For those who think I have no life except study - here's the rest of it

http://syleth.livejournal.com/

Week 4 - yikes!

Being in India is not conducive to studying - purely because there are so many things to do ....
I didn't quite do all the prep I had planned (as in - I did nothing), so my bag has had to be weighted down with OU stuff. Thankfully, all my notes are on the wiki, and all the course materials are available on PDF, so working remotely isn't too bad. The only thing I wasn't able to take was the other laptop, on which I can actually instal some of the freeware for the diagramming etc. On the other hand, if I had, I would probably have distracted myself the entire time....

M359
Have finished Block1Section4 (took MUCH longer than expected) and hope to finish Section5 today. Still loving PBWiki. Must remember to copy PDF of TMA1 to laptop for plane.

T306
Oh. My. God. It's. Very. Frigging. Hard.
I studied about 10 hours yesterday and managed a grand total of 50 pages from section 3. 50 pages is not a lot, especially when you add in that I also spent about 2 hours on this on the plane on the way over. What's stymying (sp?) me is that this is WAY out of my comfort zone for studying -Ethics, epistomology, sentences like "human beings exist only in language". Sure, I'd probably read this for pleasure (or I would have done, back in the day when work didn't monopolise all my thinking energy) but having to read and understand it, in order to be able to discuss it later is another thing entirely.

The only saving grace is that I know this is going to be the hardest course for me - everything else I have left for the degree is at least semi-technical. And, having M359 to distract me when the going gets too tough is a good thing. But yesterday was pretty grim....

Also, I've made the decision to stop using the eternalugrad.livejournal account and just put my learning journal notes in PBWiki. Too many things to be switching between!

Also, read the Project guide again. I am NOT looking forward to that - unless I can pick something within my workplace (although not something on my direct task list) it's going to be a nightmare

This week I need to

• Finish B1S5 of M359 (slipping behind here)
• Complete B2S1 of M359.
• Roughly fill in the rest of M359 TMA1
• Do some notes on T306 Block1Part3Sections3 (I gave up last night)
• Put together the structure of T306 TMA1 Q1
• Complete T306 Block1Part3

Next week I need to

• Do up the diagrams for M359 TMA1
• Get husband to show me how to use the calendar bit of my iPhone.
• Random more study
• Learn to be a bit more realistic about how much I can study in one go!

Week 2.5 - What happened Week 1

Overall.

After a bit of a wavery few weeks, I'm back on track I think!

Week 1 went badly as I work overcame me, and I did far too little at the weekend (my plans to study during my home visit were a bit optimistic - although I did a bit on the plane - note to self - in future, don't bring a good book - it's too tempting!)

Week 2 was even worse - no study during the week at all - :0   

However, I've redeemed myself this weekend (two full days of studying) and so I can show my face at this blog!

M359

Wow. Block1Section3 just would not end! I felt like I was studying it for an eternity! However, it was much longer than the previous two sections, and section 4 is only about 20 pages... 

I took lots of notes in pbwiki, and feel that they are quite useful - I did a bit of revision as I tried to mow back into B1S3, and the notes almost made sense. I'm still getting to grips with the format.

Out of sheer tedium, I had a look at the TMAs (Tutor Marked Assessment - a significant part of my course). I'm thinking of developing my answers for these on the wiki too and just copying them into a word doc when I need to send them. The reasoning behind this is that I was constantly confused last year as I moved from computer to computer, emailing my work-in-progress with me as I went. Let's just try this mechanism for the moment.

Anyway, I outlined the first two questions and wasn't horrified by the third. *Shrug* lets see.

T306

*drumroll* I started! And, in fact, I did quite a lot. I've technically finished Block 1, Sections 1 and 2. Supreme effort required there. Section 2 was the full gauntlet of diagramming for systems - the dreaded rich picture, the too-flexible systems map, the confusing influence diagram, the manageable multiple-cause-diagram, the clear-thinking-inciting sign graph and the it's-all-fallen-apart-again control-model diagram. 

