Project Evaluation

The biggest problem I experienced that would cause me to approach this project differently next time came when dealing with unforeseen issues in the sample group. I unleashed my test students on the project before I really knew what those students were going to encounter. As a result, I had to sometimes step in and help students through certain sections. In the future I would add a step in between setting up my project and testing it with a sample group. I would create a ‘ghost student’ and complete the activity myself to really anticipate what problems might arise. This would ensure that the sample group’s purpose was being fulfilled and eliminate problems that I could have corrected on my own beforehand.

The feedback I received from classmates was really helpful. It taught me an important lesson—I need to be realistic when setting my goals. It’s great to dream big, of course. But if you set goals that are perhaps too unreasonable for a busy teacher’s schedule, the project risks being scrapped altogether. The feedback made me realize that some of my intentions were admirable, but not feasible. I believe it is important for myself (and others!) to keep in mind what can really work in the classroom in order to avoid burn-out.

I envision myself using the same formula from this project to launch similar projects in the future. In addition to a data center, I have also considered creating a journaling center using blogs. I’d like students to have a designated time during the week where they respond to topics from class. They’d log in to a personal account and learn how to make a new posting to their private blog. The blog format would automatically keep a catalog of their writing over the course of the year. It would be simple and convenient for me to print these pieces as a form of progressive portfolio. It could be shared with parents at conference time and serve as a point of pride at the end of the year when students can see how much their writing has grown.

In order to launch this new project, I can follow the formula of my TechQuest and learn from some of the mistakes I made. For example, when setting up a private student blog, I would want to create the ‘ghost student’ I described above. Walking step-by-step through the process and creating a few blogs would help me eliminate problems before they reach my sample group. I believe this would be very important to do, despite the fact that I’ve created blogs before. Yes, I’ve created blogs, but I set them up with the knowledge and abilities of an adult. I need to re-experience this process with ‘kid-glasses’ on, so I can anticipate what problems students might have.