A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.
Mark Twain
Monthly Archives: April 2013
A man who carri…
10 Things I Wish I Had Known Before I Started My Dissertation
Thing 2: Keep a Detailed Dissertation Diary/Notebook
Don’t wait. No piece of information is too small or unimportant to record. Whether paper, digital, electronic or video, make a record of ideas and compile them in one location. Your phone is a convenient way to make notes and take pictures of ideas. Also, a dedicated tangible notebook or diary entitled dissertation will be a necessity. Everything will not be digitized in the beginning, so do not take a chance on losing anything important – save information from all forms of media including handwritten notes.
I don’t want to overwhelm you with notebooks, but saving a notebook for each graduate course is highly recommended. This notebook should contain handouts, class notes and returned tests and assignments. Like the dissertation notebook, these will contain information pieces which are priceless when you start your dissertation.
The whole dissertation process is a puzzle. You are collecting pieces and will not know how they fit until the end – so do not pass up a chance to catch a piece of your puzzle.
10 Things I Wish I Had Known Before I Started My Dissertation
Thing 1: Utilize Internet Clipping and Storage Resources
After pondering the events leading up to my dissertation and the following struggles, I decided to pen a short “10 Things” article to benefit those who may need the help. I have chosen the first topic because I was using it and did not recognize it as a dissertation research tool until one of my fellow doctoral students shared she was using it for research purposes. I want to emphasize that this tool is free, at least free in its basic form.
While researching on the internet it becomes time consuming to print interesting items. Also, I have found that adding to favorites is not always the best way to save the information because I cannot remember which device I used to save the site. Below is one example of a free research tool I have found to be beneficial.
Note taking/clipping software allows you, with one click, to save information from the internet into a sharable file accessible from multiple devices. You are able to organize your research under headings, share with colleagues and retrieve information at any time. These software suites also include additional organization-related products. There are multiple tools to record and document your browsing research which are free for a basic membership. My advice is to review what is available and then make a selection.
In addition to these, look for other dissertation helpers. Take time to review a few and make informed selections. A few categories are “apps for researchers”, “dissertation organizers”, “interview recording” and “citation creators”. Searching for these and working with these from the beginning not only save time, but will assist you in maintaining and organizing research from the beginning.
About My SmartPen
I reviewed quotations on writing for a suitable quote to begin this blog. The selection was inspiring. I chose one from Stephen King because it aligns closely with my feelings:
“The scariest moment is always just before you start.”
― Stephen King, On Writing
The dissertation interview: I previously blogged about my dissertation interviews. In the spirit of what I know about how to write a dissertation, I thought it might be helpful to share one of my tools. I am using a Livescribe Smartpen to record my interviews. The pen digitizes the recordings and the written notes (which are written on special paper with exceedingly small dots). I was pleased to learn that I am able to not only save the audio on my computer, but also copies of the hand-written notes. Also, when I click on a written note, I hear the audio. I found a YouTube video demonstrating the pen.
First Post
About me. You might as well know upfront, I am working on my dissertation and am extremely stressed. I don’t even know how I have time to write a blog – except it is therapeutic. Following posts will be about my dissertation and then insights from my work as an educator. I hope you find this blog informative and helpful.
mylifeiseducation 