Bicentennial Letter to the Editor

To view my final project (letter to the editor )- I've included the link in Oncourse to Google Docs., I've also attached the document to my Forum posting.
I cannot copy and paste the Google docs link here into this blog.

Wishing/Personal Connection

I'm old. My personal approach to inquiry has been shaped by 47 years of life, 28 years of marriage, 5 children, 3 mortgages, 1 special needs child who died, 20 years of undergrad work (interrupted many times), 2 trips to Europe, over 15 family vacations, several major appliance purchases, 31 years of preparing my own tax returns, 18 years serving as secretary on the Board of Directors of my family's company, at least 30 job interviews, and probably 12 different jobs in my life. Sheesh I'm feeling older by the minute.
My point is, I've always employed inquiry in my personal business, I just thought that's how everybody did it. Reading Consumer Reports before purchasing, investigating a company before interviewing there, reading all I could about Downs' Syndrome, finding out what the hell embalming is all about, learning traveler's French and Italian, art history, how to go to mass at the Vatican, how to avoid 4 hour lines at the Uffizi, parliamentary procedure to avoid sibling battles.
I can't say my approach to inquiry has changed from this project, because the topic was another one I am interested in. When I'm interested, I plow forward and find what I can. I think the step and stage that I've never really cataloged is creating diagrams and building charts and the like. These things I've done in my head, but never labeled the process.

In some ways, I feel I failed in the project because I didn't find people who know what's going on for the bicentennial. I did finally hear back from the Corydon people, but they said that statewide, nobody is really organized. Then I looked back and saw that Ohio & Tennessee didn't start efforts toward their event until 5 years before - so perhaps I'm a little early.
BUT - that's actually part of the success of the project, because I found out that I haven't missed anything yet! And I know where to keep checking for info once it starts coming out.

If I had thought of contacting the Superbowl 2012 people, I bet some interesting conversations could have started up about sites and architecture. What a great idea to collaborate so we don't have redundancy - save money!
Most of the organizations related to 2016 are part of IN.gov, or housed in the capitol - it may have been a whole lot easier to just spend half a day downtown interviewing and asking - I may have gotten the same answers, but it would have saved me screen time, and the day would have been a pleasant one.

I wish I would have read the last page of the project guide earlier because I didn't include many references to professional literature. Duh! That's rule #1 - read all the instructions first!!
I'm going to go attach my files now and be done.
Just found out the deadline was extended, but I worked so hard over the weekend, I just need to be done now.
Ciao!

Waving

I'm waving my arms over my head trying to get attention for the bicentennial party. According to Lamb (2001) i'm communicating ideas to others through presenting, publishing and sharing. Callision encouraged sharing with"peers & family at celebrations." (52). So my letter to the editor is on Google docs, my son has given me feedback from Lafayette, IN and my other son has read it over my shoulder (16 year old, who said, "So, what am I supposed to think about that?" hahahaha

The other 3 elaborations I used besides Google Docs are TrackStar for bibliography, Email for asking the governor what's going on (or not going on...) and Inspiration for idea mapping - which didn't help me one bit. It was like taking what was already in my head and putting in a cute little diagram, but it didn't advance the project at all. Probably, much of the synthesizing took place in my head, and I'm not used to describing that process. Will work on that for next time.

