Integrating Social
Media into Your Teaching: Part I – Learning to Blog
Written by: Dr. Ayman El Tarabishy (email: ayman@gwu.edu)
Executive Director, International Council
for Small Business
Research Professor, The George Washington University
 Most students and educators are now aware of what social
media are and how their use impacts our communication. Social media tools
include online blogs (short for “web logs”); “Wikis,” web sites that are open
to contributions by anyone (the best known probably being Wikipedia); and
Twitter, the name of both a method for sending short text messages to a broad
audience and the organization that supports this tool. Formal internet sites that support social
media contacts include My Space and Facebook, which offer users personal home
pages on which they can share information about themselves with selected others. The use of social media in education is a new
phenomenon that has many educators trying to find ways to integrate that use
into their teaching practices.
In this article (Learning to Blog), I will share
information about how educators can integrate online blogs into courses such as
leadership, entrepreneurship, and small business management. I will explain how
to find free online blogging service websites, how to write a short blog and require
students to comment on it, and how to set up a grading structure for blogs. I
will include examples of instructor blogs and student replies and will discuss
how to incorporate student replies into class discussions.
What is a blog in
general terms?
A blog (a contraction of the term
"web log") is a type of online website, usually created and
maintained by an individual. This person adds content through regular entries which
may include personal comments,
descriptions of events, and other material such as graphics, audio and video.
Many blogs provide commentary or
news on a particular subject. Others function as more personal online journals.
Although most blogs are primarily textual many combine text, images, and links
to other blogs, web pages, and media related to a specific topic. The ability of
readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many
blogs..
To learn more about blogs, please
visit the following sites:
Guide for
instructors: How do I define a blog for my course syllabus?
I have prepared a standard introduction that can be copied
and, with minor modifications, inserted into your course syllabus:
A blog (short for web log)
is a personal online journal (a log) that is frequently updated and intended
for general public consumption by being posted on the internet (web). For this
class, all student blogs will be private. That is, only the
instructor will have direct access to a student’s blog. Blogs are defined by their format: a series
of entries posted to a single page in reverse-chronological order (the most
recent entry first). Blogs generally represent the personal views of the author. Some also reflect the purpose of the web site
that hosts the blog. The topic of these blogs will center on (enter title of the class or subject
matter). They may include brief philosophical musings, commentary on internet
articles about (enter subject matter),
and links to other web sites that you
found interesting, especially those that support a point that you are making.
The blog should be posted no later than (enter
the due date) of that week it is due.
Guide for
instructors: Can you help me find a free
bloging web sites?
There are many excellent and reliable free web log sites available. I recommend
two sites that I have used for the past three years, which I think are
extremely reliable. This does not mean that I endorse only these two sites;
I mention these because of my personal
experience and knowledge in using them.
Site #1: www.wordpress.com 
Features that I liked:
- It is
free
- Available
in 50 languages
- The
blog may be either public or private
- Excellent
design templates are provided to help focus the theme of the blog
- A
helpful record of blog usage is maintained; this can helps to evaluate
student involvement
- Graphics,
audio, and video are easy to add
- You
can have your own domain name (e.g., Your Name.wordpress.com)
Site #2: www.Edublogs.com
This site offers many of the features as www.wordpress.com but Edublogs.com was
developed specifically with teachers and students in mind. While one can
sign-up for a free version there is also a for-fee version that includes more
advanced features. Take a look at http://edublogs.org/campus/
if you are interested in a larger scale version for your academic institution.
A third option:
Learning Management Systems (LMS)
Many and perhaps most educational institutions are now using
one or another form of an online learning system. These are commonly called “learning
management systems,” abbreviated as LMS.
Such systems are, of course, fee-based and, since they are typically
provided to an institution, availability will depend on your school’s contract.
A very popular LMS used by many educational institutions in the United States
is Blackboard. Blackboard offers a module within thesystem
that allows instructors to quickly create educational blogs. Part of the
benefit of using an LMS like Blackboard is you can easily tag each blog as an
assignment and enter a grade for each student. At the end of the term the LMS
system will sum up all the blog grades. This is different than using the two blog sites I mentioned before because if you use these (or similar) sites you will
have to keep track of your student’s blog grades and then calculate a total and
enter a final blog grade into your
grading system.
If your institution does not
subscribe to an LMS, there is a free LMS called Moodle that you might want to look up yourself at http://moodle.org/
Guide for
instructors: How can I integrate blogs into class sessions? How many blogs should I have? What is the grading
structure for blogs?
If you have decided to set up a blog and integrate it into your
class, then the next important questions concern the number of blogs and how to
grade them.
Let me preface this discussion by saying that through
experience I’ve found that the more the students are engaged in the classroom
through discussion, the more the students absorb and understand the material being covered. I’m always
thrilled to walk out of a class in which my students were actively engaged in
classroom conversations. I consider blogs to be in many respects the equivalent
of class discussions. If I can get the same high level of dialogue in the classroom
through the online blogs; than I have captured both the students who are
extroverts and those who are more introverted.
Integrating blogs into
the classroom
It is the responsibility of the instructor to link blog
comments to class content and discussion.
To do this you will obviously have to read each of the
blogs. Since they will generally be
fairly short, this should not be a problem.
If students ask how long a blog entry should be the general answer is,
“As long as you need to express your view or make your point.” I find that good blogs are usually 350 to 400
words. Entries under 200 words are
typically too brief to go into enough detail and those over 500 are simply far
too wordy.
