Chapter 5 discusses project management and how to keep a project organized when a group of people are working together. A solid project begins with great resources. Teachers should consider who and what they will need to make the project successful. If a computer lab is not available or a limited amount of space and time spent in the lab is sparse then the teacher should look into alternative options such as internet cafes around town. Allowing students the opportunity to experience something that has to do with their project is extremely helpful, such as the students observing a surgery in real time and having the opportunity to ask questions. Anyone and everything that could help students complete their project to the best of their ability and give the experiences that they never had before should be made available to a reasonable extent.
Students and teachers need to be able to see what milestones they have accomplished with their project and what they still need to accomplish. The easiest way to do this is to keep a classroom calendar available at all times showing all of the due dates for the project. You can also use a calendar online that everyone involved in the project has access to at all times. Teachers should make sure they use the class website, blog, wiki, or email to communicate deadlines and milestones with parents.
Team planning can be difficult because teams should consist of people who complement each other. One person who is good at writing may be paired with anothe person who is good at using technology. Each of the partners should hold their own weight. Sometimes teachers pair high achieving students with lower achieving students and the result of that is one student doing the majority of the work. Teachers should allow students to choose their partner for one project but then switch the members of a group around for the next project.
Students need to have guidelines given to them so they know what they will be assessed on throughout the project. There are websites that help teachers create rubrics that are worthwhile for the students and the teacher. One of the websites is http://rubistar.4teachers.org.
Web-based applications are amazing tools for students to be able to stay in contact with each other while working on a project. They are a good way for teachers to give feedback right away as well. These are both good things because students will learn to continually be revising and editing their work based on the feedback from their peers and teachers!
Once students are familiarized with 21st century technology and all that can be done in order to build a project with a partner without meeting face to face they will be able to create their own personalized web page. These are virtual office spaces to help keep their lives and projects organized. Some of the providers of virtual offices are Netvibes, Protopage, Pageflakes, iGoogle, and My Yahoo!
The information in chapter 5 will help us work on our project in class and outside of class. This will help us be able to stay organized and meet deadlines while using online tools and colaborating with each other. While planning our project, we can create incorporate these tools and knowledge into our preservatives project while planning it for our future students.
When you discussed teachers going to a cafe or any public place with internet access, it shows that in today's technology world anyone is able to advance their skills without even having internet at their house. Also, giving students the opportunity to watch a surgery is such a good idea! By observing real-life issues, students can get a better idea of how real-world professionals work everyday
ReplyDeleteI agree that team planning can be difficult because teachers should group students who complement each others skills. In order to do this, teachers will need to take the time to get to know their students before the project begins. I think that allowing students to choose their group can be a good idea, but teachers need to make sure students are getting their work done on time and doing a their best on it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement "team planning can be difficult because teams should consist of people who complement each other". It can be very difficult to work with people who do not work well with you or your learning styles. Especially when dealing with workmates/other teachers, it is hard to choose specific traits when picking collaborative teams. However, assessing strengths when working with teachers that you don't get to specifically pick will help to solidify teams and encourage higher group productivity.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your section on team planning in the classroom. I think it is important to take into consideration students' opinions on who they want to work with, as well as pairing students yourself to help them reach their maximum capacity of knowledge to gain from particular projects. I think pairing students with other students they wouldn't necessarily pair with allow students to gain a better understanding of what their strengths and weaknesses are compared to other students, especially in their own classroom.
ReplyDeletePick your own partner
At least one of the projects
is beneficial