Final Blog Post

Hello Class!

This will be my final post to this blog *sheds a tear*. I hope that you have learned a bit over the course of the semester. My students never cease to amaze me. I think I learn just as much from my students, if not more, than my students learn from me. In short, I have had a great time with you this semester, and wish each of you a relaxing and happy summer.

Now that the final exam is complete, you should be able to easily calculate your grade on Blackboard. Simply add up all of your points and find your total on the following scale:

A 950-1000
A- 900-949
B+ 870-899
B 840-869
B- 800-839
C+ 770-799
C 740-769
C- 700-739
D+ 670-699
D 640-669
D- 600-639
F 600 and below

I will post grades at some point tomorrow, but I don't think they will be released for a day or two. The mysjsu system will release grades at its own pace.

As a reminder, if you have not emailed me your proctor form for the final exam, please do so immediately. If you have faxed it, or sent it through snail mail, please send me an email letting me know that.

I will check the class email address until Friday. After Friday, if you need to contact me, please do so at my SJSU email account, which can be found on my faculty webpage. I will no longer check the class email address after Friday, please make note of this!

Again, I have had a great time with you all this semester, and hope that you have a wonderful summer!

Signing off for the last time.....

The Blogging Prof

Grades Posted for the Discussion Week of May 9th - 15th

Hello Folks!

I have posted the discussion grades for May 9th - May 15th. Please take a look at your score and let me know if you have any questions.

Since I have posted this last grade, once you take your final exam and receive a score, you will be able to calculate your grade in this class. Please see the syllabus for a grade breakdown. In short, the class is out of 1,000 points. It should be fairly self-explanatory to calculate your grade, but if you have any questions, let me know.

I will post one more time to this blog in the middle of the week (Wednesday or Thursday), to end the semester.

I hope finals week is kind to you.

:)
Carol

Final Exam Procedures

Hello Class!

Here are the procedures for the final exam:

1). The final exam must be taken between Sunday morning @ 12:01am and must be completed by Tuesday @ 11:59pm. (May 23rd to May 25th).

2). Have someone over 21 observe you take the final exam. The proctor must affirm that you have not given or received answers, questions, hints, etc... about the questions on the final exam. In other words, the proctor must affirm that you have followed the Academic Integrity Policy (a link is available on the Quizzes Page on Blackboard).

3). Download the Proctor Form from Blackboard (Chapter Outlines Page - at the bottom). Fill out the form, and both you and your proctor will sign the form after you have completed the final exam.

4). Complete the final exam within the time allotted. Feel free to use notes, the course text, etc...

5). Submit the proctor form by scanning it and emailing it to me, sending it by fax to the Comm. Dept. Office, or send it by snail mail. The fax number and address to the Comm. Office is listed on the Proctor Form.

I will post to my blog one more time after the final exam, so look out for that post. :)

Observation of an Outside Group Returned

Hello Folks!

I will be returning your Observation of an Outside Group assignment tonight. As noted on my blog a few weeks back, I have used the same grading sheet that I have been used for your other assignments in this course. However, I have done it a little differently this time.

I have used the same basic grading rubric, with all of the standard objectives (Basics, Analysis, Forecast, etc....), but I have printed it out, used it as a checklist and made comments by hand. I will scan them into my computer tonight and send them back via email. Once you receive your grading sheet back, look it over and let me know if you have any questions about your grade, or about the feedback I have provided.

Until later tonight......

Office Hours

Hello Class!

I will be holding online office hours tomorrow from 9am to 11am. I will also be on campus on Thursday in case you want to drop by my office. If you want to meet with me in person, please send me an email so we can schedule a time to chat.

I hope you all are doing well during this very short, last week of classes.

Week of May 16-17

Hello Folks! Welcome to your last two day of class. The only responsibility you have this week is to study for the final exam. I will post the final exam procedures towards the end of the week.

I will be available through email all week. My office hours this week will be posted to this blog tomorrow.

Have a great evening!

Observation of an Outside Group

Hello Class!

I will be returning your Observation papers at the beginning/middle of the week. I have very much enjoyed what I have read so far, and I am very thankful that each of you have worked so hard on the assignment, and in this class. As a class, you all have done a wonderful job!

Please remember to fill out the SOTE ratings online (see the email I sent you a couple of days ago). The SOTE ratings should be completed by tomorrow night at 11:59pm.

I hope you have a fabulous night!

Final Exam Procedures - Reminder

The final exam in this course will be conducted online. That means that I will open up the exam for approximately three days. The final exam is schedule for May 23rd - May 25th. This means that you can take the final exam anytime in the 3 day period. The exam is open book/open notes.

You MUST have someone proctor your final exam. This simply means that you find someone who is over the age of 21 and ask them to watch you take the final exam to make sure you have followed the academic integrity policy (see the quizzes/tests page on Blackboard for the link to the SJSU Academic Integrity Policy). This means that a person will watch you take the final exam, then sign the form that is located on the "Chapters" page on Blackboard titled "Proctor Form".

Once you and your proctor fill out the form (after the final exam is completed by you), you will send it to me. I prefer that you scan it into the computer and email it to me. You can do this by finding a scanner, most modern printers have a scanner, or you can take a good picture of the form with a digital camera and send it to me in an email. You can also fax the form to the Communication Studies Department office, or send it by snail mail.

Let me know if you have any questions about this.

Observation of an Outside Group Recap

Hello Class! I have had time to review some of the papers for the final assignment. I will be emailing everyone today with a confirmation email that I have received your paper.

The papers that I have reviewed so far have impressed me, and I can't wait to read the rest of them!!! This project seemed to be quite an enriching and enlightening experience. I must commend each and every one of you for the amount of effort you put into this semester. You all have done an AMAZING job on each of the assignments, and engaging in the discussions. I honestly wish that we were able to meet in person to discuss some of our experiences, especially with the final assignment.

You have read over this list before, but here is a reminder of what this semester was all about:

1). These objectives give you opportunity to see what other folks in the class are writing about and discussing.

2). Some of these assignments allows you to give your opinion about your colleagues writing.

3). The variety of assignments and different requirements will diversify your grading.

4). Each of these assignments are intellectually challenging.

5). The assignments increases diversity in the class on multiple levels.

6). Each assignment provides meaningful feedback, not only from the instructor, but from others in the class, thus diversifying grading, and understanding!

7). The assignments establish an atmosphere of community and enhanced learning.

8). Reinforces relevant course material from a number of different perspectives.

9). Helps you analyze complex and abstract ideas as presented by others relating to course material/content.

10). Applies course content in a real-world setting.

I hope that you all have a wonderful day today!

Week of May 9 - May 15

PLEASE NOTE: At 6:30pm on Sunday, I changed the second discussion question. Please make note of it. (The second discussion question was changed because I found your papers highly interesting. As I reviewed the first few papers over the weekend I thought that it would be useful for your colleagues to know what you researched and observed since you all have put an AMAZING amount of effort into your projects. Go ahead and brag a little.) :)


Hello Class! I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend so far. Here is what's on the Schedule and Participation Pages for this week:

*Read Chapter 15: Computer Mediated Communication

*Participate in Week 16 discussion

*Begin to study for the final exam. The final will cover chapters 1-15.

Class Discussion: Answer one in each of your three posts, at least 12 hours apart:

1). How does CMC differ from f2f communication? (Think outside the box).

2). NEW QUESTION: Review the Observation of an Outside Group project. What did you find useful/not useful? Did you like this project? Why/why not? Why did you choose the group you observed for this project? In short, briefly introduce your project to the members of the class, and discuss its usefulness, frustrations, etc.... (I expect for most, that the answer to this question will be quite long - go ahead and make it as long as you'd like).

3). Pick one other concept in the book (any chapter) that you feel needs further discussion?

Remember to post 3 responses to your colleagues blogs during this discussion week.

***This is your final week of discussion - let's make it a great week!


REMINDER: Thursday, May 13th is a furlough day.

Cutting Office Hours Short

Hello Folks!

