| Production
Step Two: Building a Telecollaborative Project, Production
A successful Project Leader clearly communicates all necessary elements of the project. There are a few guidelines to help you establish clear communication from the beginning.
Project Summary: Write a succinct paragraph describing your project. Include all the information another teacher would need in order to decide if they want to join. Some items to include: target age group, curricular content area(s), timeline, expected levels of participation, and a brief description of the types of activities the students will complete.
Advertise your Project: It takes a while for word to get out. Don�t expect that you will have willing participants right away. Post your project description on multiple Web sites in order to maximize the number of people noticing your project. Following are three Web sites where you can post your project and read more about how to get started.
Global Schoolhouse
KIDLINK/KIDPROJ
I*EARN
Required Materials and Resources: Potential participants want to know what they need to be a part of your project. Categorize your list between technology needs, such as e-mail, digital cameras, scanners, and registration on specific Web sites and other resources not technology based, such as specific literature books, articles, art supplies, etc.
Project Schedule: Structure the timeline of your project so that participants feel included and that consistent progress is made towards achieving your ultimate goals. Post dates when specific items need to be completed. Send friendly reminder e-mails to the other participants. Make sure that you communicate your expectations so that everyone stays involved and excited about engaging in the next step of the project.
Recognize up front that there are times when unexpected events occur and deadlines do not get met and you may have to adjust your project schedule to accommodate these unforeseeable events.
Problem-Solving: Sometimes a project hits an unplanned "lag" point, or a problem occurs that needs to be addressed. Remember that including the others in the problem-solving process helps to keep them invested and encouraged in their role as a participant.
Project Activities: A step by step list of activities to complete is a helpful tool. Expectations should be clearly communicated so everyone involved knows what they are to do, when it should be done and how it should be shared with others. Following are some guiding questions to help you.
- What are the individual activities I want the participants to complete? Are they presented in a logical order so that each activity builds upon the one prior?
- How will participants work together? Will they find their own partners, or will I facilitate the matching of people and groups?
- How long will each activity take?
- How do I want the participants to share what they have done? Do I need to prepare anything in advance to help them share, such as a video conference or a Webcast?
- How can I support the participants as they are engaged in the various activities? What support mechanisms can I build into the project so people know whom to contact if they have questions or need help?