I couldn’t be happier about the comments that I’ve received from my peers. It’s really great to get peer comments because they were able to give some of the most insightful and meaningful feedback I’ve had at UMASS, so far. This goes to show that more power should be put into students hands when it comes to their own education. Through our thorough examination of our peers, and of group dynamics I feel like we’ve all gained insight into the different ways in which people can perceive you. The most common word within the feedback was the word “helped”, I was happy to see that I was able to help so many people throughout this semester, and realized that we really became a solid group because we became reliant on one another. None of the feedback I got was negative, but the most helpful one was one suggesting that I give the class a new perspective on what’s being talked about, I realize that that is such an achievement for me because I feel as if this class was really hard and at times I was very confused but I was still able to maintain that perception. I’ve worked hard to keep a balance of not being too opinionated and also being respectful during my time here. I’m a pretty passionate person, so I know that I need to be cautious of not being too overpowering, my goal has always been to express my views but make sure that everyone else feels comfortable expressing their own views. When I received my comments I realized that many of my peers did in fact think of me as being that “type” of group member: “ Aly is a good mediator and has the group in mind, not herself. She wants everyone’s opinions to be heard and takes in what everyone says. Even the people who disagree- very open-minded”. This perception, and other things written by my peers, makes me realize that I am putting out what I need to be putting out in order to achieve success. It’s really important to be involved and also to be a good listener in my opinion, so I am happy that those types of things are associated with my role within the group.
Aly=Coordinator/Recorder/Initiator
4. Goal-setting is a responsibility that I share. If true, explain how
Because each person within the group is as important as the other, it is important that goal-setting is a shared responsibility. If one person were in charge of goals (like in normal classes) we wouldn’t be as successful in understanding the group dynamic and personal frames. The success of the group is based on mutually shared responsibility.
5. I have been instrumental in marshalling resources for the group. If true, explain how.
I feel as if it’s important to bring to the group whatever it is that you can offer because it could be something very different than what the next person has. An example of this is when I proposed the idea of creating a personal page sort of aspect to our wiki project. This was a resource that no one had thought to suggest, and even though it wasn’t something we chose to go by, I still feel as if it helped the groups movement forward.
10. Our class/group has all the roles necessary to achieve optimum group growth and productivity. If true, explain. If false, which role(s) are we missing?
True because of all of the group dynamic material and all the learning about group dynamics that we have done this semester we should be able to achieve optimum group growth. Because we are training and identifying various member roles I feel as if we are now able to have more precise and accurate analysis of group situations and of roles required in order to achieve optimum growth.
11. Our class/group has not yet generated effective work on the problem of role-requiredness. If true, what role have you been playing? If false, what evidence – on the group level – supports your claim?
False, the group has been able to prosper and has generated effective work when it comes to roles. Because we are at stage III of development, we know each other better now and are able to bring different aspects to a group depending on what the specific group (members) needs.
12. My role(s) in the class/group and different sub-group teams has changed depending on the stage of development. If false, why not, and what does having a static, unchanging role “do” to or for the group? If true, fill out the chart below.
It seems like I wrote F on the first test (I’m not sure if my answer key is right however because I dont agree with my F answer) My roles have definetly changed within the group depending on the stage of development!
15. I have role flexibility. If true, explain with three or more specific examples from class. If false, what are the adverse consequences to your teams and the class/group-as-a-whole?
1.Initiator-contributer: Many times ( generally within the storming stage) during creating the wiki I felt as if our group would get very stuck and frustrated quickly. By purposing new ideas to the group (personal pages, brining up the relevance of frames to the proj.), I was hoping that the suggests would help the difficulties our group has encountered.
2. Recorder: Generally within our subgroups and even in the larger group I have the tendency to write down suggestions, decisions, ideas etc. When our schien, music and evaluation groups got together to collaborate I was almost always the one who wrote everything down.,. in many instances during this class I have helped others by providing them with notes and or emailing reminders about deadlines, procedures, etc.
