I think that this project is now as the point for sharing and turning in for grading. While the instructions say a project cannot be submitted on the blog, for closure and process I am sharing the link. Here is the project website link:
http://militaria.yolasite.com/
The hardest part of my personal approach to inquiry was finding a topic, as there are so many ones that are interesting to me, and being able to pick any topic felt overwhelming at first in its freedom. I liked the structure of the W's Model, but it was much more qualitative than my background in history research. I am very much used to reading articles and sources, taking notes, producing scholarly writing, and creating a project. I had little training in the process to deciding on a question, though the concurrent KSP course I am taking has helped provide more framework for this. I realized that I needed to note my personal feelings throughout the inquiry process--something I had not every done before. This felt a little odd at first to apply how I feel to a classroom project, but it also increased my self-awareness on the spectrum of emotions that challenges and success can bring to someone, whether a teacher or student, who is engaged in such a process.
I selected a very broad topic and realized that I needed to narrow it down--I initially began looking at preservation methods, but I realized just how objective and variable this topic was, so I focused on preventative conservation and the process to identify and protect against hazards to a militaria collection. I realized anyone with enough trial/error and practice can become an authority on a specific area of preventative conservation, and that the best way to learn is to observe and ask questions. This really brought the concept of inquiry full circle, and the broad frontiers of the subject are exciting to continue pursuing throughout my life.
There seems to be a lot of latitude in the inquiry process for narrowing, exploring, and presenting topics. I enjoyed this. It did not feel constricting, but the framework provided meaningful support and guidance from beginning to end. I added a couple (hopefully excusable) W's to the process--Wavering and Wrangling--that addressed a couple areas that I wanted to add to the process. I wavered on my topic and direction greatly in the first steps; there was also not a step where citations and sources were compiled. Thus the need for Wrangling, where I posted citations to help keep myself organized and practice my learning of APA (previously using Turabian for writing history through my undergrad). I did not think when I started that I would develop an experiment for recording and charting the temperature and relative humidity in my apartment, and make meaningful comparisons with the results. I also enjoyed setting up my blog to include a list of classmates' blogs, though the variety of hosts severely limited my ability to post on them as a guest. It was constructive and educational to read about others' passions and inquiry processes. The 100 cups of coffee it took to finish this project (conservative estimate...I had five just writing this post) makes me hope Jill opens that coffee shop!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Wishing
This project was fun and education for me. I learned a great deal about conservation--knowledge that is practical and will be particularly applicable in a just two or three short months when I move out of my apartment and onto my next home. I have been worrying about what do do with this stuff and the possibility of a storage unit--this research on methods of storage and conservation has helped frame my strategies and planning.
There were several challenges to this project. Foremost, there was a wealth of opinions to sift through. Much of the collector interaction I had was young collectors (such as myself) asking specific questions about treating their artifacts--I had thought at the start of the project of going this direction, but the sheer volume of varying treatments, coupled with extremely variable personal philosophies (which led me to formulate a section addressing this) made the task both daunting and impractical. I was able to find several resources by curators in the field, which I count among the successes of this project. The final challenge was time--while I feel very engaged with the topic, other class and work projects kept taking up the time I wanted to put into this project. I realized later that I actually felt guilty about using time for an inquiry project so interesting to me.
One tactic I would take in the future is interviewing a curator in person. I feel like I had reliable information, but an interview or two could have broadened my perspective on the topic. With this in mind, I began looking at some interesting Master's programs for curators! I would have also liked to get to the library and look for more books on the topic instead of conducting a strictly online approach.
I enjoyed the process of personal inquiry. The latitude for topic selection distinguishes this project from many that I have done before, as I have personal investment in the subject and find it continually engaging. I recognize that students that I teach in my next job will have similar inquiry experiences, both personally and academically. High school is a time of discovery and transition that sees students seeking new experiences and balancing their values with big decisions: what career to pursue, if they should go to college, if they should smoke/drink, and how they wish to define themselves. Their process of inquiry will unlikely be as structured as this, but there will be inquiry all the same. In a classroom, students at a high school level usually know if they like or dislike a subject prior to taking a required course. History classes can be notoriously dry or antiquated in methods and subject matter, and students without interest may struggle to pass. My approach to teaching history is through personal connection--I challenge students to connect themes/problems/scenarios of the past with those of present day, thus engaging critical thinking, learning history, and staying aware of current events. I strive to engage students through a variety of teaching methods of meet the wide range of learning styles, and to use technology as a tool. I have taught less with lecture methods than with Socratic approaches to asking questions of the students and challenging them to discovery. To me, this is where the inquiry process may be most applicable--assisting students through steps of identifying interesting topics, narrowing their search, researching, and presenting their findings in a meaningful manner. The history field is loaded with myths, mysteries, and exciting facts--if I can assist pupils through the initial barrier of interest, I am confident that sound inquiry methods will assist students both in and outside the classroom.
