I want what I once had. Yes, I am now that old, that I can write something like that.
I used to have a Palm Pilot - this was grade school, 5th grade I think. Probably my mom's old one or something. But here's the thing: I had this great program for homework and studying, and I didn't appreciate it then. I want one like it now.
Using a stylus, you pecked around on the screen's drop down boxes, selecting options in ever increasing detail. Homework? Which subject? Worksheet, read pages __-__, study for test, project, paper, or other? Due date? Need more than one day? Want reminders? and so on.
Then you could set up a whole other set of reminders under "Need to take home" and "Need to bring to school"
And it populated a calendar as well as a To Do list.
How awesome is that?
It was called "Shadow Warrior" or something and it could be customized.
I am on a mission to find one like it.
Showing posts with label organize. Show all posts
Showing posts with label organize. Show all posts
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Senior. Like the sound. Now for the reality.
A class period off. Off campus privileges for lunch. Reserved parking space. Prom. All good, right?
College applications, essays, decisions, visits.
And then there's the work, the classes, the tests, the homework.
Pacing is all. Ok, sleep too. Maybe breakfast.
College applications, essays, decisions, visits.
And then there's the work, the classes, the tests, the homework.
Pacing is all. Ok, sleep too. Maybe breakfast.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Finals!
This is it. My grades are good so far, just have to avoid blowing it at the end. You know the feeling.
What's great is that I've taken notes every single day in class, using my laptop which means I can organize and review pretty easily.
This is also where keeping on top of your reading pays off. Now I review information for the second or third time, not the first.
Time to order more pizza.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Pollen, pollen everywhere
Well, not really, but at some times of the year it sure seems like it. Like now. Oak pollen is everywhere, and Mountain Cedar (Juniper) is still going strong. I found out last year that I'm allergic to both, so I'm pretty miserable these days even with medication.
I haven't decided whether it helps me to know, but if you think it helps you, there are some great pollen forecast websites around, usually more specific if it's an allergist in your city. At least you can make sure you know why you feel so bad. Sometimes that's something.
links you can try are here, here and here.
I haven't decided whether it helps me to know, but if you think it helps you, there are some great pollen forecast websites around, usually more specific if it's an allergist in your city. At least you can make sure you know why you feel so bad. Sometimes that's something.
links you can try are here, here and here.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Rubrics, really?
Yes really.
We used to have rubrics on the reverse side of the instructions for special projects or research papers. One side explained in several paragraphs what you were supposed to do. The other side was a form which showed specifically what you had to do to earn a specific number of points. It broke it all down. These were great while they lasted.
I started last year doing what I called check-backs on instructions, where I underlined or highlighted the specifics buried in the instructions for assignments. This year I've starting just making my own rubric, going one step further.
For example, in AP Psych we were assigned to do either a PSA, book or case study explaining one kind of condition. The explanation was several paragraphs, and since I was working with two other people on a team (and I'd carried one of them before on projects teams like this) I decided to convert the long description to a form that we could use to divide up the work, like translating it into what we had to do.
That last part didn't quite work out, but I did actually have them come over to my house and used the form to make sure we had done everything we needed to do. It kept us on track, and when we were done it turned out that ours was the best one.
Plans are great when they work. But first you need a plan.
We used to have rubrics on the reverse side of the instructions for special projects or research papers. One side explained in several paragraphs what you were supposed to do. The other side was a form which showed specifically what you had to do to earn a specific number of points. It broke it all down. These were great while they lasted.
I started last year doing what I called check-backs on instructions, where I underlined or highlighted the specifics buried in the instructions for assignments. This year I've starting just making my own rubric, going one step further.
For example, in AP Psych we were assigned to do either a PSA, book or case study explaining one kind of condition. The explanation was several paragraphs, and since I was working with two other people on a team (and I'd carried one of them before on projects teams like this) I decided to convert the long description to a form that we could use to divide up the work, like translating it into what we had to do.
That last part didn't quite work out, but I did actually have them come over to my house and used the form to make sure we had done everything we needed to do. It kept us on track, and when we were done it turned out that ours was the best one.
