- Onenote Notebook Templates
- Sample Onenote Notebooks
- Outline 3 21 3 – View Onenote Notebooks Pdf
- Onenote Outline Mode
Quanta KN1-PM Notebook (view larger image). What is unique about the KN1 and other non-mainstream notebooks is the ease of access to components like the. Getting to know your computer Bottom view 1 2 3 1 2 a Battery latch-manual b. Lenovo 305-14IBD Laptop (English) User Guide - Ideapad 305 - Page 21. Outline 3.2110.1– View OneNote notebooks. Discussion in 'PC Apllications' started by t0nymac, Oct 31, 2021 at 7:26 PM.
How many times have you forgotten your shopping list at home? How many notes and stickers with reminders do you have lying around? Do you often have good ideas only to realize you do not have your notebook on you? The simple solution to this common problem is a digital notebook. With a digital notebook, you have all your notes on you at all times, easily accessible via Smartphone, even when you are on the go.
Microsoft is the market leader of digital notebooks with OneNote, which is included in the current Microsoft 365 package, and is also available individually for free. The downside: OneNote is primarily for Windows users. The OneNote app is available on other platforms, such as Linux, macOS, Android, or iOS, but only with limited functions. As a result, many users are on the search for suitable alternatives. Good alternatives to OneNote can be found in this overview.
This article was last updated in April 2021.
Outline (for Mac): OneNote's best friend
Onenote Notebook Templates
Whether it is school, university, work, or everyday use, the digital notebook Outline is very popular with Apple users. This app is particularly suitable if you want to record notes on your smartphone or tablet on the go. The best part? Outline is totally compatible with OneNote. The app combines the strongest aspects of OneNote and adds additional features – making Outline one of the best OneNote alternatives.
A definite advantage is clarity: Just like OneNote, you can collect your notes in different books, which in turn can then be organized into as many tabs as required. Under these, you can create an unlimited amount of additional pages. The principle resembles a filing cabinet. It is simple to operate, allowing you to swiftly manage your books according to your personal themes. Your notes can be placed on the whiteboard and restructured according to preference. Your OneNote notes can also be transferred, opened and edited on Apple's Outline. Apple's chic design gives everything the finishing touch. Alternatively, you can also download OneNote's format.
In terms of text formatting, all the essential tools you might need are there, including word processing tools such as Word. Additionally, there is a drawing function which allows you to draw by yourself, or select prescribed shapes such as circles, rectangles, or arrows. The integrated search function allows you to easily go through your notes. You can find your notes even faster when you prioritize single words with tags. You can allocate passwords to your notebooks, to protect them from unauthorized access.
With regards to multimedia, Outline is versatile: You can insert pictures, graphics, and screenshots in your notes, as well as videos or voice messages. You can print single notes directly or save them in Word or in PDF format respectively. Furthermore, PDF documents can be labeled and commented on.
Additionally, you have the opportunity to share your notebooks with colleagues or friends by email, and invite them to create shared notes. To do this, select your preferred cloud solution and save your notes for example on iCloud drive, Box, OneDrive, SharePoint, or Dropbox. Highly sensitive notes should be protected and kept offline.
Shared note creation with OneNote users is only possible in Outline via Microsoft's in-house storage solution OneDrive.
Outline requires a fee – which is not that surprising considering the wide range of functions. With its attractive OneNote compatibility, many users are happy to pay for it. Even though the app is extremely reliable, there are occasionally synchronization errors. In particular, the transferring of hand-written notes is not always successful. Even though Outline has many convincing aspects, the program only catches the interest of Apple users.
Advantages | Disadvantages |
---|---|
✔Compatible with OneNote | ✘Requires a fee |
✔Clear, easy to use | ✘Only for iOS and macOS |
✔Multimediality: drawing function, audio and voice files, Excel sheets, graphics, PDF files, to-do lists | ✘Occasional synchronization errors (primarily with hand-written notes) |
✔Integrated search functions, prioritization of tags | ✘Creating shared notes with other OneNote users is only possible with OneDrive |
✔ 'Share with friends' function | |
✔PDF files can be edited and commented on | |
✔Password function | |
✔Create and send notes by email | |
✔Choose between different cloud systems (iCloud Drive, Box, OneDrive, Dropbox) |
Evernote: More features but more expensive
Evernote can offer everything that Outline is missing: Thanks to suitable apps, the virtual notebook is completely functional on all platforms and can be used just as well as an app on a PC (Windows and macOS), smartphone or tablet (iOS and Android), or as a web app. When new features become available, they are available on all operating systems at the same time. Because of this, Evernote is one step ahead of its opponents and enjoys growing popularity as a OneNote alternative.