There were several challenges to this project. Foremost, there was a wealth of opinions to sift through. Much of the collector interaction I had was young collectors (such as myself) asking specific questions about treating their artifacts--I had thought at the start of the project of going this direction, but the sheer volume of varying treatments, coupled with extremely variable personal philosophies (which led me to formulate a section addressing this) made the task both daunting and impractical. I was able to find several resources by curators in the field, which I count among the successes of this project. The final challenge was time--while I feel very engaged with the topic, other class and work projects kept taking up the time I wanted to put into this project. I realized later that I actually felt guilty about using time for an inquiry project so interesting to me.
One tactic I would take in the future is interviewing a curator in person. I feel like I had reliable information, but an interview or two could have broadened my perspective on the topic. With this in mind, I began looking at some interesting Master's programs for curators! I would have also liked to get to the library and look for more books on the topic instead of conducting a strictly online approach.
I enjoyed the process of personal inquiry. The latitude for topic selection distinguishes this project from many that I have done before, as I have personal investment in the subject and find it continually engaging. I recognize that students that I teach in my next job will have similar inquiry experiences, both personally and academically. High school is a time of discovery and transition that sees students seeking new experiences and balancing their values with big decisions: what career to pursue, if they should go to college, if they should smoke/drink, and how they wish to define themselves. Their process of inquiry will unlikely be as structured as this, but there will be inquiry all the same. In a classroom, students at a high school level usually know if they like or dislike a subject prior to taking a required course. History classes can be notoriously dry or antiquated in methods and subject matter, and students without interest may struggle to pass. My approach to teaching history is through personal connection--I challenge students to connect themes/problems/scenarios of the past with those of present day, thus engaging critical thinking, learning history, and staying aware of current events. I strive to engage students through a variety of teaching methods of meet the wide range of learning styles, and to use technology as a tool. I have taught less with lecture methods than with Socratic approaches to asking questions of the students and challenging them to discovery. To me, this is where the inquiry process may be most applicable--assisting students through steps of identifying interesting topics, narrowing their search, researching, and presenting their findings in a meaningful manner. The history field is loaded with myths, mysteries, and exciting facts--if I can assist pupils through the initial barrier of interest, I am confident that sound inquiry methods will assist students both in and outside the classroom.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Wrapping and Waving
Tomorrow is the big day for turning in this assignment! It has been a fun process and I am polishing up the product for posting and submission. I hope to get this done and post the link up here later tonight. Wrapping up feels good, but I know there is always more to discover and learn, and that my research only encompasses a few perspectives. Perhaps this is what makes the hobby in general so much fun--there is always new things to learn and new stories to tell.
I find the information that I located is useful. I have revised my own methods and made plans for how I will practice conservation methods. I plan on acquiring some acid-free tissue paper and boxes for storage, finding a set of cotton gloves for handling sensitive items, monitoring temperature and humidity levels, and displaying/storing artifacts in locations free of the hazards discussed in my research. I also plan on communicating my information with others in the Preservation section of the online forums that I participation in. I will share my finished website for critical review and feedback. With luck, I will have further suggestions and resources to incorporate; at some point, someone may stumble across it and find something helpful listed there. I am not sure how interested someone will be in reading this blog that details every step of the Inquiry process, but I feel the website I am constructing will appeal to a narrow audience of interested collectors (with whom I identify). I do plan on posting a link to this blog on the website to show the steps to the research. I have listed my email for personal contact by anyone reading the website.
Below is a chart I produced with data that I collected from a week-long observation from Saturday, 2/27 to Friday, 3/5. Each morning and evening (approximately 9am and 9pm) I recorded the temperature and relative humidity in the area of my collection to observe the environment and record its stability. My goal is also to determine if I am within the recommended ranges: 70F +/- 4F for temperature, and a relative humidity of 45% +/- 8% (Mecklenburg & Tumosa, 2003).
I found that the average temperature was around 69F and relative humidity was 32%. The temperature was in the recommended range but the humidity was low; as a classmate noted, the cool weather that week likely led to low humidity. I wish I had noted the outdoor temperatures that week; I do see a correlation in the graph to higher temperatures (likely caused by adjustment of the thermostat) and higher humidity. This will be something to continue watching as the spring weather approaches.
