Group’s Common Statement:
Our group took a serious look at the Group Leadership Project. Using the TPACK framework, we decided that in order to make this a truly interactive and engaging tutorial that could be facilitated online and reused at our peers convenience, creating a website was the most effective delivery method.
The Weebly website is our tutorial and its content is divided into several pages: copyright, fair use, creative commons, links and feedback pages. By dividing the information into pages, our tutorial can be taken in sections so that our peers could complete the tutorial in pieces as they had time. This also allows for the content to be reused more than for a single professional development opportunity and our peers could revisit the site for information as they had questions throughout the year. By using this format, we tried to create a product that would endure and be useful not only for the professional development time, but be an effective and constant resource. We also used Jing and Quicktime to share what you can find on each page of the website.
Please take a look at our tutorial website on copyright, fair use, and creative commons at http://copycreatefair.weebly.com/
What tool did our group use to deliver the PD tutorial? Why?
After a lengthy discussion, our group decided (as stated above) that a Weebly website would be the most effective delivery method. Doing a screencast presentation just did not seem engaging or interesting enough to truly capture the essense of this assignment. Weebly allowed us to use various forms of other media and technologies within it to create a varied and interesting completed project. Weebly also allowed us to create a product that could be a stand alone resource for our peers when they need it in the future. The ability to review the information when needed as a refresher or reminder makes this format more enduring over time. Also, Weebly allowed us to segment out the PD tutorial into smaller pieces. This makes it easier to navigate and find just the information that you are looking for instead of having to watch an entire presentation or video just to find one piece of it. This makes it more likely to be used as an ongoing resources than other delivery methods/mediums.
What did you learn during the development process of the final product?
One of the most interesting things that I learned during this process was how easy Weebly can be used to collaborate with. All three of us were able to work on Weebly at the same time. We were able to add information and make changes on the final product at the same time without interrupting the work flow. The only restrictions that Weebly has in its creation process is that two people cannot be on the same page at the same time. Since we were all working on different pieces of the project, this was not an issue. When we were ready to have our page reviewed, we simply swapped pages. This allowed us to all work on the project during the same time period and as long as we communicated clearly, things went smoothly. I think that being able to work on, dicuss, review and edit this project at the same time was critical to the success of the final project. I don't believe it would have been as good as we believe it turned out to be if we had not set a common time to work on this project "together."
We also benefited from varying perspectives on the content and by being able to use our different teacher (grade level) experiences. By having different points of view, I believe we were able to create a more well-rounded final product. We all were able to communicate our perspectives, be heard and use these variations in the project. Again, having a common working time was critical to this as well.
I also learned that having a flexible medium, like Weebly, allows for greater effectiveness in addressing different needs. Since the Weebly format is so flexible, we were able to use many different forms of technology to create this project. Everything from pdf documents to online quizzes were able to be used. This allows for addressing different learning styles as well as being able to more effectively engage the audience we chose--teachers/our peers. The Weebly format also allowed for endurance of the tutorial training. We were able to address longevity and time management in this tutorial. Teachers could complete the turorial in smaller pieces when doing the initial PD training as time allowed. Also, if half way through the school year a teacher had a question about Creative Commons, they were able to go back to the tutorial and revisit this section without having to do the research on their own or ask for the information again. It went from being a stand alone tutorial to a lasting resource that could be used at the time of need or desire. Our peers had the benefit of being able to access the information again and again whenever they needed or wanted to. This is critical to the success of any PD training. Instead of getting information one time and moving on, it was there to reference anytime. Really, how many times have you sat through a PD training and only half paid attention only to discover later that you needed the information but did not know where to get it.
What would you do differently if you had at develop a similar product again?
One of the things I would do different is to give a pre-test to my intended audience at the staff meeting prior to the PD training. This would allow me to assess and deliver the information that they need and to narrow the topic to the information that the group wants. I think that this would help to reduce the amount of information that is directed at them during the time of the PD. If, for example, the entire group has a good handle on what copyright is but their scoring shows a need to understand what creative commons is and what it does; you could focus on that specifically or put more of and emphasis on that area in the PD tutorial. Knowing what your audience needs and wants increases the effectiveness and the engagement in the tutorial.