Sample Onenote Notebooks
With regards to clarity, text formatting, and multimedia, Evernote is comparable to Microsoft's OneNote. With Evernote, you can also create as many notebooks as you want. Inside, you can collect your notes chronologically, like a folder. For every new note, you can assign keywords which you can use to re-find relevant notes. The keywords work the same way with inserted pictures, tables, PDFs, or Office documents.
Evernote offers many interesting features, such as offline mode or searchable PDF files. However, the majority of the additional functions are only available in the paid versions Evernote Premium and Evernote Business. The free of charge basic rate on the other hand, is massively restricted.With this rate, only the search function, the passcode lock, as well as the ability to share and comment on notes by friends and acquaintances are integrated. Also, you have access to 60MB per month for uploads, and you can only synchronize between two devices. In the fee-based, premium version you receive 10GB or 20GB per month, and you can synchronize your notes limitlessly between all devices.
A further shortcoming is its user-friendliness. Since the software can be connected to countless apps and web applications – for example, the daily weather report – the notebook can quickly become overloaded. However, those who work regularly with Evernote will become accustomed to how it operates.
Advantages | Disadvantages |
---|---|
✔Compatible with any platform; features on all platforms function equally | ✘Full spectrum of features only available in the fee-based packets |
✔Integrated search function (search for notes using key words) | ✘The basic plan is greatly reduced, e.g. there is no offline function |
✔Multimediality: Pictures, tables, PDF and Office files, audio and voices messages, to-do lists | ✘Not easy to use; extra effort needed with key word allocation |
✔Memory function | |
✔Integration with Google Drive | |
✔Share and discuss notes | |
✔Password lock | |
✔Web-frontend | |
✔Professional features available for business customers (scan your business cards, presentation etc.) |
Notion: The 'All-in-one' workspace
The Notion developer team calls its in-house alternative to OneNote an 'all-in-one' workspace. A tool for the entire team, for writing, planning, and organizing - Notion has all the necessary prerequisites to keep up with Microsoft's note-taking software. To this end, the application relies on three basic features: In the team wiki, all important information can be archived and viewed in the usual wiki manner for current and future projects. Meanwhile, the concrete planning of projects and tasks can be done via Kanban boards, tables, or lists. Meanwhile, Notion manages notes and documents separately.
Even though Notion is primarily aimed at companies and larger teams, the OneNote alternative could also be interesting for individuals - especially since the basic edition is completely free of charge and allows an unlimited number of pages and notes. The synchronization of data across all devices (macOS, Windows, iOS and Android) can also be enjoyed by non-paying users.
Purchasing a paid Notion subscription is recommended if you need features for collaboration like a shared workspace, an access rights system, or administrator tools. Version management, security mechanisms like SAML SSO or the possibility to add an unlimited number of team members and guests are only available to paying Notion customers.
For the design of the workspace, the alternative to OneNote provides over 40 content blocks and more than 50 starter templates. Whether you want to access your notes and planning via desktop application, app, or via the Notion web application is up to you. One downside is that there are limitations with the size of the file upload - users of the Personal plan have to be content with a maximum of five megabytes.
Advantages | Disadvantages |
---|---|
✔ Optionally available as desktop client, mobile app, or web application | ✘ Heavily restricted basic edition with limited file upload size (5 MB) |
✔ Large selection of personalizable templates for the design of the workspace | ✘ Navigation could be improved |
✔ Excellent collaboration features in the paid business versions | |
✔ Project planning either by Kanban, table, or list |
Simplenote: The understated alternative to OneNote
If you prefer a notebook that is simple and effective at the same time, without having a lot of features, then you will be in good hands with Simplenote. The program is completely free and simplicity is its strongest characteristic. As the name implies, it is an easy to use notebook which allows you to create notes on any platform such as iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux, or on the web.
