Here is a bibliography of the books I used:
Kellogg, Cynthia. Corn: What It Is, What It Does. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1989. Print.
Lewis, Alan. I Grew Up On A Farm. Warwick: Moo Press, Inc., 2005. Print
Marston, Hope Irvin. Machines on the Farm. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1982. Print.
Peterson, Cris. Fantastic Farm Machines. Honesdale: Boyds Mills Press, 2006. Print
Walpole, Brenda. Feeding the World. New York: Franklin Watts, 2000. Print.
February 9, 2010
S574: Personal Connection
When I began my inquiry, I wanted to find things out about farming because I wanted to know more about my family's farming. I had passion but wasn't really sure about how the 8W model was going to work out. In the past I usually jumped right in to research and then compiled my answers in a format my teacher would approve of. However, since I had the opportunity to choose my project and the option to go back to the beginning as many times as I needed to, I enjoyed this inquiry a lot more. I am certainly glad that I learned how beneficial it was for me to think about my search before I began my search. Also, I liked the reflection part from Lamb's 8W model because it let me think about my project, good and bad, so I can hopefully improve my inquiry process next time. Aside from those two things, I think my process is pretty much the same; however, these two additions have had and will have a big impact on my inquiry process. Looking at the different models and comparing them to each other with classmates in trailblazers has taught me that no single model is the answer for inquiry. All have their strong points, and for every inquiry you make, design a new inquiry process that will work for you and for that inquiry.
February 8, 2010
S574: Technologies Used
I used the following technologies throughout this process:
1. Concept Map--I used http://mywebspiration.com/ to make a chart of questions I wanted to answer in the wondering stage: my chart.
2. Web-based Tool--I went to http://www.4teachers.org/ for my wrapping and used the classroom layout plan took to make a layout I can use when I have my farming lesson class/activity night: my layout.
3. Pathfinder, Social Bookmarks, or Bibliography--I used delicious in my wiggling and weaving stages to bookmark the websites I found useful for my research: my sites.
4. Electronic Communication Tool--Also in my wiggling and weaving, I used email to communicate with a realtor to get answers about land value:
Question:
Tara,
1. Concept Map--I used http://mywebspiration.com/ to make a chart of questions I wanted to answer in the wondering stage: my chart.
2. Web-based Tool--I went to http://www.4teachers.org/ for my wrapping and used the classroom layout plan took to make a layout I can use when I have my farming lesson class/activity night: my layout.
3. Pathfinder, Social Bookmarks, or Bibliography--I used delicious in my wiggling and weaving stages to bookmark the websites I found useful for my research: my sites.
4. Electronic Communication Tool--Also in my wiggling and weaving, I used email to communicate with a realtor to get answers about land value:
Question:
Tara,
I am doing a research project for one of my classes, and I am trying to figure out how much land in X County would cost. I am looking a big plots of land for farming, and was just wondering if you could give me a price quote on similar properties in this area.
Thank you for your help,
Shea
Reply:
Shea,
In 2009 there were 13 agricultural properties sold. The information is as follows:
17 acres/$338,000;
41 acres/$233,700;
10 acres/$100,999;
97 acres/$552,900;
50 acres/$285,000;
40 acres/$208,000;
36 acres/$169,000;
4.4 acres/$26,000;
72 acres/$374,400;
60 acres/$450,000;
20.7 acres/$162,645;
68.7 acres/$364,015; and
10 acres/$100,000
Average $/acre:
Min. $3844
High $9500
Average $6066
Hope this is the information you were looking for.
Tara
In 2009 there were 13 agricultural properties sold. The information is as follows:
17 acres/$338,000;
41 acres/$233,700;
10 acres/$100,999;
97 acres/$552,900;
50 acres/$285,000;
40 acres/$208,000;
36 acres/$169,000;
4.4 acres/$26,000;
72 acres/$374,400;
60 acres/$450,000;
20.7 acres/$162,645;
68.7 acres/$364,015; and
10 acres/$100,000
Average $/acre:
Min. $3844
High $9500
Average $6066
Hope this is the information you were looking for.
Tara
5. Productivity Tool--In the wrapping stage I made a power point that I could show to students and adults that gathered all of my findings together: my presentation.
S574: Wishing
Since my project began as an interest I had in my family's history and questions I had in relation to the farming my grandpa did, I think it was a huge success. I felt like there was so much to know about farming that it would be really difficult to address it through research, but I found that by breaking it up into the three major sections of equipment, crop and land, I was able to research it effectively using the 8W inquiry model. I feel that one of this model's greatest strengths is that encourages inquiry issues to arise from personal issues rather than imposed assignments (Callison 54). Personally, I loved all of the freedom I had in choosing my project. I'm pretty sure I never would have been motivated enough to do all of this research on my own, so I am thrilled a class let me dedicate my time to it. Another strong point of the project was incorporating so many different forms of technology into the process (post to come later listing all of them used). It was neat to try out different websites to see what services they had to offer and evaluate what would be helpful to me. The biggest surprise was the classroom plan I got to create-at the beginning of this project, I would never had anticipated that I would be using that.
The biggest weakness of the project I think is that I didn't do any first-hand observations on farms, other than recalling what I've learned over the years from visiting my grandpas farm. Although I was able to talk to family and friend farmers, I did not go out to a farm, and I think that this would have given a whole new dimension to the project, not to mention give me another element of fun! If I did it again, or for future further investigation, I would definitely like to go out to farms at various points throughout the season to see everything first hand and take notes and ask the farmers questions that I can't think of without seeing everything myself. The biggest challenge I faced was when I began the research on the crops and land. I had been planning on just using the books from the library, but I soon realized that I needed to consult online resources to get the up to date information necessary.
