Showing posts with label Schedule. Show all posts

[End of Semester]: Tip #1 - Goal Setting!


Eek! It's the end of the semester! 

I will be posting a series of five [End of Semester Tips] to help you FINISH STRONG. 

Tip #1: Set some GOALS

I chose the above image to help illustrate the important features of proper goal setting. It's one thing to say "I want to pass", it's quite another to set reasonable, attainable, and specific goals. 

As you set out to wrap up your classes, use the "SMART" acronym to guide your goal setting. 

S - Specific: Make a list of the specific classes you are planning to pass. Or, if you're already passing everything, make a specific list of which classes you want to revisit and maybe redo some work to increase your grade. Whatever your goal is, make it specific. If it is specific, then you can know when it has been achieved.  

M - Measurable: Most of the end of semester goals will come with their own measure...your report card! But, if your goal isn't grade related, you may need to measure it in a different way. Some examples: "Complete all 5 discussions that I skipped throughout the semester" or "Redo my math assignment until I raise the score to 70% or higher". It's important that a goal has measurement so you know you have met it! 

A - Attainable: Be careful to choose a goal that is realistic. Now is not the time to take a grade of 11% up to an A. Focus on the places where you can make a real change in the short amount of time we have left. So, make the goal specific, measurable, and possible to attain. 

R - Relevant: Make sure that your goal is relevant to finishing the semester at school. Examples of relevant goals (that also meet the above criteria!): "Raise  my Science grade from a 52% to a passing grade of 60% or higher by completing the remaining 7 assignments in the course." or "Redo the 'Required to Pass' assignment in History to achieve a passing score, so I can pass the course". These goals are relevant to the end of the semester. They are also specific and can be measured. And they are attainable! An example of a non-relevant goal? "Beating my sister at Trivia Crack" :)

T - Time Bound: Luckily this one is kind of taken care of for you...the end of the semester is our time limit. It is an important practice in goal setting to have a time limit set. We all know how procrastination works...so setting a time goal can help you achieve! 

Check back over the next weeks for my series of [End of Semester Tips]! And as always, contact your BlueSky Student Services Advisor and your individual teachers for help! 

Anonymous

5 Resolutions that every Online Student should make

5 Resolutions that every Online Student should make: 

1. Create a productive workspace:  So many online students try to work everywhere (couch, bed, floor) except a desk! Creating a set workspace can massively improve your productivity. If you are looking for some ideas, check out my blog post about home work spaces.



2. Create a good schedule for your schoolwork:  One of the best ways to stay focused and increase productivity in online schooling is to create a good schedule. There isn't a bell telling us when to move from one class the next, but we can create this environment for ourselves! Check out my blog post for some schedule ideas! 



3. Manage your stress level:  Online school can be stressful! There isn't a teacher standing next to your desk to help manage the stress...but there are teachers, counselors, and advisors just a click away! Manage your stress level to increase greater learning. Check out my blog post for some stress reduction ideas! 


4. Pace yourself: It has been widely researched that the brain learns best when new information is brought in at a steady pace. Rather than trying to cram it all in too quickly, create a nice pace for yourself. Student Services Advisors will be contacting their students at the start of second semester to help create a nice pace in which to complete work. This pace is chosen to help your brain learn! Interested in learning more about pacing and the brain? Check out my blog post for some pacing info. 

5. Finish Strong:  Right now at BlueSky Online we are nearing the end of the first semester. Now is the best time to step it up and work at your best. If you are wondering where you should focus, contact your Student Services Advisor and your Teachers. Keep up the amazing work that you have been completing and FINISH STRONG! 

Anonymous

[Strong Start]: Academic Snapshot

Academic Snapshot!!


If you are looking for a tool that can show you a list of your classes, the grade you are earning, the dates you are enrolled in the class, the progress you're making, the amount of assignments you need to complete each week AND the amount you have already completed....then look no further than the ACADEMIC SNAPSHOT!!! 

