The Experience
This assignment was a bit of a challenge both personally and I believe for my group. This is the first time as part of the MET program and I have faced challenges connecting and bringing a group together to create a plan to complete a project. Due to time zone difference and busy schedule our group was simply not able to meet and have a synchronous discussion and so, our project was completed solely through asynchronous communication. This disconnection and delayed communication created a challenge to a focused efficient effort, mainly due to the short timeline from forming the group to project completion. Overall, once our group started an online document, roles were quickly established and work was spread fairly evenly, as far as I could tell being an asynchronous activity. This was far from the smoothest group process I have participated in with the MET program, but the project is completed and will be submitted on time. Given the timeline and limited information provided, I feel as though our group has submitted a well-developed product.
Impact on my Current Practice
This was an interesting exercise for me in terms of impact on my current practice. I am not currently evaluating LMS options, however, our group elected to create a rubric using the SECTIONS model (Bates, 2014). For me, this was a practice exercise in creating my own rubric for educational technology, and perhaps programs at my organization. This exercise helped me to realize the importance of articulating why certain criteria are important to a selection process. Trying to think from a stakeholder perspective it was an interesting exercise in that there are different focuses that a stakeholder could have from a technical to andragogical, to a business perspective. By clearly articulating why criteria have been established it helps all stakeholders come to the same page. I plan on taking this lesson to use in the development of a rubric for use within my own organization.
References
Bates, T. (2014). Teaching in a Digital Age (Chapter 8 on SECTIONS framework). Retrieved January 29, 2016 from http://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage