Content Reflection

When I saw the three little letters M-R-P on the syllabus for CD 315, I never imagined how much information, research, and work was compressed into those letters. First of all, I didn’t even know what MRP stood for until I read the next sentence on the syllabus. “Multi-Genre Research Project”…..it sounded scary enough. I read about each portion of our project and what each entailed. For me it was like being put on a boat and chartered off into foreign waters. I had no idea what the next 10 weeks had in store. For the first few weeks, it was the fear of the unknown that gripped my mind and heart. Sure, I had done plenty of research papers, but from the get-go I knew that this was going to be nothing like doing a plain jane research paper. Don’t get me wrong, part of that thought excited me. Honestly, research papers can become quite monotonous. Usually you are assigned a topic, and then given a few weeks to do some research and compile something that looks like a paper full of valuable information. The thought of not doing a paper gave me a glimmer of hope, especially since I knew that this class would consume the rest of what was supposed to be those “lazy summer days.”

The first few weeks of the class were spent doing things I would like to label “odds & ends.” Those weeks didn’t really carry the “meat” of the class; they were designed to heighten our familiarity with research and the World Wide Web. The assignment that got the ball rolling, so to speak, was the formation of our essential question. Things were really looking up, even at the beginning of the project, because we were given the freedom to choose our own topic. Now that doesn’t happen very often….. When I first realized that we had to formulate a question about a topic of our choice, I had not the first clue as to what I might do. There are plenty of things that interest me in the field of Communication Disorders. How was I supposed to pick only one? I finally narrowed my choices down to a few, and finally to one. My choice: Augmentative Communication. First of all, it was an area of study that I knew very little about. A characteristic I thought very pertinent to research. Secondly, I was fascinated with the technology available to help people communicate aside from speech. How many more reasons did I need? It was an area where there was plenty of research to do, and it was something that fascinated the mind. Picking my question was probably the hardest part. Think about it…..my whole project is based upon that one solitary question. If I picked a bad one, my summer was surely going to be an intense one. The next part of the project consisted of devising foundation questions which would help us to logically answer our essential question. That made sense…..I just couldn’t aimlessly try to do research about the wide world of AAC without some sort of direction. After I constructed my foundation questions, I was finally able to begin some “real” research. Well, it wasn’t as peachy as I had anticipated. I was having a hard time finding articles that gave me basic information about AAC. Most of the articles I found were centered AAC and the different populations of people who used it. In the beginning, I was just looking for your basic information about a topic. I didn’t know anything about it. I had to learn the basics before I could concentrate on the “meat.” Somewhere in the middle of this research, I sought out some much needed advice. I felt I was getting nowhere…..FAST! With a little insight, I decided to research how I could justify the cost of an AAC device. Even at that, I still had no idea what types of devices were available, let alone how much they cost. I found that funding of AAC devices was another little corner of the AAC world that I knew nothing about.

The next part of the MRP was to design our 6 fictional genres. 3 of them were already chosen for us: the webliography, poem, and powerpoint presentation. We had the freedom of choosing the last 3. And it wasn’t an easy decision. There were several things to think about……first of all, what would tie into the other 3 genres to make a whole? Next, what voices would the genres be in? We had to have at least 3 different voices. My voices consisted of clinician, client and client family. But that left the task of deciding which genres would fit each voice. Yet another not-so-easy task. In the end, I decided to do a guest column in a newspaper, a newsletter, and a journal.

First and foremost, I had to research the cost of an AAC device. Without knowing that, I could not even begin to justify it. I was astounded by the range of devices available, along with the range of price. However, most of my research for my genres led me to “quality of life” issues. It is a known fact that AAC devices are highly instrumental in the lives of those who have permanent or temporary loss of speech. So why should the cost of an AAC device determine whether or not it is essential to the well being of someone who needs it? I guess that is what I was out to decide. So I decided to use the quality of life issues to construct several of my genres, especially from the view of client and parent. I think the fact is this: If you were to interview those who are currently using an AAC device, and ask them how it has impacted their life……that would be the only convincing any of us would need. The reality is this: AAC devices can never be underestimated in the life of someone who has no ability to communicate. These devices allow them to take part in home life, school life, and even community life. If you were ill Pand needed medical care, you wouldn’t deny yourself or even someone you love medical care because of the expense. And I think that is the same premise here….no man, woman, boy, or girl should be denied a device because of expense.

The last few weeks of class focused on revisions and tying the whole project together into a whole. It was amazing how many “little” things there were to do. The sections of Preface, Acknowledgments, About the Author, and References were designed to inform people of who I am, why I did this project, where I received my information, etc. Add all of these pieces together and what you find is a complete MRP.

Unlike a typical research paper, the MPR is loaded with content. It is through the genres in the project that an answer to the essential question if found. And I found that the answer may be explicitly stated or merely embedded in the genres. I believe that is one of the most unbelievable things about this project. You didn’t have to say “This is the answer to my question…..” Through the use of the genres, one could determine the answer through my work. What research paper is like that? Usually you find yourself stating the answer, rather than allowing your work to state it for you.

