REFLECTION ON GROUP PROJECTS 1, 2 AND 3
Introduction
Working with a group of people to achieve a common goal came as a challenge to me. It was my first time to consider ideas that are not my own and find a common ground for us. My classmates and I argued sometimes and our opinions sometimes clashed. However, we all learned to compromise so that we could find the best solution to each problem we encountered. I think the main point of my realization is that teamwork is very important. For instance, the three projects that our group worked on were done using the tools that we learned in class as well as our own innovative minds but it would never have been something that we could be proud of if we didn’t allocate the work to every member of the group and give a little bit of ourselves in every task we were assigned to do.
The goal of the first project was to teach people how to make something on their own. With the consensus of the group, we worked on making a gaming computer that can be built easily by anyone. This is a bit tricky since we all know that a gaming computer is usually very complex. However, we tried to simplify terms and include pictures so that the readers would be able to follow the instruction with no problems. We are proud to mention that our class as well as our professor approved the project as a job well done.
Second project
The second project was a proposal project so this is the part where we had to focus our attention on researching the information we need. The group’s proposal was that we would visit a Google office. Therefore, we needed to plan the trip – when to go and what to do when we get there. I was assigned to call the Google office in California. Thankfully, they were gracious enough to answer a few questions that the group had prepared beforehand. The skills we learned in this project were to find the sources of information as well as how to talk to people who have that information.
Third project
The Magazine project was particularly difficult for me. Of course I have magazines at home that I gloss over sometimes but I have never imagined that I would be making one myself. Added to the group’s apprehension was the fact that the due date was fast approaching. The group decided that I should be the one to design the magazine so I had to make do with the time that I had. Google Docs became a great help to us especially at times that we had to contribute our work but couldn’t all meet up in a common place.
CONCLUSION
I never thought I’d say this before but I actually liked working in a group. It’s nice to know that I could rely on someone in areas that I am not that adept with. In return, I also contributed to the things I do know. In a group, one member’s weakness can be another member’s strength and it all balances out to produce efficient work. Also, I learned that in the real world, you had to work with what you had. It helps therefore to have the necessary skills and experiences before you venture into anything that you want to do. Good planning is also necessary. All in all, the people who do succeed are those who have the necessary set of skills, willing to do great amounts of hard work and have the right team to help him.