Whew!
That is a lot....
Let me break it down for you :) 

Features of the Academic Snapshot: 

*Class List: The Academic Snapshot shows all of the courses you are enrolled in and separates them into "My Pace" and "Group Pace". 

*Grade: The Academic Snapshot shows both your "Grade" as it builds up from zero and your "Quality" of work grade that shows the grades on just the assignments you have completed so far. 

*Duration: You can see the dates that you are enrolled in your courses. Most of the time this will be the semester or entire school year, but some students choose to work on classes for shorter time periods. 

*Progress: The Academic Snapshot shows you the progress you have made (number on left) versus the total amount of work in a class (number on right). The bar gives a visual to how far you have come! 

*To Do: The "To Do" column shows you how many assignments you should complete this week in each one of your classes. No guessing or keeping track on your own, the Academic Snapshot does it for you! 

*Completed: The "Completed" column shows how many assignments you have done this week in each class. You can compare this to the "To Do" column to see if you still have assignments to complete! 

Anonymous

[Re-Post]: Scheduling Your Schoolwork



A few months back (actually, October to be specific!), I posted a 'Bag of Tricks' to help you schedule your schoolwork.

Week 4 of the semester seems like a good time to remind you of all of the ways you can (and should!) create a schedule for yourself.

Here is the Re-Post! Enjoy :)
_______
In honor of Halloween...


A "Bag of Tricks" to help you schedule your Work Time!

I know...it's a bit corny. But I was trying to tie into one of my favorite holidays coming up this week! Did you know that your Student Services Advisor has a Bag of Tricks for you to try, when scheduling your work time with school?

Every student has a different pace that works for them. And sometimes, the key to success is simply finding the way that works best for you!

Here are few suggestions from your Student Services Advisors:

Create a Schedule:

  1. Set aside specific blocks of time to work on your school work. 
  2. Print out a schedule and post it in your workspace. 
  3. Use the Google Calendar with your blueskyschool.org Gmail account to create a schedule. 
  4. Even schedule in a lunch break and a "recess" to your day!


Some Different Scheduling Ideas:

  1. Work on each class for 45 minutes each day. 
  2. Set your week up like a Block Schedule by working on half your classes each day for 90 minutes each. 
  3. Only work in each class once per week, but for a large chunk of time like 4 hours. 
  4. Front load your week by working on your most challenging classes on Monday. 
  5. And leaving your most enjoyable class as an end of the week reward. 


Make a Checklist:

Use the Pacing Guides in each course to create a "To Do" list for your week.
Check off each item as you complete it.

Ah....nothing feels better than a totally checked off To Do list!!  There are a variety of ways that students find to keep themselves on pace.  The best thing you can do is find what works for you and stick to it.  Make sure that you make your school work your number one priority! Scheduling your days will help you with this tremendously.

Most importantly...if you are struggling with creating a schedule for yourself, contact your Student Services Advisor! They can help you create a plan specific to you and your needs. Do you have a scheduling idea in your Bag of Tricks that you would like to share? Please leave a comment below!

Anonymous

Make the Academic Snapshot work for you!



New Semester! Fresh classes and a FRESH START.

And you know what is nice about a fresh start?...You're not behind yet!! Yeah!

That Academic Snapshot is a super helpful pacing tool that BlueSky released during first semester. It's useful to help students see how much work they should be completing each week to stay on track for the semester.

Remember at the end of the first semester when you had to do like 80 assignments to catch up? AVOID that by using the Academic Snapshot to stay on pace now!

Features of the Academic Snapshot: 

  • List of all of your classes.
  • Current grade in each course. (Remember, they start from 0 and build up!)
  • How many assignments you have completed vs. how many assignments are in the course. 
  • Reminder of whether you are on pace or behind in each class. 
  • Date and time that your last assignment was submitted for each course. 
  • Behind, Due, and Done columns to help you stay on pace and create a schedule for the week! 
Below is an awesome tutorial to help you understand the information in the Academic Snapshot. Make this tool work for you! 

Still have questions? Contact your Student Services Advisor for help! 

Anonymous

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