If you need to contact me, please do so through email. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I have to cut my office hours short today.

My deepest apologies!

Observation of an Outside Group

Some reminders about the project that is due this week:

1). Remember to include your 2 outside sources on your reference page. You can use other textbooks, or log onto the SJSU library and find a couple of peer reviewed journal articles to back up your observation. Sometimes folks accidentally omit this step.

2). The letter - remember to turn in your letter by the due date. The Comm. Dept. office will be closed on May 7th. This is a staff furlough day and the office will be closed.

3). Go over the grading sheet prior to turning in your assignment. I will be using the grading rubric, as I have been all semester, to grade your assignments.

4). Course concepts should be applied, however, the paper is more than that. Review the section "Specifications for the Completed Assignment" on the assignment sheet for more details.

5). The project is due by Friday, May 7th @ 11:59pm.

Email me with any last minute question about the project. Remember, I'm here to help in anyway I can. Have a great evening!

Week of May 2 - May 8

Hello Class! I hope you all are enjoying the beautiful weather this weekend.

Here is what's on the Schedule and Participation Pages for this week:

*Read Chapter 13 - Leadership in Small Groups

*Take the final quiz in the class on Chapters 11, 12 & 13 by 11:59pm on Saturday

*Your final papers (Group Observation Paper) are due by Friday, May 7th by 11:59pm. I will post more about the final assignment on Monday.

REMINDER: May 6th is a furlough day. I will not be holding office hours on Thursday, May 6th.

Grade Updates - Blackboard

Hello Folks!

I have updated the grades on Blackboard for the discussion week of April 18th - April 24th AND I input the grades for the Movie Analysis Paper. Please look over your grade and let me know if you have any questions. If you do have questions about your grade, please remember to include the following in your email:

Dates/Times/Word Counts of the posts to your blog
Dates/Locations/Word Counts of the comments you made

I find that if students keep records of this information on a continual basis, the grades really speak for themselves. However, if something is ever ambiguous or unclear, I am always available to chat over email, yahoo messenger and the phone. Please do not wait until the last week of class to question a grade, be proactive and keep track!

I will be available on and off throughout the weekend over email. Have a fabulous day!

Observation of an Outside Group Grading AND Letter Submission

GRADING

I have had a few questions about how I will grade the Observation of an Outside Group Paper. I will use the exact rubric I have been using all semester to grade your papers. I have uploaded the grading rubric to the "Projects" page on Blackboard. It is titled "ObservationGradingRubric".

Please download the rubric and use it in conjunction with the assignment sheet when finalizing your papers. The grading rubric, as you know, has additional information for the assignment. Please review it and make sure you have included everything required for the final assignment. My goal, as it has been all semester, is for every student to succeed in this course. Grading should be clear, and there should be absolutely no ambiguity to the grading process in this course.

LETTER SUBMISSION from the group leader

Your final project should include a letter from the group leader stating that you have attended at least two group meetings and that you are not already a member of the group you chose to observe. I would suggest writing the letter yourself and simply having the group leader sign the letter. If your group leader has already written the letter - AWESOME!!!

Please notify me ON YOUR REFERENCE PAGE IN A SMALL NOTE how you will be submitting your letter to me. I would prefer that you scan it into the computer and send it as an attachment along with your final paper. However, I understand that some folks do not have access to a scanner. You can either scan it into the computer and email it with your final paper by the assignment due date, or you can put it in an envelope and drop it by the Communication Studies Department Office. But please remember to notify me of how you will submit the letter.

If you have any questions about either of these issues, please contact me. I'm here to help! :)

Proctored Final Exam

The final exam in this course will be conducted online. That means that I will open up the exam for approximately three days. The final exam is schedule for May 23rd - May 25th. This means that you can take the final exam anytime in the 3 day period.

You MUST have someone proctor your final exam. This simply means that you find someone who is over the age of 21 watch you take the final exam to make sure you have followed the academic integrity policy (see the quizzes/tests page on Blackboard for the link to the SJSU Academic Integrity Policy). This means that a person will watch you take the final exam, then sign the form that is located on the "Chapters" page on Blackboard titled "Proctor Form".

Once you and your proctor fill out the form (after the final exam is completed by you), you will send it to me. I prefer that you scan it into the computer and email it to me. You can do this by finding a scanner, most modern printers have a scanner, or you can take a good picture of the form with a digital camera and send it to me in an email. You can also fax the form to the Communication Studies Department office, or send it by snail mail.

Let me know if you have any questions about this.

Week of April 25 - May 1

Hello Class! I hope today finds you well. Here is what's on the Schedule and Participation Pages for this week:

*Read Chapter 11 - Group Process and Presentation Techniques

*Read Chapter 12 - Productive Conflict Management

*Participate in Week 14 discussion

Class Discussion: Answer one in each of your three posts, at least 12 hours apart:

1). (Regarding chapter 11) Distinguish among a forum, panel, colloquium, and symposium as a mans for making a public presentation. Which one would you prefer? Why?

2). Briefly outline an example of collaborative conflict resolution that you have engaged in. Contrast that with competitive conflict. Which was more satisfying to you? To the other party?

3). Pick one concept from the assigned reading, that we have not already discussed, that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

Remember to post 3 responses to your colleagues blogs during this discussion week.

On Campus

Hello Folks!

I will be on campus tomorrow. I should be in my office, HGH 216, from approximately 11:30am to 12:15pm. If you would like to come by and meet me in person, you are more than welcome to. Please email me first so I can make sure I am in my office at the time you will be stopping by.

I hope to see some of tomorrow! :)

Movie Analysis Wrap Up

I returned the last few papers this afternoon. I must say, y'all did a bit better on this paper than the last. Too often students do not look at the grading sheet prior to turning in an assignment, but it looks like more folks have reviewed the grading sheet and applied the different areas to the assignment. I would encourage you to do the same for the final paper in the class.

The requirements of writing will be the same for the final paper as it has been for the past two assignments. Preview, review, transitions, quotes from the text, include outside sources, reference page, etc....

I'm excited about reading your final course projects. Since this is a "P" class, or in the practice category, each major course assignment in this class has required real world experience. Getting out of the classroom, and out of the course text is what this class is all about.

The first course project required you to facilitate a short group assignment. The second project required you to critically analyze a movie and apply group communication concepts. The final project in this course allows you to observe a small group in a real world setting and apply course concepts.

One of the things that is common among all assignments is the applicability of course concepts. Discussing course concepts during our discussion weeks, and applying concepts to a range of projects will likely help you to remember them for years to come.

Personal note: As an undergraduate at SJSU, I remember only a handful of classes, and even fewer concepts. When I became an instructor a number of years ago, I really tried to design my classes to be applicable to the real world. This is the very reason why I have required the students across all of my classes to participate in communication activities. Some folks learn a great deal from a book, others learn from hands on experience. In Comm 141P, you get the best of both worlds. We discuss concepts and theory, but we also apply those concepts in a real world setting in a variety of ways.

But enough about me! I hope you have enjoyed the projects in this course as much as I have enjoyed reading them.

Until tomorrow.......

Movie Analysis Returned

Late tonight I will be returning your Movie Analysis papers. A small handful will receive theirs back tomorrow, but the majority will receive them back tonight.

The grading sheet is exactly the same at it has been in the past. Please check over the grading sheet at the end of your paper and let me know if you have any questions.

I hope you all have a wonderful (and rainy) afternoon.

Week of April 18 - 24

Here is what's on the Schedule and Participation Pages for this week:

*Read Chapter 10 - Creativity in the Small Group Process
*Participate in Week 13 Discussion
*Quiz on Chapters 9 & 10 on Blackboard
*Your final project, the Group Observation Project is due in approximately 2 weeks. Please turn your papers in by May 7th @ 11:59pm.

Class Discussion: Answer one in each of your three posts, at least 12 hours apart:

1). Provide an example of creativity from your own experience. How does it fit with the chapter's discussion of creativity?

2). Name five cultural barriers to creativity. What do you think these would keep a group from being creative? Have you experienced any of these personally? Explain.

