Group Leadership Project

     For our Group Leadership Project, we decided to create a presentation regarding wikis.  It is a quick overview of what wikis are, benefits of using one, and how to setup an account for an educator to use in a classroom.  

     To deliver the content of our project, we chose several methods.  A PowerPoint presentation was first used.  Within the PowerPoint, a Jing based on how to setup the educator wiki was embedded.  For our narration, an audio program, Audacity, was used to record our script.  Finally, our presentation was uploaded to YouTube in order to share it effectively.  We chose these methods of delivery because the PowerPoint enabled us to present the material and easily embed the wiki Jing.  There are many options we could have used to record the narration, so this was a personal choice made by Julie based on its availability and ease of use.  

     Working within a group for a presentation when we are all located at different places with no chance for us to meet face-to-face is always a daunting challenge.  However, I am constantly amazed how we are able to synchronize our online time in order to collaborate and lay the foundation for a project.  During the development process of the final project, I learned how we could use Google Docs to share files and receive immediate feedback.  This was especially helpful as we had three different areas of technology converging in order to create one flowing, cohesive, final project.  

     If I had to develop a similar project again, instead of waiting for one person to finish and send out their progress, I would want to coordinate a schedule with the group members so that we could receive vital progress reports and updates on given days.  This would ensure that feedback could be provided and changes implemented.  Our group functioned very well, but not having a common time to collaborate after our initial web conference, it sometimes became a matter of "hit or miss."  A definitive schedule that could be shared through Google Docs or even an email program would be beneficial so everyone was constantly aware of what progress was being made and who may need extra support.  This would ultimately relieve unwanted stress and headaches as deadlines would enable all participants to know when to expect a product and provide feedback.  

Part B - Storyboard and Script

     For our group's storyboard and script, we decided to use Google Documents in order to synchronously edit our work without worrying about emailing incomplete files back and forth and hoping that the final project had all of the elements that we wanted.
     With our script, I worked on the rough draft by writing the Introduction, What is a Wiki?, Benefits of Using a Wiki in the Classroom, Possible Drawbacks, and the Conclusion sections.  After this initial writing section, I received great input from the rest of my group and moved forward, editing and expanding sections that needed work.  The section on How to Create a Wikispace was started upon my return, so I added new content in order to create a step-by-step guide.
     In creating our Google Presentation, it was already setup by another Karen.  Once I had completed the script, I helped with the final aspects of the presentation, including minor cosmetic changes including minimal text formatting and adding some images.
     For our final presentation, Nichole has worked on setting up our wiki with everyone now invited to contribute to it.  Karen is working on the final PowerPoint version of our presentation.  Tai is completing a Jing tutorial about setup of an account on Wikispaces.com.  Julie is doing the narration based on our script.  I will continue to edit and tweak the script for our final presentation and edit the final PowerPoint presentation for Karen.  Our group has worked very cohesively throughout this project without anyone feeling as if they had to carry a majority of the workload.
     Here is a link to our script in Google Documents.
     Here is a link to our storyboard in Google Presentations.