Thing Twenty-one

As I've mentioned in previous blog entries, I love lists. So, the Assignment Calculator and Research Project Calculator were very appealing to me. Number one: easy, easy, easy to use. No long instructions, etc. Love that. Number two: very applicable. I think these tools would be particularly useful for students working on a group project, which as we all know, is the norm these days. This lists would help divide up the assignments to the group members. One thing I liked in the Teacher Guide was how the RPC pointed the teacher in the direction of the media specialist, who was labeled as a "partner." There was even an instructional planning guide for the media specialist.

I can see library staff telling individual students about these tools, but I think staff would have better luck selling it directly to teachers and media specialists. Teachers could introduce it to their classes at the onset of an assignment like a project or research paper. I'm just thinking if a whole class is told about RPC at one time, the students would be inclined to give it a try.

These tools lend themselves to being used for project management at the library also. Often divisions and departments have major programs to implement that involve staff, vendors, etc. This kind of tool could be beneficial; definitely worth trying.