Reflection

When I think about this process of blogging, I think about the past times that I blogged and I enjoyed the process.  I think this is a very helpful experience for students because they get to think and type it on the computer.  This is much easier than keeping a journal by pen.  I don't always write the best.  I must admit having to do eight posts in one week is quite a lot.  It was a great learning process to go through the steps of the big 6 and I enjoyed reading what the other students wrote.  It is a good learning tool and I am glad that teachers recommend it.  This also has real applications in the real world because librarians often have to blog at their libraries.  It is interesting to read the blogs from the Allen County Public Library.  They have blogs for children, young adults and adults.  I will keep on blogging even after this class and other classes where I have to blog.  I would like my blogs to be seen by my facebook friends and others.

Learning theories

When I learn I am more of a visual learner.  I am also a logical learner.  I like to look at maps, pictures, see videos and see examples of problems.
 Vicki Sheafer has discovered that students can learn classic learning theories through service learning.  The students can learn by doing service projects that help them and those in the community.  They are helping themselves by applying what they learned in psychology - learning theories to service projects in the community.
I took a test to learn my learning style and here are the results.

Learning Styles Results

Results for: Thomas D. Baker ACT X REF 11 9 7 5 3 1 1 3 5 7 9 11 <-- --> SEN X INT 11 9 7 5 3 1 1 3 5 7 9 11 <-- --> VIS X VRB 11 9 7 5 3 1 1 3 5 7 9 11 <-- --> SEQ X GLO 11 9 7 5 3 1 1 3 5 7 9 11 <-- --> If your score on a scale is 1-3, you are fairly well balanced on the two dimensions of that scale. If your score on a scale is 5-7, you have a moderate preference for one dimension of the scale and will learn more easily in a teaching environment which favors that dimension. If your score on a scale is 9-11, you have a very strong preference for one dimension of the scale. You may have real difficulty learning in an environment which does not support that preference. I learned from this questionnaire what I already knew.  I am a reflective learner.  I am well balanced sensing and intuitive learner.  I am a visual learner.  I also have a moderate preference for being a sequential learner.  I love the videos for Dr. Lambs class as well as the visuals.  This test was spot one.  I am glad I found it.

Resources:

Lamb, Annette. Learning theories.  Access at: http://eduscapes.com/instruction/6.htm

Sheafer, V. (2014). Using Service Learning to Teach Classic Learning Theories. Psychology Journal,
11(2), 77-82.

Solomon, Barbara A., Felder, Richard M. Index of Learning Style Questionnaire, North Carolina State University.  Accessed at: https://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html 

Evaluation

 I am judging the product (effectiveness) and the process (efficiency).

The Big 6 is the product and it is the process.  It seemed like this could have been done with less steps, but it definitely helped to write them out.  It was an effective way to plan a vacation no matter where you went.  At first, I ran step 2 and 3 together, but then I saw that they were different.  When a person looks something up they don't realize that they go through a process.  The first step of defining the task takes the longest and then the fun part begins.  I think it is fun to look things up, but the process is a little tiresome.

This is what Kuhlthau says about seeking meaning and the process approach to library and information services:  To 'better understand the research process or the information problem-solving process, Kuhlthau (1993) examined the thoughts, feelings, and actions associated with various activities within thinking complex process.  Her search process model details the changes that occur for searchers as they move from a generally unfocused to a focused state of mind while progressing from seeking relevant to pertinent information.  This shift also descends feeling that ebb and flow between more negative emotions such as uncertainty, confusion, frustration, and doubt and more positive emotions such as optimism clarity contentment and relief."

I learned a lot though by doing the Big 6 process and looking at the other information searching and inquiring models as taught by Dr. Lamb.  I can how this can be used in a learning and information seeking process for age group.

Resources:

Kuhlthau, C. (1993). Seeking meaning: A process approach to library and information services. Norwood, N.J. :Ablax.

Lamb, Annette. Information Inquire and Instruction Analysis: Information search and Inquiry models.

Organize and present the information

Tom's trip to the Great Smoky Mountains has many possibilities.  He and a friend plan to leave after graduation May 10 and stay until May 14.  He or a friend will drive to Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  That will be three nights in a hotel.  The hotel will be motel 6 unless he finds a better deal at a nicer motel.  The motel 6 does have a jacuzzi.

Day 2: He and his friend will eat breakfast at the Pancake Pantry.  We will than go to the Sugarlands Visitor Center.  This is where  they will get maps and decide the best falls to see along the roads.  Laurel Fall is close, so we will go there next.  Grotto Falls along Roaring Fork Motor Trail will be next and then Ramsey Cascades.  The Mellow Mushroom will be for dinner.

Day 3: We will eat at Atrium Pancakes.  We will do the auto tours of Newfound Gap, Clingmans Dome, Cades Cove, Cataloochee and maybe stop at Big Creek.  The Restaurant tonight will be mexican possibly No Way Jose's Cantina.

Day 4:  Eat at log cabin pancake house, We will do things in Gatlinburg like see Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies, Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium and Guinness World Records Museum.  The combo pass for all three is $39.97 which is 80 for two and if you bought them individually it would cost $110.  I would also like to go on the Aerial Tramway and the Gatlinburg Mountain Coaster.  I also saw that they have vegeburgers on the restaurant on top of the mountain.  We will eat at Big Daddy's Pizzeria at night.

Day 5:  We leave for Fort Wayne, Indiana and eat at little house of pancakes.
This trip should cost between 300 and 500 dollars.  The motel is 120 as well as driving there, meals 160 and 120 for things in Gatlinburg.  This is rough estimate.    

Use of information

I will engage by reading and viewing the different sites.  Here is some great pictures of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. These are all from the National Park Service Site.