3.Coordinator: I find myself (within the fishbowls) trying to tie together diverse ideas and suggestions that are given. In many instances I have listened to someone else idea or suggestion and have been able to “piggy-back” my ideas into the conversation. I also have found it to be really helpful to be a good listener, and realize that a way to show that one if listening is to be able to tie ideas and suggestions into one another. In order to be a succesul coordinator one needs to be a good listener, and pretty organized. Coordinators also coordinate activities of various members or subgroups and I find myself doing that often through conversations and emails within our sub groups (Schien, music, eval., fishbowl)
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16. Developing role flexibility is an important objective of group member training. The three roles I flex among the most are: a) initiator, b)recorder, and c)coordinator. My decision to flex is based upon: –
1~Which sub group I’m in: Fishbowls tend to need more of an initiator type because people tend to be a little quiet and afraid, while small sub groups generally need a recorder/coordinator type because most people don’t want to do those jobs
2~Comfort level of group members: in class (many times in the fishbowls) people get uncomfortable and or quiet when something isn’t understood or when we just don’t know the answer to a confusing questions, at that time I think it is most important to step into the initiator role.
18. I never find myself resisting the retraining required to be a functional group member. If true, are you saying you never experience tension or anxiety in the class/group? Explain. If false, how does your resistance tend to show itself in role behavior
I answered true to this and in reality (even though it might be hard to believe) I don’t feel as if I’ve resisted retraining. Since the beginning I have been aware that this class was going to question or normative boundaries, so I’ve had in my mind to be as open as possible. I think it’s because I’ve had similar teachers and classes to this, that I have been able to really grasp the new concepts we are learning. At one point Steph helped me find the group member role I needed to play, when I emailed her voicing some frustrations she explained to me what I needed to do in order to be most succesfull. I would say that I do still experience tension/anxiety in the group, but that I’m open and aware of the need for retraining.
The Music Groups future goals
C) As the music group progresses our plans are getting more and more refined. As both Dan and Matt are focusing on local bands, a goal is to provide information about them, along with performace dates and locations. Matt and Dan hope to create a visually apealing and informative layout that includes photo’s and links to their websites. While only Alex and I have practiced the song we are going to perform, our desirable goal is to bring at least one or two other people who play instruments into the song, as we only have piano and vocals at this point. Our goal with this song is to create an effective and collaborative group within our larger group. While the song would still be fantastic with just piano and vocals, it would bring a fuller sound if there were more instruments involved and would also involve more members of the class. All the tasks are set forth for the recording; Matt has the ability/equipment to record the song, and we will work with and rely on the Design team to either put it on the homepage of the Wiki, or to limit it just to the music group’s page.
music group
The Music group is divided into sub groups: one group is going to local shows and photographing the bands to venue local artists the information we get (where these concerts are and when for example) will be posted on our music page. If possible, we will briefly interview the bands asking them ”What makes their band a dynamic group?” The second group is working on creating a song for the website (it’s helpful that almost everyone in the group plays an instrument.)
Grading Proposal
Our group’s focus is on grading within our group dynamics class. Because there is so much to devle into we haven’t decided fully on anything but here are some ideas
-a dot/star system where group/class/Steph members are able to rate your capability within the group (I think it might have been suggested that a person could give themselves a dot perhaps, when they miss a certain task that was assigned to them)
-A Peer Evaluation criteria: Feedback from peers/self eval. about contributions as a group member to Wiki Project. This would count as 50% of our grade (we’re hoping that since 50% of our grade would be based on the project, people would be more encouraged to participate-they still have the ability to better their grade)
-Teacher Assigned Evaluation- considering the fact that Steph has graded/thoroughly read all homework assignements we thought it would be best if she grades us on this portion. Homework would count as about 35%
-Attendance and Contributions- this will hopefully be done mostly by Steph, maybe peer or self eval. The dot/star system could be used as a way for peers to express individuals contributions. Attendance/Contributions would count as about 15%
We also thought it might be helpful to allow a 5 minute time for a class meeting. This meeting could be in our smaller group or the bigger group. The meeting would address things like 1.which group members met 2.what was accomplished 3.next steps 4.group progression * this is also where the star/dot system could be instilled. We feel like this meeting is important because one of the most important things within a group dynamic is for the group to stay in contact and have open communication.
If you know Aly C.-answer, please!
http://kevan.org/johari?name=Summer22
cool quiz-thing, this is something we could possibly have accesible on our site?
