Last Friday, I was the featured guest blogger on my friend's site, Hey Stephanie! I kicked off my 3-part series of college/productivity tools on the internet by exploring the social media-geared options. (Stephanie is a social media guru!) The response to the first post was really great - I was excited to see a lot of you started trying out new services and sites that you had never heard of before. I hope you continue to enjoy those resources as well as these, as we kick off Part 2! (Part 3 will go live - here on my site - on Wednesday, and if you missed Part 1, it's over at Stephanie's.)
And I can't help but tell you a little secret... I have so many research paper hacks I'm dying to share, so next time I have to write a major paper, guess what? ;-) And I have a few favorite note-taking tricks, too. See, I'm just all about the secrets.... I'm a school pro. That could be good or bad. lol But we all know that too much school = bad. So 1-2-3, series over, so don't expect them next week or anything. :) But here we go... Quick review:
This really is not my focus, but I do want to touch on it because a few small things can truly make a huge difference...
You need a quiet study spacewhere you can focus without distractions, but you also can't make it so cold that you feel like you're locked in a jail cell. Keep the noise low (but non-distracting music has actually been proven to help concentration for some people so if it helps, keep it!)
I like to keep all of my most important textbooks right on the shelf of my desk for easy access. If your major has any vital go-to books, keep those within an arm's reach at all times, too. Keep pens, pencils, highlighters... whatever you prefer, and make sure you have good lighting. (Trust me, this always works on moms - "But Mom, my eyes hurt and you always said doing work in the dark would ruin my eyes. I think I believe you now...." Play those cards, baby...)
Take the time NOW to get your classes organized into binders with dividers (or whatever system works for you) in the beginning. Somehow it just doesn't end up being productive when, in November, you realize you can't study for finals with your notes somewhere between three stacks of random papers, so you head to Staples to buy a binder and some dividers.
Do you have a calendar? Dry Erase boards are definitely fun for dorms, but get something that you can dedicate to yourself only, and make it something that you can easily take on the go or hang. My solution to this is to print a monthly calendar at ePrintable. I like to cut off Saturdays and Sundays, and then I write every single assignment on the day it's due. Each class gets a different color pen, and exams are a little bigger and get stars by them. Do whatever works for you, but having my school schedule in a nutshell at my access at all times is really great. I hang it on the corner of my desk where no one can see it but me, and if I need to, I can take it off and bring it to class, but I always have a special place for it when I get home. I can't believe it, but I'm showing you a top-secret peak at one of mine:
As for making the most out of a small dorm room, check out this post over at Student Hacks.
YOUR TIME
Read these posts. Read them. I don't care what else you have to do. Read.
And only because I like you. And you like movies. And probably being lazy. :) So now, I present, How to Pass the Test When You Haven't Read The Book
YOUR WEB
So your dorm's all tidied up, you know how to study in style, you have all these time hacks that have you done with tasks in no time. Plus, thanks to College Web Secrets Part 1, you are the expert on using the internet to get you answers fast. Perfect! Right? Wrong.
For one, you still need tomorrow's post which will give you a short and sweet run-down of links that you're going to wonder why you've missed your entire life. Secondly, is it really your web? Are all of your sites and services integrated to save you the most time? Are you using the most efficient browser and programs? For you blog readers, are you still checking your favorites by hand, or have you learned how to use a "feed reader"? On Friday, I went over several products and services that could very well fit under this category, but they mostly shared one trait: being somehow "social media"-related. Here's a few of my all-time favorites that will make your life easier, simply by simplifying. (And honestly, it would take hours to go into detail about all of these, so for a few, I'm going to link you to articles and reviews that I have handchosen just for you.)
Feed reader - you need one! My favorite is Google Reader. Some like Bloglines. There are many others. This video is actually fun and it'll tell you all you need to know!
Evernote - integrate your life on your computer, cell, internet, whatever. This document/image/hosting/whatever-you-wanna-call-it/does-it-all is amazing and free. Yeah I know, I didn't believe it either!
