Reflection Entry #29,April 30,2009

Today was our last day of research and I was able to complete 85 notecards. Overall, I think I've worked in the MM labs and the library productively throughout the whole research. I think if I got less distracted and talked in the lesson I might've been able to complete more note cards. The stratgey I used which is to open two webpages at the same tiome and collect the information at the same time woked quite well and it was also easy to summarize. If I used this strategy earlier I might've been able to get more information as well as efficient. I think when I'm planning my essay I might have a hard time because of the great amount of information I have. I think I'll have to organise it well by taking out some unneeded information. I think when I'm writng in paragraphs I'll write in this order: Introduction, Law and Government, Education, Religion and Conclusion.

Reflection Entry #28 April 28, 2009

Today I tried a new strategy to gain all the information I need. I opened two webpages at the same time and collected information from both of them at the same time about the same topic. SO it's actually taking a part of one source and blending it with another. it worked quite well and allowed me to complete quite a plenty notecards. I also summarized well. I read a big chunk of text from both sources and noted down the information I needed. i think this strategy is working really well and it got be 75 note cards today. I'm going to use the same strategy on our last day for research next lesson which will hopefully put the finishing touches and wrap up my research. But i still need to improve on noting down my information well because it looks really untidy. Since it's becoming really difficult to read for me, I've decided to use a pencil and a rubber instead of writing with a pen and scribbling over it. Other than that I pretty much have all the information I need.

Reflection Entry #27 April 27, 2009

Today was the lesson when we got the full priveldge to go on any site and research. On my research today I found plenty of videos on brainpop.com which gave great help to me. This time it wasn't all repeated information some of the information was that I didn't even have. it's good that now I'm finding the information i didn't have because THIS OUR LAST WEEK OF RESEARCH! I think today i used my time wisely, and collected the information only useful to me and not information i already had or didn't need. Though I also wasted plenty of notecards and jumbled them up. My notecards are becoming really difficult to read and today I accidentaly messed up my notecards and instead of putting my religion note card with the other religion note cards I put it with education, maybe because I wasn't awake or I was too careless. I also have to try to be more careful and aware of what's happening in the surroundings because i'm also missing on certain instructions from the teacher. But i forgot to note down 2 URLs for the bibliography. i'm going to go back to the site tommorow and hopefully notedown the urls onto my bibliography.

Reflection Entry #26 April 26, 2009

Today I was able to complete 5 note cards double sided which is a good thing. This is of course a very good thing and gave me quite a lot of information about all three charcateristics. I still haven't completed summarizing the text so next lesson I'm going to continue work on the same website. I think I should write my notes much neater since what I write on the note cards is a complete jumble and is even difficult for me to understand. SO I'm going to try to write my information neater. Also I shouldn't just stick to one website I should try to got to different websites and get a wider information on the certain characteristic. I also did not get distracted in my work. I think I'm writing too much information, including the information I don't need, I should also try to only note down the points I need not the points which I already have or points which I don't need at all.

Reflection #25 April 23, 2009

Today I was a very bad day for me as I wasn’t able to find too much information. The information I found was info I already had, so I wasn’t able to complete too many note cards. But I was finding a lot of information about other characteristics like: Social Class, Variety of Jobs and Art Architecture. But I was still able to get some main points on Religion. This would however help me in my essay because everything I have including the tiniest pieces of information will help. I think once we start using new sites I might be able to get more note cards, but I’ll have to work extra hard in the future lessons because I think I’m behind my class and need to catch up.

Reeflection Entry #24 April 21 2009

Today I wasn't able to complete many notecards, again I got distracted by one of my class mates and I was able to complete 2 notecards this lesson, i'm sure I would've beeen able to complete more notecards if i concentrated hard enough, with all that important information. The distractions have become one of my major weaknesses and preventing me from completing work. Also, as i said in the previous reflection, my summarizing looks similar to the text on the source, today my summary only consisted of the main points and looked like a summary rather than copies of the original text, so therefore I have learned to summarize properly and i'm sure that will make my reseacrh note cards more easier to understand. Next lesson i'm goging to solve the problem of being distarcted by other students.

