Cobb Chapter 5 R.R

Managing your Project!

This Chapter focused on helping teachers to invest their time wisely on the front part of the project before they engage the students in the actual project work. The first part of the chapter pushes you to consider the resources you will need and prompts you to plan strategies to support effective time management, teaming, and assessment. Previously the book talked about creating an asset map. In this chapter the teacher is prompted to take a look at the map and consider how specific resources can support their project.

The asset map or inventory map will also show you what materials you will need. If the teacher will be using technology that is new to the student it is essential that the teacher plan for instruction. Some projects require the assistance of an expert, such as a doctor or a veterinarian. When experts aren’t available, technology is always there to bring them closer. This can be done through emails, video conferencing, or virtual field trips. It is also key to look up technology experts in your district to help in some areas such as a web specialist. Teachers should remember that when they are collaborating with a team, they should divide the responsibilities between them. Setting up a Wiki or blog between collaborators helps the project run more smoothly.

Create a project calendar for yourself and the students that show deadlines and milestones along the way. The will increase your students attention to time management. The teacher should take the big task and divide them into smaller tasks that are more manageable; and explain the smaller deadlines to the students that they will have to meet along the way. Send a planning calendar home to the Parents to help them help you!

Team planning is important when working on a project because children are different. They all have different skill sets and placing the right students together will create good chemistry. A teacher may consider how the team will work better; should it be based on a childs proficiency or should it be on how well they complement each other.

The second part of the chapter focuses on how teachers and students can use technology to manage projects and increase learning potential.

The more complex a project is, the more assessment methods a teacher will need. These assessments can range from formal to informal evaluations. Author Lois Bridges gives five categories of assessments based on teacher behavior:

·         Monitoring

·         Observing

·         Interacting

·         Analyzing

·         Reporting

 Technology can help with these assessments.  Some examples are online surveys and online rubric generators.  A teacher should look at their project management needs as well as the students’ project management needs. As stated above, setting up a Wiki or blog between collaborators helps the project run more smoothly.  This works with students also. They can use Web based applications to work with their team mates and to edit their project before they present!  This also shows the teacher who has done what in the project. Personalized web pages are a great way to start the project off. The students will be able to keep track of mail, calendars, notepads, news and blog feeds just to mention a few. iGoogle and My Yahoo are just two of the  virtual office providers.

Our project will take careful consideration regarding time management! weather monitoring has so many different avenues that it could take therefore, it is up to us to manage it wisely so that the students will get the most out of the project. We will be using a vast amount of technology in our project so it was helpful to get some ideas about wiki and blogging. These online tools will help Amber, myself and lindsey to communicate better and this will strengthen our collaboration.