Plans are great when they work. But first you need a plan.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
It's just a little circle
This is a small, tiny thing. Just a circle that you draw on the top right corner of a piece of paper that your teacher hands out in class. It can be a circle about the size of a dime, or a nickel, that's all.
What the circle means, when it's empty, is that whatever is on that page will be due sometime, one day soon. It also means that you need to fill in that deadline or due date. So the empty circle sits there as a reminder that you need to write in the due date, and then you need to do the assignment, and after that you need to turn it in.
We get a blizzard of paper every day, all day. Pages and pages. My AP Psych teacher says we get so many in that class because our textbook is so out of date that she has to add all the rest of the information we need by passing out all these papers. She also tries to save paper by putting different stuff on the back side of a lot of the papers, so it's easy to miss that an assignment is on the back that has nothing to do with what's on the front.
The problem is that some of all these papers are just for you to read, and some of them are for you to actually do something with. What makes it even worse is that some of the papers LOOK like they are assignments, but the teacher says they aren't, and some other papers look like things to just read but the teacher assigns something you're supposed to do with what you read.
So your best friend is that circle. And it works best if you can try to make a habit of asking right when you get the paper: is this read only, or when is it due?
Better to be the one who asks all those questions than get a zero.
What the circle means, when it's empty, is that whatever is on that page will be due sometime, one day soon. It also means that you need to fill in that deadline or due date. So the empty circle sits there as a reminder that you need to write in the due date, and then you need to do the assignment, and after that you need to turn it in.
We get a blizzard of paper every day, all day. Pages and pages. My AP Psych teacher says we get so many in that class because our textbook is so out of date that she has to add all the rest of the information we need by passing out all these papers. She also tries to save paper by putting different stuff on the back side of a lot of the papers, so it's easy to miss that an assignment is on the back that has nothing to do with what's on the front.
The problem is that some of all these papers are just for you to read, and some of them are for you to actually do something with. What makes it even worse is that some of the papers LOOK like they are assignments, but the teacher says they aren't, and some other papers look like things to just read but the teacher assigns something you're supposed to do with what you read.
So your best friend is that circle. And it works best if you can try to make a habit of asking right when you get the paper: is this read only, or when is it due?
Better to be the one who asks all those questions than get a zero.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Trouble in project team land
Is it me, or does everyone have problems with projects where you have to work in teams?
I used to think it was the project, or the people on the team with me, or even the way the instructions were set up. Now I think it's just the way these things go.
Once or twice the work's been divided pretty much equally, or we've all worked together to get it done. But for most of them I've carried the team, either because I cared more about the grade or just because I started early enough to be able to pull it off when everyone else waited until the last minute.
I've written skits (with costumes, set and recording!), made posters, created illustrated books, constructed science models, printed up brochures, and completed countless PowerPoint presentations. And my name was the first of two, three or more who got equal credit.
I know that I could and should have done it differently, and I'm getting better. But maybe I'm a little more creative, or maybe willing to work a little harder, or just like to do projects more.
My grades are great for these things, but so are my teammates's grades. But I notice that when the teacher asks to keep the project to show as an example for future classes, the question is asked of me. Too bad there's not a bonus grade for that.
I used to think it was the project, or the people on the team with me, or even the way the instructions were set up. Now I think it's just the way these things go.
Once or twice the work's been divided pretty much equally, or we've all worked together to get it done. But for most of them I've carried the team, either because I cared more about the grade or just because I started early enough to be able to pull it off when everyone else waited until the last minute.
I've written skits (with costumes, set and recording!), made posters, created illustrated books, constructed science models, printed up brochures, and completed countless PowerPoint presentations. And my name was the first of two, three or more who got equal credit.
I know that I could and should have done it differently, and I'm getting better. But maybe I'm a little more creative, or maybe willing to work a little harder, or just like to do projects more.
My grades are great for these things, but so are my teammates's grades. But I notice that when the teacher asks to keep the project to show as an example for future classes, the question is asked of me. Too bad there's not a bonus grade for that.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
One per week
I've been thinking about this blog, and what I'm trying to do here besides just try to get my thoughts down in words. I wish I had found a blog that told me something every week to try. Maybe I would have done better sooner.
I think that trying one new thing a week is just about right, not too much. Even if you just think about it, see if maybe it might be something you want to try, even that amount of thought might be helpful.
