Product of this Inquiry

The Wrap and Wave feel like the Texas Two Step. It feels like one motion, yet is made up of distinct and pronounced steps.

You'll see my product essentially offers up an invitation for students to join me on my journey -- figuratively and literally. Perhaps the ultimate recursive move.

Here's a recap for those who have skipped the journey and are standing on the dock, wearing leis, and sipping champagne. In the Spring of 2009 I will be taking a five day trip to NYC with five adolescents and one other adult adviser. Most of our hours will be spent participating in a model United Nations event, but we will get one full day and three evenings to dive into the city. My inquiry has focused upon what we can do with our time in the city that is meaningful and worthwhile through the eyes of the teens and adults involved.

What began as a collection of curiousities and eateries, evolved into a framework of events that will support the travelers/learners before, during, and after the experience. During the inquiry process, two events occurred that reshaped my entire view of this trip: 1) an overly cheerful intercom voice reminding us to pause for the victims of 9/11 -- see Blue Sky today entry and 2) a recollection of a long ago read essay by Francis Bacon -- see Of Travel, by Bacon.

My final product needed to meet this criteria:
1. It has to accommodate collaborative inquiry.
2. It has to be password protected.
3. It has to provide a virtual space that is easily accessible by students, parents, teachers, and select NYC residents.
4. I need to be familiar with the technology due to project deadlines.

So I chose a Moodle. I have a guest log-in and password. Go ahead an take a peek.

Web address: http://www.rose-prism.org/moodle/

Username: No longer active as of January 2009
Password:

Once you log-in, you will see a link in the bottom left-hand corner titled Montessori Model United Nations under the bold heading My Courses.

A Disjointed Collection of Wishful End-Thoughts

We might be spoilers, revoluntionaries or just plan troublemakers in our quest for critcal learners. It is worth it. (Loertscher and Woolls)
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I have asked my 16 year old daughter to stop giving me the daily updates on her grades. Her school has this electronic gradebook that can be accessed anywhere in the world, any time of the day. Hate is a strong word; that is why I choose it.

I hate it.

I hate how it reduces learning to subjective points (can points ever really be objective?).

I hate how it gets my daughter to obsess on her GPA.

I hate how it narrows that focus of family discussions to missing assignments and missed points.

I hate how it shifts my daughter's sense of academic worth from what she is becoming or might someday be, to what she has done in the past.


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More than examining the path information inquiry takes me upon, this project has challenged me to look at how I design, administer, and evaluate inquiry-base learning. If my ultimate goal is to provide opportunities for students to become "Expert Information Scientists" (Lamb's Information Age Inquiry webpage) then I first must be willing to take a long hard look my own view of the inquiry process. Lamb compiles this list of expert attributes:

*Pose useful questions to themselves throughout the process
*Identify relevant information and ignore irrelevant information
*Respond to context and select information to address specific needs
*Recognize meaningful patterns and connections in information
*Organize knowledge around key principles and concepts
*Self-regulate their time and efforts including goal setting, time management, self-evaluation, self-motivation
*Self-motivate through varying their methods of study and practice
*Remain flexible in thinking adapting to changing needs

Project #1 was designed in a way that required those skills. Kuhlthau says that inquiry ". . . is a process of seeking information not just finding and reproducing information." Tastad and Collins report students less likely to build habits of the mind and see information inquiry as a process ". . . unless it is presented with a constructivist approach." I am challenged to become a teacher who can design and help others design meaningful learning experiences that get beyond just fact finding and reproducing. I must help studets develop habits of the mind that will assist them on their journey to become expert information scientists.

Kuhlthau talks about the negative emotion that accompanies the various stages of the inquiry process. She is right on. I have seen my own students exhibit those traits, and I , myself, have felt the same in a variety of research experiences. What is enlightening for me, however, is not that those emotions are there, but instead examining what provokes those emotions. This project has helped me see some of the causes. I don't believe it is the process that puts us through turmoil, I believe it is the design the assignment.

In the words of another writer from one of our readings, we must ask "Why are we doing this?" (Abilock) Grant Wiggins (Understanding by Design) says we should be able to answer these two questions about our assignments: 1) So what? and 2) Who cares? Researcher Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi concludes that if the work we design properly balances student aptitude with challenge, the learner will experience "flow" as opposed to a host of other negative emotions -- e.g. anxiety, apathy, boredom, frustration, neutrality, etc.

