Data Collection
Your first draft of the process essay is coming up, and I want to make sure everyone is taking an approach to gather some significant personal data about their own writing process. There are two approaches I suggest for gathering data. The first approach calls you to do a think-aloud protocol. This involves recording yourself talk aloud as you write a different paper. You might do a think-aloud protocol by recording yourself for twenty minutes as you compose your contest essay. Of course if you are taking another class and have an essay assigned for that class, you can do your think-aloud protocol for that other assignment. Please review Sondra Perl's article (pages 191-214) for a concrete example of how a think-aloud protocol might work.
After completing your recording, you are expected to transcribe the recording (this means that you listen to the recording and copy everything you say word for word). Your transcription should not be edited at all, so if you accidentally use a curse word in the moment of thinking through your essay, you should include the exact curse word in your transcript.
Your other choice for collecting data for your process essay is to develop and keep a writing log for at least five days. Your task is to log and organize all of the writing you do for a period of five days. From grocery lists to text messages and tweets, you must compile and organize everything you write for the five day period. Additionally, you must develop a method of organization to help you manage this data. One possibility is to use a spread sheet and identify the writing situation according to the rhetorical situations you are writing for. You might create several columns including the following headings to identify purpose, audience, location where writing happened, and so forth.
What's important is that you develop a way to examine your writing practice from a somewhat objective perspective. Obviously, there is no such thing as perfect objectivity, but your protocol or your writing log should give you a different perspective regarding your writing process.
For this posting, you are called to work out the details of how your self-study will work. I want lots of details about how you will undertake this project. If you are doing the think-aloud protocol, you might want to develop a simplified version of Perl's coding system on pages 196-198 of your text. If you are doing a writing log, you should clearly show how your log will be organized.
You grade for this posting is determined by how detailed you are in explaining and showing how your protocol or writing log will work.
After completing your recording, you are expected to transcribe the recording (this means that you listen to the recording and copy everything you say word for word). Your transcription should not be edited at all, so if you accidentally use a curse word in the moment of thinking through your essay, you should include the exact curse word in your transcript.
Your other choice for collecting data for your process essay is to develop and keep a writing log for at least five days. Your task is to log and organize all of the writing you do for a period of five days. From grocery lists to text messages and tweets, you must compile and organize everything you write for the five day period. Additionally, you must develop a method of organization to help you manage this data. One possibility is to use a spread sheet and identify the writing situation according to the rhetorical situations you are writing for. You might create several columns including the following headings to identify purpose, audience, location where writing happened, and so forth.
What's important is that you develop a way to examine your writing practice from a somewhat objective perspective. Obviously, there is no such thing as perfect objectivity, but your protocol or your writing log should give you a different perspective regarding your writing process.
For this posting, you are called to work out the details of how your self-study will work. I want lots of details about how you will undertake this project. If you are doing the think-aloud protocol, you might want to develop a simplified version of Perl's coding system on pages 196-198 of your text. If you are doing a writing log, you should clearly show how your log will be organized.
You grade for this posting is determined by how detailed you are in explaining and showing how your protocol or writing log will work.
After reading the Sondra Perl's article, I decided to form an more simple version of her complex system of coding. Rather then detail every single type of mental tasked with dozens of different symbols, I only have 6. Here are the six:
ReplyDeleteP- = Pre-Planning
P+= Post Planning
W= Writing
F= Frustration
DT=Distracted by Technology
DA= Distracted by all things else
Also unlike the Sondra Perl's article, I will highlight each section by different colors.
For,
P- = Pre-Planning
P+= Post Planning
the highlight color is YELLOW
For,
W= Writing
the highlight color is BLUE
For,
DT=Distracted by Technology
DA= Distracted by all things else
the highlight color is GREEN
After I am done transcribing my recording, I will then find and highlight different sections of the text.
Then, I will number the text by any digits between 0 to 10. This is meant for it to be easy to refer back to in my analysis essay. For example, instead of writing the whole sentence, I can just put the letters/symbols and then the number. (ex. DT-1)
Once this is complete, I will then estimate the time I took in planning, writing, and being distracted by reviewing the video recording. This will allow me to express the total time it took me in each section. This is also a simple version of Sondra Perl's timeline.
[ (ex. DT-1=2 minutes plus DT-2= 1 minute and 32 seconds) (Total DT= 3minutes and 32 seconds) ]
* In addition, I will separate each highlight color with dashes to avoid a mix of ideas or categories.
