settlements, communities and old dawgs

Project planner for information inquiry

2010-10-03T11:52:00.000-07:00

The project planner for the information inquiry project is a GoogleDoc. It took me awhile to find the appropriate help information but I did find it and here it is.

https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0Aio3C_44Nom7dFI3bVlnQkREelRrNXBxMzhFNjdpZFE&hl=en&output=html

Reflections and Connections

2010-10-02T15:06:00.000-07:00

I promised a morning post in the last blog. This is a morning blog just not the morning I intended. This entry is about tying up an information inquiry project. The last step in Dr. Lamb's 8Ws inquiry process is Wishing: assessing, evaluating and reflecting on the process and the product. How did the project go and what are the possibilities for the future.

A supervisor I worked for years ago constantly reminded those of us who worked for him/with him that learning was a process of errors. To understand the significance of that statement in this context, I have to provide some background. The background is this. The principal wants to have a student produced TV news program once a week. This task has been assigned to me. In discussing the idea, it was recognized that to get started we needed to know if there was any student interest. An announcement was made, some posters were placed in high traffic areas and a meeting was held. 19 students attended. At the end of two weeks 26 had expressed interest. Now I am really good at coming up with ideas for projects and being able to define things that need to be done. I am not good at planning the details and as you know that's where the devil dwells. I have had frequent encounters with the devil and don't like having to deal with those kinds of problems. Personally, I like working alone. It's not that I can't work with others or that I have social issues. I am not a person who can inspire and motivate others to do something simple much less hitch their wagon to a star. I find it extremely frustrating to present an idea to a group of people who say they are interested and learn once again that the group is very capable of building castles in the air but see no way to build from the ground to the magnificience of the vision they created. (I know they need leadership, coaching etc. and that's part of my responsibility, the part I am really not good at. I apologize for the ending preposition.) I know I not only have to perform, there has to be a product and a good one at that.

The last piece of background information is that our students are pretty involved in sports, band, speech, and other clubs and organizations. There is never a time when a meeting can be held where everyone can attend. The excitment and enthusiasm of the first meeting had everyone talking at once and no one listening. This I had not anticipated. Step one was complete. I knew who was interested and I knew that they had ideas. I also learned that they had no sense of the practical. On to step two: solve the problems of communication and coordination.

After conversation with the school's IT, we decided that a blog attached to our school's website would give everyone opportunity to post ideas. It took a whole day and some tweeking for days afterward to get a working blog established. Another meeting was called so students could login to the site make comments and see how this was going to work. There was immediate posting and discussion activity. Many ideas were posted but no one volunteered to begin working on an idea that would become part of the news program.

After reporting progress to the priincipal, a date for first broadcast was set. The blog site while it had activity and good ideas were posted, the majority of those who expressed interested were not contributing to the blog. So announcements were made to encourage the interested to visit the blog and contribute. I posted a list of tasks that needed to be accomplished in order to get to the first broadcast and encouraged volunteers to come forward. No volunteers. Problem #3: Motiviation. What kept students from doing something they said they were excited about doing? Maybe they didn't know how to get started. Maybe there was some fear of the unknown, some fear of failing. I turned to the blog site and announced that I was available to teach, coach, advise, assist and help anyone that wanted to do something but didn't know where to begin. I addressed the idea of making mistakes as part of the learning process and part of the fun. I tried to assure visitors and participants that mistakes were acceptable and that there could be no failure.   I want volunteers and not forced labor. I don't know the students well enough to know who is capable of what. I believe that their volunteering is a sign of ownership and sincere interest. I have posted a calendar showing the tentitive times when tasks need to be done. I posted a list of tasks and made an announcement that students should visit the website and take action. Two cameras went out at the second group meeting and one was taken as a result of the last announcement. That takes care of the background.

Now for reflection and connection. Our students and myself included need assurance and security because they lack self-confidence in the task of problem solving.  In general I think students have been conditioned with threats and failure in every academic challenge. No learning opportunity associated with school in my experience has ever been so constructed that students could feel secure as they faced the challenge of the unknown. Until recently, in education generally has there been an emphasis on the skills of problem solving and critical thinking. These are new "habits of mind". Carol Kuhlthau has contributed significantly to what is known about the learning process having identified the feelings that are experienced in every phase of an open ended learning activity. I have learned that these feelings cannot be ignored. They are very real even when they are not (or cannot be) verbalized.

In my own school and even in my own classes in the past these feelings are not and were not taken into account. It has been assumed and expected that students come to us with the necessary skills and confidence to learn and accept new challenges. I regret that I am just now beginning to realize what it means to create an environment that nurtures learning and creativity. I am of the opinion that pressure to meet academic standards has corrupted the profession and to our shame has put our students at risk because we have bored them and provided no safe haven in which to make mistakes and get them corrected without severe consequences.

While I am behind in my class for professional development (my apologies and regrets to Dr. Lamb) I have had an opportunity presented to me to develop a learning activity that will have a weekly product. To meet the need for scaffolding and support, I made sure that the last blog posting for my students was clear on my desire and availability to help them realize their ideas. I developed a bibliography of websites that provided information on conducting interviews that have been linked to our blog page within the school's website and as I have earlier mentioned, made a list of tasks that need to be done and a calendar to give students a sense of timing for the production of the first broadcast that will be successful even if not totally polished.

As part of my personal jouney of information inquiry, I was to "describe how this project could be translated into a curricular experience for children with examples for two age groups and identify specific student learning standards and/or proficiencies". While my personal inquiry journey was about understanding, obtaining, installing and using a new computer operating system, this was the avenue that motivated me to inquire, think critically and gain knowledge. According to the standards for the 21st century learner, standard #1 is inquire, think critically and gain knowledge. In a curricular setting The American Library Association of School Librarians publication Standards for the 21st Century Learner in Action describes nine skill benchmarks for the standard inquire, think critically and gain knowledge. The benchmarks apply to all age groups. They are as follows:
1. Follow an inquiry-based process... make real world connection for using this process in own life.
2. Use prior knowledge as context for new learning.
3. Develop and refine a range of questions to frame the search for new understanding.
4. Find, evaluate, and select appropriate sources to answer questions.
5. Evaluate information found in selected sources on the basis of accuracy, validity, appropriateness for
     needs, importance, and social and cultural context.
6. Read, view, and listen for information presented in any format in order to make inferences and gather
     meaning.
7. Make sense of information gathered from diverse sources by identifying misconceptions, main and
     supporting ideas, conflicting information and point of view or bias.
8. Demonstrate mastery of technology tool for accessing information and pursuing inquiry.
9. Collaborate with others to broaden and deepen understanding.