I'm so chuffed that I did all the bits, plodded through all the tutorials and took some notes (although I wouldn't say consistently).  I'm no saint, though - some of those sections where it read "now, review your diagram in light of this new information and redraw it if necessary" ... well, that's really pushing it, isn't it.

On top of all this, I've gotten into the forums too - the official one and the Systems Place forum, which is "off-campus". Lots of nice people to talk to. On top of that, I actually feel like I understand what they're talking about - so long as I keep up with the work, I should be fine.

In the forums, one of the guys recommended some openSource software for diagram drawing - I'm hoping to install it this week, and try it out - my handdrawing was the bane of my diagramming life last year - I revert to an ink stained and smudged child of 8, brandishing a grubby, dog-eared A4, showing signs of aggressive rubbing-out.

Also managed to take a look at TMA1 for T306 - requires me to hand in my diagramming, which should drive me to play with the software. That'll be nice.

Planning

Looking over my calendar for the next few weeks

Week 2 ends with me on a weekend away with husband - need to do LOTS before I go

Week 3 - I travel to India for work - I might get lots done on the plane, but then again, I mightn't. I'm there for a weekend as well, so as long as I can apply myself, it could be a good opportunity to get lots done. The risk is that work/beingInIndia will take over

Week 4 - Still in India, although I'm in Bangalore, and staying in a hotel miles from anything else. I need to set myself some pretty good deadlines to complete before the weekend, cos I'll be doing little other than sleeping and going out when I come back

Week 5 - feels like it's going to be a catch-up-on-uk-life kinda weekend. I think I'm free at the weekend, but I suspect that's just cos I've fogotton what I need to do

Week 6 - Perhaps lots of study. Tutorial! and Wedding!

Week 7 - Probably ending in a trip home - no study for me then

Week 8 - Starts with all my anniversaries... sadly, I think this means very little work done. Weekend might be free though.

Week 9 - Quiet one?

Week 10 - Quiet-but preparing for holidays away, so work will be manic? Easter weekend at the end - good chance for me to study

Week 11, 12, 13 - possibly starting with a few days off to study, followed by Bahrain trip - 2 weeks. God, I don't know how I'm going to manage this at all.

Week 14 - post Bahrain madness

Week 15, 16, 17 - Off again to India (same as 3,4,5 above).

Week 19 - Malaga for the wedding. Aha ahahahahah (hysterical laughter).

Anyway, so if you think I'm ahead of myself, you can see that I'm really just preparing myself for a few months of disruption.

This week I need to

• Finish B1S4, B1S5 of M359 (so I can take B2 with me to India next week)
• Do another 20 pages of T306 (I have a lot of study time available to me during the week, I think)
• Structure question 1 of T306 TMA1
• Get husband to show me how I can see the milestones on my iPhone! (how sad am I!)
• Install Dia on the other laptop and get it working

This week I'd like to

• Reread the notes from B1
• Either tidy up my answers to Q1 and 2 on M359 OR attempt something on Q3
• Complete question 1 of T306 TMA1 
• Reread the bit on projects

Week 0 - a blast of reality.

Overall

After my craziness last week (150 points? What a great idea!) I had a heavy week in terms of work and other commitments and did far less that I planned. And (even more upsetting) I did no T306. I suck. Ah well.

M359

Still getting through Block one, although I'm a bit struggling a bit more than I would have expected with the theory. In the week, I did all of B1S2 and started B1S3, more of which I did today.

I found using pbwiki for my notes (even through it's not so much wiki as nice-centralised-place-with-wysisyg-editor) has been really handy, particularly as I move from machine to machine, and location to location. I'm probably overnoting a bit, but rather too much than too little

T306

Let's gloss over this, shall we?

This week I need to

• Finish M359 B3 and B4
  
• Start the TMA again.
  
• reread T214 last block
  
• Read the first bit of T306 - still really have to decide how I'm going to break up T306
  

This week I'd like to

• Move all my TMA appointments into my mac calendar
  

*shugging* very little real news here ....

