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. 

cultural barriers

According to chapter 10, the different cultural barriers that can impact creativity are: requirement for conformity, expectation of practicality and efficiency, arenas for competition or cooperation, an expectation of politeness and following the rules of social order, and a trust in the power of reason and logic.  I think that all of these can definitely put restraints on creativity but the one that stands out to me the most is the requirement of conformity.  If you are forced to conform to what is considered to be normal than that takes away from people being able to express themselves and be individuals.  I have experienced this before.  For a few years I went to a Catholic school where all the children were required to wear uniforms.  I have always felt that what we wear can say alot about who we are, and gives us the freedom to express how we are feeling through style and color.  I was forced to conform to the school rules and wear the same uniform as everyone else. 

Creativity post 1

Chapter 10 states that "creativity is the result of looking at things and seeing them in new ways", (p.164).  After reading this chapter, I didn't realize that some of the things I do on a daily basis can be considered creative.  The book gives the example of trying to find a new route to work to get around the traffic... who would have thought that that is considered creative?  When I think of the ways that I really go out of my way to be creative, I immediately think of one of the things I love to do... cook.  I really enjoy cooking recipes but then maybe replacing some spices or ingredients with others to see if the taste will be better.  I also like to be creative when I decorate.  My boyfriend and I just moved in together and Ive gone a little crazy buying new decorative bowls for the kitchen and cool pictures for the living room.  There are many ways to be creative other than being an artist or a chef; as this chapter illustrates the littlest things we do can be considered as creative, we just may not realize it. 

Question # 3

I thought one of the more interesting parts of the chapter was the section on Facebook.  I am doing another project about the uses and gratifications when using Facebook and this section provided alot of good information.  Facebook is such an extraordinary thing to me because it allows for us to build or relationships with others when they are thousands of miles away.  It allows for us to keep in touch with people who we dont talk to on a regular basis.  Our facebook profiles also helps show our personalities.  We are able to share our likes and dislikes and find people with the same kinds of interests.  I really liked this section and it had alot of great information that could also help with this project. 

Chapter 15 post 1

There are many differences in the way we communicate F2F and CMC.  I personally don't have a preference in which style of communication and have had good experiences with both.  However, I do feel that the good old fashion F2F communication is very effective when you are working in a group.  Like we have discussed in previous chapters, there is more to communication than just verbal.  With F2F communication we are able to see people's body language and get a vibe about whether or not they agree something or not.  I also feel that with F2F communication you are able to get instant feedback.  If there was something that I didn't understand and we were working on a group project over the computer, it could take an hour or even a day to get a response for my question that I would have needed quicker.  With F2F conversation you get instant gratification because you have your whole group in front of you to give you the answer instantly.  I have done several projects both F2F and over the computer.  Overall I have found that groups have more complications with communication when they are online talking online than if they were in person.