on
mapping_________________
__
patricia sullivan and participants of
public rhetorics graduate class
purdue university january, 2009
situation_________________
__
• Public Rhetorics class discussion held
online in Adobe Connect Pro on 1/28/09
• Goals:
– “try out” whiteboard function [with everyone
enabled to make changes on it]
– demonstrate concept mapping
– organize discussion of disparate readings
starting
picture______________
• Axes
– inside to outside
– tool to performance
• Author names
mapped
• Activity:
– discuss what the
axes mean and why
articles placed
– Consider renaming
and moving
change #
1__________________
• Addition:
“testing” to open space
in lower right
• not discussed much
• postmortem comment:
pay attention to open
spaces in mapping
activity
– Is you category
unhelpful?
– Is there little work in this
area?
– Have you not included
work in this area?
change #
2_________________
• Addition:
“public” in lower left and
“PUBLIC” in upper right
• Discussion: trying to
show a move from tiny
to large, analytic parts
to synthetic wholes,
more atomistic view to a
more comprehensive
view
• postmortem comment:
shows desire for 3rd
dimension
change #
3_________________
• Change Axes Names:
y=inner to outer
x=use to show
• Discussion: tried to “get
at” what I had meant
and clarify it
• postmortem comment:
this is it. Mapping
should push to clarify
terms and this is easier
to do in a discussion if it
is “busted out of” the
readings (which we
sometimes do by
change #
4_________________
• Reposition readings: this
snapshot shows one move
M/R, but there were some
others not included in this
demonstration
• Discussion: there was more
contested discussion of axes
and people tended to
suggest moves for readings
that were almost always
accepted
• postmortem comment: the
[relatively short] time given
to this activity & the difficulty
in writing precisely on the
whiteboard limited
repositioning
change #
5_________________
• Change Y-Axis Name:
reality to virtual
• Discussion: firestorm
ensues. .
– reality is such a loaded
term and virtual is in
different ways elusive
– recognize that much
more time needed on this
• postmortem comment:
– need another map that
deals with this axis
change #
6_________________
• Reposition Readings:
this snapshot shows a
move of the community
literacy people down to
near the 0-level of the
y-axis
• Discussion: quick
agreement of move
• postmortem comment:
– More moves needed, but
not enough time
– The move uncovers
something that needs to
be thought through about
the assumptions of
change #
7_________________
• Change Y-Axis Name:
now grounded to virtual
• Discussion: still talking
about meaning of real
and virtual; I threw up
“grounded” and we
would have gone there
next
• postmortem comment:
we had trouble getting
past the real-virtual
discussion
other moves
needed?__________________
__
• Axes: consider other axes [names,
dimensions]
• Mapping: consider positioning more
carefully
• Multiple Maps: build competing maps
• Data: use mappings to add and subtract
readings
• Gaps: use mappings to identify gaps: holes
and overlaps and contradictions [both in
technology
observations_______________
_
• Whiteboard:
– worked better than the class blackboard because
people won’t jump up and write on the board; they
did add to pix (seemed to want me to subtract)
– would be better to have competing whiteboards
intellectually (though it may confuse)
• Pointer and Color options:
– problem: I should have used pointer and color to
keep everyone’s attention focused
• Video/Audio:
– we were using the chat function; had we been
able to use video/audio, could have managed to
highlight more because we would not have to type