Wiggling

I have to revisit Webbing for a bit before I move on to my Wiggling.  In doing my searching on my topics I have had to refine my searches a little more and also change my approach to this project.  My main goal is to find out tips and suggestions for my main areas of focus: decorations, tents/flooring, menu, and dessert.  Plates and flatware is off the list.  I basically found that I am going to have to look at what is available closest to me and go with that.  The purpose of my project is to find different possibilities and unless I want to pay an arm and a leg for shipping to and from...I am just going to stick with local on that end.  Since rethinking my approach, I have altered my graphic organizer.  See below.  I have added tips and suggests as a bubble because I really want to find out what people deem as very important when planning an out door reception.  I have noticed that just as The Blue Book mentions, "There is constant interaction between questioning and exploration as they drive and refine each other." (7) 

Wiggling:

I know why they call this stage Wiggling.  I feel like I want to wiggle right out of this project.  Sifting through the wealth of information is tedious and overwhelming.  Deciding what resources are worthwhile takes time.  Annette Lamb states, "Wiggling involves evaluating content, along with twisting and turning information to look for clues, ideas, and perspectives." (54)  This stage involves digging very deep into the resources and figuring out if it provides the information you are looking for.   

I shouldn't say that I necessarily want to wiggle right out of this project, but I am having a hard time staying focused on just my topics.  There is so much information out there and I love finding out about the ins and outs of all aspects of weddings and receptions.  I have decided to not simply discard the resources that don't fit my purpose right now.  Instead, I know that these resources will come in handy later (I hope sooner than later...LOL), so I am going to keep those with a general tag in my Delicious site. 

Back to my evaluation strategies...

I decided to keep a running tab of the resources I was searching through.  I used Excel to make it easier.  As I looked through my resources, I recorded the source and whether it provided information on general tips/suggestions, decorations, tents/flooring, menu, or desserts.  There was of course some overlap, so some resources applied to more than one topic.  I decided to use Excel because not all of my resources were online.  I have books, magazines, and videos.  I also used Delicious for my website resources.  These were tagged with the specific topic they focused on.  I also have a general category for general wedding information. 

As I was "wiggling", it seemed to help me to go through the Information Evaluation Phases identified by Mary Ann Fitzgerald in The Blue Book. (388-389)

Phase 1: Search and Initial Contact
I found the resources based on keywords and topics, but did not fully read the information.

Phase 2: First Complete Reading
At this phase, I read the information in the resource.  This involved some skimming, reading the headings, and finding information that applied to my inquiry project. 

Phase 3: Reconsidering Information
After reading the sources, I was able to compare information from multiple sources to see which resources best served my purpose.

Using this method helped me truly find the most meaningful resources.  I do have to say that because of the topic I chose, I think my evaluation methods were very subjective.  Why?  Well, I think that weddings have so much to do with personal preference.  There is no way for one person to say that one cake is better than the other.  I was not necessarily worried about how credible the source was in a sense.  That may sound terrible, but here is what I am trying to say.  I don't care whether the information came from the world's best wedding planner or my friend that got married last year.  If someone has gone through a wedding/reception, I feel that they are a credible source.  Now, if I were actually going to go about finding someone to make my wedding cake now for example, I would be more concerned if the person I was dealing with was in fact a noteable baker.  I want opinions.  I am not looking for definitive answers.  My purpose for this inquiry project is to find options and get ideas.  I want to prepare myself for what may be coming in the future.  

Whether the resource is user-friendly or not also plays a big part in my evaluation.  If I go to a website and I am not able to find the information I am looking for in a hassle free manner, the site is probably off my list.  I don't want to have to sift through a bunch of advertisements in order to find the information.  I want the resource to be easy to read and navigate.  If I am watching a video on planning weddings, I don't want to watch the entire video in order to find one snippet of information.  I want to be able to select the topic and access the information immediately.

I have attended quite a few weddings.  I have also been in a few weddings.  I feel as though I had a significant amount of prior knowledge going into this project.  The Blue Book states, "In some cases, assimilation means reinforcing or confirming what is already known.  In other cases, assimilation involves and altering of what has been accepted as knowledge..." (7)  I do have knowledge of weddings and receptions, but there are aspects I have never thought about and before this point never needed to.  For example, I know that because I would like to have an outdoor wedding and reception, I would need a back up plan...such as a tent.  Through my research I found out that there are quite a few options for tents.  One thing that was really bothering me was how to regulate the temperature.  I kept thinking how awful it was going to be for my guests because the are going to be attending a tent wedding in August.  Then if it was raining, we would have to have the sides of the tent down.  I coundn't imagine how stuffy it was going to be.  Well, as luck would have it.  Tents can come with air conditioners.  I had no clue that air conditioning would even be an option.  I kept envisioning my guests with make shift paper fans trying to keep cool. "Assimilation through inquiry leads to donsideration of a wider range of perceptions and options than simpley those assumed by the learner." (7)

Callison, Daniel and Leslie Preddy. The Blue Book on Information Age Inquiry, Instruction and Literacy.    Westport: Libraries Unlimited, 2006. Print.