*This maybe expressed on a table with the time and percent time of each categories.
After rereading Perl’s article and studying her complex coding system for her think out loud recording, I decided upon a simple form. Perl’s code has every single type of mental tasked with different symbols, and recording the time it took in each. Instead I will have only four different codes:
ReplyDeleteU for unrelated
W for writing
P for planning
E for editing
Also, I will be color coding each after having my recording transcribed.
U is green
W is blue
P is orange
E is red
If I can not print it out in color I will be highlighting.
DeleteU in pink
W in blue
P in orange
E in yellow
Reading over the Sondra Perl’s article helped me create an accurate but simpler form of doing her system of coding for the think aloud protocol. Perl used about fifteen different codes but to make my coding system a bit less complicated I decided to just use five codes. The five codes will be:
ReplyDelete1. P- Planning/brainstorming ideas
2. W- Writing (aloud or silent)
3. D- Distractions/unrelated (Including electronics, talking to roommates, going to get something to eat, procrastinating, yawning, etc..)
4. E- Editing
I will record my think-aloud protocol first with the camera/webcam on my laptop. That way I can see exactly what I am doing during the exercise and how long I was doing each thing for. This will make it a lot easier for me to notice all my actions and body language rather than just doing a voice recording and trying to guess what I was doing at the moment. After I finish with the recording, I will transcribe the recording by typing every single action, gesture, and word I said or did. After I am done transcribing, I will color coordinate each of the sections that pertain to one of the codes.
1. P- Purple
2. W- Black
3. D- Red
4. E- Green
I will also separate each section with how long I was doing the action for. For example, if I was texting for 5 minutes, the line that says *texting* (which will be in red because it falls under D for Distraction) will have a 5M under it. If it was for 20 seconds, it would have a 20S under it and so on.
After reading Perl's piece on coding, I noticed that he coding was very specific and confusing for me to follow as well, so I created a more simple, easy to understand coding. It goes as followed:
ReplyDeleteR-random (includes talking to myself, unrelated topics, etc)
W- writing (me physically typing up what I'm thinking
P- planning (me telling myself what I'm supposed to do)
E- editing (fixing what I messed up)
C- complaints (anytime I'm complaining about something)
Along with that, each will be color coded as well:
R- Blue
W-Pink
P-Green
E-Purple
C-Black
Extra information:
-Italicized writing tells me I'm reading straight from my essay
-[brackets] are typing
-(parenthesis) are sneezes or stuff I'm doing
-normal writing is me talking out loud.
I reread Perl's article on coding and I really would just like to simplify it to something I could understand a lot easier. I don't want to use as many codes as he used.
ReplyDeleteCoding:
D-distractions (talking about random things, anything unrelated to what I am supposed to be doing, etc.)
P-planning (me planning and talking about the writing)
W-writing (phyically typing or writing)
E-editing- (going back and changing things about the writing)
B-break time (I usually take breaks like snacking)
Each will be color coded as well to make the different items more visible.
D-Pink
P-Purple
W-Orange
E-Red
B-Blue
I went back and read Sondra Perl's piece on coding and concluded that I needed a less complex and easier to follow coding system for my think aloud protocol. I don't need to use all of the symbols Perl chose to use. The 4 codes I chose will be perfect to help code my recording. It will be in this format:
ReplyDelete1) P- for planning (saying out loud what I will be writing about)
2) W - for writing (typing)
3) D - for any kinds of distractions (eating, talking to someone, phone, etc.)
4) E - for editing
After I finish recording my think aloud, I will then transcribe it. To make it easier to follow I will color code it too.
P- blue
W- black
D- red
E-purple
I have reread Sondra Perl's article and decided that it will be very beneficial to use her coding system for the think-aloud protocol. However, her system is highly sophisticated so I am going to use some of her tools to make my own coding system. Now I will explain what my think-aloud protocol consists of and how I am going to carry out the process.