Our group took a serious look at the Group Leadership Project. Using the TPACK framework, we decided that in order to make this a truly interactive and engaging tutorial that could be facilitated online and reused at our peers convenience, creating a website was the most effective delivery method.
The Weebly website is our tutorial and its content is divided into several pages: copyright, fair use, creative commons, links and feedback pages. By dividing the information into pages, our tutorial can be taken in sections so that our peers could complete the tutorial in pieces as they had time. This also allows for the content to be reused more than for a single professional development opportunity and our peers could revisit the site for information as they had questions throughout the year. By using this format, we tried to create a product that would endure and be useful not only for the professional development time, but be an effective and constant resource. We also used Jing and Quicktime to share what you can find on each page of the website.
Please take a look at our tutorial website on copyright, fair use, and creative commons at http://copycreatefair.weebly.com/
What tool did our group use to deliver the PD tutorial? Why?
After a lengthy discussion, our group decided (as stated above) that a Weebly website would be the most effective delivery method. Doing a screencast presentation just did not seem engaging or interesting enough to truly capture the essense of this assignment. Weebly allowed us to use various forms of other media and technologies within it to create a varied and interesting completed project. Weebly also allowed us to create a product that could be a stand alone resource for our peers when they need it in the future. The ability to review the information when needed as a refresher or reminder makes this format more enduring over time. Also, Weebly allowed us to segment out the PD tutorial into smaller pieces. This makes it easier to navigate and find just the information that you are looking for instead of having to watch an entire presentation or video just to find one piece of it. This makes it more likely to be used as an ongoing resources than other delivery methods/mediums.
What did you learn during the development process of the final product?
One of the most interesting things that I learned during this process was how easy Weebly can be used to collaborate with. All three of us were able to work on Weebly at the same time. We were able to add information and make changes on the final product at the same time without interrupting the work flow. The only restrictions that Weebly has in its creation process is that two people cannot be on the same page at the same time. Since we were all working on different pieces of the project, this was not an issue. When we were ready to have our page reviewed, we simply swapped pages. This allowed us to all work on the project during the same time period and as long as we communicated clearly, things went smoothly. I think that being able to work on, dicuss, review and edit this project at the same time was critical to the success of the final project. I don't believe it would have been as good as we believe it turned out to be if we had not set a common time to work on this project "together."
We also benefited from varying perspectives on the content and by being able to use our different teacher (grade level) experiences. By having different points of view, I believe we were able to create a more well-rounded final product. We all were able to communicate our perspectives, be heard and use these variations in the project. Again, having a common working time was critical to this as well.
I also learned that having a flexible medium, like Weebly, allows for greater effectiveness in addressing different needs. Since the Weebly format is so flexible, we were able to use many different forms of technology to create this project. Everything from pdf documents to online quizzes were able to be used. This allows for addressing different learning styles as well as being able to more effectively engage the audience we chose--teachers/our peers. The Weebly format also allowed for endurance of the tutorial training. We were able to address longevity and time management in this tutorial. Teachers could complete the turorial in smaller pieces when doing the initial PD training as time allowed. Also, if half way through the school year a teacher had a question about Creative Commons, they were able to go back to the tutorial and revisit this section without having to do the research on their own or ask for the information again. It went from being a stand alone tutorial to a lasting resource that could be used at the time of need or desire. Our peers had the benefit of being able to access the information again and again whenever they needed or wanted to. This is critical to the success of any PD training. Instead of getting information one time and moving on, it was there to reference anytime. Really, how many times have you sat through a PD training and only half paid attention only to discover later that you needed the information but did not know where to get it.
What would you do differently if you had at develop a similar product again?
One of the things I would do different is to give a pre-test to my intended audience at the staff meeting prior to the PD training. This would allow me to assess and deliver the information that they need and to narrow the topic to the information that the group wants. I think that this would help to reduce the amount of information that is directed at them during the time of the PD. If, for example, the entire group has a good handle on what copyright is but their scoring shows a need to understand what creative commons is and what it does; you could focus on that specifically or put more of and emphasis on that area in the PD tutorial. Knowing what your audience needs and wants increases the effectiveness and the engagement in the tutorial.