Wishing

It's time to reflect.  Kuhlthau describes the actions in this phase of her ISP model as "evaluate evidence of meeting focus, use of time, use of resources, use of library and librarian".  These actions merge well with the questions Professor Lamb has asked us to address.  Kuhlthau also shares that students might feel a "sense of accomplishment; perhaps also disappointment" during this phase.  Luckily, I'm experiencing a far greater sense of accomplishment than disappointment.

How did your project go?
Overall, the project went really well.  There were highs and lows.  Now that's it's nearly finished, I'm experiencing a high.  It was a success.  How do I know?  I experienced personal inquiry, which is more about the process rather than the product.  I navigated through each phase of the 8Ws model, sometimes jumping around and combining phases quite a bit.  I met the requirements of the project and I'm pleased with the results.

What were the strengths?
Watching and Wondering went really well.  Since I was able to pick a personal topic, I was extremely motivated.  That motivation carried me through some of the tougher phases.  I feel like another strength of the project was my ability to focus in on four distinct areas and generate research questions for each of those areas.  Those questions drafted during the Wondering phase guided my research.  It kept me focused.  Organization is a personal strength of mine that influenced the project.  I was very careful while gathering information to keep it organized, clearly labeled, and easily accessible.  This was key when it came time to weave/ synthesize my work.

Weaknesses?
Ah, yes, I have some of those, and so does this project.  One of my greatest weaknesses was deciding how to evaluate my sources.  I felt like I didn't have a very academic approach to this.  My evaluation was more of a gut feeling coming from experience.  When I had to describe or outline my evaluation criteria, that was tough!  Another weakness might be my selection of resources.  Kuhlthau specifically mentions, "use of library and librarian".  Oops.  I used neither.  My resources were mostly limited to those I found online: magazine articles, websites, journals, running blogs, and ask an expert.  I should have consulted more primary information through a library.

Challenges?
Searching.  I had some difficulty finding exactly what I was looking for.  I modified my search terms several times before getting closer to the exact information.  Technology.  Technology was amazing at times, but it also proved to be somewhat of a frustration for me.  I realized that having to learn some technology was getting in the way of moving through the phases.  Making decisions for a final product.  I'm an indecisive person and feel like I wasted a little too much time exploring different options for a final product.  While I appreciated the options Professor Lamb provided and the freedom to choose, it also slowed me down a little.

What might be done differently next time?
Next time I want to be a little more consistent with how I evaluate sources.  I want to use more of a set of criteria, rather than instinct or feeling.  I'll also use a greater variety of resources, including the library and online videos.  I think I'll also consider my final product a little sooner.  I'm a linear person and was trying to move through the 8Ws model in a step-by-step fashion.  I think I'll be a little more flexible in my phases next time and since I'm a big picture person and like to know where I'm headed, I'll determine my final product sooner.

My experiences and challenges/ strengths/ weaknesses are VERY similar to what students might encounter.  Having gone through this process, I will definitely have greater empathy and understanding of what it's like for students.  I get it.  Before this, I was probably a little too far removed.  Students will need a facilitator who can guide them through the phases.  They're going to need help thinking about possibilities, picking a specific focus, generating focused research questions, searching, evaluating sources, organizing information, weaving it together, and selecting and creating a final product.  Whew, I think that's everything!  Similar to me, they're also going to need some help with technology and understanding how to use it.  Students will encounter some of those same feelings I did during the different phases: excitement, frustration, overwhelmed, confusion, uncertainty, pride, nervousness.  They're going to need a teacher/ LMS who can empathize and either help or celebrate with them.

Now I'm just "wishing" it could be the end of May.  I worked hard on creating this Personal Training Guide and I'm excited to start using it :-)