Group Experiences

1.When we first met as a group, we were excited about the project. Classroom work is great, but there’s nothing quite like hands-on experience. As we talked, it became clear that were all had different computer experience levels and we would each find different ways to contribute.

We expected this to be a good, practical experience. We expected to spend some time in East St. Louis, build some computers, and deliver them. It seemed like a simple, straightforward process. In many ways, this is true. We did go to East St. Louis, meet people, build computers, and delivere them. However, to leave the explanation at that is cheating. We would be leaving out all of the fun we had working with our site coordinators and kids from Summit. We would be leaving out the pride and warm feelings we got after seeing local kids have a blast using the computers we fixed. We would also be leaving out the frustration caused by the computers and all the time that went into it. That’s part of the story as well.

Looking back, the biggest chance in approach we would make is time. None of us expected the computer transformation process to take as long as it did. We could have stretched the work out better over the semester. This would be one bit of advice for next semester’s group: plan ahead and never underestimate the amount of time it will take. It’s going to be longer than you think. We would also tell future classes that the experience is a blast, completely worth the work. As hokey as it may sound, this class gives you the opportunity to change a place for the better. Your site will be better off because you were there. Don’t underestimate the effect you can have. Also, you’re going to have fun.

2.Group learning reflection: contextualizing group learning or a team work within an educational institute, at least two factors play a key role with respect to whether or not the team work can effectively achieve the educational objective set up by an instructor.

The first factor is a clear guideline or educational goal which shows the purpose of learning. Ideally, this guideline or educational goal can be worked out by team members, particularly if the participants are graduate students. Yet, thanks to the unfamiliarity of the assigned team work, it would be better that the instructor provides an example based upon which a team can work out their own guideline. This guideline or educational goal should consist of an objective of a final project, the work to be done, the distributed task and responsibility of each team member and the preparation of unexpected event, such as a member becoming sick and unable to carry out her/his part of tasks/responsibility and so on. The guideline is not necessary requiring students to do a lot of tasks but it has to be clear. Even if it is no expectation at all or a team can decide to what degree their team wants to carry the project. This guideline would facilitate students to see the meaning and educational purpose of conducting a final project. In turn, it may result in a more effective and positive educational group learning experience.

The second key factor is a facilitator who could be the instructor, TA or a team leader. The facilitator may only need to assist the discussion of setting up a clear guideline for a team at the beginning of conducting a project or participating more it dependent on the instructor’s educational policy.

Theoretically, graduate students’ learning is supposed to be voluntary. Yet, this does not mean that no guideline is needed. As far as it is a group leaning in a class, the educational objective has to be clear. Whether or not the class would require students to fulfill certain project or let students to decide to what extent they want to carry out the project can be flexible and depends on the instructor’s educational policy. .. a reflection of group learning through an educational point of view.

3.Every one has different learning experience. Hence, each of my teammates may write their own experiences.

Individual Experiences

Gene

Computers and I have generally been friendly and typically have played nicely. This course was really a method for me to enhance some skills that I already had and learn some new ones but like many others I got more out of it then I felt I put into it. ESTL isn’t my home but its certainly isn’t foreign. My girlfriend is from there and she has shared many a story about the once busy, commercial, and flourishing city.

The final project gave me an opportunity to give back and work in an area that needed some support. Technology generally escapes those that don’t have the resources to provide them, expertise to support them, and the people to use them. This course gave me a venue, audience, and resources to teach just as I was thought. I had a wonderful time working with my group. We each added something different and communicated well via email.

I was surprised at how well we gelled and together and communicated. We generally didn’t mind talking candidly about our expectations and our strengths and it was helpful when assigning work and coming up with our design for the site. In retrospect the only thing I would change is the timing of our trips. I think it would have been better to visit early so that we could establish a better relationship, and help with other needs. The time allotted for the final project was fine but I thought the implementation could have been done differently. For incoming students I would encourage them to keep an open mind and ask to communicate with their site earlier.

Jessica

While working on the computers for Summit, I learned how to clean a computer, install and set up an operating system, replace ram,and choose and load software and programs. At least, that was what happened on days when everything worked. On the other days, I learned how to troubleshoot, putting the observe, think, plan, and act method to work. While it probably should not have surprised me, I found that even simple computer tasks can take more time than expected.

During the second weekend trip to East St. Louis, I learned what it is like to physically set up a lab. This means figuring out room layout, using ping and traceroute, and finding and fixing any problems that appeared. I also learned how to make cables. I got experiences in basic Linux training as well what it’s like working with site coordinators. There’s a pressure and a desire to do well for them. This computer lab will give people options and I wanted to provide the best computers I could. Toward the end of the second day, children from the church stopped by and checked out the lab. What a joy it was to see them using and enjoying computers I helped prepare!

