EDC630+Wiki+&+Discussions-+Loble

Welcome to our Class wiki page for Spring 2011!!! This is where we will be building discussions and sharing work. Everyone should have access to edit this page. We will start a new branching page off of this page for each week's discussion/project sharing, starting the week of February 14th. So, here we go...

This is not mandatory, but if any of you would like more feedback, to talk about your projects, websites or anything, Sign Up Here! Please email me your time if you sign up within a few hours of a time.
 * April 6, 2011: Sign-ups For One-on-One's**

Monday, April11: 5:00 pm 5:30 pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm

Tuesday, April12: 5:00 pm Maria Lai 5:30 pm 6:00 pm Erika Maldonado

Thursday, April 14: 6:30pm 7:00pm Maria Lai 7:30pm Erika Maldonado 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm

Let's share the connections, people, communities, feeds, sites, places and all other elements you all value as part of your Personal Learning Networks. Please help build this list!
 * March 30th - April 6th "Building your Personal Learning Network" **

K12: Higher Education: Corporate, Government, Military, Religious Education: K12: Higher Education: Open Content : Open Educational Content initiative [nps] Corporate, Government, Military, Religious Education:
 * Industry Blogs**
 * NCTE - National Council of English Teachers, Secondary blog
 * WestEd "Schools Moving Up" - Webinars focused on various aspects of school improvement
 * What Works Clearinghouse - - Institute of Education Sciences website, "A central and trusted source of scientific evidence for what works in education."
 * Classroom 2.0 Website- Social network of educators interested in Web 2.0, great source for frequent educational thought leader webinars, relatively non-commercial
 * [|NSTA blog]- National Science Teachers Association. Tips, resources and solutions.
 * ProfHacker, The Chronicle of Higher Education - Technology / productivity / pedagogy tips by and for university professors (jwe)
 * Wired Campus, The Chronicle of Higher Education - Higher Education IT news and developments (jwe)
 * Stanford School of Education Website- - Nice source for research and local events
 * Lifehacker - productivity / technology / general life tips blog, part of the Gawker network (jwe)
 * "Law and Disorder" section, Ars Technica - technology policy news (jwe)
 * http://digitalcatechesis.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network
 * Bible Gateway - Online Bible
 * Bible Study Fellowship International - Outstanding in person bible study, located all over US and the world, non-denominational
 * **[|TechCrunch.com]**: Technology news
 * **[|Alltop.com]**: Guy Kawasaki's blog with the latest info on social media trends
 * **[|Mashable.com]**: All about social media
 * Rapid E-learning Blog: Practical tips and tricks for developing e-learning courses
 * eLearning Guild:Community and resources for e-learning professionals
 * Individual Blogs**
 * Innovative Educator - thoughts on teaching; info on programs, workshops, activities, etc.
 * Bill McCallum's Blog on Common Core Standards
 * Larry Cuban Blog - Frequent, well-constructed posts on issues in K12 education, frequent references to impact of technology
 * Thoughts on Public Education "Top-Ed" - Frequently updated videos and commentary on issues related to CA educational topics
 * @http://weblogg-ed.com/ This is the Blog of Will Richardson. An Educator and education system reformer that I have been following for a while. He is also the co-author of a book on Personal Leanring Networks coming out in May. (CB)
 * http://acyberpilgrim.org/2011/03/21/thinking-creatively-a-lenten-challenge/
 * http://sisterrose.wordpress.com/2009/06/21/pauline-center-for-media-studies-announces-summer-media-programs/
 * Guy Kawasaki Blog - All around great evangelist for technology
 * Learnlets: Clark Quinn shares insights about crafting learning games and mobile learning experiences [nps]

