Mary commented on - Groups 2 and 3 and Group 5 in Blackboard group area. I could not post to the blog for group five.
Rob commented on - Groups 2 and 4
Chris commented on - Groups 2 and 4
We've been in our group for about a month and are now at the
mid-point of the semester. During the month of February our group focused
on establishing regular communication norms and worked to complete our first
team assignment. We spent a few days getting to know each other
through various communication platforms including blackboard, email, text
messages, Google chat, and Google hangout. Ultimately we have had
the most success using Google Hangouts as it has the capability to allow group
chat, video and email archives. We are discovering the skills and talents
of each group member. It has been a difficult task to coordinate schedules
as each member has many different obligations; we also have to manage the fact
that at least one of our group members lives two time zones
away. Mary and Rob have had a few phone conversations and even
conducted writing and editing session over the phone. So far things have gone smoothly, but we need to continue communicating frequently with each
other to ensure that nothing falls through the cracks.
Our first group
assignment for the month was to write a historical perspective on two
educational leaders. Before we connected as a group, we posted documents
in our Blackboard planning area. Later, we learned how to share folders
in EBSCO Host. The group decided to pair up into two smaller groups and
focus on Paulo Freire and Malcolm Knowles, both of whom offered
considerable influence to the field of adult education. To divide up
the work Mary and Rob wrote the portion focused on Freire while Chris and Ben
worked on Knowles. It was definitely a challenge to coordinate so
many different perspectives into one paper, but it seems like we were
successful enough to get it done in the time allowed.
As we shift our attention to the month of March, the group
determined which steps should be taken to divide up the work for our adult
education program paper. Each group member searched for unique adult
education programs. We shared program names and links via email so that all members
could review the possibilities before making the decision to explore a local
arts program in Muncie and a national community-based diabetes prevention
program. We will have a final draft ready for all to review before it is
submitted. There was a little confusion on who was doing what and when with a
little duplication of effort. For the Important Adult Organizations, due
on April 1, we plan to be more clear on expectations and deadlines to
complete our work in March.
Can you tell me a little more about Google hangout? This is something I am unfamiliar with and would like to more about.
ReplyDeleteIt seems as if your group is doing well working and learning from each other. I must be more difficult working with someone in a different time zone. Keep up the good work.
Hi Petra,
ReplyDeleteGoogle hangout is a feature available withing Google+. Another way to think of it is an online chat tool. Besides typing messages you do have the ability to use a microphone and/or webcam as well. You and one person can have a conversation or an entire group. A record of the text-based conversation is saved in your Google/gmail account. Does this give you a better idea of what it does?
I was really interested in reading your groups monthly summary because of the size of your group. It's interesting because one would think that a larger group may make things easier, when in actuality it could be very challenging. I know that Antonette and I only need to communicate with each other, split assignments in half, and then combine at the end. This makes communication and expectations pretty clear and easy to follow. I'm so impressed by how you all actually used Google Hangout and the phone to collaborate and edit. It seems that with four people the smaller pairs are forced to work together more closely because you are writing the same parts! Good job Group 1! I applaud your dedication to the group work!
ReplyDeleteKatie Ferguson
Katie - I often complain about group work, both publicly and privately, but do think it's a good exercise in real-world activities. Doing things by myself always seems like it would be the easiest route, however I do find working in groups brings in many other perspectives and viewpoints. I think the overall products we create as a team are better than what I could have created on my own.
DeleteGroup 1, I enjoyed reading your posts and I am happy to see the "group" concept at work. I am happy to read that your group earned high marks for meeting expectations and presenting a cohesive paper. As a life learner, I am very much aware of the daily struggles in life as an adult learner, working full time, traveling for your job or for pleasure while maintaining a stable home environment requires creativity and support from your group. It is good to see that you all were able to work around the various time constraints and time zones, facing challenges and obstacle to complete the task at hand. Congrats on your rapport and group accomplishments this far. I am looking forward to developing a cohesiveness within my group, dividing responsibilities and designating roles in preparation for our next paper.
ReplyDeleteThanks, JoAnn
DeleteGroup 1,
ReplyDeleteThrough college I always found it difficult to work in groups even when we were in the same class and interacted on a daily basis. It seemed that everyone had their own priorities, whether that be parties, different classes, etc. It was good to see that even though it took some time to get use to everyone, you managed to make it work. I was lucky enough to only have one other student in my group. We had a very easy transition in that we never had to worry about anyone else.
I wish we would have taken advantage of some of the technology that was available to help our group work together more. The information you were able to share helped your assignments to come across as one complete paper. Great job working together to complete your assignments by the deadline and planning ahead so no one is overwhelmed.
ReplyDelete