ReplyDeleteThe 4 codes in my protocol will be:
1) P- for planning/brainstorming new ideas
2) W-for actually writing the essay
3) D- for distractions (this includes everything I'm doing when I am not physically typing or brainstorming. It could be eating, searching Facebook, going to the bathroom and much more)
4) E- for editing/revising my essay
I will then use my iPhone recording system and record myself for 20 minutes when I have decided its time to the type my essay. After the 20 minutes is up I will then playback the recording and transcribe everything I have heard. I can't miss a beat because it will lead my results to be inaccurate. Once I have everything down on my word document after listening to the tape, I will organize my transcription by color coding it. The colors I will use are:
1) Green- for Planning (P)
2) Blue- for Writing (W)
3) Purple- for Distractions (D)
4) Yellow- for Editing (E)
So I will reread my transcription and use the designated highlighters to color code it. This will provide a way of analyzing the process that it categorical so I know exactly what I was doing and when I was doing it throughout the entire 20 minutes.
Also, knowing how long I have spent planning, writing, being distracted, or editing is very important in this process so I came up with a method to track the amount of time that was spent in each composing behavior.
After I have color coded my information I have to go back to the recording and listen to the tape again to see how long each behavior lasted for. As I am listening to the audio tape of my recording the minutes and seconds are displayed on my phone so its a good way to track the time. I will keep notice of when each behavior starts and finishes. Once I have figured out how long it took each behavior I will put the time at the end in parenthesis.
For example, after a sentence that is colored purple you will see (0:20) at the end. This means I was distracted for 20 seconds.
I have now condensed Sondra Perl's think-aloud protocol into something I will be able to use in order to examine my composing process and compare it to others.
Here are a couple of more specific details in order to read my data correctly.
Delete-Planning(in green) includes when I am talking about what I should write and how I will write it. it also includes when I'm re reading what I wrote.
-Writing(in blue) includes when I am actually typing and when I talking aloud as I am typing.
-Distractions(in purple)- this includes me talking to myself out loud when I am not writing as well as actual distractions.
Also, I am going to be using brackets like these [ ] which means as I am saying a sentence out loud I am also writing it in my essay. For example, [It wasn't until high school where I decided I needed to make a change]. I have said that out loud as well as wrote it in my essay.
Perl’s article helped simplify the coding into something that I can understand. After reading, I have decided on doing a think-aloud protocol. I will use my phone as a recording device. I will record it in parts of less than 3 minutes to make it easier to transcribe. I will record up to 20 minutes all together. After I have finished, I will color code with my coding system. Although Perl’s coding system is much to elaborate, I’m going to keep it a bit simpler.
ReplyDeleteCoding System
P = Planning
W = Writing
E = Editing
D = Anything from internet usage to eating a snack
C = Complaining
To help differentiate the categories, I am going to assign colors to each
Color System
P = Green
W = Red
E = Pink
D = Light Blue
C = Dark Blue
I am doing a think aloud protocol for the contest essay I have chosen. For 20 minutes I will record my thoughts out loud while I am writing my essay, and then type up what I said exactly in the recording. After reading Perl’s article, I realized that the coding she came up with was complex and difficult to understand. As for my think aloud protocol, I will be using a simpler version of her coding.
ReplyDeleteP= Planning
E=Editing
U=Unnecessary
W=Writing
The colors I will use to highlight each section are
P= Pink
E=Yellow
U=orange
W=Green
I think it would be useful to create a coding system that will allow me to visually see and analyze what is going on throughout my writing process. I will record myself and then make a transcript of everything that I said throughout the entire time that I was writing.
ReplyDeleteThen , I will examine what I have recorded and code parts according to planning period PP, distractions D, frustrations F, intrusive distractions ID, writing W, rereading RR.
Then , I will also count and tally how many of each I have so that I can see how many times I got distracted or frustrate compared to how many times I am being proactive in my work, hopefully this allows me to see what I need to change in my writing process to make it more efficient.
I will also record the time it took for me to start my work until the time of completion. I will note the date that I found out (FD) about the essay and the date that I actually decide to start the essay(ST). I will also note down any times that I think about doing the essay but don’t (TE).
If I get distracted I will write down what caused it, If I get frustrated I will write down what part of the essay I got stuck on, if there are any intrusive distractions I will write down what they where and how I was able to overcome them.
I will also highlight these things : RR-pink, PP-red, D-blue, F-yellow, ID-green, W-orange, TE-purple, . I will write down the type of setting I am in (what room, or if the TV is on, if I have my cell phone near me) and note any time the setting changes. I will also assign numbers depending on which paragraph I am on, for example if I get distracted during paragraph1 I will code it D1.