It is my belief that the negative emotions need not occur, if the assignment is designed effectively to meet the abilities of the learner. Uncertainty and anxiety are symptoms that something has gone wrong in the design or in the execution of that design.

Example: Kalthau writes that "people often attempt to move from selection directly to collection without the essential exploration for the formulation that gives direction to the search." Instead of telling the learner that he is exhibits this behavior, I need to look at what I have done to cause a learner to exhibit that behavior. I need to ask why the learner is feeling the need to skip the essential exploration. Our system has trained us all to be task-oriented and desirous of a completed check-off list. It is not necessarily that we wish to skip stages, but more that we want to be done with a meaningless task, or that our lives are so busy and complicated that we have too little time to expand our discursive horizons.

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It all comes down to the answer to this question: Is it worth my time?

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I began this project as a lofty journey to Ithaca, but ended it with an urge to map out my points instead of my learning. Did I cite enough professionals? Did I comment on enough blogs? Were my comments of merit? Did I hit all eighteen bullets on the evaluation list?

My own soapbox advice to my daughter sounded loudly in my ears. "It's the process that matters the most. If you walk away with a deeper understanding then the point count is irrelevant." Oh, but how hard that is when you know points are on the way.

That is the one part of this project that does not work for me. The assessment method. I don't claim to have answers to how to make it better, but I might suggest allowing learners to set our own deadlines and draft our own grade justifications based on the criteria that our teacher/professor sets before us. The eighteen bullets can still exist, but the ownership of the evaluation can be shifted to the learner as opposed to the assessor. I don't think this method would be of much benefit to procrastinators, since I imagine they may never choose a date, but again I have to ask what has caused the procrastination to occur in the first place. I think it is a history of poorly designed assignments that have reinforced that work habit.
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I want my children (and students) to feel like learning is meaningful and worthwhile. I want them to walk away with skills and confidence, but more importantly a passion for trying to better understand their world.

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This project was excellent. I enjoyed the ride so much that I don't especially want to move on. If I can somehow take what I have learned to foster that same sense of accomplishment, yearning, and worth in the minds of the learners I work with, I will be thrilled.

One of my favorite real-life constructivists Michael Brandwein says that we make the mistake of trying to engage learners with fun activites. We make the mistake of confusing occupation of time with engagement of minds. Fun is not a goal or a destination, it is a end result of a well-designed and executed plan. It happens when learners feel a sense of accomplishment and personal growth as opposed to a wipe of the brow and a "Whew, am I ever glad that is over."

Project #1 was fun. Let the revolution begin.

Standards Connection

Stephen Covey promotes a constructivist concept called "beginning with the end in mind." The big idea of this project seems to be experience the process of inquiry through the eyes of a student. That definitely happened for me. This step of including standards causes me to pause.

It is tough because it feels so out of sync in the process. I know I can still add the standards at this point, and I know many standards can be connected to many learning situations, but it still doesn't sit well with me. I am not good at making things fit for the sake of making things fit. Recently I was working with a colleague and our curriculum director to create a curriculum plan. My colleague stacked over twenty standards into a single unit plan. I know. It happens all the time, and some people will argue that it is totally acceptable.

The unacceptable part for me, is that it feels like we are sometimes guilty of tagging meaningless information on to meet a requirement. That said, I should have included my standards earlier in this process. Lesson learned.

I have skimmed through many of the core standards and do see how this inquiry process could fit in a variety of subject areas and a variety of grade levels. Instead of state standards, however, I think I can best be at peace with this step by looking at AASL and ISTE standards.

Here is what I see that fits:
AASL Standard 1: Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge.
Indicator 1.1.1 Follow an inquiry based process in seeking knowledge in curricular subjects, and make the real-world connection for using this process in own life.
Indicator 1.1.4 Find, evaluate, and select appropriate sources to answer questions.
Indicator 1.9.1 Collaborate with others to broaden and deepen understanding.
Indicator 1.2.1 Display initiative and engagement by posing questions and investigating the answers beyond the collection of superficial facts.

