EXAMPLE IN ACTION: CROWDSOURCING: Super-sized group work:
Put a problem out there and see what comes back.ENG101: CLASS 23
BONUS QUIZ: Crowdsourcing’s power of diversity used to MAKE MONEY in the real world via collaboration:“The Goldcorp Challenge” : struggling owner of a gold mine puts out all geological data on a mine with a $575,000 top prize for who can figure out the best ways to find veins of gold after the best specialist geologist fail to make it profitable enough. Open to all: student, mathematicians, entrepreneurs, retired miners, soldiers, etc applied. Since then 8 million ounces of gold found trying the methods submitted, turning the 100 million dollar company into a worth of 9 billion. (Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything, Don Tapscott, Anthony Williams)
Describe one way/example Crowdsourcing can be used by business to make money/ increase results/ output. Name the industry, the real example, etc.
What are the risks? What are the benefits?
DATES LEFT
11/19 R: Optional One on One HELP / HW 9 Arguments: due R 11/19
11/24 T: Final Exam day (optional for everyone else) HW 10 Group A-holes and scenarios due T 11/24
11/26 R THANKSGIVING
12/1 T RESEARCH PAPERS DUE (NO LATE DAY) LAST OFFICIAL DAY
12/3 R Honors Projects
REMEMBER PAPER MUST:
INTRO, CONCLUSION, WORKS CITED PAGE and PAPER
--Argumentative paper topics: From the list of 100 topics.
--__3 total arguments (AND 1 counter) or 4 arguments. Each argument must have 2 quotes from different sources! That means a minimum total of 8 quotes.
TPEOEO format. If necessary an argument can be broken into two paragraphs with one quote a piece for size control.
---2 pages double-spaced absolute minimum. If ends ANYWHERE on 1st page = INSTANT 0/F. If ends ½ or less on 2nd page: -10 points. If ends ¾ to ½ of 2nd page: -3 points. (to be safe, try to end paper on 3rd page!)
--5 SOURCES/absolute minimum At least 3 journals from Jstor and/or Academic Search Premier. You can reuse a source but not in same argument.
WORKS CITED: All quotes must match an entry in Works Cited page (check www.easybib.com ) . INCLUDE web addresses/URL! They are required! Do not just put WEB at end of website entry in Works Cited page!
Examples of successful crowd sourcing collaboration:
1)user created game levels and mods for video games; 2)allowing fans to legally bootleg concert footage and have them submit, to mine for clips to assemble into an official version concert footage video (Green Day); 3)The Netflix Algorithm Challenge : http://www.netflixprize.com/ ;4)Asking fans to make the best beer commercial for superbowl.
THE HOPE: Purpose of group activities and socio-collaboration: provides leadership training and ability to function as a participant in a ‘borderless’ 21st Century geography
below adapted from: (“Re-organizing Knowledge:Trans-forming Institutions and the University in the XXI Century," Theodore Panitz)
A)stimulate critical thinking and adaptability because of need to ‘translate’ ideas and
goals to others with diverse backgrounds, goals, learning/work styles;
B)clarify ideas through discussion and debate;
C)enhances skill building and practice;
D)develops oral communication skills and leadership;
E)ENCOURAGES DIVERSITY UNDERSTANDING (learn how to capitalize on differences rather than use them as a basis for creating antagonism)
F)Creates investment: ‘allows students to exercise a sense of control on a task’
G)creates public output space forcing higher standards for work / will be judged by peers = motivation
H)fosters independence and innovation :helps students wean themselves away from considering teachers (or bosses or ‘idols’ ) the sole sources of knowledge and understanding
I)fosters metacognition in students (learning how to learn);
J)improves students’ recall of text content through cooperative discussions;
K)raises performance level of all (everyone learns something, even if only/minimally informing of what is the norm of work ethic and expectations of others)
NOT A COINCIDENCE that these are the skills in many hiring committee rubricsGive me an example of each above as VALUE in a workplace….
BUT IS GROUP WORK ALL HAPPINESS, ‘SHITS & GIGGLES?”
COLLABORATION/ CROWDSOURCING GONE BAD:Quote: “Authentic voices are being overrun by ‘an anonymous tide of mass mediocrity’,"(Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything by Anthony D. Williams)What does the above mean? What’s the risk of group/crowdsourcing a solution?
“And the mob goes wild!”: Collaboration failing: Collaboration can go group think: increases confidence and self-supporting silos of stupidity and segmentation through numbers
III. Starter Discussions: FIRST BUMP in the Road to Group Work Happiness…is PEOPLETHEME OF COMPLAINTS: Why oh Why group projects w/ forced collaboration? COMPLAINT 1: “Sometimes small groups don’t work because I found that there is always someone who does most of the work while the others do hardly anything” Who can relate to this? Suggestions for dealing with this?COMPLAINT 2: “I did not participate in the small groups, because I found it extremely difficult to coordinate with my group members. If one person sent an email message out to the rest of the group, it would take days for most members to respond. Except of course, now, when the project is due in only a few days.” Who can relate to this? Suggestions for dealing with this?
COMPLAINT 3: “I tried to get in contact with people in my small group, but only one person responded, so we both decided to do all the work. We want to fire the others who did nothing.”Who can relate to this? Suggestions for dealing with this?