My inquiry experience was very similar to that of children and young adults in that I began not knowing anything, I very much felt the pressures of Kuhlthau's ISP model where I felt apprehensive and uncertain (Callison 40). I think a lot of young researchers feel nervous about starting a big project. No matter how interested they are in their topic, they will nevertheless feel that their efforts may not be enough or that it might require a lot of work that they won't be able to do well. I also think that they will share my joy in the wrapping stage when they've finally completed the inquiry they have been working on for so long. I think a major difference is that whereas I felt really comfortable in using the library for my research, they will probably feel more at ease using the internet for their primary information source. Although I ended up using a lot of internet sources, I used them to fill in gaps my books couldn't answer, and I think the students would be exactly the opposite. They will probably get frustrated as they realize that inquiry isn't just a series of steps they follow; they have to keep going back and filling in the holes and reevaluating where they want to go with everything. I didn't get frustrated, but I can definitely understand students who feel this way. Another difference is that I also don't think most students take the time to reflect on their project; I know I never did. I think they finish the project, turn it and, and don't give it another thought. However, I think that if it's a personal inquiry just for their own knowledge, they may reflect on it internally, and not even realize they are completing this wishing step. I hope that as a librarian in an elementary school, I will be able to guide them through library resources so they feel comfortable enough so they can use the library and the internet with equal confidence and pull resources freely from both sources.
In using the 8W model, I have to determine if they completed the phases considering their age and the sophistication of the inquiry process (Callison 14). Watching and wondering would be hard to determine on the outside, they would really be evident though in the later stages. If the students hadn't been watching and wondering, their topics wouldn't be very well developed our very many options considered. The webbing and wiggling I could watch as students worked in class and as I check their notes they bring in over the course of the research period. They should be going back again and again to fill in their holes of the project, and that will also be evident in the final product. A well-rounded project will not have a bunch of gaps in information and everything will have been looked into, rather than looked over. The weaving stage I can see if they just took resources word for word and put them into a different format for the product, or if they used their minds to synthesize information and come to their own conclusions, using the research as the grounds for their answers, not the answers themselves. Wrapping and waving will create a polished final product for me and the intended audience to see. If the project effectively conveys the information to the audience and if the audience was able to understand and connect with the inquiry project, these stages will have been successful. The wishing stage would be hard to assess unless I have them write a journal entry about their experiences. However, writing this journal will help them become better researchers in the future, so I think it would be time well spent. And of course, I could follow the example of this class and have them keep a blog or journal throughout the whole process of their experience and progress through all the steps of the model (8W or any other model that fits our purposes).
In using the 8W model, I have to determine if they completed the phases considering their age and the sophistication of the inquiry process (Callison 14). Watching and wondering would be hard to determine on the outside, they would really be evident though in the later stages. If the students hadn't been watching and wondering, their topics wouldn't be very well developed our very many options considered. The webbing and wiggling I could watch as students worked in class and as I check their notes they bring in over the course of the research period. They should be going back again and again to fill in their holes of the project, and that will also be evident in the final product. A well-rounded project will not have a bunch of gaps in information and everything will have been looked into, rather than looked over. The weaving stage I can see if they just took resources word for word and put them into a different format for the product, or if they used their minds to synthesize information and come to their own conclusions, using the research as the grounds for their answers, not the answers themselves. Wrapping and waving will create a polished final product for me and the intended audience to see. If the project effectively conveys the information to the audience and if the audience was able to understand and connect with the inquiry project, these stages will have been successful. The wishing stage would be hard to assess unless I have them write a journal entry about their experiences. However, writing this journal will help them become better researchers in the future, so I think it would be time well spent. And of course, I could follow the example of this class and have them keep a blog or journal throughout the whole process of their experience and progress through all the steps of the model (8W or any other model that fits our purposes).
It's great that I am able to take my findings beyond school: "Student accomplishments have an impact that extends into the real world. Students wrestle wtih situations and issues connecting their learning with larger public problems or with personal experiences" (Stripling 54). I am SO happy with the findings my project gave me. I feel a lot more connected to my family and much more knowledgeable about my surroundings, since they are mainly corn fields!
S574: Wrapping and Waving 2
To finish my wrapping, I made a power point presentation to share with the students and any interested adults. I addressed the research questions I had at the beginning, and was a great way for me to organize and polish my thoughts. For the waving aspect of my project, I want to be able to communicate my ideas beyond myself to students and adults. I made the presentation simple enough in language and format that I could present it to elementary school kids and adults with little knowledge of farming (like me at the beginning of this process!) would be able to easily understand. I organized it by talking about the machines, then the crop, then the land. In the machine section I went through and listed all 8 of the needed machines with pictures to make the presentation more interesting for the people. Since my research was also in the three sections of equipment, crop and land, it was easy to get everything organized into those groups for the presentation. The main things I added were an introduction slide and conclusion slide to make everything coherent and flow well. I'm planning to use this presentation in the future when I work at an elementary school, so I can present it during school if a teacher wants to do a connecting unit or after school as just a fun activity/information night for everyone to come out and enjoy.
I hope that if farmers came to my presentation they would want to share more information with me, so I could learn more and more information--a good inquiry has lots of ends that can spark exploration! Just as Callison says that inquiry models seem linear but are actually a cycle (51), I think that inquiry seems like a big squiggle. You can really pick up anywhere and loop around until you find out what you wanted to know, then continue on along a similar strand or jet off along another course.
Anyway, here is my powerpoint on farming!