It's hard not to be grown up yet, but have to figure it out before you are. It's a lot of pressure.
What's kind of crazy to me is that I look at friends who make things look effortless that I have to really work hard to do, but I also have other friends who think that things come easy to me that they have problems with.
I'm glad that some of these posts seem to be helpful, which means I'm going to keep writing until I run out of things to say.
I think that trying one new thing a week is just about right, not too much. Even if you just think about it, see if maybe it might be something you want to try, even that amount of thought might be helpful.
It's hard not to be grown up yet, but have to figure it out before you are. It's a lot of pressure.
What's kind of crazy to me is that I look at friends who make things look effortless that I have to really work hard to do, but I also have other friends who think that things come easy to me that they have problems with.
I'm glad that some of these posts seem to be helpful, which means I'm going to keep writing until I run out of things to say.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Baskets and file folders
Not to get carried away with this stuff, but there IS a place in your life for organization.
It's almost the end of the first semester, and stuff is really piling up in my world. Here's what's saving me from drowning in paper.
First, a plastic basket about the size of notebook paper or a little bigger, for tossing all the completed work that can stay home - usually because it's been graded and returned, or it was for reference and you're done with that topic, etc.
What's great about this is if you do it right - which means staying on top of it most days - then it's sort of like an archeological dig: the deeper you go, the older the material. Don't throw stuff away, but don't keep carrying it around with you. Put it in the basket and it will be there if you need it.
You want more organization? File folders. Just make one per course, and then after you close out a chapter (or whenever you feel like you want a little more o-r-d-e-r in your life) just sort whatever's in the basket into the folders. Put the folders in a file drawer of that otherwise empty desk. Then admire your empty basket.
See, doesn't that feel good? You are not drowning in a blizzard of paper afterall.
It's almost the end of the first semester, and stuff is really piling up in my world. Here's what's saving me from drowning in paper.
First, a plastic basket about the size of notebook paper or a little bigger, for tossing all the completed work that can stay home - usually because it's been graded and returned, or it was for reference and you're done with that topic, etc.
What's great about this is if you do it right - which means staying on top of it most days - then it's sort of like an archeological dig: the deeper you go, the older the material. Don't throw stuff away, but don't keep carrying it around with you. Put it in the basket and it will be there if you need it.
You want more organization? File folders. Just make one per course, and then after you close out a chapter (or whenever you feel like you want a little more o-r-d-e-r in your life) just sort whatever's in the basket into the folders. Put the folders in a file drawer of that otherwise empty desk. Then admire your empty basket.
See, doesn't that feel good? You are not drowning in a blizzard of paper afterall.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Grocery shopping for the rest of us
I am grocery shopping on my own for the first time these days, now that I can drive, and I've discovered you can wander around a grocery store for a LONG time if you're not careful, looking for what you want to buy. In fact, they're designed that way.
Which is fine, if that's what you have time for - Target is always good for a half hour.
But if you want to get in and get out, try making a list, and put the things on your list together if they're in the same area: dairy with dairy, etc. And better get a basket, because there's a lot of stuff to try.
Which is fine, if that's what you have time for - Target is always good for a half hour.
But if you want to get in and get out, try making a list, and put the things on your list together if they're in the same area: dairy with dairy, etc. And better get a basket, because there's a lot of stuff to try.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
From Cleared to Cleared
This may be obvious to you already, but apparently I keep forgetting it and when I remember to do it my life is just so much easier.
Before you spread out all the papers and books from your backpack or notebook, make sure the desk is clear.
That way when you're done (or think you are) with everything you need to do, as you gather it all back up and organize it for the next day, it's harder to forget something.
You know, from cleared (surface) to cleared.
Before you spread out all the papers and books from your backpack or notebook, make sure the desk is clear.
That way when you're done (or think you are) with everything you need to do, as you gather it all back up and organize it for the next day, it's harder to forget something.
You know, from cleared (surface) to cleared.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
First, pile it all up
This is getting harder and harder to do, now that I have a multi-section backpack AND a 3-ring binder AND all these pockets AND a car.