3). Pick one concept from the assigned reading, that has not already been discussed during this discussion week, that you found useful or interesting, and discuss it.

Remember to post 3 responses to your colleagues blogs during this discussion week.

REMINDER: Thursday, April 22nd. is a furlough day. According to the university, I will not be conducting any university business (*yeah, we'll see). However, I will not be holding office hours, but I might check my email - again, we'll see. ;)

Decision Making and Problem Solving

This week's chapter will probably prove to be quite important for your Small Group Observation Project. While each person must observe a group and how they interact, most times groups will have to solve some type of problem. This is where chapter 9 comes in.

Your book covers these areas:

Decision Making and Problem Solving

DECIDE Stages of Decision Making and Problem Solving
Define the Goal, Understand the Problem
Examine the Constraints
Consider the Alternatives
Initiate a Decision
Develop a Decision Plan
Evaluate the Results and Consequences

Context Influences on Decision-Making and Problem Solving Groups
Group Composition
Group Process

While observing your 'outside group', quite a few of you will probably encounter decision making and problem solving. Not only are these broad concepts applicable in your life in relation to small group communication, they are applicable to your final group project. As you become more familiar with small group communication concepts, particularly as it relates to decision making and problem solving, you will see some of these concepts emerge in everyday encounters when interacting with small groups.

It's too bad the discussion this week was cut because of furloughs. Problem solving in a small group setting is quite important to understand.

Week of April 11 - 17

Hello Class! Here is what's on the Schedule and Participation Pages for this week:

*Read Chapter 9, Decision Making and Problem Solving.

*The discussion this week has been canceled due to furloughs this semester.

*Start writing assignment #3 - Observation of an Outside Group. As a reminder, this assignment is due on Friday, May 7th. You should have started observing your chosen group already, and have started piecing together your paper in rough form.

NOTE: I will not be holding office hours on Tuesday, April 13th as I am scheduled for jury duty that day. I will be available through email though.

Furlough Day

Hello Folks!

As a reminder, today is a furlough day for me. While I will not be holding office hours, I will be checking my email on and off throughout the day today. It may take me a little longer to respond since it's a furlough day, but I will get back to you.

Have a wonderful day everyone!

What's the Point?

Hello Folks! There have been numerous objectives to be met in this course. To reiterate the point of the assignments: Blogging weekly, quizzes, readings, Group Facilitation, Movie Analysis Paper, Small Group Observation, etc..... I have listed out some ideas for your review answering the question WHY? Why are we writing papers? Why do we blog every week? Why do we interact so much with our classmates? Why do I have to do so much reading? It all comes down to the goals of the course, and the goals/requirements of the University. Expanding diversity on multiple levels within this class is a big goal. Read the list below and let me know if the purpose and goals of these assignments are still ambiguous. As you can see, each objective is aligned with University goals. So this list should answer the "WHY?" question.

1). These objectives give you opportunity to see what other folks in the class are writing about and discussing.

2). Some of these assignments allows you to give your opinion about your colleagues writing.

3). The variety of assignments and different requirements will diversify your grading.

4). Each of these assignments are intellectually challenging.

5). The assignments increases diversity in the class on multiple levels.

6). Each assignment provides meaningful feedback, not only from the instructor, but from others in the class, thus diversifying grading, and understanding!

7). The assignments establish an atmosphere of community and enhanced learning.

8). Reinforces relevant course material from a number of different perspectives.

9). Helps you analyze complex and abstract ideas as presented by others relating to course material/content.

10). Applies course content in a real-world setting.

As always, I am available to chat with you over email, Yahoo Messenger, and my personal favorite - over the phone! I am committed to each student in this class, so if you need some extra help, please contact me ASAP.

I hope this list of objectives clarifies the "WHY?" question! Some folks go through classes while never truly understanding the point of their assignments. I will post this list a few more times before the end of the semester, just as a reminder of 'what it's all about'.

I hope you each have a fabulously happy Wednesday evening!

Grades Posted for the Week of 3/21-3/27

I posted grades this morning for the discussion week of March 21st-27th. Please look over your grade and email me with any questions. When you email me please include the following:

1). Dates/Times/Word Count of the posts to your blog
2). Locations/Word Count of the comments you made to your colleagues blogs

I tend to find that if students keep track of their posts and comments (locations, dates, times, word counts), grades are somewhat self-explanatory. However, if there are every ANY questions, I'm here to chat about your grade.

Grades in this course should be clear! If there are ever any questions about how something is evaluated, please email me immediately so I can clarify the grading process for you. If a question is posed by a student, I will usually post to my blog about it in case others have the same question.

NOTE: I really enjoyed reading your posts about Chapter 7, Listening and Feedback. Listening and Feedback are involved in many aspects of communication. For those that have taken numerous communication class, I'm sure you have read over these principles quite a few times. Your discussion during the week of 3/21-3/27 brought some new insight to this topic because of the personal experiences y'all shared. Since this is a repetitive aspect of communication, I thought that by sharing our personal experiences with Listening and Feedback, we were able to gain a bit more understanding from an applicable point of view rather than reading about theory.

(Nerdiness alert.......) I really miss reading your posts during the weeks we do not have discussion. I think students can bring great diversity and richness to the virtual classroom setting, and I miss that when y'all have a week of from discussion. I can't wait until your next discussion week. Have a fabulous day everyone! :)

Grade Updates - Blackboard

Hello Class! I hope today finds you well.

I will update Blackboard with the blogging grades for the week of March 21st - 27th by tomorrow morning. I will post to my blog when that is complete. Once the grades are updated, please check your grades and let me know if you have any questions.

I hope you all have a fabulous night! :)

Week of April 4 - 10

Welcome back from Spring Break. I hope your Spring Break was as restful as mine was. I am very glad we have a week of during the spring semester, because I'm sure each and everyone of you could use a bit of time off to catch up on assignments.

Here is what is on the Schedule and Participation Pages for this week:

*Read Chapter 8 - Group Evolution: Teams

*Quiz on Blackboard on chapters 7 & 8

*Your Movie Analysis Paper is due by Friday, April 9th @ 11:59pm. Please submit your papers early to avoid a late penalty.

NOTE: Thursday, April 8th is a furlough day and I will not be holding office hours.

Week of March 28 - April 3

This week is Spring Break. Have a wonderful and relaxing week.

I will still be available by email on and off all week. My response time may be a bit longer this week, but I will still be around.

See you next Sunday!

Furlough Day Reminder

As a reminder, Thursday, March 25th is a furlough day for me. I will not be holding office hours. I will however, be checking my email on and off, but not consistently. I will resume checking my email consistently on Friday.

Gosh I can't wait until this furlough stuff is over......

Until Friday......

Listening

The act of listening can be quite difficult at times, can't it? Teaching Public Speaking classes over the years has taught me a lesson about the art of listening. Think back to your PS class. How many speeches did you listen to? 15, 20, 30? Did you find it difficult to listen to so many speeches throughout your semester?

Or take for instance a work meeting. Or perhaps a classroom setting where one person dominates a conversation. Was it difficult for you to listen to that person......for the hundredth time......rambling on and on and on about the same thing......AGAIN???

This week's discussion is interesting for a number of reasons. One of the reasons is diversity of personal experience. Quite a few of my discussion questions ask for personal examples. Have you wondered why? Of course I ask about course concepts, but your person experiences are very interesting to me. I love reading about them! In the virtual classroom, asking about personal experience creates diversity. The concepts in the book are there, and each student can read them. But stepping out of the book and into everyday life is where I find excitement in communication.

Diversity and applicability is the exact reason I have developed each course assignment. The first assignment in this class, as difficult and frustrating for some as it may have been, was to bring forth the idea of using concepts in a practical way. After all, this is a 4-unit practice course (Comm 141p). Practice means using the concepts and actually putting them into practice.

The final project in this course, along with the other two projects, do exactly that. Each project allows you to 'practice' and reinforce the concepts we are studying throughout the semester. They encourage students to think about real world situations and put them to use. As you can tell, this is not simply a 'theory' course, as some of your classes may have been.