AASL Standard 2: Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations, and create new knowledge.
Indicator 2.1.1 Continue an inquiry-based research process by applying critical thinking skills to information and knowledge in order to construct new understandings, draw conclusions, and create new knowledge.
Indicator 2.1.4 Use technology and other information tools to analyze and organize information.
Indicator 2.1.5 Collaborate with others to exchange ideas, develop new understandings, make decisions, and solve problems.

AASL Standard 3: Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic society.
Indicator 3.1.2 Participate and collaborate as members of a social and intellectual network of learners.
Indicator 3.1.4 Use technology and other information tools to organize and display knowledge and understnading in ways that others can view, use, and access.
Indicator 3.2.2 Show social responsibility by participating actively with others in learning situations and by contributing questions and ideas during group discussions.
Indicator 3.3.1 Solicit and respect diverse perspectives while searching for information, collaborating with others, and participating as a member of the community.
Indicator 3.3.2 Respect differing intersts and experiences of others and seek a variety of viewpoints.
Indicator 3.3.3 Use knowledge and information skills and dispositions to engage in public conversation and debate around issues of common concern.
Indicator 3.3.4 Create products that apply to authentic, real-world contexts.

This project also hits THREE ISTE Student standards.
Standard 2: Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively.
Standard 3: Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.
Standard 4: Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources.

This project also hits TWO ISTE Teacher standards.
Standard 1: Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments.
Standard 3: Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work preocesses representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society.

The way I have structured the Moodle allows me to incorporate all of these standards to two target groups: middle/high school students and teachers. This "ultimate goal" (Kalthau) being the development of independent learners with expert skills -- both students and teachers need this support, challenge, and help.

Gliffy Image Round #2

O.K. I have tried both Gliffy and Bubbl.us. Both make my work look more professional. Both took me way more time than I wanted to spend. I will not try either with my students until I get a better grip on the applications. If I were sharing this product with other teachers or parents, I see an advantage over pencil and paper. After completing both maps, I realized how much more work I have to do in terms of collecting information.

Gliffy felt more familiar to me. It has many more options than Bubbl. It also has a price if you are going to be a regular user. I like the saving feature (it saves multiple versions) and the ease of export. It also has collaboration potential, but I have not experimented with that as yet.

In conclusion, I feel as though these concept maps could be an asset to the inquiry process. I feel as though they have helped me assess the information I have, decide what more I need, and organize my final product. Once I learn the ins and outs of the software, I believe these tools could help me do a better job than I could do without them. According to Judi Harris, author of Virtual Architecture, you should consider two questions when exploring new technology: Does it allow me to do something I couldn't do before? and Does it allow me to do something better than I could before? Harris writes that if you can answer 'yes' to either of those questions then the technology MAY be worth your time and energy to learn more about.

P.S. You can see I had a little posting error below. That is my attempt at posting the image as html instead of a jpg. I had size issues that I did not know how to fix, but left the image to demonstrate the clarity.

Gliffy Concept Map Round #2

Bubbl. bursting Round #1

I used bubbl.us to create this jpg. I tried to set up a friend's account so thank readers could visit it directly, but I don't quite understand how to get the original to a sharing point.

Interestingly discoveries:

1. I found myself wanting to be muct more thorough with this web than the one I did with pencil an paper. When I was done with the paper one, I was finished. I did not revisit it and would not consider sharing it. This version, however, made me want to revise again and again, making it more specific each time. It will also be able to be easily shared. It would be great to create something like this with kids on a Smartboard.

2. I revised, then exported the image, but forgot to save it before logging out. Unfortunately, my revision was completely lost.

3. Using color coding is a great help, but cumbersome and time comsuming.

4. The cells overlap. I found the creation part to be a bit awkward. I'm sure with practice it would feel more natural.

If I figure out how to get friends involved, I will edit this post.

Graphic Organizer No. 2

I remember the sound of lead. I like it.

It wasn't so many years ago that I always composed my writing with a No. 2 pencil on college ruled paper. There was just something about the sound of lead pushing down the rows and across the lines that put my thinking in a zone. It is where I could hear my voice in my writing.

Then came computers. It took a couple of transitional years for me to cross over, but have to say now that it would be tough to compose on paper now. I have tried and can when I have to, but it seems like such a horrible waste of time. My old dog typing skills are easily twice as fast as my young buck days. The word flow now.

