Comm 250 07-02-13

I was very impressed with our class today. We got so much done. I loved how everyone was working together. Even though we didn’t get everything done that we wanted to we got me done then we have in the past when Brother Adams let us take charge of the class. So many good ideas were shared and improved upon. For example I really like the new blogging system. I think it is a much better way to organize our thought for the class and the company. I feel much more confident in what we as a class can accomplish this semester now that I have seen that we really can work together. We have a long way to go still but look how far we’ve come. I am excited to see how much we will have grown by the end of the semester.

comm. 250 2-8-07

This class period was a little ridiculous at times. Lots of frustrations were expressed and not many solutions. I must admit it took us a long time to get anything do because none of us could see the things we have accomplished or said anything that we could do. I know we all have them and this class can be frustrating but I think that in the end it will be well worth the troubles we are going through. I really liked Erik’s idea to share solutions rather then problems. Once we finally settled down we got some organization finally. I think that in the end, although this was a rough day it will be a turning point in how our class will function.

Comm 250 Feb. 6

I wish that we had had more time on the Tuesday to work in our groups so that we could organize and plan. But I found Brother Adams lecture to be very helpful. It really helped me better understand what direction we need to be going in. I liked the comments about our thresh hold of dysfunction, how we swing back and forth between busy and lazy, and how one of the reasons we are here on earth is to progress our thresh hold so that we can manage more at a time. I think that we as humans are happiest when we find a happy medium. When we know how much we can handle and don’t over plan and when we are constantly working or all ways eagerly engaged with something.

Comm 250 2-1-07

I was really impressed with how our class just started without brother Adams there. I also thought it was cool that even though we weren’t really sure what we were doing, we started to try and figure it out on our own. It just showed me how much potential this class has.
I am very excited that we have more control over what we will do as a class. Even though I’m still a little confused as to what we will be doing for our project, I think that it will be a lot of fun figuring it out.
I think this will be a tremendous opportunity for us to learn and grow as students, and as members of society. We will be able to act rather then be acted upon. It is going to be hard trying to figure out what the group can gain from us individually, but it will be worth it.

Class 1-25-07

Today in class I just kept thinking about how NASA seemed to care more about money and procedure then anything else. They seemed to think ’what can we get from the government, or our employees or the American people?’ rather then ‘what can we do for them?’ this out look and culture lead to some major problems in NASA’s community.
Within each engine there were complications that helped lead to the Challenger disaster. The People cared more about themselves. Lack of love in the work place created fear so they couldn't work as a whole. The organization was so thick with red tape that it was nearly impossible to get information to the right people. Marketing did not even really exist. NASA was not producing a produced that consumers really needed or wanted. Technology was old and needed to be updated or replaced but because of lack of money improvements were pushed aside. Capital was spending more then they were making and cutting the budgets for safety improvements and developments in order to say on schedule.
I think that in any company if priorities are all about money and unyielding procedures disaster will eventually strike. In order for a company to be truly successful it needs to be built on a mind set of, ‘what can we do for them?’ (the consumers, employees etc.) rather then ‘what can they for us?’

Columbia and religion class 1-18-07

1. When we were talking in class about how or if God uses the Jackass model I came to this conclusion, yes God tells us the blessings we will receive if we follow him and the consequences if we don't, sometimes we just want Him to tell us what to do, and His love for us is always there. I think God set it up like that on purpose. because He does keep us informed as to the consequences of our actions we decide how we will be governed by Him, whether by fear, blessings, doing just what he tells us to do, or out of our love for Him because he loves us. I think its the same way in the world. we decide how we will be governed by others. whether fear or love will rule our lives and how we will gain positions over others.

2. Obviously we would almost always change or act because of love. something my mom always told me growing up was that if you really want someone to join the church or change there behavior, you love them first and make sure they know you love them. because if they know that you love them for who they are, they will be more willing to change because they know you have their best interest in mind. they also know that if they should fail, they know that you will still love them. i think that this is true both in the church and the business world. people are much more willing to adjust and change if they feel the security that comes from the love that others offer.

3. Conflict is a necessary part of our lives. Something my mom taught me when i was young was that conflict between leaders in the church is how God shows all that can be done. Through different individuals God expresses different ideas. i think that this mortal world is the same. There are so many different ways problems can be handled. by discussing others ideas we can come to a clearer concept of what will work better. once conflict starts to become personal it immediately becomes competing, comparing, complaining, criticizing and/or contending. once this happens the idea changes from what is better to who can win. when this happens someone will walk away hurt or offended.

points from class 1-16-07

1. I think that one of the biggest reasons why NASA was unsuccessful in saving the Columbia starts with the thought that most Americans have about being independent and working for one's best interest instead of the interest of the community as a whole. When the problems started everyone became filled with fear and all were out to save themselves and their jobs.

2. Because of this fear that almost everyone had, people either took courage to fight for their jobs or they became very considerate because they didn't want to take the blame if something went wrong. an example our group came up with was when the DAT presented their findings to their manager. I took a lot of Courage for the manager to tell them that if it was really as bad as they said it was nothing could be done. and it also took a lot of consideration from the DAT to not keep fighting him on the subject. in the end, no one won.

3. I think that because their were those with courage and those who were considerate there was no commitment or single goal as to what needed to be done to save the astronauts. I have no doubt that there was character, I'm sure everyone involved wanted what was best for the astronauts and NASA, and I know that there was Competence, but no one had the same goal or the same idea of how to achieve the desired results.