I forgot to mention that I found another excellent resource last week. I located the Department of the Army regulation for museums and collections. I got to thinking about the US Army museums I have been to (most notably the museum at West Point) and wondering about their methods--and a simple Google search led me to their regulations. I gained some valuable and very specific information on conservation methods and insight into their philosophy on preservation. Their manual is cited on my website.
I find the information that I located is useful. I have revised my own methods and made plans for how I will practice conservation methods. I plan on acquiring some acid-free tissue paper and boxes for storage, finding a set of cotton gloves for handling sensitive items, monitoring temperature and humidity levels, and displaying/storing artifacts in locations free of the hazards discussed in my research. I also plan on communicating my information with others in the Preservation section of the online forums that I participation in. I will share my finished website for critical review and feedback. With luck, I will have further suggestions and resources to incorporate; at some point, someone may stumble across it and find something helpful listed there. I am not sure how interested someone will be in reading this blog that details every step of the Inquiry process, but I feel the website I am constructing will appeal to a narrow audience of interested collectors (with whom I identify). I do plan on posting a link to this blog on the website to show the steps to the research. I have listed my email for personal contact by anyone reading the website.
Below is a chart I produced with data that I collected from a week-long observation from Saturday, 2/27 to Friday, 3/5. Each morning and evening (approximately 9am and 9pm) I recorded the temperature and relative humidity in the area of my collection to observe the environment and record its stability. My goal is also to determine if I am within the recommended ranges: 70F +/- 4F for temperature, and a relative humidity of 45% +/- 8% (Mecklenburg & Tumosa, 2003).
I found that the average temperature was around 69F and relative humidity was 32%. The temperature was in the recommended range but the humidity was low; as a classmate noted, the cool weather that week likely led to low humidity. I wish I had noted the outdoor temperatures that week; I do see a correlation in the graph to higher temperatures (likely caused by adjustment of the thermostat) and higher humidity. This will be something to continue watching as the spring weather approaches.
I forgot to mention that I found another excellent resource last week. I located the Department of the Army regulation for museums and collections. I got to thinking about the US Army museums I have been to (most notably the museum at West Point) and wondering about their methods--and a simple Google search led me to their regulations. I gained some valuable and very specific information on conservation methods and insight into their philosophy on preservation. Their manual is cited on my website.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Weaving Part II
It has been a little while since I have gotten to post on here--a lot is going on with both classes. This Inquiry Project is still fun and something that I am passionate about. I realize that the field of artifact conservation is wide and very variable, and that, no matter how much research I put into it, I will only have touched the tip of the proverbial iceberg. This is, however, a foundation for an area of the hobby that I will continue gaining understanding in throughout my life.
A couple weeks ago I began culling through the options for the ending "content-rich product" to showcase my findings. I considered a PowerPoint, a PDF brochure, and an article about military artifact conservation before settling on building a website. I settled on a website for several reasons:
-I can easily divide it into sections for the areas of inquiry.
-The site can be updated as I find more information, or based on others' feedback.
-The link can be shared with others.
-The site can incorporate a variety of media for visual appeal.
-The site can be expanded to include other information relevant to the hobby.
I am building the website with Yola, which is a free creator. I used it in a past KSP class and was impressed with the ease of website creation. When it is done I will post the link in this blog.
Currently I am working during my spring break in the northern peninsula of Michigan. I do not have my week-long temperature and humidity chart handy, but I will process and post it upon my return to Mankato on Saturday. I have been discussing this project with family and friends, and have been receiving encouragement along the way. I realize that this topic is not entirely relevant to them, but they are aware of my passion for the hobby and for preserving history, and I think it is with this lens that they give their attention. I have also been actively viewing and contributing on the US Militaria Forum in the Preservation section. An ongoing thread on leather preservation led me to share my story about using Saddle Soap on leather ski bindings. I received a pair of US and German WWII skis (captured in Italy) that were used through the 1970s in the Rockies and then sat in a garage for nearly forty years. The leather toe bindings were petrified; I rubbed them with Saddle Soap and it made them pliable again. The only affect of the treatment was that the leather darkened; this is to be expected from any treatment to leather. It did make the leather pliable and not liable to crack and fall apart anytime soon.
I am also working on compiling the data that I gleaned from the articles to present on my website. The most logical way that I began doing this was by writing it into paragraphs. This seems very formal for a website, but I will see how it fills out as I begin publishing. I am also going to look into sources for acquiring acid-free paper and boxes for storing items in, and hopefully be able to provide this information on the website. The pitfall is that I have not used vendors myself, so anything I provide would be something I cannot personally verify. I will have to be careful in making these distinctions.