In the end I hope to use this coding system to see what things make a positive impact on my writing process and what things hinder it, I believe that this coding system will be adequate in proving this information to me visually.
After reading Perl’s article on coding I decided to create an easier form of coding since I was completely lost reading that article. I wanted to keep the coding short and sweet so I wouldn’t have to make another article confusing.
ReplyDeleteCoding:
P- Planning (Talking about or planning the writing)
D- Distractions (Anything not involving the topic)
B- Break (I just don’t want to work on it for awhile, away for 10 mins+)
W- Writing (Physically writing my essay)
E- Editing (Erasing or fixing a mistype, etc.)
I will color coordinate each code as followed:
P- Pink
D- Green
B- Blue
W- Orange
E- Yellow
After I have color coordinated my information I will go back and pay attention to how long I did each behavior and at the end of each coding I will add the time in parenthesis.
After reading Perl's article and completely confusing myself all over again I decided that it would definitely be the best idea to make a simplified code for coding my think aloud protocol. I'm a very visual person so it will help if I color coded my paper. I will use five different colors to effectively organize and understand my paper. The five colors and their meanings will be:
ReplyDelete1. Green- (P)lanning and brainstorming (thinking of ideas)
2. Blue- (I)nterpreting (trying to interpret definitions of words or general questions being answered in the essay)
3. Red- (E)diting
4. Orange- (W)riting (actually writing the essay)
5. Purple- (D)istractions
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAfter brushing up on Perl’s article I came to the conclusion a much simpler coding system would be best for me to use for my think aloud protocol. While Perl decided to use about fifteen symbols for coding, I on the other hand am using four as I type:
ReplyDeleteP for Planning
U for Unrelated/Unnecessary
W for Writing
E for Editing/Revision
In doing this, I plan on using my iPad as my recording device as I put together my contest essay for the required twenty minutes.
As an Art major, I am definitely color coordinating the codes:
P – Blue
U – Red
W – Yellow
E – Purple
After this step I will play my recording to estimate the times of each code. This consists of using parenthetical documentation in order to prove how much time was spent on P, U, W, and E.
After re-reading Sondra Pearls writing again, I know exactly how i would like to code my protocol. The coding will be a lot like all my classmates have said. When I go to type mine out I am going to focus only on getting down everything that was said/heard. Then I will go back and color code my different activities.
ReplyDeletePlanning (P) will remain in Black
Writing (W) will be in Yellow
Editing (E) will be in Blue
Talking (T)
Technolgy distractions (D) will be Orange
Other distractions (O) will be Pink
I specified technology distractions because i believe that is my main cause of distraction and i would actually like to know how much I am actually distracted by it.
Sondra Perl's article includes a lengthy explanation in her coding technique. She identified approximately 16 codes and about 14 sub-codes to further her point to decipher a paper. Similarly to Perl, I will also make up my own coding system; however, it will be much simpler. Since my thinking aloud protocol will be about my essay contest draft, I will make up a coding system that is fit for editing such a topic.
ReplyDeleteMy 5 codes include the following:
• (R)eading: this includes reading any directions or sections of my essay.
These sections will be highlighted in yellow.
• (P)laning: this includes any further intuition on my topic.
These sections will be highlighted in green.
• (W)riting: this includes inserting text and changing word choice.
These sections will be highlighted in orange.
• (E)diting: this includes removing text, fixing grammar mistakes, and so forth.
These sections will be highlighted in pink.
• (D)istractions: this will include any unrelated activities.
These sections will be highlighted in blue.
To further elaborate on my coding technique, at the end of each highlighted fragment I will include the proper letter for each code as a subscript to avoid any misunderstanding. Additionally, after coding my text I will review the recording and estimate approximately how much time I spent on each code. This is similar to Perl's "the continuum". At the end of my essay I will provide each code and beside it provide the time spent throughout my coding process. Although my code is less complex than that of Perl’s, it still does the job of telling you my process while editing.
I am doing the think aloud protocol in assist to help me with my process essay. My webcam of my computer will be recording audio and video so I can clearly hear and say everything I am doing. After completely transcribing all of my thoughts and actions, I will have a code sort of system such as Perl’s. Mine will be a lot easier to understand than her confusing way. My coding will go a little something like this:
ReplyDeleteP- Planning (ideas I say for the essay)
W- Writing (when I am actually writing something)
C- -negative comments (about what I wrote or negative comments on my mind)
C+ -positive comments
D- distractions (bathroom, technology, food etc.)
