Final Reflection of the Inquiry Process

            Throughout the development of my inquiry project, I gradually found that the I-Search model really worked well with research methods I already used, but helped me to better organize and utilize the information that I found.  I really enjoyed researching iPads in education, and using a specific research model in order to do so, as I’ve never studied inquiry models in the past.  Although I decided to use the I-Search model based on my own research style, I couldn’t help looking over all the inquiry models, and thinking how these might be used to help students in the library with their individual research needs.  I think following an inquiry model is a great way for students to keep focused and complete the exact task they have set out to accomplish.  While the I-Search model definitely seems to be a more flexible type of inquiry model, overall I think all of these processes provide steps to follow for success in research and are definitely methods I could see being extremely helpful to students in the library. 

Selecting a Topic:

            This first phase of the I-Search model, is probably the one I most enjoy, as it allows me to explore many of my interests, and browse a variety of resources.  When this project first started, and I was debating which topic to focus on, I really appreciated this phase.   Once I decided to research iPads, I had the opportunity to explore many different aspects of the iPad in order to discover if it was really an area of technology that interested me, and also choose a specific question about the iPad to focus on.  Since I entered into this project knowing an extremely small amount about iPads, but was also simultaneously intrigued by them, I decided to make an inquiry question slightly more general, as I wanted to provide room in the research process to discover all the numerous benefits and drawbacks of the iPad, and then after this overview was developed, I chose more specific aspects of iPad to focus on when researching its benefits and drawbacks.   In order to complete this first stage of selecting a topic, and forming my final inquiry question about the benefits and drawbacks of iPads in the school library media center, I first began with a simple Google search, that included recent news articles, and Apple’s website in order to focus my interest on the iPad, and begin moving into step two of the I-Search model. 

Finding Information:

This step was probably the most lengthy, and one that I returned to several times, as I really enjoy researching, and discovering new information sources, so even as I moved into step three, I still continued to find more information, and see what other possibilities the iPad had for education.  During the beginning of the this stage I moved from simple Google searches, to the suggested types of sources on Blackboard including personal oral communication, blogs, wikis, online discussion forums, listservs, websites, and articles.  I was lucky enough to have a personal interview with a co-worker and librarian who uses an iPad, and was able to explain to me firsthand what she enjoys most about the iPads, and why she believes they are such a strong educational tool.  She especially stressed how much she likes reading and using them for books.  I also had the pleasure to interview with a Sales Associate at the Apple store, who has much experience using and selling iPads.  During this interview, he especially stressed the accessibility features for people with disabilities, and also the organizational apps that he believes could be greatly utilized by librarians.  This oral communication was very important to my inquiry process as it opened me up to other ideas about the iPad that I hadn’t quite thought about, and ultimately led to my further research about iBooks and the accessibility functions of the iPad, and how these connect with education and the school library.  While each new source I discovered served its own significant purpose, I found that the interviews, the LM_NET listserv, and the Apple website, really helped bring me to the information and understanding I was looking for in this part of the process. 

Using Information:

As I moved into the third step of the I-Search model, I began to sort through the abundance of resources I had found and stored through bookmarking and Zotero.  I first created a word document listing all the sources I had found, and then re-examined each separately in order to refresh myself on the information I had found.  At this point I also organized what I would like to include in my final synopsis, and focus on as the major benefits and drawbacks of the iPad in school libraries and education.  Through my analysis of the collected materials, I typed up brief notes on each source that I wanted to include, and specifics of each aspect that I wanted to remember.  This is a usual tactic that takes place as I organize my research, and make sure I don’t forget the points or aspects of a source I want to remember, and is a major reason I chose this inquiry model to follow as it ties in closely with how I research already, but makes my process more defined and systemized. 

Developing a Final Product:

As I began developing my final product, I first went through the word document of listed sources with their attached notes and examined them each one more time.  I then formulated this into an informal outline prior to writing my final synopsis.  Since the synopsis was basically a short and general summary of my findings, I knew it would be impossible to include all of my sources, but looked for a way to touch base on all of the main benefits and drawbacks that these sources presented, as well as look for ways to show common premises that many of the information types shared, such as the topic of iBooks, educational apps, accessibility, price and budget constraints. From the outline I created, I was then able to move easily into writing up a synopsis of what I learned, and believed to best answer the question of the iPad’s benefits and drawbacks in school libraries.  Overall, the I-Search inquiry model is a straightforward way to research information, and works well with research habits that many people already have.  I think the school library media specialist could easily utilize this model when teaching information literacy, and while helping students succeed in their own research and inquiry projects.