Post #3 – Documenting a Day

 In a world where people are constantly taking pictures on their smartphones of every meal that they eat, is it not strange that we can barely remember what happened last week, sometimes even yesterday? The art of journaling has been around for centuries, and people have touted it as beneficial.  Many cultures have esteemed those who chronicle the things happening in their time frames. We will discuss only three of the many types of journaling that can be done. Namely, using a word processor, a spreadsheet, and a presentation-type application.  While one may have a predisposition to one or the other, can we really say that one is better than the other?

Microsoft Word is perhaps the best-known word-processing application of today. Though many may remember the great Word Perfect.  It is manageable and impressive in the scope of adding pictures and items to the words being recorded. It is, however, limited in doing anything with numbers other than recording them. It is beneficial for preserving what happened because human memory can fade and even change or vanish over time (Hutmacher, Schläger, & Meerson, 2023, p. 687). The art of journaling preserves the written works to remind us what happened, at least from someone's perspective.

Microsoft Excel is the next type of application, which is meant mainly for numbers and calculations. It can nonetheless be used as a journal, as one may want to keep track of time or money spent or other number-related things in conjunction with happenings. A prime example would be a vehicle log that keeps track of trips in the amount of time, gas, and miles. This is seen a lot in the trucking industry, where drivers have to provide proof of how long they have been on and off duty for legal reasons. Others also use this method for gas mileage and repair expenses.

The third method is presentation-type software such as Microsoft PowerPoint. This is a handier option for the single-point meme-style writing we see today all over the internet. It is possible to have text, pictures, graphs, and links to websites. It is based upon simple pages or slides, which can be changed quickly to the next.

Dinc et al. wrote in the journal article Student Perception of Journaling as an Assessment for an Engagement Experience that “Journaling is an effective assessment tool, linking students’ experiential learning and instructors’ evaluation strategies. Grounded in metacognition and critical thinking, journaling invites students to engage introspectively with their learning experiences, incorporating theoretical insights and real-world applications. By encouraging ownership of learning and greater engagement, journaling as a personalized endeavor gives students agency and fosters deeper understanding.” (2024, p. 485)

Many people have encouraged people everywhere to write a journal, also known as a diary, to write about momentous occasions in their lives. It is a known fact that we cannot remember everything; in fact, we remember little correctly over a long range of time. We have discussed three different types of applications that can be used, but they are not totally encompassing; there are many more that could be used. The key is to start and to keep trying. Learning what is important and how to write about it in your style.

 

References

Dinc, E., Wherley, M. S., & Sankey, H. (2024). Student Perception of Journaling as an Assessment for an Engagement Experience. Journal of Experiential Education, 47(3), 484-503. doi:10.1177/10538259231203671

Hutmacher, F., Schläger, L., & Meerson, R. (2023). Autobiographical memory in the digital age: Insights based on the subjective reports of users of smart journaling apps. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 686-698. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/acp.4033

Vahid, F., Lysecky, S., & Wheatland, N. (2019, February). TEC 101: Fundamentals of Information Technology & Literacy. Retrieved from zyBooks.com: https://learn.zybooks.com/zybook/TEC101:_Fundamentals_of_Information_Technology_&_Literacy_(TED2450B)