Week 2 Learning Journal (09/08/2025 - 09/13/2025)
This is the second week of my learning journal, and it has been another meaningful step in my journey.
The first thing I explored was how to study more effectively. I learned about different study skills and realized that I am already strong in scheduling, time management, and critical thinking. This probably comes from my experience taking many online courses during college, which helped me develop discipline and a routine for managing my time wisely.
At the same time, I also noticed some of my weaknesses. For example, I struggle with choosing the right place to study. I cannot focus everywhere and usually need a private, quiet, and isolated space to concentrate. Another bad habit of mine is reading aloud while studying, which sometimes slows me down, and skipping note-taking during lectures, which makes it harder to review later. These are areas I need to improve on.
One of the most interesting topics I learned this week was Project Management. I discovered that project management is about organizing activities that have a specific goal and deadline. The output of a project could be a product, a service, or even a set of data. I also learned about some incredible tools to support project management, such as Gantt Charts and Work Breakdown Structures (WBS). These tools help visualize tasks, deadlines, and progress, making projects much easier to plan and complete on time.
Overall, this week has taught me valuable lessons about my strengths, weaknesses, and new knowledge in project management. I look forward to applying these insights in my future studies and projects.
Finally, the highlight of my week was attending the capstone festival for students from my school who graduated last year. I was truly impressed by the projects they presented. Most of them were well prepared and delivered with confidence, and some even felt as if they were presented by professional teams.
The three presentations that stood out to me the most were from the US Naval Research Laboratory, Open Energy Dashboard, and National AI-Campus. The presentation from the US Naval Research Laboratory was concise and easy to follow, which made it possible for audience members like me to understand cybersecurity risks without needing advanced technical knowledge.
The Open Energy Dashboard team impressed me with their project management skills, particularly in the way they delegated tasks and organized their work. Watching their approach gave me valuable insights into project management techniques that I had just learned about this week.
Finally, the National AI-Campus project amazed me with its potential usefulness and practicality in the future. I also gained a clearer understanding of the Encoder Decoder architecture through their presentation. To me, this project seemed like the most feasible of the entire showcase, with real potential to make a meaningful impact going forward.
Hey Quoc, great reflection on your strengths and weaknesses in time management. I as well found that the different study skills that were listed were already strengths I have from my previous online courses. Trying different study spots is a huge game changer since you get to explore which spot is best for learning/studying.
ReplyDeleteHi Quoc! You have a very detailed schedule. I would recommend noting break times for your study hours.
ReplyDeleteOne note-taking habit that works for me, is to open a note application and type the important parts of a lecture video. You can always pause, and I feel like this helps to recap the information as well as keeps me engaged in the material.
Hello, Quoc. Nice reflection on your strengths and weaknesses. Taking a chance and experimenting with study spots can have as great an impact as experimenting with study methods in general. I know you said that you require quiet to study effectively, but sometimes it may help to have a quiet bit of background music or ambience to help tune out distractions and help you focus.
ReplyDeleteNot taking physical notes in a lecture has also been a bad habit of mine, and it really did help when I did finally start writing things down. If you're still trying to start the habit, begin by taking notes in short phrases or key words with a focus on the important parts. Then, work you're way up to a sentence or two, maybe a short definition where appropriate, and so on.