Computers and studying...

AdMMM

This is an issue that's affecting me greatly this year. Personally, and possibly because I'm persuing a career in computing, I'm of the opinion that Computers (when used efficently) can be an invaluable learning tool that can aid students to find a wide variety of indepth notes for a diverse range of subjects and also help them digitise their existing handwritten notes (organised and well laid out notes make for easy reading and easy learning come exam time). I also find them to be particularly useful for writing essays for English and History as I can type much faster than I can write and compose essays - comparable in size to my hand written ones - in a fraction of the usual time.

This, I find, quickens the process of my revision but I'm I find myself in a situation where my access to the PC, Laptop etc is heavily restricted recently as my parents (and Mother in particular) are seemingly unaware of the "Information Age" and can't see the benefits of the technology around us and insist on the old fashioned method of reading something until you're blue in the face with it! Other countries have realised the advantages of IT in education and in a school I visted in Spain, there was a PC for every 2 students!

I genuinely feel as if my potential (and therefore my results) are being hindered due to this restriction. Does anyone else find themselves in a similar situation, and if so, can you recommend any ways that I can use that might open my parents eyes to all this? I understand that they are only trying what they think is best for me, but I certainly think that by restricting my usage of computers is far from being good for me and is actually holding me back!

Rozabeez

TBH I'm just way too addicted to the computer to study at home, that's my problem in a nutshell.

yurmothrintites

ya me too. No matter how hard I try to study on microsoft word or on the internet i always end up on bebo or boards!

JC 2K3

Trust me, Murderer, you're better off being restricted, unless you have amazing self control you won't last long "learning" on a PC.

I use the internet to get notes and extra info for things quite a lot, however, I print them and use them away from the PC. I personally much prefer handwriting notes as I learn better through writing messy notes in random copies that are easily accessible and unusable by anyone but myself(organised notes suck) - I'd find this much harder to achieve on a PC despite the fact I can type well and use Word proficiently.

I always write practice English poetry essays on my PC though, and I did my draft history project on it too, simply because these are both things which are better if they're easier to change at a later date.

ninebeanrows

Its my nature to do absolutely anything other than study...... Like spending endless hours on here doing..... basically nothing:rolleyes:

md99

The strong willed can overcome this addiction...

I was as addicted as anyone, and during 3rd year I had a PC turned off right beside me as I studied, I refrained for the year and got 8 As, so it can be done, you just need to be strong willed...

It's like going to school study on a day when all your friends are dossing... Ain't as easy but it must be done.

One major problem with people I know is going online to say, skoool.ie or whatever, instead of studying... Mostly a waste of time! Sites like that should only be used in conjunction with proper study!

Another similar issue is constantly using your mobile during study...

JC 2K3

^"Turned off" being the key phrase here.

If I get up on a Saturday and I want to spend a couple of hours studying I leave the power switch on my PC alone, because once it goes on I can't get myself away from it.


Btw, noticed your sig - Kavanagh rocks. He has so many killer lines like that one or "Gods make their own importance".

Nehpets

Yeah computers are a distraction, as in everything, music, prospectus books, anything that can be read that doesn't NEED to be read, the cat out there killing the bird... etc.

I hate kavanagh, well not hate, but I dislike some of his poetry. He'll probably come up

Spank

|.Murderer.| wrote:

I also find them to be particularly useful for writing essays for English and History as I can type much faster than I can write and compose essays - comparable in size to my hand written ones - in a fraction of the usual time.

Ah I wouldn't do that now, might interfere with your timing when it comes to the actual exam. I never use the computer while studying, I only type up notes that are messy, then print them out and learn them away from the computer. I generally find my handwritten notes easier though, feels less like I'm memorising a textbook, and more like I'm understanding it.

Lia_lia

I agree with the typing thing. I type pretty quickly and would get essays done much faster.

But I am also completely addicted to the internet. I have been for years...it's like a bloody drug.

yurmothrintites

Im addicted to the internet and the Sims, it doesn't help studying in the computer room either!

*lil fairy*

i dnt tink computer is a good idea........bt thats my opinion! i tried it nd i used to crack up using it! i rather my mnemonics method! consists of using ur imagination nd creatin cartoons in ur mind! u never forget it! i learn al my poems nd quotes wit mnemonics! this method shud b taught in school for studyin! its been proved that our brain can do mnemonics lists of thousands nd thousands of words! theres no limit!? jst a good method! tot id tel u's! hehe

AdMMM

Spank wrote:

Ah I wouldn't do that now, might interfere with your timing when it comes to the actual exam. I never use the computer while studying, I only type up notes that are messy, then print them out and learn them away from the computer. I generally find my handwritten notes easier though, feels less like I'm memorising a textbook, and more like I'm understanding it.

I wouldn't think so. Maybe if I used the computer exclusively for my essay writing then my timing would suffer but I'm merely trying to use it to hone my style and get my creative juices flowing. Nearer the exam, I would revert back to exam style conditions so I could further improve my timing.

cocoa

depending on how old you are, my advice would be to tell your parents to fúck off (not literally obviously, because that won't help anyone) It's your life.
If you're feeling brave, make a deal with them, choose some upcoming exams (sooner exams would be preferable obviously) and say that they have to leave you alone until then. No nagging or anything, leave you totally to yourself. If you do well, then clearly you are capable of taking care of your own study, and it's their cue to step out of that part of your life, if not, they win and you're doomed...

Personally, I tend to spend long stretches of time (let's say weeks) with maybe 4 or 5 hours on the computer per day, and it's nothing to do with study. It's my leaving cert year and my parents are still forced to accept it, because I've always done well in exams (on top of that my mock results are just coming in, all As and Bs...) and I insist that I be allowed to do this for myself.

Really, this is about independence, if you feel you can take care of your own studies, then tell your parents so and ask them to let you go for it, if you feel you still need a certain amount of guidance/encouragement/whatever then try and explain to them your methods so they can help out more effectively.

Donald-Duck

cocoa wrote:

Personally, I tend to spend long stretches of time (let's say weeks) with maybe 4 or 5 hours on the computer per day, and it's nothing to do with study. It's my leaving cert year and my parents are still forced to accept it, because I've always done well in exams (on top of that my mock results are just coming in, all As and Bs...) and I insist that I be allowed to do this for myself.

This is good advice, I did the same. I knew I'd easily get what I wanted in my leaving cert, and I didn't do any work at all. My parents gave out to me for being on the computer all the time, and I told them that if they tried to make me study I'd just go to sleep in my room instead of studying. It worked:D

claire h

|.Murderer.| wrote:

I also find them to be particularly useful for writing essays for English and History as I can type much faster than I can write and compose essays - comparable in size to my hand written ones - in a fraction of the usual time.

Trust me, for essays you are much, much better off handwriting them - you need to be able to write really fast for the exam, and that means a lot of practice at actually handwriting essays, not just practicing closer to the day. I sat the LC three years ago (old history course, so absolutely crazy in terms of the time pressure thing) and there is no way now that I could ever write as quickly as I did back then, when you'd be handwriting essays all the time.

I see your point about computers being an efficient learning tool, absolutely, but in terms of the Leaving Cert curriculum, not to mention the way the exams are designed, I don't think there is much that they can do. I've generally found the materials available on the web that relate to the LC course pretty poor, and yes you can organise your notes and do all that sort of stuff, but you're much better off getting used to writing that material down, as that's what you'll have to do on the day.

The problem, I think, is not that the parentals don't understand that there's this whole wonderful world of computers out there, the problem is that the educational system has also failed to realise this.