As I experiment with Bubbl and Gliffy, I for the first time in a long time felt the urge to get it on paper before I put it in electronic form. I know the electronic form will look and read better. I know if I were collaborating, it would be an easier tool. For my solo thinking, however, the pencil and paper still seem to be my style. It is how I learned. It is what I fall back to.

As I administered the GQE today, I had to wonder how many of the students would do better and be more comfortable on a keyboard than they were pushing the No. 2 down the rows and across the lines.

I'm not done with this post yet. I will put up the new and improved version of my web. Perhaps someday I will prefer it, but for that to happen I must at least have a beginning place.

Of Travel, by Bacon

http://www.bartleby.com/3/1/18.html

I think I just hit the clarity of thought stage of information inquiry. More in a bit.

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It is interesting that I felt the urge to begin this blog with Inthaca. I didn't know then that I would end it with Francis Bacon and his essay "Of Travel".

It became clear to me early this morning. This is the connection that ties all my sources and ideas together. Bacon's essay is advice to young travelers. It basically says to do three things when you are traveling to a new place: 1) Get to know the local people and places, 2) Keep a diary, and 3) Bring what is best about it home with you.

So it is hard to explain to you, but I hope you will see it in my final product. There has been a merging of ideas. An organizational pattern has unfolded. And I have gotten a glimpse of the "Third Space Merger" that Kuhlthau describes. A sense of direction is present. I wonder if I would have gotten here without a deadline.

Gliffy is Spiffy

Though this feels a bit like sideways progress, I have really enjoyed this resource: http://www.eduscapes.com/sessions/nests/

Though I have never been a fan of Inspiration, I like the idea of concept maps I think I just have an aversion to free things stuffed in conference bags.

I am favoring Gliffy. The collaboration feature is what grabbed me. I also like the readability and the ease of use. I create things like this in PowerPoint but the online collaboration opens a whole new world of possibilities.

I also looked at Bubbl.us http://bubbl.us/edit.php, but didn't like the interface as much. I'll try both in more detail and add another post.

Wet Paint http://www.wetpaint.com/page/Who-wikis is another one the is luring me in. I see how my NYC project could work well in wiki form. It would allow the students I am travelling with to start contributing to the research. Since I don't work in the same school as they do, this could be a way of connecting. Security is an issue. I will need to did into the dark corners of Wet Paint so that I can assure parents that it is a safe place. The stigma of social networking sites is not an easy one to overcome.

If I want to create a safe wiki space, I might go with a Moodle at http://rose-prism.org/moodle/. This site would give me a lot of flexibility and I think the teachers and parents would be supportive. It is bigger than I need, but that might not hurt anything either. I teach a class using Moodle already, so my own familiarity is there. I could get started right away.


The other thing I have in the works is email contacts with several schools in NYC. I am focussing in on schools that are part of the Diploma Plus program. I have a contact there. Plus there are four or five Diploma Plus schools starting up in Indy. Here is a list of the schools in NYC.

Brownsville Academy
schools.nyc.gov/schoolportals/17/k568/default.htm

Crotona Academy High School
schools.nyc.gov/schoolportals/07/x321/default.htm

Harlem Renaissance High School
harlemrenaissancehighschool.org

Liberation High SChool
schools.nyc.gov/schoolportals/21/k728/default.htm

P.U.L.S.E High School
schools.nyc.gov/schoolportals/10/x319/default.htm

This link details more info about the people who run the Diploma Plus program. http://www.commcorp.org/diplomaplus/resources.html

As a wild hair, I am also contacting a couple reporters at the NYTimes. I use their education section of the newspaper all the time. There classroom resources make me wish I was in the classroom full time every time I visit them http://www.nytimes.com/learning/index.html?8dpc.

Narrow, squinty eyes

What things can we see and do to get a feel for NYC?
What things--museum, oddities, historical, cultural-- do we want to feel?
What places can we eat that are affordable, interesting, and tasty?
If I were a teenager, what would fascinate me the most about NYC?
How can we increase the depth of this experience? How can this become a meaningful trip? A life highlight?