What’s Wrong with Writing Sideways and Averting Eye Contact
When Steph was asked about her sideways writing on the board, it was evident that she was excited about the question. Steph realized that she was straying from “the norm” or the expected, and was so excited because she was proud to fall outside of these boundaries. Steph constantly proves that when one steps outside our cultural normative boundaries they are met with concern, question and in many cases ridicule. John was faced with this problem through out his entire life, because he had Asperbergers his understanding of life strayed from the norm. John learned tactics that would help him function closer to our standard of “normal” and therefor was met with less ridicule and questions. It is interesting, but not surprising that there are such diverse understandings of the title on the book because we are all coming from diverse experiences and backgrounds. One quote states that she didn’t think twice about the title and that she assumed its meaning: “I didn’t think twice! If I were to think I would assume he is angry for the fact that people don’t look him in the eye when they talk to him.” This quote shows that the person writing it felt as Id there were certain “normal” reactions and expectations that could come from this title. Making assumptions about what is and is not the right or wrong meaning can get pretty complex because who creates our boundaries and what is normal? Another person took the quote differently, explaining that they looked at it from a figuratively: “I didn’t think the author was literally referring to his eyes. Instead, I thought he meant it figuratively. That is, he meant to say, examine me closely . . . as I read I found there was a double meaning.” This understanding of the title strays far from the first one, but is still an acceptable answer. The third quote I chose was different than the others because the person connected with the title on a personal level: “…unable to look others in the eye. He cannot connect with people the same way I can when I look someone in the eyes.” This person related the title to him/herself more than the others. All of these interpretations not only prove that many meanings can come out of the title, but it also shows a little bit of each individuals personality. Maybe the third quote is by someone who puts themselves in situations in order to understand them better. What I’m trying to get at (pretty much what I get at in every blog) is that everyone interpret things based on their own experiences. Even after reading the entire book, people still had conflicting ideas about the title, and that is normal.
key elements combined
I don’t necessarily think we need a personal page as an added section to our project, I meant to propose it more as a format suggestion. For example, since I am involved in the wheel-throwing program within the art department, I would be most interested in that being one of my focuses for the project. Each of us would have a section or page with a “report” on whatever it is we feel is important/want to focus on (it pretty much gets to the same idea that frames effect our personal choices). This format would act as a way for us to not only learn from and about each other, but would also tie into what the class is about. I’m not dead set for this idea, just giving suggestions… I just thought I could have explained myself a little better in my last post. After analyzing the cultural term “Bitch”, Steph brought up some interesting points involving gender being “one of the only identities that has received any obvious attention in our conversations so far”, this is interesting to think about as we go forward with our project, do we want to include sections or a part of the project focusing on our cultural analysis of these terms, are they important enough (maybe they/some are)? I reviewed Freshkicks individual proposal last class and feel as if it wouldn’t be difficult to collaborate and combine our ideas because I focused on more of the format (personal page aspect), while Fresh focused on her interests in content (BDIC and Dance). Fresh says that she would be interested in writing about these things for the project, and after we collaborated I felt as if she was considering other media’s (stream video, music, images etc) as well. In her proposal Fresh defines what she thinks the projects focus is “our class wiki page wont have much to do with us as a class, but all of us as individuals as Umass students, and our personal interests.” I think we can make a link between us as individuals/our personal interests and us as a class. Our interests mold who we are and what we are bringing to the class naturally, and most importantly, we are learning how to be a dynamic group by understanding these diversities.
A “Personal Page” Aspect to our Project
I think it would be very interesting to include within our collaborative project some of the things we’ve been learning about Framing and how it not effects our decision making process’, and group dynamics. I would like to create a “personal page” that gives some background about who I am and by doing this I will give a sort of explanation of how my frame has been established/influenced. A profile-like page that gives history of the person, their passions/hobbies, and/or other facets of the person that are of importance to them. In my opinion these aspects are a few of what create the frame in which we automatically have going into situations and decisions. By adding this aspect to our collaborative project I feel like it might be able to help our class and other viewers of our project understand the “frame” concept. Also, if there is a more personal side to the page, it could be easier to understand why we made the decisions we did in creating our project (ie-what we put up, why it’s up there). I was looking for a site that would provide a good example of a personal page and thought that myspace had a similar format that I was considering: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=2779224
I suggest that we create these personal pages as a way for us to learn about each other, and also so that other people who might come to the website could learn a little something about us all on individual levels. For example, my page would maybe have a streaming video of myself doing pottery, pictures of Cape Cod (where I’m from), lyrics to a meaningful song, maybe a image of someone who I look up to or who motivates me, a place that inspires me, whatever we decided to type (or not type) on our individual pages gives us new insight into the individual and maybe a greater understanding of their personal frame. I realize that the majority of our page will be focused on a sort of guide to UMASS life, and I never disagreed with the idea, I just think we need to add a little something else to this project that ties into what this class is about. As a way to rectify the issue of the site having to be updated, maybe we could provide links to information that is updated by others, for example post a link to the academic/events calendars as available on our UMASS website: http://www.umass.edu/registrar/gen_info/academic_calendar.htm
That way, we don’t have to constantly be updating and searching for new information. I feel it will be easiest to have a project that doesn’t involve much updating because there are over 30 of us to organize and it’s evident that some will work more/less than others in order to keep the website useful and relevant. Also, all of the previous projects I’ve looked at (provided by Steph) had a sort of “static” websites, static meaning ones that don’t continuously provide new information. In reality, I want this project to be enjoyable and successful, but I don’t have much time to contribute outside of class to maintain a website. I understand if we have a few things that need to be updated, it seems as if the classes consensus is to do so, but I feel as if we should take this time that we have to share ideas as a jumping off point to what this project could become. This is the chance to speak our mind and contribute personal ideas, we don’t always get to provide our insight during class because of the fishbowls’ limitations.
