The End

Like a good story, an end to this class is bittersweet. Never have I ever been so relaxed about large projects, papers, presentations, and working with other people. Class wasn't a chore, but just something I did every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at the same time. And, maybe, I actually learned something.
Maybe I didn't really learn much about troubleshooting with a difficult group, because, let's face it, our group meshed really well together. But I did learn a lot about what makes a group work. we all contributed something--whether it be making a powerpoint or bringing snacks--everyone was actively participating in every meeting and every activity. Oddly enough, we didn't really have one particular person step up as a defined leader within the group; everyone took turns leading discussion or getting group meetings rolling. I think this was actually a very positive thing and something that helped our group work efficiently and kept us problem-free. If there is one leader, everyone follows that person and their decisions. But, if everyone has an equal share of the leadership pool, different ideas are approached and each angle and possible problem can be addressed.
Needless to say, I will be sad to see this group go! It's been a pleasure, a learning experience, and a fun time. Go Boiler Volunteers!!

Over and out-
Ellen Rohlfing

Brought up that way

So this week while I was back home for thanksgiving, my dad and I were out working together on the farm. We still have quite a bit of corn out in the fields so we were working on getting that in, but with our operation it takes a couple people and we have to work together in order to make everything work well.

As I look back at my past and growing up my entire life has been team work. Almost anytime we are outside working on the farm its usually teamwork that is needed. We help each other out we work together to make everything run efficient and smoothly as possible. Through my experience with team work growing up has helped me develop my leadership and group skills today. I am so glad that I grew up where and with my family who taught me so many things and especially teamwork ethics.

As this class is coming to an end I see how some of the ways that my family functions on team work and how I have in this group and other groups I see how they relate and how I use these skills. I will continue to use my teamwork skills and leadership skills throughout my life. I am very grateful for this class and everything that Jasmine has taught us. Thank you!

-Amanda Wise

Boiler Volunteers!

Thanks to all of our group members who have made this class really fun. I feel like we did a lot in this class and it was fun because our group worked really well together. Our meetings were very efficient and we were able to rely on each other to complete the work that each of us said we would do. Every one in our group had different skills and talents and we were able to put them to good use.
This class has been enjoyable in general and I feel like I learned more than I do in most of my other classes. At least it is more useful and practical than my other classes. This has been a great class and thank you to my group for making it a great semester in COM320.
~Josh

The Last One

I can't believe that this class is coming to an end, and this will be my last blog post!  Initially, I was a little skeptical about having to post every week, but now I'm glad it was a requirement.  This blog serves as a kind of electronic "scrapbook" for everything that has happened in our group, and its kind of fun to look back and reminisce on all that we have done.  

On a different note, going over our final project today in class made me realize how lucky I am to be with such a great group!  While we have had a couple minor issues along the way, for the most part working with the Boiler Volunteers has been one of the best experiences I have had with group projects.  Like Jasmine said today, we all have something different to contribute to the group, and I think that is what made us so effective.  If one person could not take care of something, another group member would be ready and willing to step in and help.  I don't know if it was the COM 320 textbook that made us all such efficient group members, but I know I will be hard-pressed to find another group as cohesive as this one!!

-Kristen Gilson

Follow the Leader

Leadership is a funny thing. There is no universal description of a good leader; it is completely dependent on the situation, people, and problem at hand. However, apparently, there are several definable leadership traits that can be assesed. They are articulate, perceptive, self-confident, trustworthy, and the list goes on. It sounds like an accurate assesment of a leader to me, but at the same time, it makes me wonder how the ideal leader changes when you move from region to region across the United States as well as into other countries.
Maybe in the midwest we favor a more personable and approachable leader, whereas the northeast could lean towards a more strict and upright leader. Maybe my next door neighbor believes that there should be one leader who makes all the decisions himself or herself and just tells everyone else what to do. I guess my ponit is that maybe the definition of leadership is entirely based upon personal opinion. As with anything, there will be a general trend amongst personal preference (gathered from numerous studies) and a general archetype of a "good leader" will be published. But, then again, today I might need to be one type of leader, and, tomorrow, follow a completely different path.

