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3 hours

09.2 Small Group Discussions II

group of computers communicating Discussion Groups

Continue to solidify your learning by discussing your Project-to-date with colleagues, working with the same group as last time.

Preparation

Set a time when you can all meet. You may choose the same venue as last time or try a different method. However you set it up, meet for one hour. Every group member MUST contribute. Choosing a time that fits everyone's schedule is a group responsibility; do not ask the instructor to do this for you. (If you are unable to meet due to unexpected circumstances, see below).

Prepare for the meeting by reading each other's myCitations2 saved to Doc Sharing during Week 8, and if available, myProject2 saved this week. Read each other's work carefully. If not everyone has posted yet, you may work ahead on the next activities, and hold the discussion when others have caught up.

Choose a team Reporter; make sure no one is the Reporter twice during the class.

group of computers communicating During the discussion offer "constructive" observations and encouraging insights. Share difficulties and triumphs. Remember, this is your support group. Take advantage of others' compassion and expertise.

Session Objectives:

  1. Critique Projects as they currently stand, paying special attention to new citations and evaluation instruments;
  2. Offer analysis and critical thinking skills in a teamwork setting;
  3. Share experiences pertaining to searching, evaluation and standards-based learning openly and without reservation;
  4. Develop thinking patterns ('habits of mind') beneficial to the evaluation of resources on the Internet.

cartoon speech bubble Reporter: post the following information, saved as an .rtf file (use the assigned Group # and the term Evaluation in the document title), to Doc Sharing:

A description of the learning that took place: What did the group learn, and how did they learn it, what difficulties were encountered?

If Someone Really Can Not Attend

As soon as possible, a person who is unable to participate in a group discussion must email the instructor, providing an explanation why he or she missed (or will miss) the group meeting.

If a member is unable to join the group at the agreed upon time, that person's work is critiqued along with everyone else's and reported in the document saved to Doc Sharing. That person must read the group's comments by accessing the document posted in Doc Sharing, write reactions to others' critiques and respond to feedback about his or her project. This is then saved to Doc Sharing with the title "Response to Group <include #> EvaluationDiscussion2.rtf."