One thing that I have noticed since beginning the Inquiry Project is that I have attuned my senses to recognize potential threats to artifacts in environments that I encounter them. For instance, in walking around antique stores in Mankato, I note which ones have heating and keep out the weather. One, the Antiques Warehouse on Riverfront, is a prefab steel warehouse with a concrete floor and little climate control that may not bode well for artifacts in different seasons. Up here in Michigan, several antique stores include basements. One I was in today had standing water under a fleet of old furniture and farm tools. It was cold and drafty as well--and the moisture is not good for any of the antiques in there. I noticed that the finish on chair legs showed water damage and most of the metal items displayed rust; the cloth military uniforms were damp and in danger of mildew. I happened by a stack of old magazines that were wrinkled and fragile--obvious victims of poor storage and care. In this store was a fine World War II recruiting poster shrink-wrapped to a piece of cardboard. While this was a good way to keep the paper flat and away from dust, its position by the window had greatly faded the colors. Sad!
The findings that I am presenting on the website (strategies and dangers) are all meritorious in that they can be checked against other sources and confirmed in this manner. Most of them are also founded on common sense, such as human dangers of manhandling/dropping/wearing items to contribute to their deterioration, and that light and temperature can negatively harm most items. All organic items will deteriorate over time!
A couple weeks ago I began culling through the options for the ending "content-rich product" to showcase my findings. I considered a PowerPoint, a PDF brochure, and an article about military artifact conservation before settling on building a website. I settled on a website for several reasons:
-I can easily divide it into sections for the areas of inquiry.
-The site can be updated as I find more information, or based on others' feedback.
-The link can be shared with others.
-The site can incorporate a variety of media for visual appeal.
-The site can be expanded to include other information relevant to the hobby.
I am building the website with Yola, which is a free creator. I used it in a past KSP class and was impressed with the ease of website creation. When it is done I will post the link in this blog.
Currently I am working during my spring break in the northern peninsula of Michigan. I do not have my week-long temperature and humidity chart handy, but I will process and post it upon my return to Mankato on Saturday. I have been discussing this project with family and friends, and have been receiving encouragement along the way. I realize that this topic is not entirely relevant to them, but they are aware of my passion for the hobby and for preserving history, and I think it is with this lens that they give their attention. I have also been actively viewing and contributing on the US Militaria Forum in the Preservation section. An ongoing thread on leather preservation led me to share my story about using Saddle Soap on leather ski bindings. I received a pair of US and German WWII skis (captured in Italy) that were used through the 1970s in the Rockies and then sat in a garage for nearly forty years. The leather toe bindings were petrified; I rubbed them with Saddle Soap and it made them pliable again. The only affect of the treatment was that the leather darkened; this is to be expected from any treatment to leather. It did make the leather pliable and not liable to crack and fall apart anytime soon.
I am also working on compiling the data that I gleaned from the articles to present on my website. The most logical way that I began doing this was by writing it into paragraphs. This seems very formal for a website, but I will see how it fills out as I begin publishing. I am also going to look into sources for acquiring acid-free paper and boxes for storing items in, and hopefully be able to provide this information on the website. The pitfall is that I have not used vendors myself, so anything I provide would be something I cannot personally verify. I will have to be careful in making these distinctions.
One thing that I have noticed since beginning the Inquiry Project is that I have attuned my senses to recognize potential threats to artifacts in environments that I encounter them. For instance, in walking around antique stores in Mankato, I note which ones have heating and keep out the weather. One, the Antiques Warehouse on Riverfront, is a prefab steel warehouse with a concrete floor and little climate control that may not bode well for artifacts in different seasons. Up here in Michigan, several antique stores include basements. One I was in today had standing water under a fleet of old furniture and farm tools. It was cold and drafty as well--and the moisture is not good for any of the antiques in there. I noticed that the finish on chair legs showed water damage and most of the metal items displayed rust; the cloth military uniforms were damp and in danger of mildew. I happened by a stack of old magazines that were wrinkled and fragile--obvious victims of poor storage and care. In this store was a fine World War II recruiting poster shrink-wrapped to a piece of cardboard. While this was a good way to keep the paper flat and away from dust, its position by the window had greatly faded the colors. Sad!
The findings that I am presenting on the website (strategies and dangers) are all meritorious in that they can be checked against other sources and confirmed in this manner. Most of them are also founded on common sense, such as human dangers of manhandling/dropping/wearing items to contribute to their deterioration, and that light and temperature can negatively harm most items. All organic items will deteriorate over time!
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