Lone Wolf

Worrisome Over Group Work

            I have always been captivated by the art of storytelling.  When first presented with the opportunity to write a digital story I was eager to begin.  The thought of being a writer is one that I have entertained for quite some time.  However, as I learned that I was going to be put into a group I became a bit apprehensive about the task in front of me.  Although I enjoyed writing the digital story and found it fairly easy to complete, I cannot deny the fact that I am not a fan of group work and would have preferred to work on it alone.

            Overall, the digital storytelling page was relatively easy to navigate and did not require much technical skill to be successful.  Instructions were clear and the writing box was simple. I was not happy with the process of integrating media to the story, however.  This is probably because my high school ran on Mac rather than PC so I had a natural tendency to want to drag and drop pictures directly into the post itself.  Other than that I was pleased with Google sites and had no trouble at all in completing my section of the digital story.  Regrettably, I must admit that I would have preferred working on the digital story alone rather than in groups. 

            I cannot stress enough how this is not a slight toward my fellow classmates who worked on the digital story with me or any of the students in English 1110.01.  Group work has simply never been near the top of the list of things I am fond of.  Unfortunately, I possess a constant worrisome attitude when it comes to working with other people when I know my grade is on the line.  Referring to myself as a control freak would be a going a little too far, however, I do have a hard time relying on other people in situations where I know that it is possible for me to handle all the work on my own.  Again, I do not have a problem with any of the students in class.  Any of my close friends or family would tell you that I am very easy to get along with and have exceptional people skills.  I definitely agree with this notion.  An open mind is something that I pride myself on having so as to never judge a book by its cover. 

            Luckily, I have found that the only time I have trouble working with others is when it is something related to academics.  In contrast, I was a captain on the football in high school.  Our team made the Ohio State Playoffs for the first time in fifteen seasons and it was achieved through eleven men on the field working toward a common goal.  Today’s world is so interconnected that it is vital to be able to understand individuals and have the ability to work as a group.  At the end of the day the digital story project was a helpful assignment and one that I enjoyed.  However, due to my apprehension when it comes to group work, I believe that the project would have come out differently if I had worked on it alone.