Looking Back

I am not really disappointed by the results of this past semester, because I found myself working very hard. The only results I am slightly displeased with would be my studying for finals. I feel that I could have studying better for certain subjects. I had a cold the weekend before our midterms, which partly caused me to have trouble focusing. As a result, I did not study as hard as I should have for Physics and Spanish. Also, this past semester was the first time I had to take a final and it was quite daunting, partly because I did not know what was the most effective way to study for me. I decided to try out different techniques for my first midterms to see which approach would be the most effective for me.

Of all the various techniques I tried, I would say I had one favorite. For two of my classes, Studio Art Fundamentals and Spanish, I completely organized my notebooks and my Spanish binder. I organized my notebooks for both classes by adding post-it notes with different labels of each of the key ideas we learned. In my Spanish binder, I combined all the related information using paperclips. From there, I was able to create flashcards for both classes and review the information. I would definitely use this study skill again for any major future exams.

I am most proud of my art history research paper. For this paper, my class had to "become" an artist and present it in a unique way. I chose Grandma Moses because she managed to make her mark on the world when she started painting in her late seventies. I "became" Grandma Moses by writing a letter to one of her many grandchildren about a class project they had. What I found challenging (and fun) about writing this paper was writing from the perspective of a more experienced person. I tried to expand my vocabulary a bit and write like I was from a different time. Once I was done writing my paper, I printed it onto thick photocopy paper and stained it using tea. I sprinkled coffee onto it which left darker splotches that looked like mold. I am very proud of my resulting paper because I tried something new, learned a lot about an artist, and had a great time doing so.

This E-Learning Fundamentals class helped me in three main ways. I am now more knowledgeable about how to use different applications on my computer, including Evernote which I ended up using a lot during my World Cultures class this past semester. Also, this class taught me about blogger, which I did not even know about before. The last main way this class was useful to me would be because it taught me how to use Voice Thread, a website that I have a feeling I will utilize in my future at Poly. The one major thing I dislike about this class would be that it adds a lot to my stress load. I find that the assignments can take a long time to accomplish; time that I need for other assignments and activities I do outside of school. 

For the next semester, I am going to try to put the studying skills I used during finals to use and I am going to take advantage of my free periods (now that I have more because my World Cultures class has ended). This will allow me to sleep more and take advantage of more volunteer activities without sacrificing my grades, sports, and other activities.