Wishing & Personal Connection

It's almost over! I wasn't sure how I would get here, but here I am. I am honestly relieved and proud of myself. I've accomplished something.

I'm amazed that all my feelings in this project coorelated with Carol Kuhlthau's Information Search Project. This model knew exactly what I was going through, with all its ups and downs!

The Ups:
Finding a topic that interested me was not a problem. I felt like I was an investigator, trying to find the answers to my own personal questions. I'm also proud of my final product. It may be a bit amateur, but I was able to find out how to set a webpage and added the graphics and pictures myself. (I am not the most tech savvy person out there- so this was a big deal for me!) I also feel like I was very honest in this entire process. Journaling helped me become honest and organized, making the process go by a little bit easier.

The Downs:
I wasn't able to do everything that I wanted to do. For instance, I would have loved to caught up with my friend Noor, who knows everything about fashion. A few days before this project was due I found a "Plan B" (my friend Kelly Kendall) so in the end it worked out. I should have been a bit more organized with scheduling. Also, if I had more time, I would have checked out more books, looked at more electronic databses, and asked for some technology help with my website. But I can always do better next time. And lastly, I found it hard to stay focus on what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to research about Fashion- but it was hard to narrow the idea down. I could have gotten a lot more resources or information had I limited my topic early on instead of keeping it so broad.

If I had to do things differently:
Hmmmm....well, if I had more time, I would have "fancied up" my blog a bit. Perhaps added more pictures, tables, or weblinks to things I read or seen. There were times when I felt a bit hurried, so I may not have explained things as much as I should have. I might have taken more time to connect things together more. But honestly, I am pleased with how this project evolved.

Relating my experience to a young adult:
The blog experience was an entirely new experience for me. I was nervous but ready to do it. I think younger people need to get excited about doing something. If you tell young adults that blogs are "the new cool thing" they might be more willing to do it than someone who is my age. So though I was nervous about this research process like a young adult would be, I had a strong internal determination to do it. Younger people might need extra reassurance from their teachers or parents.

Finding a topic was pretty easy for me. I was able to list four ideas down that I'm interested in and then narrowed it down to one topic. I think with young adults the hardest part for them is starting to think of what they want to write about (watching). Sometimes they need examples of possible topics to get them going.

Like young adults, I wasn't afraid to write my feelings down. If I was frustrated, I would say so. If I felt positive, I would say that too. Yet, I kept on going. In the webbing and wiggling stages, it may be easier for students to just give up or slack off. Yet, I was looking at the finish line the entire time--for some students, they may not see the light at the end of the tunnel if something in their research process goes wrong.

Unlike young adults, I knew how much of a time commitment this was going to take. I tried my best to start early. If my younger self was given this task, I don't think she (me) would have put any effort until the very end. Fortunately, I learned through experience that procrastinating is not always the best way to go!

Personal Connection:

This is the first time I have ever done a research project electronically. At first, I was surprised that there was no set criteria. I couldn't believe that I could write whatever I wanted. There's a sort of freedom to that, which I was nervous about initially. What if I did something wrong? Or what if what I did was not like anyone else's in the class? But once I realized there was no "wrong" or "right" way to go, I felt excited.

As I mentioned before, I was extremely nervous about the blog process. I wasn't sure what I was going to say and was even a bit scared that I may write something embarassing. But once I started to write my feelings the rest came along easy. I used the 8 W's as a starting point and went from there. I admit that there were days when I just didn't feel like saying anything--for instance in the Wiggling and Webbing stages. It was hard to get over that "hump" because my drive was dwindling. But once I got over that, the project started to feel new again.

I feel like I could take ownership in this project because the blog entries made it so personal. I took something I was interested in (fashion) and made it mine. And isn't that what independent learning is all about?

So drumroll please......

My final project:

http://www.geocities.com/mandy_kudmani/photopagelace.html

I hope you enjoy!

Waving

It seems like every day this week I woke up to a different idea of how I am going to "present" my final project. I won't unveil now what it's going to be (so that you, blog reader, can be in suspsense-- and also for fear that I might scrap my idea last minute and start with something else!). It is definitely going to have lots of pictures. I'm a visual learner, so pictures to me are more effective. I love a good photo op!

