PDP-Learning diary - Assignment Example

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PDP-Learning Diary MISIS number Table of Contents Topic Page No. Module IFP100 4 Block 1a: Reflection on academic achievement 4 Block 1b: Reflection on discussion in seminars 4 Block 2b: Reflection on essay feedback 5 Block 6a: Reflection on social networking 6 Block 7a: Time management plan 6 Module IFP200 7 Block 2a: Reflection on poster presentations 7 Block 2c: Reflection on group presentation 8 Block 3a: Reflection on ways to improve reading comprehension 9 Block 3c: Reflection on note taking 9 Block 5b: Consider your negotiations skills 10 Module IFP400 11 Block 3b: Reflection on progress and achievement - Definition of further goals 11 Block 4a: Reflect on your leaflet design task 11 Block 4c: Write you personal reflection of your contribution to the on-line discussion 12 Block 5c: Reflect on your website design 13 Block 6b: Reflect how the programming skills in Excel could support your personal finances 13 Module IFP500 14 Block 1c: Reflection on the audience for a piece of writing 14 Block 4b: Write a short reflection of an ethical dilemma you or a friend has been faced with and how it was resolved 15 Block 5a: Consider adverts you like and dislike 15 Block 6c: How could a university employ social networking to expand its marketing opportunities? 16 Block 7b: Reflect on your own experiences of working in groups 16 Block 7c: What stereotypes do you think affect you in everyday life? 17 PDP Module IFP100 Block 1a: Reflection on academic achievement Achievement in academics is one of the most important factors that drive a student’s morale. When a student achieves a good grade, it gives him/her a feeling of accomplishment which reassures him/her that hard work is the key to success. In this paper, I have discussed how academic achievement helped me work harder. It was in grade 2 that I stood first for the first time in my academic career. I knew that my papers had gone exceptionally well. On the result day, I saw a table covered with white cloth upon which, several trophies with red, blue and green ribbons were placed. I asked mom what were they there for. Mom told me those were for the students who achieved positions. I so wanted one of the biggest trophies with the red ribbon on it, and in few moments, there I had it! I was taken aback with surprise. That was the loveliest day of my life. I felt so fulfilled. That trophy assured me that I had the talent to rock in the world of academia. I fundamentally attribute all my love for studies to that first trophy. I have consistently been a position holder since then. Yes, academic achievement reinforces positive attitudes in students. Block1b: Reflection on discussion in seminars Discussion in seminars is primarily based on individuals’ learnedness as well as oratory skills. In this paper, I have discussed how our previous learning experiences shape our tendency to gain further knowledge. People hold different views about intelligence and learning. Some believe that intelligence is a God gifted skill while others think that it is one of the skills that can be polished with hard work and attention. Although this is basically true, our previous learning experiences shape our perceptions of ourselves as learners. These perceptions primarily control our confidence and hence, the tendency to learn, though these perceptions keep evolving as we gain more experience. I used to think that I had a problem with my auditory skills when I was in the elementary school. It was not until I changed my school that I realized that the back benchers could not listen clearly in the previous school because of faulty classroom design. This realization inculcated great confidence in me, and the effort I previously exerted in hearing the lecture was now being utilized in understanding it. I felt like God has recreated my ears. This also had a significant impact on my grades that had changed for good. Block 2b: Reflection on essay feedback Recently, I have had the teacher’s comments on an essay that I had written. In this paper, I have reflected upon the teacher’s feedback. I had started my essay without a proper introduction or thesis statement and had arranged the contents of my essay in bullet points. The teacher appreciated my attempt of writing the essay, but said that I did not include practical examples in support of my claims. She also notified me of the absence of a proper introduction. I read the paper myself as per the teacher’s comments and realized that my essay could have been way better with the same content had I given due consideration to the notified points while writing the essay. I noted all critical points in my notepad. I wrote: I must include a thesis statement. The body paragraphs should be based on the thesis statement. The topic sentences should be supported with three examples in each paragraph. No bullet points are to be used. There has to be a conclusion. With these points in mind, I practiced writing a few essays and got them checked by the teacher. She appreciated that I had learned the art of essay writing. Taking the teacher’s feedback seriously helped me improve my essay writing skills. Block 6a: Reflection on social networking In the contemporary age, with so many tools to promote it, social networking has become