E- editing (editing a sentence or a paragraph)
X- moments in time that I just can’t think or write
Instead of a color-coded reference to my code like most of the other responses I’ve seen, I will just put the lettered code in brackets (ex. [P]) in the sentences of my transcription. This will make it easier to follow along with what I was saying and what I was doing.
I have decided to do the think aloud protocol and videotape it on my laptop while I’m writing. I thought it would be a good idea to video tape it rather than just record my voice so I will be able to see what happens in blank space. Taking what Sandra Perl said in mind, I composed my coding as follows:
ReplyDeleteP- Prewriting/ Planning- Either thinking aloud or actual writing
W- Writing- Where I am actually composing the essay
R- Rereading- backtracking and rereading what was just written
V- Revising- Changing the context of what I reread
E- Editing - Changing grammatical errors
B- Writers Block- Not distracted , just stuck
PD- Personal Distraction- where I naturally just get distracted
FD- Forced Distraction- Someone came in/ phone call/ text message
U- Unrelated/ anything that does not fit in any of the above categories
After coding the transcript, I will not color code it, because I do not think having all those colors will help to easily understand it. Everything that is non-related to writing (B, PD, FD, U) will be italicized. This way I will be able to differentiate between my writing process and the unimportant parts. After I will underline the actual writing (W), so that will also stand out. By the end of the coding it will be easily to tell how much time I actually spend writing and how much time is consumed with no progress being made. Also, I will go back and document the time in which each part took. Therefore at the end I will have a better understanding of how much time passes during each segment.
After reading Perl's article I devised my own coding system to include:
ReplyDeleteW-Writing (Blue)
P-Planning (Green)
E-Editing (Pink) Revising my essay or fixing grammar
O-Other Unrelated (Yellow) Facebook, Text messaging, Eating...etc.
Throughout this process I created a much simpler coding than Perl that requires me to write an essay and use a "think aloud protocol". While recording myself for a minimum of twenty minutes as I write my essay, I will say anything that comes to mind out loud and thus transcribe it using my coding. This is going to be done through a recording device on my phone that is then replayed to therefore transcribe information. Once finished, I will use different colors for each coding in order to stay organized. This process will allow me to analyze my writing techniques as well as my writing process.
I am using a simple process to code my transcribe rather than Perl's highly complex form. It will be broken down into:
ReplyDeletePlanning: Thoughts of what to write (Yellow)
Writing: Typing my material (Green)
Editing: Fixing any errors (Red)
Distractions: Social media, texting, restroom...etc. (Purple)
Complaining: Speaking my mind of the task. (Orange)
I am going to use the "think aloud protocol" and record myself on my laptop. Then after twenty minutes, listen and code it with the specifications I made.
After reading Pearl's piece, I concluded that Pearl's method of coding, while being very detailed, is way to complicated. I decided to make my own coding system to do this Think Aloud Protocol. The following is how I will break it down...
ReplyDeleteP-Planning
E-Editing
W-Writing
U-Unrelated
C-Complaints
L-Long leaves from the computer
I will record myself on my laptop and then code it after 20 minutes. I think the video will make it easier too because I can see my facial expression as I am writing my ideas.
After reading Perl's article on her think aloud protocol and coding system, I have decided that it is a bit too complex for me and I have come up with my own coding system, but a much more simplified version. My coding is as follows...
ReplyDeleteP-planning (blue)
W-writing (green)
E-editing (red)
U-unrelated (purple)
D-distraction
MD-major distraction
I will record myself on my iPhone, and then go back and transcribe everything I said word for word. I will only record myself for 20 minutes. To make each part of my process stand out I will also color code it so It will be easy for me to get a sense of some patterns developing in my writing process. My distractions will be bolded and my major distractions will be bolded and underlined because those are what I need to monitor the most as that is what hinders me from writing a good essay.
Sondra Perl’s article contained a very complex system for coding a think aloud protocol. I have chosen to do a slightly less sophisticated method and have categorized the system into four general themes.
