Lessons & Closing Reflections
We recognize the importance of reflecting on and evaluating our experiences. In particular, we hope that these observations will help future participants in ThinkQuest and highlight the principles and lessons we found important.
Work on Something That Matters
Above all, our ability to complete this site depended on an active interest and engagement in the process. The creation of a site for ThinkQuest is a long process that involves a huge time commitment. Work on something you find tedious or boring, and it will be a miserable experience if you even finish. Thus, one of the most important steps we took was also one of the first: picking a topic. We realized the significance of finding a topic we all felt passionately about it, and it enhanced our productivity enormously. Additionally, it was important that we believed that the topic we wrote about had a larger global relevance. It was motivating to know not only that we felt strongly about the topic, but also that our site would be useful and pertinent to others.
Concoct a Plan and Start Early
After deciding our topic, we immediately jumped into planning the site. Our first step was outlining the various areas we wanted to cover and from this, creating a tentative site map. We also brainstormed some of the interactive features we wished to include. We strove to give each person a section of research that they found particularly appealing to motivate him to complete it. Finally, we created a timetable for various stages of outlining, research, and written material. The importance of this structure cannot be overstated; setting deadlines early on ensured that we held ourselves accountable and gave us a clear picture of where we stood and where we were going.
Delegate to Your Strengths
ThinkQuest is a team project that requires cooperation and collaboration. Issues such as the site topic, timelines, and proofreading require consultation with other team members. However, website creation is an individual praxis in many ways. It took group collaboration to formulate a plan, but a great deal of independent work to bring these ideas to fruition. The site design required independent work prior to group critique and revision; topic areas depended on the research and writing of individual team members. We realized early on that it would be important to play to the strengths and interests of each team member. When one person felt particularly strongly about a certain subject area, he would be given the task of creating content for it. Likewise, we utilized the particular experiences and expertise of individuals: those with the most technical background knowledge wrote the more sophisticated analyses of the underlying technology, and so forth. Although it may be easier to assign topics haphazardly, it's beneficial to be more discerning and delegate tasks to those who are best equipped to complete them.
Communication is Critical
Attending the same school allowed us to meet face-to-face when it was most necessary, but our busy and conflicting schedules meant that most of our communication took place through other means--including e-mail, phone, and instant message. It did not matter how the team communicated, as long as that dialogue was taking place. Granted, a lot of work was compartmentalized and individual, but tasks like proofreading content, evaluating the design, and scheduling deadlines required collaboration through many means. Of course, effective communication meant that the entire team wasn't included in every conversation. Those working exclusively on content have little concern for a technical glitch on the design side. By eliminating this “noise,” we were able to be especially productive.
Leave Cushion Time
You can never leave enough time for the minor (or major) kinks in the project. At the end, you'll notice that page that you forgot to complete or a glitch in the design you hadn't noticed all along. Even when the content is written and the skeleton of the site is ostensibly "complete," it always takes longer to put together than you'll expect. Try to finish a week or two earlier than you otherwise would, so that these problems don't leave you scraping up against the submission deadline.
Enjoy the Experience!
Before you know it, it will be over.