WA2: Set Up Microsoft Teams and Report to Prepare for Team Project Plan

Overview

This semester, you'll undertake a team project to help an organization or group address its workplace issues by adopting at least three technologies, and you'll create a concrete plan for doing so (i.e., your Team Project Plan). You'll work on it across several lessons and submit it the week of Lesson 8. In order to start the collaborative process for this team project, please follow these steps.

Step 1

Download Microsoft Teams on your PC or Mac. Also, install the Microsoft Teams app on your smartphone. Then, post a message on the course Microsoft Teams space.

Step 2

You will be assigned to a group based on your responses in the self-introduction discussion. Please check Groups via the People tab on the Course Navigation menu on Thursday or Friday (see How do I view all groups in a course as a student?).

As a team (one volunteer is needed to initiate this), create a separate team space on Microsoft Teams, and invite all of your team members, along with the instructor and TA.

Step 3

Figure out how you can use your Microsoft Teams space effectively. To do this, please enable at least one tab and one add-on software program.

Step 4

Using your Microsoft Teams space, discuss your Team Project Plan with your team members (the elements of the project are provided below), and document the process and results of your planning.

Elements in the Team Project Plan

In the Team Project Plan, you are required to describe the following:

• Project identification
  • The organization*
  • The problem*
  • The purpose of the project*
• Intervention plan
  • Technologies (at least three) to be applied and how they could solve identified issues and support the success of the project
• Team building
  • Roles and responsibilities of team members*
  • A plan for communication and monitoring*
• Project timeline (use a Gantt chart or something similar)
• References (follow APA format)

In your Microsoft Teams space, please discuss and start to put together initial ideas for each of the items in a summary document. Please complete the items with an asterisk next to them as much as possible. However, it's okay to partially complete items without asterisks.

Step 5

As a team, please discuss your experience with Microsoft Teams to respond the following questions:

• How did using Microsoft Teams affect your team collaboration?
• What are the strengths and challenges of using Microsoft Teams?
• How do you plan to use Microsoft Teams for your team project?
• How might you use Microsoft Teams at your workplace or future collaboration?

Then, by the end of Lesson 2, have one of your team members post the results of your discussion as well as the URL of the summary document describing the process and results of your project planning in Step 4.

WA3: Compare and Contrast Microsoft Teams and Slack

Reflect on your experiences with Microsoft Teams and Slack. This will require your team to set up and use Slack as well. Then, respond to the following:

• Which one did you feel more comfortable using?
• What challenges did you face?
• Which platform did your team prefer to use?
• In what ways do they differ?
• Explain suitable situations for using each tool based on its characteristics.

Make sure to address each of the above questions (400–600 words in total) in your initial post. In addition, please make comments on at least two posts that other students have submitted.

Grading Criteria

Grades for weekly discussions will be assigned considering the following:

• Did your response meet the word count limit?
• Was your response well thought out?
• Did your response address all elements of the discussion board question?
• Was your response posted by the due date?
• Did you comment on at least two posts?
• Did you respond in a timely manner to questions, comments, and feedback that other students and the instructor provided?

WA4: Choose and Apply an Individual Productivity Software Program

Please work on the following steps of this activity from the beginning of the week for Lesson 2:

• Step 1: Download a software program of your choice.
• Step 2: Use the tool for at least 3 days to the extent that you understand the challenges and strengths of the tool.
• Step 3: Write and post a reflection (300–600 words) detailing the following:
  • the name and URL of the software program
  • how and in what ways the chosen software program affected your individual productivity
  • your experience using the tool
  • some of the features that you liked and found to be helpful
  • some of the features that you did not like and were not helpful
  • how the tool could help increase work effectiveness
• Step 4: Make comments on at least two other students' posts.

Grading Criteria

Grades for weekly discussions will be based on the following criteria: 

• Did the reflection meet the word-count limit?
• Was the reflection well-thought-out?
• Did the reflection address all elements of the discussion board question(s)?
• Was the reflection posted by the due date?
• Did you comment on at least two posts?
• Did you respond to questions, comments, and feedback that other students and the instructor provided in a timely manner?

WA5: Identify Five Software Programs

Task 1

Please identify five software programs that you plan to use for your productivity, which is part of the semester-long individual project. This exercise is designed to review, identify, and select technologies that fit your needs. Please fill in the table below, and submit it as a Word document.

Task 2

With this weekly activity, you're also required to review two of your peers' submissions. You'll be assigned to the reviews early next week. Your review should be due by next Sunday at 11:59 p.m. (ET). Review the How do I submit a peer review to an Assignment instructions.

Grading Criteria

• Were the responses in the table well-thought-out?
• Did the responses address all elements in the table sufficiently (i.e., my needs, what features of this software could help me to address the need, and application plan)?
• Was the table submitted by the due date?
• Did you review two of your peers' submissions to provide feedback in time?

IP2 Deliverable 1: Paper on Technology Application

Overview

You are required to write a paper that summarizes your application of the five software programs that you have identified for your personal productivity. Begin this project early in the semester and work on it right away. The paper is due toward the end of the semester.

Instructions

• The paper should be a minimum of 11 double‑spaced, typewritten pages. There is no maximum page number.
• You must work individually on this project.
• Write a log periodically (to be part of the paper).

Please note that you need to write a reflection log on the use of technology for personal productivity throughout the course. This reflection log is related to the paper on technology application. You should submit the log as part of the paper. The reflection log is worth 100 points.

Cover at least these topics in your log entries:

• What technology do you include in your log?
• What is your purpose for the use of technology?
• What are your strategies for the use of technology?
• How long have you used it?
• What reflections and insights do you have about the use of technology?
• What is your future plan based on what you have learned so far?

Outline of the Paper

• Areas for application (0.5 pages)
• Technologies used (five or more technologies; 1.5–2 pages)
• Progress and adaptations made (with rationale)
  • Initial set of technologies (describe how you applied, benefits gained, challenges and frustrations faced, new directions discovered, etc.; 2 pages)
  • Midpoint set of technologies (describe how you applied, benefits gained, challenges and frustrations faced, new directions discovered, etc.; 2 pages)
  • Final set of technologies (describe how you applied, benefits gained, challenges and frustrations faced, new directions discovered, etc.; 2 pages)
• Lessons learned (2 pages)
• Future plan (1 page)
• Appendices
  • Reflection log