Difference between revisions of "Class Journal Week 9"

Revision as of 04:52, 3 November 2015

Mahrad Saeedi

1. What kinds of characteristics do you want in your teammates?
2. What kinds of things make teams go smoothly?
3. What kinds of things make teams not go so smoothly?

Josh Kuroda

1. What kinds of characteristics do you want in your teammates?
   • I would want my teammates to be able to communicate effectively, since I have experienced group projects where communication broke down, and we were forced to do extra work, or not finish the project. I would also like my teammates to be committed to the project in terms of showing up for meetings and working on the project outside of class when needed.
2. What kinds of things make teams go smoothly?
   • In my experience, a group project goes smoothly when the teammates are on the same page regarding the goal of the project. Many times, teammates have different visions of what the end product should be, and that results in a less efficient workflow since people try to achieve what they want to complete, instead of working together to make the project what it should be.
3. What kinds of things make teams not go so smoothly?
   • A group that completely lacks communication skills goes horribly, because of the significance of discussion and communication when working on any assignment with more than one person. In these cases, a project will either end up incomplete or all teammates will do extra work because it was not communicated that the work would be split among them. I have found that working on a Google Doc or simply having a group text eliminates the problem of miscommunication, and encourages a more productive working environment.

--Jkuroda (talk) 15:00, 27 October 2015 (PDT)

Kristin Zebrowski

1. What kinds of characteristics do you want in your teammates?
   • I think it's very important when working in a team that the team members all bring something different to the table. The strongest teams are ones that have people who think in different ways and have different perspectives and strengths that ultimately make the team stronger as a whole. With that said, I want teammates who are willing to collaborate and are open to and receptive of others' ideas. It's also important that team members are reliable and will show up to meetings with the group.
2. What kinds of things make teams go smoothly?
   • Teams go most smoothly when there is collaboration, and when each team member is willing to pull their own weight in terms of the work load. They also go smoothly when team members communicate effectively about what needs to be done and who will be doing it, as well as what time frame. It makes it much easier for a team to accomplish a goal when expectations are laid out ahead of time.
3. What kinds of things make teams not go so smoothly?
   • Teams do not go smoothly when team members do not communicate or do not show up, both literally and figuratively. I feel like this happens often in teams because everyone always assumes someone else will do it. This just emphasizes the importance of dividing up tasks so each team member knows what is expected. It is also detrimental to a team when team members are not willing to give the time to the project because it is not only his or her grade at stake but everyone else's. Teams also do not work smoothly if team members are unwilling to listen to other team members' ideas or are dead set on doing things one way.

Kzebrows (talk) 15:54, 1 November 2015 (PST)

Jake Woodlee

1. What kinds of characteristics do you want in your teammates?
   • Once a baseline of intelligence is reached, which I have no doubt our class possesses, it really just comes down to willingness to work and applying yourself. Also good communications skills per teammate is pretty important.
2. What kinds of things make teams go smoothly?
   • Communication between teammates is vital for a smooth running team. Figuring out who does what work is very important, and comes from communication.
3. What kinds of things make teams not go so smoothly?

Jwoodlee (talk) 20:25, 1 November 2015 (PST)

Veronica Pacheco

1. What kinds of characteristics do you want in your teammates?
   • I think the best characteristics in teammates are communication, patience and hard working. I think when working in a group it is good to communicate to each other what we are strengths lie and what we can bring to the table. Also, it is important to communicate schedules right off the bat so that we know when we can meet up to get the assignment done. Patience is also I hope for my teammates to have. I am not the fastest when it comes to the computer science aspect of the assignments so it would be nice to work with people who would help or just not mind waiting for me to get my mind around the computer science stuff. Overall, I think we are all pretty hard working in the class because I respective majors require so much hard work that it's what we are used to.
2. What kinds of things make teams go smoothly?
   • Teams go smoothly when they are all on the same page. Once we are all able to meet for the first time to officially discuss the project, I find that things will go a lot smoother when everyone is clear to what they are contributing to the project. When the team agrees to the expectations of one another, its easier to know what each individual has to get done. Also, I think teams run smoothly when schedules align better. Its something we don't really have too much control over but I find when there are more opportunities to meet, the smoother the project goes.
3. What kinds of things make teams not go so smoothly?
   • Things can go bad when teammates are not pulling their own weight. We are all given this big project to work on and I think we need all hands on deck. Its fair to expect that same level of commitment from one another. Also, I think that most problems stem from lack of communication within the group.

Vpachec3 (talk) 22:32, 1 November 2015 (PST)

Mary Alverson

1. What kinds of characteristics do you want in your teammates?
   • I would like to have teammates that are positive thinkers. Negativity does not create a fun learning environment! I would also like to have teammates who don't procrastinate. It is one thing to be very busy, but another to put off work that needs to be done (especially when your team is counting on you). Also, it is easier to stay on track if all of your teammates are as well.

1. What kinds of things make teams go smoothly?
   • One of the most important things a team needs is to be able to communicate expectations. Teammates can be held accountable by each other if they are all clear on what they are each individually expected to do. Being flexible/helpful to each other is also important; if someone isn't fulfilling their expectations the teammates should support that person instead of just telling them what they didn't do.

1. What kinds of things make teams not go so smoothly?
   • Teams can fall apart if one person attempts to take on more than they should/can handle. Not communicating or not prioritizing schoolwork can also make things not go smoothly if one or two people in the group are consistently not completing their tasks (and don't have a reason why). One last thing is that the teammates should be comfortable accepting help from each other, and valuing each others opinions. The final product should reflect the group, not just one person. Not accepting help can also be a source of tension.

