Qns about Journals (1 Viewer)

[WTF!bbq]

Just a few things I was hoping someone here could clear up for me My school's a newbie school with EE2 and I'm not sure what will work best for me so I figured I'd get some opinions from the pros. (Sorry its such a long list!!)

• Is the insanely extensive research we do meant to be done in the journal or laid out/structured more formally? I'm picturing myself printing off extracts from books, articles, etc. and sticking those in my journal along with notes on them + my work.

• Is the reflection statement basically a summary of the research we've done and proof of how we've used it so that the markers don't have to go back through our journal?

• How often does everybody tend to update their journal, do you find it's a systematic thing where you dedicate a certain time to it every week or do you just have it at hand whenever you come up with an idea?

• Should I print off and stick in drafts in my journal every time I make a change to my work?

• Are your journals set out just in chronological order or do you have different sections?

• What kind of language did you/do you use in your journal (and is it very messy, cause I think that's where I'm headed)?

Love you all long time if you can help me out on any of these

Regards
Dani

 

[Nick_R]

• everything u have - put in ur journal - extracts from sources, influences, drafts, EVERYTHING - make it look all scruffy, it shows process lol

• the reflection statement is essentially supposed to pair with your major work - reflect on your major work in its progretion and completed form... as a general rule of thumb, when u end up writing it later on next year just include info different to that in ur viva, proposal and report, coz they are different - the reflection is asking something different - don't fall into the traps

• just hav it at hand - its not really a formal process, infact its VERY informal - just throw everything and anything in there that you have used - don't worry when it looks inflated with sheets sticking out and all scruffy looking -> every1's should

• it depends how big the change is.... if its not a MAJOR change, don't worry about it, but just put in a little note in your journal saying what the change was and why... but say if u change the whole thing, then yes, throw in ur previous drafts

• no sections ... once its full and the course is finished u should be able to look back at the front and see really neat hand writing - the naive belief that u could keep it all perfect - , then towards the back u'll see scribbles, notations, arrows, staples, glue, half eaten hotdogs, etc - the rushing end stages of the course where u'll be like "OMG OMG I'M NEVER GONNA GET THIS DONE!!!"

• English is the best language to use, however my initial choice was a Mongolian regional dialect... I later rethought that decision

 

[glitterfairy]

Is the insanely extensive research we do meant to be done in the journal or laid out/structured more formally? I'm picturing myself printing off extracts from books, articles, etc. and sticking those in my journal along with notes on them + my work.
There's no set way. Mine was pretty darn informal

Is the reflection statement basically a summary of the research we've done and proof of how we've used it so that the markers don't have to go back through our journal?
No. It's mentioned either here or on the actual boredofstudies website somewhere, but your RS does a whole bunch of things, covering intent/research/techniques/concept etc (basically reflecting on the writing process). I wouldn't worry too much about this at this early stage.

The journal is only gone through in circumstances where markers suspect plagurism, additional help or somesuch. For example if your MW and RS sound like a soc and culture PIP, they'll make sure you aren't regurgitating the same stuff by flicking through your journal. If your MW is great but your RS sucks/seems to relate to a different story, then they might flick through your journal, etc.

How often does everybody tend to update their journal, do you find it's a systematic thing where you dedicate a certain time to it every week or do you just have it at hand whenever you come up with an idea?
From what I know most people try to make it a weekly thing (or whenever they get an idea, but naturally many students find there's a mad rush before submission date (normally research-related).

Should I print off and stick in drafts in my journal every time I make a change to my work?
Yes (even if parts of rather than full drafts over and over again for small changes). Things look different on paper, especially if you like handwriting comments on drafts like I do.

Are your journals set out just in chronological order or do you have different sections?
It's up to you. You don't even have to date your entries.

What kind of language did you/do you use in your journal (and is it very messy, cause I think that's where I'm headed)?
Whatever you like.


