Welcome back Skype Session 10/02/18 - Keeping a reflective journal
Last Saturday I attended the Skype session for the start of term. We talked about lots of things including how everyone feels about starting on their modules, time management, setting goals and more. I would like to focus on the subject of keeping a reflective journal as there are many ways to do so, some of which were mentioned at the Skype session.
First of all keeping a reflective journal might sound scary to someone who hasn't done this before, or it might sound very easy, but in practice you may find that you have ideas when you don't have your notebook or have forgotten what you wanted to write when you finally get to it. Whether you are in module 1 or module 2 and 3 you might find the following alternative ways of keeping a journal very useful.
First of all keeping a reflective journal might sound scary to someone who hasn't done this before, or it might sound very easy, but in practice you may find that you have ideas when you don't have your notebook or have forgotten what you wanted to write when you finally get to it. Whether you are in module 1 or module 2 and 3 you might find the following alternative ways of keeping a journal very useful.
- The traditional notebook - of course it is the most straightforward way of keeping a journal. Try to find a notebook that is lightweight and compact so you can carry it with you. It might be to jot down an idea the moment it comes to mind or even that you find unexpected free time in your day and can use it to do some reflective writing on past ideas and experiences.
- Voice journal - another popular way of keeping a journal is through voice recordings. You can simply use your phone's voice recorder for this. Remember to rename the files straight away with the date and a title that will immediately remind you what the recording was about. I find also that organising your files in folders is very useful. You can do so by date, subject and whether they are a long reflective journal entry or simply an idea to think about later.
- Using your computer/phone - You can use a computer or phone application to keep your journal as you would on a notebook. Some apps have computer and phone versions and let you sync your journal from one device to the other.
- Using blog post drafts - This is the way that I found works best for me (along with occasional voice notes and notebook entries). I have installed the blogger app on my phone and can access my account any time. Whenever I have an idea or want to brainstorm I open the app and start a draft post. I keep all my private entries as draft posts that only I can see and if I want to develop one into a blog post, I put my journal entry side by side with a new draft where I'll write the post I will publish. I never delete or edit an entry, even if I develop it into a public post, as I think it's very useful to keep the original notes and ideas for future reference or use. Here's a link to an older post where I explain this in more detail: http://arghierenia-bapp.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/keeping-unconventional-journal-task-2a.html
Are there any more ideas you can think of? What are your favourite ways of keeping a journal? Let me know your thoughts :)
Hi Arghierenia
ReplyDeleteI found this post really interesting as writing reflective journals was something I found hard in Module One and still don't think I have fully got my head round, to really benefit from doing so. So far I have used the notes pages on my iPad to record my thoughts and ideas because it's easy to do so, often in bed at the end of the day. I like your idea of using the draft facility on the blogs; I could also do this on my iPad so it would be just as easy as using the notes but it might be useful to have everything in one place. I might give this a go!
Thanks :)
Natalie
Hi Natalie!
DeleteI'm glad to hear you found my post interesting :)
Yes, that's what was important for me - to have everything in one place, so even though it's quite an obscure way to keep a journal (I'll admit!) it has been very helpful for me to limit how many apps/notepads etc. I use for this part of my life that is the BAPP course.
Thanks for reading xx
Great post Arghierenia! I personally like writing down things on paper as through writing a more complete thinking process is involved. I didn't think about voice notes until I read your post, I can definitely keep that under consideration when I want to write some thoughts down but have not enough time available at that particular moment. Thanks! x
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading lovely! I've actually had another idea that seems quite obviouso but I have never thought of before! Video journal entries :) I reckon this will be useful when recording ideas as facial expressions and hand gestures will help you capture the idea better and give more details to your future self looking back at the entry! I might try this haha :) xx
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