I am taking an English course at the University of Cincinnati. I have to say that it is nothing like I expected it to be. So far, I have enjoyed the class but this assignment, creating a fictional restaurant website, is way out of my comfort zone and honestly, it terrifies me. I visited several sites about collaborative writing in online classes. Each site had helpful information, but my uneasiness about the situation still remains.
In the real world, I work well with others and I tend to be very easy to get along with. I do tend to be one of those people that has a problem asking for help. I am not good at explaining things, but I can show you how to do it. I have very little patience and I am somewhat of a control freak. I also procrastinate and have a crazy, busy schedule with work, family, and school. I think that the group project in theory is a good idea, however, I’m just not real sure about how well the end results will be. I fear that some will not contribute in a timely or efficient manner or that some will only perform their duties to a minimum. I don’t like depending on others to do a job. I have never had to do any online group work and really don’t know what to expect but can only hope for the best outcome.
I am older than most in my class and I have my reservations about the technological side of our assignment. I believe that it would be beneficial for our group to schedule live chat sessions at multiple times. We also need to exchange numbers and emails so that spur of the moment questions can be answered or problems be averted. Each person needs a checklist and needs to communicate openly with the rest of the group. I also think that final drafts should be agreed upon by all members of the group before being submitted. There are multiple ways to make our tasks easier and I have listed some very helpful websites below. My favorite site was http://www..facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/how-to-design-effective-online-group-work-activities/ because it explained how to be successful at group work and also listed several collaboration tools. I also found a YouTube video that discussed the problems with implementing online group work and also offered alternatives. I had hoped their would be more positive feedback out there to help calm my fears for this assignment but it seems that the majority of the public also have the same fears and issues.
Thanks,
Honey Stivers
Helpful & Insightful links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPsioH_ISyM
http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts.writing-groups/writing-group-starter-kit/.
http://www.wpi.edu/Academics/ATC/Collaboratory/Teaching/groupwork.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_5868411_work-groups-online-study.html
Honey Stivers ePortfolio 