574-Project 1

Personal Connection:
Before doing this project, I don't know if I had a specific way to inquire about something other than if I wanted to know the answer to something I would search Google to see what I found.  If that satisfied my curiosity, I stopped there.  If it didn't, I would ask someone who may know the answer (friends, family, coworkers.) If they didn't know, sadly I would just give up.  I never really took the time to do inquiry...I have no time to give!

When for classes when I was asked to inquire or search for information, depending on the topic, I would search Google or the IUPUI databases.  I only searched full text articles and would print out websites or the full text articles and then highlight what I wanted to keep for my paper.

Now, since doing this project, I have found a way to save many trees by using NoteStar.  Collectin information is soooo much easier with this tool and it produces a bibliography for you!  That is always the dreaded final step of writing a paper for me personally.  I like that NoteStar helps me keep things organized.

I honestly would compare my experiences with inquiry very similar to that of a child.  Children start with one idea and then get lost on some other aspect of that idea easily.  I tend to do that myself.  I will be searching for information on one topic and then something will catch my eye and I will be off on a tangent searching that.  Pretty soon, I have to stop myself and ask what was my original question.  I think that is easy to do since the internet is very stimulating and has so much information.  I think if students are equiped with an organizational tool it would help them stay on target and focus on the original task at hand.  I know for myself, NoteStar did that for me.

After finally completeing this project (it seemed to take forever!), I think it is something important for us to drag our kids through on smaller scales so that they can build upon those experiences and be ready for middle/high school and college.  I had never experienced something like a research paper until I went to college and I was a like a deer in headlights!  I didn't know what to do or where to begin.  I soon found writing 10 page papers to be a breeze.

Now it is time to say goodbye to the elefantes for now....I feel that I have answered the questions and found the informatio I was looking for.

574-Project 1

Curriculum Connection:
I could easily fit this project into any of my grade levels but for my two examples I chose 2nd grade and 4th grade.

The standards that I chose for 2nd grade are:
1.1.4: Find, evaluate, and select appropriate sources to answer questions.
1.1.6: Read, review and listen for information presented in any format in order to make inferences and gather meaning.

My 2nd graders would be asked to choose a wild animal that they would want to learn more about.  They can search the internet and find websites that will answer their questions.  I have taught them that websites with a lot of advertisments are probably ones they want to stay away from and that they should look for ones that are sponsored by organizations or zoos.  They will be able to watch the videos on some websites or listen to soundbits as another way to answer their questions in addition to reading the information.  They would write their questions and answers on a piece of paper as evidence that they completed the assignment.

For my 4th graders, I chose the following standard:
2.1.6: Use the writing process, media and visual literacy, and techology skills to create products that express new understandings.

The 4th graders are very good at creating PowerPoints so once they complete the same steps as the 2nd graders, they can take the information that they learned and create a visually stimulating and information packed PPT to share with their classmates.  They would have slide design, trasistions, and images as well as the questions and answers about their animal on the slides.  Since they are 4th graders, I would probably require a minimum of 6 questions and 8 slides.

574-Project 1

Wishing
I think my project went well.  I think my topic was a strength and the model to do the inquiry was a weakness for me.  The project was challenging simply because I have never done a project using a model and using steps.  I am sure in the past I was using some sort of model, but not one I was aware of.  If I had to do this over again, I would have started right away using NoteStar.  I think this is a huge help to organize your information.  I would hopefully have more time to use more of a variety in my sources and exapand my project to include other questions that came up while I was reading.  I just simply did not have the time for this project.

I think a strength was also my technology knowledge since I use these skills and programs daily with my students since I am the "computer teacher."  I am used to trying out new things to see if they will work for my kids and then using them in small simple steps so that they can learn it.

I think for this project my experience mirrored that of my older students in the sense that they usually feel overwhelmed and confused and that is how I felt throughout the process.  My kids ask lots of questions and are fortunate enough to have me standing right there.  For me in this project, I had lots of quesitons, but instead of just speaking right then and asking them, I had to write a post or email and wait for a response.

Overall, I think this was a good experience and will definitely help me emphathize with my students in the future.

574-Project 1

Waving
As I already discussed in my Wrapping step, that even though I did this project for me, I do plan on showing it to my students to show them PPT and to share with the younger students the information and pictures that I found about elephants.