K12: Higher Education: Corporate, Government, Military, Religious Education: > **@elearning** Valley of the Sun //I'm an e-learning designer & Community Manager @[|Articulate]. I share e-learning tips, screencasts & tutorials//
 * Twitter Feeds/People**
 * Some of the educators I like to follow:
 * [|Maria_Keckler]
 * [|smeech]
 * [|Clane]
 * -http://twitter.com/#%21/OrangeDiocese
 * @Guy Kawasaki
 * Tom Kuhlmann: author of the rapid e-learning blog
 * David Anderson: e-learning designer; shares tips, screencasts & tutorials
 * @stevehargadon [nps]
 * @quinnovator [nps]
 * #lrnchat [nps]
 * @communispaceCEO [nps]
 * @gsiemens [nps]
 * @hjarche [nps]
 * @greg2dot0 [nps]

K12: Higher Education: Corporate, Government, Military:
 * List Serves**
 * Ed Listserv

K12: Higher Education: Corporate, Government, Military:
 * Facebook Groups & Places**
 * Silicon Valley Mathematics Initiative -

K12: Higher Education: Corporate, Government, Military:
 * RSS Feeds/News Agents**

General:
 * Professional Communities**
 * Social Learning Community : Jane Hart and crew in a more segmented online community (launched Feb 2011) [nps]

K12: Higher Education: Corporate, Government, Military, Religious community:
 * California Math Council- Best regional conferences for math educators, very trusted community
 * http://www.rcbo.org/
 * http://www.la-archdiocese.org/Pages/default.aspx
 * http://www.vatican.va/
 * Yammer Best Practice Network [nps]

K12: Higher Education: Corporate, Government, Military:
 * Personal Communities**
 * Pepperdine ETUG (Educational Technologies Users Group) - collection of professors, IT personnel, and other staff who meet monthly to discuss use of educational technology at Pepperdine (jwe)
 * Pepperdine Educational Technology Support Team - sub-team under the Technology and Learning group that work on Sakai issues, patch tests, release tests, etc.

K12: Higher Education: Corporate, Government, Military: Religious Education
 * Formal & Informal Learning Courses**
 * iEducation Apps Review (iEAR) - Scott Meech Edcuator from Chicago Area started this website for educator to review mobile applications that can be used for educational purposes. All entries and reviews are by educators from around the world. (cb)
 * Khan Academy [nps]
 * http://www.aleks.com/independent/students/course_products?cmscache=detailed&detailed=gconsumer6_metic#gconsumer6_metic
 * BYU Online:
 * Fountain Blue - Silicon Valley based networking organization with membership fee and monthly speakers and events
 * MIT/Stanford Venture Lab - Silicon Valley based networking group focused on entrepreneurship, monthly events
 * http://bcis.pacificu.edu/journal/2003/09/cooper/cooper.php
 * http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/aslweb/browser.htm - Sign language for the deaf
 * http://www.shieldthevulnerable.org/default.aspx
 * http://www.recongress.org/
 * http://sisterrose.wordpress.com/2010/05/05/meet-the-sisters-a-music-video-about-the-daughters-of-st-paul/
 * http://www.catholicity.com/


 * NEW WEEK ***
 * March 2nd: How to build better management and collaboration into group activities/learning **

Here is your new challenge: You all selected either Management or Collaboration as something you need to improve in your teams. Let's jointly collect your professional & personal experiences in better handling the management of work and collaboration among members. Please contribute to the below ideas..

