leisure time activities, and now that I find myself with a lot more spare time than I've had for a number of months I find it quite ironic that my mind seems to wander back to study on an almost hourly basis!

I doubt that Aristotle would have looked too favourably on my choice of leisure activities over the last few weeks, but let's face it, I'm a student now - and with another 5 years left ahead of me I find it quite fitting that a lot of my free time has now been taken up with computer games, films, and binge-watching (my new favourite phrase) Bones (other programs are available) on Netflix (other streaming... oh you get the drift!)

So, what do you do when you're not studying?

Fy x

Deadlines and Writer's Block

My last two essay submissions for my uni assignment have been handed in abysmally late, somewhere between half an hour and five minutes before the (absolute) deadline.  "Shocking" I hear you cry, and I suppose you may wonder why I left it so late...

The problem was that as awful as it sounds (and felt) it wasn't for lack of trying - but it appears that the more time I give myself in which to write 2,000 words, the more I suffer from writer's block!  I really don't like it, but I can't seem to control it - I started my last essay with 2 full days and 3 evenings spare in which to get the assignment written and submitted on the day before the deadline was due!

There are two reasons I think this is:

1/  I honestly blame my computer!  I can't seem to get half way through a sentence without re-reading what I've written and thinking "goodness, that looks rubbish", or wishing I'd used different wording (even this is the second attempt at writing this paragraph!).  I seem to be perpetually re-writing words or wondering if I'm concentrating on the right points (even scarier is that I do this with my facebook posts too!).

2/ Pressure.  Speaking to a number of people about the problem I've been having it appears that I'm not the only one who seems to be able to churn an essay out more quickly when the deadline is looming ever-closer.  I think the problem lies in the over-thinking, and more pressure means I am more aware that I just don't have time to over thinking what it is I'm writing.

So there you have it.  I have found over the last year that although I'm not lazy (well, I am, but that's another post), and don't leave things until the last minute I am still unable to get an essay written and submitted more than 24 hours before its deadline!

OddStudent!