--Malverso (talk) 13:21, 2 November 2015 (PST)

Lena Olufson

1. What kinds of characteristics do you want in your teammates?
   • I would want my teammates to be people that are easy to get along with as well as hardworking and driven to succeed at the assignment. I like to work with teammates who are willing to put in the extra time and effort to make sure the assignment is done well and thought out.
2. What kinds of things make team go smoothly?
   • Teams go smoothly if everyone on the team is cooperative and eager to work with each other and share and listen to each others ideas. It is best to put your minds together to build on each other and then the maximum creativity can be achieved. If everyone puts in their fair share amount of work then no one will have to pick up the slack of someone else.
3. What kinds of things make teams not go smoothly?
   • Teams do not go smoothly if people are rude or mean to one another either openly or behind each others backs. Everyone must have respect for one another because if two people have any sort of disagreement with one another and do not solve it, then the whole group’s cohesiveness will be off. Teams also do not go smoothly if people show up late or are flaky too often, because then not everyone will put in their fair share amount of time.

Lenaolufson (talk) 15:51, 2 November 2015 (PST)

Emily Simso

1. What kinds of characteristics do you want in your teammates?
   • I would want my teammates to be dedicated to the project and willing to work together to get the best end result possible. I would hope that they would do their fair share of the work and be available to help other members of the group when needed.
2. What kinds of things make teams go smoothly?
   • Teams work well together when they are able to communicate their ideas and work efficiently. A part of this is creating a timeline at the beginning and setting expectations for the group. Teams also work well when everyone does their part of the work on time. They also have to be able to listen to each other and take others ideas into consideration.
3. What kinds of things make teams not go so smoothly?
   • I think teams end up not working well when members don't communicate with each other or work is not evenly distributed. Groups also need to be accommodating of each others time and schedules and be flexible around other commitments, so when this does not happen, work ends up not getting done, and there is friction in the group. I think groups also need personalities of the members to work well together.

Emilysimso (talk) 17:04, 2 November 2015 (PST)

Brandon Litvak

1. What kinds of characteristics do you want in your teammates?
   • I think that a good teammate is someone who is able to organize their work around that of others. Ideally, I would like teammates who are able to communicate and provide valuable input. A good teammate, in my opinion, should be open to suggestions (and should feel free to make suggestions/contributions to the various parts of a project). I also enjoy having teammates that are willing to be a little ambitious with an assignment.
2. What kinds of things make teams go smoothly?
   • I think that good communication is crucial in making any team function properly. A team, in my experience, works the smoothest when the role of each team member is clearly defined; teams also function best when there are frequent meetings that make the progress of an assignment clear. It is also important that each group member is satisfied with the assignment and with their own contribution (it is important that the team works as a “team” and addresses any concerns or issues that a team member brings up).
3. What kinds of things make teams ‘’not’’ go so smoothly?
   • A lack of proper communication and defined roles makes teams function not so smoothly. With poor communication, it becomes difficult to coordinate work between teammates and, thus, the assignment often becomes unnecessarily difficult. A lack of mutual understanding (i.e. a serious disagreement) also makes teams perform poorly; it is important that the group addresses, together, any possible concerns or issues. Dissatisfaction with the group assignment (or even, with the group) is not conducive to a job well done.

Blitvak (talk) 18:08, 2 November 2015 (PST)

Trixie Roque

1. What kinds of characteristics do you want in your teammates?
   • I would want my teammates to be able to contribute something to the assignment. It might be too cliche, but there really is no "I" in team, which means that the group should not entrust all the work to one or two members; every member has to be able to do their share of the work and be able to communicate if they feel like the team is heading in the wrong direction. I would also want my teammates to commit to the meeting plan since it could throw off the team's work flow if one member doesn't show up to work on the assignment since it is a group effort.
2. What kinds of things make teams go smoothly?
   • Proper communication definitely makes a team work much more smoothly. Members who are also present when needed are also important since I have had experiences with group members who do not show up at all to meetings when we're supposed to work on the assignment. Each member's parts should be clearly defined before anything could be done (which would require members to meet early to plan things out soon) so that even when there are times when it is really difficult to schedule a meeting, then each can work on their individual sections of the assignment. Team members who are also effective and productive thinkers/workers would also make the work much easier to finish. It wouldn't really be called teamwork if only one person does all the work instead of all members contributing.
3. What kinds of things make teams ‘’not’’ go so smoothly?
   • The assignment tends to feel rushed or incomplete if the members do not commit to the work or show up when they are supposed to. If one member says that they will do the work, but actually doesn't, then the rest of the members will have to adjust and do the parts themselves (and this would often happen near the deadline when the rest of the group realizes that some parts are actually not finished). Also, since it is a group effort, members should be able to listen to the inputs of the entire group and not just themselves. A team will also not work out if only one member decides to lead the group by themselves; it's one thing for members to not contribute, but it's also another to not let the team members contribute. In other words, all team members must be open to each other's opinions instead of only listening to themselves.

--- Troque (talk) 19:45, 2 November 2015 (PST)

Brandon Klein

Reflect on working in teams either in this class or in previous classes.

1. What kinds of characteristics do you want in your teammates?
2. What kinds of things make teams go smoothly?
3. What kinds of things make teams not go so smoothly?

-- Bklein7 (talk) 20:33, 2 November 2015 (PST)

Anu Varshneya

• What kinds of characteristics do you want in your teammates?
• What kinds of things make teams go smoothly?
• What kinds of things make teams not go so smoothly?

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