Personal Connection

My approach to inquiry before starting this project was solidified. After completing this project my understanding of the later stages of inquiry learning was deepened. I enjoyed this process and I wish the high school students in my building could experience more of it. Inquiry learning is a processing of information not just a find the correct answer type of learning. With the advent of the web for learning I see future generations becoming more inquiry based. One example of this is the popularity of Google. So many people conduct searches (inquiries) on the site looking for information. We’re slowly evolving as a culture of keyword wordsmiths. We’re used to one-stop shopping at Wal-mart, why can’t our web experience with tools such as Google be the same?

As I completed my steps for this project I began to feel full-circle learning is difficult to create in a high school setting. As I mentioned in an earlier posting too often in education we’re in the mode of solve it, answer it, and move on. Inquiry learning requires more time to complete yet allows for much more flexibility. While inquiry involves stages of thinking and learning, its difficult for the evaluator or instructor to see concrete evidence of it unless a significant amount of time is allowed for it to take place. And intermediate steps (documentation) are required, hoops for students to jump through. I think in public education, my background, this luxury of time is something we don’t have therefore we steer more towards task oriented lessons that allow for quicker, faster, speedier results. I unfortunately see this attitude being reinforced with NCLB. While inquiry allows for a more well rounded learning experience it often doesn’t fit into the schedule of teachers who feel the pressure of a six week grading period, weekly required grade reports, and mandatory state standard coverage. Shying away from inquiry learning is a safe approach for most teachers. Most teachers who feel this way are simply playing it safe or trying to keep things simple / easy. The problem with this approach is it fosters a complacent or I see the approach by several teachers

Starting out I had a firm grasp of what tools and where to find information. Using the web I was able to gather resources rather quickly. What changed for me were the levels and types of thinking I encountered as I sat down to piece together what I had gathered and what I’d discovered. As I gathered more and more information I realized that my approach to the topic changed over and over. I felt myself torn between what was happening at the corporate and governmental level versus what local interested citizens were doing. I became interested in what the large entities with lots of money were doing while at the same time I wanted to know how I as the small guy could make a buck. My questions focused on the lower level because I felt this would benefit the students and folks locally that I interact with most.

Curriculum Connections

I would use my project with a high school physics class and a middle school math class. In a high school physics class standard one of the Indiana Academic Standards would more than apply to my topic.

“Students learn how physics describes the natural world, using quantities such as velocity, acceleration, force, energy, momentum, and charge…. They learn to make predictions about natural phenomena by using physical laws to calculate or estimate these quantities… They also learn how physics can help to promote new technologies.”

Specific Standards:
P.1.5 Use appropriate vector and scalar quantities to solve kinematics and dynamics problems in one and two dimensions.
P.1.6 Describe and measure motion in terms of position, time, and the derived quantities of velocity and acceleration.
P.1.7 Use Newton’s Laws (e.g., F = ma) together with the kinematic equations to predict the motion of an object.
P.1.8 Describe the nature of centripetal force and centripetal acceleration (including the formula a = v2/r), and use these ideas to predict the motion of an object.
P.1.9 Use the conservation of energy and conservation of momentum laws to predict, both conceptually and quantitatively, the results of the interactions between objects.
P.1.10 Demonstrate an understanding of the inverse square nature of gravitational and electrostatic forces.

Studies could be done to show the force of winds on a wind turbine and how those forces make a turbine work. Additionally students could be able to create amortizations of how much wind will need to be present for the wind turbine to produce a given quantity of electricity. This lesson could further be spilled over into Algebra where calculations could be graphed to show relationships between wind speed, atmospheric consistency, and electricity production.

In a middle school math class the economics of owning a wind turbine could be explored. For example students could calculate how long it would take to pay off the initial investment of equipment and how the variables of speed and atmospheric consistency play a role in this outcome. The Indiana Academic Standards for 8th Grade Math would apply here particularly Standard #8.

8.6.4 Analyze, interpret, and display single- and two-variable data in appropriate bar, line, and circle graphs; stem-and-leaf plots*; and box-and-whisker plots* and explain which types of display are appropriate for various data sets.
8.6.5 Represent two-variable data with a scatterplot* on the coordinate plane and describe how the data points are distributed. If the pattern appears to be linear, draw a line that appears to best fit the data and write the equation of that line.

As suggested by the standards students could create a visual representation showing the variables effect on economic production. I think students would quickly draw the conclusion that LOCATION is key to having success with a wind turbine.