Gritty details needed:
Addresses -- museums, oddities, eateries
Fees -- subway, museums, entrance fees
Routes -- subway, bus, walk
Hours -- historical sites, museums, daylight
Timeline -- one full day, four nights

Categories of information:
Eats--variety is the key, price is critical, atmosphere is secondary
Treats -- off the beaten path spots (carousel in Central Park that is in Catcher in the Rye)
Feats -- activities (like a show on Broadway) and tour (MoMA)
Completes -- sites and stories that fill in the holes of why NYC is incredible

Blue Sky today

After morning announcements today, a voice came bursting over the intercom and requested that we all have a moment of silence for those who died on 9/11. It was a startling request. Partially because of the extra loud volume, but mainly because I had not thought of 9/11 in those terms in quite awhile. "Is it really 9/11 today?" I thought to myself in my moment of silence. I was about to think another thought when the intercom voice returned and cheerfully bellowed, "THANK YOU AND HAVE A SUPER DAY!" Once again, I startled, then finished my thought. It was about a blue sky moment last May when I was peering out a window overlooking Ground Zero with a small cluster of middle school students. "I was only in first grade when it happened," one of them soberly said to me. "I remember my teacher crying. I remember my mom coming early to get me out of school, and I know this is the reason we are having a war against Iraq, but can you tell me what happened?" Hard question. How do you describe that moment without over sensationalizing it? Without compromising the integrity of those lives lost? How do you communicate how on that blue sky day, our world changed? The kids, of course, are interested in the tails of diaster and heroism, but I am reluctant to turn it into an abstract of clouds of crushing concrete and a president with a bullhorn.

So as I have been finding resources on New York, I have been remiss in including information that will help me answer that question again when I return this May. The New York Times had some photos in it today that showed several shots of the NYC skyline long before 9/11 paired with a shot from the same angle and location taken since 9/11. They showed the void in a way my words cannot. I also know a rendering the memorial was recently released. I could use that. And a documentary has been made in 2005 about Phillipe Petit who walked between the towers on a tightrope when they were being built. I could use that too. www.imdb.com/title/tt0471020/

I'm not sure I can use picture of the towers coming down quite yet, though my library has a collection of books and photographs showing every detail of the day. Minute by minute.

It was strangely moving last year as I drove into the city through the Holland tunnel imagining what that moment must have felt like for travellers on that day. Crossing the Brooklyn Bridge was another surreal moment. The kids on the bus were excitedly ooohing and ahhhhhhing and all my mind's eye could see were ashen images.

A flutter (not a whine) of thought

Here it the interesting thing happening inside my head. The due date is pressing, I am looking at all the additional readingsdue next week (and the next week), and the point breakdown list of things to include in Project #1 feels enormous. I find myself wanting to cut short the webbing and wiggling process and get straight to the bacon. If I were to recline Kuhlthau's couch, I have a feeling she would look down at me through her glasses perched on the end of her nose and mechanically recite, "Of course, dear, you are experience the self doubt of Stage 3, but rest comfortably uncertainty will soon begin to diminish as you enter Stage 4."

The difficult thing about this research project is that the sky was the limit in chosing a topic and a product, but the timeframe is static and the evaluation criteria feels written in stone. I like my topic, and I am enjoying the research process, but I don't like the increased volume of the clicking tock. A fact of life, yes, but it also makes me wonder if natural curiosity and research models really can co-exist.

Books to Buy

Note: In this entry, I have highlighted several action steps in red to remind me of my next steps.

Our local libraries only had dated sources regarding New York City. I was able to find a couple fictional titles of interest, but they are not really what I am looking for. I recalled seeing several great books in the bookstore at The Modern Museum of Art (MoMA). In an attempt to remember the title of one particular book (something about Art Walks) I went to Amazon and did a search using these key words "new york city art walks". Amazon produced several noteworthy titles.

Only in New York: 400 Remarkable Answers to Intriguing, Provocative Questions About New York City by The New York Times and Stuart Goldenberg (2004)

Off the Beaten (Subway) Track: New York City's Best Unusual Attractions by SUZANNE REISMAN (2008)

City Walks with Kids: New York: 50 Adventures on Foot (City Walks) by Elissa Stein and Dave Needham (2007)

40 Perfect New York Days: Walks and Rambles In and Around the City by Joan Gregg, Serena Nanda, and Beth Pacheco (2004)

The Historical Atlas of New York City: A Visual Celebration of 400 Years of New York City's History by Eric Homberger and Alice Hudson (2005)

