The Plan:
Ok, so first day of class is done. I’ve seen all of my professors, had a bit of a hint of how class is going to work and taken some time to figure out how I am going to manage it all.
So here goes, my grand master plan for tackling all of my courses:
Microsoft Office OneNote:
To organize everything and take notes. Its ability to keep information fluid, yet organized should be invaluable for all of my classes.
Mind Mapping:
I’ve toyed with using online mind mapping applications, but FreeMind is the best package that I can get for free. Plus the ability to copy and paste from OneNote will make connecting the things that I take notes on a breeze. I know there are varied results on the effectiveness of mindmaps… but lets give them a whirl and see where I get. This should at least be essential for Statistics where many of the things that you do is looking at the same problem in a different way and figuring out how those ways fit together is incredibly important.
Podcasting:
I’m going to record one of my Computer Science Lectures to test podcasting lectures. I’m still not convinces that re-listening to a lecture is the best way to spend your study time (a lot is said in a typical lecture that really doesn’t need to be memorized). I’m also thinking of recording myself reading my notes so that I have short 10 minute snippets to listen to whilst walking from A to B on this huge campus.
Time Management:
As I said in the previous post, I’m going with Google calendar, using the layers for my timetable, due dates for assignments, Residence Advising in and out nights etc.
Flashcards:
For all those times when there is a long list of things and they just need to be drilled into my head. I’m going to go with Quizlet, it’s collaborative and super easy to use. The added feature of creating neat little tests is a nice bonus.
Collaborative Projects:
Zoho Wikis and documents (very soon Zoho docs will work on and offline… pure awesomeness!) For Programming Projects I’m thinking of using Gliffy, just because of their ability to do UML diagrams.
Well that’s a start, we will see how these work for keeping my schoolwork together for the next few weeks. If they don’t work… I try something else.
Cheers,
Andre