It feels so good to have my final product!
I hope that if farmers came to my presentation they would want to share more information with me, so I could learn more and more information--a good inquiry has lots of ends that can spark exploration! Just as Callison says that inquiry models seem linear but are actually a cycle (51), I think that inquiry seems like a big squiggle. You can really pick up anywhere and loop around until you find out what you wanted to know, then continue on along a similar strand or jet off along another course.
Anyway, here is my powerpoint on farming!
It feels so good to have my final product!
February 7, 2010
S574: Wrapping, a Bit of Waving, and Curriculum Connection
I did this project because I am interested in my family's history with farming, and I wanted to know what it would take to get started farming. Thus, the first and foremost way to use the information I have found is as a plan for my future, or as a tidbit to be added to my family's working history. However, beyond using for my own fortification, I would love to share the information with kids and for that matter, any adults who would want to know what I have learned; however, I'll save that discussion for my post on waving.
For my own use, I would justs like to get a folder and keep the notes I've made, so that if I ever start a farm in the future, I can look at this research and build on it to update everything. I can use it do decide a lot of the big factors I'll have to consider when I'm looking a buying a property and preparing to farm it; my work covers everything from land to crops to equipment. For sharing with the kids, I hope I can use it to inspire them to consider farming for their futures, or at the very least appreciate those who have chosen that living. I can also use it as a fun lesson for them to do. Since I hope to work in a county school, I think a lot of kids will have parents or relatives who farm, and maybe learning more about it will make them want to help the farmers with their work and help the kids understand how much hard work and love goes into farming.
For my final product, I've decided to plan a little lesson that I could conduct for a class in school, while allowing any interested parents to come in an learn as well. I made a classroom layout for how I would want to room to look when I was doing the presentation/lesson on my findings on 4teachers.org. I loved how easy it was to make the plan because they already have objects you can choose from, drag and rotate them to your liking. Here is my layout. I'm going to use the slide projector to show the powerpoint I made on everything I learn through this inquiry. I thought it would be fun to have everyone sit in the beanbag chairs and on the rug to watch it. Also, I would have fun little farm-related activities at each of the tables to entertain the kids. I would have animal puzzles, coloring pages with a farm theme, and math worksheets like this one involving farm problems. By having math sheets like this one, I would be meeting Indiana DOE state standards for math such as:
3.6 Students make decisions about how to approach problems and communicate their ideas. (Math)
5.2 Students solve problems involving multiplication and division of whole numbers and solve problems involving addition, subtraction, and simple multiplication and division of fractions and decimals. (Math)
(http://dc.doe.in.gov/Standards/AcademicStandards/index.shtml)
At the tables I would also have little blurbs on the different types of machines, corn facts and an area where they could make art with corn. It would also be great if I could get community farmers to come in and talk with the kids and answer any questions they may have! All of these things would contribute to meeting the Indiana Department of Education's standards. Since I am incorporating so many areas of the curriculum areas, I will be able to meet many different standards, which is perfect for a librarian who has to work with all different ages. I'll also be able to meet requirements like:
K.6 Students create artwork using subject matter from the real world and personal symbols to express ideas. They demonstrate thoughtfulness, care, and respect in their art, sharing work with others. (Fine Arts). I could do an art project where they could design their own barn or where they could use real corn to make their own paper ear of corn. They could then tape them all up on a wall together to make a field of corn.
1.4 Students ask questions about a variety of living things and everyday events that can be answered through observations. They become aware of plant and animal interaction. They consider things and processes that plants and animals need to stay alive. (Science).
After watching my presentation, students can ask their own questions about corn or farming or any other related thing. In the future, their teachers could take them on a field trip that would allow them to experience farms firsthand-go far beyond my presentation-and they could learn for themselves how the plants and animals of farms work.
(http://dc.doe.in.gov/Standards/AcademicStandards/index.shtml)
Hopefully this will inspire them to do their own research on aspects of farming that my project may have sparked interest in. They can use my example and go on to fulfill the Indiana information literacy standard:
4. The student who is an independent learner is information literate and pursues information related to personal interests.
I also hope they use skill 2, "The student who is information literate evaluates information critically and competently," to decide for themselves what they think of my research. It's interesting to me that this stage of my research process also requires weaving, as "Information inquiry is a topic that weaves through the standards of all subject areas" (www.virtualinquiry.com). It's great to know that something I was interested in so much for myself also has great promise for sharing with others and is able to incorporate so many different areas and grade level standards.
Thus, really all age groups would be able to learn from my presentation. For my younger audience of 1st graders this is how I would incorporate the Indiana DOE standards in my lesson:
Science 1.4 Students ask questions about a variety of living things and everyday events that can be answered through observations. They become aware of plant and animal interaction. They consider things and processes that plants and animals need to stay alive. (Science). Example: I would coordinate with their teacher to take them on a field trip so they could explore aspects of my presentation that inspired them. They can learn first hand about the plants and animals on the farm and then recall my lesson and think about the work that goes into taking care of nature.
English 1.5 Students begin to write compositions that describe and explain familiar objects, events, and experiences. Students use their understanding of the sounds of words to write simple rhymes. Student writing demonstrates a command of Standard English and the drafting, research, and organizational strategies outlines in Standard 4-writing processes and features. Writing demonstrates an awareness of the audience and purpose for writing. (English). Example: At another table, I could have out paper and an example of a couplet. Then I can have papers on the table with the first line filled out: "Farms are fun, and I like corn," and then students can fill out the next line that end with a rhyming word for corn, with help from the teacher if necessary.