In order to use Simplenote, you have to register for free with the provider. All of your notes will automatically be saved to your account without a fixed data limit. In any case, it is recommended that your notes do not exceed 1,000 words in length, to avoid affecting the memory process.
Similarly to Evernote, your notes are organized chronologically by creation date and you can also organize them alphabetically. You can prioritize your notes with tags, so that they can be found quickly on the search list. This means you always have your important notes in view.
You can use your account to share notes with other Simplenote users. The share function can also be used through email or social media networks such as Facebook. A password lock can protect your notebook from unauthorized access.
In terms of the range of functions, Simplenote offers very little in comparison to its competitors. This suits people who prefer a notebook with a simple text format – especially because the program supports the popular Markdown language, which allows for simple design options. However, multimedia features or the ability to insert or edit documents is not available.
Another downside is that you have to log into your Simplenote account every time you use the program if you want to create or share notes.
Advantages | Disadvantages |
---|---|
✔Free on all platforms (iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux, and web) | ✘Limited range of functions |
✔It is manageable; quick and easy operation | ✘Only comes in text format – picture files can be introduced using the extra tool Markdown. |
✔Integrated search function, possibility of prioritizing using tags | ✘Requires logging into a Simplenote account |
✔ 'Share notes' function | |
✔Automatic back-ups | |
✔Password lock |
Google Keep: Wherever, whenever – record your ideas anywhere
Those who want to record their ideas in a quick and simple way will find Google Keep just right. The free program is particularly suited to Smartphone users who want to jot down and save their thoughts on the go. As a result of this, Google Keep is a suitable and easy to use alternative to OneNote.
Google Keeps works a bit like a bulletin board: your notes are laid out on the display screen like post-its which can also be marked in color. One particularly special feature is that with the Android app, you can even dictate your notes instead of typing them.
Google Keep is available as an app for Android and iOS, as well as a web application. There is also an additional Chrome extension. Synchronizing between devices works through the in-house cloud Google Drive. With Google Drive you have access to 15GB storage space, free of charge. However, you will need a Google account in order to use Google Keep.
Google Keep doesn't just let you make notes and checklists, it also allows you to save photos and documents which you can then share with other users. Use the integrated search bar to find all your notes and content. A plus: the memory function, so you will never forget another appointment.
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Advantages | Disadvantages |
---|---|
✔Free | ✘Fewer functions than Outline or Evernote |
✔It is manageable; quick and easy operation | ✘More suitable for spontaneous notes, less so as a long-term notebook |
✔Integrated search function, keywords | |
✔Memory function | |
✔Multimediality: voice memos, photos | |
✔Chic design (colorful post-its) |
Want to use the full range of Google Office apps? With the Google Workspace from IONOS, you have access to all your Google apps in one central place - including business Gmail address and prioritized Google support!
Memonic: Keep the overview together?
Memonic is also a very popular digital notebook amongst users. There is a free of charge and a paid version of the program. In the free version you can create up to 100 notes, as well as 3 group projects per month. On top of that, you are permitted 2MB per file attachment. If you opt for the Premium version, you can make unrestricted use of all the features. The file attachment size allowance increases to 20MB per file. Premium users can also use the 'collection mode', which is helpful when undertaking extensive web research.
Students receive a discount on the Premium version.
One of the unique aspects of Memonic is that, similar to social networks, you can choose to make your entries private and visible only to yourself, your friends, or public to all users. You can also make groups and create shared notes. Discuss your projects together directly using the integrated mail function or share your notes over social networks such as Facebook or Twitter. You can save content from the web directly into Memonic using the additional tool Web Clipper.
Memonic also scores big points in terms of multimedia. Not only do you get a multifunctional text tool, but you can also embed documents, graphics, videos etc. at the same time. Tags help you prioritize your notes and locate things quickly on the search list. Last but not least, there is a wide variety of background themes available to choose from.
Memonic functions seamlessly on all devices. The app is available for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android and Windows, as well as a web application and browser extension.
