Final Reflection

My PowerPoint presentation is available for viewing at https://oncourse.iu.edu/portal/site/~emdmarsh/page/9080f3c3-9a04-419e-002e-7d5905b98d47. It includes voice narration so please make sure the sound is on and volume up on your computer. The two elaborations used in the project are web links and technology tools for product creation (digital camera, Microsoft PowerPoint, and picture from Google).

In many ways the inquiry process for me during this project was quite similar as it would be for a child or young adult. The basic experiences and steps are the same. I'm sure the kinds of frustrations encountered would be similar: what to research, how to determine what information is most importatn, how to present the information, etc. I think for me, as an adult, the process was more reflective and intentional than it would be for a child or young adult. A child may move through the process with guidance from a teacher, but not have as great of an understanding of the steps and purposes of the process.

This particular project fits into the Indiana standards in a couple of major ways. First, the fourth grade social studies curriculum focuses on the state of Indiana: history, geography, etc. The direction I took this project fits the fourth grade standards perfectly. This project also fits into the language arts curriculum at nearly any level. The creation of the text in the PowerPoint presentation would fit into the standards of writing process, writing applications, and writing English language conventions. The creation of the voice narration fits the lanague arts standrd of
listening and speaking.

Overall, I found this to be a positive experience. I had never before reflected so much on the inquiry process, rather than just the final product. I felt as though I could relate to and understand what Stripling meant in Curriculum Connections through the Library when she said inquiry "is not a collections of process skills and strategies; it is a relationship between thinking skills and content." (2003) Inquiry is more than just knowing how to find information in the library or on the computer. It is interacting with the information and exploring until answers to questions are found. During the course of this project I had more freedom to explore the topic of my choice than in any previous assignment I have ever undertaken.

Almost There....

I've been working hard on this project since Thursday when I last posted. I want to reflect some more on what I've been doing the last few days. The first challenge I faced when putting together my project was deciding which questions I wanted to answer. I approached my research with the broad idea "I want to know about the history of Ft. Wayne." It wasn't until I begin looking through the information I had gathered that I developed more specific questions. In this, I really didn't follow the order in the 8Ws, I-Search, or Research Cycle models. Obviously, this is not the way I was "supposed" to go about my research. However, it worked for me. I found general resources and when I dug into them I came across topics that interested me and then read everything I could about those topics. Maybe this means I "did it wrong," but as I said, it seemed to work for me. In the end I would up answering these questions: What were the circumstances surrounding the founding of Ft. Wayne? How did these events affect the Native American population? What events were important to the growth of Ft. Wayne? What role have African-Americans played in the development of the city? Where is Ft. Wayne headed in the future? In some ways I'm glad I didn't make a list of specific questions and stick to it before looking for resources. I probably wouldn't have focused any of my questions on African-Americans, and would have missed out on the interesting and important information I read about in a great book I discovered specifically about African-Americans in Ft. Wayne.

Once I had explored the information I found, I organized it by creating category headings and placing the information under those headings. If something didn't fit into one of my main categories I cut it. For example, I read a very interesting quote where an 1875 issue of the Chicago Tribune referred to Ft. Wayne as "the most lawless town in Indiana." I found the quote amusing, but it didn't fit in with anything else, so I cut it from the project. Organizing my information in this manner worked well as I am creating a PowerPoint presentation. I took my category headings and made them into my slide titles. This presents organized ideas to the viewer and makes it clear when we are transitioning from one topic to another.

If you've read my previous posts, you know that I decided to create a PowerPoint with pictures because I enjoying looking at the historical pictures so much when doing my research. I also decided to add voice narration to my PowerPoint, due to another course I am currently taking. I am taking High-Tech Learning, also with Dr. Lamb, and for an assignment due this Monday we were to research a topic of our interest and then present our findings using sound, animation or video. I automatically thought, "I could add sound to my PowerPoint about Ft. Wayne. That would be perfect!" I was amazed at how well the two assignments fit together. I emailed Dr. Lamb and she graciously agreed to let me combine the two assignments. I am very glad I decided to add sound because I believe it will add substance to the presentation.

I am still finishing up my final project and will be posting a final reflection soon!

Transitioning

It's been about a week and a half since I've posted, which, I'm a bit embarrassed to say, is because it's been that long since I've done any work on the project. My life's been a bit hectic and I just haven't had time to focus on it until tonight. I feel like tonight is a point of transition for this project because I've moved from researching information to using my information to create a project; thererfore, I'm taking a bit of time to reflect on the process of my personal inquiry project.

