Reflection on Module

Overall, I feel that this course has been delightful. Honestly, the thought of having to go through any sort of writing class has never crossed my mind since I left secondary school because of the lack of interest in it. Although I am still having trouble differentiating English terms - like vocab, noun, adverbs and such - being able to learn writing skills has been enriching.

Through the course, the lecturer has imparted valuable knowledge on the basics of academic writing. I remember writing my first paragraph with a semi-formal tone where half of my paragraph was written in formal language while the other half, in informal personal recounts. Feedback from my team mates and lecturer on my writing implied that there are inconsistencies in the tone and unclear topic sentences. From the feedback given, I realized that a document should be written with consistent tone and that I can better improve my skills in phrasing so that my peers are able to easily identify the topic sentences. I have then incorporated these skills into the final paragraph submission. By reading paragraphs written by peers

 I learnt the importance of presenting information with clarity; without proper phrasing or sentence structure, the topic sentences can be hard to identify. This, I say, because I have chanced upon a few paragraph writings where I cannot seem to identify the topic sentences.

During the course, we were required to provide feedback to at least two peers and evaluate on their writings. It a rather interesting experience having to give feedback in the form of comments for each writing. It was apparent that skills are involved in giving constructive feedback. I learnt that comments like "good job" or "well done" does not suffice in suggesting areas of improvements. In order for one to be able to improve, there is a need for constructive feedback. It is important not only to receive feedback but also to give constructive feedback. Many things has to be taken into consideration. A method in commenting has left a rather deep impression is to present comments in in a form of a sandwich, metaphorically speaking; where comments are to start on a positive note, the meat of the matter, per se, then ending on a positive note,

As a result, I tried to give comments that are helpful by observing how and what the lecturer corrects us during lessons. This has equipped me with the skill of giving feedback that are useful to the audience.

I have enjoyed most of the lessons except the topic of citations because it is a tedious process of logging information from the page information was retrieved. But even so, I have learnt how not to be suspected of plagiarism by rephrasing, using synonyms or different nouns, vocab or adjectives.

In conclusion, I have enjoyed this module and would like to know more on other writing techniques,

Solutions for IT Addiction

Plenty of non-quantifiable measures have been suggested to help overcome IT addiction. Some such as encouraging engaging the nature without bringing any technology and setting aside time for "tech breaks", where a certain amount of time is set aside on a regular basis to be away from technology. The following paragraphs will elaborate existing solutions as well as suggest an innovative solution to help overcome IT addiction.

One of the solution is to set aside time to go without technology. Some would suggest to ban the use of phone during meal times (Aaron Small, 2012) or to schedule breaks between the uses of technology (Holly C. Corbett, 2012). Inasmuch as it sounds almost impossible not to immediately reach for the phone the instant a notification sounds or appears, a little self-discipline goes a long way. As the famous philosopher Lao Tzu once said, “A journey of a thousand miles begin with one step”.

One could start small by making it a habit not to engage technology any time before 10am or simply putting the phone away during meals. This can also be done in a way of a little game, where all mobile devices are stacked together in a pile and the first who reaches for the phone would have to do a forfeit such as getting the tab. Slowly, with consistent practice of setting aside the phone goes a long way in overcoming the addiction to technology – soon, it becomes perfectly fine not to check in at every restaurant you go to.

Another solution is similar to the first where it involves the setting of time. But the second solution has a more personal gratification. Holly C. Corbett (2012) suggests “finding your pleasure point’. She suggests that one can occupy himself or herself with other activities that rings pleasure (Ibid). These other activities can include running, painting or even just taking a stroll in the park.

Above solutions talked about setting breaks between the uses of technology, which many would agree, is effective in helping a person break the addiction from it. A paradoxical approach is to use an application that would allow the users to be rewarded by setting their phones aside. As people are generally drawn to rewards and getting free or cheaper goodies, an application that allows user to be rewarded if the daily quota of letting the phone be inactive is met.

Majority of Singaporeans would highly likely accept and download any application that would definitely win them a token of discount or reward. Hence, when downloaded and used, this could effectively cause the ones using the application to voluntarily put aside their phones.