For a curricular project designed for grade five the behavioral indicators for the above identified benchmarks are:
1. The student will generate questions and practice different ways to locate and evaluate sources that provide needed information
2. connect ideas or topics to their own interests, articulate what is known..., with guidance generate a list of keywords, identify and use appropriate sources to acquire background information, predict answers to inquiry questions based on background knowledge and beginning observations or experiences.
3. With guidance formulate questions about the topic. Assess questions to determine which can be answered by simple facts, which cannot be answered and which would lead to an interesting inquiry. Revise the question or problem as needed to arrive at a manageable topic.
4.Understand the library's organizational scheme and what main topics are included in each section. Select and use appropriate sources including specialized reference sources and databases to answer question. Use multiple resources: print, electronic, human, to locate information. Use organizational structure of a book to locate information that answers questions. Use text features and illustrations to decide which resources are best to use and why.
5. Skim/scan to locate information appropriate to age and ability level. Identify facts and details that support the main idea. Evaluate facts for accuracy, Distinquish between fact and opinion. Interpret information taken from maps,graphs, charts and other visuals. Select information to answer questions or solve a problem.
6. Use various note-taking strategies. Paraphrase and summarize information, draw conclusions based on facts and premises
7. Recognize when facts from two different sources conflict and seek additional sources to verify accuracy. Recognize own misconceptions when new information conflicts with previously held opinions.
8. Search an online catalog to locate materials, use selected websites and periodical databases to find appropriate information, use delected search engines to find appropriate information, use software or online tools to record and organize information.
9. Work in teams to produce original works or solve problems. Respect the opinions of others through active listening and questioning.

While the benchmarks are the same for senior as for students in the fifth grade, the behaviors are more sophisticated for grade twelve. By grade twelve the students will be able to...
1. independently and systematically use an inquiry-based process to deepen content, knowledge, connect academic learning with the real world, pursue personal interests and investigate opportunities for personal growth.
2. explore general information sources to increase familiarity with the topic or question, review the initial information need to develop, clarify, revise or refine the question, compare new background information with prior knowledge to determine direction and focus of new learning.
3. recognize that the purpose of the inquiry determines the type of questions and the type of thinking required, explore problems or questions for which there are multiple answers or no "best" answer, review the initial information need to clarify, revise or refine the questions.
4. identify the value of and differences among potential resources in a variety of formats, Use various search systems to retrieve information in a variety of formats, seek and use a variety of specialized resources available from libraries, the Web, and the community, describe criteria used ot make resource decisions and choices.
5. evaluate historical information for validity of interpretation and scientific information for accuracy and reliability of data, recognize the social, cultural, or other context within which the information was created and explain the impact of context on tnterpreting the information, use consciously selected criteria to determine whether the information contradicts or verifies information from other sources.
6.   restate concepts in their own words and select appropriate data accurately, integrate new information presented in various formats with previous information or knowledge, analyze initial synthesis of findings and construct new hypotheses or generalizations if warranted, challenge ideas represented and make notes of questions to pursue in additional sources.
7. create a system to organize the information, analyze the structure and logic of supporting arguments or methods, analyze information for prejudice, deception or manipulation, investigate different viewpoints encountered and determine whether and how to incorporate or reject these viewpoints, compensate for the effect of point of view and bias by seeking alternative perspectives.
8. select the most apppropriate technologies to access and retrieve the needed information, use various technologies to organize and manage the information selected, create their own electronic learning spaces by collecting and organizing links to information resources, working collaboratively and sharing new ideas and understandings with others.
9. model social skills and character traits that advance a team's ability to identify issues and problems and to work together on solutions and products, design and implement projects that include participation from diverse groups.

It is obvious that regardless of grade level, the process is rigorous and demanding. In The Blue Book on Information Age Inquiry, Instruction and Literacy, Daniel Callison writes regarding the demands of the information inquiry process "that the skill sets ... will seem demanding and beyond the norm.... Wise use of information is not an easy task." Because the demands of the process are formidable Callison says that "these more challenging skills and methods" are no reason to conclude that they should not be adopted. He continues, "Teaching is the opportunity to provide meaningful situations for learners to experiment and deal with information problems" and "It is essential... that current and future teachers master the Information Inquiry Process...." My own experience with this process confirms it's rigors and demands and the need to master the process for myself.

Included in the Waving process is the assessment of both process and product. This project required that I read the blogs of others and respond constructively to at least three peers, and use at least four technology based tools. I did read the blogs of others but I did not respond to any because until now I did not realize that the communication was about the process and not the content. As I read the projects I knew I was doing good to get information for my own project much less contributing information that would help others with their project. Communication was to be significant not just a formality. I was focused on the project more than the process. Points lost there.

Regarding the electronic tools, I used three and part of a fourth. The fourth tool I used partially was to get information by an e-mail, listserv, webmaster or forum to communicate with someone for questioning related to my investigation. I acquired information related to my project from forums and postings published on line without having to create an account in order to ask a question that had already been addressed.