Just something to think about...
-Ellen Rohlfing

Traits

When we did the traits in class about our group, we wrote down which traits each one of our group members have. I really liked this activity because there were things that did surprise me but then there we also things that did not surprise me at all!

Almost everyone in my group said that I have enthusiasm and I was very encouraging, this fact did not surprise me at all because I have been told this many times throughout my life. I do tend to get very excited about almost everything and I am always wanting to encourage people and I want to make sure that everyone feels wanted and needed in a group or just in general.

The one thing that did surprise me is that a few of my group members wrote that I was a process leader, I would not see myself as this but 3 of my group members said that I was. and the other trait that someone said I had was democratic, I have never thought of myself as being democratic but the more that I think about it I can see it more. It goes along with encouraging and making sure that everyone in the group is happy. I am always wanting to make sure that the entire group has a say in what we are going to do and I don't just do something without asking the group first.

I have learned so much more about myself through this activity.

-Amanda Wise

I am writing this post as a brainstorm for what problems we encountered with our service learning project and what we could do better next time. Please comment on this post if you have any input or think about it and come with ideas for class on Monday.
Even though our project went really well, there is always room for improvement. I think that we should have contacted the center earlier and thought of back-up organizations. We changed the location after the proposal because when Kristen finally was able to reach the coordinator, we found out that there are only 3 students in their program. One problem that some of us experienced was kids acting up. This was not a big problem, but we could have thought of disciplinary actions to take in those cases.
I don't have much more to say at the moment, so any input would be appreciated.

~Josh

Female Leaders?

It's kind of upsetting to know that there are so many pre-existing limitations on women for acquiring leadership roles and high-powered positions in the workplace.  We have actually been studying this in my stereotyping and prejudice class, and I wanted to share some of the theories for why this gender bias exists.  One such theory is called the "role congruity theory," which states that two types of prejudice prevent women from pursuing high-level positions or succeeding when they do obtain such positions.  One form of prejudice stems from the belief that women are less likely than men to be successful in a leadership role.  This belief can prevent women from seeking high-powered roles, and from being selected for them when they do seek them.  This originates from the idea that men are stereotypically seen as more of the "breadwinners" while women are seen as more communal.  The second form of prejudice is that a women face a higher probability of negative evaluations than do men in a similar role.  This is because women leaders occupy roles that violates expectations about what leaders should be like (high-status males) and it violates the expectation of what women should be like (communal).  So ladies, it seems as though we have a lot working against us, but maybe one day we will be seen at an equal level as men and be accepted into these typically male-dominated positions.

-Kristen Gilson

Why Creativity Workshops Work

I was sitting in class the other day during one of our “Creativity Workshops,” thinking to myself, “what makes these workshops so effective?”  And then I realized—they work because they are fun!  I think I said in one of my earlier blogs that I don’t usually have this much fun in class, and I think fun is the key to success.  People who are having fun are happy, and happy people are more motivated to think of creative solutions for the betterment of their group.  I also think it is effective to have a change from the everyday routine of in-class work.  Jasmine said this in class the other day, but I really do think it is true—when the pace of the class is switched up from day to day, it keeps students on their toes and more willing to come to class.  My least favorite class also happens to be my most monotonous class.  Everyday the teacher stands up in front of the class and lectures off of a PowerPoint WITHOUT FAIL.  It is awful. 

So props to all the groups for the great creativity workshops and motivating me to come to every class last week and be more creative!

-Kristen Gilson

I really enjoyed both building activities, canstruction and straw structures. This week we built structures out of drinking straws and tape. We were given the task of building the tallest possible structure with value spent for building materials and value gained for reaching height cut-offs, creativity, and stability.
I found it really difficult when we were given time where only I could talk. Kristen and Brett were good at coming up with ideas and writing or drawing them. We used Kristen's idea to build a hemisphere dome at the base and have one long piece of single connected straws coming through the center. This worked well and won the creativity award, but it was not a very stable structure because the single strand extended way above the dome. All of the creativity workshops were enjoyable and great teambuilding exercises. In the future, I think these workshops should be held closer to the beginning of the semester to strengthen groups when everyone is new.

~Josh