Adding historical writing to a new MindLog
If you have been keeping a journal or saving examples of your writing over time, with MindLog, you can create an almost instantaneous image of the growing complexity of your thinking.
The growth plot (and curve) shown above was created by a learnaholic Mindlogger who wanted to see how he had developed from adolescence onward. So, he gathered up all of his written work from the age of 13 onward and entered the texts into MindLog in sequential order.
Although this is a simple thing to do. It will only work if you follow the guidelines below. If you do not meet these requirements and break something, we will have to bill you for fixing it. This can be quite expensive—more expensive than your MindLog subscription. (MindLog fees don't cover this level of support.)
Basic requirements
There are a number of things you will need to consider before entering historical writing into MindLog.
- This only works with a brand new MindLog. Because MindLog's scoring system always scores the most recent 4-6 entries, historical data can only be entered into a brand new MindLog.
- The birth year provided in your profile must be accurate. If you aren't sure if it is, you can edit your profile on your profile page.
- Historical writing entered into MindLog should have been done without outside support. Anything written “open book” style will make scores difficult to interpret. If you do enter material that was supported, indicate this in the survey at the bottom of the entry page.
- You will need date and grade information for MindLog's entry form. This information must be as accurate as possible for every single entry, because it allows MindLog to set the correct maximum character limits for accurate scores.
- You must make entries in groups of 4. This is because MindLog's scoring system checks to see if it has enough material to score whenever it sees 4 unscored entries.
- Each group of 4 entries should be as close as possible to one another in time. This makes scores easier to interpret.
- All four entries in a group must max out the entry field. Enter writing from periods in which you did lots of writing—enough writing to hit the maximum character limits in MindLog in four sequential entries. For example, if you wrote a great deal when you were 13, you would make four MindLog entries that are as close in time as possible, and just long enough to trigger the maximum character warning in the entry field.
- You'll need to be strategic: Pay attention to the maximum character count for the first entry in a group, then before you submit it, make sure you have enough written material for three more entries.
Prompt names and descriptions
There are no hard and fast rules for writing prompt names and descriptions in MindLog, but entering helpful prompt names and descriptions will make it easier for you to identify the records for each scored group of 4 entries. For example:
Prompt name: Grade 5, journal entries, date X – date Y.
Prompt description: Topics include friendship, problems at school, and an upcoming camping trip.
Later, you will be able to search through your MindLog entries using the words in prompt names and descriptions. For example, you may want to look at how your way of thinking about friendship has changed over the years or want to show your granddaughter how you thought about friendship when you were her age.
Is entering historical writing worth the effort?
Aside from the coolness factor for learnaholics like us, there are a few compelling reasons for entering historical writing, especially if you're planning to use MindLog to support your personal learning journey.
Growth plots and curves confirm that we have grown. This may seem like a given, but many of us rarely receive clear external confirmation that we are growers. A little affirmation can be motivating.
Growth plots help us see when we've learned: Charting growth patterns during different phases of our lives can help us see how our activities have affected our growth—and help us decide what we'd like to do next as learners.
We need lots of data to calculate a growth curve: Growth curves like the one shown in the image at the top of this page are not presented until there are enough scores in MindLog to calculate a reliable curve. Adding historical data definitely speeds up this process.
Admissions: MindLog plots and curves are likely to become evidence you can use to demonstrate your readiness for a variety of roles or academic programs. (This is already happening.)
MindLog's plots and growth curves can help with early detection of changes in mental functioning. Historical writing provides information about your development to date that is often required to calculate a reliable growth curve. MindLog scores that diverge significantly from projections based on your growth history can provide an early warning sign of mental issues.