Museums of New York City: A Guide for Residents and Visitors (Westholme Museum Guides) by Deirdre Cossman (2005)

The Cheap Bastard's Guide to New York City, 4th: A Native New Yorker's Secrets of Living the Good Life--for Free! (Cheap Bastard) by Rob Grader (2008)

City Walks: New York: 50 Adventures on Foot by Martha Fay (2004)

Brooklyn! The Ultimate Guide to New York's Most Happening Borough, 3rd Edition by Ellen Freudenheim and Anna Wiener (2004)

Lonely Planet New York City Encounter by Ginger Otis (2007)


New York City For Dummies (Dummies Travel) by Brian Silverman (2006)


The City Beneath Us: Building the New York Subway by New York Transit Museum and Vivian Heller (2004)

Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants (Alex Awards (Awards)) by Robert Sullivan (2004)

I am encouraged by the quantity, but the accessibility is not so cool. My nearest bookstore is forty miles, so my next step is to revisit these titles online, then see if a drive to the store is worth it. As the due date looms, it might be wiser for me to just include this list with an evaluation of each books potential as part of my collection of information.

I went to MoMA's site, but did not have any luck in finding books about New York City Art Walks. http://www.moma.org/

I will revisit the site, however, to get more information about the exhibits, hours, and fees. Once on the site I recalled that this was one of my student's favorite stops last year, though we only had thirty minutes until closing time. I think I will contact several students who went last year and have them share with me what they wish they could go back to see again.

I also need to contact an artist friend of mine who just took a family trip to the city this past summer and see what she suggests in terms of maps and guides and sites.

A moment of reflection on Kahlthau: I experienced some frustration and doubt after visiting my library, but after a little fine focus, I am emerging with clarity. According to her range of emotions, that puts me between the Exploration and Formulation stages. That pairs nicely with the Webbing and Wiggling that Lamb has targeted. I continue to be fascinated with Kahlthau's accuracy of emotion. I don't know how to use it exactly with students -- perhaps just acknowledging that the devil is in the room is all you sometimes have to do to make you feel more comfortable. I guess if you look ahead, she offers hope . . . I should be experiencing clarity and confidence soon. I looked at the girl on her cover one more time too. I wonder at what stage that girl is.

Links to Schools

http://www.gatesfoundation.org/UnitedStates/Education/TransformingHighSchools/ModelSchools/default.htm

http://schools.nyc.gov/TeachNYC/default.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/ref/timestopics/topics-education-navigator.html#General
This New York Times link has a host of sites to revisit.

Links to oddities

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/
I have used this site before, but was surprised to see that there are only nine entries for NYC. Mars 2112 is here.

http://morbidanatomy.blogspot.com/2007/10/obscura-antiques-and-oddities-nyc.html
Judging from the pictures and the comments on the blog, this store could be a curious choice.
280 East 10th St.

http://cindyperman.com/
This book covers the entire state. There are several books like this, but the quality is totally dependent on the author. Many times there is more infor on where to eat and what B and B to stay in than the type of info I am searching for. Found this review http://www.journal-register.com/features/gnnlifestyle_story_242145024.html

Going for the Big Apple

Once I got over the cover of the book "Guided Inquiry", I have become quite a fan of the writings of Carol Kuhlthau, and it is her words that have helped me make a decision on the topic for this project.

"Inquiry is an approach whereby students use a variety of sources of information and ideas to increase their understanding of a problem, topic, or issue." (page 2)
Project-based learning falls short when it overemphasizes the product and underemphasizes learning. (page 3)

I naturally drift towards choosing problems or issues over topics to investigate. Thus my long-winded entries on text messaging. Considering the circumstances (due date, product requirement, scoring breakdown) I think it would be more wise to choose a topic to investigate rather than an issue. A narrow topic seems more manageable.

I think this project is structured in a way to allow focus to be on the learning, but at the same time, parameters must be set and evaluation criteria must be considered. These are unavoidable stipulations. My decision making process has given me insights on how students must often feel when doing open-ended work for me.

There is a definite conflict between the desire to choose something of personal value and the reality of having to produce a product in a certain time frame. Annette has lifted the burden of a defined, uniform end-product, but there is still a requirement of some kind of graded product that must be submitted on a specific date. As teachers, we have to set such requirements, and we must have something to measure -- usually in a numerical fashion.