I Want Sandy Oh, may I do the honors? Sandy is my personal assistant. See, anytime I think of something I should be doing or should do on a certain date, I just shoot her off an email, a text message, a tweet (on Twitter), etc. She gets it, confirms it (unless I want to turn off confirmations), and then I'm off on my merry way. So what's that? Part 3 of Amanda's College Tips goes up on Wednesday? Not a problem - you could whip out your phone, text Sandy: "r wed amanda's blog college post" and on Wednesday, in your daily digest (a run-down of the day's events), there it would be! Ahh, Sandy, she's my girl! I don't use her for actual calendar-type things, but for a to-do list of sorts, or especially "remind me every October 1 that Grandma's birthday is coming up" or "remind me in 6 months..."... you know, things you don't want sitting on your brain but you really want to trust that it's taken care of. I was skeptical at first, but Sandy's never let me down. I can send her the most abbreviated to-do list and she sends me back an exact confirmation run-down within seconds. Amazing. She's awesome! Don't You Want Sandy Too? (Another review)
HONORABLE MENTION
Looking for sites to integrate your entire school experience? They're new and not anything I'm ready to use yet (I've tried them both), but given the chance and a little more time, here are two up-and-coming sites you may want to check out. My Grademate and My SchooLog.
That’s all for Part 2!
I hope you enjoyed it. Don’t forget to check back Wednesday for the last part, our Toolbox of Bookmarks. I'll sharing lots of other links plus my favorite free service-sites for doing things that would have taken a ridiculous amount of time or cost a pretty penny a few years ago! And there's a lot! :)
And as always, let me know what you thought. And final call for any perplexing school-web-college-studying-whatever questions. :) Do you use any of these sites already? Do you have other favorites you want to share? Definitely let me know and if they're not already on my list for Wednesday, I'll give you and your blog a shout-out!
And from me, to you.... (umm, or from that site on the bottom of the picture, lol)
Watch out for this:
You may laugh, but it happens to the best of us! Combat it with the productivity tips! :)
Ahh, crazy weekend. Work. Schoolwork. Sensing a trend? The season premiere of Saturday Night Live, which Fiance live-Twittered. Kind of takes the romantic edge off of snuggling on the couch, but umm, SNL does too so he's okay. ;-) I'm still waiting for my season premieres.... Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. More to come on that. I have pics and spoilers and lots of goodies. Oh yes, and last season's DVDs are currently en route to my casa. I think they tried to pull a fast one on us by charging full price when, thanks to the writers strike, they skimped us on half the episodes, but hey, would you really expect anything else? Ahhh, I digress......
So that's my uneventful weekend. Today the internet and cable went out and Jonathan and I realized how boring we are. We have no idea what people did before internet and TV. I would have been cool going upstairs and gettin' crafty or something but him? Well, my boy's not a crafty one unless it's being creative on his web design. Web, internet.... yeah. See the problem? I think he could be crafty if he tried, because he does make me little scrapbook pages sometimes (entirely on his computer!) and they're so cute but yeah, I don't think it's something he's looking to turn into a hobby. He started it when he proposed because I think he knew that would be a surefire way for me not to say NO (just kidding, just kidding....) but it totally melted me, and he still makes them for special occassions or like last fall we had a bonfire, so he took the pictures and made a page on that for my book. Totally way too cute. :) For when he proposed, he had the pages all in a postbound leather MM album and everything - I was so impressed. And then I think I laughed hysterically because 1) I didn't know he had it in him, 2) He seriously went all out on this and it was so cute I couldn't stand it, and 3) I was drugged up on pain meds. Ha! Oh and he was soooo nervous to ask me which was even funnier because we had been together for like what, 3 years?!?Guys are so funny sometimes.... K sorry babe... moving on... ;-)
My new favorite song... (aka, the song I'm currently obsessed with, but take that as you will because the instant I hear a new song that strikes me, I'll forget about this one for awhile... I think this is the 3rd song I've been on this week. I could write a whole post on me and my random "song kicks".... nah, I'll spare you.)