In concluding this portion of my blog, I want to address some quick observations and issues. I am not a good multitasker. I don't think many students are either. The stress I felt was enormous trying to work out the problems of starting a TV news project and complete the requirements of this project at the same time. If process skills are going to be taught not only is there the need for a safe and supporting environment, the process would be more effective and efficient if teachers collaborated across disciplines to implement information inquiry projects. Content concepts would be developed for two subject areas at least using one set of process skills. And last, I realize I have been the beneficiary of a collaborative effort. The Ubuntu operating system I installed was a product of international collaboration and communication. By patient exploration of documents and forums made available on line, I was able to find information that informed and provided a variety of steps for solving problems along the way. While I was willing to create an account so I could make an inquiry, I did not want to receive a response that directed me to something already published. I do intend to create an account and avail myself of the forums as I continue to use use this operating system. While I was successful in installing the operating system, there are parts that I want that I am not sure were installed with the particular edition I used. There has not been time for me to continue this project.

Learning to this point in my professional development has been significant and profound. Mind bog-a-ling even. Learning continues and of course so do the mistakes. Logging out until next time.

Loose Ends

2010-09-27T18:50:00.000-07:00

The last leg of the personal inquiry journey includes Dr. Lamb's Wrapping, Waving and Wishing. I chose a technical project because I had previously tried to install an operating system that was not a Microsoft product without any success. I was still interested but just did not take the time to investigate why the installation was not successful. This project provided the opportunity to take the time and to be more systematic in my approach to gathering information. I have made more use of my Google account and done more with Google docs than with any other assignment. I used an Open Office document to list questions to explore and an activity planner to help me get done before deadline. I was able to load some documents from the web to my Google documents So they would be accessible from my iPhone. (Reading document from the iPhone will take some getting use to.)

I think this project was important to do for at least two reasons. First, I am bothered by the fact that any new computer being sold today comes with a Microsoft bundle included. As I have gotten to know computers and the multitude of tasks they can perform, I realize that I am not a power user. I cannot afford top of the line mulitmedia software and if I could, there would be more bells and whistles than I could use without lots of opportunity to practice. Too much to spend for something that would not be used to capacity. I have used an open source audio editing program called Audacity that has worked very well for me. Using Audacity did not make me wish I could go back to a professional audio software whose capabilities were substantial when my need was minimal. Installing an operating system and software that are open source is an opportunity to try more things without the expense (or the regret) of purchasing more than I need. Open source software allows me to have tools available for occasional use, tools that will be regularly updated and will not need to be purchased again when it is no longer supported.

A second reason this project was important is that I will be able to advise students about this alternative to Microsoft products. Our youngest daughter now a college senior has used open source software for every paper she has had to do as an English major.

I have posted a power point presentation to communicate what Ubuntu is, what it does, what an operating system is and what an operating system does. What I had to do to get the software installed, the resources that were used and what remains to be done. (I am completely amazed that I was able to move the power point into Picasa and get it into my blog, I think it was magic.)

The remaining steps of the information inquiry process are Wrapping: choosing, planning and creating a product. Waving: communicating with an audience and Wishing: assessing the project and reflecting on the process of information inquiry. Posting the power point presentation to my blog demonstrates the Wrapping and the Waving part of the inquiry process. The assessment of the project and the process (Wishing) will occur in the morning edition of this blog.

I am going to try to get my activity planner to post as an example of an organizational resource Google makes available. My attempt was not successful which means that I need more information to get from Google docs to the blog. I thought I would be able to address all the loose ends in this blog but there are a few left to address. I will do that in the morning post.

Ubuntu Project

2010-09-27T18:06:00.000-07:00

An adventure with a cross-country klunker

2010-09-26T16:22:00.000-07:00

This project I am about to describe and reflect on was about the experience of using a process of information inquiry to learn something that was personally interesting to me. The process I was to engage was developed by IU professor Dr. Annette Lamb called the 8Ws. The process involves watching, wondering, webbing, wiggling, weaving, wrapping, and waving.

For information to be important there has to be a need for information. Watching is about exploring, "becoming more in tune with the world" through observation, reading, listening, discussing etc. Wondering is about asking questions. It's about taking inventory of the things you know and have observed as a way to define a topic for exploration. Choosing a topic was difficult because I came to realize that I was not really interested in anything that was going to take time if there was not a real and personally significant and practical purpose for whatever I was going to investigate. I discussed ideas with my wife and brother who offered possibilities. The ideas we discussed were significant but not ones I was ready to commit time to at present nor did I want to deal with the emotional issues that would be involved.

I finally decided to find a solution to a problem I encountered while trying unsuccessfully to install a new operating system on a retired but functional laptop.  From a discussion of computer operating systems I had had with the school's IT, I learned of an open source operating system called Ubuntu Studio that was said to be developed especially for those interested in multimedia production. I downloaded the software, burned a disk and began the installation process. The software loaded and nothing looked familiar and nothing would work until an Internet connection could be made. The computer could not access my home wireless system. After repeated and unsuccessful efforts to get connected to my network, I just abandoned the project because there was no real need or urgency. Just an experiment that failed. That was nearly two years ago.

As I noted in an earlier post to this blog, I had to get serious about what I knew and what I didn't know in order to be able to find a solution for an unsuccessful installation. Finding information was not difficult. Ubuntu's website was well organized and easily navigated. However it took a lot of searching, reading of explanations and looking up definitions of terms. Webbing (reading, viewing, listening, searching, identifying useful information), Wiggling (accepting, incorporating, rejecting information, evaluating information resources) and Weaving (synthesizing, processing information) became time consuming activities but because I knew I was in the right place and finding relevent information, it took time not so much to find the information as in trying to decide what I needed. The instructions said to download the software and burn a disk for installation. Over all five attempts were made to get a successful download of the software. (4 gigs takes a long time to download even with a cable connection to the Internet) Instructions said the computer would boot and install the new software directly from the disk if the boot sequence were immediately interrupted when the computer was powered on and the optical disk drive was entered as the primary boot source.  Three disks and three attempts were made to boot the computer from the burned disks. None worked. I went back to the Ubuntu website looking for what to look for and what to do to determine if the burned disk was without error. There were a couple of programs offered to check the burned disk for error. They sounded complicated and confusing and I wasn't sure that pursuing those options would be successful. I did discover a Ubuntu webpage that offered screen shots of what the files should look like if the optical drive were opened. That test revealed that three burned disks were defective. I made a fourth try to download the latest release of an Ubuntu operating system that was not specifically the "Studio" version I was wanting. The computer must have run the download most of the night. After reaching school the next day, I immediately burned a disk and opened the drive to view the written files. Success at last. Not the operating system I wanted but at this point I was wanting to see if anything could be successfully installed on the waiting computer.

