I was relived to have finished the group component of assignment one. As I reflect now on how it went, what did I learn? In a group context, I learn't little. Being an online assignment, collaborating was always going to be difficult to undertake. There was no scope for face to face meeting. I had skype and MSN Messenger which none of the group members had. The time was not used productively. I often sat my chair following the chat and wondering where people were at or for the next move. I can understand group members being busy, but the fact it was a last minute effort has shown through in the final product. In fact it wasn't until last week other group members took to meeting daily if possible and contributing their content. I had done some research but couldn't complete it in full until I knew where we were heading. I would say I spent up to half the time working just to get the presentation aspect covered. As a organised person by nature, that was my core strength. It did remove me from the content component of the assignment which is also important. I was more or less checking contributions relating to content, proofreading and making sure the referencing was right. I miss face to face group work. There is also the emotive component of working with other people. You can understand their contributions far better. Face to face you can show research findings, show articles and do alot more. You can type it together and talk. Our group topic was problem solving and I found the topic interesting overall. It is often overlooked as a leadership skill that one will need for effective decision making. As a teacher librarian, I gained alot from my learning and applying it will be the standard especially in issues such as:
- Limited Resources - Balancing needs and wants of the school community
- Budgeting - Dealing with limited funds and making sure it is spent effectively to ensure that students gain most from their learning.
- Collaborating with teaching staff
The majority of all workers in Australia (70 %) do not possess adequate problem solving skills. To possess them will make me stand out.
Plus it allows me to be creative. I propose and implement solutions. It also encourages innovation? Why, because you actually remedy a problem with a solution that I actually propose. I may be inspired by others but I use that information and the outcomes to implement that strategy.
