[nabs-l] questions about balancing school and work and organization

Tue Aug 30 16:56:29 UTC 2016

Good morning,

First, I want to echo what Elizabeth said about finding another place
to study.  And in grad school...  OMG it is so important to do this if
you have trouble working at home.  You said in your message that you
have a full-time job, so I'm thinking that when you get home, all you
want to do is sleep or unwind.  Been there, done that...  :)

I used to set aside study mornings or afternoons for myself.  This
means that on a weekend or when I had a day off of work, I would go to
a coffee shop and bond with my school work for hours.  Just remember
that when you do this, it is important to give yourself breaks like
Amy suggested.

As for taking notes, use another device to take notes as you listen.
Remember only to take notes on the things you didn't know rather than
the information you already know as you read.  Take notes in your own
words and in a way you will remember later.  It is also benefitial to
take notes in the format you will be most likely to study.  If you
would rather read your notes in Braille than on the computer, take
them on a Braille Note or with a slate.  Another important thing about
taking notes is that writing the information is one more way to get it
into your brain.  People think that taking notes is important because
we need to look at them later...  That's only half the story...
(Especially since I always forgot to actually look at my notes...)
Lol  Writing down the information you don't know will help you
remember it.

I hope this helps!

On 8/30/16, Mason, Amy via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Carlos,
>
> Good luck, that is a heavy load. That said, I have no doubt that you will be
> able to excel. Tips I can offer for taking notes on a digital audio player
> is don't. (At least, not entirely.)	 While listening, find a way to start
> and stop the device and write down the chunks you need most later. Whether
> you are keeping notes in a notetaker, a laptop, or with a slate and stylus,
> or a 20/20 pen, you should create a set of notes that is more distilled than
> the text you are reading.  I would keep track of what page, or at least what
> chapter and subheading you found things in, in case you need to review the
> whole passage, but I found this is very effective.
>
> The other way to do this, is to use the features of your audio book player
> to essentially create for yourself "highlights" With or without your own
> notes attached. If you are using Voice Dream, it is possible, and I would
> argue, encouraged, to select passages of text and to put your own thoughts
> alongside them. ( I would probably recommend a keyboard or a braille display
> for this task, else typing on your screen will eat up all your energy, but
> I've found that being able to read and review just the highlights is the
> best way for me to be able to really review what's critical. On devices like
> the stream, I know it is possible to add many bookmarks and clips as well,
> though I find that this can be a bit more tedious to deal with for me
> personally than information that is available in text format that I can
> review more completely. Much of that depends of course on the tool and the
> books that you have available.
>
> As far as distractions and productivity boosts, you might try something like
> the :"Pomodoro" technique. Set yourself discreet tasks, let yourself work on
> them for 20 minutes, or 25, then when a timer goes off, you get up for five
> minutes before either returning to the same task for another block of time,
> or moving to a new project for that new block. I've found that nothing is
> quite so odious if you are able to focus on the fact that you are only going
> to have to go as long as the timer says you have left before you can stand
> and stretch, or get a cookie, or check Facebook, or whatever seems the best
> reward.
>
> May the semester go well.
>
> Amy Mason
> Access Technology Specialist
> National Federation of the Blind
> 200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place
> Baltimore, MD 21230
> 410-659-9314 ext. 2424
> amason at nfb.org
>
> The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
> characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
> expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
> between blind people and our dreams. You can have the life you want;
> blindness is not what holds you back.
>
> Make a gift to the National Federation of the Blind and help ensure all
> blind Americans live the lives they want.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NABS-L [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Carlos Montas
> via NABS-L
> Sent: Monday, August 29, 2016 9:31 PM
> To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Cc: Carlos Montas <carlos.montas at att.net>
> Subject: [nabs-l] questions about balencing school and work and
> organization
>
> Good evening to all. My name is carlos Montas. I have posted on this list
> before but I wanted to ask you all some questions about juggling school and
> work. The first thing is that I have a full time job as a vocational
> rehabilitation counselor. I am in graduate school working on my massters in
> rehab counseling. I find my self at the end of most days with not much
> energy to do school work at night. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I
> know that when going to school on line organization is extremely important.
> If you all have suggestions on how to deal with distractions that would help
> as well. Lastly I would like to know what are some effective methods to take
> notes while reading books on voice stream and or on a digital book player? I
> appreciate you all taking the time to read my email. Sincerely Carlos Montas
> 4078018827
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> _______________________________________________
> NABS-L mailing list
> NABS-L at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> NABS-L:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/amason%40nfb.org
>
> Disclaimer
>
> The information contained in this communication from the sender is
> confidential. It is intended solely for use by the recipient and others
> authorized to receive it. If you are not the recipient, you are hereby
> notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or taking action in
> relation of the contents of this information is strictly prohibited and may
> be unlawful.
>
> This email has been scanned for viruses and malware, and may have been
> automatically archived by Mimecast Ltd, an innovator in Software as a
> Service (SaaS) for business. Providing a safer and more useful place for
> your human generated data. Specializing in; Security, archiving and
> compliance. To find out more visit the Mimecast website.
> _______________________________________________
> NABS-L mailing list
> NABS-L at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> NABS-L:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/kaybaycar%40gmail.com
>

-- 
Julie A. McGinnity
President, National Federation of the Blind Performing Arts Division,
Second Vice President, National Federation of the Blind of Missouri
"For we walk by faith, not by sight"
2 Cor. 7