Phase 5

ImagineIT — Phase 5

CONFERRING WITH COLLEAGUES, STUDENT FOCUS GROUP, & SHORT REPORT

IMPORTANT DATES: OCTOBER 17, 24 and NOVEMBER 1

This assignment builds upon the work that you have completed in the first four phases of your ImagineIT project. In the previous phase, you problematized your own ImagineIT by bringing in problems and or dilemmas that may arise. Here is a bit of an overview of the components within Phase 5, more detail on each of these items can be found below:

• You will informally confer with at least two of your colleagues, sharing your ImagineIT and eliciting feedback on the problem or dilemma that you have identified that relates to your project.
• Using the insight and feedback you gain from the conversation with your colleagues, you will then conduct a focus group with a small group of students, during which you will perform a teaching demonstration. The goal of this teaching demonstration will be to test the potential solutions for a problem or dilemma that you brainstormed around with your colleagues.
• Finally, you will share the findings of your focus group in the form of a short report published to your website.

It is important to note that you have from October 10th (the completion of Phase 4) to November 1st to complete the components required for Phase 5. The goal dates of October 17th (Confer with Colleagues) and October 24th (Focus Group with Students) are suggested guidelines to help keep you on track so that you can publish your short report by Nov. 1st. To help you implement these two tasks and the short report, the next sections include a detailed description of what you need to do to get the best of out of these tasks:

1.Conferring with Colleagues (by Oct 17):

Colleagues can provide a unique level of feedback based on their knowledge of the context in which you will be implementing your ImagineIT. The goal of this section is to:

• Clearly identify the goal of your ImagineIT project and explain its purpose and objectives.
• Clearly explain the dilemma you have identified in regards to the implementation of your ImagineIT.
• Brainstorm potential resolutions for this dilemma and how the resolution can be incorporated into your ImagineIT project.

Be sure to take careful notes during your discussion with your colleagues. These notes will be beneficial to you as you plan for your student Focus Group and when writing your Short Report.

2. Focus Group with Students (by Oct 24):

Focus groups will help you:

• Test the potential resolution you identified for the problem or dilemma you may face in implementing your ImagineIT.

• Test your assumptions inherent in your ImagineIT project plan.

Before The Focus Group:

• Clearly define the problem or dilemma and the potential resolutions you will be testing in this focus group.
• Clearly define the specific purpose and objectives of the focus group.
• Identify and invite your student participants (strive for at least 10) to your planned focus group time and location.
• Prepare necessary materials for your Teaching Demo and Focus Group data collection.
  • Notepads and pencils, computer with presentation, flip chart, markers, name tags, refreshments, etc.
• Generate the questions (one or two warm-up questions as well as more serious questions that get at the heart of the purpose).
  • Focus group questions should be open-ended and move from the general to the specific.
    • For example, after asking “What do you like about ______?” you might ask, “If you could build a new ______ from scratch, what would you include to make a better one?” or “Do you have any suggestions about what ______ should look like?”
  • Once you have a list of questions, look at your purpose statement again. Eliminate questions that are not important and that do not qualify for your purpose.

When Conducting the Focus Group:

• Deliver your Teaching Demo with the goal being to test potential resolutions to previously identified dilemmas your ImagineIT project faces.
• Ask your questions
  • Keep the discussion on track
  • Encourage each student to voice their ideas
  • Encourage answers to be elaborated upon for deeper feedback
  • Ask spontaneous questions that the discussion inspires
• Take copious notes (or record audio and/or video*), and try to highlight the participant comments/questions that get the most positive reactions from other participants. *ALWAYS let people know before you record them to get their consent.
• Your wrap-up should include thank you’s to the participants, an opportunity and avenue for further input, an explanation of how the data you collected from them will be used, and an explanation of when the larger process will be completed.

3. Short Report (Due by Nov 1st):

Next, you will submit a Short Report on your experience Conferring with your Colleagues and the Focus Group that you held. This report should be posted to your website under ImagineIT>Phase 5. This short report should include:

A written summary of the focus group in your own words (400-500). This summary should include:

• What feedback you received from teachers (including all suggestions for changes to your ImagineIT plan)
• What feedback you received from students (including all suggestions for changes to your ImagineIT plan)
• What changes will you consider making to your ImagineIT plan (and why)
• What changes will you not consider making (and why not)

• Analyze your summary and share trends (i.e., frequently occurring comments) and surprises (i.e., unexpected comments that are worth noting).
  • Look for trends (i.e., frequently occurring comments) and surprises (i.e., unexpected comments that are worth noting).
  • Share any major takeaways and changes that you will make to your implementation based off of feedback from students and peers.

After you have completed (1) Problematizing Your ImagineIT, (2) Conferring with Colleagues & Conducting your Focus Group, and (3) Your Focus Group Short Report, here are the next ImagineIT goals to keep in mind.

1. Implementation of your ImagineIT (you have a month in between your Focus Group and the update report to implement an aspect of your ImagineIT). We will call this Round 1 of Implementation. (by November 28)
2. ImagineIT Update Report (To be published to your website by November 29)
3. Final ImagineIT Report (To be included as a part of your ImagineIT Phase 6 due on December 13)

Now, let’s talk about the implementation part in detail. Check out Phase 6 to prepare.