Memonic has the potential to shine as a OneNote alternative, however, you only get unrestricted access to all the tools and features with the paid version. Since Memonic works as a social network, you should be careful of what notes you want to share with the public: be sure to check the privacy settings. Those who are cautious with security should opt for the private setting and then manually share individual notes.
Advantages | Disadvantages |
---|---|
✔Free version: Limited access to all the tools features in the paid version (exception: ‘collection mode' function) | ✘Fewer functions than Outline or Evernote, focus on group projects |
✔Paid version has a discount for students | ✘Creating unlimited notes and groups, 20 MB attachment size, 'collection mode': these are only available in the paid version |
✔Compatible with all platforms; features function equally well on all platforms | |
✔Manageable; quick and easy to use | |
✔Integrated search function, allocation of keywords |
Characteristics/ Functions | OneNote (free) | Outline ($$) | Evernote – Basic (free) | Evernote – Premium ($$$) | Simplenote (free) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Compatible with Windows, macOS, Android, iOS & Co. | ✔ | - | iOS and macOS | ✔(can be synchronized on two devices) | ✔(can be synchronized on all devices) | ✔ |
Wide range of features | ✔✔✔ | ✔✔✔ | ✔✔(does not include all features) | ✔✔✔ | ✔ | |
Cloud storage | 5 GB (subscribers to Microsoft 365 get 1TB) | ✔(several to choose from) | 60 MB | 10 or 20 GB | ✔(not stated) | |
Clarity | ✔✔✔ | ✔✔✔ | ✔✔ | ✔✔ | ✔✔ | |
Easy to use | ✔✔ | ✔✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔✔✔ | |
Wide range of text formatting tools | ✔✔✔ | ✔✔✔ | ✔✔ | ✔✔✔ | ✔ | |
Content sharing with other users | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
Create notes using email | ✔ | ✔ | - | ✔ | - | |
Save content from the web | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | (✔) | |
Integrated search function | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ ✔ | ✔ | ||
Multimedia features | ✔✔✔ | ✔✔✔ | ✔✔ | ✔✔✔ | - | |
Editing and commenting on documents | - | ✔ | - | ✔ | - | |
Install add-ons for free | ✔ e.g. Onetastik, OneNote Web Clipper, News360 | not stated | ✔ e.g. Evernote Clearly, Web Clipper | ✔ | ✔ e.g. DashNote, supports Markdown |
Outline 3 21 3 – View Onenote Notebooks Pdf
Characteristics/ Functions | Google Keep (free) | Notion (free) | Notion ($$) | Memonic (free) | Memonic Premium ($$) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Compatible with Windows, macOS, Android, iOS & Co. | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Wide range of features | ✔ | ✔ | ✔✔✔ | ✔(includes all features, but with restricted usage) | ✔✔ (Features unlimited + collection mode) |
Cloud storage | 15 GB | ✔ | ✔ | 2 MB (per file) | 20 MB (per file) |
Clarity | ✔ | ✔✔ | ✔✔ | ✔✔ | ✔✔ |
Easy to use | ✔✔✔ | ✔✔ | ✔✔ | ✔✔✔ | ✔✔✔ |
Wide range of text formatting tools | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔✔ | ✔✔ |
Content sharing with other users | ✔ | ✔ | ✔✔✔ | ✔ + group function | ✔ + group function |
Create notes using email | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Save content from the web | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Integrated search function | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Multimedia features | ✔✔ | ✔✔ | ✔✔ | ✔✔ | ✔✔ |
Editing and commenting on documents | - | ✔ | ✔✔✔ | - | - |
Install add-ons for free | ✔ e.g. Chrome extension, Google Calendar | ✔ e.g. Web Clipper | ✔ | ✔ e.g. create a Clip button, Click.to Application, Memonic WordPress plug-in | ✔ |
Those who want to upload their notes to Wiki sites should take a look at the Zim software. Another interesting OneNote alternative is TiddlyWiki, a non-linear web notebook for sophisticated users.
Related articlesThis article is about how to properly prepare and write a reflective essay using all tactical and literary writing techniques. A reflective essay always has the goal to introduce the reader to some interesting moments from the writer's life and fix attention on feelings about a certain issue.