Social Studies 1.1 Students will identify continuity and change in the different environments around them, including school and neighborhood communities and identify individuals, events and symbols that are important to our country. (History). Example: After watching my slide show, we can talk about farms and how they have gotten fewer and fewer over the years. I can then talk about what other changes in their environment they've noticed (the corn turning brown in the fall, a new neighborhood that went up, etc.).
I will also be able to tailor my presentation to my older students, say for 5th graders. I can meet standards like these:
I will upload my power point presentation in my next post, a combination of wrapping and waving as well.
For my own use, I would justs like to get a folder and keep the notes I've made, so that if I ever start a farm in the future, I can look at this research and build on it to update everything. I can use it do decide a lot of the big factors I'll have to consider when I'm looking a buying a property and preparing to farm it; my work covers everything from land to crops to equipment. For sharing with the kids, I hope I can use it to inspire them to consider farming for their futures, or at the very least appreciate those who have chosen that living. I can also use it as a fun lesson for them to do. Since I hope to work in a county school, I think a lot of kids will have parents or relatives who farm, and maybe learning more about it will make them want to help the farmers with their work and help the kids understand how much hard work and love goes into farming.
For my final product, I've decided to plan a little lesson that I could conduct for a class in school, while allowing any interested parents to come in an learn as well. I made a classroom layout for how I would want to room to look when I was doing the presentation/lesson on my findings on 4teachers.org. I loved how easy it was to make the plan because they already have objects you can choose from, drag and rotate them to your liking. Here is my layout. I'm going to use the slide projector to show the powerpoint I made on everything I learn through this inquiry. I thought it would be fun to have everyone sit in the beanbag chairs and on the rug to watch it. Also, I would have fun little farm-related activities at each of the tables to entertain the kids. I would have animal puzzles, coloring pages with a farm theme, and math worksheets like this one involving farm problems. By having math sheets like this one, I would be meeting Indiana DOE state standards for math such as:
3.6 Students make decisions about how to approach problems and communicate their ideas. (Math)
5.2 Students solve problems involving multiplication and division of whole numbers and solve problems involving addition, subtraction, and simple multiplication and division of fractions and decimals. (Math)
(http://dc.doe.in.gov/Standards/AcademicStandards/index.shtml)
At the tables I would also have little blurbs on the different types of machines, corn facts and an area where they could make art with corn. It would also be great if I could get community farmers to come in and talk with the kids and answer any questions they may have! All of these things would contribute to meeting the Indiana Department of Education's standards. Since I am incorporating so many areas of the curriculum areas, I will be able to meet many different standards, which is perfect for a librarian who has to work with all different ages. I'll also be able to meet requirements like:
K.6 Students create artwork using subject matter from the real world and personal symbols to express ideas. They demonstrate thoughtfulness, care, and respect in their art, sharing work with others. (Fine Arts). I could do an art project where they could design their own barn or where they could use real corn to make their own paper ear of corn. They could then tape them all up on a wall together to make a field of corn.
1.4 Students ask questions about a variety of living things and everyday events that can be answered through observations. They become aware of plant and animal interaction. They consider things and processes that plants and animals need to stay alive. (Science).
After watching my presentation, students can ask their own questions about corn or farming or any other related thing. In the future, their teachers could take them on a field trip that would allow them to experience farms firsthand-go far beyond my presentation-and they could learn for themselves how the plants and animals of farms work.
(http://dc.doe.in.gov/Standards/AcademicStandards/index.shtml)
Hopefully this will inspire them to do their own research on aspects of farming that my project may have sparked interest in. They can use my example and go on to fulfill the Indiana information literacy standard:
4. The student who is an independent learner is information literate and pursues information related to personal interests.
I also hope they use skill 2, "The student who is information literate evaluates information critically and competently," to decide for themselves what they think of my research. It's interesting to me that this stage of my research process also requires weaving, as "Information inquiry is a topic that weaves through the standards of all subject areas" (www.virtualinquiry.com). It's great to know that something I was interested in so much for myself also has great promise for sharing with others and is able to incorporate so many different areas and grade level standards.
Thus, really all age groups would be able to learn from my presentation. For my younger audience of 1st graders this is how I would incorporate the Indiana DOE standards in my lesson:
Science 1.4 Students ask questions about a variety of living things and everyday events that can be answered through observations. They become aware of plant and animal interaction. They consider things and processes that plants and animals need to stay alive. (Science). Example: I would coordinate with their teacher to take them on a field trip so they could explore aspects of my presentation that inspired them. They can learn first hand about the plants and animals on the farm and then recall my lesson and think about the work that goes into taking care of nature.
English 1.5 Students begin to write compositions that describe and explain familiar objects, events, and experiences. Students use their understanding of the sounds of words to write simple rhymes. Student writing demonstrates a command of Standard English and the drafting, research, and organizational strategies outlines in Standard 4-writing processes and features. Writing demonstrates an awareness of the audience and purpose for writing. (English). Example: At another table, I could have out paper and an example of a couplet. Then I can have papers on the table with the first line filled out: "Farms are fun, and I like corn," and then students can fill out the next line that end with a rhyming word for corn, with help from the teacher if necessary.
Social Studies 1.1 Students will identify continuity and change in the different environments around them, including school and neighborhood communities and identify individuals, events and symbols that are important to our country. (History). Example: After watching my slide show, we can talk about farms and how they have gotten fewer and fewer over the years. I can then talk about what other changes in their environment they've noticed (the corn turning brown in the fall, a new neighborhood that went up, etc.).
