Module 3 Campus session one

Last weeks campus session was the first I have been able to attend since starting Bapp.  Not only was it nice to finally meet everyone but it was also good to see where everyone was in their inquiry process.

We started with looking at concept drawings.  Firstly we had to draw growth and then later inquiry, without drawing anything in particular.  For growth I drew a series of arrows that formed from one point, my aim was to show that growth can take us in many directions and not necessarily the way you planned.  I found the idea of concept drawing quite helpful as I often schedule study time and get a writers block about how to start, trying a concept drawing in my learning journal could be a way of overcoming that?

Once we split off into module groups we began to discuss our inquiry topics.  Being able to talk about my inquiry and where I currently am on my research was particularly useful as it showed me where my strengths and weaknesses are.  Literature has been one area that I have struggled with as many of the articles I have found have been relatively informal.  Talking to the group made me realise that Hayley and I are following similar threads of research so will be able to share literature and ideas on our topics. 

Paula explained the My Library section of myunihub and how to use it.  I know this tool will be helpful to me whilst seeking new literature to review.  Sarah also suggested Google alerts which will send you a note when a new article relating to your research is added.

At the end of the session Alan asked the module one students if there was anything they wanted to ask us.  It was interesting to see that they feel exactly how I felt starting the course and how I even feel now.  I think being overwhelmed is part of the learning experience, it's about how you deal with those feelings and move forward to understanding.  If I'm honest I  feel completely overwhelmed at times, however I feel at the moment I have everything ready to go I just need to formulate these pages and pages of notes and scribbles into something useful.

Moving forward I want to make a sound study plan.  I want to set attainable goals and plan a schedule that fits around my workload.  I appreciate that sometimes unavoidable things will get in the way of that schedule, such as rehearsals etc, but having those goals will hopefully keep me on track.  Paula suggested trying to allow a month for analysis, I'm not sure I can manage to allow a whole month but I am going to try.  Nearly two weeks have gone of module three so I need to ensure time does not slip away from me.  I also want to make better use of my learning journal and blog.  There is a risk that I will spend so long formulating ideas and research that I will forget to share my thoughts, and as I said before, that's part of the learning journey!