III. --Common Causes of GROUP PROJECT Failure--
Unrealistic schedule
Not having a reasonable plan that everyone understands/straying from a clear group agreed goal,
Group Solution just not that good
Abandoning the plan midway
No proper backup plan for notes, presentation and technology fails
An INDIVIDUAL*
--GROUP WORK PEOPLE PROBLEMS: -conflict / disagreement, -appropriation (claiming credit or grade for someone else’s work)-”the “free rider” effect, where one or more students do not do their fair share” (Kerr & Bruun, 1983 via Seven Problems of Online Group Learning (and Their Solutions) by Tim Roberts )-“the “sucker” effect, where one or more members is left to do all of the work (Kerr & Bruun, 1983 via Seven Problems of Online Group Learning (and Their Solutions) by Tim Roberts )--the “status sensitivity” effect, where cliques form within the group (Dembo &McAuliffe, 1987, via Computer Support for Collaborative Learning, Gerry Stahl), and--the “ganging up on the task” phenomenon, where subtasks are divided among individual members of the group without much (if any) collaboration taking place (Salomon & Globerson, 1987).
IV. DEALING with COLLABORATION HISTRIONICS: Team members with passive-aggressive behaviors: such as showing up late for meetings, not completing assignments, or failing to participate, smirks, rolled eyes, and bored expressions
"Emotional Vampires" (term from Albert Bernstein, visit here for more and how to best deal with: http://www.albernstein.com/id62.htm ) "The classic drama queen…wants everybody's complete and exclusive attention...They want … someone else take care of anything that's boring or difficult. Just as movie vampires cringe in the presence of crosses, garlic, or holy water, Emotional Vampires are inordinately threatened by common adult experiences, including boredom, uncertainty, accountability and having to give as well as receive."
"They are driven by a particular need that to them is the most important thing in the world” (skateboarding to online gaming to their career plans, etc). They take out the stress of neglecting responsibilities by lashing out and blaming others. Vampires themselves are usually not aware of the childish needs or their over-emotional reactions and responses.
Reasoning with them fails: "you will always end up looking far worse than they do."
10 GROUPWORK A-HOLES (‘A’ for archetypes, right?)
Sample: returns with better idea on 2nd meeting than task agreed to
Solution: 1st meeting: write down goal and have everyone sign off on it. / 2)”incompetent”
Sample: “I couldn’t find any research on ADD”
Solution: document failure and goto instructor / 3)”time waster”
Sample: “Did you see that episode of Jersey Shore? OMG! “
Solution: timetabling and limiting each discussion to agreed upon minutes / 4)”emotional vampire”
Sample: “Look, you don’t know what I’m going through right now. Would it make you happy to see my cry? Is that what you want?”
Solution: ??? / 5)”abusive expert”
Sample: “Fine that you guys want to do that. But I’ve done this before and I know what the teacher wants. I don’t want to get a bad grade because no one listened to me.”
Solution: lets all go explain it to teacher and if necessary change groups.
6)Time delayer/ procrastinator
Sample: I will get to it, but I’m waiting for my new laptop and then… OR… Soon, I promise… I need to do more research… what I have is still not good enough…
Solution: Time limit per task to guarantee moving on / 7)chronic disagreer
Sample: What you have just don’t feel right…sorry… but there’s got to be a better Z…it’s wrong…I can’t go along with something that is wrong”
Solution: Everyone has to compromise a bit or else nobody succeeds. You are welcome to walk away / 8)Heckler
Sample: picks on some member of group, snarky or says “Really? You know what X said about you behind your back?”
Solution: Voice record and let teacher know / 9) Bully/ Self-serving ***
Sample: just takes over, delegates without asking, takes easiest tasks for self; or challenges with insults
Solution: take notes, all group members sign it and bring behavior up to teacher / 10)Clique-buddy
Sample: talks, makes decisions with their buddy in the group; doesn’t pay attention or doesn’t value the input of others in group.
Solution: a good set of assigned tasks
HW10 (– will be discussed):
Choose 1 above ‘Archetype-Holes found in Group work’ that you have experienced:
1)Give/List one specific example of their type of behavior you have seen/dealt with personally. Give who,what,where, when, how and if you can, try to figure a why. Use an initial instead of names (for example, Mr. W or this girl, S. )
2)How you actually dealt with the situation (ignored/confronted/worked-around, etc)
3)Using the above possible solutions or OTHER ideas you can think of NOW, how could you deal with this group member with maximum / quickest effectiveness
END
V. What you DO want your GROUP to do: Advantage of team collaboration or social networking collectives such as ANONYMOUS:
1)Speed.
2. Complexity. ability to solve complex problems.
3. Audience focus. As a group you can keep reminding each other when you stray from focus on your assigned audience.
resources on satisfying the customer’s needs.
4. Creativity. “By bringing together people with a variety of experiences and backgrounds, cross-functional teams increase the creative capacity of an organization.”
5. Workshare/ reduce redundancies: While everyone has input into every step of developing the winning solutions with collaboration presentation, obviously specialists will do more work in their specialty.
6. Organizational learning. Learn to navigate real world group issues encountered in the future
7. Work with people who have different team-player styles and cultural backgrounds
DISCUSS the PATSCORP process
After initial meeting PREP, STANDARD MEETING ‘mini-minutes’
NOW that each group member should have some timed tasks assigned to them, more important than ever for regular meetings to include:* A status update as the warm up: each person should say what he or she did yesterday, what he or she plans for today – vs their assigned task and timeline -- and any issues, from have a cold to have an exam for another class to going out of town. Might be time to negotiate or take notes for deducting points if the issues are frivolous or insulting/skirting of duties.*Prepare to send regular status updates (not more than 5 sentences) to the instructor*Documenting meetings and responsibilities assigned, new unassigned responsibilities, and responsibilities completed. See how this is done in a demo of time management software
Plan for rework. No project ever goes exactly as planned