Thank you to all who read and commented on my blog! I'm still debating whether or not I want to share my blog address and final product to friends and family outside of the class. I've talked about this project a lot to my friends, but no one has yet been so intrigued that they inquired about reading this. Maybe if I promise some goofy pictures of myself more people will be willing to read my blog and see my final project. Hmmm....


A picture of myself puckering up to the camera on Valentine's Day. See how effective that is? So fun. :)

Wrapping

Not once has my topic felt like tedious or boring. I even convinced myself to watch some reruns of “Project Runway”, reasoning that it was all part of this assignment. It wasn’t until a few days ago when I realized hmmm….how was I going to present what I learned? What is this all about?

Taking a break from the traditional paper is relieving. I forgot what learning should be about. It should be creative, innovating, and fun. Why have I for so many years been restricted to term papers? What are some ways to stimulate students?

When I revisited the Indiana Academic Standards, one stuck out in my mind:

3.5.2 Write descriptive pieces about people, places, things, or experiences that:
• develop a unified main idea.
• use details to support the main idea.

Wasn’t this what I have been trying to do? At the beginning of this assignment I was remembering fondly my trips to New York City. This past month I have been reflecting; trying to capture my brief encounters with New York City, fashion, and its people.

I hope that I can one day advocate independent learning. In Standard 4, it states that “the
student who is an independent learner is information literate and pursues information related to personal interests” (all indicators). John Barrell, in his book for Teaching for Thoughtfulness, suggests that “ideas within a curriculum must be robust, have significance to cultural values and society, meet student interests and needs, and offer the potential for continuity (vertical through the grades) and transfer” (Stripling 19). Educators should present essential ideas and students should be proactive in “investigating” these ideas more in depth. It’s important for educators to demonstrate that learning doesn’t stop when the school bell rings. It’s continuous. It can be personal, creative, and fun.

I could apply the above standard to a classroom of 3rd graders and encourage them to mimic a project like this one. I would present some essential ideas, for instance, a favorite vacation, their favorite person, an experience that may have changed their life. I would emphasize that whatever idea they had in mind should be personal and should be what they would enjoy learning about. In a journal, I would have them write adjectives, supporting their main piece. I would then encourage them to draw a painting or to take photographs that tell a story of their experience. Hopefully, their imagination will run wild!

I’ve been thinking all week on how I’m going to effectively display my project. Whatever I do, it’s going to be personal. And I’m going to have fun doing it :)

Project Runway: The best fashion show ever.

Wiggling to Weaving

This past weekend I was completely overwhelmed with the amount of materials I found. After selecting a few books at my public library and at IUPUI, as well as searching through some databases, I was over my head with fashion articles and books. I felt rushed trying to read everything all at once. I was typing word-for-word statements from resources into a Word document. Like this:

Halfway through one particular book I freaked out! I realized that transcribing every word that I was reading was not a good way to go. It reminded me of the article we read for this class a couple of weeks ago by Virginia Rankin: "Pre-Search: Intellectual Access to Information". Rankin, a teacher-librarian from Seattle, taught some 8th graders not be overwhelmed with research. The important thing, she notes, is not to read every word, but to read captions, bold face titles, and captions. After re-reading her tips, I took one loose leaf paper and wrote key ideas and terms that I found interesting in my resources. I only looked at chapters that I thought would be relevant to my project. For instance, in one of my books, Fashion: An Introduction by Joanne Finkelstein, I wrote down terms such as haute couture, consumer revolution, social inequality, and fashion in the city. Each term had a page number next to it so that if I wanted to reread an idea again I could. This process might not have worked for everyone, but it certainly worked for me. By limiting myself to one page of loose leaf paper, I was less likely to write every word down. It was important to write just the key ideas so that I can tie them all together later.

There was another obstacle that was in the way this past weekend: I haven't been able to communiate with my friend Noor. I've emailed and called--where was she? I found out later that New York Fashion Week was not too long ago--maybe she's too wiped out to check her messages. I could have dwelled on this, but I realized that it's better to formulate a Plan B (or even a Plan C!) when things don't work out. I could do this project without Noor. I'll just have to find another way.

Noor, if you are reading this I'm sorry- I still think you are my go-to girl for fashion expertise. To prove it, I'm going to end this post with my favorite picture of you drinking coffee at a New York cafe.

So New York!

