Reflection on Classroom Week 1

This week in class, our group was super efficient.  We made an initial order for almost 1,000 dollars worth of calendars, and our cafe idea is really starting to come together.  I've already worked with each kid in this group, so I'm somewhat confused as to why our group is so much more efficient right now.  In fact, I expected our group to be far less successful, because one of our group members was out with a fever all week long, and another was in Michigan for the second half of the week.  Yet, despite these absences, this was by far the most effective group I've been in yet.  I think that part of our improvement is simply a result of practice.  For most of us, this is our fifth project.  We're starting to get a feel and a sense of how to pace ourselves to obtain success in this class.  However, I think the drastic improvement is due to something more than that.  My theory is that Trello provides our group with a sense of organized achievement.  Everything is documented in Trello, so we know what has been done, and where the holes in our projects are.  As we documented what we did the previous day, it became evident what our next step was.  For example, the day after we got the pictures, it was clear the next day we had to assemble and order the calendars.  Last quarter, my groups suffered from a lack of any kind of system.  Group had minimal communication, and everything was done separately.  Trello fixes this.  Trello basically acts like an advanced Google Document, in which everybody can contribute to the final project, making groups more collaborative instead of individualistic.  I am very happy about how things went last week, and I am optimistic and hopeful that Trello will continue to benefit my groups.