Loved Blogging

I learned the dynamics of small group communication in this class.  I realized that it is not as easy as it seems to keep a small group active and connected.  I think there are so many aspects of small group communication that can be learned to improvise the overall functioning of the group.

My favorite part of the class was the online discussion, which kept us in contact with all the classmates and the teacher.  I liked the freedom of writing and responding to other posts because it helped me understand other’s perspective.  My least favorite thing about the class was the quiz.  I somehow found the quizzes difficult in spite of studying the chapters.  I wonder if others also found the quizzes and exams tough like me.  I think seeing the attempted quiz and understanding the questions could boost overall quiz performance.  Review of the quiz after the first attempt could help understand where I went wrong and help fix the same mistakes on the next exams.  

Group Observation Project

Working on the group for final Group Observation Project was like seeing real life characteristics of small group communication such as interdependence and interactivity, exponential number of interactions, synergy, and coordinating mechanisms.  I saw that every group member was encouraged by the supervisor to actively participate in the discussion to develop new ideas and ways for making improvement in their mentoring services.  I observed the communication center coaches interacting among themselves and with their supervisor for an hour on two different days.  Two different teachers led the same group of coaches on these days.  I thought the group was working responsibly towards their goal of assisting students with speech and writing queries. I also observed that all the group members had the freedom to work at their own pace and yet be a part of the group.  I saw that the communication between the group was transparent thereby nurturing a healthy atmosphere.  The example where one of the group members decided to put some music in the background with the consensus of everyone displayed their unity and consideration of everyone. 

This exercise was a link between practical implementation of the perceptions and theoretical concepts learned in the class.  So I thought it was a useful exercise because I got to learn the actual dynamics of small group communication.  I think observing a group in more than 2 settings can give a better insight of the actual communication between the groups.