Reflective essays are frequently written in college during nursing courses, business, sociology, and law classes. Also this type of paper will be helpful in technical fields like engineering, as well as for technical and pharmacology specialists.
How to Write a Reflective Essay?
Modern society requires different skills from a person, including describing personal thoughts and reflecting on certain ideas or events. Do not be shy to share your thoughts. Do not think that they will look stupid. Imagine that you are talking to a friend and proving your point of view.
Reflection is a person's thinking aimed at analyzing oneself (self-analysis) – personal states, actions, and past events. At the same depth of reflection, self-analysis depends on the degree of human education, the development of moral feeling, and the level of self-control. Reflection, in a simplified definition, is 'a conversation with oneself.' The word reflection comes from the Latin reflectio – to bend back. Both Oxford and Cambridge dictionaries define reflection as serious thinking and consideration about something.
A reflective essay is a paper written from a personal point of view, but still keeping the formal tone and academic essay structure. In this article you will find well-thought guidelines to creating a great reflective essay. But before proceeding to the step-by-step guide, let's find out what a reflective essay is about.
What Is a Reflective Essay?
A reflective essay is a written work about something that happened to you, or an experience in which you were part of the event that occurred (pursuing an exhaustive or defining description of the topic). You might have already written several essays about how you spent your summer during your school years. In college, topics for reflective writing may sound more complex and require a deeper reflection, but still the basis will be around your first essays about summer. Simply, you will need to share the story in sufficient detail about what you did and how you felt about it. Your opinion and conclusions should be directly related to what you told at the beginning of your essay.
A reflective essay is a kind of creative work and involves more personal thoughts and expressions than research of known facts. You can be assigned this type of paper to reflect on your experience in practical fields and share your observations of professional activity at a certain place.
Note: Unlike academic writing, reflective essays are more informal, as they ask to show your viewpoint, which is something that is usually not shared in other academic papers. Self-awareness is the key to writing a good reflective essay.
Maybe you think that you have understood what reflective writing is about, but don't jump the gun just yet! Good writing appears only after good planning. Let's read the step-by-step guide.
Steps to Writing a Reflective Essay
Before writing a reflective essay:
Step 1. Analyze the assignment. This means that you need not only read the assignment, but also analyze it to get a better understanding of what the tutor asks you to do. Note function words and keywords like 'use critical thinking,' 'discuss,' and 'analyze.'
Step 2. Identify the experience or event.Reflective essay topics can be connected to speeches, music, films, books, and graphic portrayal. Reflection is not about what happens in your head, but about depicting the process within the chosen angle. If a topic was assigned by your tutor, just skip this step. Take a piece of paper and a pen, set the alarm for an extra ten minutes, and brainstorm around the subject or topic.
Step 3. Take notes. No matter if you are reading a book that you need to reflect on, or sitting in the lecture: take a notebook and write down important points to consider, your feeling and thoughts, and questions that need answers. This information will be a good basis for your future essay and help to summarize your experience. Don't forget to write down some evidence that you can use further to support your thoughts: quotations (for lectures, articles, books, etc.) and specific parts of experience (for practice).
Step 4. Determine who your reader is. Answer a simple question: 'Who will be reading your work?' Of course, the first thought will be about the tutor that has assigned you this paper. This person usually states his or her requirements and expectations about the work. But still keep in mind that your audience may be broader – like your classmates or parents. That means that you should use plain and easy to understand gender-sensitive language and be sure that your text may interest the broader audience.
Step 5. Plan your time. Proper planning has already saved thousands of students' lives. If you need to write a reflective essay about your practical field, this step will be doubly essential. List all activities that you should do to write your reflective essay. Create a timetable where you can insert the time for preparation, research, writing, and proofreading. Make sure that it looks realistic and you will be able to complete it on time.
If you need to reflect on a certain movie or book, make sure that you have time for reading or watching it. A good choice is to take notes about your emotions and thoughts while reading, as it will be a great help while writing your essay.
