Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Thing 16 - ("saisprezece" - ROMANIAN)

Where was this when I was in college? In my nature, I am a bit of a procrastinator. I have slowly learned how to overcome that challenge. Usually, that late night working on a project the day before it was due was a reminder enough to change my ways. I checked out the Assignment Calculator and the Research Project Calculator. Both seemed to offer the same thing. I sort of had some disagreement with the layout of time. From experience, I do not like to finish the project 1-2 days before the due date. I try to have the project finished before the 1-2 days it is due (we'll see with 23 Things On a Stick). I typed in different time spans and sometimes the suggestion would be to write the first draft the 1 day before it was due. The finishing touches would be on the due date. The minimum of days I gave were 7. 7! Sometimes I felt the research and organization of the project were given too many days. Some 3 days went by in the suggestion before any writing. Now, I might be completely wrong in disagreeing with that, but I do.

This is very useful, though. I think something like this provides an outline and a foundation for all students (young and old) to start from. Then, individually people can adjust for their work styles. The content and links under each step were the most helpful. Those details give knowledge I wish I had when I was younger.

Students are given projects to finish as young as kindergarten. Sure, the project might include a lot of gluing and cutting, but it is still a large project that needs someone to accomplish steps to finish. I see these websites providing a visual and a map of where to begin. Its structure is clear and easy to use. I look forward to playing with it with some school projects next year.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Jon, I also wonder whether the age of a person would impact the timeline? Would you use the same timeline for a 3rd grader that you use for a senior?

Jon Zetah said...

No, I probably would not. But it does depend on the content. A student researching their favorite animal might fit that timeline depending on the expectation of the final product. A senior's report will not be the same as a third grader's report but they both could use the same timeline. I think (smile).