Saturday, September 13, 2008

Yay for Podcasts!

So Brenda, Autumn and I just finished our podcast for this upcoming week, well almost finished it, and I have to say that I really enjoyed doing it. We decided to make our meeting a brunch and incorporated food and beverages into our work session. We had already discussed briefly what we'd like to include, and so we used that as a starting point to the podcast. One topic of discussion that was brought up as we worked dealt group projects and how to do them in a way that is more enjoyable and less tedious. Group projects can often be a big pain for various reasons...i.e. one or more members don't do as much work as the others, points of view clash, one person assumes the role as the leader and won't listen to other opinion...the list goes on and on. I'm sure that we've all had our fair share of bad group projects, but the truth is that they are important and beneficial. We will have to work with other people for the rest of our lives and there will certainly be moments of frustration and anger. As adults though, we must learn how to deal with these situations effectively. Group projects require compromise, good communication, and positive dialogue in order to run smoothly. It is in each person's best interest to take these things into consideration when involved in group projects or even in everyday exchanges. When group projects arise, maybe choose a location that is a bit more comfortable than the library. We opted for our houses or apartments and chose to include food. Little things like this can make a huge difference. It puts everyone at ease and faciliates a more productive atmosphere, well most of the time haha. So while group projects may not always be the most fun thing to do, there are ways to make that time more enjoyable and less stressful, you just have to be creative!

5 comments:

Jeff Stanzler said...

Kelly, I'm excited to hear your podcast once it's up...I'm glad that you had fun doing it. You take an interesting angle with your post. I wonder what kinds of thoughts you have about the group work your students might do could be informed by your insights and experiences. I'm also interested in knowing if you're having any thoughts about using podcast in your teaching. I may have told you that one of your recent predecessors in your placement did some very cool things with students using gabcast to record pronunciations, allowing the intern to hear them speak at her leisure.
Let me know if you want to know more about what she did.

Meghan said...

I agree that group projects generally make me go "Noooo." I've had one too many experiences where the other members don't pull their weight and I end up doing it all myself. Luckily, here in the MAC program, we are all highly motivated, or we wouldn't even be here. So, we don't have to worry about being put in a group of slackers. But, we have to askourselves how we can make group projects work for the kids we teach. We need to train them from an early age to work cooperatively and equally. Now, how do we do that?

Liz Kolb, Ph.D. said...

Wow! I'm really impressed with how quickly you got started on your podcast (even before I sent the reminder). I'm really looking forward to hearing it!

I also think you bring up an important point about group projects. We all know that they can be a huge success for some students or big disappointment/struggle for others. I have also found that what works well with some groups one school year does not work so well the next year. Possibly technology can assist in this issue?

Autumn said...

We really do have the best group!

Maria said...

Hey Kelly, I liked your little wine and cheese video :) And your discussion on group projects was really interesting. I agree that they are very valuable if all team members work together and use the experience to their benefit. It teaches really important skills that are not only used in schools, but also in the real world and work force! So conveniently, I saw this idea relate to our lesson planning that we will be doing this year! You're right! We can work together and combine our skills to provide each other with amazing planning ideas. I am teaching an advanced French II and French IV. We should definitely find time to talk about our planning ideas (et pour parler en francais!) Have a good rest of the week and I will see you in class.