Had a random idea the other day. Is there some way in 3068 that we can get students to ‘experience’ being a manager? Some way to design some ongoing project where students work in groups and rotate being ‘formally’ charged with leading the group? Then, we can use the course content to help them reflect on their own behavior? I have students work in paper/presentation groups now, but there isn’t some type of self-reflection in the process. I was thinking though of some other type of experience where peer feedback sessions integrating course readings might be brought in. The reflection can be about an individuals managerial communication behaviors but also the organizing process and communication more broadly.
As you can tell, i don’t have any specifics, but it came to me while i was reading ‘The Last Lectures’ – a book by a computer science prof about his teaching/life experiences. Might be something to play with Suzanne this fall?
So I have played around with the the blog format and appearance. I thought I would get a vote from everyone on the blog.
Do you like this background and layout?
If you have any interesting images for the upper banner please send them or post them here and I can put them into the banner image.
I am also collecting websites or blogs that deal with organizational communication, which I will add to our blog and allow us to search other courses or blogs in the field of organizational communication. So post them here as well.
I have put up a VOTE HERE photo, that I took on the day of the US presidential election, in symbolic support of Iranians protesting their right to have their vote count.
Thought I’d toss out an idea as we continue our ongoing discussions and developments with 3068 . . .
One issue we continually bring up is the relationship between 3068 and, in particular, 3102 (as well as management electives/pre-reqs).
Perhaps for fall, we could develop a list of questions about the connections between these two courses. Pose the questions to those who teach 3102 (Rebecca, Bob, Denise P. – who am i missing?) and then meet to talk about these issues. We can also share with them our syllabi to show them how we’re continuing to develop the course. We can add them to this blog as well in the fall we if they want to somehow use this space to share ideas as well.
If we’re amenable to this idea, let’s ask Rebecca to take the lead in working with the 3102 people. I’ve already mentioned to her that meeting this fall would be fun and useful. She’s up for it. At some point, doing the same with Corp Com is probably a good idea too but one at a time;)
I will put copies of recent 3102 syllabi from Cherelle in boxes sometime in the next few weeks. Then, send out a note at the end of July. That will give us time to look at and compare syllabi and generate questions. We can do that here on the blog. So, Jana:) get back on the blog per favore:)
As I wait for Caryn’s post on the course goals for the future. I thought I would add a few thoughts of my own from our chat.
It still seems as if Technology is an important theme to integrate into COM3068, not just as a theme in of itself but to see how the different org comm theories pass through it or give different viewpoints. I think it is interesting to see how it impacts the workplace socially but also the way work will be changed over the next ten years.
I also like the idea of adding more rhetoric of work and the Parker Follet side. I also like the idea of how the argenti and the clampitt books can still be a part of the course content when used to look at the organization as a whole and how the practice of management is also the way the organization communicates internally and externally. I think though, there is still this back and forth between how much overlap there might be between the business management courses and this course. I would love to see what you think Linda.
I, myself have fought the tendency to bring leadership literature into the course and I feel that this is more prone to the COM3102 course.
But the most important point is… that I am going to take the ACTIVITES PAGE, where I have posted my tests and activities and I am going to PASSWORD protect it. You will all be able to post any activity there, tests, notes, paper topics, etc., and only those who have the password will be able to access it or see it. I will email you all the password. The reason I am doing this is to open up the blog to RSS feed which will allow us to get information and access to other course blogs and websites dealing with the org comm themes and literature.
This means that the blog will be open to them as well. So only the password protected page will be private.
So there you go big moves to come. But what is even bigger is Caryn’, soon to come, post on Goals for fall 09….(pressure ;-0)