Before I get started on my homework, the first thing I have to do is chase down all the various pieces of paper from that day: folded, crumpled, misfiled, loose at the bottom of the backpack.
Pile it all up in one place, and sort it all out: to do tonight, to do another time (tip: put the due date at the upper right corner), stay at home, file with the class section of the notebook for use at school, etc.
If I don't, once or twice a week I miss a deadline, or panic and rush to finish an assignment I forgot because I didn't find the paper until I was doing the laundry, or looking for something else, etc. Not a good feeling.
The alternative, of course, is to carefully organize these papers as I proceed through the day. Not going to happen.
Before I get started on my homework, the first thing I have to do is chase down all the various pieces of paper from that day: folded, crumpled, misfiled, loose at the bottom of the backpack.
Pile it all up in one place, and sort it all out: to do tonight, to do another time (tip: put the due date at the upper right corner), stay at home, file with the class section of the notebook for use at school, etc.
If I don't, once or twice a week I miss a deadline, or panic and rush to finish an assignment I forgot because I didn't find the paper until I was doing the laundry, or looking for something else, etc. Not a good feeling.
The alternative, of course, is to carefully organize these papers as I proceed through the day. Not going to happen.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Turn me in!
Ok, that's not actually what the label says, but that's the message my brain gets when I see it.
Ever do the homework and forget to turn it in? Who hasn't? But this is crazy after you've done the work, to get a zero or a late grade just because you couldn't get your act together to hand the thing in when you were supposed to.
But who can blame us, really. Our parents have no clue how rushed and crowded our days are, and how huge and loud the classes are, and how crazy it is to change classes every 45 minutes and race off the the next one across campus before the 5 minute tardy bell. (I read about how in Japan the teachers move, and the students stay in one place as a team. Cool.)
So this works for me: at the front of my 3-ring binder I use for all my classes. there's a black plastic page with a pocket, and on the pocket is a label that says, "TURN IN TODAY" and I start every day with my assignments in that packet, in the order of my classes. At the end of the day I should see an empty black page if I've turned everything in.
Of course, this means I have to put all the pages in that one place every night.
Which means I have to do all the assignments.
BUT if I do them this way I at least get credit for doing them.
See? Better.
Ever do the homework and forget to turn it in? Who hasn't? But this is crazy after you've done the work, to get a zero or a late grade just because you couldn't get your act together to hand the thing in when you were supposed to.
But who can blame us, really. Our parents have no clue how rushed and crowded our days are, and how huge and loud the classes are, and how crazy it is to change classes every 45 minutes and race off the the next one across campus before the 5 minute tardy bell. (I read about how in Japan the teachers move, and the students stay in one place as a team. Cool.)
So this works for me: at the front of my 3-ring binder I use for all my classes. there's a black plastic page with a pocket, and on the pocket is a label that says, "TURN IN TODAY" and I start every day with my assignments in that packet, in the order of my classes. At the end of the day I should see an empty black page if I've turned everything in.
Of course, this means I have to put all the pages in that one place every night.
Which means I have to do all the assignments.
BUT if I do them this way I at least get credit for doing them.
See? Better.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Chapter outlines
I've discovered that formatting really does matter. Sort of like grammar.
You know all those big headlines separating sections of the chapters in your textbooks? Probably best to include them, then indent stuff under all those other smaller headlines.
If you really want to do it up right, use some color and maybe some underlining. They're kind of like signposts that help you see what's related and what's not. It helps me study later, and has been great for open-notes tests where I have to find something quickly.
And if you do it right, you won't have to open the textbook again except maybe to read the chapter summary.
I'm OK with that.
You know all those big headlines separating sections of the chapters in your textbooks? Probably best to include them, then indent stuff under all those other smaller headlines.
If you really want to do it up right, use some color and maybe some underlining. They're kind of like signposts that help you see what's related and what's not. It helps me study later, and has been great for open-notes tests where I have to find something quickly.
And if you do it right, you won't have to open the textbook again except maybe to read the chapter summary.
I'm OK with that.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Divide and conquer
Here's where my past posts intersect.
How do you know what needs doing when you discover that by some miracle you have no homework due tomorrow?
That big calendar on the wall where you have been adding all the due dates for assignments, projects and research papers, along with tests and every possible deadline or scheduled anything.
