The reflection assignment was an interesting process as it allowed me to bring together the experiences, readings, and interactions from the LRNT521 course.<\/p>\n
Beyond what I learned in the course, I made some interesting observations about myself.<\/p>\n
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<\/a> app, which proved to be unwieldy and not something I\u2019ll work with in future.<\/p>\n For our group debate activity we worked through SamePage<\/a>, an app I\u2019ve 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\u2019s been an interesting experience for me, as I haven\u2019t been a student for a very long time, and enjoyed the camaraderie and shared angst.<\/p>\n Developing and delivering assignments is akin to the work I\u2019ve done for many years. I\u2019ve been a writer since the mid-1990\u2019s, and always work within assorted constraints such as templates and layout requirements.<\/p>\n The student experience is different in that I don\u2019t have a developmental editor to help formulate the content, nor a copy editor to make sure I\u2019m using proper construction.<\/p>\n 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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n I manage multiple freelance projects, teaching, home, and family\u2014so why should being a student create a problem? That\u2019s probably the most na\u00efve question I\u2019ve come up with since April. The fundamental difference is that I need to organize all the literature I\u2019m reading in a way that\u2019s both meaningful and accessible.<\/p>\n To that end, I\u2019ve settled on two apps: Evernote and Paperpile.<\/p>\n I tried the citation managers provided by RRU Libraries, Mendeley<\/a> and Zotero<\/a>. I found them unwieldy, and realized I have a bias towards \u201cold-school\u201d interfaces. I design work that is flat and modern, and didn\u2019t want to look at the interfaces nearly every day for 27 months. An online search led me to Paperpile<\/a>, which offers an academic subscription, which I\u2019ve purchased. It\u2019s a slick, browser-based tool, and comfortable to use.<\/p>\nCompleting Assignments<\/h2>\n
Desperately Trying to Get Organized<\/h2>\n
Citation Manager<\/h3>\n
Everything Else<\/h3>\n