T16: Keeping track

I am amazed at the number of people (read: kids) who come into the my library an hour before closing and need information for an assignment due the next day. Like many Minnesota libraries, mine is a branch of a larger system, which means that the resources needed many not be in my branch at that exact second.

Apparently this is my fault. Several of them have told me so. Time management has nothing to do with it.

I like the idea of an assignment calculator like this. The concept is great. What a great way to help students learn to budget their time. If used properly, I think this tool and others like could really help students of all ages meet deadlines.

Here's my problem with it. If used improperly, it isn't a teaching tool. It is a crutch. I don't know that it actually teaches time management, a skill I see lacking in so many students. All you have to do is plug in a start date and an end date and the project is completely spelled out for you.

Now, a person could use the example of one project's time line and apply it to another and then I say, "Yes, that's learning." But if someone just plugs in dates, then no one is learning anything about time management.

It's just my opinion. But it is my blog. So I'll express it.