I will also be able to tailor my presentation to my older students, say for 5th graders. I can meet standards like these:
Math 5.2 Students solve problems involving multiplication and division of whole numbers and solve problems involving addition, subtraction, and simple multiplication and division of fractions and decimals. (Math)
Example: My students can work out the problems from the corn worksheet I mentioned above to work on these math skills. This way the math will be related to the lesson and to real life.
Social Studies 5.4 Students will describe the productive resources and market relationships that influence the way people produce goods and services and earn a living in the United States in different historical periods. (Social Studies). Example: This standard fit great with farming because a lot of people in the past used to farm, whereas now many more people have moved to cities. I can talk about this with the students and them have them write a paragraph discussing present day farming. My slide on how much feed I need for 100 acres will help them understand the relationship between materials you need to create your final product. They can do more research and also discuss the changes in machinery now and 50 years ago.
Visual Art 5.8 Students compare communication of ideas and concepts in the arts and other disciplines. They create artwork, interdisciplinary projects, and performances integrating processes, technology, and sign systems from various subject areas and reflect on aesthetic outcomes and experiences. (Arts). Example: Everyone in the class can draw a picture of a cornfield. When everyone is done, I can hang everyone's on the wall to show how different all of them are. Then we can talk about how even though we've seen the same thing, perspective plays a huge role in how everything is interpreted.
I will upload my power point presentation in my next post, a combination of wrapping and waving as well.
S574: Weaving (Equipment 2)
I forgot in my last post to say that I did some more research on equipment. I looked into prices for the machines. Obviously, the used machines were FAR less expensive than the new, so I would definitely go with used machines. However, talking to people that have been farming all their lives, they said prices fluxuate a lot. I may find a great deal at an auction or from a friend, so it's very difficult to say how much my machinery would cost. Thus, I decided not to try to anticipate prices and just leave that to be seen if/when I buy them in the future.
S574: Wiggling and Weaving (Crop and Land)
Alright! So I've finished my research for the crops and land aspect of my project. I started off looking for this information in the books I had from the library, but I could only find a few things that I was looking to answer off of my chart. Since many of my questions related to current market conditions, I ended up going to the internet to find my answers. This meant I had to do wiggling again, figuring out which sites were reliable. Luckily for me, many of the websites were .edu from various midwest colleges' departments of agriculture. I felt I could definitely trust them because they were from colleges, and the fact that they are in states in the corn belt was just an extra bonus. Some of the other websites were selling corn or machines, so I evaluated them as I would if I were actually buying from them. If their site information seemed reputable, and their information and prices matched up with my other sources, I decided I could trust them. I also looked at some organizations' websites for information, and again if their information matched up with each other, I relied on their information.
Since I had to use so many websites, I decided to use Delicious to bookmark all of the sites I used. I used some of the sites to just find more resources, so they proved very useful in that aspect. Here is the link to my delicious site: http://delicious.com/smeckert/S574. I tagged all of my websites for this class with a S574 tag. I've used delicious quite a few times in the past, and it is really helpful to keep all of the websites you look at in order. It's also nice to have the tags to find everything that relates to the same subject, saving you from searching through all of your bookmarked sites. I think delicious wouldn't work very well for elementary students, but high school students may like being able to do online research and organize it so easily.
To answer my questions on crops, I consulted a few books to get ideas what to look for online. I liked researching the crops because it allowed me to synthesize information, rather than just taking it right out of a source. It also required a bit of math on my part to figure out how kernels would be in a bag, how many bags I would need per acre, and other similar math calculations. I looked through a lot of websites to decide a number that averaged the results of many different studies and articles, so there is not a specific source I got my final number from. Like the machines, I ended up nixing a few of the questions, namely What grows best here? and What seed is the cheapest? I decided that I wanted to plant corn, despite what the answers to these questions would answer. My grandpa grew corn, so I know that I want to grow corn, too. I also decided that I am going to base my research on a 100 acre farm, as most sources say that 100 acres is about the minimum size you can make a profit on. Here are the answers I have found to my questions from my chart:
What equipment will I need depending on what crop I picked? I have answered this in my machine research.
How much will I get per acre? The 2008 national average yield was 153. 8 bushels/ acre (www.biofuelsdigest.com).
How much would I need to buy? Seeing at 36,000 per acre for 100 acres, I would need 45 bags of seed.
What would I like to grow? Corn!
Where should I buy from? Based on people in my family I have talked to, I should buy from a local grain elevator.
In my research on the land, I went through a similar process. I started looking in my library books, decided I needed to go to the internet, and bookmarked the sites I found useful on delicious. I also asked a realtor what the price for land was in my county. I emailed her asking about prices on land in my county (who's name I deleted out of this post). Here is the email I sent and the reply I received:
Question:
Tara,
Since I had to use so many websites, I decided to use Delicious to bookmark all of the sites I used. I used some of the sites to just find more resources, so they proved very useful in that aspect. Here is the link to my delicious site: http://delicious.com/smeckert/S574. I tagged all of my websites for this class with a S574 tag. I've used delicious quite a few times in the past, and it is really helpful to keep all of the websites you look at in order. It's also nice to have the tags to find everything that relates to the same subject, saving you from searching through all of your bookmarked sites. I think delicious wouldn't work very well for elementary students, but high school students may like being able to do online research and organize it so easily.
