The last post

Oh, there is the light at the end of the tunnel.

The final project is coming along nicely as we have done all the mini work during the semester. I really appreciate the scaffolding of this assignment making it easier to focus and understand each step along the way.

I was surprised by what I thought needed to be done verses what I now KNOW needs to be done.

Work Week

Oh, I just let out a huge sigh of relief! This week was a tough one but I am glad it is coming to a close. I got my graduate portfolio turned in and that was great. Hopefully I get it passed this time. My technology plan is almost done. I will only have the evaluation portion to complete and make any changes that my peer reviewer suggests. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and can't believe that I only have 2 weeks until I am finished with my graduate studies (portfolio pending!). This comes at such a great time. I just signed a contract to write an academic book for Kagan Publishing so my time spent on graduate work will be transferred to that project. Eventually I plan to get my doctorate but haven't found a path yet.

Thanks!

Another Week Down

I can't believe I forgot to post last week!

I felt very overwhelmed by all the project management software. I looked through the majority of them but really struggled with what would best suit my needs. I am a person who needs a hands on demo and to totally understand what each piece completes. Before purchasing or using any program, I would want to spend more than a week researching all options. I was able to limit my search to free programs but there is still a large amount to shift through. Any help in this area would be appreciated. Thanks!

Week 11

Looking at the needs was really interesting. It was nice to have the persepcive of others. Teachers tend to be very needy (myself included) but we were able to bring focus on an immediate goal of increasing tutors use of technology and current software programs. This will help use make our case when petitioning for a program solely used for tutoring.

As a side note, I tried to focus solely on the needs in my evaluation rather than make the leap to solutions. It is hard to focus just needs but this is what helped the team look at the fact a significant amount of tutors do not use software programs and that tutoring is scattered.

Week 10

There is so much to consider in planning! I researched a few other companies and looked at their out-sourcing vs. in-house resources. As I was looking at other companies it seems that there are a lot of out-sourcing to other companies. This seems common when looking at human resources rather than technology resources.

My biggest challenge this week was getting a clear answer on our current budget. It is always changing and is never 'clear' as I was told. I was also told in comes in to the school at different rates.

Week 9

The evaluation mini project showed different results than expected. I had predicted teachers would want additional programs to be used during tutoring, but rather I found that teachers felt what was already happening in school to be overwhelming enough without adding more. I can tell this will be a barrier in implementation. Several teachers provided insight to what programs they felt was the most beneficial and shared that additional training in these programs may lead to increased use.

My biggest barrier this week was time and teacher stress level. It was parent teacher conference week and staff morale was low. This needs to be considered as I continue to evaluate the current program and determine a path for the future.

Week 8

Wow, it is really coming to the end. I think I feel a huge sense of relief and like I can breath a little now that I have turned in my portfolio. Assignments with no limitations are always hard but I love to use them with my students to get them to think 'outside' the box.

This week coming up with the technology needs for tutoring was challenging. I think this is the first time that an assignment has been more difficult being close to the project. I was focused on finding programs to use for tutoring it was harder to think what else was needed. I chose laptops and other software. I might have to meet with shareholders to see what else might need to be needed. I have discussed this with them before but all has been focused on finding computer based programs. It was all focused in on the one. Of course, other software requirments, hard drives, and compatability programs may need to be purchased as well.

Her is to the light at the end of the tunnel!