Arriving home that evening, I was able to boot and install directly from the disk as the instructions said I could. I began to test the software that was included in the download.  Every program opened successfully except Foxfire, the web browser. I discovered the wireless radio in the computer did not seem to be functioning, hardwiring the computer to my network allowed me to connect to the Internet where I discovered there were 292 updates to the April 2010 version that had just been installed. I instructed the computer to execute a download and I went to bed. Not until I came home from school did I discover that the program had been successfully updated. While I have a successful installation of an open source operating system and opensource software that to this point opens all my Windows creations, it is not the Studio version that I want. I have a "Studio" disk that burned successfully. I have not attempted to install the contents of that disk because the information I have read leads me to believe that installing from that disk requires more attention from me than just interrupting the boot sequence.

What remains of the inquiry process according to Dr.Lamb is Wrapping (applying information for a solution or for meaning, creating a product), Waving (communicating, sharing ideas with an audience) finally, Wishing (adjusting for additional questioning, assessing the product and reflecting on the process). These will be discussed in the next post.

Reflecting on a personal journey of exploration

2010-09-25T17:49:00.000-07:00

For the last month I have been challenged to engage in "a personal journey of exploration". Something I was "truly interested in learning". As I embarked on this "journey", I was to keep a journal of my experiences. So, this blog became the place to document and reflect on this journey. This journey can best be described as a cross-country trek in a klunker.

Sadly, one of he most difficult parts of this project was getting started. Selecting a topic. This was discussed in an earlier blog but as I continue to think about the process of acquiring and using information, I am recognizing as a professional educator that I have let the profession take control of my life such that I feel that I have no life at all. I recognize that I am really the only one to blame, buuuuut.... it is really frustrating to come face to face with the fact that while there are hobbies and activities I enjoy, I have let my profession consume not only my life but my energy as well. Professor Lamb in her article Strong Nests, Successful Students: Skills and Strategies for 21st Century Learning suggests as a new strategy for learning that teachers should "shift your focus from designing instruction, to creating learning environments that immerse young people in information and technology". I have spent a lot of energy designing instruction because administrators in my experience want lesson plans designed to accommodate the academic standards for a discipline and a classroom schedule that shows what specific standard is being "taught" and when.

NCLB is noble in it's purpose. While the concern is for every child to be proficient in reading, writing and 'rithmatic, in my opinion, it has become a major obstacle to the implementation of "learning environments that immerse young people in information and technology". Carol Ann Tomlinson in writing about the goals of differentiated instruction says, "Real learners understand how learning works. They know how to make sense of text, how to listen, and how to ask questions. They know how to gauge their work based on criteria for success. They understand how to capitalize on their strengths and how to compensate for their weaknesses. They know how to plan, follow through with plans, modify plans when necessary, and evaluate the effectiveness of their planning. Through those avenues, they come to believe that they are captains of their own fate as learners. Teachers who differentiate for student ownership of learning guide each student in developing these abilities."

From my observations of students and classrooms where I am employed, I would say there are no "real learners" either among students or faculty, myself included. (This is not a judgement, just an observation. In defense of staff, everyone works hard, is well intentioned and tries to do what they perceive is best for the students.) It is frustrating to know the potential is there, to believe in the ability of every student to learn and the ability of teachers to teach but see students in every classroom starring off into space, or having their heads on their desks while the teacher attempts to communicate the facts and stimulate discussion (and this in a "private school"). Students are bored, teachers are dissatisfied with student response in class and on assignments.

As a library media specialist I would love to think I am "strategically positioned", "a key team member" "working together with teaching colleagues to examine curriculum from the perspective of thinking processes:" (Violet Harada, Empowered Learning: Fostering Thinking Across the Curriculum.) I would like to think I can truly make a significant difference in a school's learning atmosphere but I really have my doubts. Teachers are driven to produce students that perform well on standardized tests. The academic agenda is governed by "academic standards". Student's don't feel they have freedom to pursue things that really interest them and teachers feel they don't have the time to teach anything more than the standards set for the discipline. Students are bored. Teachers are exhausted. Administrators in my school don't stay long. (In nine years I have worked under five principals.) We are constantly charting new direction. Nothing is consistent.

So you are asking and I am thinking, "what's the point?". I am trying to get there. The focus of all my formal education has been on content. Facts. I realize that it is only in recent years that educational research has shown that teaching content alone is not enough. However, I am a product of that era of instruction. I am presently in a situation where that kind of instruction continues.  Several experiences have made indelible impressions on me and have shaped my attitudes as a teacher. First, an eighth grade teacher on the first day of class having never laid eyes on me before and after everyone in class had introduced themselves looked at me and said in front of the entire class, "You look like a troublemaker to me." Needless to say we had our problems. I have always preferred science courses over arts and humanities. It was not until I was a junior in college that I was given an assignment to design, execute and report the results of an original experiment in a physics class. I had plenty of laboratory experience but each lab exercise was prescribed. Then, as now, we were warned "follow instructions". "Do not attempt any experimentation without express permission from your instructor." I had no clue what to do for an experiment, much less how to design one. While still an undergrad, I worked one year as a newspaper photographer and another year as a lab tech in a bacteriology lab. After completing one photo assignment, I gave my film to the editor, told him I was done, he said I wasn't and I was to follow him. In 30 minutes he showed me how to process film and make prints. I was hooked. I sold my amateur radio equipment and began to buy cameras.