While technology has been of help to countless of people, the downfall of personal communication is also credited to it. However, there are various solutions of breaking the addiction of technology: some ways include to set aside breaks from the uses of technology, to search out for non-virtual pleasures or to make use of meritocratic applications to curb the appetite of making use of technology. Indeed, hope is not lost for those who are addicted to technology. These solutions, too, can double up as a prevention from getting addicted to using technologies.

APPENDIX A

References

Corbett, H. C. (2012, April 10). Tips For Technology Addiction | Prevention. Retrieved from http://www.prevention.com/mind-body/emotional-health/tips-technology-addiction

Entrepreneur Media, Inc, & Small, A. (2014, November 21). 6 ways to break a tech addiction. Retrieved from http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/239707

WebMD, LLC. (2008, June 6). When Technology Addiction Takes Over Your Life. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/features/when-technology-addiction-takes-over-your-life?page=4

Addiction to Technology Draft #2

“I believe the day Einstein feared the most is when people circulate pictures of dead bodies of relatives on WhatsApp and get Thumbs Down and Crying smileys as response,” a quote by Ketan Waghmare. As addiction to technology becomes a commonplace with the advancement of technology, there are solutions to break the addiction. A startling statistic by Jennifer Chait (2013) shows that one in five people said they would rather go shoe-less rather than phone-less for a week and half of all adults surveyed said they sleep with their phone.It is indeed terrifying to realize that more and more people have been influenced to be heavily dependent on technology to the extent of being addicted.

IT addiction has became one of the leading factors to interpersonal relations. While many connections are being built over the web, time spent on the technology itself increases the relational distance between two persons in physical proximity.

While it seems to be that an increasing number of people are being addicted to technology, many may wonder if there are any remedies available for their loved ones whose lives have been negatively affected by the addiction. Thankfully, there are indeed solutions and this article would be aimed to explore and elaborate on some of the many practical solutions available to help break the addiction.

Addiction To Technology

“I believe the day Einstein feared the most is when people circulate pictures of dead bodies of relatives on WhatsApp and get Thumbs Down and Crying smileys as response,” a quote by Ketan Waghmare. Isn't it heart-wrenching to have your loved ones moan over a death of you through a non-living medium and then quickly get distracted from the loss of you by other things which are happening all over the world? As technology advances, there is an exponential growth in the amount of data - in the form of news, real-time updates of people's lives, advertisements and more - available to the people who have access to social media. The horrifying thing is that it is also through social media where individuals these days find their worth, acceptance and comfort. That would imply that the place people would first turn to for advise and comfort would be in a virtual world of the internet. 

Living in the world prevalent with technology would mean now dinner times between two or more persons would be having dishes between them and looking at a phone without communicating more than a sentence verbally until it's time to make a move. This is indeed saddening. As such, I would like to elaborate more on the consequences of being addicted to technology, suggest practical solutions individuals can adopt to play their part in defending themselves and their loved ones from catching the technological-addiction bug.  

Writing and Me

As a typical Singaporean student, education phases have already been planned out for me þe moment i took my first breath in the local hospital. My first experiences in writing documents were in primary and secondary school, where I was tasked to write situational writings, narrative essays, letters, and emails. 

I really enjoyed writing situational writings and argumentative essays in particular because they served as outlets for my creative juices to run and for me to voice my personal opinions on various topics. Being just a teen, i did not appreciate writing formal letters and emails because i knew that the chances of me having to write them would not come till I was a little older.

In polytechnic, i acquired skills in writing formal letters and emails, CVs, resumes and reports. It was in a module named Communication Skills where I was being taught these skills. However, it was only during the submissions of the projects reports and before internship when I put in my best for doing these documents.

It was during my months of working at various companies where I understood the importance of having clear and precise emails that are able to graciously put across a particular point. This also motivated me to increase my knowledge of vocabulary in order to be more precise. When looking for part time jobs, I realised that the employers usually request for CVs before deciding to shortlist you. That's also when I also realized that there was a need to include only relevant skills.

This were my prior experiences in writing and I believe that as I continue pursuing my studies or work, I would continually need to improve my writing skills for various situations.