Wishing

My project was done in spurts. My biggest challenge was finding long periods of time to explain my work. I don’t consider myself a fluent writer especially when the tone has to be reflective. My strength was my ability to locate, find, and review the information I’d targeted. This portion of the project didn’t take me very long. Where I struggled was with the analysis of the information into writing. Too often I found myself struggling with how to express my learning. I feel I’m not alone. Many of my high school students struggle when encountering the higher levels of Blooms Taxonomy. Being in the library I often encounter the student who asks for help at this stage. Inside I’m wincing in pain as I too struggle with the “magic words” to capture the “essence”. I guess working with teens in a school for so long I’ve been conditioned to finding the answer, answering the question, and moving on. In education I feel we don’t spend tremendous amounts of time reflecting on the answer because we’re always working against the clock. The clock counts down each day, standards to cover, assessments to complete, grades to distribute, the list goes on. When forced with choosing priorities we let the reflective practices slide because we run out of time.

I’m not sure I would change my approach much with this project. I felt gathering the information up first was central to being able to do the analysis. If anything more time to complete the analysis would have aided me.

Waving

I felt the best communication of my research would be a webpage where I could list my sources and answer my research questions. I feel this product would be a starting point for students or adults interested in saving themselves some money through the use of wind power. Several good sources already exist online and I felt it important to gather starting points to these rather than invent and re-create.

I selected the OnCourse filemanager to house my page. Since the initial interaction will be among my classmates I felt this would be a logical place to store it. Also I wanted to learn how to use the workspace feature in OnCourse. I’m thinking in the future I’ll house it as a part of my school media center website. Once again here’s the link to my finished product.

Wrapping

Looking at my information I felt a good end product would be a web page with information and links. This page would have quick and dirty answers to my essential questions and guiding questions.

This page will contain the two ‘elaborations’

• Concept map – Inspiration


• Web Links

FAQ Section

• Answers to my research questions

Web Links

• Links separated into categories

My findings can be used by anyone doing research on Wind power or individuals interested in exploring, installing, and benefiting from wind power. I could also implement this as a featured page on my school media center website for student use. Below is a link to my finished product page.

Waymouth’s – Windpower Wrapup

Weaving Continued

Inside the AWEA’s Small Wind page I was able to really zero in on the questions I set out to initially answer.  Funny but I ended up answering the guiding questions on the way to answering the larger essential questions.  

After gaining an understanding of big commercial picture via the Vesta website I wanted to explore the smaller more grass roots picture.  I was pleased to find all the information I was looking for.  

From the link “Communications Toolbox” I was able to gather detailed answers to my some of my guided questions.  

• The average life span of wind turbines is 30 years, provided optimal conditions and service.    


• It’s not possible for someone to completely power their home using a wind turbine.  The obvious problem, what if it was a calm day?  You couldn’t turn the lights on that night, cook, or have warm water…duh.  Also many insurance companies won’t allow for your home to be completely utility free, meaning wind turbine power completely.

In the FAQ area of the site I was able to find powerpoint and PDF files to answer my questions.  

The more reading I did on the small wind page I gathered more insight and connections to how small wind power operations are being implemented.  I found it interesting how large and small operations share one common variable – LOCATION.  Like real estate, business, and several other fields location is crucial to maximizing your profitability.  

Weaving

As I set about weaving my information into an understandable output I tried to focus on the topical elements “big picture” concepts with my research. As mentioned by several authors of research models students struggle with formulating a plan to guide their research. Hence several folks sought to create a model for their students to use / follow.

While I followed Carol Kuhlthau’s model for the most part I found myself coming back to step two of the Big 6 approach; information seeking strategies. As I gathered information I was struggling to keep track of what I was discovering with combinations of keywords. It wasn’t till I discovered the AWEA’s website that I began to piece together the concepts that would guide my information seeking strategies later in the hunt. Below is a diagram that I constructed that guided my initial thoughts about the information I was seeking and information I was digging through.

Click here for picture

While at the AWEA’s site I began to gain an understanding of the many purposes wind power could provide. Like my Venn diagram infers each of these categories share common traits with each other and each of the three are dependent upon each other. For example “benefits” and “purpose” share the positives that consumers of wind turbines experience. The larger the blades and the taller the tower more collecting of power could exist. This premise also fed “benefit” and “types”. Depending upon what types of results users were looking for the type of wind turbine application would be considered. “Purpose” and “types” are connected also on this premise. The type of equipment end users would erect hinges upon their purpose or end result.

After seeing the light with this diagram and gaining insight into the foundation of choices a consumer faces when considering wind power I began to research the types of equipment. This research lead me a bit off the beaten path however it was a pertinent path to explore. It was at this point I began my exploration of Vestas Corporation from Denmark.

After gaining insight into the large corporate world of Vestas I realized I need to steer more towards my Essential and Guiding Questions.

