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

Tue Aug 30 18:49:49 UTC 2016

Good afternoon  Julie and all I wanted to thank all of you who have  responded to my questions. One of the reasons why I love this organization is because we are one big family.  I will start to implement some of these suggestions. I will keep you all posted on how I am progressing as the semester goes along. Thanks again. 

Sent from my iPhone

> On Aug 30, 2016, at 12:56 PM, Julie McGinnity via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> 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
>> 
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> 
> -- 
> 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
> 
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