Chapter 5

There are several items that should be considered before starting a project with students. You need to consider the materials that you will need such as supplies and tools. You also need to consider whether your project will involve the use of technologies that are new to your students. Therefore, you might need to expand the access to technology and your students might need access to experts to answer questions. There are also videoconferencing and virtual field trips that you can access as well. Media specialists and other types of specialists can help with projects too.

Teachers’ management needs include:

·         Tools for communicating with students and others about the project

·         Tools for making milestones and events visible and for notifying students when changes occur

·         Methods for getting resources to students

·         Systems for managing work products

·         Structures that support a productive learning environment in which teams and individuals are engaged in a variety of learning tasks at the same time’

·         Assessment tools and strategies

Students’ management needs include:

·         Systems and tools that help them manage their time and flow or work

·         Systems that help students manage materials and control work drafts

·         Collaboration tools

·         Methods for seeking assistance

·         Ways to get and use feedback on their work, through self-reflection, team input, and teacher advice

·         Ways to work iteratively and to see how parts add up to the whole

There are several technology applications that should be considered for use in a project. For example, there are web-based applications. You can link a set of tools together in a wiki, associate with a blog, or alternatively, use Web-based “desktop” application. One of the simplest ways to begin using the web to support projects is to build a project wiki.

Concepts in this chapter relates to my teams project because my partner and I are constantly working on management needs. We are working on managing our time and figuring out how to get our assignments done that are a part of our group project. We are also working on seeing the parts that we work on add up to make the whole. All of the assignments that we are working on now will eventually produce an overall bigger project in the end.