extremely important. In this paper, I have reflected upon my use of social networking and the way it provides me with help in my studies. I did not have many friends in my early years of education. I did not use to achieve exceptionally good grades either. Things went on in the same fashion until I met John and Ben on facebook. They had recently moved in my neighborhood, were my age and joined my school. I made friends with them and would frequently interact with them on facebook. Once we were back from school, we often turned on skype for live calls as well as group study. This practice dramatically improved my performance in studies. I would learn things in an hour or two that previously took me whole day to learn. After the studies, we used to play together. The practice was also benefiting John and Ben. I could tell this from their grades. Having studied and interacted with one another frequently both online and in the real world, we not only improved our grades but also had the time of our life as kids. Social networking is an important study aid as well as promoter of social relations. Block 7a: Time management plan In order to successfully complete the final assessments for the program, I would make a plan for achieving the three milestones of writing a 1200 word group report with 4 people, making a poster presentation campaign with 4 people in the group, making a 3 minute speech, and reflecting upon the previous assessments. For that, I would specify 300 word sections of the group report to individual members of the group. Being a leader, I would assign the sections myself in accordance with the individualistic skills of the group members. I would divide and allocate individual sections of the poster presentation campaign to the group members similarly. I would assess several ways to achieve this and would go about the plan that would let me achieve my target in the minimum time. I would also gain the consent of my group members in finalizing the plan. After planning, I would make a schedule for achieving these milestones, and would make sure that we have all the required resources with us. I would keep provide some cushion for unforeseen circumstances, but would try my level best to fully comply with the schedule, in which case, we can use that cushion in the end to party and celebrate our achievement. Module IFP200 Block 2a: Reflection on poster presentations I have done two poster presentations. The following text offers an account of my reflection upon both of them. In the first poster presentation, I was supposed to compare UK with UAE in terms of several factors including crime rate, nightlife and weather. After a comprehensive research of secondary resources, I concluded that UK and UAE can be considered on two extremes of the climatic scale with UK being on the colder side while UAE is on the hotter side. UK and UAE resemble each other in nightlife. Nevertheless, nights in UAE are slightly more public and bright as compared to those in UK. Crime rate is more in UK than in UAE. In the second poster presentation, I presented conclusions and recommendations about a theme park. To gather the data, I conducted face-to-face interviews with Wild Wadi managers. Wild Wadi is a well reputed waterpark. The strongest points of the Wild Wadi waterpark greatly influence the Jumeirah Beach Hotal organization and tourism. Ways of promotion, however, need to be made more innovative. I recommended the managers to include more themes in addition to Juha and Sindbad, offer weakly passes, sponsor charity and cultural events and indulge in marketing outside Dubai. Block 2c: Reflection on group presentation In a task, we had to find out which sources of information are reliable and which are not. We had to perform this task as a group. There were four people in my group including me. In this reflection, I have reflected upon my experience in the group presentation. To carry out the task, all of us conducted a thorough research. After a comprehensive study, we read out our findings to one another in the group. Surprisingly, all of us had reached the same conclusions. Despite the fact that the research was conducted individually, our similar results spoke of the reliability of information thus collected. We divided presentation making such that, one of us converted our notes into appropriate words for the PowerPoint presentation, another group member typed in all words and sentences in the PowerPoint, the third member included effects, and I did the editing work. It was a wonderful experience. We also divided the presentation into four parts and decided who would present what. We had reached the conclusion that sites like Wikipedia and others that can be randomly accessed via the Google search engine can sometimes provide unreliable information, but sites like Google scholar and other academic journals etc provide reliable information. Block 3a: Reflection on ways to improve reading comprehension Reading comprehension is one of the most fundamental academic skills that every student must master in order to excel in studies. In this reflection, I have discussed some ways to improve reading comprehension. Attention and practice are two key elements that must be exhibited by the reader in order to improve comprehension. Some ways to improve reading comprehension are reading higher level