At the bacteriology lab, I would often come to work with my camera over my shoulder. The head of the lab took an interest in my interest in photography. He was a veteran photographer. He would look at my pictures and we would discuss each picture. He would show me his photographs, share photo magazines and invite me to meetings of the photographic division of the Kentucky Natural History Society. Not long thereafter, I was drafted. I joined the Air Force. A training instructor advised against my choice of a military medical career and suggested I take a "by-pass specialist" test in photography. I would be dismissed from a few hours of basic training. I agreed. I passed the test and became a military photographer. The military did not send me for additional training. I had never had formal training in photography, just the conversations with and the examples shown to me by Mr. Williams at the bacteriology lab and my brief newspaper experience.

From these experiences, I learned how the words of a teacher could impact a student's attitude and behavior, how little I knew about how science worked and how important it was to have or to be a mentor. This is the bottom line. No formal school experience taught me how to learn. Nothing focused on techniques to acquire and process information. No skills for critical thinking were taught directly. Yes, I did the research papers for English classes and for education classes but I was not required to pursue a topic of interest.  Topics were assigned. I did not have to interact on a personal level with any topic assigned. In the military I worked for the Aero-Space Audio-Visual Service. I worked for a short while with a team that developed audiovisual instructional materials used in the training of pilots for the largest transport plane in the Air Force inventory. Here I got to use my photography for the noble purpose of advancing the knowledge of others. I loved it. I decided education was where I wanted to be. There is more to the story but for the purpose of this blog there is no need to go further. I did not learn the skills of questioning, reading critically, observing and being aware of the world around me, analyzing, synthesizing, and constructing knowledge during the formative years of school. For me formal education was about career -- collecting facts that would make me proficient in my profession. As I began to teach science, I soon learned that my students like me years earlier had no understanding of how science worked. As I came to understand the process and approached my teaching from the point of raising questions in young minds and teaching them the process instead of drilling content, I was soon at odds with administrators because I could never successfully bridge the gap between process and content. I knew I didn't remember facts that I had only heard and never used in an "authentic" situation. I knew that the process was more critical than the facts because I felt (before research confirmed) that good process would produce good and significant content.

The skills for information inquiry require time and repeated practice. Though I know and understand the process of information inquiry, it has been quite a different matter for me to implement personally. One reason being that I have slipped into a survival mode, failing to make and take the time to feed and nourish personal interests outside of the classroom. Old habits are hard to break. Students in the high school where I am employed do not have the skills of information inquiry because they are not being taught when they enter pre-school, kindergarten and first grade to build on their natural ability to learn. They come to school with questions.  They come eager to learn. But learning comes today just as it did for me "back in the day" from the teacher's agenda to get the three Rs underway, not from the context of the questions that students brought with them when they came to school. Formal education in more cases than not in my experience has not done any favors for the students education believes it is serving because formal education while it talks about students first are focused on academic standards and standardized test performance. As teachers we recognize that students are struggling, we implement remedial programs but we fail to recognize that teaching and reinforcing the skills of learning as a means to academic content is what gives the student confidence to pursue knowledge. Without teaching the skills in an authentic context, we encourage boredom, mediocrity and often failure in our students. An occasional experience in inquiry learning is not enough to instill the skills necessary for life-long learning. I will address the specifics of my experience in the next posting.

Neither Dead Nor Slumbering (Just Learning New Tricks)

2010-09-21T14:36:00.000-07:00

There was and maybe still is a slogan for a particular brand of salt that said,"When it rains, it pours". May be you can relate. As I was working on adding a new operating system to a retired but functional laptop, my principal came to me, reminded me of a conversation we had months earlier and wanted to know what we needed to do to get rolling with the idea we had discussed -- a student run TV news program. I had not given it another thought past the original conversation. So the steady drizzle of things to do became a hurricane not only of things to do but things that needed to be done yesterday. So, while I have not posted in recent days it has not been procrastination or lack of interest. I have been learning new things.

As a result of the assignment to create a blog and post project progress and reflections on the process of information inquiry, I have (with the help of our IT) added a page to the school's website where students who have expressed interest in being part of the "TV News Experiment" can share ideas and work out details for developing a student run TV news program. No one in our school has attempted such a thing. I am the first. They think I am really innovative and a real techno-gooroo. To this point only the IT and I know better ( and you of course.) It is an inhouse blog. It took a whole day to work out the wrinkles and bugs that kept students from logging in and participating in the exchange of ideas. We are only 24 hours into this blogging part of our website. It will be interesting to see how students respond to this method of meeting since so many students have other obligations that make a physical meeting difficult. We did meet together and the web page was shown to them. I suspect that they will need to be reminded to use the webpage to make their enthusiasm for this project a reality. Stay tuned.

Just a brief update on the inquiry project. I have spent two days searching for information to solve a problem that keeps me from loading a new program from a disk as the download website says I should be able to do and I have not been able to get an older version to update to a version that can be made current nor can I seem to get the older version uninstalled so I can do a fresh install of the newest operating system. Being truthful, I did not keep track of the websites I visited. Having neglected to do that, I now see the need for some means of organization. I did spend sometime looking at some organizers offered by Google. Frankly, the principal's urgency for this TV news project and a few other major disasters have preempted all other activities and I have managed to sleep since then (but not much) so I haven't remembered what I looked at nor have I been able to think about where I need to go from here.

I have the principal satisfied for the moment, so the next item on my priority list is catching up on this project assignment and I will come back tomorrow and update the project particulars. Take it from one who knows, the candle cannot be burned from both ends. Later.

WOW! Could this be progress?

2010-09-15T05:57:00.000-07:00

In the last post I was contemplating installing a new operating system in a retired laptop. Having decided that the project is worth returning to, I have been conducting some web searches. It should be noted that to make progress in a search for information you need to be honest with yourself. I have more computer skills than most on staff here at school but in trying to define a topic to inquire about, I was coming up blank. When I decided that I was really interested in computers, I had to determine what I wanted to know or do. When I thought about the Ubuntu project I abandoned, I had to ask why. The reason was because I acted impulsively. Downloaded the software, did the install and discovered that nothing was familiar. Being extremely visual in the way I learn and navigate, I was lost with nothing to reference as an anchor.

