20 Time Project
- You will spend our last 20% of our class time working on what we'll call 20 Time.
- You may work alone or with a small group. Decide carefully.
- If you choose a small group, you will have to compromise with your group and deal with other personalities.
- If you work alone, you have complete autonomy but you are responsible for the outcome. Is this person a worker or floater?
- Can I get along with this person for the entire semester? Is this person going to keep on track or distract me?
- This is not about hanging out with friends, but making something really cool.
- Choose a project that is new to you and something you wouldn’t normally do in another academic class.
- If you are stuck, do some research on other educational 20% projects and take another look at what Google has done.
- You must produce a product or achieve some sort of goal.
- Write up a proposal and pitch it to the rest of the class that includes a purpose, audience, timeline, and resources you will need to complete the project. You will present your pitch in a "science-fair"-type poster session in front of other students, teachers, and community members.
- Choose an adult to be your official mentor. I am an English teacher, I do not have a lot of experience with some of the projects you might choose.
- Reflect on the process each week on a personal blog.
- If, at any moment, you feel lost, overwhelmed, or uninspired, you must set a meeting with me to find a solution.
- At the end of the year, you will present your project and reflect on the process in a five-minute TED-style talk.
- Failure is an option. Simply learning from your mistakes teaches you a lot.