I've always known that most markers won't open a journal unless in exceptional circumstances, and I recently heard from a pretty reliable source that if they even WANT to open the journal, they have to formally ask permission from the head marker before they can open it up... so for the most part, I'd say the journal is for the student's benefit

 

[princesskt]

aww thanks for those qns. thats helped me alot to. my school isnt knew to it. but im just really stressing wif everything atm. thanks. so they dont look at the journal? thats interesting..

 

[shimmy&shine]

I posted up this in a poetry thread~

for the journal question:

the journal could include:
-the proposal
-a statement of intent
-an agreement between teacher and student regarding the intention of the major work
-identification of audience and purpose for the mw
-a working title (don't stress too much about this. it will eventually come. try to be original and catchy. However, my teacher said once she marked this short story called 'caving' and thought the tile was a bit bland, but then she read the story, and thought it was excellent. But the title is important. The first impression you give the marker is a vital one. Kind of think of it like the sexy dress your gonna wear to a blind date, he who is standing far away, and you want him to be your boyfriend badly! lol. )
-a planner or a timeline
-a method of approach
-course outcomes (always make sure your fulfilling these)
-assessment task drafts
-feedback from assessment tasks
-reflections on meeting with teachers and mentors
-documentation of external assistance, critical friends, mentors, tutors, professional help
-acknowledgement of outside technical assistance (ALWAYS!~! be honest!)
-reflections on the process itself
-shared discussions with other students
-reflections on group learning experiences
-reflections of their own corresponding processes (stop being so sef-indulgent! lol)
-evidence of research and questioning
-stimulus material (i stuck so much in. it made my journal fat, but it's good.)
-preparation for the reflection statement (I made the last page of my journal, a place where i jotted down clever sentences and techniques i had to mention. it's good for later. You won't regret it! make it easier for yourself, and start teh process early. But you don't want an overload of sentences by the stage you start writing the rs, so keep it a one simple page, where only the vital points get jotted down.
-a wide reading record (I downloaded pages and pages of academic Plath material. Then i made a checklist. I catagorised the texts. the imperative. the complementary. the you-get-the-idea. Get familiar with certain authors and scholars. Usually certain authors will be an expert in a certain area, and their name will continually pop up.)
-useful websites
-a bibliography (I kept this at the back of my journal. Don't ever say "oh, I'll write it in later", you will regret it. You want the title of a certain book in hand. Also, it'll help if you decide to also hand in a non-compulsory bibliography.

*I GOT THIS LIST FROM AN ENGLISH EXTENSION TWO PREP BOOKLET I GOT FROM MY SCHOOL.
credit to them, not me !
I hope my annotations have helped as well.

 

[WTF!bbq]

That does bother me a bit, the markers not reading the journal I mean. I'm worried I'll get to the point where I can't fit all the relevant information into the reflection statement. Aren't they worried people make up fake research to fit a story they threw together in a few days?

Oh and thanks heaps Nick_R and glitterfairy for your help ^__^ I was getting worried (terrified) 'cause I came on here and read of everybody's enormous journals.

Cheers
Dani

On preview: Awesome list shimmy&shine, now I can see how journals get so big. It hadn't even occurred to me to write down things in so much detail but its worth the effort hey

 

[shimmy&shine]

More specifically about the journal writing process.

I had four journals. I had a small black diary where i could carry around anywhere and jot any ideas around that might spontaeously springinto my mind. I also stuck in small newspaper articles and book and poetry reviews. I also practiased some of my poetry in their. It wan't at all neat. I sometimes just randomly opened a page and started writing and drawing (I sometimes draw to help me visualise what I'm writing about. It's a good technique with poetry). At the back of the diary I had a page of all the books, texts, etc in a chronological order.

