The Internet Does Not Distract Me Anymore by Daniel

The Internet Does Not Distract Me Anymore by Daniel - January 2014 Scholarship Essay

Recently, I was surfing online when it crossed my mind that I still had to learn a large number of technical terms for my financing class. I had already closed my laptop to start to write a list with the terms when something came to my mind I still needed to check online before I was about to forget it. The same thing happened a second and a third time so I decided not to let myself be distracted from the computer anymore but to use it effectively for my studies instead.

I searched online for a website that could help me remembering difficult terms. Luckily I came across memorize.com which I have used ever since.

The web page is designated for people to create their own page regarding any topic they are interested in. One types in the things to memorize and has then the opportunity to use different memorizing modes like flashcards, matching words, or doing multiple choice. I greatly appreciate the option of visualizing my terms with the upload of images I already have from my professors and which are though already familiar to me or to just search for suitable images online and inserting them. Further, I do not have to refrain from paragraphs that provide extra information on my topics and I can enrich them by adding bullet points, diagrams, or highlighted words. I have not yet made use of the possibility to share my pages with fellow students and collaborate with them while learning but it is something I definitely don’t want to miss out on. The last time I talked to my friend on the phone I immediately introduced him to memorize.com.

When the sun was shining during the last week I had the dilemma of deciding to stay home in front of the computer or to go down to the river. I then noticed that it is very easy and convenient to have my pages redirected to my smartphone's mobile interface. And being outside really helped my body to relax and refresh my mind.

What amazes me the most when studying at home is that I get much less distracted being on the web page than using paper. It must be a peculiarity of my generation but why don’t learn the fun way?

I am very thankful for the great possibility we have of using web platforms to enhance and even spread knowledge. I am determined to further make use of this and to help to develop the tools in the future.