Favorite Websites

For all those who want to read more about fashion, please look below for some of my favorite websites:

Informat.com: "one-stop resource" for answers and contacts organized by category. Each category is a comprehensive collection of related fashion industry definitions, key players, trade events, hot topics, market research, and directions.

Apparelsearch.com: "one of the largest and fastest growing online directories for the Apparel Industry and Fashion Industry". The site is pretty easy to navigate.

Fashion.net: "the guide to all things chic". The pictures in this site are amazing--but do people really wear that? Check it out!

Women's Wear Daily (wwd.com): The daily newspaper for the fashion industry.

Modernights.com: Biographies of Italian fashion designers...because I'm always curious to know where these people grew up and how they got their start.

Blogs.outzonetv.com/daniel: A blog from my favorite designer in the whole world: Daniel Vosovic! Okay, so he isn't "famous" yet. I loved watching him in the second season of Project Runway (on Bravo TV). His blogs are funny too. What a talent! I would love to meet this creative, fun-loving genius.

California Pictures

I thought I would share my pictures from my last weekend getaway. Unfortunately, I didn't see any celebrities--only famous street signs. Enjoy!

in a rut

I've been having a difficult time progressing with this project. I feel like I'm in a rut. It's been harder than I thought to try to fit everything together- and I don't have as much time as I thought!
I've reviewed some books at my local public library (mentioned in previous post) but few really really inspired me. I think I am going to have to look through some electronic databases-- maybe I can search "fashion and attitude" and find some articles that really speak to me. Otherwise, I have a vague topic with no substance.
I am definitely stuck in Carol Kuhlthau Exploring Information stage: I feel doubt, confused, uncertain. I hope (soon!) that I can make some progress so that I can feel confident and optimistic again with this assignment. I suppose I better start now...

California Chic!

On a last minute whim, I flew out to Los Angeles last weekend to visit my friend, Constantine. It was my first time to L.A. and I am now officially in love with California :) Ah, I already miss the 90 degree days...
On the flight over, I found myself thinking how I can incorporate this project on my trip. Thankfully, when I told Const about my project he was happy to take me to some popular shopping strips in the area. I'm so grateful I had my camera on hand! The fashion in California is much more relaxed than in New York City-- everything is a lot more comfortable, bohemian, and a little crazy . (Personal Note: I came out with a cool vingate tshirt for only 10 bucks!).
When I got back from my trip I emailed my friend Noor in New York City to see when would be a good time to interview her about the fashion industry. I also looked into my local public library's online catalog for some books I can read this week. When I typed in "fashion" as my subject term I got 16 hits ranging from how to dress at work, an ultimate guide to accessories, and other style books.
I think I'm going to check out the following books. They seem like they are along the lines of what my focus is:
1. Ready Made Miracle, the American Story of Fashion for the Millions by Jessica Daves.
The author is a former editor of Vogue! The downside of this book is that it was published in 1967-- hmmmm, I wonder if fashion has changed much since then? Are the principles still the same?
2. Fashion Illustrated: A Review of Women's Dress, 1920-1950 by Deborah Torrens.
Rats! The online catalog says this book is missing. I may have to request an Interlibrary Loan for this book...
3. Best Dressed: the Born to Shop Lady's Secrets to Building a Wardrobe by Suzy Gershman.
Oh no, this book is checked out already. I may have to request an Interlibraray Loan on this book as well...hopefully I can get it soon.
4. Fashion: the Twentieth Century by Francois Baudot.
The cover of this book looks very cool. And it's translated from the French-- so it must know what it's talking about, right?
I also searched "fashion designers" as a subject and found several biographies: Coco Chanel, Calvin Klein, and Oleg Cassini. I may want to review these books out and see what fashion is like from a famous designer.
Once I interview Noor and select the books I want I can start connecting my ideas together.

Wondering: Fashion & Guilty Pleasures

I thought more about that skirt exhibit I went to last year. I remembered feeling after the exhibit having a short-term obsession with skirts. I never wear skirts and all of a sudden I wanted to wear them. What made me feel this way?

One of my favorite things to do in New York City is just walk around. I could walk for hours looking at the many different people in New York going about their way. But most of all, I love to watch people in New York shop.

There’s a certain drive and energy that comes with New York people. It’s hard to describe. They have an unexplainable style about them—it’s hard to find that anywhere else in the world. What makes New Yorkers so “New York”? Does it come from fashion? Why is it that every time I leave New York I feel like I am missing something?

