For my Wicked Problem Project I created a website for the summer camp I am a counselor for. The reason I chose this was to solve the problem of lack of parent communication. The part I was most excited about was the blog page. Here are some comments about how the project went/is going:
The project was implemented as planned. Camp started last week and the website was up and running. There were a few glitches though. The "Meet the Counselors" link is supposed to talk about all of the counselors. I don't know the other counselors well and asked them if they would please write at least a couple sentences about themselves. I even offered to type it in for them. This has not happened yet. I'm hoping this task will get accomplished by the end of next week. Not to mention the fact that I haven't even met all of the counselors yet. Another thing that didn't happen as planned is the blog page. I expected parents to comment on the blog and there have not been any comments yet.
To me, the best evidence of success would be parents typing in on the blog page. Although this has not happened yet, there has been some verbal evidence such as parents knowing what we are doing that day ahead of time. I had some parents know that we were going to go bowling on Thursday and the only way they could have known that is from looking at the web page. One parent came in and asked me "What is Neukem?" (a kid-friendly version of volleyball) and we hadn't even played it yet so I know their child didn't come home and tell them that they played it that day. Another parents said to me "You graduated from Central? So did I!" They must have read that on the "Meet the Counselors" link. These are only example of comments that were made to me. I'm pretty sure that comments were made to some of the other counselors as well. I think that these are a few examples of success in addressing the problem.
If I had an opportunity to do a similar project in the future, there would be a few things I would do differently. First, I would advertise the website way more in advance. Possibly put it on the camp registration information. I would also put a form in the registration packet asking parents if their child can have their picture posted on our website. It was disappointing when I realized I couldn't use any pictures of my campers without written permission. I can't believe I didn't think of that ahead of time. Also, the fact that all of the counselors are not yet on the "Meet the Counselors" page is unacceptable. This should have been taken care of before implementation and now the link is unprofessional looking. I think that just having experienced the implementation of this project will help me with similar projects in the future. I guess the biggest thing would be more preparation before implementation.
I think my website turned out really well so there wouldn't be a ton of things I would change except for what I already said in the above questions. Next time I probable will not count on counting on other people to participate in the website. If they want to help then that's great but I shouldn't let the professionalism of the website contingent on their participation.
Even though you haven't had any official comments on the website, I think it is neat that there is evidence of parents viewing your website and even making personal connections. Maybe you could create a quick questionnaire for the other counselors to fill out and then create a bio for them. If they don't like it then they can change it!
ReplyDeleteI love your idea of having a website for summer camp. I also work at a summer camp and think that it would be a great way for parents to be informed about what is coming up. It is difficult that the other counselors have not helped you so that their information can also be displayed on the site. I hope they cooperate with you. Great work!
ReplyDeleteThat is so wonderful that your website has already helped you make connections with some of the parents. It is cool that you can see they are using it just by your interactions with them. Since you are having trouble getting a bio from the other counselors, maybe you could create a survey for them to take and then create a bio for them from the information you gathered. Just a thought. Good luck with the rest of summer camp!
ReplyDeleteI love that you are getting feedback from parents. I think that it is a great idea to put camp registration information on the website. This will help parents become familiar with the site before camp even starts. Good luck with the rest of camp and I hope you continue to get more feedback from parents.
ReplyDeleteI think that once others see how successful you were this first year with your website, they will jump on board for next year. Many folks out there are still so tech-shy. My team experienced this last school year with our websites. We had them all interconnected so students and parents had easy access. Some of us updated while some did not. Once people see how much more involved and knowledgeable your parents are about camp, you will see more people willing to be involved. Good luck with the rest of camp!
ReplyDelete