ReplyDeleteP-Planning (this includes anything from brainstorming prior to writing to in-text breaks)
W-Writing (the physical act of typing my paper)
E- Editing (this includes post and during the writing process)
U- Unrelated (this is any distractions that may be considered procrastination or talking)
I will record the think aloud protocol with my phones voice recorder. Once finished I will transcribe the recording and include any significant background noise like music genre or roommates speaking in italicized text within parenthesis. I will also color code each section in this manner:
P- Yellow
W- Green
E- Blue
U- Red
Total time for each section will be given a separate portion in which I will report how the 20 minutes were spent in respect to the themes of the coding system (for example; Planning=8 minutes)
After looking at Perl’s coding system, I have decided to develop a simplified version of my own, as her system is very complicated. I will have the following operations along with their highlight color:
ReplyDelete1. D = being distracted (blue)
2. T = thinking before actually writing something (green)
3. P = planning (red)
4. E = editing (yellow)
5. W = writing (orange)
6. Q = questioning myself (pink)
I will record myself with a recording application on my laptop. I will then transcribe it word for word. Once it is transcribed, I will go back and highlight according to my scale. The point of highlighting will be to see how much time I spend on what and it will also give me a visual representation.
I will be doing a writing log for a period of five days. I will create a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet that shows the day, time, place, and content of what exactly I am writing about. I will be using anything from text messages to e-mails or even social media postings. I chose this writing log because it is simple to transfer all of what I have wrote from my phone because I store all of my text messages and e-mails in my phone. I will update my Excel spreadsheet everyday that way I stay up to date with all my writings. I also thought it would be interesting to see how much I really do write, and where I write the most.
ReplyDeleteAfter looking at Perl’s analysis of constructs, I have made mine less intricate than hers. I have decided to revise my analysis portion of the essay contest. I chose to do the think aloud protocol, thereby recording my voice for twenty four minutes and then transcribing the recording.
ReplyDeleteReading aloud will be in a light orange color
Thinking aloud will be in black
Word corrections will be in brown
Flipping pages to check a citation will be in light blue-This will be in a bracket
Short pauses will be in dark blue-This will also be in parentheses
Word stumbling will be in gray
Distractions will be in yellow
Rereading will be in purple-This will be in brackets
A drawn out word or sentence will be in dark green
Reading while pondering will be in light green
The lined dashes are periods of silence
Short pauses, rereading, and flipping pages are all written out because I wanted to make the data as simple as possible.
I'm writing a poem for my mom on my computer, and as I write I am using my phone as a recording devise. I will talk out loud while I am writing and say what ever I am thinking about. After I finish recording for 20min. I will type it out and then code it. Instead of using Perl's complex system of about 15 different symbols, I will use a simpler one with only four colors and symbols
ReplyDeleteU- unrelated (distractions, um's....)
E- edit (fixing the poem)
T- typing ( when I am actually typing)
P- planning (thinking about what I need to write)
I will color them so it is easier to see which section is which
U- Blue
E- Red
T- Green
P- Pink
I read Perl’s argument on coding what you do when you write, and I have decided to take a much easier route by simplifying the code she uses. I plan to do this by taking a few things she had done and adding my own personal twist to make it easier to understand. This is how I will go about my writing and coding:
ReplyDeleteP - Planning/Brainstorming
W - Writing
E - Editing/Fixing
D - Distractions/Anything other than writing
To even simply this code even more, I will add colors to have my patterns of code stand out more.
P - Purple
W - Black
E - Green
D - Red
I’m going to use my phone to record myself for a minimum of 20 minutes, and once the time runs past I will play it back and transcribe my recording. I will write and color my essay one paragraph at a time so it won’t be too confusing to go back and edit it. Hopefully my essay will be mostly black and have little to none red marks!
I don’t have an assigned essay for any of my classes that I need to write so I decided to make up my own topic to write about. To me, Perl’s way of coding was too complicated so I decided to use my own simpler way.
ReplyDeleteThe 6 codes I used were:
P- Planning what to write
E- Editing (fixing capitalization, grammar, etc.)
R- Reading (re-reading what I have written)
W- Writing
U- Unrelated activities
N- Nothing (long pauses of doing nothing)
After I coded by the letters, I highlighted each of the different codes a different color because it will help me when I write my process essay to see what I do the most and least when I do writing assignments.
• P- Purple
• E- Orange
• R- Blue
• W- Yellow
• U- Red
• N- Green
Through the first 20 minutes of writing:
ReplyDeleteCoding:
F-distractions (anything that doesn't have to do with the essay that I'm writing)
S-setting it up (what am I writing about? Planning of what I'm writing)
W-writing (what can I come up with? What am I physically writing on the paper?)