Fashion is no doubt an essential component of New York City. Sure, I love clothes, but I am far from being a “fashionista”. I don’t plan on what I’m going to wear in advance. I hardly buy anything unless I think I really need it and if it’s on sale. And I am definitely not willing to sacrifice comfort for fashion. Yet, there are hundreds of women my age in New York who would blow a month’s salary on a pair of shoes without a pinch of regret. What kind of pleasure do they get with these shoes? Why do they “have” to have them? And though society would say that these women were making “bad financial decisions”--why am I jealous of them?

I’ve been thinking a lot about the term “guilty pleasure”. I think everyone has guilty pleasures, whether they want to admit it or not. It could be a bad reality television show, greasy pizza, a person that you shouldn’t be with, or something as ordinary as shoes. It’s something you know you shouldn’t have, but you desperately want it. You would, in fact, do anything to have it.

When I started to think about fashion I almost immediately started to think about the word “guilt”. I felt guilty for liking and thinking about fashion. In fact, fashion is my secret guilty pleasure. I feel guilty when I buy something that seems too luxurious, but at the same time, I feel like I cannot live without that purse, those jeans, those shoes, or whatever it happens to be at the time of want.

The following are questions that I first thought of when thinking about fashion:
How did fashion evolve?
Who started it?
Who were the first designers?
Are designers “artists”?
How do designers make clothes “fashionable”?
Does fashion have to be expensive?

Later, I thought more about the people in New York:
What is it about fashion that can make a person obsess?
Is fashion worth obsessing?

Now, I would like to know the opinions of others. I have always wanted to ask these questions to people:
What is your favorite piece of clothing (it can be an accessory, article of clothing, shoes, etc)?
Why is it your favorite? What makes it special? What would you do if you lost it?

Right now I feel pretty confident about my topic. I still don’t have a clear focus, but I think once I start “webbing” I can tie some of my questions together. I’m really excited to learn more about this.

What I always wanted to learn...

I spent the past several days wondering again what I was going to want to research. My original ideas seemed okay, but there were holes in these ideas.

In Idea #1, I thought about doing birth order. This seemed great at first, but later I felt it wasn't something I wanted to follow through. Did I really want to read studies about the psychological affects of being a middle child? What if I suddenly got a complex about it? No, I don't want to go that road.

In Idea #2, I thought about New York City. I love everything about it. But what could I focus on? There's so many choices: theatre, architecture, people, lifestyle. I have a friend who recently graduated from Fashion Institute of Technology-- maybe she could give me some tips on what it's like to be in the fashion world? It seems like she is having a much more glamorous lifestyle than say, um, being a librarian would. I might want to explore this...

In Idea #3, I thought about the Food Network Channel. I was a Communication major in college so researching media trends is nothing new to me. This doesn't seem very challenging or fun to me.

In Idea #4, I thought about studying the life of Marie Antoinette--until I actually picked up a book on her life at Barnes and Noble and only wanted to look at the pictures. Maybe there's a reason why I don't like studying historical and political figures.

So far the best idea I have is Idea #2, but I think I would like to focus more on The Fashion Industry. It's not often that I have a chance to study something different and fun. The last time I went to New York there was an exhibit just on the history of the skirt. I was surprised about how much I learned on such a simple, ordinary garment. I am intrigued why people are obsessed with fashion, who makes the trends, the history behind fashion, everything. I think I could even interview my friend Noor on this topic since she works in the industry. Next time, I hope to have some questions in mind.

New to Blogging

I have to admit that I am quite intimidated by this assignment. This is my first "blogging" experience so hopefully it will go well!

I've been thinking and rethinking what I want to write about. Here are a few of my ideas:

1. Like Kathy I'm interested in birth order. I'm the middle child in my family (older brother, younger sister). I've always been interested in family dynamics.

2. I love New York City. I love the fashion, the people, the restaurants...everything. I was lucky enough to go see Saturday Night Live last year!

3. My guilty pleasure is watching the Food Network Channel. What is it about Rachael Ray that makes me adore her? Am I the only one addicted to their shows? How and when did "celebrity chefs" become so popular?

4. I saw the movie Marie Antoinette over the holidays and was fascinated by her. I never paid much attention in my history classes in high school and now I regret it a bit. I would like to re-learn that period in time.

I'll probably explore some more ideas this evening and tomorrow.