Week -1 - a bit of preparation

Not a bad start, if I do say so myself.

Overall

Crazy as this may seem, I'm rethinking my original "90 points" theory, so long as I can do 150 this points and, yes siree, finish the degree. I've written to the OU to see whether I can do that. I know it seems mad, but I really believe that I'm a "as much as you give me" kind of girl - that I'll be as stress about 150 points as I was about 90.

Anyway, I have another few weeks - up to 23rd Jan to register. I'm sure I'll rethink it all again.

M359

The rest of my course materials arrived during the week and I was into them within the day. I spent a few hours reviewing them last week. Today I got a few hours studying in, even kept some notes going on pbwiki! Finished B1S1! Woohoo! and more exclamations! 

I'm still waiting for my calendar. I'm vaguely hoping to finish up to Block 1 this week. If not, I'd like to get ahead enough to be finished Blocks 1 and 2 by end of Feb.

T306

I did significantly less on T306 this week - read through the course notes and the project note again. But I'm hoping to get a bit more excited next week ...

This week I need to

• do M359 B1 S2-S3
  
• start T306 B1 - 10 pages
  
• take the T214 notes off my work laptop and match them up with my home laptop notes
• Reread the last block of T214

This week I'd like to

• do M359 B1 S4-S5
  
• start T306 B1 - another 10 pages
  

And so it begins...

This blog is the sister to my livejournal account - this is just to let me vent/think/understand my OU study process.

I'm also using it to track some of the blogs that I read on Blogger...

the story so far ...

I went to university for about 4 years fulltime (Engineering, followed by Theoretical Physics), but spent rather too much time partying, (passed 1st year Eng and 1st year TP, failed 2nd year TP and barely tried 2nd year TP the second time). Eventually real life intervened, and off I went into the real world. 

A few years later, I went back to college by evening to do Computer science. I passed 1st and 2nd year CS and started 3rd year, but between one thing and another, it all got away from me.

Third time lucky? Perhaps. I'm back at open university studying Computing and Systems. Due to my regular previous studies, I have an exemption for 90 points (360 needed for a degree). Last year (Sept 2007) I did the following

• T175 - 20 points - passed 
  
• M257 - 30 points - passed with distinction
  
• M253 - 10 points - passed
  
• T214 - 60 points - passed with distinction.
  

I learnt a few things - some of which shouldn't be too surprising

1. 120 points (the equivalent of a full-time degree) is too many to do alongside a fairly punishing fulltime job.
   
2. I breeze through the technical things, but struggle with the "softer skill" courses.
   
3. I need to work on my study timetable, so I don't always feel miles behind.
   
4. I need to prepare better for holidays, so I don't come back to a huge pile of work.
   
5. you can come back from a position of "no idea what's happening" to doing ok on a TMA (Tutor Marked Assignment).
   
6. I need to keep notes on both my coursework AND on my reading.
   
7. T214 was really difficult for me - I'm still shocked that I passed. My notes are ungood, and haven't exactly set me up well for T306
   

From January, I'm starting on another two courses

• M359 (Databases) (30 points)
  
• T306 (Systems complexity) (60 points)
  

After these, it's only 60 points to my shiny degree :)

Anyway, I'm kind of itching to get started, but at the same time, I'm dreading starting it all over again... 

This week I need to...

• sort out how I'm going to keep my notes for the two courses - will I use a similar mechanism on them both? For T306, I think I'm going to use (a) a blog for my learning journal and my project journal (b) mindmaps for my notes. I haven't decided about the database stuff ...
• put my OU schedule into Google calander - Done, for T306
  
• start to get my mind around the T306 material, which arrived last month - read the course guide and the project introduction, need to read a bit more 
  

This week I could also...

• review my T214 notes 
  
• sort out my T214 filing.
  
• update Google calander with other things I'm doing during the year

Woohoo.