To answer my questions on crops, I consulted a few books to get ideas what to look for online. I liked researching the crops because it allowed me to synthesize information, rather than just taking it right out of a source. It also required a bit of math on my part to figure out how kernels would be in a bag, how many bags I would need per acre, and other similar math calculations. I looked through a lot of websites to decide a number that averaged the results of many different studies and articles, so there is not a specific source I got my final number from. Like the machines, I ended up nixing a few of the questions, namely What grows best here? and What seed is the cheapest? I decided that I wanted to plant corn, despite what the answers to these questions would answer. My grandpa grew corn, so I know that I want to grow corn, too. I also decided that I am going to base my research on a 100 acre farm, as most sources say that 100 acres is about the minimum size you can make a profit on. Here are the answers I have found to my questions from my chart:
What equipment will I need depending on what crop I picked? I have answered this in my machine research.
How much will I get per acre? The 2008 national average yield was 153. 8 bushels/ acre (www.biofuelsdigest.com).
How much would I need to buy? Seeing at 36,000 per acre for 100 acres, I would need 45 bags of seed.
What would I like to grow? Corn!
Where should I buy from? Based on people in my family I have talked to, I should buy from a local grain elevator.
In my research on the land, I went through a similar process. I started looking in my library books, decided I needed to go to the internet, and bookmarked the sites I found useful on delicious. I also asked a realtor what the price for land was in my county. I emailed her asking about prices on land in my county (who's name I deleted out of this post). Here is the email I sent and the reply I received:
Question:
Tara,
I am doing a research project for one of my classes, and I am trying to figure out how much land in X County would cost. I am looking a big plots of land for farming, and was just wondering if you could give me a price quote on similar properties in this area.
Thank you for your help,
Shea
Reply:
Shea,
In 2009 there were 13 agricultural properties sold. The information is as follows:
17 acres/$338,000;
41 acres/$233,700;
10 acres/$100,999;
97 acres/$552,900;
50 acres/$285,000;
40 acres/$208,000;
36 acres/$169,000;
4.4 acres/$26,000;
72 acres/$374,400;
60 acres/$450,000;
20.7 acres/$162,645;
68.7 acres/$364,015; and
10 acres/$100,000
Average $/acre:
Min. $3844
High $9500
Average $6066
Hope this is the information you were looking for.
Tara
In 2009 there were 13 agricultural properties sold. The information is as follows:
17 acres/$338,000;
41 acres/$233,700;
10 acres/$100,999;
97 acres/$552,900;
50 acres/$285,000;
40 acres/$208,000;
36 acres/$169,000;
4.4 acres/$26,000;
72 acres/$374,400;
60 acres/$450,000;
20.7 acres/$162,645;
68.7 acres/$364,015; and
10 acres/$100,000
Average $/acre:
Min. $3844
High $9500
Average $6066
Hope this is the information you were looking for.
Tara
This was a huge help; I hadn't even been sure she would have the information I was looking for. However, this was exactly what I wanted. This allowed me to see how much land around me was selling for and whether or not a 100 acre farm would be feasible in this area. It was actually more than I had expected it to cost, but then again, I haven't been looking at land. For the rest of my questions on land, I consulted internet resources and family advice, and I got these answers to my questions:
How much land should I get? 100 acres
Who would be a reliable resource to help me choose? A realtor would help me know if I was getting a good price, soil maps would tell me if I am getting a good soil type, and family and friends will help me decide if it's the right property for me.
How much does land cost per acre? In my county, agricultural land costs $6066/acre on average.
How much land earns a profit? 100 acres
As you can see, I decided to get rid of the questions Where has the best soil? How much land will sustain my family? and What soil is best for my crops? I decided since I want to live in the same county and will be constricted by price, I will have very little say in what type of soil my land has. From what I've read, all three soil types here are good for corn, as long as you have the right machinery for the job.
While I was working, I did begin to feel a bit overwhelmed because I had to consult so many resources to find my information. Exactly as Kuhlthau said, I realized there was extensive work to be done, but the further along I got, my interest and dedication to my project increased. I think this is a valuable thing to point out to fellow and new researchers, as they may get discouraged and never make it to the part when they get encouraged and energized about their project! I would hate for them to get discouraged and give up on a wonderful project, just because they don't know that relief is coming. I hope all educators, any model of the research process really, will be sure to tell students that the work will be worth it and their project will get easier the longer they work on it. Especially if they are choosing their own topics, they should stick to it and push through to the final product. Students will always be more interested in the projects they have a personal say in: "As independent thinkers, children become researchers, writers, videographers, and activists rather than passive receivers of a textbook's content" (www.virtualinquiry.com). Teachers do well to let students throw themselves into projects they are passionate about (like me and farming!) than force textbook learning as the constant, sole and primary means of educating.
I am relieved to be done with the bulk of my research, and have been thinking and planning for my wrapping stage for quite a while now. I'm excited to get everything in order and posted for the next steps!
February 4, 2010
S574: Weaving (Equipment)
The first of the categories I tackled was what equipment/machines I will need. I went through three different books, all of which were organized pretty similarly. They went in order of the machines you would need from preparing the ground to harvesting your crop. As a researcher, this set up made it pretty easy for me to learn what I would need. I went through all three books and made a list of the machines that each one listed, excluding ones that were double and then looked at the list I had. From there, I narrowed it down by reading about each one's function. If they did the same task, I marked off the repeats. I finally ended up with a list of equipment that I will need and ordered it in the sequence I will use it when actually farming.
One of the things I most wanted to make sure I found out--in addition to which machines I will need--was whether or not I would have to buy them. Fortunately, two of the books I had included in the descriptions if people usually rented them. I liked this weaving step because it really helped me to feel like I was able to handle this project. When I had the mass of work sitting in front of me, it was a bit daunting. However, organization is key to whittling down big work lists, so splitting my research into three groups is working out well.