books, consulting dictionary, repeatedly reading and recording. All of these must be followed in sequence. When an individual reads books that demand a higher level of understanding abilities, the basic reading comprehension skills are significantly improved. I have personally improved my reading comprehension by reading books of my elder siblings. Obviously, one needs to consult a dictionary while reading a higher level book. When I did this, it not only enabled me to grab the meaning, but also added a lot to my vocabulary. Repeated reading often enables one to reach the real meaning of a sentence. It is strange but when I recorded my voice and listened to it, things which I originally could not understand became quite clear. Thus, reading higher level books, consulting dictionary, repeated reading and recording are the secrets of improving reading comprehension. Block 3c: Reflection on note taking Note taking is one of the most important skills that a student is required to display in the class. In this reflection, I have discussed the significance of note taking and the way it assists me in my studies. While a teacher speaks non-stop in a class, students can not afford to miss a single bit of information because what the teacher speaks later is linked with what he/she has spoken before. Along with the need to listen carefully in order to fully comprehend the lecture, students also need to take measures to be able to recall the lecture days or months later. Note taking helps the students achieve both of these targets. In my early years in school, I did not take notes. I just listened to the teacher. Although I was able to store most of the information in my mind, yet I would not be able to recall the information after two or three days. Then I started taking notes. I found note taking an objective means of recalling the lecture. It was a bit difficult in the start to make the motion of my hands consistent with my hearing, but gradually I learned how to achieve the balance. Block 5b: Consider your negotiations skills Negotiation skills play a fundamental role in depicting the social relations of an individual. The way one negotiates gives the other person an opportunity to study one’s personality. Hence, negotiation skills reflect an individual’s mentality. Everyday, we go encounter certain situations which require display of good negotiation skills. I encountered one such situation when my class teacher called me upon the stage to speak about the importance of unity. My teacher often used this as an exercise to improve the negotiation skills of the students. Every student was given a separate topic to speak on. I went upon the stage and looked at my audience in the eyes. I did not have a composed speech in my mind, though I said whatever came to my mind but with confidence, politeness and humbleness. One thing that occasionally lowered my confidence was when some classmates started giggling. Next time this happens to me, I would look elsewhere and not at them. I believe this way I will be able to maintain my confidence. Module IFP400 Block 3b: Reflection on progress and achievement - Definition of further goals Progress and achievement are the most fundamental goals of every human being. The two terms are often used interchangeably because progress comes with achievement and also, achievement comes with progress. In this reflection, I have discussed my experiences of them. As a student, achievement was the single biggest factor that kept me working hard and progressing in the field of academics. I achieved first position for the first time when I was in grade 2. That was a very fortunate thing to happen for me because that allowed me to optimize on my abilities. The confidence the first trophy inculcated in me enabled me to progress not only academically, but also in extra-curricular activities. I have won several debate competitions and my on-stage drama performances have been appreciated much. I intend to be an artist in the future. To achieve my goal, I shall seek admission in some very good university. I attribute my aspiration to become an artist to my achievement. Had I not stood first in grade 2, I would have maintained a low profile as a student and would not have participated in extra-curricular activities. Accordingly, I would never have realized how good an artist I am. Block 4a: Reflect on your leaflet design task In a task, I was required to design a leaflet. In the following text, I have reflected upon my performance in that task. The leaflet was titled, “A Day to Explore Physics, Biology, and Chemistry in a Family Friendly Environment.” I included several pictures in the leaflet that depicted several services and products that we use in everyday life and that are based on the principles of physics, chemistry and biology. I approached this task by making a schedule. I divided the time from 8: 30 am to 6: 30 pm into several sections including the opening of park, welcoming the director, creating 3D Universe movie, making first tour to The Tree of Life, taking complimentary lunch, visiting exhibit show and closing ceremony. I talked about the various events that were included in the Kingdom of science including The Intimidator and The Tree of Life. I also specified the rates that people of different ages would be individually charged for making the visit to