When I first looked at the 8Ws model, I found it a bit confusing. Now that I am actually in the inquiry process I can see how it applies to what I've done and am currently doing. For me the Watching and Wondering aspects were internalized. I spent a good deal of time just thinking about what I was interested in knowing more about. At first, I seemed stuck on the idea that there wasn't really anything I was interested in investigating. Generally, when I come across something that piques my interest I will immediately go find the nearest encyclopedia, Internet terminal, or person of knowledge and find out what I want to know. I forced myself to dig a little deeper and consider those things in which I was interested. I thought about the important things in my life right now, what I'm focused on. A big thing for me was my recent move to Ft. Wayne for my husband's job. Since moving, I've had a desire to feel more connected to our new hometown. I chose to investigate the history and culture of Ft. Wayne in hopes of doing so.

Next came the Webbing aspect of inquiry. This actually turned out to be a lot of fun. I started with some Internet searches and then went to the public library to look at books. I was impressed with how many they had and I loved looking at the historical photographs. This was the point where I decided to do a PowerPoint for my project and incorporate pictures into it. (I know. This is getting into Wrapping. Sorry to jump ahead.) Then, it just so happened that The History Center here in Ft. Wayne was a part of Tourist in my own Hometown, which allows locals to go to local museums and such for free, so I went to The History Center, which was a great experience and resource.

The Wiggling, Weaving, and Wrapping aspects of the project are what I've been beginning to work through today - figuring out which information is most important, and how to organize and present it. I am still working through these phases, but it's interesting how much more clearly I can see them once I'm in them. I still think the steps in this model are a bit more confusing than some of the other models, such as I-Search with it's four basic steps, but I can see how this project is helping me to understand the 8Ws model better.

The History Center

I just got back from The History Center here in Ft. Wayne and I'm very glad I went. It really is a very nice museum, located in the former City Hall building, and I would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in history. I found some great information. Two things especially caught my attention. First, I was fascinated by the portrayal of Native American history in the area. This is something I hadn't read about in great detail on any of the websites or in any of the books I've been exploring, but now know I want to include in my final project. Also, it was very interesting to look at the old maps of the city. I don't consider where I live to be the edge of town, but on maps from the 1800s, where I now live was several miles outside the city. It was fun to make that personal connection!

Thanks!

Thanks to those of you who suggested ideas of where to look for information. I was excited to learn that this Sunday is Be a Tourist in Your Own Hometown here in Ft. Wayne and you can visit the local museums for free. I'm planning on going to the history center and possibly the African-American Museum if I have time. I have church commitments until early afternoon, but hopefully I'll be able to hit up both places.

Books!

I went to the library in downtown Ft. Wayne today to look for some books about the history of Fort Wayne and found some great resources. Although I've only looked through them briefly in the last few hours, I'm beginning to get a better idea of what I want my final project to be. As I'm looking through my resources (both books and websites) I'm finding that I am more interested in looking at the pictures than reading the text. It really is true that a picture is worth a thousand words! I want my final project to be something that incorporates lots of pictures. At this point, I'm thinking of a PowerPoint presentation with pictures. If anyone has any other ideas of a way to utilize photos in my final project, let me know. I'm always open to new ideas.

Internet Exploration

I've begun my exploration of Ft. Wayne history with the Internet. I know that for many people, including myself a good deal of the time, this is the first place they turn to when in need of information. I began with a simple Google search for "Fort Wayne history." Then, I used my existing knowledge about Ft. Wayne (that it is name after General "Mad" Anthony Wayne) and did a Google search for General "Mad" Anthony Wayne. Between these two searches I came up with nine websites that contained helpful information, including both facts and pictures. One of my challenges with this search was determining which websites could be trusted to have accurate information. I came across several sites that looked promising, but I was unable to determine where their information came from and whether the site was reliable, so I chose to pass over those sites.

My plan is to next visit my local public library in search of books on the history of Fort Wayne!

Choosing a Inquiry Topic

After some deliberation I've decided to utilize this inquiry project in order to discover more about the local history and culture of Ft. Wayne and northeast Indiana. My husband and I recently moved to Ft. Wayne from Ohio and I'm interested in learning more about the area where we now live. If anyone else is from Ft. Wayne and knows of any good resources to check out, please point me in the right direction. I'd appreciate it!