It's how you know that even with two weeks to work on a project, you only have this Sunday afternoon to work on it. You can see how jammed up you are just by looking.
If you're smart, you've been scheduling in the fun stuff too, just to make sure it doesn't get lost in all the work.
Then, if you're lucky, one day you will look at the calendar and see that you really do have nothing to do today but hang out.
It could happen.
How do you know what needs doing when you discover that by some miracle you have no homework due tomorrow?
That big calendar on the wall where you have been adding all the due dates for assignments, projects and research papers, along with tests and every possible deadline or scheduled anything.
It's how you know that even with two weeks to work on a project, you only have this Sunday afternoon to work on it. You can see how jammed up you are just by looking.
If you're smart, you've been scheduling in the fun stuff too, just to make sure it doesn't get lost in all the work.
Then, if you're lucky, one day you will look at the calendar and see that you really do have nothing to do today but hang out.
It could happen.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Homework in the absence of homework
One of the hardest things for me is remembering that just because I don't have any homework due tomorrow, that doesn't mean I have no homework.
I know; it depresses me too sometimes. But that's part of growing up, right? I still remember the feeling of freedom when I got home and I had NO HOMEWORK! It was kind of like a snow day, only better in some ways because they happened in all kinds of weather, and we don't get that much snow here in Texas.
But the truth is that I pretty much always have homework these days. Something is due soon, even if it's not tomorrow, and chances are that it's going to require more work or time than just one pass at it. There's always a test lurking out there in the near future somewhere.
Reading textbooks, reviewing notes, outlining chapters.
It never ends. Best to get a jump on it, because it's not going away, and WILL bite you eventually.
Got to go. There must be something I need to be doing.
I know; it depresses me too sometimes. But that's part of growing up, right? I still remember the feeling of freedom when I got home and I had NO HOMEWORK! It was kind of like a snow day, only better in some ways because they happened in all kinds of weather, and we don't get that much snow here in Texas.
But the truth is that I pretty much always have homework these days. Something is due soon, even if it's not tomorrow, and chances are that it's going to require more work or time than just one pass at it. There's always a test lurking out there in the near future somewhere.
Reading textbooks, reviewing notes, outlining chapters.
It never ends. Best to get a jump on it, because it's not going away, and WILL bite you eventually.
Got to go. There must be something I need to be doing.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Assignments 101
If the assignments are posted in your classroom, take a photo.
But don't forget to plug in the due dates etc. to whatever app you're using to stay on top of them. I put mine on a big wall calendar that lets me plan ahead.
When you're in a hurry and/or doing something else in class, why waste your time writing the information?
Makes you wonder why more teachers don't get this. Also makes you appreciate the ones who post the information online.
Because if you've ever had a teacher who passed out a calendar while saying it was already out of date, you know what I'm talking about.
But don't forget to plug in the due dates etc. to whatever app you're using to stay on top of them. I put mine on a big wall calendar that lets me plan ahead.
When you're in a hurry and/or doing something else in class, why waste your time writing the information?
Makes you wonder why more teachers don't get this. Also makes you appreciate the ones who post the information online.
Because if you've ever had a teacher who passed out a calendar while saying it was already out of date, you know what I'm talking about.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Cars change everything
Clever, right?
But I mean having backup stuff, things that if you need them you REALLY need them. Think about it. Water, snacks, money, phone charger, a jacket. In the trunk, just a trip to the parking lot away.
But I mean having backup stuff, things that if you need them you REALLY need them. Think about it. Water, snacks, money, phone charger, a jacket. In the trunk, just a trip to the parking lot away.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Pockets for all
Basketball shorts are great for comfort but terrible for phones, wallets and keys. Let's hear it for pockets.
Cargo pockets down low on the side of your legs with Velcro are my favorites, or zippers. Not buttons; who has time to button a pocket? Snaps never work for long.
Back pockets are good, and deep side pockets are the best.
Mostly, the more the better.
Cargo pockets down low on the side of your legs with Velcro are my favorites, or zippers. Not buttons; who has time to button a pocket? Snaps never work for long.
Back pockets are good, and deep side pockets are the best.
Mostly, the more the better.
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