the Kingdom of Science. I enjoyed this task a lot and it turned out to be very effective. I matched the time I had allocated to individual activities with the actual time taken in the Kingdom of Science and found that they were dramatically real. Block 4c: Write you personal reflection of your contribution to the on-line discussion We were assigned a task in which we had to conduct a group discussion on-line. The discussion was based on the strengths and weaknesses of working in a group to construct a theme park layout. In the following text, I have reflected upon my experience in this task with the group. We were four group-members A, B, C, and D (me). Luckily, I had three of my best friends in my group. Before the commencement of work, I broke the time assigned into chunks in each of which, we had to achieve a certain milestone. One group member, A was very cooperative as he would also do the work of other two group-members B and C who did not do their part of the work in time. Since we were all friends, B and C took us for granted and would not hesitate leaving their part of the work on us. Owing to their lack of cooperation, we lagged behind the schedule. I avoided arguing with them much because I knew they would not comply anyway. I have realized that we have to make compromises while working in group. We have to optimize on one another’s strengths and cover up one another’s weaknesses. Block 5c: Reflect on your website design In one task, I was required to design a website. The following text offers an account of my reflection upon the experience of designing the website. Website designing seemed to me a very technical task until I made one myself. After I was done with its design, I realized that website designing is more about an individual’s sense of creativity and taste rather than technical knowledge. Technically, one has all the aids and tools available to one. All that is required is right manipulation of tools. The website which I made was an online healthy food delivery site which delivered healthy sandwiches and fresh fruit juices and smoothies. It was a very interesting task. For designing the website, I first reviewed a couple of websites that addressed the same subject in order to gain ideas and brainstorm myself. The design I finally came up with was quite unique. I did the task in a hurry, so did not take much time to select the color scheme. I would like to improve the background and reselect the color scheme for my website design. I believe that these two factors leave a very strong impact on the audience, so they one should take ample time to select them. Block 6b: Reflect how the programming skills in Excel could support your personal finances Microsoft Excel is one of the most frequently employed programs for arranging, managing and manipulating data. In this reflection, I have discussed how programming skills in Excel have helped me support my finances. In my childhood, I could not keep record of my expenses. I always fell short of money and wound not be able to recapitulate where I spent all my pocket money. This put me into a feeling of guilt. Occasionally, I thought somebody had stolen my money. Things continued to be the same until I learned to use MS Excel. I was taught in the school how to feed data, make formulae to perform certain functions upon the data, arrange data in tables and rows and use the various features of MS Excel. I found this program very interesting. I began to use it to manage my personal finances. The day I received my pocket money, I would immediately store the information in my Excel file. I would regularly update the file with daily expenditures. This practice not only enabled me to know where my money went, but also allowed me to spend wisely so that I would have some cash in hand until the next pocket money would come. Module IFP500 Block 1c: Reflection on the audience for a piece of writing A piece of writing gains its significance from the audience that it addresses. In the following paragraphs, I have reflected upon the significance of audience for a piece of writing. There has to be an audience for any piece of writing. Every piece of writing is organized according to the requirements of the audience. The audience of a constitution includes presidents, prime ministers, judges and lawyers, so a constitution is written with extreme formality. The words that are chosen and the way sentences are constructed in a constitutional document is significantly different from the selection of words and construction of sentences of a story book, the reason being that a story book addresses the concerns of children who want the language to be simple. Likewise, original versions of Shakespeare’s books are written in very difficult and different English because the audience then was used to that kind of English. All of those books have been reproduced in easy and modern English so that they can be read and enjoyed in the present age. Therefore, in every piece of writing, audience is the single most influential factor that decides the choice of words and construction of sentences and organization of text. Block 4b: Write a short reflection of an ethical dilemma you or a friend has been faced with and how it was resolved We experience numerous situations in daily life where we are caught in ethical dilemmas. In the following