While doing this work, I looked back at my chart from the wondering step of the inquiry process. I was able to reevaluate what I answered, still needed answered, and was able to eliminate. This made me think of the trailblazer 2.1 that I did on McKenzie's Research Cycle (Callison 56). This model's emphasis on continuing to cycle through all of the steps before you finalize your work and report your findings was exactly what I am doing. When I wrote that wondering chart earlier, I wasn't sure exactly where I wanted to go with the research, and the more I learn, the more focused I can make my topic. I have decided that my questions about storing my crop and which brand of machinery is better are not what I want to focus on for my project.
However, I was able to answer my following questions:
How many machines will I need?: 8
Do I have to buy all of them?: No, it's actually better to rent some of them.
Where could I borrow things from?: Owning most of the equipment is actually preferable (or renting for a few things) because I will use it so much and for a long period of time.
Where will get me the best prices?/Where would I buy from?: Buying used will get me the best deals. I can look up equipment for sale in the local paper, go to an auction, or check the free ad papers (as an earlier comment suggested).
One of the things I most wanted to make sure I found out--in addition to which machines I will need--was whether or not I would have to buy them. Fortunately, two of the books I had included in the descriptions if people usually rented them. I liked this weaving step because it really helped me to feel like I was able to handle this project. When I had the mass of work sitting in front of me, it was a bit daunting. However, organization is key to whittling down big work lists, so splitting my research into three groups is working out well.
While doing this work, I looked back at my chart from the wondering step of the inquiry process. I was able to reevaluate what I answered, still needed answered, and was able to eliminate. This made me think of the trailblazer 2.1 that I did on McKenzie's Research Cycle (Callison 56). This model's emphasis on continuing to cycle through all of the steps before you finalize your work and report your findings was exactly what I am doing. When I wrote that wondering chart earlier, I wasn't sure exactly where I wanted to go with the research, and the more I learn, the more focused I can make my topic. I have decided that my questions about storing my crop and which brand of machinery is better are not what I want to focus on for my project.
However, I was able to answer my following questions:
How many machines will I need?: 8
Do I have to buy all of them?: No, it's actually better to rent some of them.
Where could I borrow things from?: Owning most of the equipment is actually preferable (or renting for a few things) because I will use it so much and for a long period of time.
Where will get me the best prices?/Where would I buy from?: Buying used will get me the best deals. I can look up equipment for sale in the local paper, go to an auction, or check the free ad papers (as an earlier comment suggested).
S574: Wiggling
I took a look at all the books I brought back from the library, so I could get a chance to really evaluate how useful and relevant they are going to be. First of all, I felt secure in the validity of their content because they were published by actual companies and not just posted online. Since I found all of them at the library, I felt safe that they would present information accurately. Also, many of the books' authors were farmers or children of farmers themselves (as described in the About the Author section of the books). Most of them also had bibliographies, so I knew they had done their research to make sure that the information was valid.
As part of being information literate and being able to understand when I need more information, regardless of the setting (Callison 71-72), I realize that just because I pulled a ton of books from the library on farming, I didn't necessarily get a comprehensive view of everything I will need to start farming. Thus, I decided that I would rely on people to tell me what parts my research from books is missing. I am going to rely on my mom (who grew up on my grandpa's farm) and our county 4-H office to help me evaluate the information I compile after weaving through it. For their sake, I hope everything is pretty close to spot on, so they don't have to tell me a big list of things that I am missing and need to find out!
I have sorted through my books and broken them up into three main categories: land, crops and equipment. To help me keep organized, I'm going to go through and research each section one at a time, although I know there will be a lot of overlap. However, I must keep in mind that I categorized these books based on my prior knowledge of farming, so I may end up shuffling them around to make my research more efficient and more cohesive.
I have already done my equipment research and I have found there is a lot of overlap between wiggling and weaving. I am constantly bouncing back and forth between the two, evaluating what I am reading and deciding how it all incorporates with each other. I also am constantly thinking about how I am going to wrap it because I want to be sure to get everything in the weaving stage that I will need for my wrapping stage. Right now I'm feeling the pressure of the extensive work that Kuhlthau talks about (Callison 41). Fortunately, I also feel that it can be managed since I have set up a strong foundation so far. I'll make a separate post on my equipment research.
As part of being information literate and being able to understand when I need more information, regardless of the setting (Callison 71-72), I realize that just because I pulled a ton of books from the library on farming, I didn't necessarily get a comprehensive view of everything I will need to start farming. Thus, I decided that I would rely on people to tell me what parts my research from books is missing. I am going to rely on my mom (who grew up on my grandpa's farm) and our county 4-H office to help me evaluate the information I compile after weaving through it. For their sake, I hope everything is pretty close to spot on, so they don't have to tell me a big list of things that I am missing and need to find out!
I have sorted through my books and broken them up into three main categories: land, crops and equipment. To help me keep organized, I'm going to go through and research each section one at a time, although I know there will be a lot of overlap. However, I must keep in mind that I categorized these books based on my prior knowledge of farming, so I may end up shuffling them around to make my research more efficient and more cohesive.
I have already done my equipment research and I have found there is a lot of overlap between wiggling and weaving. I am constantly bouncing back and forth between the two, evaluating what I am reading and deciding how it all incorporates with each other. I also am constantly thinking about how I am going to wrap it because I want to be sure to get everything in the weaving stage that I will need for my wrapping stage. Right now I'm feeling the pressure of the extensive work that Kuhlthau talks about (Callison 41). Fortunately, I also feel that it can be managed since I have set up a strong foundation so far. I'll make a separate post on my equipment research.
