Josh Wagner

The World is Yours to Explore

Day: September 26, 2023

Grasping German Grammar (feat. Laura)

September 26, 2023 / / 2 Comments

Week 2 is here and I feel a bit more confident than the last post! 

In the previous post, I wanted to find a way to understand German grammar and how it was implemented in a basic sentence. After some research, I can happily say I found a site that answered most of my questions!

German with Laura is primarily a site to buy their German course (similar to Rosetta Stone and Busuu). However, the website has some fantastic articles on various grammar topics. It takes a grammar topic (ex. nouns) and explains how it is used in an English sentence. It then compares the English sentence to a German sentence and explains the similarities and differences between the two sentences. It does a great job at breaking down each case, provides a good amount of examples and exceptions to each rule. Some of the articles also give good study tips and advice on how to tackle the subject. This site helped clear a lot of confusion I had when I started Duolingo last week. Now when I use Duolingo, I can use some of the strategies and pattern recognition from German with Laura to clear the units without losing a lot of hearts.

I found another annoyance with Duolingo. I wanted to look back at some of the vocabulary and sentences I practiced in Duolingo and compare it to the general rules on gender groups (whether the word is masculine, feminine or neuter) from German with Laura. It turns out there are guidebooks as to what kind of material you’ll be learning in the unit, but there is no set list. If you want to find a word, you have to go through some of the review units or redo a previous lesson, which in my opinion wastes time. Perhaps one of the reasons to not include it is to, again, emphasize the game element of the app. I will continue to use Duolingo as it is a good practice tool, but I will search for another alternative that allows me to access vocabulary lists to look at and practice with.

Maintaining balance in the digital realm

September 26, 2023 / / 0 Comments

The websites I use most frequently nowadays include Google, UR courses, Youtube and Spotify. To a lesser degree, I also use Facebook and Instagram. Google and UR courses are mostly in line with my academic pursuits in education. I’ve used Youtube as a way to take breaks from school work. To ensure I don’t go down a rabbit hole, I keep my watch history and search history options off. I use Spotify to provide subtle background music when I’m working on assignments. I only have Facebook and Instagram on my PC and check it once or twice a day for a couple minutes. I find if I have those apps on my phone, I end up doom-scrolling for an hour or two, switching between apps as needed. This in turn caused my productivity to decrease drastically. I’ll also use Steam once a week to play games with online friends

 

No recommended distractions here

I’m fairly old-fashioned when it comes to organization and productivity. The only digital tool I use is Google drive, as it is a convenient storage medium that is easily accessible whenever I use my chromebook or phone. Whenever I write papers on Google Drive, it points out grammatical/spelling errors and it automatically and frequently saves whatever I’ve done.

I have physical paper calendars sticky-tacked to a wall, which have all important deadlines and events coming up, both academic and personal. I create study schedules with a big portable whiteboard and try my best to follow the schedule. I physically write important notes/flashcards when studying for a test and I use my whiteboard to organize my thoughts and ideas for papers and projects. If I feel gross from staring at a screen for a long while, I’ll purposely go for a walk or read a book to readjust.

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  • Printable Calendars + Hand-written schedules

  • Important notes for the Learning Project

I believe these methods help create a healthier boundary between technology and myself. My goal is to use technology only as needed. I personally think society has become too reliant on technology. Whilst technology has its benefits, I think it has more drawbacks, especially if it malfunctions or dies at some point. I ask myself “Am I able to do this task if technology is not available?”. If my response is negative, I try my best to find a non-technological method. The reason I do this is to ensure that I have personal growth independent of technology. My identity and abilities are not tied to technology. 

Establishing goals is the first step to balance technology and personal wellbeing. Recognizing what is distracting you and how you deal with it are the next crucial steps towards balance. What follows afterwards is maintaining discipline to reach your established goal. Once some time has passed, the final step is re-evaluation. Are you more productive with your academic work whilst having a healthy mental state? Do you need to have a stricter regiment or can you have a more relaxed regiment? Are there any loop-holes you have to address? When you understand that achieving balance will take time and not be instantaneous, you will excel. 

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