It was in desperation that I began to look at what I really knew about computers and what I didn't know. Computer components were not an issue. So I began with a Google search: What is an operating system. I was surprised to learn that there are many operating systems in computer land. A Wikipedia link gave me a working definition for an operating system, while other sites provided history and development of various operating systems.

I have confirmed what Carol Kuhlthau has discovered in her research of the affective domain of the research process. She discovered that at the outset of a research project feelings of uncertainty and apprehension would be experienced. For me that was definitely true to the point of almost being incapacitated with frustration over the pressure to accomplish and move on and not coming up with an idea that appealed. Procrastination was very easy. As I began to brainstorm, I talked with my wife, the school's IT and myself (self-talk). I began to make a list of things we talked about, ultimately listing computer issues I have encountered. Once I decided "computer", I began to surf the web as I noted above. As I began to gather information, more questions came to mind until I felt I had a good place to go with my inquiry.

Since the purpose of this blog is to document and reflect on the process of information inquiry, what has happened to this point is what Dr. Lamb describes in her 8Ws as Watching that includes brainstorming, journaling (the notes I made as I pursued ideas) Wondering: asking questions, connecting prior knowledge, Webbing: searching for information to answer the questions being posed. The process now continues with Wiggling and Weaving. Now its time to evaluate sources for usefulness of content and begin to use the information acquired to answer questions. As more information is acquired about operating systems and Ubuntu, more questions arise that need answers in order to make a successful installation and beyond that make it useable.

In concluding this post, I will mention that as I have selected my topic for inquiry, Kuhlthau's research continues to be accurate regarding the feelings encountered as the information search process progresses. Selection of a topic begins with some confusion and anxiety but elation after topic selection and anticipation. Once I had confirmed my topic, I felt relief that a major hurdle had been cleared. Indeed there is anticipation as useful information has been acquired but it only began to happen when I was able to be honest with myself so I could admit that I knew OF operating systems but knew nothing about what they were or what they did. That was a major turning point. A hurdle cleared.

Now on the next hurdle. Until the next time.

NEW TRICKS AND PROJECT PROGRESS

2010-09-14T11:30:00.000-07:00

Project update. I have been thinking about computers. There's the idea of care and maintenance, safety and security, external storage and computer operating systems. I have a laptop that was retired from school use but functional. I decided quite awhile ago to install a new operating system. I installed Ubuntu Studio but never got it working. So it sits collecting dust. I have decided to return to this project and start all over again. I have been researching operating systems for computers. I am particularly interested in open source systems and software. As I have been browsing through websites and wikipedia entries I am beginning to compile questions. Here's what I have to this point: Questions for project: What is an operating system? What do operating systems do? Can I install Ubuntu successfully on old IBM laptop? Can I make it work with my music player and photographs? Can I work with out MS software? Can I use it with my Iphone? How do I delete old OS? How do I access the BIOS? How do I install new OS?

So while I have contemplated my project, I have tried some new tricks. I was able to reformat a thumbdrive that had been rendered inaccessible and use it to download Ubuntu desktop. I was able to transfer an assignment done in Word for my Information Inquiry course to Google Docs and read it from my iPhone. I learned that docs read from the iPhone can't be edited from the iPhone. I was able to add blogs of classmates to my iGoogle page and access them from my iPhone. (I can read them discretely in staff meetings when I am bored.)

I have found some information about the applications included in Ubuntu Studio so I will not be completely as lost as I have been with the first attempt to install a new operating system. Besides, I would like to see if life can be survived without Microsoft. Well, we will see. Keep ya posted. Stay tuned.

Report on New Project

2010-09-14T05:39:00.000-07:00

Weeeelllllllll ... This is to be a personal information inquiry that really interests me. Engage the process using Dr. Lamb's 8 Ws. Watching, Wondering, Webbing, Wiggling, Weaving, Wrapping, Waving, Wishing. Step One. Watching: observing, be in tune with the world that surrounds me. Brainstorm ideas, look at examples of the work of others etc.

Over the weekend I discussed project ideas with my wife. There were several ideas suggested. New puppies arrived at our house but not without complications for the mother. What should we have known before breeding? My wife is adopted but adoption records have been inaccessible. We would like to have any medical history available from biological parents (who may be dead by now) but red tape and bureaucracy have been insurmountable since adoption was in another state. Local lawyers have been unsuccessful in attempts to access records. What do we need to know about the California system to get the information we need? My mother is 85, not an invalid, but not able to properly care for herself alone and is being cared for by my younger brother. We have concerns about insuring her care yet protecting her estate. How do we do that? What are the options? The latter are extremely personal and emotional, and while important and of interest, not explorations I am willing to do in a public forum.

Kuhlthau's ISP begins with initiation. She describes the emotions that accompany the start of an inquiry project as apprehension and uncertainty. I'm there. I browsed the on-line catalog for the local public library for their resources about computers. I have a laptop that takes forever to boot up. I would like to fix that problem. The solution is backup the hard drive and reinstall the OS, defrag, install software, etc. Thought about the topic of computer care and maintenance. Not something I have paid any attention too yet I understand is important to attend to. I just haven't taken the time to learn the ins and outs. So that is an appealing possibility.

I have read the blogs of classmates but need to look at on-line aids for fleshing out ideas: concept maps, organizers etc. So, that's the current state of this sad affair and the clock is ticking. I am supposed to be commenting on the blogs of colleagues but sharing constructive ideas, collaborating, is difficult when I can't define and refine a topic for myself. Preoccupation doesn't do much for collaboration does it?

Ever onward. 'till next time.

