Wishing - Then Doing!

It is so easy to wish you had done something differently. It is much more difficult to actually go back and do it differently. Many times students never have this opportunity. Usually it's hard enough trying to get them just to finish the project in the first place. Well, now that I am at the end of the project, I am wishing I had done lots of things differently. However, what is great for me is that my project is ongoing and I can make changes as I need to.

In reflecting I ask myself, "If I were starting over, what would I do differently? Here are my answers.

• First, I would start on my project sooner. Of course, I always say this. Actually, I worked on it during any available time I had. Unfortunately, it came at a rough time - the end of the trimester, in the middle of a two collaborative, time-consuming projects, and during the a relative's illness. So, I will continue to work on it and just say - "I did the best I could with the time I had."
• Next, I would definitely keep a research log. I wasted too much time trying to find information I had already found - I just didn't know where.
• I would get students' input earlier so that I could include it in the Web site before the final project was due.
• I would be better organized and be able to access information that I had gathered. For example, the principal gave me a copy of an excellent article related to blogging and student safety. I want to share this with the members of L551, but I have misplaced it. (I will get another copy if I can.) I also faced the problem that I had to do my blogging at home (since I Internet filter blocks blogging sites.) However, I had to do all Web design at school since that is where I have FrontPage 2003 and access to the Web server. This constant moving of materials from one place to another caused a waste of time.

What wouldn't I change? I would definitely do a Web site as my final product. The skills I have learned (or relearned) have proved invaluable and motivating. I now have so much I want to do.

Wishing is okay. It's even neccessary. However it's action that really gets things done.

Waving (with Pride)

As I look back over what I have created, I am amazed - and I want to share it with everyone. I have learned how to manage the photo gallery in FrontPage. I can add shared borders so that I only have to change links, headings, and footers in one place and it will change on all of my Web pages within the site. I have learned to use Web page templates, but more importantly be able to modify them as needed. I am really pleased with my final result. I know that not everything is complete, but it looks as professional as I can make it using only FrontPage and simple Web design techniques. Now I'm reading to share it.

First, I am waving it at all of you - so take a look at my USS Indianapolis site. If you don't know much about Web design, you'll be amazed. However, if you are a Web designer with experience in Flash, Dreamweaver, or Java scripting, you will say - "What's the big deal? This is just a simple Web site."

Next, I have to figure out how to wave it at students, especially since I want them to add to the site. To start, I plan to put it in our next LMC newsletter. I also will have the language arts teachers share it with their students. Most of these teachers will encourage their students to submit input.

Most importantly, I realize how pleased I am with the result and I want to share it. This stresses the importance for allowing students to share their work. Just last week we finished a map of a country using Microsoft Word drawing tools. Students were amazed with their final products printed in color. Some of them looked almost professional. However, when they saw them laminated and posted on the hallway wall, they were very proud. I constantly heard remarks like "that's mine" or "look at what I did." It is not often that your hear middle schoolers claim their work. Once again, I know that our professional readings tell us that publishing students' work is important. This project has just driven the message home for me.

Wrapping (and Wrapping and Wrapping)

When building a Web site as a final product, it is easy to get over-ambitious. I think that's why this project almost got out of hand for me. As with any good project, I set out to determine my purpose and audience. This led to my first confusion- was I creating this site for my L551 class or was I creating it for student use? Would my audience be my peers or would it be middle school (or high school) students?

When I finally settled on focusing on my students as the end users, everthing began to wrap up much easier. But as I started to create pages, once again I felt everthing spinnig out of control. I was trying to do to much in too little time. After slowing down and using Inspiration to create a manageable Web layout, I felt much better and back in control of the project.

Fours years ago, I had the opportunity to travel to Arizona for training to become an Intel Master Teacher, allowing me to train teachers in the Intel Teach to the Future program. While this program is not widely used here it Indiana, it is extremely well-known in western states. Many teachers have completed the 40 hours required to become recognized as teacher particpants. It was during this training that I really came to appreciate the need to complete a project as required for the students. Using this method has helped me avoid many delays, frustrations, and impossiblities when I create an end project following the same requirements as those I plan to have the students use.

This is exactly what this creating this final project has done for me. Even though I will not hav students creating the pages, they will be preparing some of the content. Now I have a much better concept of how to get the information from them.

Creating a final problem with this project, I could not find my original sources of information. I spent one long, but successful night locating valuable information online. Just like students who are not required to take notes on their research, I couldn't get back to the same sites I used. What a waste of valuable time. I should have employed the use of a research log. During many of the collaborative projects in which I am involved, we have not required research logs. This is one procedure that will definitely change. (As you can see, the benefits of our required readings for class are finally sinking in.) However, until I was faced with the frustration of not knowing where I found that, I could relate to my students own feelings.

I have wrapped and wrapped and wrapped. I still have more to do, but for now, I can sit back and marvel in what I have done (and learned.)