This week's discussion is an interesting one. It highlights the issues that each person has with listening. After all, each of us struggles with this a different times in our lives. Would you agree?

Grades Updated

Hello Folks!

I have updated grades. Please log onto Blackboard and check your grade. Do this often to avoid contacting me at the very end of the semester with questions about your grade.

I will blog again later.

Until then......

Week of March 21 - 27

Here is what's on the Schedule and Participation Pages for this week:

*Read Chapter 7 - Listening and Feedback: The Other Half of Communication
*Participate in Week 9 Discussion

Class Discussion: Answer one in each of your three posts, at least 12 hours apart:

1). Think of a recent situation in which you found listening difficult. Which one (or more) of the four phases presented the most difficulty for you? Why? How could this have been overcome?

2). Give a personal example where you have had selective attention. Why do you think that is? Is there a way you were able to overcome it?

3). Pick one concept from the assigned reading, that has not already been discussed during this discussion week, that you found useful or interesting, and discuss it.

Remember to post 3 responses to your colleagues blogs during this discussion week.

Week of March 14 - 20

Hello Folks! I hope you all are adjusting to the time change.

This week you have only one thing due - the MIDTERM! The midterm is available from 12:01am on March 14th and ends on March 20th at 11:59pm.

Please log on to Blackboard and go to Assessments on the left hand side of the page. You have 75 minutes to complete the midterm which consists of 50 questions.

Review the Quizzes Page prior to starting the midterm for the quiz and tests parameters. The Quizzes Page also contains the chapters that are included on the midterm. Feel free to use any notes and the book during your exam and of course the chapter outlines that are uploaded to Blackboard. Go ahead and download those and review them. You are more than welcome to use the chapter outlines on the midterm in addition to notes and the course text.

Please do not give out any test questions or answers. You can review the Academic Integrity Policy on the SJSU website.

It will be a bit quiet around my blog this week, but please stop by anyway in case I post something about the midterm or the class.

Good luck on the Midterm, and as always, I'm available to chat over Yahoo Messenger during office hours, to answer emails and to chat over the phone if needed.

Have a good week everyone! :)

Spring Forward!

Hello Folks!

Please remember to turn your clocks forward and hour tonight.

I will post again tomorrow morning. Have a fabulous Saturday!!! :)

Papers to be returned

Hello Class!

I will be returning papers by Friday of this week. I was hoping to get them back to you earlier, but as you know, we are in the middle of another furlough semester *sigh*. I have read over some of the papers already, and I must say, YOU GUYS ROCK! I am impressed with the papers that I have graded so far.

Please email me if any issues arise. As stated in Sunday's post, Thursday is a furlough day so I will not be holding office hours or conduct university business including email replies.

Welcome Back

I hope you all had a good week off from discussing topics in the class. I, for one, miss not reading through discussion posts when y'all have a discussion week off. I'm kind of nerdy like that I guess.

This week's chapter reading is on verbal and nonverbal communication. As an educator in the communication field, this is one of my favorite topics to discuss. I'm very excited to see what you all have come up with as personal examples for the second discussion question.

I have spent some time overseas in Kazakhstan, Peru and Russia. I have also spent a bit of time in Mexico and Canada, but of course those locations are not 'overseas'. Observing other cultures and how they interact with both verbal and nonverbal communication is quite interesting. What is comfortable with to you may not be comfortable for someone else and vice versa. This can be especially noticeable when you are in a cross-cultural situation.

The concepts of proxemics (the study of measurable distances between folks as they interact) and chronemics (the study of the use of time in nonverbal communication) are especially interesting to me. Here's where I'm going to let my communication 'freak flag fly'.......

Each of the cultures I have spent time in apply or use these concepts a bit differently. I have had folks stand so close to me when we were engaged in a conversation, that I can tell what they had for lunch.......yesterday. (I'm kidding of course). But when it comes to the concept of proxemics, each person has a distance they feel comfortable with when speaking to another person.

Although I do not condone using wikkipedia as a source when researching due to its current state of flux, I do think it is useful as a jumping off point for gather information (as long as the information can be verified as true). Having said that, wikkipedia is a good source for understanding the concept of proxemics. Click here to go there. It shows a diagram of personal reaction bubbles. It shows intimate space (1.5 feet), personal space (4 feet), social space (12 feet) and finally public space (25 feet). These distances will be different for every person, but an observable difference can be seen across cultures.

It is the same principle for chronemics. Since I gave you the wikkipedia page for proxemics, I may as well provide the one for chronemics. Click here to go there. People of cultures other than our own interpret time a bit differently than we do here in the US. From your experience in traveling or of observing other cultures, what could some of these be?

I have experienced firsthand the differences of time as it relates to nonverbal communication. The one that sticks out the most is, of course, my interaction with time schedules. As the book states on page 119, "Western cultures are particularly oriented toward clock-based times as an organizing principle in the work world (Dobkin & Pace, 2006)." Would you agree?

As you can see, both concepts are highly interesting to me as it relates to communication and as it relates to small group communication. I can't wait to read what you all come up with this week for the discussion.

Week of March 7 - 13

Here is what's on the Schedule and Participation Pages for this week:

*Read Chapter 6: Verbal and Nonverbal Communication

*Reminder, your midterm exam is due next week. Please study chapters 1-6, 9 & 14.

*Choose a movie and start working on assignment #2 - Movie Analysis. You do not need to email me with a movie choice as long as it is the movie is from the assignment sheet.

Discussion: Answer one in each of your three posts, at least 12 hours apart:

1). Return to the eight principles of nonverbal communication. Pick two principles, and provide new examples of how they operate in a group or team.

2). Explain proxemics and chronemics. Are there universal rules for all cultures regarding these concepts? Give personal examples if possible. Give examples of personal experience in other cultures regarding these two concepts.

3). Pick one concept from the assigned reading, that has not already been discussed this week, that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

Remember to post 3 responses to your colleagues blogs during this weeks discussion.

REMINDER: March 11th is a furlough day. I will not hold office hours, answer emails or conduct other SJSU business on that day.

Looking Ahead

Hello Folks!

March 14-20 is midterm week. Please check the Quizzes/Tests page on Blackboard for the chapters you should study.


NOTE: On the Participation Page for next week, there is no 3rd discussion question listed. As always will pick one concept to discuss that has not already been covered during the discussion week. I will post the reminder to my blog on Sunday.

Papers: I will return your papers next week. I will be in an out this weekend, but will be checking email.

Grades Posted for 2/14-2/20

Hello Folks!

I have posted discussion grades for the week of 2/14 to 2/20. Please look over your grade and let me know if you have any questions.

As always, grades in this class should be fairly clear. Remember, clarity starts with the student. If I am not aware that you are unclear about a grade, how I can clarify it for you?

All parameters for discussion are listed on Blackboard, and of course, I'm more than happy to chat with folks about their grade in case something is unclear. I'm available during office hours on Tues-Thurs. from 9:00am to 11:00am. We can also chat through email, and of course over the phone. Again, I love chatting with students - y'all should know that by now. I must add, I have had a great time chatting with my students this semester. :)

I hope you all have a wonderful evening.

Week of Feb. 28 - March 6

Here is what's listed on the Schedule Page from Blackboard:

1). Read Chapter 14: Observing and Evaluating a Small Group (this is a really important chapter to read since the culminating project in this course is to observe a small group).

2). Quiz on Blackboard - Chapters 4, 5 & 14. Please log onto Blackboard and click on "Assessments" on the left hand side of the page. Quiz #2 should be available all week. Please have your quiz completed by Saturday at 11:59pm. Start early.

3). Start working on Assignment #2 - Movie Analysis. This is one of my favorite assignments since you get to watch a movie and apply concepts to the movie. Remember to include a reference page with the movie, course text and any other outside sources you can use to back up your ideas.

4). Discussion - this week's discussion has been canceled due to furloughs.

REMINDER: I hope that you all have started working on the semester long project (Observation of a Small Group). Get an early start to avoid the 'end of the semester' crunch.

