Research and Writing in the digital age.
I am starting a new experiment in my academic life. I am going to try and use only digital resources to research, catalogue sources and write my research paper. Also, I am going to try and center my research process around my iPhone. It will be my research journal and primary word processor. I am also going to use digital source card software to keep track of sources. When I finally put everything together I will try to use Google Documents or open office.
The inspiration for this experiment was first sparked when I took digital history and new media in the spring of 08. Since then I have become very interested in how technology is shaping our society. Right now we are In the throws of societal shift where old ways of thinking about the role of personal electronics as primarily entertainment is being replaced with modern notions connectivity and efficiency. I like to think of this new usage as super productivity, the ability to use one device for every aspect of work and leisure. I am wanting to show how smartphones are more then a fast way to relieve a social networking fix by doing serious work with mine.
I began this experiment by accident the second week of September. I was running behind as usual on a paper that was due the next day. My time was further shortened because I had to work that night. Desperate to make head way on my paper I decided to use my phone at work to text my ideas to my email address. With most jobs iv had, this one included, texting on the job is a big no-no. I find this immensely hypocritical because every jobs makes out like multitasking is an essential skill. This rule is also part of the notion that smart-phones are primarily entertainment devices and distractions.
So I began to text myself notes and then whole paragraphs while still effectively doing my job. At some point I realize that I can actually text faster then I type. Also as I type I often loose track of ideas because I have to think about typing. Because of this I often write out what I am wanting to type in legal pads first, creating double the work. This is a problem I will address in a minute. I text far more fluidly then I type. This got me thinking about the possibilities of writing my paper primarily on my phone.
Now, back to the problem of retyping what I write in legal pads. I love legal pads. Partly because of their utility but mostly because they make me feel important. The problem I face with legal pads is that I fill them up and have to sink time into typing and rephrasing. The paper I worked on in secret at work was half done on legal pads before i had to leave the library.
A few months back I downloaded dragon dictation to my iPhone. I like trying out different apps to see what utility I can squeeze from them. Dragon dictation was one such download. I played with it when I downloaded it and thought it was really accurate which impressed me, but I really found little actual personal use. Fast forward to my my legal pad issue. I decided to try to use dragon dictation to digitize the words written in my legal pad. The process took a little time to work out effectively. Once I got going I was dictating my words and rapidly rephrasing sentences.
After dictating my legal pad notes to dragon dictation and texting ideas from my phone to my gmail account I used open office to piece everything together in a final draft. I successfully wrote a paper in very new way, personally speaking.
What I want to do is continue this process and refine using my iPhone for research and writing.
I am starting a new experiment in my academic life. I am going to try and use only digital resources to research, catalogue sources and write my research paper. Also, I am going to try and center my research process around my iPhone. It will be my research journal and primary word processor. I am also going to use digital source card software to keep track of sources. When I finally put everything together I will try to use Google Documents or open office.
The inspiration for this experiment was first sparked when I took digital history and new media in the spring of 08. Since then I have become very interested in how technology is shaping our society. Right now we are In the throws of societal shift where old ways of thinking about the role of personal electronics as primarily entertainment is being replaced with modern notions connectivity and efficiency. I like to think of this new usage as super productivity, the ability to use one device for every aspect of work and leisure. I am wanting to show how smartphones are more then a fast way to relieve a social networking fix by doing serious work with mine.
I began this experiment by accident the second week of September. I was running behind as usual on a paper that was due the next day. My time was further shortened because I had to work that night. Desperate to make head way on my paper I decided to use my phone at work to text my ideas to my email address. With most jobs iv had, this one included, texting on the job is a big no-no. I find this immensely hypocritical because every jobs makes out like multitasking is an essential skill. This rule is also part of the notion that smart-phones are primarily entertainment devices and distractions.
So I began to text myself notes and then whole paragraphs while still effectively doing my job. At some point I realize that I can actually text faster then I type. Also as I type I often loose track of ideas because I have to think about typing. Because of this I often write out what I am wanting to type in legal pads first, creating double the work. This is a problem I will address in a minute. I text far more fluidly then I type. This got me thinking about the possibilities of writing my paper primarily on my phone.
Now, back to the problem of retyping what I write in legal pads. I love legal pads. Partly because of their utility but mostly because they make me feel important. The problem I face with legal pads is that I fill them up and have to sink time into typing and rephrasing. The paper I worked on in secret at work was half done on legal pads before i had to leave the library.
A few months back I downloaded dragon dictation to my iPhone. I like trying out different apps to see what utility I can squeeze from them. Dragon dictation was one such download. I played with it when I downloaded it and thought it was really accurate which impressed me, but I really found little actual personal use. Fast forward to my my legal pad issue. I decided to try to use dragon dictation to digitize the words written in my legal pad. The process took a little time to work out effectively. Once I got going I was dictating my words and rapidly rephrasing sentences.
After dictating my legal pad notes to dragon dictation and texting ideas from my phone to my gmail account I used open office to piece everything together in a final draft. I successfully wrote a paper in very new way, personally speaking.
What I want to do is continue this process and refine using my iPhone for research and writing.
I will be posting more on this blog about what I an learning and how I am developing my mobile skills.
Kasey King, via iPhone.
Kasey King, via iPhone.
SO cool! hahahaha I was totally sitting on the edge of my seat when you explained how you did this amazing feat! (wow, I really didn't mean to rhyme there)
ReplyDeleteAnyways, I think your method for writing your research paper is genius. Everything is right there, in your hand, so concise. I guess people will always want a desktop/laptop computer, but really there's barely any need for them anymore.
I've been learning A LOT about advancing technology from Josh--it's really cool!! I'll keep checking your blog for updates. I want to hear how it's going!!
P.S. I really enjoyed your post about apps. With Josh's and your help, my iPod WILL be smart! haha