I already posted my project in the Waving post....

574-Project 1

Wrapping
My information could be used for students who are studying animals.  It could be a starting point for them or an example of how to compile information.  When I chose my topic, I chose it for myself so really I wouldn't need to share my information with anyone since I just wanted to know the answers for my own personal interest.  This information is important to me becuase of my interest in elephants.  I love learning about them. 

I created the Power Point since it is what I am teaching my older students.  They are learning how to create PPT's and all the options that are available to them in the program.  I can use this PPT to show them next week as an example of transistions, slide design, and importing pictures.

I enjoyed making the Power Point as a way to display what I found.  I like that each slide can be its own subtopic or answer to one of my research questions.

I hope by viewing my PPT you will learn a little more about elephants.  If anything spikes your interest and you want to see where I got my information, see my previous posts that contain my bibliography.

Sommers-Project 1 Elephant Product, PPT

574-Project 1

Weaving:
I am finding the whole process to be frustrating and confusing.  I don't think my project is hard or frustrating, but I think the model is frustrating to follow.  I know I probably shouldn't say that since our professor is the one who created it and has published it, but its too much.  I am a very simple person when it comes to looking for information.  I don't need or want all these steps and I feel like I am repeating myself a lot.  I would love to go back to my Super 3 model....3 steps...I can focus on that sooooo much easier!  We all learn differently and I definitely don't learn well when I am overwhelmed.

That being said, I will attempt this Weaving bit. (I feel a little better, had to vent!) :) 

I organized my information by using NoteStar.  When you find your sources it allows you to take notes as well and creates the equivelant to the old fashioned note cards I used in high school to organize a research paper.  Each note card on Note Star gives me the information I decided to keep from each website and it organizes it inot topics and sub topics.  When I got to create my final project I just have to reword the information on those note cards...simple!

I have discussed this project quite a bit with my boyfriend and best friend since they know my obssession with elefantes.  I doubt they find herd life as interesting as I do, but at least they are willing to listen.  I have even mentioned different aspects of the information I have found with my students.  They also know I like elefantes (which they love that I use the Spanish word since 1/2 of my kids are Hispanic) and when we search things online I always use elephants as my example.  Right now the first and second graders are learning how to take images from the interent and place them on Word.  They have loved seeing all the pictures I have found of baby elephantes and their mamas.

Since I have been particularly interested in herd life, I have found some sad facts about elephants lives in a zoo.  On the IDA website I read that "There is little opportunity for the development of normal social structures."  Many zoos do not have enough space for the elephants to move around like they should and their health is affected by this.   "The confinement, isolation from family, lack of freedom of movement, and absence of a normal social structure take an intense physical and emotional toll on elephants. Captive elephants commonly suffer from foot and joint problems, stress related disorders such as impaired immune and kidney function, stereotypic behaviors such as weaving, and aggression, sometimes directed at keepers to frequently fatal ends. Elephants in captivity die young."

As much as I love visiting the elephants at the Indianapolis Zoo, reading this information has me wanting to help find ways to make their quality of life better for them.  How horrible it must be for them to not have the social interaction that they are accustomed to.  Since breeding in zoos is difficult, they may only be one baby at a time at a zoo.  In the wild, they are used to having a large family with many babies running around together at the same time.

The information from my ask-an-expert also gave me an interesting tidbit.  He found that when an African and Asian elephant were made to breed, the baby only lived for a short period.  That has me curious to find out if that was just a fluke or if mixing the breeds was the cause of this.  That question will have to be answered on a different inquiry!

Since some of my students have taken an interest in animals (since that is what I tend to use in my examples), I have thought about creating a project for them to work together in groups.  I would use the Super 3 model since they are little and well who am I kidding....it is simple enough for both them and me!  When I do projects with my kids, I have noticed that most of my ILS standards are easily met through the process.  The below standards are what I use when I create my lesson plans.

THE NINE INFORMATION LITERACY STANDARDS FOR STUDENT LEARNING 


Information Literacy

The student who is information literate

ILS 1: accesses information efficiently and effectively.

ILS 2: evaluates information critically and competently.

ILS 3: uses information accurately and creatively.

Independent Learning

The student who is an independent learner is information literate and

ILS 4: pursues information related to personal interests.

