Ok, i encountered a problem! i have  somehow managed to delete all my files!!? i have tried to recover them with little success.... as this task was working well for me i didn't want to abandon it and start something else, therefore had to start again!... On a positive note it was interesting to see how much i could remember from the fist batch of cards i created and how often i needed to refer to my sources..... i was pleased to find that i  managed to create most of them unaided and from memory, only checking they are correct before saving and moving on to the next one. I can definitely conclude from this that this task actually does work and has helped me to learn!! .... however it is still a pain having to redo all my my lost cards again!!!  bit fortunately due to my decision to use very little design to the card this helped a lot. 

The way inwhich i thought id learn this subject has differed massivly from how i am actually learning. I think my original learning goals were a bit idealistic or maybe how i thought i should learn? but in reality it just wasnt work out how i originally planned. I guess i originally saw learning as a linear process inwhich you do one thing after another to get to a certain point, however its im finding its actually elements working togeather and feeding into each other and going backwards and forwards which actually creates the learning. I do also understand that learning is different for everyone, so whats working for me might not necessarily work for another.

A positive i have got out of my journey so far is i do have some really good sources of infomation to work with which i can use as a point of reference and input, however i need to process this and create some kind of output..... Learning is a system!  

As i mentioned previously the posters idea i started off doing was on the right lines however wasnt working as there was just too much infomation being crammed onto one page and think i got too caught up with the look of the poster than the infomation i was putting down which wasnt helping me to learn.

I needed to do something with very little design involved which can be repeated quickly and which pulled togeather the basic principles of each topic i am investigating. It would also be nice at the end of this module to have something i could use later on as a learning/teacher resource.

I started to make flash cards with key points in mechaninal systems which i am learning. This was really helpful way of keeping me focused on the topic and having a purpose for investigation and reason for aquiring all this infomation. For example; if the card is for third class levers- i would start looking at source of infomation about them (written, video's, practcle exdamples etc.)  and  also revisiting sources i had looked at previously, digging out the best bits of infomation (core principles and concepts) and then process it in a way inwhich i could understand it most effectively and make my learning of the topic more successful.  

I did another mind map of what i can think in the spectrum of mechanical systems to see how much i could recall. I think this was a good method of reviewing how far id come since my first mind map and some of the new areas i had discoved, however i dont think it really demonstrates any deeper understanding of the topics ive mentioned.

I think mind maps are a good tool for getting started or just giving a quick over view of a idea's, they can be as brief or extension as you wish but give you a good platform to work with.