We were both young when I first saw you I close my eyes and the flashback starts I'm standing there on a balcony in summer air See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns See you make your way through the crowd And say hello, little did I know That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles And my daddy said stay away from Juliet And I was crying on the staircase, begging you please don't go And I said
Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess It's a love story, baby just say yes
So I sneak out to the garden to see you We keep quiet 'cause we're dead if they knew So close your eyes, let's leave this town for a little while 'Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter And my daddy said stay away from Juliet But you were everything to me, I was begging you please don't go
Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess It's a love story, baby just say yes
Romeo save me they're tryna tell me how to feel this love is difficult, but it's real Don't be afraid we'll make it out of this mess It's a love story, baby just say yes I got tired of waiting wondering if you were ever coming around My faith in you is fading When I met you on the outskirts of town And I said
Romeo save meI've been feeling so alone I'll keep waiting for you, but you never come Is this in my head, I don't know what to think He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring And said
Marry me Juliet you'll never have to be alone I love you and that's all I really know I talked to your dad you'll pick out a white dress It's a love story, baby just say yes {Love Story, Taylor Swift}
*~*
And I had a really hard time narrowing it down, but this is my favorite Post Secret from last night. :)
Annnnd even though I'm in a very chatty mood tonight, I have much to do so with that, I will talk to you later. Don't forget I'll have Part 2 of my college series up tomorrow, Part 3 on Wednesday, and I have to share my Grey's spoilers and sneaks, I have some funny election videos (no political arguments here, just fun!), and all kinds of randomness. Oh and pictures. I am so behind on sharing pictures - I need to get them printed. So subscribe because you seriously never know what could pop up next around here..... things are gettin' caaaa-razay!!
Today’s Guest Blogger is Amanda from This Crazy Miracle Called Life where she blogs about all aspects of life and whatever “random fabulosity” that comes to mind. Amanda is currently in college earning her nursing degree, and in her spare time, she enjoys traveling, creating, spending time with family and friends, and planning her upcoming wedding.
...
Since it’s Back to School time and a lot of us are getting back into college, I figured what better topic for Stephanie’s monthly Social Media Guest Blog than helpful scholarly resources. Now sure, some of you are done with college or chose other plans, but these things can work for many different things as well.
I will admit right off the bat that I had many more favorite sites than I ever thought I did so I’ll focus on the “social media/web 2.0″-geared sites in this post, and rather than go crazy with the world’s longest post, next week, I’ll post two additional posts on my own blog with many more resources. (Plus, as the semester progresses, I have a few more things to share, such as note-taking tricks, research paper hacks, and more!)
With social media overtaking the internet, if we can learn to search smart we will save loads of time. Take Mahalo for example. It’s a “human-powered search engine,” meaning instead of sifting through results that waste your time, everything that comes up is usually relevant to your topic. Mahalo is still in beta, and it doesn’t have a search result page for every topic, so it has its flaws, but for general information, this is my search engine of choice!
Chunk It
Chunk It is brand new, in beta, and it’s totally rocking my world!
If you’re just writing a simple essay where a few Google sources are fine, here’s what it can do:
Are you up against a deadline with an 8-page research paper due in the morning? Working with huge databases and journal articles? Check this out…
Their site has many more examples, but what this can do in PubMed, EBSCOhost, [insert your major's preferred database here] will just amaze you.
Social Bookmarking
This is social media, folks. Social bookmarking, in essence, is where users save their internet bookmarks (or “favorites”) onto a site of choice and “tag” them with keywords to make them easily discoverable both by themselves and friends, the public, groups, etc.
Many of the common sites can now sync with browsers so not only can a user access their bookmarks on the site, but they can also access them traditionally via their browser’s Bookmarks menu.
I used to enjoy Ma.gnolia but it was too limiting for me so I stopped using it. However, it just went opensource, so it’s definitely something I would keep an eye on!
How can social bookmarking help you? Well organization, for one. Also, it’s a great way to search and discover information for projects, study help, personal learning, etc.
Note: There are other similar sites like StumbleUpon,Reddit, and Furl, but I’ve found that those sites contain more “check out this cool story I found today” vs. the above, “here is my bookmark collection.” Of course, people will use any of those sites either way, but that is just my personal opinion. Try these last three for more news-type articles, or you can always go to Google News.
Learn How to Work Google
Most of us think we’re great at Googling. We use it as a verb, so of course we are! We know what * and + and ” does when we put them in the little Google bar. Well, did you know you can do much more than that to really narrow in your search? Just learning a few more tricks can save hours, I’m sure. I find myself using the same little Google operations in many other search engines as well - these really are imperative to any successful college student’s technological knowledge base. So if you don’t think you’re using Google (or large search engines) as efficiently as you’d like, if you’d like to review, or if you just want to learn a few more advanced tricks like how to search for only a PDF, check out these useful links:
Oh, I cringe to talk about Google again… But if you don’t mind (usually) ugly websites and sometimes what can amount to pretty deep digging, many professors have too much time on their hands and build extravagant websites dedicated to the subjects of their greatest adoration. There’s a couple ways to go about finding these sites that are usually information and link-packed.