ILS 5: appreciates literature and other creative expressions of information.

ILS 6: strives for excellence in information seeking and knowledge generation (generates knowledge).

Social Responsibility

The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and

ILS 7: recognizes the importance of information in a democratic society.

ILS 8: practices ethical behavior in regard to information and information technology.

ILS 9: participates effectively in groups to pursue and generate information (shares and collaborates).
 

In our Curriculum Connections text they talk about Communities of Inquiry on page 36.  After reading that paragrpah, I agree that it is important to have a community of inquiry in schools.  The first sentence really caught my attention: "Communities of inquiry are created when teachers and students build a shared purpose for learning, when they embrace a diversity of perspectives and ingage in the process of developing new understandings, when they share responsibility for supporting and challenging each other, and when they connect their learning experiences in school with the outside world and their futures."  Students have to much to teach us just as we have to teach them.  I feel that if you have the established relationship or community information sharing will be flowing and learning will be a certain.  I would like to get this idea familiar to my teachers and principal so that they may see how important it is do projects that incorporate so many different subjects and ideas to learn instead of always just doing worksheets and taking tests.

Well that concludes this morning's attempt at the 8W's....the snow is beautiful, but I guess I should get to school....the half day I took off is coming to an end....

Go Colts!

574-Let me know if you are able to view this!

https://oncourse.iu.edu/access/content/user/nrsommer/kelvin%20rodriguez.TPP%20all%20about%20me.ppt

This is a test to see if posting something on here will take you to a PowerPoint...Please let me know if it works!!!

574-Project 1

My Bibliography:

Project: Elephants

Bibliography : renaesome_46038

(2010). The san diego zoo's wild animal park elephant cam. Retrieved 31 January 2010, from The San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park Elephant Cam http://www.sandiegozoo.org/elephantcam/index.html.

(2002). Asian elephants - national zoo
fonz. Retrieved 31 January 2010, from Asian Elephant Facts http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/AsianElephants/factasianelephant.cfm.

(2008). Welcome to the indianapolis zoo. Retrieved 31 January 2010, from Welcome to Project Elephant http://www.indianapoliszoo.com/content.aspx?cid=292.

(2002). African elephants - national zoo fonz. Retrieved 31 January 2010, from African Elephant Facts http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/AfricanSavanna/fact-afelephant.cfm.

(2008). Welcome to the indianapolis zoo. Retrieved 31 January 2010, from Communication http://www.indianapoliszoo.com/content.aspx?cid=306.

(2008). Welcome to the indianapolis zoo. Retrieved 31 January 2010, from What are the differences between Asian and African Elephants? http://www.indianapoliszoo.com/content.aspx?cid=309.

(2010). San diego zoo's animal bytes: elephant. Retrieved 31 January 2010, from Mammal: Elephant http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-elephant.html.

Arnold, C. (1993). Elephant. New York: Morrow Junior Books.

Bright, M. (1990). Elephants. New York: Gloucester Press.

Brody, J. (1995). Elephants. Parsippany, NJ: Silver Burdett Press.

Sheldon, W. (1961). Junior science book of elephants. Champaign, IL: Garrard.

Ida campaigns, elephants. Retrieved 31 January 2010, from Sentenced to Life: Elephants in Captivity http://www.idausa.org/campaigns/elephants/captivity.html.

(2009). Elephants in zoos. Retrieved 31 January 2010, from Elephants in zoos http://www.elephantvoices.org/elephant-interests/-in-zoos.html.

(2008). Welcome to the indianapolis zoo. Retrieved 31 January 2010, from Elephant Kinships http://www.indianapoliszoo.com/content.aspx?cid=304.

Elephant herd structure africam. Retrieved 31 January 2010, from Elephant herd structure http://www.africam.com/wildlife/elephant_herd_structure.

Ida campaigns, elephants. Retrieved 31 January 2010, from Sentenced to Life: Elephants in Cativity http://www.idausa.org/campaigns/elephants/captivity.html.

574-Project 1

Techonogy Requirements:
I have mentioned some of the technology I have used but I wanted to make sure I had a separate entry listing them so there was no confusion.