Reflection Entry #23 April 20, 2009

Today I was able to complete plenty of note cards and catch up to the time I lost last lesson. Grolier Online is a really good source of information and allowed me to get information on all three chosen characteristics. (Law government, education, religion). I think I would’ve done even more if I didn’t get distracted talking to my friends. But what I’m really worried about is that I’m not summarizing the text good enough, for some reason it looks similar to the text on the source. So next lesson I’m going to try to read the whole text and then summarize it, rather than by reading one sentence and then summarizing the text. I’m also going too fast so it might be that I’m in so much of a hurry that I begin to copy sentences. Today I went back to my note cards when I couldn’t find information and then I began to make the information I had more simpler and only with the main points.

Refelction Entry #22 April 19 2009

Today was the day when I got most distracted in the whole project. Since my computer wasn’t working I had to switch with someone else. It took me a long time to log into my new computer. It took me more than half a lesson to start work because the multimedia shortcut was not even on the desktop; therefore I barely completed 1 note card. It’s good that I did not fall behind the whole class as I already have 48 note cards and most people have quite less than that. After everything was ready I got lazy and didn’t bother to write much. If I had put in more concentration, and a little bit more effort I might’ve been able to note down more important information. Next lesson I’ll try to concentrate a little harder and try to put in more effort. Also I’m getting the same information again and again at Grolier Online and Britannica, so it’s getting harder to get more not cards perhaps I’ll be able to get more when we are allowed to research other websites as well.

Reflection Entry #21 April 16 2009

Today I was able to complete 6 notecards, which got me a total of 46 notecards. Today I also learned how to do the bibliography properly as I was doing it the wrong way. it's good that I learned to do the bibliography properly or else i would get a bad presentation grade. I think i'm finding pretty good info on my chosen characteristics but now most of the times the same information is popping up. i think I should also learn to write neatly becuase my writing is getting very difficult for me to understand. I think i should also learn to follow instructions properly because today i did not follow the instruction of doing the proper format of the bibliography, lucky for me Mr. Sparks warned so i was saved from getting bad grades for presentation.

Reflection entry #20 April 14 2009

Today was our 1st day at the MM labs we learned to use certain internet devices to our own benefit in the research. I did not get a chance to use the sites I got from the books in the library. today I was able to reach one of my goals: Not to get distracted and lose time. i was able to work hard today with britannica online and able to get a lot of info about law and education. I think if i continue to be less distracted and work hard I might be able to get all the information i need. I am still working on, to make my work as summarized as possible, which isn't really working out it seems my work is a bit too much same to the text, this might be because i'm in a rush and aiming to get many notecards. But its quality not quantity and i will try to calm down and read the whole article and in the end summarize it.

Reflection #19 April 13 2009

Today was the last day in the library, so we had to work extra hard, I was able to complete 3 notecards with a total of 35 notecards. Mostly about education. I was also able to find certain websites for my research in the MM labs next lesson. I think I used my time wisely by taking important notes and at the same time taking important websites for future research. SO I think i have to work as hard as I did in the library, but even harder. I must not try to get distracted by anyone and always stay constant in my work. i think i should be able to work harder in the MM labs since I have taken a few websites to research and so i am prepared and i have found my weaknesses and find a way to overcome them and complete my work.

Refelction Entry #18 April 12 2009

Today I did not manage to put in maximum effort because we were meant to got to the lab today but we went to the library for those who did not get enough info. I have been through all the information in the books and so today I just went over the notecards and searched for any information I didn't have. I found some good information but unfortunately i got distracted and was only able to complete one notecard so I think i should try to put in more effort in future lessons which is one of my weaknesses of completing my work. I think the best thing i could've done in my time in the library was find a table where nobody who i talked with sat and then I could've complete more work. i think i could've also done better summarizing skills. I did not take a big chunkof info and then wrote it in my own words. I did this sometimes when the information wasn't too complicated. So i have to improve my summarizing skills.

Refelction#17 April 2 2009

Today was our last day at library and I did not find it ideal. today a lot of time was wasted since we had to go to homeroom at 2:05 and I was being disturbed diliberetly by one of my fellow class mates as a result I was only able to complete 2 notecards but with useful information. it is good that we are moving to the MM labs next week as I am not finding any useful information in the libraries anymore. I think, in the libraries, i have put in overall, a lot of effort and have collected useful information to help me in my essay, though I need to continue this when I get to the MM labs. I think to improve and get more information on religion and government and law ( due to the fact I do not have enough information for them). I will also watch some useful videos in the MM labs as well as search on wikipedia.org and I will also have to complete my bibliography electronically.