What I learned this week

This week I learned the techniques on how to develop a discussion plan with a group. First you must get acquainted with your group members. Secondly you need to clarify the goals of the group. Next you need do develop a plan for gathering information and analyzing the issue. Following that you need to follow a structured agenda to accomplish the task. You should be supportive of other group members. Then finally the group need to determine how to present you information. I also learned other things but this is the most important thing I learned this week.

LaMon Lacey

Google Docs

This past week, our Com 320 class had to work in new groups to solve problems via a task force. Since there was such a short notice for this assignment, and none of us had time to meet outside of class, we decided to use the Google Docs. When dealing with a group on a short time limit, this is one of the best websites I have ever used to collaborate ideas. Google Docs allowed us to upload the power point notes we had taken in class. By using the 4 Guys and a Girl password, we were able to all simultaneously work on this project on the internet. It allowed us to complete the project using all of our ideas on our own time. Not only did we save time, but we were able to turn in a well constructed power point.

I recommend any group needing to work on some type of document to use Google Docs.

http://docs.google.com/

Audrie-5

4 guys and a girl

After several weeks, our groups' interpersonal skills and organization has helped us to transform into a cohesive group. We have not had any problems with meta discussions due to the groups' awareness of our goals in which we are trying to achieve. We have been very productive with our community service project by meeting consistently every week to discuss our plans and give each other feedback. Meetings have been productive and concise because everyone plays out their role to get tasks accomplished. As we get closer to our service project event, we will review each members' role in the project to avoid techniques that might cause conflicts to make it a complete success.

Preparing to Collaborate

This week we were placed into new working groups to solve a case study. Our group naturally went through the steps of preparing to collaborate in sequence which we covered in chapter 8. When we first got acquainted with our group members, everyone gave a brief introduction of themselves and exchanged e-mails and telephone numbers. After reading our case study, we clarified the goals for our group and who should carry out which tasks. Then we developed a plan for analyzing the issues and information addressed. By being supportive towards our group members and their decisions, there was no problems with coming up with solutions for the case study. In the end, we were able to determine how to present our information by using the following steps.
1. Identify and define our problem
2. Analyze the problem
3. Generate several possible solutions to satisfy our customers from Jet Blue Airlines
4. Select the best possible combinations of solutions

By keeping ourselves organized and following through with our well-structured plans, our group was able to stay on track and accomplish our goals.

Julian Stevens

Problem Solving and Decisions

During class last week we listened to Jasmine lecture about problem solving, and we did an activity to prioritize a list of items based on a given scenario. We should when we encounter such a problem do the following:

Identify the problem

Analyze the problem

Generate solutions

Select the best solution

Test and implement solutions

When the activity actually took place, we certainly identified the problem and analyzed it to some extent. We generated individual solutions, and then cam together to generate a final solution. As a group we saw each others' perspectives on the scenario and were able to see and understand other solutions to the problem. As an individual it was more difficult to generate solutions because of time and a single mind analyzing the problem. Once we discussed the solutions as a group, we were able to select the best solution. Our score reflected our ability to generate several solutions and selecting the best one. Our group score was much better than most of the individuals, which shows the importance of following the problem solving methods and working in a group.
-Marcus

Problem Solving Techniques and Decision Making

In class this week, we were given an assignment in which we had to utilize problem-solving techniques. I was able to get a better comprehension on how to analyze the given situation by using the is/is not analysis deriving from ch.10. This technique ensured that I was not just analyzing the symptoms, but also the problem. After some time, we were able to get into our groups in order to take more time to deliberate and focus more on the best possible solutions for the given situation. This was a great exercise because it allowed for us to practice other techniques that we had learned prior, such as decision making. During our group interaction, communication was disrupted due to other competing tensions pulling the conversation into multiple directions. This is also known as the dialectical theory. The hardest stage was the conflict stage. There were several attempts at changing others' opinions and reinforcing each individuals' opinion. However, at the end our group was able to come up with concrete solutions to our problems in which we were trying to accomplish.

Julian Stevens

Conflict within the Group

Our group's main goal is to complete our service learning project, however we have had a few trials along the way. Our first and main problem is showing up on time. We meet every Tuesday at 8:00 in Hicks Library. This time has been set aside since the beginning, but it seems every time we meet, someone is running at least 10 minutes behind. Although that is not a long time period, 10 minutes makes a big difference when the group is just waiting to start. At our next group meeting, this is one of the main things we need to talk about. Our project execution is coming up, and I want to make sure that everyone shows up on time.

The other conflict we have relates to being on time. Showing up for class is something that not everyone is our group can be counted on to do each period. It is becoming more important for everyone to come to class because time has been set aside for group work in the upcoming days. If our entire group is not there, we will not be able to accomplish everything we want to.

Even though we have conflict our group has been able to work through it because so far according to social exchange theory, the benefits outweigh the negatives. Unless that changes, we will be able to continue our group work, but we need to address this issue before negatives appear.

Audrie-4