Monday, October 6, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
Wishing
Sept. 26, 2008
First of all, I wish I hadn't had to redo my project. I also wish that I would have posted my entries in this blog as I wrote them, instead of having to transfer them from paper. I also wish I had been more focused on what I was actually looking for in the beginning. I have so much research and spent so much time on articles, books, and webpages that I didn't really need. I also wish that I would have spent less time in my Wondering phase and more time in Wiggling and Weaving. I'd also spend more time writing about those processes.
However, this was really enjoyable. It was strange, and I'll admit it, a little scary to begin without knowing where I was going to end up. I had no idea what my topic would be, what I would want to know about it, or what I would do with what I found. I understand children's distress with these different inquiry models. Most of your educational career is spent being given specific assignments with specific requirements. It's hard to not have your end project in mind when you begin. I think my project could be more detailed, but overall, I like it.
Before this project, my approach to inquiry was to have an end in mind and skip right to it. I would find information that met what standards I put in place with the end in mind. I like to know what the final product should look like. When writing a paper, I usually copy and paste the requirements into a Word document, then fill in the spaces with information. I do transitions, then I delete the requirements. Before this, I didn't do any concept mapping. I still don't really enjoy concept mapping, but I understand its value and can appreciate how it helped me. I think it is a good idea to introduce students to this process. Perhaps if I had been, I would have been more comfortable with it initially. Also, it helps them think more freely and critically. Now I want to teach this process at my library!
First of all, I wish I hadn't had to redo my project. I also wish that I would have posted my entries in this blog as I wrote them, instead of having to transfer them from paper. I also wish I had been more focused on what I was actually looking for in the beginning. I have so much research and spent so much time on articles, books, and webpages that I didn't really need. I also wish that I would have spent less time in my Wondering phase and more time in Wiggling and Weaving. I'd also spend more time writing about those processes.
However, this was really enjoyable. It was strange, and I'll admit it, a little scary to begin without knowing where I was going to end up. I had no idea what my topic would be, what I would want to know about it, or what I would do with what I found. I understand children's distress with these different inquiry models. Most of your educational career is spent being given specific assignments with specific requirements. It's hard to not have your end project in mind when you begin. I think my project could be more detailed, but overall, I like it.
Before this project, my approach to inquiry was to have an end in mind and skip right to it. I would find information that met what standards I put in place with the end in mind. I like to know what the final product should look like. When writing a paper, I usually copy and paste the requirements into a Word document, then fill in the spaces with information. I do transitions, then I delete the requirements. Before this, I didn't do any concept mapping. I still don't really enjoy concept mapping, but I understand its value and can appreciate how it helped me. I think it is a good idea to introduce students to this process. Perhaps if I had been, I would have been more comfortable with it initially. Also, it helps them think more freely and critically. Now I want to teach this process at my library!
Waving!
Sept. 26, 2008
So the project is done. I did the compare/contrast comic strip using Comic Life. I thought of a couple different ways to share it. The first way is to post it to this blog. The second way is to publish it on GoogleDocs or something similar. After advice from a classmate (Thanks, Gracia!), I am going to attempt to post it here. Wish me luck!
Amish Life
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
My Life
Page 7
Page 8
Page 9
Page 10
Page 11
Page 12
So the project is done. I did the compare/contrast comic strip using Comic Life. I thought of a couple different ways to share it. The first way is to post it to this blog. The second way is to publish it on GoogleDocs or something similar. After advice from a classmate (Thanks, Gracia!), I am going to attempt to post it here. Wish me luck!