You’re a Bitch
Bitch
When someone in our culture is given the title of a bitch, nothing but negative connotations come to mind. Bitch signifies a female who is outspoken, argumentative perhaps, has an attitude, or is troublesome in some other way. But who’s to say being outspoken and/or argumentative is a bad thing? Society has instilled specific gender roles to women, and if a woman is seen overstepping these gender boundaries, they are seen in a negative light. How Words Create Reality’s excercise in deconstruction helped me to be able to “unpack this cultural label”.
Main Entry: Etymology: Middle English bicche, from Old English bicce Date: before 12th century (The Merriam- Webster online dictionary)
1: the female of the dog or some other carnivorous mammals
2 a: a lewd or immoral woman b: a malicious, spiteful, or overbearing woman —sometimes used as a generalized term of abuse
3: something that is extremely difficult, objectionable, or unpleasant
4: complaint
Judging from these diverse definitions “bitch” refers to many different things:
1. used to describe the sex of a mammal
2. used to describe a woman deliberately violating accepted ethical/moral principles, or someone who is driven by lust (as the word lewd suggests)
3. used to exclaim hardships
4. used to voice a complaintIn this instance, I plan on focusing on unpacking the second definition of bitch: “used to describe a woman deliberately violating accepted ethical/moral principles, or someone who is driven by lust (as the word lewd suggests)”
The word “bitch” is a derogatory stereotype that holds women back in our society. Because it is looked apon with such negativity when a woman goes against the grain, is too strong, or out spoken, the word bitch has been instill within our society as a way to remind women of their place. The word bitch encapsulates gender restrictions that are representative of our culture. It is interesting that the original definition of the word was used just as a sex differentiator of animals. Now it has become a word that puts women down, and makes them feel uncomfortable about crossing over cultural gender stereotypes. The act of labeling someone a bitch creates unequal power relations…why is it ok for a man to be forthright and opinionated and not a woman? A crucial cultural problem is distribution of gendered power, it is evident that straight white males have set the standard for what is and is not acceptable for both men and women. The word “bitch” is used as a way to maintain the female’s lack of equal power, and to instill the belief that women should not posses or exemplify certain “masculine” qualities, such as being argumentative, assertive or outspoken.
Since in American society “bitch” has mostly negative connotations, most woman will avoid possessing those qualities. Because (in many cases) women fear being dubbed a bitch, this prevents them from speaking their minds and/or from being forceful in their opinions and communicative patterns. Our precise and specific cultural gender definitions have created the meaning of this word. A good example of how a strong opinionated woman is perceived is Hilary Clinton. Because Hilary is a powerful woman, their have been many attacks towards her because she exemplifies qualities that go against the norm of what it means, within our society, to be a woman. Within our society Hilary Clinton is considered by many to be a specific “type” of woman; one who is not afraid to be strong and assertive, one who is not afraid to be labeled a bitch, a woman who could most certainly become our first female President.
I’m just a little confused about section E of our H/W assignment…..applying what we learned to us/our group dynamic…..this is applied to us and our group as a whole because we are all studying cultural frames and how they effect the way a person experiences things. For example some people might not like Hilary because of her strong qualities, because in their world, a woman is not expected to have such qualities. Many people could have this common belief because it is so implied within our culture. Because our culture is hegemonic, we are easily persuaded and influenced about what is and what is not acceptable, moral and right. The word bitch has become a readily accpeted and commonly used word that instills power differencials between males and females within our culture.