New Project Under Way

2010-09-10T11:42:00.000-07:00

This project is about a personal inquiry of my choice where I am to blog about my experience with the process of information inquiry. The first step in information inquiry is selecting a topic of interest. Now that's the first problem. What am I truly, personally interested in? Something that I have a real interest in or concern about? I have interests in digital photography, I dabble in video and audio recording some, and I do some woodworking but not much of any of these things lately because of time pressures. Now that I have an opportunity to learn something of personal interest, I discover that my curiosity and my desire to learn new things for the sake of new things is not just overcome with the schedules and tasks of work and family, its gone. Isn't that really sad to say. I have gotten accustomed to researching and learning what I need to know to do my job or to accomplish a task at home. I feel guilty to go off on a tangent when I am on a quest for information that's job or family related because whether right or wrong, personal interests have not been given high priority because it would require time that could be used to get the more pressing tasks of job and home accomplished. So I will take some time to brainstorm some ideas, "surf the 'net", read the blogs of classmates and I'll let you know what the possibilities were and what was decided on. 'Till next time.

Forget your Password?

2010-08-31T04:39:00.000-07:00

Better believe it! I understand the need for security but how much is too much? I have been trying to use the features of the iPhone 4 I purchased a few weeks ago. I set up an iTunes account a week or so ago and a redbox account, all of which require passwords along with gmail, my bank, Inspire (the state funded electronic database for information) and at this point I don't know what else. I know that I tried to access my redbox account and then my itunes account and couldn't remember any of the passwords. I'm sure I wrote them down on a slip of paper somewhere but where? I managed to reset one password but it's real inconvenient to be a part-time user and when you really want to access a site where you have an account not be able to remember the password for that site. How secure is having your computer remember all that information. Convenient for sure, hardly secure if the laptop falls into the wrong hands. I'm sorry but isn't there a better way to remember passwords? I can't help it if I want my access and security too. I guess I should not complain that my accounts are secure even against me. I'm thinking of the money I'll save. Maybe there is a silver lining.

This one is corny

2010-08-23T10:39:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been quite awhile since the last post but for me lots has happened. Without boring anyone who happens to stumble on this site, I will get straight to the point. My youngest daughter was making wedding preparations and needed a document printed. My printer is not a networked printer and my daughter's laptop did not have my printer installed. She gave me her flash drive and asked me to print the desired document.

I inserted the flash drive into my computer, connected the printer, selected the desired document and hit print. The printer came on. Started to print and quit. Paper jam. In trying to get good access to the printer, I picked it up and heard a rattle from inside like loose parts. When I tipped the printer upside down, feed corn showered down to the floor! Mice had not only gotten into the feed corn we used for our ducks, they used my printer as a silo. Beware of little rodents who may have a preference for peripheral computer devices.

For anyone who has followed this blog besides myself, I have purchased an iPhone 4. I have used the camera functions and after doing some house cleaning in my music library, intend to use the ipod part of the phone. I still need to open accounts for itunes and the apps store but I don't want to do that until I can get some time free of interruptions and distractions. I am anxious to try the e-reader as well.

Until the next encounter with technology, good, bad or otherwise.

Convenience and inconvenience

2010-07-17T04:03:00.000-07:00

Blogging may not be a necessary activity for everyone but it certainly allows one to think outloud. For myself, thinking outloud is often a way to clarify my thoughts and work out details for a new activity or direction.

I live in rural America, in a farming community. There is no cable service for TV or Internet unless one has satellite service. A few years ago I signed up for satellite service when it first arrived in my neighborhood. It was internet only. While it has been convenient it has not been fast or trouble free. It's great for e-mail and receiving photos of the grandchildren. But it is aggrevating to have to wait forever for videos to download or to have a storm develop that keeps my dish from communicating with the satellite and the world. I have had to reboot the system more than once just this week after storms have passed by.

While the technology may not be the most convenient, it does have some pluses. I did something yesterday I have never done before though I knew it could be done. I was working at the computer and away from a convenient radio. You guessed it. I tried listening to streaming radio while I worked. It was a news program so listening to talk did not make my writing activity the most efficient but it was nice not having to move to the radio's location or having to turn the radio up to it's full volume to be able to hear it where I was working.

Speaking of convenience, there was one other incident I can relate. Our last baby is getting married in a couple of weeks. She wants to dance with dad at the reception to a specific tune. Dad barely waltzes. The tune she wants to dance to is not a waltz. A colleague gives dance instruction. So I am thinking all I have to do is let her listen to the music and advise. While I am thinking of how I am going to get a tune from CD to my colleague, my daughter says, "E-mail her a Youtube link." This long ancient tune was found on YouTube and in a very short time I had the information I was looking for. Youtube even had demonstrations of dance steps.

The Internet may not always be predictable but it has been convenient for me this week in more than one way inspite of it's plodding downloads and storm interruptions.

2010-07-11T11:10:00.000-07:00

Post Number Three. As I began this blog, I was having trouble getting started first of all I couldn't locate my blog and once I did and got to the new post page the caps lock was on and in trying to get that off I posted a blank blog!

I have managed to get to this point and have kept both my religion and my sanity while continuing this journey into cyberspace. This is not an easy trip for this ol' dawg. HOWEVER! In the few days I have had to leave the comfort of my word processor and power point I have in my explorations come across some things that have caught my attention.

I have subscribed to some RSS feeds from the major news sources, some library related blogs, as well as some sites that keep tabs of technology development.

While attending a grand-daughter's birthday party, sons-in-law with iPhones began comparing. One had an older iPhone the other the new iPhone 4. As son-in law number one put the iPhone 4 through it's paces he demonstrated the software that not only located our position on a map, he could zoom into the map until we were seeing images of his house and neighborhood. While I have viewed satellite images of my home on the computer, I was impressed to see crisp, sharp images on such a small handheld device. There were noticeable differences in form and function between the older version and the newer version of the iPhone. I must admit that I was impressed with all it's capabilities.

Handheld communications devices make communication possible in a variety of ways. It will take a little time for me to develop some new habits (not to mention attitudes) regarding these new forms of communications. I just realized that my hesitation in adopting such functional mobile technology is not just the new ways of communicating but the fact that it's public. I would be rather embarrassed to lose a skirmish with technology in a public place and have to have some really, really, young person show me how to undo my predicament. (Where's spell check here?)