Note Taking:  I used NoteStar to collect notes about my subject.  This was an amazing new thing to learn and use.  I love it and plan on using it in the future to organize papers and projects...wish I had found this 2 years ago when I started my MLS.  (notestar.4teachers.org)

Ask-an-expert:  I used allexperts.com for this section.  I have copied and pasted my question and the answer I received.
Wild Animals/Answered Question


Expert: Jonathan Wright

Subject: Elephants

Question: When elephants are housed in zoos, do they create a herd including the other elephants already placed at the zoo? Do African and Asian elephants combine to create one herd since they are at a zoo and not in the wild, or would they create two seperate herds? Are the two types of elephants even aware the other is different?

Answer: Dear Nichole

Thank you for your question. I also wish to thank the authors of the websites I used.

It was quite common for African and Asian elephants to be kept in the same enclosure and this still occurs today (see http://blogs.sandiegozoo.org/blog/2009/03/16/elephants-a-zoo-family/). http://www.elephant.se/Motty_the_elephant_crossbreed.php?open=Living%20Elephant% shows that an African/Asian hybrid is possible, although the calf only survived for two weeks. Please note that elephants will accept elephants of a different species (I have seen this in various zoos), but the small group dos not really constitute a herd. Some new elephants are not accepted in a group, but this is the case with various animals and zoos often send these animals to other zoos. As far as I know, zoos do not keep large groups of African and Asian elephants in the sam enclosure. In fact, many zoos have been criticised because their enclosures are too small and it would be difficult to work out the herd structure in a cramped enclosure. I can't prove that elephants recognise that different elephants belong to different species, but as they are one of the few types of animals that recognise themselvs in their reflections, I am pretty sure that they would identify differences between their species.

Now elephants are usually kept in herds of Asian or African elephants and not in mixed groups. The herd of females have access to a male when they are ready to mate and breeding success has increased.

All the bst

Jonathn

I think this was a great resource and I am thinking about having my students use this to teach them another way of aquiring information.

Productivity Tool:  I am going to use Power Point as a way to present the information I found about elephants.  I am planning on using Oncourse's My Workspace to upload it and will place the link on my blog.

Bibliography: I am going to compile the sources I used into a Bibliography page so that if others want to visit the websites they can.  When it is complete, I will post it.

574-Project 1

Wiggling:
When I looked at the technology requirements and was deciding which ones I wanted to try, I saw 4teachers.org.  I have used their RubiStar many times and loved it so as I was looking through their home page I saw NoteStar.  This website helps students to keep track of their notes and sources.  Winner!  I signed up and after a while, I have figured it out.

When searching the websites, I would click on Note Card which was installed by NoteStar.  A box pops up and you fill in all the information.  It asks you what project it is for and what topic or subtopic you want it filed under.  (You create this in the "manage projects" section.)  There is a place for you to put the publication year, organization sponsoring the site as well as other bibliographical information.  The best part is there is an open box that lets you type notes about that website or copy and paste the information you want to keep.  You have the option to choose "my own words" or "quote" and once you hit create note your information is saved and organized for you on NoteStar.  There is even a function for viewing the bibliography!  So far it is a hit.  It also keeps track of your sources that are not online.

When I was loking through my websites, before I chose to Note them, I would look at who was responsible for the content of the page.  The zoos and other educational well known names I considered to be reputible sites.  It was also reassuring that the information was consistent from site to site.

When I started this project, I had a general background knowledge about elephants and it has been reassuring that what I thought to be true is and that the information I am finding just elaborates on those facts.  I knew that males did not stay with the herd.  I did not know however, that they left at about 14 or 15 years old to travel on their own in search of a female in a herd that was in heat.

574-Project 1

Webbing:

Today I have spent my homework time by searching the wonderful World Wide Web.  I have found the internet to be my best friend when doing homework since my time is so short and there is just a wealth of information out there.

Since my topic is about elephants and how they behave in their herds, both in the wild and in a zoo, I first looked at the San Diego Zoo's website.  I happened up on it last week and find myself returning regularly to view their webcam.  In addition to their webcam, they have an online elephant game you can play as well as lots of facts and information about the elephants.  I also visited the Indianapolis Zoo's website to see what types of information they had since they have the Elephant Project.  I like the way they catagorize their information so it was easy for me to filter through.

