Upon completion of this project I feel relieved but also energized. I learned a lot about the process of inquiry and how messy it really is. It was a new thing for me. Much of the process forced me to use things that were new. Things I will need to learn and be able to show when I graduate. (Delicious, Bubbl.us, Powerpoint) I am very lucky to have classmates that are teachers already. Many of you steered me in one way or another. My experience with personal inquiry is probably similar to a child or young adult since this is the first time I have done something like this. However, I hope I know the where to look a little better. I can see there are things being used in classrooms today when I was working on bubbl.us, the brainstorming/mapping site, my 11 year old son walked by and said "Dad are you doing an idea web? We do those all the time!" School has changed in the last 20 years, or at least there is a push to change how information is sought, processed and presented.
However I also learned it is best to be more open at the beginning of this process. At the onset, I was so focused on the glassware angle that it mislead a lot of my research. And then to find out it really isn't that big of a deal according to an expert who lives in Belgium didn't help me feel too good about my original line of questioning. I would have been better served exploring more questions at the onset and may have gone a totally different direction. As I look through all the materials I compiled, the use of yeast, different strands of yeast and how the yeast works in the process of beer is just one area I could have explored more. Especially since the Belgians use of yeast is considered one thing where they stand above the rest of the world in how they produce beer.
The biggest challenge of the process was lack of reallly good resources at libraries at my disposal. I could have done a better job expolring other libraries for more materials. But time and distance made that difficult. Since this wasn't so much a scholarly topic there was little journal literature to use as well. This challenge weakened the overall product in my opinion. Had I gone more into the science of beer or the culture of Belgium, I probably could have done more with IUPUI's resources. The internet became my safety net.
But that is a good thing to remember. Students will have limited resources and abilities. Knowing what they have to work with both physically and mentally is a must when considering the curriculum. In the Blue Book, Callison stressed the importance of improving library skills, levels of learning, technology skills and media literacy skills as they relate to the inquiry process.
I really saw the value of the blog in this process and I think that is the most valuable part, not only my personal one, but having to sift through my peer's work as well. That is where I feel this project works for all levels of learning. Perhaps the younger ages would be better suited to just do a log or journal of their thoughts. But older students 5-12 probably could handle blog entries as it relates to the process and the project. But the ideas they get from collaboration is where I feel the learning process sprung to life. It sends you in directions you may not have seen on your own.
I feel this project works within the guidelines of standard 9 from the INFORMATION LITERACY STANDARDS FOR STUDENT LEARNING, or the old AASL standards that Indiana still uses according to Dr. Lamb.
The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and participates effectively in groups to pursue and generate information.
9.1 Shares knowledge and information with others
9.2 Respects others’ ideas and backgrounds and acknowledges their contributions
9.3 Collaborates with others, both in person and through technologies, to identify information problems and to seek their solutions
9.4 Collaborates with others, both in person and through technologies, to design, develop, and evaluate information products and solutions
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