The second journal i had was a thick VA diary. This was the main journal whjich i kept neat, presentable, but my voice was humuorous, informal, full of slang, intimate and personal. I wrote about everything. I love writing, so i just wrotwe and wrote where it mattered. It was in chronological order. i wrote huge dates on top of the pages. I wrote in multiple coloured pens. I stuck in lots of stimulus material and pictures, programs, a few drafts, assessments and the feedback, etc. Everything. I also vented my anger and frustrations or portrayed bliss and joy. In a nutshell, this journal encompassed EVERYTHING!

my third journal was a giant VA diary (50x70). Here I showed my layouts and focussed more on the poetry and the writing process rather that the research and assessments tasks i talked about in my other journal. I talked about structure, order, changes, inspirations for individual poems. The reason i wanted a huge size was so I could commit one poem or idea to one page. Therefore, rather than having entries in chronological order, the order was more down the page, shwoing individual developments of a poem. I also stuck in a few notes here and there.

My fourth journal was just a booklet of plastic sleeves where i had all my mutliple drafts (I went up to about 15, although with minor changes) and multiple drafts of poems themselves. Even if a draft had red ink and corrections everywhere, i still handed it in.

If you're starting to think that this is a lot, I'd say, it was about the average amount at my school. From what i saw (physical amounts) of journals of other girls, we all wrote a fair amount. But then again, of you are undertaking this course and doing something in the medium of writing, you love to write yes?

*lol, i tend to write a lot.. but i have so much to say! I hope what I've said helps. Remember there is no definitive way of completing the journal task. It's an indivdual thing. There is not 'right' way. Only 'your' way.

 

[lou_217]

shimmy&shine's list covers it all.

A good idea is to do A LOT of wide reading. Collect extracts from books (you'll definately need to go to a university library), newspapers, internet, magazines...and anything else you find during the year which you think is relevant to your Major Work. Print it/photocopy it and stick it in the journal. It's a good idea to annotate all the different sources you put in your journal too. Highlight phrases and write notes next to it, commenting on how this relates to your main idea. They just want to see that you spent a lot of time thinking about the process.

Do lots of scribblings of ideas in it too, as a part of drafting.

OH, and it is really, really, really important that you investigate your form/structure and there's evidence of this in your journal as well.

Ummm, I'll probably think of some more stuff later. But I think everyone's covered it.

Good luck

 

[kloudsurfer]

I have a question. Is it a bad idea to have a typed journal?

At first i was handwriting mine, but I've found that typing it is a lot easier for me. And I have atrocious handwriting too.

 

[HinikuTheNinja]

Basically with the journal, anything goes. It's your place to play in, so to speak. So you can type it or handwrite it or paint it or whatever. As long as it gets handed in at the end of the day. ^_^

 

[princesskt]

ok i just have a question myself bout these journals. atm im stuck between 2 ideas so what ive done is have one book for one idea's research and then another book for the other ideas research. say i choose one idea, do i still hand in the other ideas books?

 

[kami]

ok i just have a question myself bout these journals. atm im stuck between 2 ideas so what ive done is have one book for one idea's research and then another book for the other ideas research. say i choose one idea, do i still hand in the other ideas books?

I'd personally integrate the two so you can comment on how/why you chose one idea over the other and what elements (if any) you incorporated from each story that ended up in the final piece. This helps to demonstrate your creative process and experience.

However if you have two separate journals and you want to keep it that way, then you should hand in the journal that is relevant to the work you end up submitting.

I have a question. Is it a bad idea to have a typed journal?

At first i was handwriting mine, but I've found that typing it is a lot easier for me. And I have atrocious handwriting too.

So long as it is legible then feel free to write or type - in my personal opinion its safer to keep an electronic copy though as you can upload them to several locations whereas with a written one, if you lose it then its gone. You're also guaranteed legibility with a typed one.

The main issue with the typed journal is, I think, that most people don't usually have a computer on them to type sudden inspiration into whereas you can easily take a notepad with you and scribble on it on the spot then paste that into an ordinary journal. It can also be a bit of a bitch to print out your journals for perusal if they are at all large - mine took something like an hour to print out on the class computer.