One of the great strengths of Project-Based Learning (PBL) is that students learn the skills they need to successfully see a job through all the way to completion. They learn to break large tasks into smaller ones, prioritize and sequence those tasks into manageable chunks that can be executed in one sitting. They also learn to delegate tasks to group members and to check-in to confirm that those tasks actually got completed. This is a set of skills that many students (and adults) struggle with, and are skills that turn great thinkers into great do-ers. As students master these skills, it makes sense to introduce them to technology tools that support the kinds of project management tasks they’re doing.
DoIt.im is the best to-do list manager I’ve found for managing to-do’s as part of larger projects. It allows you to create projects and list out to-do tasks to help you get closer to the goal. It also allows you to enter your group members’ emails so you can send them tasks and see when they’ve been completed. Your tasks can be viewed on a calendar by due date, or in various lists according to different characteristics of the task (due date, context, project, contact, etc).
Doit.im is designed to be compliant with David Allen’s influential productivity manual, Getting Things Done (GTD). It’s a great way to get students interested in this excellent method for handling busy workloads at school and work.
The tool has an HTML5 web app which syncs to apps for iOS, Android, and Adobe AIR (for Mac, Windows, and Linux desktop computers). Its eye-candy UI compares favorably with other attractive new to-do managers like Wunderlist and Springpad, while its feature set is more complete… more akin to my old favorite RememberTheMilk. The thing I prefer about DoIt.im is that you don’t have to dig down too deep into the user manual in order to find a workflow that supports project-oriented workflows. Everything is simple and organized towards that way of working.
See also my post about Trello— another project management app that would be a great choice for project based learning.
Related articles
- Web App Review: Doit.im Brings a Cross-Platform GTD Experience To The Masses (lifehack.org)
- Doit.im: Tips (doitim.blogspot.com)
- Project-Based Learning (taraprogram2011.wordpress.com)
- Project Based Learning – what did I learn? (darcymullin.wordpress.com)
- Doit.Im: User Friendly Task Management Tool (mt-soft.com.ar)
- Project Based Learning and At Risk Students: How it Can Help (brighthub.com)
- Doit.im, Get Things Done (GTD) Application Made in China for the World (techrice.com)
- Constructionist in Practice (mrsnuffer.wordpress.com)
- Exhausted, But Still Thinking (teachermrw.com)
Liked this post? Follow this blog to get more.
2 Responses