Search for your course (Try chemistry not Introduction to Chemistry for Nursing Students if your college has weird course names) If you’re in college, don’t forget that a lot of basic college courses are called the same things as things you took in 10th grade. Remember our Google tricks? This is where typing +college +chemistry helps. That is still pretty vague though, so sometimes, I’ll type in the author of my textbook so I know I’m getting a better, closer match. Sometimes you have to dig, and creativity never hurts in your search term selection either.
Try running an .edu site-only search. (reminder: type this in the box site:.edu) Just because you don’t go to a certain school doesn’t mean you can’t use their links!
Two pretty similar sites, Scribd and DocStoc both serve the same purpose - hosting documents (many filetypes supported) that you can share (or make private) with friends or the entire world (via the sites or neat tools like embedding). The sites even look similar, so you can browse both. You can find all kinds of things like course notes, articles and papers on huge ranges of topics, scanned copyrighted documents (SparkCharts, scanned textbooks and study guides), and so much more. I’ll kind of leave this one at that, but I do want to warn you to use your own personal moral/legal judgment with the scans, and use extreme care as far as plagiarism goes. Just because someone posts a paper on Scribd doesn’t mean you can download it, turn it in, and your professor will be sure you wrote it.
FYI, SearchDocs.net has the ability to search both sites as well as others, but that’s all it does.
I’m keeping an eye on sites like ShareNotes and Incredicampus. They have a lot of growing to do, but you might be able to find something, and ShareNotes especially seems to have a lot of potential.
PROJECT PLANNING
Notefish
Notefish is a lot of fun. In Internet Explorer or Firefox, you just a need a little browser addon, and while you research your project or paper or whatever it is you’re working on, you can clip bits and pieces to add to the page. You can move things around, organize them, and basically, make your own little scrapbook of plans. You can share it, too! Check out this public page for a good example: Trip to NYC Notefish
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Yahoo Answers
Clueless on that last trig problem? Confused on a topic and you’d like to talk to a few professionals (or self-proclaimed “professionals”…. hey, we’re talking free here, people!)? Or feeling wise with your new scholarly knowledge and want to help others out? Yahoo Answers is the place. You can’t show up and post your entire chemistry worksheet and hope for someone to do it for you. You can, however, jump right in and search past questions, ask questions of your own, and use this site to explore, get help with specific things, ask for clarification perhaps on a math concept you don’t understand (maybe with an example problem), etc. Make sure you help back though - you lose “points” for asking questions and gain points for answering questions. Note that this is not a homework-help site - it’s a site for asking any question about anything, and a lot of the people there are really great about helping with educational/career/project questions.
Ning is the site where anyone can start their own social network for any topic! This has several applications for us:
Start a course Ning for all the members in your class to share notes, discuss, etc. Many professors are starting to do this as well.
Search for non-private course Nings already open. There are several professor-headed networks for people who need help in certain subjects or for students passionate about specialized majors. Also, there are several major-specific networks to join where you can make friends, share tips, blog, have discussions, post pictures, videos, etc. (Nursing major? We have almost 1200 nurses on Ning at NursesConnect) The bigger the groups, the more fun they are! (And Ning is definitely not just for school - run a few searches and you’ll find a group for just about anything!)
CHEAP TEXTBOOKS
Textbook Revolt
Sick of paying too much for books? Well we all know there’s power in numbers and our generation kind of rocks. So, why not boycott the textbook companies and start using sites like Textbook Revolt? I have yet to complete a successful “transaction” on this site, but I’ve heard many success stories, they just got a new owner, and the more students that join, the more the site will help us all!
Price Comparison Sites
Two of my favorites are Campusi and BigWords. I never buy from campus bookstores anymore and I lost track of how many hundreds of dollars I’ve saved. Seriously.
That’s all for Part 1!
I hope you enjoyed it. Don’t forget to check my blog next week (Monday and Wednesday) for the rest. I have more links and surprises that you will not want to miss!
Thanks to Stephanie for letting me share my expertise, and thanks, readers, for listening! Feel free to comment with your favorite sites, and if you are struggling with anything college-related that you think the internet may be able to solve, go ahead and post and I’ll see what I can do to address it next week.