Have a fabulous day everyone! :)

Group Facilitation Due Date - TONIGHT

REMINDER: Your Group Facilitation Papers are due by 11:59pm tonight. Please send your paper early to avoid a late penalty. Late penalties will be assessed after 11:59pm tonight. Go ahead and review the late policy on the syllabus in case you have any questions about it.

TAPES/DVD's/etc.... If you are planning on turning in a hard copy of an audio tape, CD, DVD, etc... I have extended the deadline until Monday since the Comm Studies Dept. Office is closed today due to furloughs.

This reminds me, I shouldn't be blogging since it's a furlough day. (If you don't tell anyone that I blogged, I won't either). ;)

Have a great day everyone!

Group Facilitation Reminders and Notes

Hello All!

I have already started receiving assignment submissions for the Group Facilitation Project. I have skimmed over a couple of them already and it seems like they are on target!

As a reminder, please have someone proof read your paper prior to submitting it to me. Have them check for sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, etc..... This will help you refine your paper, and make it more 'readable'.

Be sure to submit your youtube video as a link somewhere on your paper, or submit your audio tape to the Communication Studies Department office. I will not be by the office until next week, so I will extend the deadline for dropping off your audio tapes (or CD's) by Monday, March 1st. Since Friday is a furlough day, I will check to see if the Comm. Dept. office is open on Friday and post an update tomorrow (Thurs.). I will post the update to the bottom of this blog. I would hate for anyone to make a special trip down campus, only to find it closed. Look for an update tomorrow morning.

Friday is technically a furlough day, so I may not answer your emails confirming your paper submissions until Saturday.

Please submit your papers early. Every semester students push it to the very end, submitting papers at 11:59pm. While it's your decision to do this, a number of students have accidentally submitted papers late (after the 11:59pm deadline). As a reminder, if your paper is even 1 minute past the deadline it is considered late. Please review the late policy on the syllabus for information regarding a grade deduction for late submissions.

I will be available all day tomorrow on and off through email, and I will be holding normal office hours from 9am - 11am on Yahoo Messenger.

I'm very excited to read about your observations pertaining to the first assignment.

Until later.......

UPDATE: Friday is a furlough day. The Comm. Studies Office WILL NOT BE OPEN ON FRIDAY, FEB 26th. I have extended the deadline for tape/disk submission until Monday, March 1st. If you have uploaded your facilitation to youtube, please simply include a link on your final paper when you submit it.

When submitting your tape/disk, please ONLY submit the tape or disk as I will not be able to return individual tapes/disks to each person. Do not leave your tape recorder with the Comm. Studies Dept.

Week of February 21 - 27

Here is what's listed on the Schedule Page from Blackboard:

1). Read Chapter 4 - Phases of Group Development: Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing
2). Continue to work on Assignment #1 - Group Facilitation
3). Assignment #1 is due on Friday, February 26th by 11:59pm. Please submit early. An assignment is considered late if it is submitted even 1 minute after the deadline. Please review the late policy on the syllabus as a refresher.

There is no discussion this week since your first paper is due on Friday. Work diligently on your papers this week.

IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you have at least one other person read over your paper for grammatical errors and punctuation errors. Also, please review the grading sheet PRIOR to turning in your assignment. The grading sheet will inform you of additional requirements for the paper. Make sure you fulfill all requirements on the assignment sheet and grading sheet.

FURLOUGH DAY: Friday, Feb. 26th is a furlough day. I answer emails the following day.

Grades posted for 2/7-2/13

I posted grades for the week of 2/7-2/13. Please take a look at your grade and let me know if you have any questions. If you do have questions about your grade, when you email me, please include the following:

1). Time/date/word counts of the posts to your blog
2). Locations/date/word counts of the comments to other people's blogs

NOTE: The first few weeks of discussion have gone really well. I really like how folks are using personal examples in their posts. This is important because a variety of personal examples are being used due to the diversity of each student, which really helps to expand our understanding of the course content. Also, the comments are engaging and fairly detailed, which is a good thing!

Lookout for another post tomorrow morning with what is due for the coming week.

In the process.....

Hello Folks!

I am in the process of grading all blog posts and comments for the week of February 7th - 13th. I will post the grades to Blackboard at some point tonight. I will also post to my blog a bit later, so look out for that.

Until later.......

Grading

Hello Again!

Since I have started to post your grades to Blackboard, I thought I would give you some additional information about grading in this class so there is no question about how I grade blogs every week.

A bit about grading: If you ever feel any ambiguity in the evaluation process in this course, please email me. My goal for this course is total transparency for each student. However, since this is an online course, transparency begins with you as the student. I can only address issues if I know they exist. If this were a face to face class I would be able to easily explain how grading works, chat with you before/after class about your grades, etc... Online classes face many challenges and some of you are aware of these challenges due taking repetitive online courses. Others may have expectations that are not being met. I have mentioned a few times so far that I'm always available to chat through email, Yahoo Messenger and over the phone in case there are every any questions.

How I evaluate your blog posts and comments: As stated on the Participation Page, I look for a few things:
*Have you complied with the guidelines listed on the Participation Page?
*Does the content of your post/comment relate to our reading this week?
*Have you address the question in its entirety on your post?
*Have your given thought to the post you have commented on?
*Have you included the minimum number of words required in each post/comment?
*Is your post/comment within our discussion week?

If all of these questions have a 'yes' answer, there should be no reason why you earn anything less than full credit.

I hope this helps to clear up any ambiguity as it relates to the evaluation of your posts.

Have a wonderfully fabulous (and communication filled) day!!!

Grades Posted and Blog Reminders

Hello Class! Last week I updated grades to Blackboard for the first discussion week and some other things. Please look over your grade and let me know if you have any questions.

Here are some reminders about blogging and commenting (just to reinforce the parameters):

1). There are 3 questions per discussion week. Please answer those questions in 1 post each on your blog. Make sure your posts are at least 12 hours apart. Pay attention to your date and time stamp. Each post should be 150 words minimum - there is no maximum.

2). Comments should be on 3 different blogs. Each comment should be a minimum of 100 words each. There is no time restriction for comments, and can all be done at the same time. Make sure you are logged into your blogger account when leaving comments so your alias/display name appears.

3). I check the word count for all blog posts and comments. It is your responsibility to make sure your posts and comments meet the minimum requirement.

4). Your posts and comments need to be within a given discussion week. This means that if our week runs from 2/7 to 2/13, and you comment on a post that is not within that date range, you will not receive credit for that comment. I only check the posts and comments for that week. I do not go back and re-check past posts to see if someone has mistakenly commented on a past post.

5). It is recommended that you keep track of all dates/times/locations/word counts of your posts and comments. If you would like to email me about a grade, please include the following information in your email:
*Time and date of your posts including word counts
*Time and date of your comments including word counts

The information I have included here is located on the Participation Page on Blackboard. It is your responsibility to know everything that is on Blackboard and what is posted to my blog.

As a reminder, check my blog frequently for updates.

As always, I am available for questions through email, over Yahoo Messenger and of course to schedule a phone conversation at any time.

Week of February 14 - 20

Here is what's listed on the Schedule and Participation Pages for this week:

Requirements:
*Read Chapter 5 - Diversity in Groups: The Strength of Different Perspectives

*Participate in this week's discussion. (3 posts to your blog, 150 words each and 3 comments on your colleagues blogs, 100 words each). Make sure your comments are within this week's discussion. Do not comment on past weeks posts.

*Email Instructor with some possible choices for your Small Group Observation project if you haven't already. (Assignment #3, which is a semester long project).

*Reminder: The Group Facilitation Project is due on Friday, February 26th by 11:59pm.



Class Discussion: Answer one in each of your three posts at least 12 hours apart:

1). Are you, or have you ever been a member of a group that has been stereotyped? Does your experience reflect the concepts identified in this chapter? How? Are there differences? What are they?

2). Explain the concept "white men of privilege". Do you agree with the concept? Why or why not?

