Wondering…..how I decided to pursue tattoos

It’s not just because tattoo is easy to rhyme!

Last semester I was taking L524 (reference), so I was constantly searching the internet with various databases on various topics. On one foray, I came across a really amazing site, The Modified Librarian, and it got me to thinking back on something I’d been kicking around for a few years: getting a tattoo. Lots of people have tattoos nowadays, especially young adults. It used to be a counterculture kind of thing (bikers, gang bangers, hiphoppers, etc.), but it seems to be main stream now. Even the most unlikely people have tattoos, including school librarians and 3^rd grade teachers. (gasp!) Also, a woman in my reference class had (and still has) the most wonderful tattoo based on the illustrations in Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are. So adorable.

When we were in the introductory phase of this course, there was a box about interests and hobbies and such. So I jotted down a bunch of random ideas in my handy dandy cow journal for this course. (Note: cow journals are what my son’s 5^th grade teacher calls the Mead composition books with the black & white splotches on the cover.) Here are my notes: Interests -- hobbies, favorite subjects, current issues you wonder about. Knitting. TV – CSI – forensics, high tech gear. Murder mysteries. Homicide investigations. Weaving. How yarn is made—wool—sheep. New Zealand. Kiwi. Look at a map. Hawaii—job prospects. Saving for retirement. Bankruptcy. Dieting. Filtering in libraries.

None of these topics thrilled me as I looked them over. As I was re-reading the project notes in the CourseQuest, the words “fun” and “joy” kept popping out at me, and somehow, tattoos popped into my head. I’d been meaning to think about tattoos…maybe do some research…well, why not for my personal inquiry. I sure didn’t want to spend time thinking about retirement finances and bankruptcy.

I think my topic meets the AASL/ILS standard number four:

The student who is an independent learner is information literate and pursues information related to personal interests.

In terms of the Indiana state standards, I think my topic fits into Standard 2, Culture, of the high school social studies standards, “Students will examine the influence of culture on the individual and the way cultural transmission is accomplished. They will study the way culture defines how people in a society behave in relation to groups and to physical objects.” More specifically, standard 2.1 “define the key components of a culture,” and 2.5 “compare social norms among various subcultures” (http://ideanet.doe.state.in.us/standards/standards2000_sstudies.html, state standards for high school social studies, sociology (PDF document) website, but the link doesn't seem to work, darn it).

I also happened upon an interesting chart that correlates ILS and Indiana’s academic standards for social studies. According the chart, S.2.1 correlates with ILS a, 2, and 3 (access, evaluate, use information), as does S.2.5. See: correlation chart (The link may not to work, sorry).

As Annette says, it’s possible to mold almost any topic to meet the standards.

What else? Well, let’s see. In terms of the different information processing models, I like the affective aspects of Carol Kulthau’s Information Search Process (ISP). In choosing my topic, I initially experienced apprehension and uncertainty as well as brief elation after selection. However, I agree strongly with what Sandy L. Guild says in her article, “Modeling Recursion in Research Process Instruction,” (ch. 7 of Stripling & HH): expert researchers cycle through the stages of the process over and over during the course of a project. I love doing research and exploring new topics. I feel great anticipation at the beginning of a new project. I enjoy the process. I know I can do it, and I’m fairly confident in my abilities. Yes, there are frustrations (etc.) along the way, but it’s a journey I’ve taken many, many times, and I know how satisfying it is.

Guild’s article made perfect sense to me…I’m always looking ahead to the next step and the next, but then I also bounce back to the initial steps, especially after I’ve settled on my topic. It’s part of the thinking process. In the FLIP IT! Paradigm, the last step is IT: Intelligent Thinking.

I think that’s enough Wondering for me!