In my professional and personal experiences, I have done (or been a part of a group that has done) __to help better__ **manage**__ the workload and tasks presented to the team:
 * (I will start) I have made it a point to take notes during any meetings and then distributed the notes immediately after the session for buy-in from the team. If we all agree on the content discussed in the meeting and the action sets set forth quickly after we meet, we can gain momentum quicker for follow up.
 * I worked at the cemetery before, all works had to be checked by two other team members because we could not afford to bury a person on top of the stranger. This practice of management is very helpful not only for reducing mistakes, but it also applies that everybody makes mistake, no one is better / worse than others. Furthermore, the team of three always knows what each other is doing, when we are doing it and how we are doing.
 * When producing wiki documentation on a team, we kept a list (on the wiki) of all the pages that had to be created, revised, etc. and tracked the status of the project from that page. One could easily see how the project was progressing by viewing the page, and see who had signed up for what tasks. This tracking also helped each member of the team see how he or she was contributing to the larger goal.
 * For my staff, I like to break up assignments and give specific tasks to individuals with their own due date. That way the team leaders and I know who is working on what, and that person is held accountable for that assignment. It is also easier for us to check in with individual staff members to see what their status is.
 * [*Noah] I use a public space like yammer or twitter to expose the relationships and conversations that I recently have in order to give others hooks into my world and provide the opportunity for others to connect.
 * Setting up deadlines is a great way to manage tasks and activities. My father in law always says "if it wasn't for deadlines nothing would get done." I agree deadline sets completion goals for all team members. Deadlines can and should be somewhat flexible and adjustable but it should always have and end date.
 * Regular checkpoints and discussions of "what is going well? where are there challenges? what are our next steps?"
 * At my job, every day I am part of some management team. In the Curriculum Team, we discuss needs for new curriculum and approve project plans submitted by other teams in the organization. I collaborate with two other coworkers to set the agenda, prep activities, and keep notes for other team members. We have started to use the agenda in Google Docs to record notes so we don't have several Google Docs related to specific meetings. We used to use giant yellow sticky pages to record notes from groups, but I moved everyone into one Google Doc for these activities so we would not have to compile all of the "yellow paper" notes after the meeting.
 * Define roles and responsibilities, delineate tasks and establish deadlines.
 * My boss gave everyone on my team and myself executive journals where we could write our ideas down and bring them up during our meetings. Then, if we've decided that our ideas are feasible we are put to the task of making it happen and are held accountable for what its outcome is.
 * I have worked to leverage project management software (MS Project) and tie it in with our exchange server to make sure tasks sync with email accounts and we are constantly reminded of what is due.

In my profession and personal experiences, collaboration must come with___
 * (I will start again) Trust.
 * Willingness to accept others points of view
 * Ability to listen actively.
 * Be open to try new things.
 * Ownership and follow-through.
 * Acceptance of the fact that the workload will never be evenly split in a group. It is the nature of group work for some to contribute more (or less) than others
 * Comfortable atmosphere where people feel safe (basically, things that have already been listed).
 * [*Noah] a mission critical matter
 * Respect - you are working with other people who are expecting you to do your part. It is disrespectful to your team to not honor the time and effort they put into the project.
 * Shared vision or clearly understood joint goals
 * A comfortable environment
 * constant communication
 * The willingness to understand what you are asking for.
 * [Lejla] motivation (a buy-in into the project)
 * Setting up a clear goal and working towards it - displaying that goal clearly for everyone to see (write it in as a signature line to all emails or something)
 * willingness to work towards a solution - being solution oriented
 * compromise
 * Open-mindedness

February 14th: Effective Team Building in the Virtual World!

In thinking about how best to develop, foster and lead effective teams, I would like us to brainstorm the following. Please add to the lists and annotate your ideas as you contribute. If you disagree with someone else's ideas, please make note of why.

Effective Team Member Skills An effective team member engaging in virtual teams, must possess the following skills:
 * An understanding or appreciation/interest in the material being discussed
 * Timeliness: In order for a virtual team to work all members should be able to keep up to date and participate in the group in a timely manner. Missing team meetings and participating in team discussions does not help the team.
 * Determination to improve. (A focus on always getting better, prevents teams from blaming problems on things "out of their control.")
 * Willingness to participate and give your best effort
 * Flexibility: being able to be flexible with tools and time can help the team be more efficient. (ofm)
 * Strong written and oral communication skills (jwe)
 * Tact - ability to deal with people in a manner that will maintain good relations and avoid problems (polite, calm, and firm)
 * Familiarity with collaborative tools to ensure that each member of the team is receiving the same content and information so that no one is left in the dark.
 * Learning each member's gifts and talents
 * Creativity to tackle nebulous objectives (nps)
 * Needs to be committed to the project. If he/she cannot give the time or the dedication to getting the project done, he/she should respectfully bow out...
 * Accept responsibility for mistakes. We are all going to goof up, but to goof up and then to act as if nothing wrong only seeds mistrust and division.
 * Enthusiasm - sincere interest and exuberance in the project. If you are enthusiastic, you are optimistic, cheerful, and willing to accept the challenges.
 * Don't assume, always ask questions when I am not clear in anything.