After looking at those two websites, I did a google search for "elephant herd behavior" and came upon some good websites with a wealth of information that talked about how elephants travel in herds and the herds can be up to 100 members.  Herds only consist of female and young males.  Once a male reaches maturity he goes out on his own to find a breeding herds with a female in heat to mate with.  This is just a tidbit of the information I have found.

I then looked for "elephant behavior in zoos" which lead me to a IDA website which was stating its case for elephants to not be held in captivity since they are not able to maintain thier natural behavior and their health deteriates.  When I saw the word "captivity," I changed my search words to "elephants in captivity" and found an interesting article that discussed how being held in a zoo affects the elephants both physically and emotionaly.

I think my research questions are still applicable to my project so I have not tweaked them.  I have so far used the internet and Inspire to look for my information.  I am going to look at my elementary library tomorrow and see what information I can find on our shelves.

574-Project 1-Wondering

Wondering:
When I decided to do my project on elephants, I didn't have particular quesitons in mind.  I just love reading about them and learning everything I can.

After reading some of the San Diego Zoo's website (http://www.sandiegozoo.org/elephantcam/index.html), and viewing their webcam some questions came to mind about the herd itself.  I wondered how when elephants where put into the zoo, how they created their herds.  I wondered if African elephants were friendly with the Asian elephants and if they even realized amont themselves if there were differences.  To answer this question I emailed an "expert" through ask an expert on expertcentral.com. 

Since there is so much information about elephants both wild and housed in zoos, it is hard to really narrow down a focus for my search.  I wonder certain things about the herds in the zoos, but then I also like to read about their herd behavior in the wilde.  I like the facts on the zoo boards at the elephant displays that talk about how the male elephant leaves the herd upon reaching a certain age and travels to visit other herds to mate with.  I find it fascinating that a female elephant is pregnant for 22 months (no, thank you!) and how when the babies are born the can stand right away to eat.

After reading what I just typed, I think I just make my subtopic "life in the herd" and include both behaviors in the zoo as well as in the wild.  That way I can compare these two.

A few questions to be answered in a addition to the one I asked the "expert" are:
1.  How is a herd started?
2.  Can a herd ever be too big to where it needs to separate into smaller herds?
3.  Who is in charge in the herd?  Who makes the decisions?
4.  Elephants are said to mourn their dead.  How does the herd do this?
5.  Do elephants have any other "human" like behavior?
6.  How does the herd defend itself from predators?

Well, I think that wraps up my wondering....
On a side note about the project in general, I am feeling very overwhelmed with the amount of work this project entails.  I now understand why my students freak out on me when I introduce projects to them.  They just want to know what to do first or next....that is how I am feeling.  Upon looking at the "Evaluation" list of what all has to be done, I nearly had an anxiety attack....I am hoping that by following the 8 W's, doing the 4 technology steps, commenting on others blogs, and putting my findings into a PowerPoint or Brochure for the final product that I will have completed the project.

574-Project 1

Watching:
Part of this was on my previous post when I listed my three choices.  The conclusion of this step is as follows. (Since I think I am grasping the directions, I am using the 8 W's to help keep my process posts on track.)

I think I am going to do my inquiry on elefantes.  I find elephants absolutely fascinating.  I want to learn more about their culture (yes, elefantes have one!) and about their history in relation to us, the horrible humans who kill them simply for their ivory tusks.

574--Project 1 Inquiry Ideas

Well, I am a bit overwhelmed when looking at the directions and requirements for Project 1 so I am going to take this slow and hope I do it right.

Some subject ideas I have had is:
The Holocaust--a subject I have always loved learning about.  I am particularly facinated with the children's stories.  What they went through, how they survived, what are they doing now if they are still alive.

Down Syndrome--my 14 year old cousin and her twin who passed away at 6 weeks old were born with DS.  While she is my cousin I always think of her as my baby.  She and her sister, Anna who is 17 and an academic genius, are the joys of my life.  Since Alana was born, I have been fascinated with DS and can't learn enough about it.  I do anything I can to help Alana be successful.

Elephants--I collect elefantes (spanish word I usually use when I refer to them) and decorate my house with them.  I love visiting the zoo (I am a member) and spending most of my time there at the elefantes just watching them.  They are beautiful animals!

Those are my 3 ideas.  Hopefully after reading the directions for the project a few more times (I have already read them 3 times) I can make a decision by tomorrow and begin the next part....whatever that is!!!