I have found that since I let Google give me a personal page when I open my browser that it's nice not to mention convenient to be able to scan news headlines, see technology topics and blog topics in one place available to open at my inclination. It's rather like having the morning paper to read with my coffee.

I recently had a need for reference service. Since I had some items to return to my local rural library, I decided I would make my inquiry there. Now the point I am about to make is from a librarian's blog that resonated with me. A few months ago, I used reference service at another library, much larger and further away. Both inquiries were answered with resources found on the Internet. In both cases the librarian sat behind a counter at a computer and I stood in front. As each librarian showed me the results of their search they turned the screen in my direction but not nearly far enough so I had to lean over the counter to get an awkward glimpse of the monitor that displayed the information.

The blog post that got my attention was a librarian's desire to make some changes in a library that had a significant and honored history. This was making some logical changes difficult because of tradition. The change she desired to make was to remake the reference desk so that a patron could "drive the computer" if they wanted and the patron and the librarian could sit together facing the monitor with out the patron having to lean over a counter, or the librarian having to reposition the monitor for shared viewing. Since a reference librarian has a function to instruct in search methods, it makes sense to me that where a reference librarian is going to use the Internet as a source of information for a patron's inquiry, the computer should be positioned to accommodate both the patron and the librarian comfortably. What if reference librarians began to rove the library with a wireless Netbook so they might be able to meet inquiries where ever they occur? What could be done with space that is now taken up by the reference desk that acts as a moat about the castle of knowledge?

cooled down and more objective

2010-07-09T10:06:00.000-07:00

Well, this is posting number two. After yesterday's experience with this blog, I have had time to cool down and I have spent time crusing blogline feeds where I looked at news sites, LIS related feeds as well as some feeds regarding technology. But not without some difficulty.

I have remarked to colleagues that technology is only good when it works. I live in a farming community not serviced by cable. My internet connection is by satellite. As the cloud cover thickened with an approaching storm, my ability to surf my RSS feeds got slower and slower until Windows informed me it could not connect to server. Lights blinked a couple of times during the storm confusing the modem which had to be restarted before I could use the internet this morning. As of the moment, everything is working but another storm is approaching so I am hoping I can continue to work without interruption.

I noticed as I logged in to continue my blog that I have two postings. The original that I worked so long to make right must be located somewhere but I still don't know where.

I called this blog settlements, communities and old dawgs because as I began my original blog, I had read a paper where a researcher was trying to determine empirically if blogs qualified as a virtual community. I borrowed the terms settlement and community because they speak to me of a concept I have come to understand regarding computer moderated communications.

Because technology offers so many options for communication and interaction, it is possible to conduct business, collaborate, and partner in projects over time and distance without the inconvenience of attending meetings. As an old dawg (baby boomer) growing up with minimal communications technology (four party land line, a radio and the USPS (that delivered twice a day)) I socialized at school and church face to face. While I am able to work well with people, I have been inclined all my life to be a loner. I have labored in projects many times under the idea that if I wanted it done "right" I should do it my self, and did.

Several experiences have made me realize the benefits of working with a partner or a team. While I have not found internet communications necessary, I have found it often convenient but not something I could not do without. So this is what I have learned. Though a loner and lurker I maybe (lurker sounds so perverted!), I understand that two together are better than one. I understand that I have to make a conscious effort to be available for helping others if not reaching out for help myself. I thought in starting a blog even as an experiment, that I might in a candid discussion of the things that irritate an frustrate me with technology, find others that had worked through their issues and found their comfort zone and useful application of these technologies.

So a settlement is a place where a few people congregate for whatever reason. Pioneer settlements of old began with a few families and often grew to thriving communities as more and more people joined and settled down with each life contributing to the lives of others. As I see it, such is the opportunity afforded by these technologies and services.

And the journey continues until next time.

Welcome

2010-07-08T09:34:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Settlements, Communities and Old Dawgs.

This blog is an experiment in the use of computer moderated communications technology. Here I will post some reflections on my experience with information concerning social networking, instant messaging, blogging and other internet related resources and my experience with their use.

I will be honest, I absolutely hate this technology. Not because it is not useful but because it is not intuitive. I have just spent hours composing a welcome and an introduction to this blog so it appeared to be something other than an exercise to satisfy an assignment. 200 words. I had it all finished but not posted because I wanted to see that others would be able to comment and how that was handled. So I selected the comment moderation tab, saw what was there and clicked the return arrow. Everything dissappeared and no effort of mine could find a way to recover what had been written. I noticed as I typed the draft of the post that the save now button would flash and I assumed that my draft was automatically being saved as I typed. If it was I was not able to find a place to recover what I had lost. I was also frustrated that there were no tools that allowed me to cut and paste so I could avoid retyping.

As I composed the original post I would look at preview to see how my post would appear when completed and saw that spaces I left between paragraphs did not show up in the preview. What I saw in the preview was one long block of type.

This is a second attempt at blogging. While I have occasionally read blogs in search of someone's experience in the use of new computer hardware or service, I have not commented or gotten involved in the activity of blogging. I am a classic lurker.

I do not like to waste time or to work twice. My experience now and in the past reinforces the notion that I do not need this technology as part of my life experience. The irritation and the frustration is that I understand that society is changing in the way it socializes and the way it communicates. I have a smartphone with a data plan but rarely use it to access the internet. Two of four children and their spouses have smartphones that they constantly check for email and text messages and a host of other activities. I had purposed to purchase an iPhone 4 and make a concentrated effort at joining the world of cyberspace because I understand the advantages of community and working cooperatively. I see how technology makes it possible for those spread across the planet to share and communicate both for fun and professionally. But my experience with this single activity makes me say "just forget it". I would rather do something I know how to do and perfect those skills than learn something I have gotten along without and have not been convinced that it is something I must really learn for a fuller life. My life is full enough. I have more to do than time to get it done so when time is at a premium, learning is not fun when I know that learning is not only a process of errors but making mistakes and learning how to correct them is the only way to learn effectively.