Inside this Issue
- Focus on E-learning
- E-learning website and blog
- Resource guide to e-learning software and resources
- Sympodcasting
- Instantly Collaborative Spaces
- RSS Feeds and Public Health
- SPH Podcasting Update
- E-learning Guide
- PHLI Summer Schedule
- E-learning Bibliography
- Annual User Survey
- Announcing Merit Online
- Posters and Public Health
- PHLI Technology Update
- New Web Statistics Software
- New Staff Bios
- Librarian Exchange
- Staff Notes
- A Day in the Life
A Day in the Life of a Graduate Student
by PHLI Reference Assistant Carl Collins
7:30 a.m. - iPod integrated alarm goes off - wakes me up.
9:00 a.m. - Unplug iPod from alarm take with me - plug into car if driving or grab headphones if walking/biking/taking bus. If I'm on the bus or in the car and a test is coming up I bring up my playlist of recorded lectures to review material. If I'm walking or biking I listen to music.
10:00 a.m. - Once settled in at an early class I always have my Apple PowerBook G4 with me. During class I often check unusual terms or concepts on wikipedia, grab extra files (like lecture slides) from Ctools, browse news files, check my RSS feeds and my del.icio.us subscriptions and check my email.
12:00 p.m. - Lunch time is when I check my mobile phone to see if I got any messages during morning classes. Also I call anyone I need to schedule appointments with. I usually make my calls from a cafe so I can have my laptop open and record any final dates and times in iCal (Apple's calendaring application) I've considered getting a PDA, but since right now I always have my laptop with me its just a matter of having the table space for it.
2:30 p.m. - During afternoon classes (when not focused on the lecture material) I usually browse forums. I'm not much of a content poster (on either forums or blogs) but I do find them to be great tools to find answers to specific questions.
7:00 p.m. - After classes finish I go to the computer lab. Regardless of whether I'm using a Mac or PC is power up my laptop at the same time. Why? To run chat applications while I'm working. It's hard to get chat applications across platforms (at least for me) so I leave my laptop on for chatting while I work on the computer in front of me. Also if I have any software development work, I prefer my computer as its set up with all the modules and objects I use most often. I use the campus computers to take advantage of the ITSC software load. Specialty programs like ArcGIS, Matlab, Mathmatica, Adobe CS2 and other features like scanning, printing.
10:00 p.m. - Finally I come home, and what do I do? Usually any finish up work on homework I need to do (formatting mainly) and then if I need additional research this is when I do it using SearchTools or Networked Electronic Resources to get me where I need to go. If I don't need to do any additional work I check for my brother over instant messenger and if he's around we might play an online game together before I go to sleep.
How many hours a day am I on my computer and on the internet? Probably about 8 hours everyday. When not on my computer (and not with people, I do socialize really I do!) I'm usually on my cellphone or listening to my iPod as I move between classes, food, home, etc.
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