Favorite Concept

One of my favorite concepts about this course was diversity and steryotypes.  I think that groups really work better in a diverse environment where they can exchange different ideas and viewpoints.  This can also be a struggle when people dont understand the different communication styles of different cultures.  This is also where sterotypes come in.  Many people create pre consieved ideas of how people are and this can have a negative effect on a group.  I think these two ideas are very realistic ones and something I encounter on a daily basis.  We live in a diverse state and need to be able to adapt to the different people and work environments.  People need to look past their sterotypes and not judge a "book by its cover". 

Class review

I really enjoyed this class and thought that creating a blog is the way to go!  I have never had a blog before and enjoyed writing my thoughts and reading everyone elses blogs.  I also really appreciated the chapter summaries that was provided to us on a weekly basis.  The chapter notes were really helpful on quizzes and tests.  I really liked the movie essay assignment and thought that was a clever way to apply some of the concepts we have learned.  I really dont have any suggestions to make the class better because I felt everything went really smoothly.  Actually, the one suggestion I have is to have the week end on Sunday not Saturdays... lots of people are busy with different events and activities Saturday and wait till Sunday to get their work done.  Other than that, I really enjoyed the class and would recommend it to other students. 

Group Observation

I thought the idea of group observation was good and bad.  I thought being the one observing the group gave a new perspective to see how a group operates and where the groups stronger and weaker parts are.  However I feel that in order to see if a group is running successfully you need to be apart of the group.  You experience this first hand then you know what works and what doesn't.  I felt that only observing a group for a few visits wasnt necessarily enough time to see what the group's flaws are.  Overall, I learned alot about group observation and the different things that make a group more effective. 

Collaboration vs Competition

When a group collaborates there ideas to solve a problem, it becomes a win win sitaution.  Everyone inputs what they feel would be best in the situation.  With these ideas the group picks which ones they feel would work best for their group.  In this form of communication people are more conciensus of how others feel and take the time to really listen and ackowledge the others ideas and oppinions.  In a competition environment it seems people are more ruthless.  Everyone agrees to play by the same rules and there is some team work involved.  People can get a bit out of control and with a group of competitive people, people will not be as considerate of others.  I really prefer the collaboration method to get ther job done.  It is important to get your group involved and if you can get a solution that is a combination of several ideas than I think the group will be more effective with solving the problem. 

Role playing

There were many interesting concepts from the two chapters.  Chapter 11 had a section about role playing.  According to the book, role playing allows for its participants to experience and discuss the parts of a problem.  I have had assignments where we had to put oursleves in anothers position to figure out the best way to solve a problem.  Like last weeks reading, it takes creativity to come up with characters and a plot to effectively solve a problem.  Both of these chapters were very informative and there were lots of concepts to choose from. 

Ch11 post

Chapter eleven had alot of information this week.  To answer this weeks question:  A forum is an interactive type of presentation where the speaker presents a question or problem to the audience and different audience members give their oppinion or solution.  This is a great way to keep an audience interested in the topic, especially when they need to give feedback.  A panel is a public presentation where four to eight members discuss how to solve problems.  I have experienced this format when I have sat in on our city hall meetings.  A panel has an agenda that they need to stick to and time is also kept during the meeting.  A colloquium is similar to a panel where experts from different backgrounds discuss different issues.  The audience is also involved and asks questions for the experts to discuss.  There is also a moderator who keeps the experts on track.  A symposium is a series of 2-6 short speeches that gives information on different aspects to a problem.  Befor the symposium takes place, the speakers take the time to divide the information; who gets to say what... When I am apart of group presentations I prefer the symposium style.  i have had the most experience with this form of presenting and feel that everything runs smoother when people are assigned to a topic and become experts on the information they are presenting.

Creative post 3

I thought one of the significant things about this chapter was the section on emotional barriers... something that I struggle with creativity.  Chapter 10 states that," we often seek approval of others for our ideas, rather than risk being wrong," (p.169).  I have experienced this on several different occasions.  As much as I dont want to admit it to myself, I do care what other people think.  In group projects I have been less eager to state my idea for fear that people would reject it.  To be creative, we need to be able to let go of our control on the situation and just give it a try.  If I didnt care so much about what others think than I could have presented my ideas and they may have also felt that they were good ideas.  I think that in many situations we second guess ourselves and this takes away from our creativity.  I know I am always in my head saying that this idea isnt good enough or that it wont work, instead of just giving it a try.  I think for me it is easier to be creative when I am alone on a project than having to express myself in a group environment.  I think in my case emotional barriers get the best of me rather than cultural barriers.