Select 1 question from below and respond with a meaningful and thoughtful answer to the topic: Each thread is to be 250–300 words and demonstrate course-related knowledge.
- Because collaborative writing demands that several people create a document, this process is more difficult than writing by yourself. Do you agree or disagree?
- How would you handle a member of your writing team who is chronically late in submitting his or her part of the project?
RESPONSE TO THE ANSWER BELOW: Each reply must be 250–300 words.
Elizabeth Elefante
In this discussion post we were asked to answer one of two questions. I chose to answer the first question. Because collaborative writing demands that several people create a document, this process is more difficult than writing by yourself. Do you agree or disagree? What is collaboration you might say. According to the book Technical Communication Fundamentals “It is the creation of a document by two or more people. ”
I personally do feel it is more difficult because not everyone has the same idea or plan for a project. Everyone feels their idea is the best and so are unhappy if it isn’t what is used. No two people think alike and to make a collaboration they both really have to like the idea and agree on the flow and content. I am not saying it can’t be done. There are lots of music and books and movies where people have collaborated with others that turned out amazing but I feel they most likely had some bumps in the road to making it. In the presentation Dr Bruce Bell believes that teamwork will produce a better project and a better project. I’m my experience that hasn’t happened. I once had a project in my speech class we had to come up with a product that was easy and sell it to the rest of the class. You had to team up with another class member. I picked an older man because I felt he would be more responsible. Instead he didn’t do any of the work. I tried to work a dialog with him as it explains it in the Technical Communication Fundamentals book but every time I sent him a draft he lost it. The worst was the speech we had to make. He didn’t follow what we agreed on and made it up as he went and explained how to make our product. We failed the speech and it brought down my grade dramatically. I strongly feel I was better on my own.
Now at my job I am a correctional officer and when in a housing unit there is a control officer and a floor officer. We do our best as a team to maintain control and the health and safety of the inmates we are in charge of. With some people it can go perfectly and we get to the end of the day happy and everything and everyone safe and with others you can end the day ready to cry or pull your hair out. I know according to the Dr. Bell god sent out teams to tackle some problems but I don’t feel that can solve every problem.