Ahh, the weekend... finally... and just real quick, I have some BIG NEWS for you.
This past week, I traveled across the internet once again to guest post on a friend's blog. Run right over to my friend's site, Hey Stephanie! to see my post that kicks off my
3-part College Web Secrets series
Stephanie is a social media guru and blogs about fun ways that the internet can help you accomplish things faster and smarter. Every month, she features a guest blogger, so for my turn? Naturally, I chose to share the ways I use social media/web 2.0 resources to maximize my area of expertise, studying productivity and school efforts. When I started writing the article, I soon realized that the internet pretty much helps me in everything I do when it comes to productivity at school, so one thing led to another, and I realized there was no way it was all going to fit into one post.
SO...
Check back here on my blog Monday and Wednesday for parts 2 and 3. For Part 1 (jam-packed with over 2-dozen links!), go over to Stephanie's, and send all your friends, too. The focus of all 3 posts is college "hacks," but I can definitely see ways many other people can use these for several other uses. The overall key is productivity and timesavers... who doesn't need a little more of that, right? I'm so excited about my guest post, and I'm just as excited about what I have to share this week so please, please, please, tell your friends and check back, and I promise even you savvy techies will learn something! :)
Part 1: Social Media, College & You (Up at Hey Stephanie!)
Search Smart
Notes & Documents
Project Planning
Questions & Answers
Ultimate Interactions
Cheap Textbooks
Part 2: Get Organized: Your Space, Your Time, Your Web
My Grandmother lived through the Depression. Great Grandpa remembers Pearl Harbor. My Dad can tell you where he was when he heard President Kennedy had been killed. Me? Well, my generation's first true, life-changing world event has to be grander in scale than any other's. We are the September 11th generation.
Where were you on that day? I remember it like it was yesterday. As a 9th grader, I didn't understand it fully at the time, but I remember living with a lot of fear for months after the event. I've visited Ground Zero twice since, and in the middle of the crazy, hustling city is an unmistakable silent scar with an atmosphere all its own. It's hard to describe. The air is just different there.
I was blessed that no one I personally knew was injured on that day, but I am thankful that one of my good friends served two terms in the National Guard, so he spent weeks searching through the tragic remains (followed by a few years overseas in Iraq). Knowing a soldier really puts being an American in perspective. It makes you a lot more thankful for the rights we all too easily take for granted.
But anyhow, it's the anniversary of a day that haunts us all. How has the tragedy helped you grow? Did it change your life? Make you more proud to be an American? Where were you when you heard the news?
In Memory
by Michelle Lynn McPeters
What was it you had said? Why did you have to go? Each simple little memory Now passes by so slow. I am stuck in the yesterday Not wanting to accept The horrid truth that you are gone Your life taken without threat This morning you awoke
To face a brand new day But a cold-hearted terrorist Took that gift away Though the grave cry for the lost In the settling of the dust They failed to shake our foundation For in God we put our trust.
Please watch this video. As Americans, as human beings, we all need to remember that day for as long as we live. It's a part of all of us.
This will be our response to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.
Every Saturday - like hundreds of thousands of others I'm sure - I look forward to the new secrets up on PostSecret. So many touch my heart, but a few special shares really connect with me. This is one to add to my favorites. :)
I am 22 & currently spend my days nannying my itty bitties + going to college (working on my nursing degree, goal: pediatric oncology) & am honored to be a published writer in a nursing anthology & a contributor to many scrapbooking publications. i love hanging with my amazing friends, sister & family. i love my baby puppy haylie brooke and our silly doggie ri-ri. in my rare spare time, i read & get crafty. i thrive on organization, my mac repertoire, learning & absolute fabulosity. my favorite place in the world is paris. my favorite color is pink. i love being a nurse & i believe each one of my patients is precious. i'm a night owl & wish my lifestyle promoted such habits. i like lazy jammie days. i believe in god and am thankful for his hand on my life. i believe that life is too short to be anything but happy, & i’m thankful that a chronic liver disease + the effects of a car accident have taught me important values that most people learn far too late. i hope that the world will find hope, and my idea of a good day is one in which i made someone smile :)
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Near and dear to my heart...
I am honored to be a part of this anthology on nursing and hope. Click to take a peek inside. :)
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I take my professional nursing standards very seriously. Please scroll to the bottom of the page to read about the promises I make to you regarding my site and any medical information found within.