To get my searching back on track I once again started looking at the American Wind Energy Association. This time around I began to dig deeper into their website. The Vestas corp site gave me some of the basic knowledge of wind systems and their implementation however they didn’t give me the specific economic aspects I was looking for with my inquiry questions.

It was at this point that I began to formulate another diagram to guide my searching.

Click here for picture

The diagram allowed me to sketch out my project so I could create a meaningful finished product. Void are tons of lines showing how the benefits, purposes, and types of wind turbines fit the individual questions. I hope to make this clear in my finished product the web page I’m building.

Wiggling

Unlike a lot of students who I serve in the high school teachers usually have the end product laid out. In this assignment I’m inventing my own.

Like students doing inquiry I constantly have to steer myself towards task completion. It’s easy to become distracted or too interested in topics and or information pieces that catch your eye. As was often the case with this project I’d have to re-direct my eyes and brain to keep to the task of finding information that continued to build upon my focus.

This is often hard for younger students. I believe this is why we have so many research models. Many models represent the many approaches to gathering information and working through the process of learning and presenting findings. Like our students, no one model fits every student. Evidence to this is growing as we’re seeing more IEP’s, mainstreaming, and students with 504 plans in public education.

When I located sites of interest I began adding items to a favorite’s folder on my computer. I really like the ability of IE7 to remember the last folder you added favorites to. Unlike version 6 the new browser makes it easy to add to subfolders and export a subfolder as an html page. I intend to use this exported html file in my links for my finished product.

As I gathered information I used the Librarian Internet Index selection criteria to help guide me. I liked the LII’s “5 Factors” (Availability, Credibility, Authorship, External Links, and Legality) because they were broad enough to apply to my inquiry. Also I felt they were pertinent to type of finished product I’m envisioning; a web site with information / findings. The fact that LII is such a website that gathers quality resources, I found this approach a logical choice.

I felt the heart of what I was looking for was found in the AWEA website, particularly their “small wind” page. I had no knowledge of their site prior to starting this project! In terms of evaluating their resources I felt their information was well established and valid due to their association to the government, especially the Department of Energy. Using the LII’s criteria their information is available to the public in many formats. It has credibility due to its government entity status. The authorship of the many publications they list on their site is non-profit. Many of their external links are also to non-profit groups many of which want to share their resources. Being a government entity their legality is checked through the department of energy.

Webbing Wrapup

Webbing Wrap-up

I was able to answer many of my questions regarding “small wind” or what I’d call residential wind from the American Wind Energy Association’s page.   From the AWEA’s Small Wind page I discovered a wonderful resource known as the Small Wind Toolkit.  

Their FAQ page was awesome!  It contained viewable PowerPoint and PDF slide shows for each topic / question.  I preferred the PDF format.  Ironic but many of the questions I had formulated for this project were listed in the FAQ.  Also on the Small Wind page were answers to my local questions about folks in Indiana.  Most of the information I uncovered centered on the tax implications wind turbines would provide.  In Indiana wind turbines are exempt from property tax, even if you have a small setup on your RV.  Hey Dr. Lamb hook one up!!

I also discovered a map of where the best locations in Indiana are to implement a setup.  

Reading information on the local aspects of wind power really got me excited and interested.  The more information I read the more I realized I don’t have one very key aspect, location.  My personal property sits on low ground and we have lots of trees.  

It was hard to wrap-up or move away from the information retrieval aspect of this project.  The majority of my information came not from Google searching and reading database searches on wind power in the news.  Most of my information came from the established websites on wind power.  

As I sifted through the plethora of information I encountered I tried to keep my Essential Questions in focus.  I wanted to focus on the economic benefits of wind power.  

As a result of my focus on the issue of “economics” I wanted to find answers to the logistics of implementing a windmill.  

I see myself following in the footsteps of Carol Kuhlthau’s Information Search Process.  However I see myself flipping back and forth between her steps of “Formulating a Focus” and “Collecting Information”.  The more information you collect the more your focus begins to narrow or widen.  

I’m getting ready in the next step – WRAPPING – to do Kuhlthau’s “Preparing to Present”.  

Webbing Continued

Webbing Continued

I’ve been slowly pecking away at this topic throughout the week and haven’t had a chance to blog much.  My coaching season for the fall came to a close this week and much of my time was devoted to helping with tennis practices for Regional.  I’m looking forward to a chance to catch up and hopefully, just once, I can work ahead.  

FYI – did you know there’s an extension toolbar to post to your blog using MS Word?  I used it for my Wiggling post where I posted my inquiry questions.  I noticed the font was small, I use a 10 pt font in Word.  For this post I’m going to use 12 and see if it posts any better (larger).

