My Stance on This Whole Group Thing...
My group and I did our research presentation on inclusion and how it affects the classrooms of the twenty first century. We all had to conduct actual research on Google drive, a research paper, and a presentation on our topic. I learned how to use Prezi, which I feel will aid in student learning and will help in giving presentations someday when I am teaching. I also think that Google Drive was a very useful tool. It facilitated in sharing information, making it more convenient for our group to communicate with one another. I felt as if it was just an instant message Microsoft Word, and I really liked using it. As far as the tools we used for this project, it was successful and useful. Prezi, Powerpoint, and Google Drive will all be substantial to aid in teaching someday.
As far as the "group" portion of this project, I felt as if it was unsuccessful. I realize that collaboration among teachers is important in the education field, but I feel as if group projects in school are a hell of a lot different than group projects in the work field. FIRST When working with people in the work place, you are all mature adults who have the motivation to do well because you are getting paid to do whatever particular project you are working on with your peers. When working on a presentation in school, you want to do well to get a good grade, but since so many other people are in the group, you don't put as much effort into the project as you would if you were by yourself. SECOND Most of the time, if you are a teacher, you don't have to do group projects. In school, we are forced to be put in groups to learn how to work with other people. I really am a people person, I love people. I am a cashier at tops, so I deal with people all of the time at work. I see people from different ages, cultures, races and economic statuses. I have the skills it takes to be amiable with people, and to understand that everyone is different. I know that someday, when I am a teacher, I have to keep an open mind to other religions, cultures, and economic statuses. Being a teacher, I can not afford to have prejudices, I have to look beyond that and think of the bigger picture. Every person deserves a solid education and opportunity, and that will someday be my job. That being said, when collaboration with other people affects my achievement or well being, I don't want to do it. I do not like group projects because I don't think they are fair. I would much rather work by myself instead of stressing out over what I have to do and what my group members are doing.
In the end, myself, along with two of my group members, split up the work and got an equal amount done. However, one member of my group did absolutely nothing. We all offered to do a part of the project, where as she did not. She did not help with research, she didn't help in creating the Prezi presentations, she didn't help with any of the research paper. Nothing. Group texts were sent out between us throughout the few weeks we had to work on the project, and she never responded. Texts were sent out the day before the presentation was given about stepping up our game because the first few presentations were AWESOME and our's sucked compared to their's, but she never responded to that. The day of the presentation, she asked how the presentation was going, and I told her, of course. After, she started asking about the texts that were sent out the night before, and asked if we got any of her texts. She started apologizing and saying her phone didn't work, and then she went on facebook and that didn't work... blahblahblah. First of all, we had how many weeks to work on it? And she had how many opportunities to help? Also, she could have easily gone on Google Drive to get updated, or got on the Prezi account to work on the presentation throughout the weeks we worked on it, and she didn't.
IN CONCLUSION, school group projects are unfair. There's always going to be that one person who just slides by, getting a good grade that they don't deserve, or that one person who doesn't emit as much effort as the rest of the group does. There's always going to be that one person who goes above and beyond, more than everyone else, not giving the rest of the group the opportunity to shine. I think it is important to be able to work with other people and to be understanding of people's differences, but I don't think that school group projects are the best way at practicing collaboration with others.