Curriculum Connection

• • To the curriculum standards
  • 
    
  • 
    
  • 
    
  • 
    
  • 
    
  • 
    
  • 
    
  • 
    
  • 
    
  • 
    
  • 
    
  • 
    
  • 
    
  • 
    
  • 
    
• 
  
• addressed in my project I've listed below both the Indiana DOE's Social Studies standards and the Information LIteracy Standards. Writing a letter to the editor is a great exercise for students because it involves them in community affairs and encourages sharp writing skills, if they want their letter to get printed, and thus read by the community. Writing a letter also addresses USH 9.6 (below), formulating a position by examining the underlying issues. Here, we examined other states' plans and the lack of our own in Indiana, and then asked our civic leaders what's next.
• In locating and analyzing sources related to the bicentennial and the founding of Indiana in 1816, we have hit on USH 9.2. Of course, USH 9.5 is easily done because most of our research was done through websites and phone calls about both past events (Centennial), and current events.
• Information Literacy Standards for Indiana sound very much like the criteria for Project 1! Critical thinking, personal interests, contributing positively to the community, participating effectively in groups, etc.. ALL relate to the Bicentennial project through blogging and commenting, phoning the governor's office and Historical BUreau, reading other state's plans and other people's research on the bicentennial along with their suggestions.
• There were several other standards we could connect to this project, but these correlated nicely with the evaluation criteria for this project.

• USH.9.2 Locate and analyze primary sources and secondary sources related to an event or issue of the past. (Core Standard).
  
  
  • USH. 9.5 Use technology in the process of conducting historical research and in the presentation of the products of historical research and current events.

  • 
    
  • 
    
  • USH 9.6 Formulate and present a position or course of action on an issue by examining the underlying factors contributing to that issue.
  • 
    
  • 
    
  • INDIANA'S INFORMATION LITERACY STANDARDS
  • The student who is information literate accesses information efficiently and effectively.
  The student who is information literate evaluates information critically and competently
  The student who is information literate uses information accurately and creatively
  The student who is an independent learner is information literate and pursues information related to personal interests.
  The student who is an independent learner is information literate and appreciates literature and other creative expressions of information.
  The student who is an independent learner is information literate and strives for excellence in information seeking and knowledge generation (generates knowledge).
  The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and recognizes the importance of information in a democratic society.
  he student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and practices ethical behavior in regard to information and information technology.
  The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and participates effectively in groups to pursue and generate information (shares and collaborates).
  
  • 
    

Wrapping it up soon

Reviewing the Ws, i can define my last post as Weaving, because I was walking and talking with my girlfriend when i got the idea that the Superbowl is eclipsing the Bicentennial plans. I wish I had heard from the governor by now, or at least the Corydon Historical Site. I know in my wishing section I will add that i should have contacted the Superbowl Hosting committee to find out if any plan-sharing/building sharing, etc.. was going on.

I know there must be some community leaders who have ideas about the celebration, it's just impossible to find them, for the lowly citizen anyway. Perhaps they don't want to burn people out on the plans too early. Perhaps they'll wait until closer to 2016 to ask for volunteers and reveal plans. It should be a year-long celebration, so maybe they'll kick it off December 11, 2015. Geez, that sounds so far away.

WRAPPING - I think i'll write a letter to the editor to encourage someone to come forward with the plans so far. There has to be something because of Judy O'Bannon's ads from a year or more ago. As a historian, I believe this event is one of the most significant celebrations I will undertake - and that my children and students will have a part in, too. The citizens need to know about it so they can prepare and be aware of local history - be involved in their community celebrations. I'm not sure I'll actually send it---yet. But I will bounce it off family & friends to get their ideas again and still.

Superbowl bounced?

So is it the Superbowl 2012 that is holding up Bicentennial Plans?
Hmmm...just thinking that the city has so much on its plate for the big game that it doesn't have time right now for silly historical commemorations.
Perhaps Corydon and Vincennes have plans in place since they don't have to dwell on football - but I haven't heard back from Corydon email yet. Nor the governor.
Finances must play a part in it, too - but why don't we combine some of the projects to help celebrate both?
Perhaps that will be the crux of my letter to the editor.

oh crap what have i gotten myself into?
I just read part of our class guide and it said that "letter to the editor" is a viable product. I would find that personally satisfying to wake up the establishment to the fact that we are virtually 5 years away from the bicentennial and we need some major plans. The report i read researched OHio's celebration, and they built a huge park! Certainly we'd have to get going, like, now to do something like that!
But if i write a letter to the editor and some planning committee sees it, there going to call me -
I'm too busy to help plan the bicentennial celebration!!!!

I emailed My Man Mitch and told him to get things rolling! Awaiting his reply...