3). Pick one concept from either text, not already discussed, that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

***Remember to post 3 responses to your colleagues blogs with this week's discussion. Make sure you are not posting a comment on a previous week's questions.


REMINDER: Monday, February 15th is a furlough day so I will not be conducting any university business that day. That means that I will not answer email, hold office hours or be available to students.

Observation of an Outside Group

The assignment has been posted to the Projects Page. I will update it with grading criteria and post an update to my blog when that is complete.

Small Group Observation

I will post the third and final project in the course tonight at some point. I apologize about the delay.

Email me with any questions you might have. Have a fabulous night all......

Week of February 7 - 13

Here is what's listed on the Schedule and Participation Pages for this week:

Requirements:
*Read Chapter 3 - Norms, Roles, Cohesiveness, and Groupthink

*Read Chapter 9 - Decision Making and Problem Solving

*Participate in this week's discussion. (3 posts to your blog, 150 words each and 3 comments on your colleagues blogs, 100 words each). Make sure your comments are within this week's discussion. Do not comment on past weeks posts.

*Quiz on Blackboard - Chapters 1, 2, 3 & 9. Please log onto Blackboard and click on the left hand side "Assessments". Please read over the "Quizzes" page on Blackboard for the parameters of taking quizzes and tests in this course PRIOR to starting your quiz.

*Email Instructor with some possible choices for your Small Group Observation project (Assignment #3, which is a semester long project).

Class Discussion: Answer one in each of your three posts at least 12 hours apart:

1). Are there group norms at SJSU? What are they? In the group of individuals that you spend time with, are there group norms? What are they? In both cases, how did you identify these norms? How did you adapt to these norms?

2). What are the functions of norms in groups? Can you give a personal example not already discussed this week? Have you ever experienced a violation of a norm? Explain.

3). Pick one concept from either text, not already discussed, that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

***Remember to post 3 responses to your colleagues blogs with this week's discussion. Make sure you are not posting a comment on a previous week's questions.

Contacting Your Instructor

Believe it or not, there's a person at the other end of the computer - that would be me, The Blogging Prof! I know, I know, I'm stating the obvious, right? It's easy to forget that an online instructor is here to help you and converse with you just like an in-person instructor would be. I love love love chatting with students whether that be over the phone, in-person or otherwise. In fact, I often find myself staying after class (my f2f classes) chatting with students for quite a bit of time, sometimes hours. So yeah, you can say I love my students and I love my job!

Going from instructing classes in person to online classes was a bit difficult because it's hard to convey to students over the computer that you are there to answer questions and to help when needed. It is much easier to do that when you are in a classroom setting. But, I'm here to tell you that I'm available if you need to chat about something in class.

I strive to communicate with my students whenever possible and I have already had the pleasure of chatting with a number of you over the phone. I have also chatted with quite a few of you over Yahoo Messenger and through email.

Here is a little reminder about how you can go about contacting me. There are 3 ways:

1). Email. I check my email during the week, M-F numerous times a day. I also check my email periodically on the weekends, but response time may take a little longer than during the week. I am teaching on M&W in person, so my response time may take a little longer as I teach 4 hour classes on those day.

2). Yahoo Messenger. Download Yahoo Messenger if you haven't already and add me as a friend: carolperezcommclass As it states on the "Getting Started" page, I do not use Yahoo Messenger for personal use, so anytime day or night you see me online, feel free to message me. My 'official' office hours are on Tuesday's and Thursday's from 9:00am to 11:00am, but I am online quite a bit more than that. Even if you see me available at 2am and you have a question, feel free to pop in. I normally don't log onto Yahoo Messenger unless I'm ready to chat with students. (I guess I have no life). ;)

3). Phone conversations. I am always available to schedule a phone conversation whenever you'd like. If you have a question you don't think can be solved over email or yahoo messenger, we can certainly chat over the phone. It's just like on campus office hours, but quite a bit more convenient for you since you don't have to come down to campus.

I hope to chat with y'all in the near future.....

Happy Blogging!

FAQ's

Some of you have emailed me with questions and I thought it would be helpful if the entire class saw the answers. Here you go:

1). Q- Do I have to post on 3 different blogs? Or can I post two or three times on the same blog as long as they are different posts?
A- You should comment on 3 different blogs.

2). Q- How do you keep track of our posts and comments?
A- I keep track of every post and comment on a spreadsheet every week we have a discussion. Each post you make on your blog will have a date and time stamp and I keep track of them to make sure they are at least 12 hours apart. Then, I check all comments made for that week. I will record the location of your comments.

3). Q- If I comment on someones post from last week, will I get credit?
A- No, I only check the blog posts for that week. Make sure you are checking the dates of the posts you are commenting on and of course, the content of the question to make sure it is an appropriate post.

4). Q- Do comments have to be at least 100 words?
A- Yes, while posts require 150 words, comments need to be at least 100 words. I do word counts on all posts and comments to make sure you are reaching the word minimum. Of course you can post more than the minimum amount of words required, but please meet the minimum.

5). Q- Should I keep track of the location of my comments?
A- Yes. Please keep track of comments and locations in case there is a discrepancy in recording or grading.

6). Q- What do I post as a comment?
A- Whatever you'd like as long as it has to do with the content of the post and related to the question I have asked. You can agree, disagree, add to the comment, ask thoughtful questions to the poster,give feedback, etc.... The comment content is up to you as long as it relates to course material, and of course the post itself.

7). Q- If I comment back to someone on my blog, do I get credit for it?
A- In short, no. You will only get credit for your three posts and three comments on other people's blogs. However, when someone asks you a question face to face, do you ignore them or give them the courtesy of an answer?

8). Q- How do you grade posts?
A- Content, answering the question in full, expressed thoughtfulness of course content and of course word count.

9). Q- Can I post to my blog and comment at the same time?
A- Yes. You only need to worry about posting 12 hours apart on YOUR blog. You can comment anytime as long as it is within our discussion week (12:01am on Sunday through 11:59pm on Saturday). You can post to your blog and then comment at the same time.....or you can do all three comments at the same time. As long as the posts on your blog are 12 hours apart, go ahead and make three comments on three different blogs at any point during our discussion week. Make sure you comment on a qualifying post on the other persons blog. This means you must comment on a post that was made during the current discussion week.

More about Blogging

Since Sunday morning at 12:01am marked the beginning of our discussion week, I thought I would post a bit more about blogging. You can post anytime during the discussion week as long as it is between Sunday morning 12:01am and Saturday night at 11:59pm. Each post to your blog should be a minimum of 12 hours apart. There is no time restriction when it comes to commenting, meaning you can comment on three blogs at the same time.

To post to your blog, please log into your blog and hit the New Post button. Make sure to publish your post when you are finished typing your post. It is your responsibility to make sure that the posts to your blog are at least 12 hours apart.

After you post, make sure to go back and view your blog. If you can't see your post, neither can I or your classmates. You should check your blog to make sure your post appears, and that it looks the way you want it to look.

Date and Time Stamps: Each post you create on your blog will have a date and time stamp. I record each of these to make sure your posts are at least 12 hours apart (yep, it's a lot of paperwork). Again, once you have posted, go back and check to make sure your posts date and time stamp are at least 12 hours apart. Again, I can only see what is on your blog. If your posts are not at least 12 hours apart, your post will not count and you will not earn points for that post. Also, make sure each post to your blog is at least 150 words minimum.

Commenting: For every discussion week you should comment on at least 3 blogs. It is your responsibility to make sure your comments are within the discussion week. This means that if you post a comment to a blog and that comment was made on the previous week of discussion, you will not earn credit for your comment. Comments need to be 100 words minimum. To comment on another blog, please go to my blog and look at the list located at the lower right hand corner of my blog. Click on the names, read the post, and comment. The 'comment' button will be below the post. Again, I WILL NOT go back and check posts from a past week to see if you mistakenly commented on a post from a previous week.

