Confessions of a Chronically Confused Note-Taker

Part 1: Review and Reflect Learning Strategy

One of my strengths is making and revising a study schedule. I am good at planning my time and organizing my tasks, which helps me stay on track. I also do well at finding the main idea and important details when I read. This skill helps me understand the most important parts of the material.

However, I need to improve in a few areas. Taking notes is hard for me because sometimes I write too much or miss key points. I also struggle with outlining textbooks since I am not always sure what to include. Another challenge for me is answering multiple-choice questions. Sometimes I overthink the answers and doubt myself.

Part 2: Preview Time Management Skills

Link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KNpOCEeEtB0whGXmduCl-BP1txBSaqMnxBG3fvfV-AE/edit?usp=sharing

Part 3: Project Management Basics

I watched three videos about project management. They helped me understand important concepts.

The first video was about the basics of project management. It explained that a project is a temporary task with a specific goal. It also talked about the three main parts of a project: time, cost, and scope. The presenter said that project managers need skills like technical knowledge, leadership, planning, and managing people.

The second video was about creating a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). A WBS is a way to divide a big project into smaller tasks. This helps to plan the project better, assign tasks to people, and keep track of progress. The video showed how to make a WBS and explained why it is important for team coordination.

The third video explained Gantt charts. A Gantt chart is a visual tool to plan project tasks. It shows when each task starts and ends, how long it takes, and how tasks depend on each other. This chart helps project managers see progress and find problems early.

Part 4: Check Out Previous Capstones

I found the OtterParsing presentation interesting as it demonstrated a program that scans resumes and extracts key information. The project was well-executed with visually engaging concepts, and the live demonstration of AutoParsing, an NLP-based resume parser, was clear and informative. Built with Python, the tool extracts essential details like education, work experience, and skills, aiding recruiters in identifying qualified candidates quickly. While the project showed strong potential, improvements like tracking accuracy metrics, enhancing cumulative experience recognition, and addressing minor GUI issues (e.g., adding a loading message or redirecting to a summary page) would enhance user experience. Despite these improvements, the tool has great potential for real-world use in agency recruiting.

As a gamer for many years, I was interested in A Bird's Song, a game made to raise awareness about habitat destruction. The game, created with Unity, focused on an important environmental issue, and I liked the team’s ambition. Some of the presentation slides were hard to read, but the voiceover helped explain the message. I also appreciated how the team was honest about the challenges they faced, and with more time, they could have added more levels or environmental changes. In the end, it was a thoughtful project with a meaningful goal.

Lastly, I recently watched a presentation on using U-Net for brain tumor identification, which focused on its effectiveness in segmenting MRI images to accurately detect tumors. The U-Net model’s unique architecture allows it to capture both high-level and detailed features, making it ideal for medical image analysis. The presentation also discussed challenges like the need for large annotated datasets and the variability of medical imaging. Overall, it was exciting to see how U-Net is advancing the field of brain tumor detection and showing great potential for future applications.

Part 5: Summarize Your Week on Your Learning Journal

This week, I worked on building my basic skills in academic writing and learned how to do APA-style peer reviews. In Module 2 of the OLI course, I learned how to analyze academic sources carefully, give helpful feedback, and follow the APA rules for formatting and citing sources. The exercises helped me focus on being clear, fair, and organized—important parts of academic writing.

I also took some time to think about my own writing and found areas where I can improve, like avoiding biased language and making my arguments clearer. Practicing the peer review process taught me how to review others' work respectfully and helped me better understand academic standards. This experience has made me more prepared to work with classmates in future courses and has increased my confidence in writing in a professional academic setting.