I know I am no where near the Wrapping stage of this process, but the student (not to be confused with the learner) in me is leary of free-falling into a topic that may or may not lend itself to placement in a nice square, doable package. Many times in the past, a frustrated student has asked me to spell out "what I am looking for" so that she can meet my expectations. My response has frequently been "I am looking for evidence that you have learned something." I now understand the inadequacy of that answer. As long as I am assigning points and giving credit, I cannot expect students to operate solely as interested, self-directed learners. Their prime interests might fall outside the parameters of the assigned project.

All that said simply to declare that I am going to deepen my exploration of what to do with five teenagers on a tight budget in five evenings in New York City.

(My pursuit of text messaging answers will carry-on without deference to the IUPUI bursar's office.)

txting a nerve

This comment was recently posted in response to my entry discussing text messaging (YGTBKM, September 4, 2008).

" I think you should learn to text yourself then you'll see it's just another means of communicating. Kids haven't stopped talking since the computer and e-mail arrived. My 20 year old son texts pretty consistently during the day and night but he still talks, too. No worries, Dad. Texting is just another communication skill."

I'm afraid my point was missed. I am not worried that texting spells the end of verbal communication, nor do I fall in the category of someone who does not know how to text. My fear is not of the unknown as much as the fear of red flags I see flying over the access bars. Interesting enough, a colleague and mother of three teens brought up this same area of concern in an after school conversation Friday. Her observation was that her girls preferred texting over phoning. I wonder why. Yet another reference was made to texting recently when a former student of mine was visiting. He shared how much of his time in college is spent texting. I wonder how this impacts his social life.

If I chose texting as a personal inquiry topic, I will focus in on how it is used, what is said, and why it is preferred by some teens. It would be fascinating to study archived texts from a variety of young people. It would be equally interesting for me to conduct interviews and surveys of young people about their own thoughts on texting. I imagine someone on the web is studying this topic and posting thoughts.

In my view, texting is much different than 'just another communication skill.' It is a new type of communication that is impacting how many people occupy their time and thoughts. The ancient Buddist notion of being fully present (right here, right now) shrivels under the weight of many modern conveniences, but texting seems to be like a wooden stake. I find friends who text are rarely fully present when I am with them. I find texting alters time, interactions, and relationships.

Perhaps the most poignant personal example I can offer occurred this summer on our family vacation. With another family -- we have seven kids between us and have shared vacations for over twenty years -- we spent ten pleasant, unscheduled days, camping, exploring, hiking, and floating down lazy rivers in Central Ohio. On our last night together, we built our traditional campfire and gathered around it as the sun set. We all love the final night of our trip. It becomes a time of reflection and is filled with laughter as we shared favorite memories of the trip. There is always something special about gathering around a campfire on a dark night.

Just a moment before we began, my daughter decided to check her text messages before she turned off her phone for the night. It was a that moment that she discovered a sobering text. A former teacher of mine and long-time friend had been found dead in her classroom. As you can imagine, I was no longer fully present that evening. That text brought the joys of our family trip to an end. (I will say the text caused me to look to the sky and see one of the most beautiful shooting stars I have ever seen.)

Text messaging is an interesting phenomenon. I don't abhore it or salute it. I believe it is impacting communication in ways that I have not seen before. I don't understand its popularity. That is why I think it would be an excellent pick for this project as I begin to move into the Webbing level of inquiry.

YGTBKM

My decision is near, but before I finalize I just wish to document one more idea.

I spent the day yesterday conducting a climate audit for a neighboring school. It was an enlightening experience in many ways, but what I most enjoyed was the opportunity to talk with teenagers about the strengths and weaknesses of their school.

In the down time, I started asking each group of teens about their text messaging habits. It has been one area of new technology that I have been reticent to jump on board with. For nearly a decade, it has been my job to investigate and find applications for using technology in the classroom. I used to shake my head in disbelief when I heard of teachers and administrators who refused to use a computer. So, it now seems hypocritical of me to refuse to own a cell phone. I can use one, but I have no desire to dangle one off my belt.

Much to my dismay, my daughter wanted just one thing for her sixteenth birthday this summer: a cell phone. And her main reason was so that she could text. So much for quinceañeras.

