The reflection assignment was an interesting process as it allowed me to bring together the experiences, readings, and interactions from the LRNT521 course.

Beyond what I learned in the course, I made some interesting observations about myself.

Using Group Software

I explored a variety of software to use for managing my learning activities, with varying degrees of success. For our first group project, we used the BaseCamp app, which proved to be unwieldy and not something I’ll work with in future.

For our group debate activity we worked through SamePage, an app I’ve continued to use subsequent to finishing the debate as I worked with several of the same group members for our fake news activity. We’ve also communicated through the app, supporting one another during the writing of our brief, and even this reflection assignment. That’s been an interesting experience for me, as I haven’t been a student for a very long time, and enjoyed the camaraderie and shared angst.

Completing Assignments

Developing and delivering assignments is akin to the work I’ve done for many years. I’ve been a writer since the mid-1990’s, and always work within assorted constraints such as templates and layout requirements.

The student experience is different in that I don’t have a developmental editor to help formulate the content, nor a copy editor to make sure I’m using proper construction.

My reactions have been the same, as I tend to think about what I have written. I realized I had forgotten a reference in my briefing note one day as I was driving down the highway. I also realized I hadn’t used caps for the running header in the APA-formatted briefing note while preparing my reflection assignment. Neither of these issues are significant, but predictably irksome nonetheless.

Desperately Trying to Get Organized

I manage multiple freelance projects, teaching, home, and family—so why should being a student create a problem? That’s probably the most naïve question I’ve come up with since April. The fundamental difference is that I need to organize all the literature I’m reading in a way that’s both meaningful and accessible.

To that end, I’ve settled on two apps: Evernote and Paperpile.

Citation Manager

I tried the citation managers provided by RRU Libraries, Mendeley and Zotero. I found them unwieldy, and realized I have a bias towards “old-school” interfaces. I design work that is flat and modern, and didn’t want to look at the interfaces nearly every day for 27 months. An online search led me to Paperpile, which offers an academic subscription, which I’ve purchased. It’s a slick, browser-based tool, and comfortable to use.

Everything Else

I used Evernote in the past for handling project components, and even inspirational images in pre-Pinterest days. I decided to check it out again for academic use, and it’s been a boon to my organizational efforts. I’m still learning some of the features of the program, but I’m slowly developing my expertise. I especially like that I can create stacked notebooks (folders), and generate a table of contents note for any collection of notes. I am using the free version, and so far, it’s all I need.