The biggest stumbling blocks with any research project in my opinion are the information gathering steps.  As I’ve continued to gather and piece together information I’m intrigued at how much information there truly is out there.  Like my previous post the internet seems so vast and deep yet so confusing and vague.  I liken it to this huge beast that if tamed can work tremendously in your favor however if used improperly the beast can be a huge unmovable wall or mountain.  

I guess you could say I began to shift or change or deviate from the questions I started with.  The more I read and looked at online I started to categorize informational into three different fronts: governmental information, commercial information, and grass roots information.  For the grass roots information I’ve sought out information from non-profit groups and enthusiasts.  For commercial information I’ve sought out info from wind farmers and businesses that sell the actual hardware for turbines.  The government organizations will provide me the legal big picture to wind power in the U.S.  

For my inquiry into the commercial aspect I wanted to focus on both small and large commercial operations.  I spent some time exploring the world’s largest producer of wind turbines, Vesta Wind Systems.  I watched video interviews with their CEO, very interesting!  Newly appointed he’s proved financially savvy and a good marketer of their products.  Their site had lots of cool information and some really good pictures, one of which I snagged for my laptop’s desktop wallpaper, see this link.  

It seemed every time I felt I had a grip on my project I would read something else from one of my sources and discover I had so much more to learn.  A good example of this was the Vesta site.  I learned that the new term for these machines is “wind turbine” not the traditional “wind mill”.  While the premise or purpose is the generate power we’re not milling anything rather turning gears for the purpose of making electricity.

Webbing

Am I spinning anything that looks or resembles a web? As I'm working through the gathering of information for this endeavor I'm struck at how vague the internet can be at times.

Like the students that I try to help on a daily basis I too struggle with the "magic words" to key into a search tool so that I get the "magic results" I'm looking for.

Throughout this process I've tried many combinations of words. I keep coming back to the fact a few key descriptors must be present:

• wind
• power
• generate
• cost
• efficiency
• purpose

As I've surfed around I've noticed that these concepts and or keywords are vital when placed in a context like Google. Like my students, I'm discovering different combinations provide similar yet very different results.

I found one true source of information when researching this evening. http://www.awea.org/ Its the home of the American Wind Energy Association. I'm hoping this site will act as a portal to the questions I'm seeking answers to. Several other online sources have provided decent information to several of my questions. I'm hoping to break down my questions in future posts.

I'm also thinking that I'll begin building my Inspiration web diagram soon from the sites I've marked.

Course Quest 1

Course Quest #1

Essential Questions:

• How can windpower be harnessed to offset the cost of utilities?


• What are the costs of attempting to harness windpower?

Guiding Questions:

• What’s the average lifespan of windmills?


• What types of windmills are people in and around Indiana using?


• What’s the average output of such devices?  Based upon this average what can a person living in northern Indiana expect to profit financially from using a windmill?


• Is it possible for a person to completely power their home through windpower?

Inquiry Topic

I've decided upon my topic to complete my first Coursequest. I've always been interested in wind power. Particularly folks who have their own electricity genereating windmills. I once attended a wedding reception where the owner of the property where the party was being held owned and successfully operated such a windmill. After talking with him I was convinced these windmills are are an inexpensive way to power your home and make a little money.

I started my search for materials online in two places, Google and Bloglines. I figured the almighty Google would have several items on the topic of "electric generating windmills" and sure enough they did. From the list of hits I explored the top link. Google certainly does some things right as the site I perused was full of tons of information. www.newfarm.org is a wonder site with information pertaining, like the name, to farmers. I was attracted immediately because of the nature of the information listed on the opening page. The mention of its sponsorship through the Rodale Institute made their claims somewhat valid and easily checked for accuracy and bias. I spent about 10 minutes reading and evaluating the claims and information on the site.

I also did a scan of hits from Bloglines.com. I figured this method would be a good grass roots way to look at what people in the world are writing about this topic, particularly in the unpublished, unincorporated world many like to call the blog-o-sphere. I was disappointed with the bloglines results because like early versions of internet search tools my "keywords" were often too exclusive while at the same time too inclusive. Results listed were any article with any of the three words I entered. As I quickly scanned several of the articles / stories from fellow bloggers and articles from national newspapers it was quickly apparant the bloglines point of view wasn't getting me very far. I believe a better use of keywords and an advanced search will garner me more specific and valuable information.

I'm hoping to begin formulating my questions I hope to answer for this project. My next posting will probably breakdown an approach.

Project Considerations

I'm bouncing topic ideas around for my project.

Here's a short list of topics I'm considering:

• Hybrid Cars - which one would best suit my needs and that of my family?
• Electric Generating Windmills - cost, realiability, practicality, and longevity of owning
• Online Music - subscription services versus pay as you go - what would suit my needs?
• Ethanol and Biodiesel - how its made, what are the environmental side effects - both short term and long term?