Planning

The Planning stage of the Research Cycle involves figuring out where to find the answers to the questions in the previous stage.  And the goal is not necessarily to find a large quantity of information, but to find accurate and reliable information.  McKenzie suggests that students in a school use a media specialist to point them in the right direction before diving into an Internet search.  

I decided to first search books on Amazon to satisfy the questions "Where can I find ideas?" and "What materials can be used?"  Next, I searched for sources on the Hobbies and Crafts Reference Center database, through EBSCO.  I accessed this through INSPIRE.  There were an enormous number of resources and ideas available through this database.  Finally, Pinterest served as a place for me to find blogs that focus on upcycling/repurposing. 

Here are two Listmania! lists of books related to upcycling/repurposing that I found on Amazon:
Be Green, Be Creative: Books Inspiring Upcycling
Crafty Repurposing -- Making old stuff new again

Blogs:
RecycleArt 
Emily's Upcycled Furniture


To answer the "Are there any local shops/studios that support upcycling/repurposing?" question, I turned to Google and Facebook.  I know of a studio in town that allows you to bring in furniture to paint yourself, and the owner provides assistance with materials and ideas.  I thought this would be a good starting point on Facebook to explore other local places that may be similar.  

The owner of the studio I know about has a blog here.  I also found the following local resources or studios that focus on upcycling/repurposing:

fivethirty resale 
Indy Upcycle 
Reclamation Indy


Resources:
-->

Milam, Peggy. "Moving Beyond Technology With Strategic Teaching: Jamie Mckenzie's RESEARCH CYCLE." School Library Media Activities Monthly 19.4 (2002): 22. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Feb. 2013.

Questioning

The Questioning phase is the first of the Research Cycle, places importance on coming up with a definitive list of questions to guide research.  This helps to see if the particular topic is broad enough, and it can also be done in a group or with a partner.

Ok...time to figure out what I really want to know about upcycling and repurposing.  I'm currently hooked on Pinterest, which I use to find recipes, craft ideas, and some decorating ideas, and I've noticed lots of pins about upcycling and repurposing.  I'm curious to learn more about it.  

Here is my concept map of questions:

I started doing this process on the computer, but when I'm brainstorming I feel more comfortable using paper, so I decided to switch. 

Resrouces:

McKenzie, Jamie.  The Research Cycle.  2000.  Web.  8 Feb. 2013

Milam, Peggy. "Moving Beyond Technology With Strategic Teaching: Jamie Mckenzie's RESEARCH CYCLE." School Library Media Activities Monthly 19.4 (2002): 22. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Feb. 2013.

The Research Cycle

Here I am at the beginning of an inquiry adventure!  I am going to use the Research Cycle by Jamie McKenzie to explore repurposing and upcycling furniture and other home decor.  I think that the Research Cycle will help me narrow down what I actually want this information for, as well as organize it in a useful way.  The Research Cycle features the following steps:  Questioning, Planning, Gathering, Sorting & Sifting, Synthesizing, Evaluating, and Reporting.  McKenzie developed this process in order for students to become more information literate.  In an article in School Library Media Activities Monthly, McKenzie points out: "When presented with a topic, students tend to dive headfirst into research, gathering up all they can find, without discriminating on the basis of accuracy, authority, currency, and other pertinent criteria" (22). What McKenzie described is something I've been guilty of MANY times in the past.  I think that it's very common with young students, and they tend to just type something in on Google and use whatever comes up on the first page.  This process stresses the importance of deciding what it is you are actually looking for before you start looking for it, as well as examining and evaluating search results.  I'm looking forward to using his process to explore something I'm interested in!  

Here is a link with more information:
The Research Cycle



Milam, Peggy. "Moving Beyond Technology With Strategic Teaching: Jamie Mckenzie's RESEARCH CYCLE." School Library Media Activities Monthly 19.4 (2002): 22. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Feb. 2013.