Weaving the Pieces Together

As I began sorting through all of the pieces of information, an internal explosion threatened to erupt. My final project could become an all-consuming nightmare. Not only was I seeking information about the USS Indianapolis, I was also relearning FrontPage, Inspiration, and PhotoShop in order to complete my project. I finally took a step back and asked myself -"What do I want to learn from this project? The answer - while the information I gathered relating to the USS Indianapolis was personally interesting, I was becoming so much more proficient with my computer skills. This is what I needed - so this is what I have let the focus become.

I plan to incorporate student input into the site. As a result, I think that it will grow and develop and lead to similar projects that are more student driven. So for now, I have stopped the nightmare by allowing myself to limit the content, and to focus on the construction of the final product.

As I looked through my collected information, I found that my original question (How did the USS Indianapolis get named after a landlocked city in the Midwest?) had led me to many more questions. For example, one of the crew members was named William F. Ault. Ault is not that common a name. I am wondering if we were distantly related. This is a search for another day.

My other question was related to my surprise that the reading promotion that I organized has worked so well. The answer to that question will appear when I open up the site for student blogging. (Unfortunately, for obvious security reasons, this will be behind the firewall and will not be accessible to outside viewers.) You can find a description of the reading promotion and my sources of information on my Web site. However, remember that this is a work in progress and will be changing on daily basis for the next few days.

As I was creating the pages, I kept asking myself how much information did I want to repeat about the USS Indianapolis. There are so many books and Web sites already developed that have done a much better job than I could. For that reason, I decided to use the format of including FAQ and link pages on my Web site limiting the amount of actual information provided. I think this was a wise choice.

Wiggling, Squirmming - Finally Getting Comfortable

After spending several sessions collecting information and facing disappointments, I finally have to be satisfied with the information I have. Just as it is true for most lifelong learners, when I find out something, it just leads to more questions or more paths to follow. Fortunately, my final project is a work in progress allowing me to add information as it comes to my attention. As emphasized by Daniel Callison in his text Key Words, Concepts and Methods for Information Age Instruction, the synthesis of communication, action or relationship involves the higher level of skills of selecting relevant parts and arranging or combining to form a meaningful whole conclusion or message and organizing ideas, statements, and evidence to create a written, spoken, or visual message (Callison, pg. 89). This is where I have been wiggling. How can I organize the information I have? Should I use this piece of information? Do I need more or a different type of information?

After using Inspiration to organize the navigation of the Web pages in the site that I am creating, the information is falling into place. It has become much easier to decide what I need and what I can leave out. Since I am experienced at collecting information, I do not have to spend much time evaluating the authority of the information. However, I realize this is still an area that would require students to spend a great deal more information since they do not have the experiences and background knowledge that I do. What I am discovering is that my project is growing. I have information that needs to be included so I am increasing the final site to accommodate it.

Today was my day of technology frustrations. I began building my Web site using FrontPage 2003. I haven't touch Web page creation for almost three years. After chasing around and around, I finally learned from my mistakes. Now I'm on the correct path and my wiggling has begun to subside. Check my link at the right and watch my site take shape. I'm also excited because I can begin working on updating my LMC Web site to make it a tool to support student learning.

Webbing Adds Strength

Just as a tightly woven layer of tough webbing adds strength to a light aluminum frame to make a functional lawn chair, a well-organized plan for gathering information can also result in the creation of a powerful product. As I begin to develop a plan for gathering information, I am considering methods for organizing my strategies. Making a true web using Inspiration would be a possibility. Charts and tables are also possibilities. However, since I am currently short of time and feeling stressed with all of my responsibilities that are due within the next 5 days, I find myself coming back to a quick, comfortable method of writing lists.

Before I can begin organizing a search strategy to complete my U.S.S. Indianapolis project, I have to determine what I need and what final form my information will take. Although this could change as I go along, I need to make these tentative decisions in order to create focus n my research.

Have you ever tried debating with yourself? It is always a "win/lose" situatuation. In other words, you win something, but you lose something too. Well, I began this internal debate with what form did I want to plan for my final product. I am extremely familiar and comfortable with PowerPoint so that was my first thought. However, as I weighed the pros and cons, I realized that sharing a final PowerPoint product with the students in my school would not be easy. While I can change the PowerPoint to a Web-published version, I have not always been happy with the results. I could also create a Publisher document and post it to the Web as a pdf file. This method also has its drawbacks since it would be limited in student interaction. Finally, I made the decision to focus on developing Web pages using Front Page. The reason why I hesitated with this format is that while at one time I was proficient with this program as well as basic html coding, I have been away from it for quite a while. Oh, well, as we all know, this is a learning project - so Front Page, here I come.

Next, I needed to decide on what kinds of information I wanted to include on the Web pages. To help me visualize the organization of my Web pages, I am using Inspiration (which I have had to brush up on) to develop a web. While I still don't have everything "set" in my mind or on paper, I have enough of an idea to continue searching for information.

Looking for information has taken me in several directions. First, I have started with the book Left for Dead that many of my students are reading. As I described in my previous posting, I tried the Indiana State Museum. Since I won't be able to return to Indianapolis to look at the materials there, I have moved on to other sources. Of course, like the students, I headed to Google. While I have had success there, I am more knowlegeable than my students know I should try other sources. I called the local American Legion but found that we have no local survivors from the U.S.S. Indianapolis. However, we did have one sailor who was killed in the disaster, and they told me where his grave was here in town.

