Group items tagged

first tip is to find a digital home for projects in a LMS but it can be as simple as Google Sites or Wikispaces instead of Schoology or Edmodo or Google Classroom. 2. make sure everyone has anytime, anywhere access 3. set your support structures 4. turn the work over to the workers 5. track student progress and offer guidance when needed 6. learn from your mistakes

helps define project-based employees, Sam Ashe-Edmunds

importance of using projects to isolate work experience, team, real world, time with colleagues, practical skill use, responsibility for project, research skills, project management skills, etc.

Reflection blog post by Nancy White on 1.9.13 on her Project Community course that she co-taught at the Hague. Offers many insights including this jewel below on what the learning design must bring together: "The other aspect of the design was to bring three elements together: sense making discussions about the subject matter (synchronously in class and asynchronously on the class website), insights from weekly "guests" shared via 5-10 minute videos (to bring a variety of voices), and action learning through small group experiences and team projects. I know there are strong feelings about team projects, but building collaboration skills was part of the course learning objectives, so this was a "must do." And we spent time talking about the how - -and reflecting on what was and wasn't working as a vector for learning these skills."

"The Varied Functions of Badges" summary from HASTAC discussion, 9/2012 My interest in the functions of badges was spurred along when the MacArthur Foundation asked for help documenting the design principles for using digital badges that emerge across the 30 projects underway by the awardees in their Badges for Lifelong Learning project. We needed to come up with a manageable number of categories. Here is what we came up with: Recognizing Learning. This is the most obvious and arguably the primary function of badges. David Wiley has argued cogently that this should be the primary purpose of badges. If we focus only on purposes, then he may well be right. His point is that badges are credentials and not assessments. This is also consistent with the terrifically concise definition in Seven Things You Should Know About Badgesby Erin Knight and Carla Casilli. Assessing Learning. Nearly every application of digital badges includes some form of assessment. These assessments have either formative or summative functions and likely have both. In some cases, these are simply an assessment of whether somebody clicked on a few things or made a few comments. In other cases, there might be a project or essay that was reviewed and scored, or a test that was graded. In still other cases, peers might assess an individual, group, or project as badgeworthy. Motivating Learning. This is where the controversy comes in. Much of the debate over badges concerns the well-documented negative consequences of extrinsic incentive on intrinsic motivation and free choice engagement. This is why some argue that we should not use badges to motivate learning. However, if we use badges to recognize and assess learning, they are likely to impact motivation. So, we might as well harness this crucial function of badges and study these functions carefully while searching for both their positive and negative consequences for motivation. Evaluating Learning. The final category of

Taproot advertises and connects skilled volunteers with projects onsite and virtually. They provide timeline and scoping assistance for longer-term projects. They have projects done-in-a-day, 4-6 week period, and 6-9 months-in-length projects.

interesting look at group projects by Brian Mathews, July 14, 2015 on bringing together history students in research/product projects

Blog post at P2PU, 2.13.13, that references MIT Media Lab's indicators for measuring success--might they apply to WLStudio? See excerpt below. "Finding the Right Metrics It can be easier to think about success in terms of indicators. High-level indicators are essentially aggregates of measurements that give you a quick indication of whether or not the organization is on target with its goals and will allow us to map all projects and initiatives to the objectives - bearing in mind that most projects don't fit nicely into a single goal or objective, but it's helpful to know how each project is contributing to the overall goals of the organisation. MIT Media Lab uses three indicators when they measure success: Uniqueness - have we done something new that helps the field? Impact - Have we reached people? Magic - Did we create epiphanies and enable serendipity? "

projects for volunteering/touring in exotic locales around the world

project management how -tos by Godin, July 2014

The Walk my world project is an "affinity space" for students and teachers to learn together. 

