Mia Garcia

                                                                         Group 2 Blog

Hey Blog My name is Mia Garcia I am so excited to be in the online class of Professor Sherri Sinkoff's public speaking. This has been quite a change for me, as I haven't taken an online course since 2020. The new skills that came with the adaptation to the online format included virtual group collaboration, executing tasks without physical meetings, and online presentations. Although it has not been easy, I see it as a good learning experience that further develops my studies and personal growth. Nothing was easy about the transition; it has been really great since it's now the fourth week.i was put into a break out room the first day and lead me to Joining Group 2 only two days before our very first presentation, I was super worried, nervous-even entering into someone else's group. Not knowing exactly how it was going to be at all awkward since I hadn't met anybody in the group. This gave me more of a reason to be anxious plus On top of that, we had to cover Chapters 4, 6, 7, and 8, which was quite a number for organizing in such a short period. At the start, things were disorganized and made the group feel somewhat tense, due to so many chapters and nobody knowing who would be responsible for which one.We all later agreed we all had to select our topics through creating and running a poll to divide up the work. That got us organized and provided a specific plan. I was responsible for Chapter 7, Units 1, 2, and 3. Once I understood my role, it became much easier to prepare my part. Still nervous about joining the group so late, this supportive nature of my group members motivated me to give my best.My group immediately took initiative and explained how we should divide up the presentation and set it up so that everything would flow smoothly. It was amazing to see how different strengths everyone had come together to make the presentation a success. It showed me that, even in a virtual environment, teamwork is crucial part in school work.Equally impressive were the other groups. Group 1 was so organized, their handling of the materials flowed without glitches, and they were so eloquent in their presentation-one could almost see the effort put into it. And it paid off. Their performance made me wish that our group's future projects will have that level of polish and confidence.Group 3 was very innovative and brought a lot of vitality into their presentation. Of course, some of the more difficult chapters were covered, but they did so with so much confidence and enthusiasm. That which impressed me most was how interesting they made the presentation. They used visual aids and examples that made it all clear in an easily understandable way. Working from the same textbook, Group 3 still managed to make their presentation unique and exciting, really showing how much creativity can do to even the most standard material.Group 4 also did a great job: their slides were visually appealing, and they managed to break down the more complex ideas into something easy to understand. What impresses me most about them is how they held the audience's attention during their presentation by asking questions throughout it. That was clever because people will remain attentive and know for sure that everyone understands. Their attention to detail was great, and it sure paid off in their polished and well-delivered presentation.Thinking back on this experience, I can appreciate just how much I have learned. I was very apprehensive at first-a person who joined the group at the last minute and is working in an online environment which I wasn't used to. The whole feeling was kind of alien compared with regular classes that I was more familiar with. However, the way every person in my group joined in, helped out, and demonstrated teamwork against all odds really made the process so much easier. Online classes were different and at times challenging, yet they opened up new ways to collaborate and communicate.It has been such a huge confidence booster. To go from frustration at ambiguity and overload to pride in what we pulled off together was huge. Teamwork, patience, and not being afraid to help one another made it happen. I feel grateful for working in such an assisting group, where it was possible to learn and develop further based on that. Therefore, I am much better prepared for projects and presentations online afterwards, as I know more about how to be successful in such an environment.Although I am really happy with how our group came together, a part of me really feels that it would have been nice to switch up the groups more often to get to know other classmates better. This is because I feel that it would have helped us expand our learning-working with other people, getting different perspectives and thoughts. Anyhow, I really can't deny how the group I was in did an amazing job, and we have built a solid foundation with every possibility of projects popping up in the near future.I hope the rest of the semester is this easy. I look forward to seeing in what ways we will improve as a team and what we will be able to accomplish together as new challenges arise. At first, I was really worried about this class, but I feel I am much better now in terms of my confidence level and my ability to handle online presentations.So far, I think the most important thing that I have learned is that teamwork and communication are essential, especially when you're working online. It's very easy to feel a little disconnected if you're not in the same room with your classmates, but if everyone puts in their maximum effort towards working together and supporting one another, it honestly doesn't matter if you're online or in person-you're still able to accomplish great things.The longer the semester, the more excited I am to continue with my group and see how we develop further. We have already proven that we can handle a big challenge, and I believe we will only get better from here. I look forward to seeing how we tackle the next project and how we can further push ourselves to do even better. This has been quite a learning process for me, and I consider it a privilege. I can only say that the way everybody's differential skills fitted into piecing together the success of our presentation greatly told me: this is what teamwork can do, and even virtually.The other groups were equally impressive. Group 1 was well-prepared, and their information flowed so well. They obviously put in a lot of effort, and it really showed. Watching them made me resolve to ensure my own group's future projects would be equally polished and confident.And true indeed their attention to detail really paid off in their polished, well-delivered presentation.Looking back on this experience, I can see just how much I learned. First of all, I felt very apprehensive joining any group at the last minute and working in an online environment which wasn't something I was used to. It felt odd compared to the in-class settings I was better adapted to. However, given the fact how my group came together, supported each other, and worked as a team, it made it so much easier. Through this, I learned that online classes, though different and sometimes challenging in their own right, bring about new ways to collaborate and communicate.It has been a really confident-promoting experience for me in this whole process. From feeling unsure and overwhelmed, I can now be really proud with what we accomplished as a group. It was the teamwork, patience, and helping each other out that made it all possible. I appreciate this chance to work in such a friendly group and for having spent time growing from this experience. It has made me more prepared for some future online projects and presentations, and now I have a better understanding of how to be successful in this kind of environment.I am so glad that our group was able to come together as well as it did, but sometimes, I think that it would have been nice to have mixed up the groups a bit more often than we did, so we could get to know other people in the class. I think that it would have expanded our learning-working with others and hearing what they thought and had to say. But even after all my belly-aching, I couldn't help but acknowledge that I am proud of the group I was in, and we've built a good foundation for any other future projects that may arise for us.I hope the group that im in continue to rise for the rest of the semester. I am excited to see our growth as a team and how much we can accomplish as a cohesive unit in overcoming new challenges. This class was very daunting for me at first, but I feel now that I am in a much better place-much more confident and much more capable of managing an online presentation.What I think I learned most so far is that teamwork and communication are fundamental, even in virtual classes. You get feelings of disconnection when the classmates are not in the same room, but if everybody tries to work together, supporting each other, it doesn't matter if you are online or in person.