 This is why it is called the smoky mountains.









Watch out for the bears.  They tell what to on the National Park Service site when you find a bear.

 The trees are pretty in the spring and fall.

 The sunsets are lovely.








This is Grotto Falls.  I would like to go here.

 This is Juney Whank Falls.  This is another falls that I would like to visit.

 This is another pretty sunset from the mountains.

This is place of a thousand drips, which is close to Gatlinburg.








I will chose what places that I would like to visit in four days.  I must chose where I would like to stay.  Motel 6 is a possibility for 30 dollars a night.  I would like to see the Abrams Falls, Grotto Falls, Laurel Falls and the Ramsey Cascades.  I would like to see historic buildings too and do the auto tour.  I will ask the people at the visitors center about seeing historic buildings and waterfalls on the auto tour.  The last day I would like to spend it in Gatlinburg.  This is where we will eat breakfast and dinner.  There are many restaurants on the Gatlinburg website.  For breakfast they have many pancake houses.  The Pancake Pantry looks good.  The Atrium pancakes, little house of pancakes, and log cabin pancake house also sound good.  Breakfast is covered.  The Mellow Mushroom says it is the best pizza in the smokies.  The Big Daddy's Pizzeria sounds good.  They even have Cannoli's.  There a couple of Mexican restaurants that sound good.  Things to do in Gatlinburg is Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies, Ripley's Believe it of Not! Odditorium, Gatlinburg aerial Tramway, Gatlinburg Mountain Coaster and Guinness World Records Museum.  That is a lot of things to do.

Locate and Access

I will locate the sources that I found from the best sources and find information within the sources.

I found how many visitors the Great Smoky Mountains had last year, which was 10,099,276.  This information is at the Natural Parks Conservation Association site:  http://www.npca.org/exploring-our-parks/visitation.html.

The national part service has a great site for the smoky mountains.  When  you google the Great Smoky Mountains look for ones that say gov because you know they are good sites.  Here is the site for the Smoky Mountains National Park from the nps site: http://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm .  Here you will find information on maps, things to do in the park, information on the park and so much more.  I want to know what to do in the park, so I click plan your visit and then things to do.  I chose auto touring, hiking, historic buildings and waterfalls.  This should keep me busy.  The favorite auto-touring destinations are Newfound Gap, Cades Cove, Cataloochee, Clingmans Dome and Roaring Fork.  I printed a map from the site and circled these spots.  There is visitor center at Cades Cove.  The sugarlands Visitor Center is close to Gatlinburg.  This is a good place to start.  There is a good rule of thumb for hiking - see how long the trail is and plan 1.5 miles per hours.  You don't want to be there after dark.  You need to beware of parking lot thieves and bears.  You may need to carry bear pepper spray.  The best places to see the historic buildings are Cades Cove, Cataloochee, Oconaluftee and along the Roaring Fork Motor Nature trail.  The waterfalls are shown on the trail map.  There are 10 that are the most popular.  The falls are: Abrams Falls, Grotto Falls, Hen Wallow Falls, Indian Creek and Toms Branch Falls, Juney Whank Falls, Laurel Falls, Mingo Falls, Mouse Creek Falls, Rainbow Falls and the Ramsey Cascades. You must decide which of these falls you have time to see and hike.  I would really like to see the last one, but it is a 5 to 7 hour hike.  I figured it would take 33 hours to go to all of the waterfalls.  I would be happy to see at least three good ones.  

 I went to tripadvisor and found hotels from 36 dollars to 117 dollars on the days that I selected.  Here is the tripadvisor site:http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g143031-Great_Smoky_Mountains_National_Park_Tennessee-Vacations.html     . If you want to find a hotel you click on hotels and it will show you the best prices.  It also has ideas about restaurants and things to do in the Smoky Mountains.  Since I plan to stay in Gatlinburg, it is best to go to www.gatlinburg.com/.  You can find things about the city, places to stay with lots of options, places to play and dine.  There are campgrounds, bed and breakfast places, cabins and other resorts.  I found a place called Camp LeConte where you can stay in a primitive ten, a safari tent and a luxury tree house from 29 dollars to 169 dollars per night.  They also have deals on the gatlinburg site.
When you click on play and family attractions you see plenty of things to do in Gatlinburg, which includes the tram and ripley's believe it or not museum and a big aquarium.

Information Seeking Strategies - best sources

Now I need to determine all the possible sources. and select the best sources.  The world wide web has sources and so does the library.  When a person belongs to AAA they can help with trips and they have free maps.

First I will look on the internet to find the best sources on information on the Smoky Mountains.  I will go first to look at the government site on National Parks.  This is the site: www.nps.gov/ . I clicked on find a park and search by state.  I clicked on Tennesee.  You have a picture of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  There are twelve national parks in Tennessee and the Great Smoky Mountains is the biggest one.  You click on where it says The Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Here you find directions, maps, things to in the park and so much more.

I also googled Great Smoky Mountain National Park.  The first site was for an ad to visit North Carolina and things to do in North Carolina, but I wanted to stay in Tennessee, so I looked further.  I found tripadvisor was a good site to plan a trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Here is the tripadvisor site:http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g143031-Great_Smoky_Mountains_National_Park_Tennessee-Vacations.html     . Since I plan to stay in Gatlinburg, it is best to go to www.gatlinburg.com/.

You can also check you local library for information on the National Parks and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  I will check my local library at: http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/ .    I found 13 good results when I put in guide to the Smoky Mountains National Park.  The newest source is an electronic source from 2012 that has all of the National Parks on.  It may be good to ask the reference librarian for further assistance.  It looks like I found the best sources.