I spent a third weekend in East St. Louis co-teaching a class for local kids and adults. We brought some old computers and showed the participants how to take apart and reassemble a computer. Between steps, we discussed the responsibilities of the various parts and the role they played in making the computer work. The hands-on method worked well; they seemed to learn and have fun. More, I believe the people left feeling more comfortable with computers.

Going into the final project, I expected it to be a useful, practical experience. I figured I’d be pleased with it and happy that I could help some people out. I did not expect to feel so rewarded. I spent part of the second day making cords with a teen from Summit. She was quick to learn and I could tell that’s she’s going places; I hope the lab helps her on her way. It was great to show her how to do things and work on cables with her. I got to know both know someone from the site and leave a little more knowledge there. Later I watched some children use the computers I had helped fix was amazing. They were having fun and I helped get them there. Talk about instant gratification!

If I were just starting the project now, I would know to schedule more time for computer work. I knew it would take time, but I didn’t realize how often simple computer tasks go awry. I’d like to tell next semester’s students that the experience is going to better than they expect. It’s rewarding, informative, and fun experience. Plus they’ll get to meet and hang around with lots of cool kids from GSLIS. Finally, I’ll tell them to relax and enjoy the ride. They’ll get there.

Mei

Lectures and labs: Since my knowledge of computer is limited to simply using it to type my papers and making power point for presentation, I learned a lot from this class. The biggest lesson I learned is that the basic knowledge of computer software, such as Linux OS, and hardware is not as difficult to understand and troubleshoot as I thought. Yet, if one wants to become familiar with OS system and troubleshooting hardware problem, one needs to be patient and uses the four step of troubleshooting we learned in class. They are: (1) observation, (2) thinking, (3) planning and (4) taking action. More importantly, one needs to cultivate interest and is willing to spend time to wrestle with all kinds of hardware and software problems.

Final project: what I learned from carrying out our final project apart from the skill and knowledge of building computer networking is its social educational implication. Two factors play key roles in this learning: one is working in Summit Ave. Baptist Church in East St. Louis and the second one is learning Linux OS. First, working with Summit Ave. Baptist Church lets me have firsthand experience of witting the power of computer knowledge in a modern era. The problem for those who do not know how to use computer or do not have chance to learn computer is not simply a question of having or not-having computer. Rather, it is a problem of being literate or illiterate and hence a problem of whether one has the knowledge, skill and means to survive, compete in a modern society. If the final project is carried out in somewhere else, the implication would be not that manifest. Second,leaning Linux OS, on the other hand, let me see the power of education. The education effect is invisible and indirect but it is a powerful and peaceful means to sanction economical and politic power which may either manipulate market as current state of Mircosoft or overlooks area characterized with poverty, such as East St. Louis.

Originally, I did not expect too much for going into the final project because I did not know what it was about. The process of conducting final project surprised me by how much knowledge and skill I learned from lectures and lab practices. Also, I made quite a couple of good friends because of coming to the lab and going to East St. Louis. If I were just starting to work on the final project now, I might still approach the project with the same enthusiasm except that I might keep a working dairy for how a hardware piece was repaired, such as replacing RAM, DVD drive and so on, and what kinds of troubleshooting we had done to certain software program in details. Also, I might come to discuss some questions with Martin more often to know his expectation with regard to conducting a final project.

The suggestion which I may give to next year’s students is that chance only comes once. Optimize the opportunity to learn, particularly, using computer to practise the knowledge taught in class weekly. If any of your teammates is very skillful in certain aspect, learn as much as you can from him/her. Furthermore, don’t be scared if you don’t have any knowledge or skill about repairing a computer or troubleshooting a software problem. Patience, persistence, humbleness and willing to try are the good antidotes of not having enough knowledge of computers. Patience and persistence to follow the steps of troubleshooting taught in class, and be humble and not afraid of asking your classmate who has better knowledge about computer although Martin may prefer you being self-dependent by trying and solving problem by yourself. Yet, in order not letting the frustration to defeat your enthusiasm, sometimes asking questions is necessary but do try before you asking. Also, don’t expect that asking question is easy. Sometimes, you really need to let go of your own pride.

I am really grateful that I have the chances not only enhancing my knowledge about computer networking but also experience and participate the final project and hence witness the social educational implication.

Sam

I am answering a set of questions that were given to us:

• What were your expectations going into the final project? How did the process differ from those expectations?
• What surprised you about the final project?
• Knowing what you know now, how would you approach the project differently if you were just starting to work on it now?
• Is there anything you’d like to tell next semester’s students about the project process?

