This team is pretty awesome. Like I said in my previous blog, I already knew Casey and Mellissa from my online Virtual Realities class which was super fun. Meeting and working with them as well as Kyle, a PhD LTEC student, is really interesting and helpful because they’re ahead of me in terms of format and implementation of instructional design.
After class ends, we always try to have a group discussion to figure out our plan. We want to make sure there is at least one point in the week to all reconnect and see where our project is. I think the trickiest part is timing, of course. Mostly everyone in the online cohort have full time jobs and because there are four members within this group, finding the time to all be on Google Drive or Zoom at the same time is difficult. Throughout the week, we communicate through LINE or email to check in and let each other know when we’re online and what we’ve made changes on (at least I do). It seems to be working well so far. We eventually found ourselves delegating sections and then using Suggesting tool on the Google Doc to make changes and ask questions. I’m sure throughout the semester, we’ll find a rhythm and be able to set clear goals.
I definitely think that group projects are very beneficial because it teaches you how to be a consideration and flexible team player as well as allowing you to learn from each other and see things in a different perspective. Personally, I love group projects because it scaffolds my learning, and hopefully scaffolds other people’s learning too.
Thing to work on: maybe just more communication about when people are on and what people have changed or asked. It’s kind of like getting a text message and the other person doesn’t respond until a day later. It can be a little awkward.