Also, using the online catalog, I have put a couple of items from the local library on hold. One of these is fictionalized account of the incident on video that has been recommended by several people. I have also collected information using Inspire.

What is interesting is that I complete each step of my plan, I keep thinking about the professional readings we have been doing. I keep asking myself questions like- "Am I being efficient?" and "How could I guide my students to do this kind of researching?" As I move along, more and more questions appear - just as more and more ideas pop up. Believe it or not, until the AIME (Association of Indiana Media Educators) Conference in November, I had never heard of Pathfinders. After I have become familiar with them, I can't wait until I have the time to develop some - especially after reading Danny Callison's description on page 26 of Key Words, Concepts and Methods for Information Instruction.

While thinking about the types of resources I can use for information related to my acutal topic, it suddenly dawned on me that I would need resources to help me review the use of FrontPage. Fortunately, I was scheduled to attend the ICE (Indiana Educators Computer) Conference in January. I signed up for a FrontPage workshop, and best of all, I great two great FrontPage tutorial texts - free. Now, I'm excited to acutally begin the project since I am killing many birds with one stone - completing the project for L551, relearning FrontPage, learning about the U.S.S. Indianapolis, renewing my familiarity with Inspiration, and learning how to create "good" pathfinders.

So much of interest - such limited time.

Wondering as I Wander

As I begin the process of thinking about the U.S.S. Indianapolis, I have many questions and a myriad of reasons for having those questions. Besides wanting to know the details of what actually happened to the U.S.S. Indianapolis as described in the book Left for Dead, I find myself wondering how a ship would get named for a Midwestern capital city. This past summer I had the opportunity to visit the U.S.S. Alabama which was formerly called the U.S.S. Mobile (I believe). This was a unique experience and knowing that my students would be reading the book about the U.S.S. Indianapolis, I actually visited the ship twice so that I could get a feel for what life might really have been like for these soldiers.

Although I have thousands of questions running through my mind, I didn't actually have the opportunity to begin researching until this past weekend. I had some free time on Saturday after the ICE (Indiana Computer Educators) Conference was over so I begin wandering downtown Indy. It suddenly dawned on me that this would be good time to begin researching so I headed down to the Canal. My first stop was at the U.S.S. Indianapolis Memorial located on the Canal Walk. Here I studied the Memorial and the inscriptions in detail. I have taken photos of the Memorial to add to my Web page as soon as I can. After thinking about the inscription I read, I am wondering if my first paragraph in this posting should read Midwestern capital city or Midwestern capitol city. Maybe someone can give me a grammar lesson as I thought I had these confusing words figured out. Obvioulsy not, since the inscription used capitol when I would have used capital.

As I was walking back from the Canal, I spotted the Indiana Historical Library. Of course, being a media specialist, I immediately though, "Great! Information I can use." Unfortunately, I discovered that while they have 35 sources of information related to the U.S.S. Indianapolis, the stacks are closed on Saturday and I could not actually look at any of them.

My next destination was Borders downtown. I was surprised to find that they only had two sources of information in stock other than the book Left for Dead. However, neither of the sources had the type of information I wanted. I am looking for short factual information related to the building and launching of the ship as opposed to additional descriptions of what took place when the ship sank. Now, I am at another point asking myself, "Where do I look next?" Of course, the Internet is high on my list. I will keep you posted as to my results as soon as I have time to search.

I am definitely a lifelong learner. All someone has to do is to look at my Indiana Teaching License. I started out with Elementary Education. Now, besides being able to teach elementary, I am also certified to teach Spanish K-12 and language arts 5-12. Most recently, I added a second Masters Degree in Library Science. My friends all ask, “What’s next?” Who knows? I certainly don’t.
As I complete L551 at IUPUI to professionalize my license, at this time I plan to focus my first project on the USS Indianapolis. One reading promotion I am directing at my school is to take several of the students who have read this Young Hoosier Book Nominee, Left for Dead, for the 6-8 level and who have passed the Accelerated Reader test to downtown Indianapolis to see the monument located on the Canal Walk. I have already received donations from the Seymour American Legion Post and a private donor to allow at least 12 names to be selected.
My reasons for selecting this topic are not just related to the students reading this book, but rather that I have been amazed at the success of this reading promotion. Left for Dead is a difficult, long book to read and several students whom I would classify as weak readers have passed the test. In fact, all 34 students who have read the book have passed the test. I, myself, have only had the opportunity to read half of the book since students keep checking out all of the copies we have in the LMC. However, I have been hooked as I realize I know very little about this ship named after our capital. And talk about inquiry learning. We have a sixth grader’s social studies project to thank for the honor that has been brought to the sailors and marines who served on this ship rather than the disgrace these brave men faced previously.
So many avenues of learning are connected to this book. Stay tuned as I describe my search for information about the USS Indianapolis and how this topic has motivated so many students to read.