Technical Tips for Learning at Walden, Essay Example

One of the most valuable skills both academically and professionally is the ability to practice effective technology use. Technology offers many benefits and is essential for online learning. However, with the wealth of information and applications that the internet offers, it is easy for students to become distracted while surfing the web for class and job purposes. Therefore, it is essential for students recognize how to avoid becoming distracted during their studies and using the internet to their advantage.

It is common knowledge that social media websites, such as Facebook, take up a lot of time and support procrastination. Often, when both students and coworkers are unable to determine an important next step necessary to complete their assignment, they will visit their favorite social media website for a temporary break. However, the time spent visiting these sites add up. A recent study indicated that students use Facebook for an average of approximately 30 minutes a day as a part of their daily routine (Pempek et al., 2009). Considering that an average work day is approximately 8 hours, a half hour of work detracted from this total indicates that productivity has been markedly reduced. Therefore, it is essential to avoid, and perhaps even disable, distractors while completing school work.

To ensure that my time is managed more effectively, I have made strides to avoid using social media while I work. I believe that I have been able to partially reduce the amount of time I spend on these websites, which means that I am able to spend more time doing work. In order to ensure that I take maximal advantage of technology use without succumbing to its disadvantages, I will set detailed goals for myself. To ensure that these goals are effective, they will be “specific and measurable” so that I understand when they have been reached (Westwood, 2010). In particular, I will time myself when I log into sites that are not related to school work to determine how much time I waste when using the computer. Then, I will attempt to reduce the time wasted by half. In addition, I will set aside certain times in the day that will be dedicated to school work only. During this time, I will not use any sites that are not relevant to my work.

An additional way to ensure that I budget my time on the internet efficiently is to ensure that my computer is modified so that it can adequately access the Walden website whenever needed. I have been advised that “If Blackboard kicks you out of the classroom and asks you for anBlackboard login, you will need to adjust a security setting on your system” (Laureate Education, 2014). I will take steps to prevent this before it occurs.

The University Vision, Mission and Goals and Social Change relate to my plan because as students, we are expected to “facilitate positive social change” at work, in our communities, and in society (Walden, n.d.). To be able to do this effectively, it is my responsibility to learn everything I can during my time in this program. Preventing myself from becoming distracted while using the internet will greatly assist this process. This becomes even more important in an online learning setting. Therefore, I will take the necessary steps to reduce potential for becoming distracted when I work and make a personal planner to set time aside for online learning and study.

References

Laureate Education. (2014). Study Notes: Technical Tips for Learning at Walden. Retrieved online.

Pempek TA, Yermolayeva YA, Calvert SL. (2009). College students’ social networking experiences on Facebook. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 30(3): 227-238.

Walden. (n.d.). Vision. Retrieved online.

Westwood C. (2009). Six simple steps to ensure you achieve your aims. Nursing Management, 17(4): 28-29.