Amish Life
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
My Life
Page 7
Page 8
Page 9
Page 10
Page 11
Page 12
Challenges
Sept. 22, 2008
I had a project that I really liked. It was the Comic Life project I explained earlier. However, I had it saved on a flash drive. I was working on it at my computer at the library I work at. Then we had a windstorm that knocked the power out in most of the county. The library was one of the first places that regained power. Consequently, we had tons of people in and out of the place. Every outlet was used to charge cell phones and plug in laptops. I forgot to lock my flash drive in my drawer, and had left it in my computer. The next day, I realized that it was missing - I can only guess that someone tried to use my outlet and saw it there and felt the need to take it home with them. I can only imagine what they thought of my amazing comic strip, my music collection, a lot of my research on this topic, and my photos of a trip to Myrtle Beach. Anyway, I got to start over from scratch. Luckily, I was given an extension, which I am SO grateful for. With a library conference yesterday and today, and my mom's heart surgery on Thursday, I totally needed it.
I had a project that I really liked. It was the Comic Life project I explained earlier. However, I had it saved on a flash drive. I was working on it at my computer at the library I work at. Then we had a windstorm that knocked the power out in most of the county. The library was one of the first places that regained power. Consequently, we had tons of people in and out of the place. Every outlet was used to charge cell phones and plug in laptops. I forgot to lock my flash drive in my drawer, and had left it in my computer. The next day, I realized that it was missing - I can only guess that someone tried to use my outlet and saw it there and felt the need to take it home with them. I can only imagine what they thought of my amazing comic strip, my music collection, a lot of my research on this topic, and my photos of a trip to Myrtle Beach. Anyway, I got to start over from scratch. Luckily, I was given an extension, which I am SO grateful for. With a library conference yesterday and today, and my mom's heart surgery on Thursday, I totally needed it.
Wrapping
Sept. 15, 2008
What do I want to do with what I've found? Well, at first I thought that I'd like to do a PowerPoint so that I can use all of those great visuals I've seen. That way, I could show them to a class to compare and contrast the Amish lifestyle with theirs. Then maybe they could make their own - researching the Amish and taking a closer look at how they live.
However, I like PowerPoints, but I do them all the time. I'm pretty good at them, if I do say so myself. It's a very quick process for me. I thought that maybe I should try a process, or a software that I'd never tried using before. Comic Life had looked interesting. I thought that I would like to try it. Also, I think that students would really like it - it would be different for them, too. I downloaded a free trial. This will be a great way to present visuals and facts as well.
What do I want to do with what I've found? Well, at first I thought that I'd like to do a PowerPoint so that I can use all of those great visuals I've seen. That way, I could show them to a class to compare and contrast the Amish lifestyle with theirs. Then maybe they could make their own - researching the Amish and taking a closer look at how they live.
However, I like PowerPoints, but I do them all the time. I'm pretty good at them, if I do say so myself. It's a very quick process for me. I thought that maybe I should try a process, or a software that I'd never tried using before. Comic Life had looked interesting. I thought that I would like to try it. Also, I think that students would really like it - it would be different for them, too. I downloaded a free trial. This will be a great way to present visuals and facts as well.
Wiggling & Weaving
Sept. 13, 2008
Some great webpages I found:
(I tried to link them, but it didn't work. That's how it goes.)
Amish Heartland
http://www.amish-heartland.com
Pathfinder from the Cuyahoga Public Library
http://www.cuyahogalibrary.org/stdbackpage.aspx?id=12971
"Learning About the Amish" Pathfinder
http://www.ilile.org/instructionalRes/Pathfinders/Amish.htm
The Amish & the Plain People
http://www.800padutch.com/amish.shtml
Amish.net
http://www.amish.net/
Paper about Amish Courtship Practices
http://web.missouri.edu/~hartmanj/rs150/papers/ws993-1.html
BBC on the Amish
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/subdivisions/amish_1.shtml
Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia
http://www.gameo.org/
Religious Movements Homepage
http://web.archive.org/web/20060907005952/http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/relmove/
Amish Acres
http://www.amishacres.com/
Like InfoZone's "Choosing" and "Connecting", I have to sort through the information I've found to determine what is good and will really help me with my topic. Some of the webpages I found were interesting. There were a lot of "Frequently Asked Questions" webpages. However, a lot of them were repetitive and hard to tell where the information came from. I had to weed those out. These are the winners, basically. Other sources: the books mentioned before, and an amazing video: The Amish: A People of Preservation from PBS 1992.
