Working in teams allows the project to expand and take on multiple perspectives that wouldn’t be possible working alone. Assigning each member a role and having everyone contribute their thoughts and ideas definitely increases the scope of the project. It seems like it would be difficult to work with a large group and have the project maintain continuity. Although each member may have more responsibility, working in smaller groups is the way to go.

The instructional design process makes sense…seems like if you follow the process to the end you would save yourself some headaches. I will use the ID process taught in this class again.

This product relies on teacher and student input. So much of the work is done, already. There are already helpful online instructions, notes, and summaries. All the information just needs to be organized in a readable, understandable manner. A well-thought out structure can really make a teacher guide very usable. The guide does need a live test, though. That may be where the time issues arise. Receiving feedback from an actual game integration in a classroom setting is what will help fine tune the product, may be the most difficult feedback to obtain.

It looks like the product that our group has created is what our client wants. We have a built-in measuring device-a survey-that is for the learner–not the client. The learner, who is the teacher, could answer the survey questions to help us measure whether or not the product is a successul one. I am mostly happy with our teacher’s guide. I think it needs polishing, and some additional information, but seems to be near completion.

Group work is great if communication is good. Working online in a group can definitely be challenging do to the nature of communication. Synchronous is best, but is difficult to schedule. The best way to use effective communication to overcome coordination problems is to assign people to certain roles.

The one word I can think of to describe our second project is CONFUSING. I thought we were designing a teacher guide for educational software, and now it looks like we are just creating the design document to help create the guide, but I’m not completely sure. When writing the design document I am not quite sure who is the instructor and who is the learner, because in our instance the instructor IS the learner. This project is suppose to be just like the first project, but I struggle to see the similarities. Maybe I’m just making it more difficult than it is.

When you self-regulate you manage, or control, the way you go through your day. This includes your actions, thoughts, behaviors and time. I do not think you can truly manage others. You can motivate, make suggestions, set standards, boundaries, expectations and/or rules, but you have no true control over others. If you set expectations for yourself, and set boundaries and expectations for others, you have a better chance of meeting your goals. You must clearly define and communicate your boundaries/expectations to others so that they will know what it is you are trying to achieve. This isn’t always easy. Communication is a skill that takes practice and determination.

I think our final project will be a teacher’s step-by-step guide to the educational game Chalk House. I think the challenging part of the project will be determining the applications that teachers can use with the game. To communicate our group is going to use a wiki. Using a wiki makes sense because our group can work on separate parts of the project and edit one document instead of emailing different versions of a document back and forth.

 After careful observation and reflection I have thought of a few adjustments to the original design document that I will implement the next time this project is taught.

Adjustments to Original Project Design:

1. Along with the vocabulary worksheets the students complete, a variety of media needs to be utilized aside from pen and paper. I would add electronic worksheets to complete using laptops or desktops, and group vocabulary assignments using whiteboard and markers. If available, CPS units to answer vocabulary quizzes, or an interactive whiteboard for vocabulary games could supplement the lessons.
2. Assignments to spur student creativity could be added. An example that works with the novel Frindle is a newspaper generator where students create their own newspaper article based on the novel’s plot and characters. The article generator can be found at http://www.fodey.com/generators/newspaper/snippet.asp .
3. Before the teleconference begins I would thoroughly prep the students for conference expectations and behavior. I originally discussed the process for the teleconference with the students and their expected behavior, but did not actually practice the question and answer process. I would do this “reenactment” next time so that students would understand how to interact with their peers on the other end of the call.

The two assessment tools I chose to use were observation and assessment in the form of a game. For the observation method I reviewed student work and implemented question and answer sessions throughout the course. Students appeared to be grasping the concepts quite well. For example, I began each class session with a list of questions provided by the G/T campus coordinator which focused on assigned chapters from the novel. These questions were designed to assess the students’ deeper understanding of the plot, characters, etc. Students regularly performed very well in this area. For the project-ending assessment the other librarian and I created an electronic game that students will play during the last teleconference taking place in two weeks. The game is composed of questions about details of the novel study, vocabulary, parts of speech, and technology hardware and software used during class.

Instead of a questionnaire evaluating the course as originally planned, I chose to meet with the 3^rd grade teachers at the end of the project’s fourth week to discuss student work, show completed worksheets, provide information on the teleconferencing session and review the Design Document, including the goals and objectives. Both teachers were extremely pleased with the outcome of the project and feel that their students were better served with the individual attention provided in a smaller group setting. Both teachers would like to repeat the project next year, and teachers in another grade who heard about the novel study have requested the project be initiated with their g/t student group. With a few minor adjustments I believe this is a successful project that can be implemented regularly for many grade levels, and meets the overall goal of providing in-depth enrichment for students.

In my Design Document and my Job Aid I should include instructional materials, i.e. worksheets and other materials, and also should be more specific. My client did not request this, but would definitely appreciate, a statement of how the project directly links to the current unit covered. I have linked the project goals and objectives to the TEKS, but not to the Curriculum Guide that all teachers in our district follow.