R-reviewing (changing what I wrote, fixing mistakes)
P-pausing (stoppage in my writing)
Color codes:
F-Green
S-Dark Red
W-Purple
R-Dark Orange
P-Yellow
After reading Sandra Perl's system of coding, I decided to make one the reflects how I think personally. I only used codes that I used during my think aloud protocol. This specific system will help me understand more easily how I write and what helps me progress. I used my laptop and record myself writing and think during my essay.
ReplyDeleteWriting= W
Editing= E
• Editing grammar= EG
• Editing Syntax= ES
• Rereading= ER
Unrelated= U
• Making noise= UN
• Scratching= Us
Thinking=T
• Pauses= TP
• Noise= TN
Along with having codes, each will be color coded
W= Yellow
E= light Green
U= light purple
T= light blue
After reading Sandra Pearls article, I concluded that I would not need to use that complex of a code and I would use a simplified version that would be sufficient for my think aloud protocol. I decided that I would only need to use four coding letters.
ReplyDeleteThe four letters will be:
W-writing(thinking aloud or actually typing)
P-planning(when I plan out how I will write my paper)
E-editing(after typing paper and going back through to edit)
U- unrelated activities(such as TV, roommates, phone, etc.)
I will use a voice recorder on my laptop and record myself as I type my psychology paper. After I record it I will replay it as I type out my think aloud protocol. I must be very accurate while transcribing so I will have a correct think aloud. I will not use a color code because I think it is unnecessary to have a bunch of different colors on my paper. So I will instead just put what ever letter that corresponds to the transcription at the end of the sentence in brackets (ex[W]).
Sondra Perl's article identified about 16 codes and about 14 sub-codes to decode her essay. Like Perl, I made my own very simple coding system.
ReplyDeleteI chose 5 codes very similar to my classmates.
• (R)eading pieces of my paper out loud to myself or anyone else. *green*
• (P)lanning that I talk about and then write.*blue*
• (W)riting anytime I am not talking, typing instead. *yellow*
• (E)diting any part of my paper previously written and then changed in the slightest or dramatic way. *purple*
• (D)istraction from anything other then my paper or research for my paper. *red*
• Re(S)earch for anything I need to look up for my paper but am not typing. *pink*
To fully get my point across I will include the Uppercase letter in parenthesis along with the highlighting of the text.
(If any other codes come up that I feel are necessary I will add to my transcript.)
After reviewing Perl’s complicated coding system I have developed my own to make it more appropriate to this assignment. Every section will have a color to distinguish it from other sections.
ReplyDelete1. W- Writing (blue)
2. T- Thinking, planning, etc (green)
3. O- Other, anything unrelated such as distractions and talking. (red)
4. E- Editing, fixing grammer and spelling. During or after paper. (orange)
I will use my iPad’s webcam to record myself and my actions so I will be able to view my exact movements and thinking as I transcribe the recording into text. I believe this will give a more accurate depiction of my writing process.
I will be doing the think aloud protocol for the contest essay based on Sondra Perl’s example but with a different coding system. It will not be the same coding system because Perl’s way of coding is very specific and requires a lot of time, so I will use a similar one but uncomplicated and easier for any reader to understand. Some of the codes will be slightly more specific according to what mostly happens during my writing processes. For example, “DT” means distraction by technology.
ReplyDeleteW- writing
T- talking
TW- talking and writing
TH- thinking
RE- rereading
E- editing
WB- writer’s block
U- unrelated
D- distraction
DT- distraction by technology
These codes will be at the end of the sentences inside a parenthesis. I will record myself with my iPhone for 20 minutes. Then I’m going to listen to the recording and write every word I hear. After that is done I will start coding each sentence or word in what I wrote. Doing this assignment will help me realize how much time I spend doing other things that don’t relate to my writing and how many distractions I could prevent to be a better and faster writer.
After reading Perl's analysis and going over her coding system, I decided that it is way too complicated for my purposes and thus have chosen to use a simple code:
ReplyDeleteD for distractions (red)
W for writing (green)
P for planning (blue)
E for editing (purple)
After I am done typing out my recording I will color code (as shown above) so that it is easier to see at a glance.