Some great webpages I found:
(I tried to link them, but it didn't work. That's how it goes.)
Amish Heartland
http://www.amish-heartland.com
Pathfinder from the Cuyahoga Public Library
http://www.cuyahogalibrary.org/stdbackpage.aspx?id=12971
"Learning About the Amish" Pathfinder
http://www.ilile.org/instructionalRes/Pathfinders/Amish.htm
The Amish & the Plain People
http://www.800padutch.com/amish.shtml
Amish.net
http://www.amish.net/
Paper about Amish Courtship Practices
http://web.missouri.edu/~hartmanj/rs150/papers/ws993-1.html
BBC on the Amish
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/subdivisions/amish_1.shtml
Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia
http://www.gameo.org/
Religious Movements Homepage
http://web.archive.org/web/20060907005952/http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/relmove/
Amish Acres
http://www.amishacres.com/
Like InfoZone's "Choosing" and "Connecting", I have to sort through the information I've found to determine what is good and will really help me with my topic. Some of the webpages I found were interesting. There were a lot of "Frequently Asked Questions" webpages. However, a lot of them were repetitive and hard to tell where the information came from. I had to weed those out. These are the winners, basically. Other sources: the books mentioned before, and an amazing video: The Amish: A People of Preservation from PBS 1992.
Webbing
Sept. 11, 2008
First of all, I realized that my last entry was "Curriculum Connections." More appropriately, it should have been "Connections with Standards" or something like that, but I'll leave it so this process and my bewilderment are represented. I did some webbing earlier, with my concept map. However, looking at that made me pretty overwhelmed - and I'm not in 4th grade! Consequently, I've narrowed down some of the questions I'd like to find the answers to. Most of them really just focus on the differences between my lifestyle (or perhaps the lifestyles of students) and the lifestyles of the amish. Of course, as I gather research, I find that not all amish people are alike, which is good, since not all of the "English" are alike.
What are the differences between my religion/church and Amish religion/church?
What are the differences between my (and those close to me) relationships and Amish relationships?
What are the differences between my everyday life and the everyday life of the Amish?
Are the Amish forced to follow certain rules?
InfoZone's "Seeking" phase is very close to what I'm doing now. I'm thinking of keywords, types of sources, and search engines to use in this quest. I expect that most of my information will be found online or in books. One keyword I expect to use is "ordnung." Some websites I can look for may be from amish supporters, websites about religions, television news channels, or even tourist sites. I'm going to also use some of the subject pathfinders finders on the Information Inquiry website. I'm excited about what I'll find!
First of all, I realized that my last entry was "Curriculum Connections." More appropriately, it should have been "Connections with Standards" or something like that, but I'll leave it so this process and my bewilderment are represented. I did some webbing earlier, with my concept map. However, looking at that made me pretty overwhelmed - and I'm not in 4th grade! Consequently, I've narrowed down some of the questions I'd like to find the answers to. Most of them really just focus on the differences between my lifestyle (or perhaps the lifestyles of students) and the lifestyles of the amish. Of course, as I gather research, I find that not all amish people are alike, which is good, since not all of the "English" are alike.
What are the differences between my religion/church and Amish religion/church?
What are the differences between my (and those close to me) relationships and Amish relationships?
What are the differences between my everyday life and the everyday life of the Amish?
Are the Amish forced to follow certain rules?
InfoZone's "Seeking" phase is very close to what I'm doing now. I'm thinking of keywords, types of sources, and search engines to use in this quest. I expect that most of my information will be found online or in books. One keyword I expect to use is "ordnung." Some websites I can look for may be from amish supporters, websites about religions, television news channels, or even tourist sites. I'm going to also use some of the subject pathfinders finders on the Information Inquiry website. I'm excited about what I'll find!
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