Musolino Minutes

Curriculum Connection:
I would not use this exact project in the classroom (too personal) however; I would make modifications to use this idea of comparison shopping with an economic unit for grades 4 and 5.   The AASL standards are all so easily embedded in the inquiry process. Specifically, 1, 2 and 3. When thinking about a specific project idea, students can research a new game, television set, or fitness equipment that they are interested in buying.  We can break down a savings plan to work with allowance money as well as use store ads and online shopping to compare price quotes.  When designing a budget, I love to introduce excel and some basic spreadsheet functions like adding the dollar amounts in a specific column.
Final products ideas are PowerPoint presentations to share findings with the class, create a glog poster sharing researched results, and/or creating a MS publisher brochure.  To match the 4^th grade global connection standard, 4.4.5, students can research where the product is made and how it is imported to the United States.  The possibilities are endless. Below are the Indiana Social Studies Standards for grades 4 and 5 that would apply.

       5.4

• Students will describe the productive resources and market relationships that influence the way people produce goods and services and earn a living in the United States in different historical periods.
• 5.4.7
• Predict the effect of changes in supply and demand on price. (Core Standard)  
• 5.4.9
• Identify the elements of a personal budget and explain why personal spending and saving decisions are important.
• 4.4.4
• Explain that prices change as a result of changes in supply and demand for specific products
• 4.4.5
• Describe Indiana’s emerging global connections.
• 4.4.8
• Define profit and describe how profit is an incentive for entrepreneurs
• .4.10
• Explain how people save, and develop a savings plan in order to make a future purchase

Wishing/ Personal Connection:

Like I mentioned in the earlier post, I am pleased with my overall learning.  This process helped me to refine my search strategies and to look at reliability of my sources.  I liked the fact that with this search, I could use sites that were straight from the manufacturer to get ideas and background knowledge before I ventured out.  That being said, the forums on many car sites helped me to negotiate a fair lease price!  The Edmunds site was amazing!  I highly recommend it for car shoppers. I expanded my horizons by looking at car trader site and lease trader sites as well.  I may never use their services, but at least I know a little more about them.

When students come into my media center, I need to remember that their background knowledge differs.  This is the main obstacle when matching students with research and materials.  I need to continue to work on the student centered reference interview to capitalize on their strengths and help them build on a weakness. 

My personal approach to inquiry is a mix of several models (Lamb, IS, REACTS, Big6, etc).  However, I find myself concentrating on the major components:  Questioning, Exploring, Assimilation, and Inference.  I find myself stronger in the first two than the last two (just like my students).  My scope of research and methods remain consistent.  That tells me how important it is to set up a strong inquiry foundation in our young learners no matter what kind of learner/student they are.

Waving:

I am planning a PowerPoint for my final communication.  I like the set up that MS PowerPoint offers as well as the options to enhance the final presentation.  When working with my 3-5 graders, PowerPoint is a great tool to help guide their presentations (same is true for adults). I will include the comparisons of 3 vehicles and where I stand in the decision-making process.  The final project will be keep private and used mainly for my husband and me to help organize the research and guide our final decision.  I am not sure many people outside of the classmates and family members that would want to read the final presentation- unless they were looking for the same type of cars. However, if I decide to make my blog public, it would be interesting to see what type of comments I could receive (wouldn’t it be great if a salesman commented with a lower offer!) Overall, I think my inquiry process was very similar to the process my students’ take- there were bumps along the road and my questions keep evolving, but I am pleased with all the new information I gained from the experience.  If my students have this same type of reflection at the end of a project, I believe it to be quite successful.

As I’m working on my Power Point, I realize it’s time to post my technology requirement checklist.  In my blog and throughout the inquiry process, I used the following four technology tools:

1.  Concept Map–I decided to use mywebinspiration site to create my map.  Please refer to the link on the left.

2.  Social Bookmarks–I use Delicious.com at work to bookmark my school related sites and to easily share links with my colleagues. Again, please refer to the link on the left.

4.  Electronic Communication Tool– As I discussed in my email communication post, I was in contact with two salesmen to negotiate the car price.

5.  Productivity Tool–I used a digital camera to take pictures when I went to test drive my choices and posted them to the blog (see below). I plan to use Microsoft Power Point for my final product.

Email Correspondence:

Today, I heard back from the salesman we are working with at the Infiniti dealership.  I emailed him on the lease price that he quoted me (around $823 a month).  Here’s the thing, I went on to Edmunds.com (visit my link in Delicious) to compare other deals that are now available and I stumbled on the forum section of this site.  It was a very useful link! I was able to view and respond to current postings about prices. Two of the offers for the same vehicle (minus the upgrade rims and tires that I would like) were in the $600’s.  Pretty far from where I am at ($823).  Through these forums, I also learned about a $2,000 lease loyalty rebate (one I would like them to still offer me), higher residual values (why wouldn’t I get that with tier one credit?) and adjusted sales prices.  So, I copied and pasted the information in an email to my contact at the dealership- needless to say I went from $823 a month to the final email that came in this afternoon at $660 including tax and the upgraded tires…. Let the negotiation games begin- I am starting to feel successful!  So, I am going to apply this email/Edmund forum strategy with the Mercedes.  Let’s see what happens….

Weaving and Wrapping:

As I processed my findings while creating a concept map, I really started to think about my process and where I am heading next.  As I made comparisons (evaluating all the information  for accuracy and authority)between the final choices, I realized how similar the cars really are.  So I really can’t go wrong. My file of paperwork from the dealerships with the cars information and prices came in handy when I went back to process the final pros and cons lists. It was also essential that the salesmen I was working with at each dealership offered a business card that I could attach to the car information sheet.  That way I could call and contact them by email for follow up when needed.   Car shopping for me has been very time consuming- online research, test drives, dealer rebates, etc. But now that the leg work is coming to an end- it has to come down to a final question- what car do I like the best?  The financing, lease vs. buy, isn’t really the issue anymore- regardless, I will have a car payment, something I am accustomed to already paying so I need to follow my heart and get what I like.  So that being said- I really like the Mercedes. It has a lot of room- great interior- hands free phone (a must) and drives really well.  I will feel safe in the winter and be able to crack the moon roof on a nice summer day.

At this stage in my process- I am confident in the information I have gathered.   My questions were answered and I do not feel a need to go back and ask more.  The same is true for our students when researching, with each new investigation, students are asked to refine their inquiry practices and seek new ways to enhance their learning experience.

So my big ah ha moment needs to be coming soon- a final product? Well, as I contemplate ideas, I am leaning toward a two column comparison chart using a website like Edmunds to see the bottom line.