Keeping track of posts and comments: I keep track of posts to your blog and comments. Because I'm human, sometimes I make mistakes. I HIGHLY recommend that you keep track of your posts and your comments. This should include dates/times/locations of your posts/comments. If you ever have any questions about your points total for a week, or if you think I'm missing a post or comment, YOU will need to provide the dates/times of YOUR POSTS and also the dates/times/locations of your COMMENTS. Please keep a log every week of where and when you posted and commented.

Display Names: If you haven't already, please go back and check your Display Name. There are directions on the "Getting Started" page on Blackboard.

Sunday Morning: I will post to my blog on Sunday morning everything that is due for the coming week. The information I will post to my blog will be the same as what is listed on the Schedule and Participation Pages on Blackboard. To get a head start, check out those pages.

Have a fabulous day!

Blogging Questions

I have been receiving some repetitive emails about how a few things in the course work. Please read the blog in its entirety:

Blogging:
Since we will be blogging throughout this course, I thought I would explain how blogging works. There is quite a bit of information located on the "Participation" page about how blogging works. Here is an abbreviated version.

We have all created a blogspot webpage. This is where we will be having discussions rather than on Blackboard. Each week that there is a discussion, you will write 1 new post for each question, every week typically has 3 questions. You should post your first blog, wait AT LEAST 12 hours, then you are able to post another blog. Blogging must be done at least 12 hours apart. For example, you can post on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. As long as the date/time stamp on your blog is 12 hours apart, you should receive at least some credit for your blogs. I record dates and times, and it is your responsibility to make sure they are at least 12 hours apart.

In addition to blogging, you will need to comment on 3 other people's blogs in the course during a discussion week. Log onto my blog and visit some other blogs. There is a list on my blog in the lower right hand corner that contains every one's blog in the class (yours should be there). Click on any of the icons and read the blog then comment on it by clicking on "comment" at the bottom of the post. You need to make sure that when you leave a comment, you see your alias name so I can record that you have actually left a comment. It is your responsibility to make sure your name appears on the other person's blog. It may take a few tries to get it right, but you will soon catch on and become an expert at blogging. You are more than welcome to practice by leaving a comment or two on any of my posts to make sure you are commenting correctly.

As I have noted on the "Participation" page located on Blackboard, each post is worth 6 points (which needs to be done on your blog as a "New Post"), and each comment is worth 4 points (which is where you comment on other people's blogs). There is NO TIME restriction for commenting on other people's blogs. You can comment anytime during the week, and it does not need to be 12 hours apart. Make sure you are commenting on a post from the CURRENT week of discussion.

So to summarize, you will post 3 times in a given discussion week. You will create a new post for each question and make sure your posts are at least 12 hours apart. You will also comment on 3 other blogs during a discussion week. Each post should be 150 words minimum and each comment should be a minimum of 100 words, otherwise there will be a point deduction.

Until later......

Group Facilitation Assignment

Hello Class! I have uploaded two of the three projects in this course. These two projects are the first two that are due. They are called:

1). Group Facilitation Project
2). Movie Analysis

I have yet to upload the third and final project, which is a semester long project that you will either participate in, or observe a small group for a period of time. My hope is that you will step outside of your current small group interactions and get to know, or participate in a different small group. There will be more detail on the assignment sheet, which I will hopefully have uploaded this week. I will post a blog when that assignment is uploaded. Until then, let me know if you have any questions about the first two course assignments.

Week of January 31 - February 6

Welcome to your first week of completing assignments. Here is what's on the schedule for this week. Please be sure to pay close attention to deadlines (specifically dates AND times):

Our week started this morning, Sunday, at 12:01am and will end on Saturday at 11:59pm. Please have everything completed for this week by 11:59pm on Saturday.

1). Read Chapter 2: Groups as Systems of Interaction

2). Start working on Assignment #1 - Group Facilitation Activity. (This assignment will be emailed on to the class on Sunday, and also posted to Blackboard)

3). Complete Discussion Questions on your blog:
Answer one of the questions in its entirety in each of your three separate posts, at least 12 hours apart. Please make sure you are creating a NEW POST for each question on your blog. You MUST WAIT 12 hours from the first post in order to create a second post. The same is true for the second and third post. I will record dates and times of your posts, so make sure they are at least 12 hours apart. EACH POST MUST BE 150 WORDS OR MORE. Each post is worth a maximum of 6 points.

*1). Groups are living systems based on interdependence and interrelationships. What happens to a small group when parts of the system do not function well? Provide two examples from your own small group experiences that show the importance of understanding interdependence and interrelationships.

*2). Explain how entropy and equifinality impact small groups.

*3). Pick one concept from the reading assignment this week (Ch.2) that you found interesting or useful and and discuss it. Please discuss a concept that has not already been discussed this week so far.

5). Comments
Remember to post ONE comment ON THREE DIFFERENT BLOGS between 12:01am on Sunday and 11:59pm on Saturday. This means that you will log onto MY BLOG at: http://comm141spring2010.blogspot.com/ and look at the lower right and corner to see a list of your colleagues blogs. Click on those blogs, read what was posted for this week, and respond. You need to make sure that you are responding to only what was discussed THIS WEEK. Comments posted to blogs that were NOT within this week will not be counted for points. Each comment must also be a minimum of 100 words and is worth 4 points.

Note: When you leave a comment, make sure you are logged into your blogspot account. In other words, you will need to make sure your "Display Name/Alias Name" shows up on the blog you are commenting on. I record the locations, dates and times of your comments as well. Please keep record of your posts and comments.

Let me know if you have ANY questions about how blogging/discussions work.

Reminder: Check my blog everyday for updates, and check your email everyday in case there are emails you need to respond to pertaining to this course.

Happy Blogging!!!!

Good job!

Hello Wonderful Students!

I wanted to drop a little note commending all of you for a job well done on your blogs. I am still waiting to hear from a handful of folks, and will be getting their links on my blog as soon as I hear from them. In the meantime, I wanted to let you guys know that you are troopers! Blogging can be quite confusing at first, but this is a skill some will likely use outside of this classroom, and a skill I wanted you all to learn just for experience sake.

I know blogging and online classes for that matter can be intimidating. Thank you for sticking with it and learning about blogging and such to get going in the class. I promise, things WILL GET EASIER as the semester moves forward.

As a reminder, I'm available through Yahoo Messenger during office hours, and through email during most of the week and of course, we can always schedule a chat over the phone. In short, I'm an accessible instructor. :)

Let me know if you have any questions - I'm here to help!

Look out for my blog post tomorrow morning........

Reminder, First Assignment Due

Hello Folks!

I have been returning hundreds of emails this week trying to get each student established in the course.

By tonight at 11:59pm you should have sent me in an email:

*Your name
*Phone number
*Alias Name
*Blog Address

You should have also posted your introductory post to your blog.

In case there is any confusion, here is how you create a new post:

*Log into your blogger account
*Click "New Post"
*Type a Title
*Type your post into the big box
*Click "Publish Post"

If you do not Publish Post, your post will not become public.

For the upcoming discussion week, you will do the same thing for each question I pose, but you will write and publish your posts at least 12 hours apart. (See the "Participation Page" on Blackboard for more detail about participation in this course).

I will be checking my email on and off today, so email me with any questions.

Tomorrow morning I will post what is due for this coming week, so check my blog early tomorrow for the assignment summary (which is simply a summary from the Schedule and Participation Pages on Blackboard).

Furlough Day and Reminders

Hello All!

Tomorrow is supposed to be a furlough day. However, I will be returning emails in the morning and will be taking the rest of the day as a furlough day. I normally will not participate in University business on a furlough day, but since I set a deadline for tonight at 11:59pm and it is the first week of class, I will answer emails tomorrow. Any emails sent today will be returned tomorrow (Thursday).

Reminder: If you are just logging onto my blog for the first time, please read all previous posts.

I will resume official work for the University on Friday.

Have a good evening folks......

Blogging

Hello All!