I think everyone is in agreement that Perl's coding system is very complex and could be simplified to be understood much more easily. For my personal code i will used a majority of my abbreviations to represent obstacles I face while writing. Along with how my mind and thoughts work whilst writing.
ReplyDeleteW- Writing
RE- Re-reading
EW- Editing while writing
WB- "Writer's block"
D- Distractions
U- Uncontrollable events
Color code:
W- Green
RE- yellow
EW- red
WB- Blue
D- orange
U- pink
After reading Perl's article I have decided to use a coding system similar to hers. Unlike hers, mine won't be as complex. I have created a set of codes that i will use while i go through my process. The codes I have created fit my style of writing process and may differ from others.
ReplyDeleteP- Planning
W- Writing
E-Editing
R- Reviewing
D-Distractions
B- Breaks
Along with the coding I have also decided to color cordinate each code to make it easier to visually understand.
P-Blue
W- Red
E/R- Green
D/B- Orange
I will use my laptop as my recording device. After I have recorded myself I will transcribe my data through microsoft word. I will include the codes I created at the end of each sentence. After I finish the assignment i will be able to critique my writing and improve my writing skills.
I have chosen to add Q- Questioning as another element for my coding process. Q- Questioning will be labeled by the color yellow.
DeleteBy not re-reading the part of Sondra Perl's article where she explains her specific coding system I was able to keep my mind intact enough to create my own simple version. After several attempts of trying to create a Think Aloud Protocol for my contest essay I decided that I had failed when my last 3 tries consisted of four complete thoughts and 8 four letter words. I did a Think Aloud for a song that I’m writing that I’m going to use to bash my best friend. My code has 6 parts to it:
ReplyDeleteP = planning (what to write about, laying down a chord progression)
MF= frustration (not being able to find the right chord, forgetting to think out loud, mishap)
W= silently writing
J= jam (play and improv to see what happens)
T= testing (trying out what I have written down to see if it sounds ok)
E= editing (if some part of the song doesn’t sound right I’ll try and fix it or just throw it out)
D= distraction (anything that doesn’t fall under the other categories)
I have color coded the transcription with highlighter which looks like this
P= blue
MF= red
W= grey
J= purple
T= green
E= black
D= teal
In addition to the color coding I have the times posted in small print next to each section of the transcriptions as it changes. ex. 00:00-Planning… 00:45-Distraction… 02:30-Writing
Hope that makes sense, but if not it does make sense when it’s seen in the transcription.
after reading perl's system of coding, i decided that through my twenty minutes of writing i would use the following coding:
ReplyDeleteT=thinking
FW= Free writing for a bit (whatever comes to my mind)
RR=re-reading what i wrote to see if it is comprehensible
EW= edit writing; editing what i already wrote
TS= begin writing my thesis statement
D= distractions (things such as social media, text messages, music)
P= pausing in my writing to analyze what i have already written
i will use the following color codes
T=pink
FW= blue
RR=red
EW=yellow
TS=green
D=orange
P=purple
Since I am doing a think-aloud protocol, I decided to follow Perl’s coding system in a simpler form. Rather than doing a complex system of coding that gets very specific, I figured that using a more broad coding system would enable me to be more organized. My coding will consist of Writing, Editing, Planning, Unrelated activity, and Revising. Each of these aspects of my coding will be abbreviated and displayed as different colors throughout my protocol. To obtain information that I can code, I will be recording myself using my phone for 20 minutes and will then transcribe the data. After this, I will code the data that I have transcribed according to my coding system.
ReplyDeleteW – Writing (Blue)
E - Editing (Yellow)
P - Planning (Green)
U - Unrelated Activity (Red)
R - Revising (Purple)
Perl's coding system was a little complicated for my taste, so I tried to simplify it the best I could for both myself and the reader. I broke my think aloud into the following categories.
ReplyDeleteP: Planning what I'm going to write / thinking aloud
T: Typing out my writing
R: Re-reading what I've written
E: Editing what I've written
D: Distractions- including thinking out loud (hmms and umms), complaining, writers block, and everything else that draws my attention away from my writing.
I'll also color code the writing by hilighting it to allow for better understanding of how much I did of each activity (how much time I spent typing, being distracted, etc.)
P (planning): pink
T (typing): yellow
R (re-reading): green
E (editing): orange
D (distractions): blue
This coding and visual representation will hopefully allow the reader to better understand the think aloud and my writing process as a whole.