Podcast and list of actions to take to overcome the resistance that most of us have when starting a new project or improving our lives, Michael Hyatt. Excerpt: In order to deal with the Resistance, you have to first understand what it is. It has four attributes. Attribute #1: It is invisible. Attribute #2: It is internal. Attribute #3: It is insidious. Attribute #4: It is infallible. But what can you do about it? You can only defeat the Resistance by understanding its three primary strategies and applying appropriate countermeasures. Strategy #1: Fear. The typical response to this strategy is procrastination. The countermeasure is to START. Strategy #2: Uncertainty. The typical response is distraction. The countermeasure is to FOCUS. Strategy #3: Doubt. This usually occurs at the end of a project, and the typical response is to quit and leave the work unfinished. The countermeasure is to FINISH.

Post by Katie Salen, July 26, 2012, Leveling Up project at Connected Learning Research Network. I like this emphasis on individual and collective gains in connected learning networks. And how connected learning is "value additive." Excerpts: "Further, because connected learning, as a model, advocates for experiences that offer low barriers to entry and information, social supports for learning, and diverse opportunities for the development of interest and expertise, it must also advocate for outcomes that are both individual and collective in nature. It is no longer enough to develop metrics and pathways for individual outcomes; we must also find ways to recognize outcomes produced by groups or communities and provide pathways for collective participation. Or so our hypothesis goes." As a community, the members of Ravelry produce knowledge and expertise, projects and products with academic, civic, and peer value. The welcoming nature of the site and the mere existence of the thousands of groups it hosts are mechanisms inviting participation and the development of shared knowledge. Conversely, the environment provides individuals with opportunities to acquire social, economic, and cultural capital, to learn domain-specific content and skills, and develop metacognitive skills and learning dispositions. Unlike models of learning that center solely on individual outcomes and competition for zero-sum resources and rewards, like those seen in most schools, Ravelry exemplifies how connected learning is value-additive, elevating individuals and collectives in an integrated way. High-functioning connected learning environments are characterized not only by engaged learning at an individual level, but by high quality content and standards and collective purpose that is shared by all participants.

List of projects in Connected Learning Research Network as of July 27, 2012 Note this Longitudinal study of Connected Learning by Ben Penuel of late elementary and middle school students in connected learning environments and the "relationship of participation to valued outcomes. These outcomes include interest development, persistence in learning, civic participation, and development of a positive sense of the future." Could these outcomes be the same for WLS Studio connected learners?

From Inc. by Christina Desmarais, August 14, 2013. Good advice about dealing with family members, friends, other phone calls while using a home office. Also, names some tools to help keep up with collaborative projects and work teams: Hipchat for group chatting, Trello or Asana for project management, Expensify for tracking expenses and submitting expense reports, and Sqwiggle which keeps your webcam on so co-workers can see you work.

Blog post by Dorie Clark, Entrepreneur, April 11, 2014 on projecting expert credentials. 1. Solidify your digital credentials with a trail of digital breadcrumbs that mark you as an expert. 2. Speak up--get in front of potential clients throughfree workshops 3. Read the experts so that you know who the players are 4. Don't ask for permission, project confidence even if you don't feel it

interesting post by Tom Barrett on obtaining feedback at different stages of a project, thus allowing the person giving feedback to focus on the best level of detail for where the project is and has yet to go. September 29, 2015

article by Caroline Zaayer Kaufman on Monster.com and reprinted with permission elsewhere on the importance of projects to showcase your skills, give evidence of success, and what you learned to tie to the position you are interviewing for. December 3, 2015

Offers reasons for contributing to open source projects

Interesting study on social media users by Pew Internet and American Life Project, December 2012, released February 2013, by Maeve Duggan and Joanna Brenner Summary Twitter attracted 16% of all internet users. They were more likely to be younger (18-29), African American, or Hispanic, and urban. Pinterest attracted 15% of all internet users. They were five times as likely to be women as men, more likely to be wealthier, and rural. Instagram users make up 13% of all internet users. They are more likely to be younger, African-American, Hispanic, and urban. Facebook has 67% of all internet users participating. They are more likely to be younger and more urban. Tumblr has only 6% of all internet users. They are 4x more likely to be younger than older.