I have already started to receive your blog addresses. Many thanks to those that have already submitted the required information. As a reminder, by Saturday (and hopefully sooner since this first assignment takes very little time), please submit to me:

*Your full name
*Alias Name
*Link to your blog
*Phone number (most accessible phone number)
*Post to your blog the required introductory post

Check your Display Name:
Please go to the "Getting Started" page on Blackboard to find instructions about how to check your Display Name.

Links to your blog:
Once you send me your blog address I will add a link to your blog located on the right hand side of my blog. You should be able to click on your Display Name and it will take you directly to your blog.

Introductory Posts:
Once you have created your blog, please post your introductory post ASAP. Sometimes blogger (blog spot) will flag a blog that has been created but not used. In order to avoid this, please post your introductory post to your blog when you create it.

How to post to your blog:
Once you have created your blog and posted your introductory post, sign out. Go ahead and sign back in to your blogger account and hit "new post". This will create a new blog post. DO NOT HIT CREATE NEW BLOG - this will actually create a whole different blog. You are simply POSTING to your blog, NOT creating a new blog.

Commenting:
When you comment on a classmate's blog, or even my blog for that matter, your Display Name should show up. This is how I track blog posts and comments. You must be logged into your blogger (blog spot) account in order for your Display Name to show up. Whenever you leave a comment, please make sure you are logged into your blogger account and then comment so your Display Name shows up. Feel free to play around with commenting this week by commenting on your classmate's blogs and of course my blog. If you are having issues, please email me.

Start Checking Out Other Blogs:
Please start checking out your classmates blogs. Again, the list of class blogs is found on the right hand side of my blog. You can simply click on any blog link, read it and comment on it. Start to get to know your classmates by welcoming them to class. In essence, you are greeting your classmates by doing this - and don't we all like to be friendly? ;)

Week of January 26-30

I post to my blog numerous times each week, the first of which will likely be on Sunday mornings. The Sunday morning blog post will contain everything that is due for that week, and will also contain some reminders. Since today marks the first day of our week, here is the 'official' post for this week. Please read all blog posts so far and make sure you follow any instructions I have posted here. At the start of the semester there are usually repetitive questions students have and my blog is a good place to get some answers.

Here is what's due for this week as listed on the Schedule Page on Blackboard:

1). Log onto Blackboard and start with the "Getting Started" page. Follow instructions on that page to get started in the course.

2). Due Date #1 - email instructor by Wednesday, Jan. 27th at 11:59pm from the email address you would like all class emails to go. Please include your full name, a contact phone number (preferably a cell #), and your intent to participate for the duration of the semester.

3). Due Date #2 - email instructor by Saturday, Jan. 30th at 11:59pm with the following (as noted on the "Getting Started Page" on Blackboard):
*Name
*Alias Name you have chosen for the semester
*Include a link to your blogspot webpage
*Phone number if not previously sent

4). Post to your blog an introductory post by Saturday, Jan. 30th at 11:59pm (preferably earlier). In this first post you should introduce yourself to the class. Talk a little about your 'communication experience', and let us know what you hope to get out of this course. Also talk a bit about your experience with online classes, and perhaps let us know what some of your interests are so we can get to know you better.

5). Review all pages on Blackboard. I have yet to post all course projects to Blackboard, but expect them sometime this week.

6). Review the Syllabus including the Late Work policy. I am strict about deadlines, so get to know the deadlines in this course well.

7). Review the Schedule Page and Participation Page.

8). Read Chapter 1 in your text - Small Group - Power, Definition and Attraction

9). Read over the Netiquette Homepage (including links) and Learn the Net: Netiquette.

Reminder #1 - I hold office hours on Tuesday's and Thursday's from 9am to 11am on Yahoo Messenger. This means that while I am working I keep Yahoo Messenger open. If you see me available that means I'm available to chat in real time. Go ahead and pop in if you'd like to chat with me. If you do chat, please follow normal pleasantries by using a greeting at the start of the conversation and a closing salutation at the end of the conversation. Many students have gotten into the habit of abruptly logging on and off without a word that the conversation is over.

Reminder #2 - This Thursday is a furlough day. That means that I will not hold office hours on that day. You will hear quite a bit about furlough days this semester, not only from me, but from other instructors on campus. If there is any confusion about furlough days, please email me.

Reminder #3 - Typical weeks run from Sunday morning at 12:01am to Saturday night at 11:59pm. Again, I'm a stickler about deadlines so get to know them well!

I will likely post again later or tomorrow. Until then.......

The Blogging Prof signing off!

Getting Started and Other Info

Hello Class! Allow me to extend an official Welcome to Comm 141P!!!

To get started in this course, please take the following steps:
1). Review the Blackboard website. You should have received information from SJSU instructing you on how to long into Blackboard. Review all pages on Blackboard and get to know the class well. (Blackboard should have opened up for you this morning).

2). Read over the "Getting Started" page straightaway. This page will direct you on what things you need to do to get started in the course.

3). Create a blogspot webpage @ www.blogger.com. When you do this, please create a new post immediately by introducing yourself to me and your classmates. If you create a blogspot webpage but do not immediately post, blogspot may flag your page and you may be locked out. So create the blog and post ASAP.

4). When creating a blog, make sure to choose an alias that is different than your name. You also need to follow these steps to make sure your Display Name is the same as the Alias Name you send me. *Create your blog. *Once your blog is created, go into your Dashboard. *Once in your Dashboard, click on "Edit Profile". *Look halfway down the page and make sure your Display Name is the same as the Alias Name you have chosen.

The Alias you choose is the name your colleagues will use for you. So, if you choose a name like "Pookie" as your alias, you will be known in this class as "Pookie".

5). Email me at comm141spring2010@gmail.com with your Name, Email Address that you check often, your Alias Name, and a contact phone number - preferably a cell#.

6). Download Yahoo Messenger and add me as a friend: carolperezcommclass I will be holding most, if not all of my office hours online. You can chat with me at any time during my office hours, or anytime you see me online. I do not use Yahoo Messenger for personal use, so anytime I am logged on (which might be quite often), feel free to message me with any questions you might have.

7). Technical Support for Students having trouble logging into Blackboard:
For students have problems using Blackboard CE8 (eg. unable to log in, need password re-set, etc.), please contact San Jose State University's Informational Technology Support Services (ITSS) at 408-924-2377, or email at helpdesk@sjsu.edu ITSS is located on the first floor of the Academic Success Center in Clark Hall, so students can speak with someone in-person if they so desire. This not was sent to me directly from SJSU.

From what I recall last semester, if you are having problems logging in to CE8/Blackboard, please call the help desk during normal hours, as sending them an email may take a day or two to respond.

I will update my blog again soon. Until then, have a fabulous day!

Welcome

Greetings Students!

As most of you know the semester starts on January 26th. Most students are scrambling to fill their schedules for the coming semester, and with the shortage of classes, this is no easy task.

I want to make sure each of you were aware of a few things about Communication 141P online, Small Group Communication, before the semester begins:

1). The class you are enrolled in for Comm 141P is an online class. This means that most coursework is completed online and not in a classroom setting. This has confused some in the past.

2). There are no scheduled class meetings for this course. I will hold office hours online through Yahoo Messenger on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the semester. I will also answer email consistently.

3). If you need to contact me at anytime from this point forward, please DO NOT USE the sjsu email address that I have sent this message from. Rather, use the following email address: comm141spring2010@gmail.com

4). Please bookmark my blog address: http://comm141spring2010.blogspot.com/

I will make announcements, post class updates, and generally keep in touch with the class as a whole through my blog and through mass email. So bookmark my blog, and check it often.


Some of this information may seem a bit foreign to you, and will make more sense once you are able to access the class through Blackboard. Until Blackboard opens up for access, which should be a the day the semester begins, use the email address I have listed here, and check my blog for updates. During the semester I update my blog numerous times a week. Prior to the semester I will update periodically.

Again, if there are any questions about the course, please contact me at: comm141spring2010@gmail.com and please bookmark my blog address at: http://comm141spring2010.blogspot.com/ and be sure to check it often!

I look forward to sharing this semester with you, and hope that your break has been an enjoyable one.

:)
Carol-Lynn Perez, M.A.