Step 6. Create an outline. Creating a reflective essay outline will allow you to structure all your thoughts in a certain order. With the help of an outline you won't find yourself struggling to add important parts to a previously completed paper. An outline is like a map of your future essay. If you want to come to a certain destination and at a particular time, you need to plan your trip. The same thing is true with an essay outline: to be able to finish writing before the deadline, you need a plan of action. Collect all information that arises in your mind and determine the points that stand out.
The structure of a reflective essay will depend on the topic, the purpose of the essay, and the model you choose to use. A properly structured essay will help you clearly present the necessary moments and address certain points.
- Describe the significance of the experience that you have received during practice in the introduction.
- Pinpoint personal moments that have arisen after the experience.
- Identify personal intentions and link this experience with previous experiences.
- Recognize your own beliefs and values.
- Think about future options and ways to improve your everyday life or professional skills.
You can begin with creating a table with important points such as past experience, the description, and reflection. In the first row you can list the most important points that can be described in detail in the next rows. The second row will be about the experience and the third row will describe your personal response to the event. As soon as your table will be ready, you can create the following outline:
1. Introduction
1.1. Attention grabber
1.2. Quick overview of the topic
1.3. Thesis statement
2. Body paragraph I
2.1. A detailed description of event, person, or place
3. Body paragraph II
3.1. Description of feelings and thoughts when it happened
4. Body paragraph III
4.1. Evaluation and analysis of your experience.
5. Conclusion
5.1. Overview of the event
5.2. Summary about lessons learned
Your outline may be different, as it depends whether you need to reflect on a book or something else. The only thing you should keep in mind is chronological structure.
While writing a reflective essay:
Step 1. Introduction. Every introduction to reflective essay writing should start with an attention grabber that will boost interest in your topic. The introduction is a small overview to the topic. It can be formulated as a question or contain a quote. The proposed thesis statement will be the starting point for subsequent reasoning. The reflective essay thesis statement will be about places, events, thoughts, experiences, or people that will be described further in the body paragraph. Check these examples of reflective essays or environmental design examples to get inspired and generate more ideas to start your essay.
The tutor is not required to read a boring text, especially if students are writing a paper on a similar topic. Be unique and start you essay in an extraordinary way.
Step 2. Body paragraph. Start each body paragraph with a topic sentence that deals with the final points made in the thesis statement. For your reflective writing it should focus on the event, your reflection about this event, and the description of lessons learned. If you were taking notes during the event, it's time to use them!
The first body paragraph will be a description of the scene and the event. Make sure that you have answered questions like 'Who?' 'What?' 'Where?' 'When?' and 'Why?' Include in your essay images, sounds, and other descriptions of your experience. If you are describing an event, follow the chronological sequence and try not to jump from one time to another.
Note: The final sentence of each paragraph summarizes and restates the idea introduced at the start of the paragraph.
In the second part you need to point out the main issues you have identified in relation to the experience. If these points can be related to literature (theory), insert quotations and cite sources.
The third part will be about your personal reflections about the event. This is the aim of your essay – to show the lessons that you have learned, as well as insights and ideas that have evolved after experiencing the event. Here you need to answer what this event means to you. For example, if you need to reflect on a certain project or class, answer these questions to ease the process of writing:
- How would you describe the project to someone else?
- What were your first reactions? How have other people reacted to it?
- Was the project easy? What aspects were easy and why? What aspect was the hardest and why?
- What are the key issues? What points were the most interesting to you?
- What would you like to explore after the event?
- How can skills that you have acquired during the project be compared to others
- How has this project changed your view on life/technology/etc.?
- What did you know about the topic related to the project before the start?
- Have you used additional sources of information to go deeper with understanding the topic?
- How will this project be useful in your college activities?
Step 3. Conclusion. The conclusion for reflective essay should complete your writing. It should be convincing, because it is the result of your reasoning. It almost duplicates the thesis, but it takes it to a new (deeper) level due to deductions and, possibly, forecasts. The conclusion reaffirms the points made in each paragraph. Together, these points support the thesis statement (the overall argument).
The conclusion will be a reference to the question and your thesis statement, a summary of key points, and a final comment on the topic. Keep in mind that you shouldn't disclose new information in your conclusion. Try to add specific points about how your personal attitude has changed due to the particular event or experience. Also state how your new skills can be applied in your everyday life. Look for some examples of conclusions over the internet.
