Team Charter: Educational Online Discourse Communities

Writing for the Workplace - Dr. Christa Teston

Our educational online discourse community research will last through the end of
the current semester. This research will be conducted at two locations; Thomas
Jefferson Elementary School and Ann A. Mullen Middle School. The research is
based on team-produced deliverable which requires all team members to be
active and productive throughout the project.

All team members will have roles that require open communication to allow for
clear expectations to be met. All team members will have responsibilities that
are to be fulfilled through out the research. All team members will work together
to produce a final product.

Part 1: Mission Statement

As a team, we agree to proportionally divide responsibilities and casework in
order to produce a comprehensive final project. Each team member will have
specific roles and tasks in order to be active in the research. When the project
calls for the team to work together we will either meet at a communal destination
or use Google docs as a discourse community.

Part 2: Ground Rules

o All assigned work should be completed by the designated date and
time or submission.
o All team members must be present at group meetings and on site
days.
o All team members must agree when making decisions regarding
the project.
•
• Part 3: Team Procedures and Responsibilities

Project Task
o Team members will participate in conducting interviews and
surveys
o Take notes while observing on site as well as analyzing the online
websites
o Team members will share all documentations among team
members via Google docs, email, or through meeting.
• Communication
o Arranging times to meet outside of class
o Notifying other team members of absence, lateness, extenuating
circumstances
o Informing other team members of work done on the project
o Discussing issues or concerns with other team members
• Code of Conduct
o All team members must come to meetings prepared
o All team members must participate in meetings and work sessions
 o All team members must complete assigned tasks on time
• Part 4: Team Qualification Assessment
• As a team we all have qualifications to bring to the table. As a
whole we plan on using the skills we have acquired individually to
contribute to the research.
• Lauren Criscione- As an undergraduate students in the College of
Communication, I plan on using my interpersonal skills and
communication interests in combination with the educational
backgrounds of the other members of this group. With my
communication background, I am equipped with the skills to
analyze the communication methods used on the online school
websites to determine if they are effective and work to decide
through research if there are more efficient ways to go about
communication between teachers and their students’ parents.
• Jessica McDevitt- Being an undergraduate student in Writing Arts
and Elementary Education, I have learned skills that pertain to this
research. For example, in the Writing Arts major we have been
exposed to variety of genres and have been taught professional
writing. This is particularly useful in this research because I have
the knowledge to analyze the writing on the websites. Minoring in
Elementary Education will give me insight on what the websites
should have available to benefit the students. Also due to this
minor I am comfortable with the language and discourse educators
use.
• Stephanie Schecter- As an undergraduate student in the College of
Arts and Science, specifically studying English and Writing Arts, I
have learned skills that can be applied to this research. I have
completed two core courses that pertained to research and online
communication methods. This is useful with our research because
we are specifically conducting a study on online discourse
communities. I have acquired knowledge in the several Education
courses required for my major which will allow me to understand
the language used in schools during our research.
• Part 5: Schedule
Jessica McDevitt: Email: jkmcdevitt208@yahoo.com Phone: (609) 605-3329
Lauren Criscione: Email: crisci57@students.rowan.edu Phone: (973)902-8844
Stephanie Schecter: Email: Stephschecter@gmail.com Phone:(856)534-1606

Team Availability
The following days and times during the spring semester, February to May 2011,
our team has set aside availability to work on the research. We have all agreed
that the times designated are the most convenient for all team members
involved.
Monday 7pm-9pm
Wednesday 5pm-8pm
Saturday 12pm-4pm