Process Reflection

P-R-O-C-E-S-S. I think I could make a really fun cheer with those letters! I’m not sure I have ever done so much “processing” in my life. I knew that this class was going to entail work, but I might have underestimated exactly how much work. The MRP scared me from the get-go, and rightfully so. The first few weeks were by far the easiest, only because the work didn’t involve using all of my thought processes. I think we were broken in quite gently, only to have the feeling of being hit by a pole later on. In retrospect, it was quite easy to do the first 4 weeks of assignments. Funny I should say that. I never met my goal of finishing all of my assignments in one week, at least not until our completion time was reduced to a week. That second week for our completion time was always a cushion for me. In the back of my mind I knew that if I didn’t get the assignments done, the world wouldn’t end. It’s a Catch 22 situation for me. I loved having 2 weeks to get them done, but on the other hand, it allowed me to be more laid back. The reason I say that is because somewhere along the line, completion time was reduced to one week. Boy I wasn’t ready for that BOMB. All of a sudden my laid back philosophy was thrown out of the window. No more procrastination for me.

The first hard obstacle I ran into was forming an essential question. I decided to do my research on AAC, but that by no means narrowed down the area of AAC I wanted to focus on. The first question I picked turned out to be way too broad, so the revision process began in the very beginning. But at least I figured it out before I began the actual creation of my genres. After deciding on my essential question, I was left to devise foundation questions that would help me answer that question. I use the term “relatively easy” very lightly. I don’t think that I can honestly say that any part of this class was “easy.” And I didn’t expect it to be easy, but some parts of the project were less difficult than others.

Of course, in the middle of all this, research had begun. And it was only after beginning research that revisions could take place. It was because I couldn’t find the right resources that I decided to alter my essential question. And because of altering the essential question, I had to make changes in the foundation questions. All of my research led me to the revisions that needed to be made.

Probably the hardest part of completing the MRP was the selection of the genres, and the selection of the voices associated with those genres. I knew that I had to have 3 voices: client, clinician, and parent; and I also knew that 3 of my genres had been “handpicked” for me. That still left me with 50% of the decision making process. It is here that I will admit to my first big mistake in completing this project: Instead of visualizing this project as a whole and breaking it down into pieces to the point of completion, I visualized this project in pieces hoping that it would fall together as a whole upon completion. I must say the philosophy fell apart in the middle of the game. I realized that I had no unifying theme, and that I had given very little thought to why I had picked the genres I did. So I literally spent part of a day brainstorming about how I was going to decide upon a unifying theme. And it eventually came to me, but it wasn’t the easiest thing that I have ever done. I decided to use my genres in a court case about providing funding for an AAC device. Not surprisingly, with a change in viewpoints came a period of revisions. I had to re-think my genres and whose voice they were taking. Some of the genre’s voices were easier than others to decide. For example, it only made sense that an SLP would give a powerpoint presentation in court. I decided that my client would be a 13 year old girl who desperately needed an AAC device. Why a 13 year old? I wanted to pick a pivotal point in this girl’s life. 13 is the beginning of the teenage years, and with it comes an ocean of emotions and obstacles. For my poem, I decided to have the girl write it about the emotions and obstacles that she faces at this very tender age. Only she can really give an outsider an inside look into her heart. Honestly, the webliography was the hardest genre to tie in with the others. I understood that it listed websites helpful to those interested in AAC, but it was hard for me to figure out how that would really be key in a court case. It could be that in the end my webliography is a little out of place. I also decided to let the 13 year old write several journal entries. I thought this was another pertinent way to help the courts and general public see what life is really like without a modern mode of communication. I tried to use the journal entry as a way to gain access into her innermost struggles and accomplishment, and to follow the time period from no AAC device to finally receiving one. Next I picked a newsletter to inform the public about AAC. I thought it would be a good tool information tool. I tried to give my newsletter a sense of community, in hopes that others would understand how important AAC devices are, and how important a strong support system is as well. My last genre was a guest column in a newspaper written by the girl’s father. I thought this was a way of showing another viewpoint aside from client and clinician. He would be the next person in line who would have direct insight into life with a non-communicating child. I tried to use his column as an informative tool, which would at the least, provoke people to think about the issue. My whole theory all along has been this: Unless you have somehow experienced loss of communication, it is very hard to place yourself in their shoes. I have attempted, through my genres, to help someone come as close as they can to experiencing life without communication. It will still never take a firsthand association, but some people will never experience it firsthand.

The last week of class, I learned something new. Lekei had mentioned something in a peer review about the order of my links in my Table of Contents. I went back to the syllabus and saw that indeed the order of the first 3 links was to be: Preface, Acknowledgements, and About the Author. My links were set up as About the Author, Preface, and Acknowledgements. I decided that I better ask about the order, just in case there was some special format I didn't know about. Indeed there was. It is the format in a standard publication. I was relieved to find out that there was no real reason why I couldn't change it, as long as I gave an explanantion. I do have a reason, one which is relatively simple yet makes sense (at least to me): If I were going to present this MRP to a large group of people, I would first stand up in front of the group and introduce myself (About the Author). Next I would tell them a little about the project, including info about my topic, and why I chose to center my project around that topic (Preface). Lastly, I would thank everyone who played a role in helping me complete my project (Acknowledgements). That order makes a lot of sense to me in my mind. It may not make sense to everybody else. I kind of likened it to a conversation......when you meet a stranger, you usually introduce yourself before you jump into a conversation. It just seemed awkward to introduce myself last. So, that's the process I used to arrive at my order of the links. I hope it makes sense.