text, I have reflected upon an ethical dilemma I faced and the way I resolved it. John was my best friend since my early childhood. We would frequently exchange things and gifts with one another. Once, I borrowed his shirt for a function. Somehow, I caught the stains of paint over the shirt. The stains were so permanent that they would not go away even after several washes. My frequent attempt to wash away the stains actually faded the color of the shirt as well. I was very depressed because if I handed over the very shirt to John, he would think badly of me, and if I purchased him a new shirt, it would consume the saving of my whole month, that I had reserved for charity. Either way, I had to compromise upon something, either my impression upon John or the money that I had reserved for charity. I mustered up my courage and discussed the whole issue with John. He said it was OK, but I still gifted him a new shirt one month later with the next pocket money. Block 5a: Consider adverts you like and dislike Everyday, we come across several adverts on TV, some of which we like and others, we dislike. In the following text, I have discussed why I like or dislike certain adverts and have evaluated their relation to the audience theory. I do not like adverts in which people have shown too much flesh. Adverts that typically match this category are the adverts of undergarments and sex aids. I believe that adverts should be made such that one can view them in a family setting. I do not feel comfortable viewing such adverts sitting with my siblings or parents. I like chocolate adverts because I love chocolates. Anything that promotes them is dear to me. I believe this is related to audience theory. Adverts are designed to address the concerns of specific audiences. That is why we see children in the adverts of candies and models in the adverts of clothes. Block 6c: How could a university employ social networking to expand its marketing opportunities? Social networking is frequently being utilized by people as well as agencies to promote their beliefs and advertise their products. A university can employ social networking to expand its marketing opportunities. This can be achieved by making use of the students. Students can be convinced that marketing certain opportunities related to their university will improve the rank of their university and thus, the value of their degree. Once convinced, students can spread the university’s message via social media websites like facebook and twitter. Today, these are the strongest forums and means for the spread of information, and are yet, most cost effective among all other means of advertisement. What once appears on the facebook spreads far and wide across the world. The news does not remain limited to national boundaries, but is carried to the concerned people on every part of the globe. Block 7b: Reflect on your own experiences of working in groups Group thinking is significantly different from individual thinking. In the following text, I have reflected upon my experience of working in groups. Group thinking makes an individual do stuff that he/she may never think of doing as an individual. When we work in a group setting, we are influenced by the people around us. We tend to gain from their experiences and the addition of knowledge helps us grow as a socialite. It becomes difficult to say “no” to a whole group of people than refusing one individual or two. The larger the group, the bigger the appeal and the riskier the action one may take under the influence of the group. I have had an experience in which I was persuaded into an action by the group. It was smoking; something I would never think of doing as an individual. It so happened that I was sitting with my friends and all of them except me were smoking. The one sitting to my left offered me a cigarette and the other sitting on my right lit the matchstick. I don’t know why but I could not say “No” and I smoked. I still curse myself for not having refused the offer because since that day, I have been smoking cigarettes. Block 7c: What stereotypes do you think affect you in everyday life? Stereotypes tend to influence our perceptions about things. In everyday life, we come across several stereotypes that we find annoying. In the following text, I have discussed the stereotypes that affect me in everyday life. One stereotype that I particularly am irritated with is about Arab people. In comic literature, Arab people are stereotyped as bland and unintelligent. This pinches me first because, I myself am Arab and secondly, I know many friends of mine that are Arabs and are yet much more intelligent than non-Arab people. Even I have been a position holder throughout my academic career. I can not think of one rational reason to underestimate my intellectual abilities because I am Arab. However, in everyday life, many a times, people read out jokes from comic books that underestimate the intelligence quotient of Arab people. I find the stereotypical image of Arab people highly distasteful and would like to change it for good. Nevertheless, I have started to develop indifference to such jokes over the course of time. These stereotypes frustrated me a lot when I was a child, but now I understand that they do exist in the world of literature and perhaps, unfortunately, are there to stay. Read More