December 9, 2007

Well, I have finally demolished my writing block. This writing, in fact the whole KA, has been a long process.

I am anxious that it is taking me so long to get through this KA. However, having the luxury to go slower has allowed me to learn a lot about myself and find better ways to work academically. I have learned when and how to read deeply and when and how to read "shallowly". I have established a great practice for reading and taking notes. I use a black and white composition book for my work and school. This way my work and school is symbolically connected. I use one side of the notebook for work and the other for school. When the two sides meet, I get a new notebook! Simple! After taking notes, both June and I have been creating concept maps. These maps we post on our blogs and talk about at mentor meetings. This has been very successful because it allows me to think about the readings 3 times (note taking, concept map, sharing). I feel that I capture the essence of what the author is saying. This was a learning process, slow at first but a practice that is helping me in my writing and a practice that I will use going forward in other KAs.

Writing has been a challenge. I spent a lot of time developing a "meta-concept map" that tied together my readings. I don't feel that the connections are very tight and it seems a little cognitively messy, but it is good enough that the most important ideas that I want to use are on it. It is a good graphic organizer in that sense. I can also, and have, go back to the original concept map of a particular reading for more detail. This has been greatly helpful! Even having a great organizer didn't save me from the dreaded empty page syndrome. I did have a writers block but the good news is that I have overcome that. What helped? Here is my process:

1. Meta-concept map (review concept maps of readings and connect important ideas, themes)
2. Talk through meta-map to develop the connections between ideas and get language around topics ( I used a voice recording device to capture my thoughts)
3. Write resources on paper first
4. Transcribe voice recording onto paper
5. Develop organization (this emerges from the transcription)
6. Read through and write in italics guiding questions that I am responding to.
7. Continuously develop introduction as paper emerges
8.Draft. Note (in blue) where you need additional support
9. Revise. Read for flow, support, extraneous information

I am still in the draft phase, but feel that I am in a good flow now. Work has been very busy, so I haven't had a lot of time to draft. I hope to have a good draft finished by next week and a final in 2 weeks.