After writing a reflective essay:
Step 1. Revise your first draft. Make sure that the reader will easily understand the text and make any changes to improve text readability. Depending on your taste, print the text and take a pen to make remarks, or write comments in a text file on a computer. Make sure that you have followed academic style while keeping a personal voice.
Step 2. Check the text sentence by sentence. Look for wordiness, credibility, grammar, spelling, and accuracy. Tidy up the text paying attention to every detail. Proofread the text several times before submitting.
Reflective Essay Sample
Generally, the best practice for achieving good reflective writing skills is to see a sample that includes all qualities. Often students repeat the same mistakes from paper to paper. Identifying crucial moments can dramatically improve your writing. Here you can check out an excerpt of a reflective writing sample that was analyzed by our specialist. You can take these suggestions into consideration for developing your own work.
Click the images to see their full size.
Tips on Reflective Writing
- To improve your reflective writing skills you can keep keep a reflective diary or journal. Using such a tool will not only increase your abilities of reflective thinking, but also help to develop self-awareness.
- Avoid being repetitive in your conclusion. It should summarize the key aspects that you have described in your body paragraph.
- Your essay text may dither among the past, present, and future tenses, which may sound disturbing for the reader. Remember that your reflective writing is about a past event, so all of your text should always relate to the past tense. Only when you will be writing a conclusion and describing the implications of the gained knowledge in your everyday or professional life, use the future tense.
- Write in plain English. This means that you need not use complex words to sound academic. Plain English is about simple writing and avoiding complex structures. If you can't understand whether your writing is readable, just read it aloud and mark sentences that should be rewritten or simplified. Make sure that every sentence makes sense and don't write text only for reaching a certain word count.
- This kind of essay is about your own point of view. Don't be shy to state your own opinion even if it goes against the general beliefs. But don't forget to support your thoughts with evidence to make your writing more believable.
How to Write a Reflective Journal?
Unlike the essay, a journal is kept for a long period of time and allows the student to carry out a more personal and thoughtful reflection, monitoring both the immediate process and comparing actions in time ('postponed' reflection). The aim of a reflective journal is the following:
- Become a better writer.
- Gain better reflective thinking.
- Improve problem-solving abilities.
- Develop professional orientation and understanding of the educational program.
In some cases, a reflective journal is a real task that may be assigned by your tutor on your course. If you attend work placement for several weeks or pass a certain course you will need to write daily entries to your reflective journal. Such a journal will serve as a basis to your reflective essay about practice. Reflective writing is also a great practice for social and health workers. This tool helps identify problems in the working process and with finding solutions. Also, reflective writing helps to see the picture from the outside and recognize personal strengths and weaknesses.
So, how to write a reflective journal? You will need to create daily entries with descriptions of your tasks or procedures and your personal reflections on such.
You should be highly attentive during your classes and avoid skipping a day of writing. Consider these stages which may take more time than you think:
- Make research on literature to discover key information and theories that you are going to discover during lectures and practice.
- Put theory into practice.
- Compare your experience and theory and reflect back on it.
Reflective Essay Writing Tips
- Use an outline for your daily entries.
- Make sure that you have become familiarized with the assignment and consider correct academic style.
- Your writing shouldn't be too formal; write as you are telling your friends a story.
- Include evidence and interesting facts that you have discovered during classes or practice.
- Make sure that you have supported every moment that seemed unclear to you before.
- Your arguments and conclusions should be believable. Support them with arguments and examples.
How to Write a Good Reflective Statement
A reflection statement is a kind of reflective writing. Usually reflective statements are assigned after interactive orals, lectures, or presentations, and are aimed to describe what was learned. This type of writing is intended to ensure that students can construct their own analysis of received information and are able to clarify confusions that they may encounter at the workplace. Students are expected to be able to determine the usefulness of information and how it will improve their practical skills.
It is not a reflective statement if you:
- Describe only the information that you have learned.
- Don't link the content to your professional skills.
- Don't explain the depth of new knowledge to your current skills.
- Don't mention how new skills will help you in your future workplace.
It is a reflective statement if you:
- Describe how studying relates to your future profession.
