What is SMART goal setting?

In order to help you complete your project we will begin to set and meet goals each week.  The goal setting process will occur every Tuesday for warm-up.  To help you learn to set and meet your individual goals, we are going to look at protocol for goal setting that professionals use. The idea is to set smart goals that you can accomplish. So why do we call them SMART goals? Take a minute right now and think about each letter in the word SMART: S-M-A-R-T. What word might each letter stand for that would help you set and meet goals? Try and figure out at least one and leave your inference as a comment.

SMART goal indicators

• S - Simple - keep your goals directly related to the task at hand. Use your backwards plans.
• M - Measurable - your goal should show growth with demonstrable evidence.
• A - Achievable - your goal should be something that you can accomplish with effort.
• R - Realistic - no amount of effort or hard work can overcome an unrealistic goal.
• T - Time Table - your goal should have a deadline.

Today we will set our first SMART goal together to help start our research into our project idea and develop a list of resources for our blog.

SMART Goal template

By blank blankI will blank blank blankand I will know I achieved blank blank blankbecause blank blank.

Using the SMART goal template post your first SMART goal, which you will work on tomorrow in class to meet.

Project Presentations

Tomorrow you will be presenting your project idea to the class. You will talk for 1 - 2 minutes and answer questions from your peers. Today, you should review the protocol for the presentation, which will give to talking points for your project.

Presentation Protocol:

1. State your name and grade.
2. Briefly explain your project idea.
   What is the main question or issue?
   
3. Summarize your backwards plan. What are some steps you will have to take? What materials or resources will you need?
   
4. Explain why you think your project is important.
   
5. How will your project affect others? How does it connect to the community?
   
6. Discuss what two habits of mind your project will exemplify or require you to use.
   

The class must ask each presenter at least two questions and receive an answer before we move on. The class may also provide any comments or suggestions to each presenter in addition to the questions.

Preliminary Backwards Plan

Creating an independent project for yourself is a big task and often the hardest part is getting started. It's easy to get overwhelmed by the whole idea of a project. In order to help ourselves get started we are going to try and create preliminary backwards plan. What is backwards planning? 

imagine it's early June and you have just shown your amazing project to your portfolio group. In your mind, try and imagine where you are in the school. Try and imagine what you have just shown, read, or presented to your audience. Try and imagine exactly how you presented your project. Close your eyes and visualize exactly what you are presenting to your audience

Now, you should have a picture of what your final project will look like. The question is 'how did you get all the way there from here?' Instead of starting with the first step, let's start with your end goal. Today I would like you to:
•Briefly introduce your project idea (one sentence to readers know what the project is about)
•Start a bulleted list like this that begins with the final step of your project, the final product, whether it's debuting a video or an exhibition of art work, and exactly how you would present it at portfolio.
•Then put your list of steps in any order that you believe you will have to go through to complete your project.
Start at the end and try to work backwards, but if a step pops into your head add it to your list. Post your backwards plan list of steps under "Preliminary Backward Plan". 

What is backwards planning?

The situation: You have to bake your mother a birthday cake for her birthday and you want to make it really special.

The final product: A beautiful birthday cake for your mother's birthday.

The steps: What is one step you would have to take to accomplish this task?

Think about any 3 steps that you would have to do at any point in the process to make accomplish the task. Leave a comment on this post with the 3 steps you know would have to get done from big steps to little ones.

What did customize on your layout?

What changes did you make to your blog layout? Leave a comment on this post and let me know one or two changes you made to your blog layout.

Revising Your Project Idea

How can I revise my project idea according to the rubric?

Based on your project reflection worksheets, go back into your project idea and make sure you are addressing all of the worksheet questions in your project statement. Also, look over the project rubric again and try and address the standards in your project statement. Does your project reflect perspective, analysis, connections, imagination, and commitment?  

When you have finished updating your project idea, please read over your feedback partner's project idea by visiting their blog and posting a comment. Please try and help your partner clarify their idea with ideas, questions, or suggestions.

If you have not signed up for an academic gmail address yet, do so now at gmail.com and then visit blogger.com and sign up for a digital portfolio blog.  

First Blog Posts

Today we are going to add our first blog posts. Your first post will be your personal introduction. The introduction is saved in your sent mail in Gmail or I can email it back to you at your new Gmail address. Before you post your introduction, forward the email to your new feedback partner, who will review the introduction for grammar and spelling errors and then send it back to you with any corrections or changes.

• Copy the introduction and paste it into the body of your first blog post.
• Title the post "Introduction" and click Publish Post beneath the editing window.
  

After you post your introduction, your second blog post will be your initial project idea. Please make sure you type your project idea in the form of a statement and not just a list. For example,

In digital portfolio I would like to create a short video about crime in the community. I am very interested in pursuing a career in criminal justice or forensic science like on CSI. I would like to interview a police officer, a college admissions counselor, a student at John Jay on video. I will conduct research about crime in Brooklyn and present the facts and the opinions of people I interview in the video. The project connects to science and government, as well as my own career interest in being a police detective or crime scene investigator. I also hope to learn more about shooting video and editing it on the computer.

• Type up your project ideas from yesterday and post them under the title "Initial Project Idea".
• When you have finished your post, send the link to your feedback partner's email address.
• Visit your feedback partner's blog and leave a comment with your thoughts and ideas about their initial project ideas. Do the projects seem realistic? Do you think it's appropriate for a portfolio? Does it seem important?