Wiggling

More like squirming.  I agree with Lamb calling this the toughest phase for students (Callison's Blue Book p. 54).  I still am not too sure which way this project is leading.  Or maybe I am trying to overthink, I am definitely not used to free inquiry projects.  So many choices and I struggle with which to use, make, think about at any given time.  Backspace has been used heavily on this post!  

It shows me how my information Fluency needs some work.  Callison (Information Fluency, 2003) uses confidence, effiicience and effective as words to describe the information fluent.  I feel am short of that level by far.  

Perhaps a model of some sort or a table will help me see things from a different perspective but before I move to Weaving....I have to take my son to Wrestling - Hey that's a 9th W!

Webbing part 2

Well the Westmalle Tripel was worth the effort but I did not have the proper glass.  I needed a chalice like you see to the right.  Which as I am finding is very important to the experience.   Unfortunately this link is about all I can find about the glasses themselves.

http://globalbeer.com/body_pages/Texts/Glass&Beer/glasses.html

I may need to dig somewhere other than the web because the subject of the glasses is not really as deep as the information on Belgian Beer itself.   The glassware is what grabbed my interest but I find it fascinating that the Belgians produce so many different types of beer.  

Unfortunately, I am finding I cannot really verify the validity of the websites I am using.  Wikipedia had a little info and several resources listed to try.  But some of the other websites I've found, I cannot tell who authored them, so I am hesistant to use them or need to find other places to back what they are saying.  Authority on the web is a concern for me.  My first professor in Grad school was keen on Wikipedia, I have always been a doubter.  I am warming to it, but hesitant.   But now that I am more in tune to things like the resources at the bottom, I am more willing to visit a wikipedia page and do some browsing.  

Not quite ready to move to Wiggling.  But a few more questions came up in this stage:  Why do they brew beer in a monastery?  Why is there a Paton Saint of Brewing?    

Webbing

I really thought this stage would be look up stuff on the internet but I just couldn't maintain focus with all the distractions home has to offer.  Unfortunately one of those distractions isn't a Belgian Wheat Beer.  So I headed to the local library and did this one old school.  

In the catalog I searched Belgian Beer.   Beer.  Belgium.  Just to get an idea of what the library had to offer.  I wrote down 641 and 914.93 and headed to the stacks to browse.

Knowing that Michael Jackson is one of the experts in beer, I chose one of his books, "World Guide to Beer" along with "Encyclopedia of Beer" and one other that I didn't really find useful in scope and I didn't even write down what it was.  Plus I added Brew Chem 101 because in an email  correspondence with Dr. Lamb, she hinted that the chemical reaction of beer might make a good topic.  But this book was targeted at Home Brewing... And I really don't know much about chemistry anyway.  

I did find one Travel Guide that had an extensive section on Belgian Beer, reenforcing my thought of Belgian Beer being a big part of the culture.  One of the key things I learned about Belgian Beer in this stage is that Belgian brewing is an art.  Or as the natives say "Brouwen is een kunst."  

Also among the things that fell into the "web" were: ingredients and how culture and economics play a role in what is used and what certain countries can produce, Belgian beers are traditionally unfiltered and have yeast or sugars added, and that there are several monasteries that brew beers, 5 of the 6 Trappist Beer's in the world are made in Belgian monasteries.  (What's a trappist beer?  Have I had one of those yet?  Can I use that for project 2?)  I had questions like these for many of the tidbits I came up with.  I still focued on finding out about the glasses that they are served in.  I found the different types of glasses and what purpose they serve, mainly the size and shape is for the sensory experience of the consumer.    

Possbily I am on my way into recursion as discussed by Stripling.  I still want to know more about the glasses and how each beer has their own specific kind.  So I will look more into the glassware.  

OK enough, I'm thirsty, both for more knowledge and a beverage, off to web some more, this time on the web.  

Watching

I've decided on Beer.  But I have to narrow that down.  My most recent bad experience with a beer was being served a Belgian style beer, Fat Tire,  in a tall frosted glass.  I really didn't care for it.  I had the same beer before in a Fat Tire glass and I liked it.  So what made the difference?  I know this particular beer is not made in Belgium, but that shouldn't be a factor in my liking it.  I know many Belgian beers have glasses with the brand on them in all shapes and sizes.  I guess I figured this was advertising or branding.  Is there a reason for the shape?  Does that affect the taste?  Or was it too cold?  Or both?  I should mention I am part Belgian, (with a lot of other things sprinkeld in) so this is part of my heritage.  

I've mentioned I am back in school.  I graduated from IU in 1993, since Information Inquiry was developed by Callison in 1991 (Blue Book On Information Age Inquiry, Instruction and Literacy, pg. 5), it's no wonder I didn't hear about it until now.  The internet was in it's infancy when I was in college, so instant information was not as accessible.  But I can relate to Kulhthau, Information Search Process Model, many of the feelings listed apply here.  Especially in selection, I had bouts with confusion and anxiety but have moved to elation and anticipation as I ponder Belgian Beer.

Project One

This is the first post for my project one and I am definitely dazed and confused, juggling three classes is proving to be too much at the moment because I can't seem to focus on one at any given time.  It has been too long since I have been in school.  Oh well, I should stop complaining and work.  I think I have narrowed down my topics to the following: Lacrosse, Civil War, Beer.  I am pretty good at jumping off springboards, not literally, but figuratively.  Dr. Lamb gave me a few suggestions and Civil War was one of them.  

Yes I have often been fascinated by the Civil War and really have only skimmed the surface of this topic.  But this topic is very broad and I am not sure it will hold my interest if I try to narrow it.  

Beer is starting to bubble to the top.  And why not, I like it.  There are a lot of questions I can come up to study, When was it created, how many types are there, how is it made, what comprises the different types, etc.  

Lacrosse has some personal interest because my oldest son played for the first time last year.  I was able to follow the game, but there were some things I did not understand.  At the initial meeting we were told that it was played by the native americans and also has ties to the creation of basketball.  But I cannot come up with a lot of questions besides the normal who, what, when, where and how.  All good questions but I don't see much more depth than that.  

I will ponder this a little further...