February 1, 2010
S574: Webbing Part 2
Great success! I went to the library yesterday (but didn't have time to post about it until today), and I came back with some fantastic finds. I wrote down my list of words from my previous entry, and once I got to my county library, I typed each of those phrases into their catalogue search to see which results would come up. I had actually been pretty confident when I went in because I had taken so much time preparing for my search. Much to my surprise, I did not get very many results that matched (or if I did it would be a book that I couldn't use, like a fiction story of someone who lived on a farm). For example, I was really surprised that my title search for "farming" only pulled up 16 results; I had really thought my library would have much more than that. I did in fact try making "farming" just the keyword to search for, but that gave me too many results-nearly 120 results.
Thus, I found that I had to modify my tactic. I noticed that most of my results were in the 630's, so I decided to just go to that section and hope that it had more to offer than what my search results were pulling up. I was so glad to see that the 630 section was exactly what I had been looking for! It had all types of books that seemed like they were made for people like me, someone who would love to start farming but doesn't have a clue about how to get started. They had books on farming small amounts of land, farming certain crops, farming families from Indiana, and handbooks on living off your own land. I spent over an hour in that section thumbing through books to see what I thought could be helpful to me. I think found it interesting that my presearching of Follett's Pathways to Knowledge: Information Skills model didn't really seem to work for me. However, I think it's value may have been that it at least got me a good starting point to find out where I need to look in the library. As the book outlines, that stage is to "identify key words, relate to prior knowledge, explore general sources" (Callison 57). In that respect, it let me figure out more what I was going to want to look for once I got to the library, and its keywords led me to the right section.
Using my original search results, I also found that a promising section was J630 in the children's section of the library. After I got my adult books, I went to the children's section and was pretty relieved to see that this section not only had the kind of information I was looking for, but it was stated in a much more elementary way. As a novice, I really appreciate that! I think I'll start with these books to get a better idea of my subjects and then move on to the more advanced books. I also found myself thinking about the wrapping stage when I was looking in the children's section. I'm not really sure what I want to do for my final product, but finding all of these books, a lot of them with great pictures and graphics, made me think that I might create some kind of presentation I could show to elementary school kids, where I could also pull these books and let them look through then and check them out if they wanted to.
In my last blog I also mentioned that I was going to see about videos as resources (which someone commented on, so I wanted to be sure to address it). I did actually find a few videos in my search; however, they were for teaching kids about farming certain crops (like apples), rather than information on getting started farming, so I didn't check them out. However, if I were to actually do this as a unit in a classroom, I think that giving them a video to watch about farming--any farming video, it doesn't necessarily have to be about the crop I am going to focus on--would be a great way to make it more interactive and help them improve their visual literacy, "including the ability to thnk, learn and express oneself in terms of images" (Callison 423). I really like that I am finding a lot of different things in my searches because it's giving me a lot of options for my final project.
Much like the first part of the webbing step was like Follett's presearch, I found that the second part was the search step in Follet's Pathways to Knowledge: Information Skills model. It doesn't bother me that the webbing involved both aspects, because they are easy to complete and go perfectly hand in hand. However, I was glad that I was able to make the connection to the Follett model because it gave me confidence that I was indeed following a logical inquiry process.
Thus, I found that I had to modify my tactic. I noticed that most of my results were in the 630's, so I decided to just go to that section and hope that it had more to offer than what my search results were pulling up. I was so glad to see that the 630 section was exactly what I had been looking for! It had all types of books that seemed like they were made for people like me, someone who would love to start farming but doesn't have a clue about how to get started. They had books on farming small amounts of land, farming certain crops, farming families from Indiana, and handbooks on living off your own land. I spent over an hour in that section thumbing through books to see what I thought could be helpful to me. I think found it interesting that my presearching of Follett's Pathways to Knowledge: Information Skills model didn't really seem to work for me. However, I think it's value may have been that it at least got me a good starting point to find out where I need to look in the library. As the book outlines, that stage is to "identify key words, relate to prior knowledge, explore general sources" (Callison 57). In that respect, it let me figure out more what I was going to want to look for once I got to the library, and its keywords led me to the right section.
Using my original search results, I also found that a promising section was J630 in the children's section of the library. After I got my adult books, I went to the children's section and was pretty relieved to see that this section not only had the kind of information I was looking for, but it was stated in a much more elementary way. As a novice, I really appreciate that! I think I'll start with these books to get a better idea of my subjects and then move on to the more advanced books. I also found myself thinking about the wrapping stage when I was looking in the children's section. I'm not really sure what I want to do for my final product, but finding all of these books, a lot of them with great pictures and graphics, made me think that I might create some kind of presentation I could show to elementary school kids, where I could also pull these books and let them look through then and check them out if they wanted to.
In my last blog I also mentioned that I was going to see about videos as resources (which someone commented on, so I wanted to be sure to address it). I did actually find a few videos in my search; however, they were for teaching kids about farming certain crops (like apples), rather than information on getting started farming, so I didn't check them out. However, if I were to actually do this as a unit in a classroom, I think that giving them a video to watch about farming--any farming video, it doesn't necessarily have to be about the crop I am going to focus on--would be a great way to make it more interactive and help them improve their visual literacy, "including the ability to thnk, learn and express oneself in terms of images" (Callison 423). I really like that I am finding a lot of different things in my searches because it's giving me a lot of options for my final project.
Much like the first part of the webbing step was like Follett's presearch, I found that the second part was the search step in Follet's Pathways to Knowledge: Information Skills model. It doesn't bother me that the webbing involved both aspects, because they are easy to complete and go perfectly hand in hand. However, I was glad that I was able to make the connection to the Follett model because it gave me confidence that I was indeed following a logical inquiry process.
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