The term “final project” is an almost misleading phrase because the entire semester was geared towards learning the skills necessary and working with the hardware and software needed to collaborate with our sites. As far as my expectations for the class/final project, I had the class recommended to me by another GSLIS student who said that she had heard from some of her friends that it was a lot of work, but that a lot was gained. I would say both are true. I learned both from this class and a Community Informatics course that I also took this semester a lot about how to view technology and think of it as a tool, but not the main focus. While working in the lab or going to work on the computers outside of class, it was sometimes a little more difficult to factor in the people aspect of the equation, but the final results of seeing kids at Summit Ave. working on the computers and enjoying them really reinforced the importance of the social component of the final project.

As far as what was different from my expectations at the outset, I will say that I thought even more of the class was going to focus on the technological, but I am glad that we did spend time talking about how we think technology is going to affect others and the pros and cons of what we were doing. Martin always wanted to improve the process and I definitely think that that attitude will be beneficial for the students, future sites, and everyone else who is touched by the project.

One of the things that was surprising and I thought was great was how involved our site coordinators were while we were there setting up, and not even just the site coordinators but their children as well. It was a welcome surprise and both Kevin Dean and Antonio Harris were great to work with (not to mention the help we got from a young woman who was a pro at making cables). I was not sure what to think about whom we were going to work with at our site, but I think our group was able to really work with Summit Ave. in a mutually respectful way.

If I knew now what I did then, I would probably let future 451 students know (even though Martin did tell us several times) to prepare to put extra hours in for this project. I had a vague idea that not everything hardware and software related was going to work out from the start, but sometimes those programs load very slowly. Also, the more you get done right away, the greater potential you have for doing more because I think more could almost always be done. I would also recommend lots of documentation. Our group used lots of tape during this project and had we not, we would not have known which computers were at what steps in the process. Another good idea that Martin suggested to us was to prioritize. Although I said that “more could always be done”, I also think it would be better to do a few things really well. Prioritizing also helps when it gets down to the end of the semester and there is less time left.

Overall, this was an enjoyable project and course that was worth the work put into it. I feel like I really did get a lot from it by being able to get experience through real world application of the skills we learned, which, in my opinion, is invaluable. I also got to meet some great people both in GSLIS and in East St. Louis.

Steven

You never know what to expect, with a project like this. Sure, I was nervous about how things would turn out. Computers always seem to fail when they’re not supposed to, and we were dealing with eleven of them, put together piecemeal throughout the semester. But expectations really took a back seat to the labor. We were working so much on the project and our goals seemed clear, so there was little time for reflection.
If anything, I would say my expectations played the biggest role in the third trip, when we went down to East St. Louis to teach a computer tutorial class at Summit. I had taught kids before. I was a football coach for middle school before I began work at Wayne State’s library. But teaching kids about computers? That was a different thing entirely. Plus, we were going to be teaching 30 kids or so. That’s a massive class. And I definitely was not sure that these kids would even be interested in what we were going to teach them.
In both the site setup and the tutorial class, our work in Champaign paid off impressive dividiends. Once we were down there, everything went rather smoothly. Frankly, I thought we would have more problems than we did. That I think was due to all the preparation we did. When you’re prepared properly, things go smoothly. Even when they don’t, you’re ready for it.

What was really surprising was how well the computer lab went over with the young members of Summit Ave. We were actually able to see our computers in action, and the kids playing games we had loaded on all the computers we’d built. After so long working on them, it was incredible to see them at work, and the kids enjoying them. It was even more profound when we did our computer tutorial. Those kids went through our lesson for a full hour, paying attention the entire time. Heck, I find it hard to keep my attention focused on any one thing for that long, but these kids did. And they absorbed what we were teaching them. I never thought we would be able to get through to them as well as we did that day. It was a very pleasent surprise.

Oh, if I were to do this all over again, I would probably try to make all the parts up and test the network and the software before we got to East St. Louis. That was the one thing I’d wished we’d done, because it was scary to have to make those cables on the day we were going to leave. I kept thinking ‘What if we don’t make it?’ ‘What if all our cables fail?’ So I definitely would have done it that way, so all we had to do when we got to East St. Louis was plug things in.

That’s probably what I would tell any incoming students in 451. TEST THINGS OUT BEFORE YOU GO. Don’t wait to get down there to figure out ‘Oh I need a router,’ or ‘Oh, I need a switch for ethernet cables. Work everything out before you go, so that way, you’re not stuck in ESL wasting time, trying to get things done you should have already taken care of. That’s no good.