Effective Team Leader Skills An effective team leader for virtual teams must possess the following skills:
 * Time!
 * Commitment to teammates! (sd)
 * Ability to communicate effectively and honestly with all members of the team.
 * Ability and courage to empower team members. (Empowered team members take ownership and act like leaders. They identify and solve problems before they get large and difficult.)
 * Open minded about ideas and willing to take risk (ofm)
 * Ability to delegate tasks. (Effective delegation allows leaders to stay out of the weeds and keep the team moving toward accomplishing the mission.)
 * Ability to set clear, challenging, and attainable goals.
 * Knack for building community, based on mutual trust, respect, fairness and affiliation, among project team members
 * Creativity & problem-solving (jwe)
 * Ability to leverage the teams' collective skills to inspire creative solutions
 * Ability to guide members back on track without being punitive...focused on purpose of group.
 * It is important that the leader will check to see whether all members are heading to the same target.
 * Foster and facilitate an open, honest, collaborative __environment__ (nps)
 * Know the difference between deciding what is right for the project and digging their heels in to support their own agenda.
 * Good listening skills
 * Decisive - able to make good decisions without delay. The ability to gather facts and weight them against each other. If in charge and a decision is required, the ability to announce your decisions in a clear, firm, professional manner.

Other Critical Team Roles What other roles are critical for virtual teams to be successful? Define the role and state why it is critical.
 * Time management skills - critical if there is a time deadline and necessary to keep all members focused.
 * Project management: It is always helpful to have someone keeping track of the team goals and to make sure the team stays focused.
 * Conflict resolution: some agreed upon protocol to resolve differences of opinion
 * Humor: be able to inject humor when things are not going right, always look at the bright side of issues. (ofm)
 * Flexibility: member(s) that are readily willing to adapt and take on problems that may not have been originally foreseen.
 * Commitment: dedication to the success of the project. Without that, there is no motive to get anything done
 * Integrity - honest and truthful in what you say or do.

Top 10 Best Practices for Fostering Productive Teams Let's create our own Letterman Top 10. By the end of the week (Sunday), let's come up with a top 10. You will need to negotiate with one another to have only ten posted by Sunday. This will be fun!
 * 1) Organization.
 * 2) Management: tracking to goals, empowering individuals to feel as though they can contribute; knowing the strengths & weaknesses of the team
 * 3) Communication: what do I know, who needs to know, have I told them; making sure everyone is on the same page
 * 4) Conflict resolution protocol: agreed on in advance, easier to deal with issues down the road, critical in VIRTUAL & FLAT teams
 * 5) Goal alignment/Shared Vision: picking an end target at some point
 * 6) Collaboration (sd): CoP of experts that are knowledgable, encourage mentoring/mentee relationships, knowledge building & buy-in (our idea)
 * 7) Effort (sd): everyone does the "fair share of the hauling"- involved in the roles we play
 * 8) Flexibility (sd):
 * 9) Embracing change (sd): being open to other ways to do the same thing; ownership of the entire "thing" not just your ideas; revisit requirements when necessary
 * 10) Fun!! (ofm)

Up front it was difficult to define roles because of the process for developing the designs. Liken this to building an airplane in the air...hard to create definition and structure as a result. Phasing can help manage the ongoing environment of change.

Malt*Stars: Management, Effort, Collaboration. DreamIT: Management, Organization, Collaboration. MOJAC: Communication, Conflict Resolution, Goal Alignment ARCrunch: Fun!, Flexibility, Management
 * In Your Design Teams, pick the three items from the Top 10 that are your areas for improvement:**

If you want to read more stuff about event project management then visit **[|online project management]**.