Blog Consistency: 2
Comment Consistency: 2
Concept Integration: 4

I found the blogs to be an interesting concept and was looking forward to working on them throughout the semester. I had somewhat of an interest in watching Survivor before this class but never really got around to it so I was glad on the show choice. For the blog posts that I did submit, I felt as if I was able to make connections to the text mentally even when I had trouble putting it into words. However, I missed way too many blog posts.

Even though this is blog prompt 10, this is only my 5th posting. I could have improved on my participation by finding a better night to work on it. I would always work on it Monday after class because it was the only time I had to work on it. By the time I got home and was able to get through an episode, I would only have about half an hour to get my thoughts together and apply them to our class. Having said this, I did watch every episode of the show but wouldn’t post my blogs if I finished them up after midnight. I could have avoided this all by setting aside an earlier time in the week to work on it.

I did like that we were actually doing something with the show. I have had classes where reading was assigned or videos needed to be watched but then nothing was done with the material.

I disliked having specific chapters assigned to each week because it was sometimes hard to find things in the episode that had to deal with the chapter. Then having to do at least 300 words on something that didn’t relate was even more difficult. I also had trouble commenting on other blogs because there wouldn’t be much for me to say without repeating everything they were saying but just summarized.

In the future I would recommend having students choose which blogs they want to participate in. Perhaps have only 8 blogs be assigned and then students choose which 8 they want to write. The comments could also just be extra credit based on the quality of the comment. Or have students comment on blogs that their group members write.

Overall, the blog concept was a good idea and I would definitely use it in other classes.

So far this has been the most interesting episode of Survivor this season. Many tables were turned and a few of the survivors had a drastic wake up call. As individuals, everyone isn’t doing too bad but when it came to group decisions during this episode, there was no stability. Groups are able to motivate themselves through a sense of choice and progress but the end result showed the exact opposite was happening on the island.

Reed’s main plan was to have Jon voted off so he began manipulating the other players to get it done but there was a slip of the tongue from Keith during the tribal meeting which had everyone second guessing their votes at the last second. Since both Jon and Keith played their immunity idols, they were safe but unfortunately, Wes ended up having to leave. This shows how the group’s sense of progress was destroyed. Jon’s group believed they were focusing on sending Keith home and Reed even had the ladies believing the same thing. Once the votes were shared, the players knew who had backed out on their word which will not be good for Jon and his small alliance.

The group’s sense of choice must be shaken as well because they are trying to trust each other but it seems to back fire for most. The smaller alliances are choosing who to listen to and whether or not to vote with other groups but after today’s episode I don’t see them getting along too well. If anyone wants to stay in the game they better work harder and the upcoming immunity challenges because it may be the only way to keep moving forward.

In the immunity challenge, individuals were putting their own desires before their alliances’ so group motivation may be out the window all together and it could very well be every man for himself.

For this blog’s episode there was an interesting challenge at the beginning of the episode. In order to complete the challenge successfully, the challengers had to complete a puzzle while blindfolded but their teammates couldn’t say anything. Had they been able to use one other member to instruct them, it would have made for an extremely convenient challenge for this week’s chapter about listening in groups. Throughout the rest of the episode we do see quite a bit of selective, defensive and disruptive listening. These types of listening are mostly evident when tribal members are in arguments or when the couples on Coyopa are retelling past events to the new members of the tribe.

The conflict between Dale and Baylor is when you can clearly see defensive listening. Even though the two don’t talk to each other much, they don’t actually listen to one another when they do. As for Missy, all she knows is that her daughter is “being attacked” and she is listening to the words that enforce that idea. She seems like a woman who would listen to logic but on the island there is no way to prove what her daughter has or has not done while the two were on separate tribes. I believe that it would be beneficial if the tribes won our textbook for one of the challenges. That way they could read the “Listen Before You Leap” section and learn to take a minute to think things through before they just keep talking.

There seems to be this idea that the ones who talk more are the ones with the most control but as our book states, the more effective leaders are the ones who listen. If people really wanted to win the game, they would sit back and listen to everyone and simply make their observations without talking too much. Sadly, for this week’s tribal meeting, Dale gets sent home right after having lost his daughter. Personally, I can’t wait until I get to see Baylor get voted off the island and have to walk away. Perhaps if she didn’t talk as much and keep flipping her alliances I would want her to stay more. Here’s to hopping something good happens soon!

From the beginning of the episode I was pretty sure Drew was going to be a problem and that is exactly how it happened throughout the episode. He started by having a substantive conflict with the tribe about whether or not they should negotiate the flint. Even once they got to the arena Drew wanted to stop everything to get some fishing gear. When Hunahpu won the first challenge, I thought most of the problems would be over but that didn’t happen. Although Jon mentioned saving some of the comfort for when Drew returned, I felt as though he was showing an avoidance conflict style by sending the group’s problem child to Exile Island.

Even though there were a few issues shown in just the first couple of minutes, Hunahpu showed group cohesion when they unanimously chose the comfort prize over the food. So far in all the episodes they have shown they work well together and it probably is only emphasized by the rewards they keep winning for each of the challenges.

During exile, Drew let his destructive side show when he stated that he wanted to throw the game in order to vote people out of his tribe even though it back fired and resulted in him going home later. I found it to be a great example of the Competition Conflict Style since he was more concerned with kicking someone out than ensuring the safety of the tribe.

For Coyopa, I believe they are just starting to get some sort of cohesion going now that they have rid themselves of John and can now respect all the members of their team without having to deal with negativity. Alec also seems to be trying to explain himself when it comes to Baylor which should theoretically smooth out issues but judging by the way she reacts to his remarks, it may not be enough to keep the peace for long.

I look forward to seeing how the groups handle the switch next week now that Coyopa is just now getting to a comfortable place and Hunahpu is starting to get stirred up.

When I first began watching Survivor, I was a bit confused about the theme Blood vs Water. After getting into it a little more I actually found the show to be quite interesting.  I’m still trying to learn everyone’s names so I feel similar to Keith when he stated that he felt he was the new guy trying to learn who everyone was. The forming stage in both groups was evident in their first night together by the content of their conversations. The Coyopa tribe found that most of them are younger individuals with two older men. They seemed to have formed a connection based on their age and Dale feels a bit excluded and competes to be the first to make fire. He even breaks his glasses, reducing his ability to see, in order to gain status in the group.

Despite the awkward relationships that are forming, Coyopa did an amazing job working through their immunity challenge. They worked cohesively in order to grab their bags and speed through the different walls. Unfortunately, due to their lack of communication, they were unable to finish their puzzle in time which caused them to be sent to a tribal meeting. In discussing the elimination before the actual meeting, the men met together to decide who to vote out while the women did the same. This looks as though it may become a group norm before each elimination.

Josh seems to be in the forming stage still as he is being approached by each of the groups and then again by individuals. He even mentions himself that he is unsure of how to go ahead with the situation and that he needs to be careful because his decisions could backfire on him later. Another tribe member that needs to watch out is Val. After finding the clue to an idol on exile island, she now has a hidden agenda because she is unwilling to share this information with Keith. Even though her tribe obviously doesn’t know about her secret, it is something that can harm her future on the island if they find out.

I look forward to watching the next episode!

I hope you enjoy my first post.