"You don't understand what it is like, Dad," she said as her eyes filled with tears. "Everyone stays in touch with their friends using cell phones. If you don't have one, your friends don't call."

Long story short, I didn't buy her a phone, nor even give her my blessing towards buying a phone, but I did agree that she could purchase her own if she figured out all the details and paid the monthly fees. That's how she got her job at the local library. Since the fateful day in mid-July when she bought her phone and plan, I have been attempting to understand the text craze. She handles the responsibility well --i.e. no texting while driving, no texting during homework hours, no texting during family time -- but freely admits that she likely types 100 lines a day. Yesterday, at the climate audit, some of my synapses connected.

Joe: So would your prefer a different keyboard on your computer? One that allows you to type with your thumbs like you do when you text?
Teen Girl: That would be cool. I can text so much faster. And I have noticed my typing speed has slowed down on a regular keyboard since I started texting.
Joe: So what if you could just speak your message in your phone and it automatically converted it to text?
Teen Girl: Whoa. That is what I need. That would be amazing.
Teen Boy: Wait a minute. Wouldn't that be just like calling someone?
Joe (feeling smug): Yes, I think it would. That's my point. I don't get the point of texting.
Teen Girl: No, it's totally different! I don't like talking on the phone. It would be nothing like that. When I text, I have time to think. I can pause before I respond. I often change my message before I send it. I can't do that when I talk. Talking can be really awkward. Besides a sending text messages is so much more private. Everyone hears you when you talk on the phone.
(She was right. I remember sneaking under the kitchen table when I was a kid so I could eavesdrop on my mom as she perched on the stool tethered to the phone on the kitchen wall.)

So my light bulb went off. For the first time, I understand why my daughter likes to text more that she does talking on the phone. It gives her time to think. Time to pause. Time to paraphrase. Time to reflect. Time to say what she means and mean what she says. In the same breath, I am concerned. I am concerned that texting will make her feel more awkward in face to face conversations. I am concerned that she will feel uncomfortable speaking up in class or on the bus or with friends, if she cannot censor her thoughts and words first. I am concerned that the bulk of her friendships with be built upon shallow abbreviated expressions. OMG

It is nothing to LOL about, but one other topic of interest I wish to toss in the ring is text messaging. I think my closed mind might do well by spending some time on the topic. At least maybe I could quit wringing my hands.

A moment of doubt

After looking through many of the samples and rereading Annette's directions, I am now wavering on my topic selection. I chose something that both interested me and has some type of external value. As a teacher and a learner, I typically look for killing two birds with one stone ideas. For this assignment, however, I am going to have to reevaluate. There are other birds for the stoning, and one of those birds might just have the personal inquiry plumage I am searching for.

1. In the Spring I will journey to NYC with ten teens to participate in a United Nations simulation. We have our evenings free and get a full day of tourist time. I love visiting and exploring cities, and would like to take time to search out times, places, and sights in advance. I did this same trip last year as a parent chaperone, but this year my role will be more of a co-leader with a classroom teacher. Last year, I found the Mars 2112 (http://timessquare.com/Dining/Featured_Restaurants/Mars_2112/) almost by accident and the kids were delighted with it. I also found an Amish Market, near the UN, that proved to be an excellent place for lunch. For this inquiry, I might consider checking out off-the-beaten path, yet affordable eateries in NYC.

2. Another passion of mine is learning about alternative schools. I know NYC is a hotbed of experimentation and design when it comes to schools. I was able to visit a remarkable one in Harlem last spring which proved to be a highlight of my trip to the city. For this inquiry, I might consider developing a contact list of notable schools in the city and planning visits.

3. Lastly, I enjoy graphic design and fiddle with it with my children. Just this weekend, my son shared a design that he hopes to get printed on a t-shirt. I have always wanted to teach him how to silk screen, but haven't taken the time to get the know-how. Also this weekend, my daughter had her friends over to make shirts in support of the football team. This could be a cool family project.

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So here is how my decision making usually works (or doesn't work, as my wife describes it.) I make a decision soon out of the gate, but then realize there are many, many more options, so I back up, brainstorm some more, right up to the eleventh hour, and then make a choice wondering all the while if there could have been a better one. After reading through the many research models, I think that I will next dabble into each of my ideas and see if any one emerges as the clear choice . . . since I have a little while before the clock strikes 11:00.