Read through the 20% Project Instructions
Background
- based on Google's "80/20 Principle of Innovation".
- 20% of Googler's time is spent on project they are interested in exploring.
- motivated to explore something they are truly interested in
- learn and research independently
- develop new and innovative things
So, how does this relate to our class? How does this project work?
- You will be allowed to spend 20% of your time, roughly 15 days, working on a project that YOU are interested in.
What is the catch?
- There is none! But, your idea will be pitched to and approved by your teacher.
Getting Started
- brainstorm ideas and create a Proposal
- work individually or in a small group (no more than 3 to a group)
- at end of semester you need some sort of product
- something you have created and can share with the class
- fill out the proposal form you will use to "pitch" your project to your teacher
- can be a presentation or video
- must answer following questions in proposal:
- What is your project idea?
- What is the purpose of your project?
- Who is the audience?
- Why is this a worthwhile project to pursue?
- What do you expect to learn from this experience?
- Be specific and think beyond the topic of your project.
- What evidence will you have at the end of the semester
- (video, website, digital images, a blog, etc.)?
- How will you use your class time on 20% days?
- What is your timeline for creating (or launching) your project?
- Additional considerations…
- Are there expenses that you will incur throughout the project?
- If so, how will you cover them?
- What resources will you use
- (i.e. people, websites, etc.)?
- Be specific.
- Will you have to work outside of the classroom?
- Explain.
- every student doing a 20% project is required to document their progress in a blog
- blog posts will follow this rubric
- You will be prompted at times and other times you will be responsible for coming up with your own post topic
- what you have learned
- challenges you have faced
- what you still expect to learn
- etc...
- you will also be adding photos of your work to your blog along the way
20% Class Days
You will receive roughly 20% of your class time to work on your projects in class. You are expected to use your 20% time productively. Depending on your project, there may be times when you need to work outside of class to complete a part of your project. In that case, you will need to use your 20% in class time effectively, maybe a writing period or a tutorial period.
The Final Presentation
At the end of the semester, each person (or team) that did a 20% project will give a presentation in which they will show off their 20% Project. This will be a formal presentation of your initial idea, the process and showing the completed product. Questions you should answer are:
At the end of the semester, each person (or team) that did a 20% project will give a presentation in which they will show off their 20% Project. This will be a formal presentation of your initial idea, the process and showing the completed product. Questions you should answer are:
- What was your initial project idea? Go through your brainstorming process and why you ultimately chose your final topic.
- How did your project change along the way and why?
- What did you think you would accomplish?
- What did you actually accomplish?
- What tools and/or materials (computer software/hardware, apps, camera, etc.) were used and how?
- What resources (ex. people, websites, etc.) were used?
- What worked and what didn't work?
- If something didn't work, why? How did you know?
- What would you do differently if you could start over?
- What skills (ex. teamwork, collaboration, communication, resourcefulness, etc.) did you gain throughout this process? Provide examples.
- What did you learn? What evidence do you have?
- What is your final product?
- Provide a link to a website or blog, do a demonstration, present a physical object...etc.
- Do you believe this project was worthwhile?
- Are you happy with your work? Why?
What if my Project Fails?
IT MIGHT...it happens. Failure is part of the learning process. The goal for this project is to learn about something you are interested in. If you feel your project is going to fail, tell me about it! Try to figure out what went wrong? How you can I fix it? What did you learn in the process? The 20% Project is not perfect...it is a learning experience.
If you begin to feel lost or overwhelmed with the project let me know so we can find a solution and get you back on track!
Getting Started!
How to Get Started with 20% Time by Isaias Torres
Project Ideas Video 1 and Video 2 from Mr. Brookhouser, York High School (CA)