- Outline the method for your studying activity.
- State how the learning activity increased and improved your skills, knowledge, and attributes.
- Describe further learning that you need to cover along with new skills.
- Identify how your practice will change (or has already changed) due to the new skills and knowledge.
The length of a reflective statement is usually dependent on the tutor's requirements and the type of learning activity that took place. Start with describing what you expected to learn, what you have learned, and your next steps and conclusions. If you have already applied some new skills in practice, it is advisable to cover them in the reflective statement too. Check one of the examples:
I attended the Wilton Smith Presentation on May 11, 2017 in San Francisco, CA, and it was a great experience. The presentation had four wonderful speakers that day. Dr. Bob Marley's presentation was on the influence of medications on human health, while Dr. Barbara Green presented on how to provide emergency assistance. The final speaker impressed me the most—Dr. Anna Goldberg, who is the author of our current anatomy textbook. She had some great tips for consulting patients that I have started using in my practice. The tips really helped with the development of correct actions and the use of certain instruments for various situations.
Dr. Bob Marley's presentation was the most helpful when it comes to the basics of a doctor's practice. A great number of doctors who sincerely respect their patients and care for them do not know how to convey the attitude to their patients. The tips that he gave helped to learn the correct tone and establish proper contact with patients. Now most of my conversations with patients are easy, which makes the diagnosis more accurate. Doctors need to know how to talk, listen, show interest, and make decisions together with the patient.
By creating a peaceful atmosphere from the beginning the patients and doctor are going to save a lot of time for treatment rather than talking. I also use this technique with complex patients that need additional attention and a specific approach.
Exercises to Develop Reflective Writing
Personal diary
The goal: Reflect on everyday events from your life.
Content: For example, you can summarize the lesson, and discuss what you have learned and how you worked. You need to assess your contribution to the achievement of goals set at the beginning of the lesson, activity during the class, fascination, and usefulness of the selected forms of work. You can begin the sentence with such phrases:
- Today I learned…
- It was interesting…
- It was difficult…
- I was performing tasks…
- I realized that…
- Now I can…
- I felt that…
- I purchased…
- I learned…
- I managed …
- I was able to…
- I'll try…
- I was surprised…
- The lesson gave me for life…
- I wanted…
Cinquain
Vidmore video converter 1 0 16 ml. This is a method of creative reflection which allows the evaluation of the studied concept, process, or phenomenon in creative form. Cinquain is connected with the Japanese short poems called haiku and tanka. It is a poem of five lines, which is built according to these rules:
- 1st line – theme or subject (one noun)
- 2nd line – description of the subject (two adjectives)
- 3rd line – description of the action (three verbs)
- 4th line – the phrase expressing the attitude to the subject
- 5th line – a synonym, generalizing or expanding the meaning of the topic or
thing (single word)
Compiling the cinquain, a brief summary based on a large amount of information, is useful for developing the ability to analyze.
'Plus – minus – interesting' Garageband 10 1 2 download free.
A reflection can be conducted orally, where students selectively express their opinion.
The column '+' records all the facts that caused positive emotions.
The column '-' records everything that remains incomprehensible.
In the column 'interesting' students write out everything that they would like to know in more detail, and what they are interested in.
Reception of reflection 'choice'
Onenote Outline Mode
- Receiving an unfinished proposal, thesis, or selection of aphorism.
- Reflection on the achievement of the goal using the goal tree, assessing the 'increment' of knowledge and achieving the goals ('I did not know before the…' 'Now I know…').
- The reception of the cinquain, which helps to clarify the attitude to the problem under study, to connect the old knowledge and understanding of the new.
The desire to learn is formed in the process of successful work on the material, therefore it is important to organize individual assistance in such a way that the student constantly feels progress is moving ahead. Experience has shown that often even a slight advancement inspires students, stimulates them to work more intensively, and increases interest in studies, and this ensures their successful mastering of the material. Individual work with students is first of all constant attention to each of them in the course of the lesson: during the interview of students, in the process of exposition and fixing of the material, as well as in explaining the homework.
Rene Descartes said: 'It's not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well.'
You can also check a business reflective essay sample on AnswerShark.