It’s just amazing to me how much thought process is involved in completing the MRP. It takes a lot of time to think through your project, in an attempt to make it a cohesive whole. Thankfully the MRP wasn’t like a traditional research paper where you are only given a deadline for the paper. I have learned, in my college experience, that I do much better work when I am given a deadline for every part of the project. I will not even try to deny that I am a procrastinator. I need someone behind me constantly nudging me along. If this project would have been given to us without the weekly deadlines, I would have been sunk a long time ago. I am so thankful that everything was broken up into weekly assignments. It wasn’t an easy summer, but at least I had all of my time to devote to my MRP.

*It's amazing how every time I look at my project I think of something I could change. I think I have done a good job on my project, but I always wonder if I should have done something different. I guess I could spend the rest of my life trying to "perfect" my genres, and the reality is I would probably still find something else to change. I was so thankful for the quote Mrs. McComas left on my blog: "Good writing is never done, just due." Now I realize how true that is........

Premise Reflection

I feel as if I have combined parts of the reflection. While I was writing about content, it led me to a process, and while writing about process, it led me to content, and now I have finally made it to the premise. I am not sure how well I have actually separated the sections, but I will say that this class has LEARNING EXPERIENCE written all over it. I would never have expected what I encountered during these 10 weeks. Honestly, at times it felt like I had approached the gates of hell. There were times when I thought that my whole project belonged in the local junkyard. Yet there were times when I was proud of something I had accomplished. One of my favorite Contemporary Christian songs is titled “Roller Coaster of Life.” That is one phrase that I can compare this class to. It has definitely had its fair share of ups and downs, and I have been hanging on for dear life the whole time. But through it all, I think that I am stronger for it. That old phrase “If it doesn’t kill you, it will make you stronger” applies perfectly here. I did survive, and I believe I have more confidence in my work because of it. Oddly enough, I think I have a much better grasp of the whole reflection idea. Since our journals were based on content, process, and premise, I have found that I now better understand how to write them. I was never so excited to realize that I could write my reflection in my own personal way. I think that in my previous classes, I thought that my reflections had to be very structured. I know that my journals weren’t nearly that structured, yet they accomplished the very same thing. I felt more like “myself” while writing them, and for the most part I was proud of them when I was finished. Even here, I have yet another thing to generalize to other classes. It is amazing how and when revelations come. I probably should have been bright enough to figure it all out sooner, but it came in due time. The MRP has taught me a lot about discipline, research, and thinking and how they all tie in together. Discipline because I had to force myself to sit down and do the work. It sounds easy enough, but it’s not especially in the middle of summer. Research because I have more knowledge about how to conduct it and use it for my gain. Thinking because I found myself contemplating my discipline habits or lack thereof, and constantly using my mind in the research process. It is kind of ironic how they all tie back in to one another.

The whole class was LOADED. Loaded with content, process, revision, and more revision. But without each of those things, the class would have merely been a basic research paper. It was amazing to see how each little thing contributed to the completion of the project as a whole. I can honestly say that I have learned things along each step of the way....learning not only things about research, but also things about myself. I am now able to label my summer experience as ENRICHING. So much different than the usual "lazy days" that come with summer.

After all the research, revision, and work, I feel much more learned. In the beginning, I knew a little about AAC devices, but my research led me into a whole new realm. I am amazed at how many different types of devices there are. I am amazed at how each of them work. I am amazed at the populations that use them. I stand amazed. Even after all of my research and work on my genres, I can still not comprehend life without speech. Everytime I wrote "Zoe's Journal", I had to try and put myself in this girl's shoes. What an awesome thing. I often wonder if I have come anywhere near the thought and feelings of girl like Zoe. Have I really portrayed what her life is like on a daily basis? I may never know for sure. But one thing I do know....every person who needs an AAC device deserves to have one. A device will never fully compensate for their loss of speech, but it will give them another mode of communication. If I had Bill Gate's money, I would start a charity for AAC device funding. I think that these people deserve the best that life has to offer. If a device means enriching their quality of life, then NOTHING should stay in their way...not Medicare, not a judge. And what type of device they want is really irrelevant here. In my opinion, I don't care if the device costs $500 or $5000. A $5000 device may not be best for everybody. It's not about picking the most expensive device, its about picking the device that suits the user's needs best. Some may say that I am too "free" with money that's not mine. But I don't think that anyone could ever convince me that there is a valid reason to not fund these devices. I think it falls under humanity.......doing something good for another human being. Let's think about it. The government openly gives welfare money to people who are more than capable of working and supporting themselves. For the most part, these people don't NEED the money, they just WANT it becuase they are lazy to work for it. Why can't the government freely give money to cover the cost of a device? It goes beyond wanting.....these people NEED devices. And personally, I wouldn't want to be the one to tell them that they can't have a device. Would you?