To connect blogs to the classroom, pick the ones that catch
your attention and highlight their specific points at your next class
meeting. Ask class members to comment;
you might simply ask who agrees and who disagrees or has a different view. If a student’s comments seem personal, you
don’t have to identify the writer. If
necessary, you can reword the comment so that the writer remains
anonymous. Of course, if the comment
simply makes an excellent conceptual point, you might want to identify the
writer and even reward him or her, with praise or a small gift (a mug or
t-shirt, for example). This will encourage others to write better so you can recognize
them, too. I have found that recognizing students in my undergraduate classes
for their blog ideas and using their points as a basis for classroom discussion
is a strong incentive for writing effective blogs.
Number of blogs
I have two suggestions concerning the number of blogs you
should have. This is based on the length
of your term. If your class lasts for a semester (i.e., September to December),
than I recommend you set up between eight and ten blogs. If you have a class
that is quarter based (seven weeks), then I recommend five or six blogs. Because I teach on a semester basis I require
each student to make ten blog entries.
Grading blogs
The following grading
structure is based on a semester-long class.
I’ve set this up so you can simply copy it into your syllabus if you
like.
Blog
requirements: Each student will
post a blog covering the topic(s) discussed in the classroom. A total of ten
(10) blogs are required. A schedule of specific due dates for posting will be
provided. In your blog you should:
·
reflect on
the reading assignments and classroom discussions;
· investigate topics online and then report on
their research;
· write about shared classroom experiences;
· copy and paste thought-provoking quotes from
other blogs, then offer your own thoughts on the topic; and,
· ask your classmates to review your blog and give
you feedback.
Grading blogs: A total
of three (3) points can be earned for each blog. Points are assigned based on
the following four criteria:
·
Relevance to
the topics discussed in class (1 point)
·
Quality of
content posted (1 point)
·
Thought
provoking ideas (1/2 point)
·
User feedback
(1/2 point)
As
there are a total of 100 grading points possible and the total number of blog points possible
is 30, your blog will count for a total of 30% of your course grade (10 blogs at 3
points each equals 30 points total).
The following grading
structure is for a seven week class.
Again, you may simply copy this into a syllabus if you wish:
Blog
requirements: Each student will
post a blog covering the topic(s) discussed in the classroom. A total of six
(6) blogs are required. A schedule of specific due dates for posting will be
provided. In your blog you should:
·
reflect on
the reading assignments and classroom discussions;
· investigate topics online and then report on
their research;
· write about shared classroom experiences;
· copy and paste thought-provoking quotes from
other blogs, then offer your own thoughts on the topic; and,
· ask your classmates to review your blog and give
you feedback.
Grading blogs: A total
of five (5) points can be earned for each blog.
Points are assigned based on the following
four criteria:
·
Relevance to
the topics discussed in class (2 point)
·
Quality of
content posted (2 point)
·
Thought
provoking ideas (1/2 point)
·
User
Feedback (1/2 point)
As there are a total of 100 grading points possible and the total number
of blog points possible
is 30, your blog will count for a total of 30% of your course grade (6 blogs at 5
points each equals 30 points total).
Tips on grading blogs:
·
Give a score of 0 points to those who do not
post a reply to your blog by the deadline.
·
Give only partial credit to those whose blogs
simply agree with text or classroom comments and do not offer any new ideas.
·
Remind your students to watch for punctuation
and grammar. Take off points for extremely
poor style.
Sample Instructor
Blog and a Student Comment.
The following blog is used in the first week of a small
business management class. The objective of this blog is to get students to
start discussing the difference between an entrepreneur and a small business
owner. Please see below the instructor blog:
Instructor Post:
 At the end of our first class, I asked you to tell me if we can differentiate between an entrepreneur and a small business owner. Is it a personality issue or does it deal with how they perceive risk as we initially discussed. Is it about the number of businesses they operate and or maybe it is a purely a management style issue.Why do we describe one individual as a small business owner and another an entrepreneur? What about an individual that owns 3-4 small businesses, do we consider them an entrepreneur and why? This question will stir a lot of debate, so for the purposes of this blog, tell me your opinion.
Please remember the following:
- reflect
on your reading or classroom discussion(s);
- investigate
topics online and then report on their research;
- talk
about shared classroom experiences;
- copy
and paste thought-provoking quotes from other blogs, and then offer their
own thoughts on the topic; and
- ask
your classmates to review your blogs, or provide feedback.
Sample Student Comment on Blog:
It appeared in class that most of us were startled at first
by the question that Professor raised about the difference between an
Entrepreneur and a Small Business Owner (SBO). I used to apply them
interchangeably for the most part, and as some of us pointed out, many online
sources also do the same.
The previous
posts mentioned that the key differences between an entrepreneur and an SBO lie
in how one perceives growth, innovation and risk. My stand is as follows:
Growth: Based on my research, attitude towards
growth is the key differentiating characteristic. Growth opportunities are not
just limited to small businesses. This is why it is not necessary that
entrepreneurs have to be small business owners (one of the topics discussed in
class). John Bello, in one of the examples given by Peter, is an entrepreneur.
In a comment posted by the author of ‘Thinking like an Entrepreneur’, Peter I.
Hupalo, exemplifies some of the differences between an entrepreneur and an SBO.http://www.thinkinglike.com/Essays/Small-Business-vs-Entrepreneur.html.
Innovation: As some of us pointed out, innovation
defines entrepreneurship. I am not fully comfortable with this idea, although
yes, they usually go hand in hand. Desire for growth, according to me, is the
more fundamental trait. It is this desire that causes one to seek opportunities
in the industry he is in – one of which is through innovation. A small
restaurant owner, for instance, who uses traditional strategies to grow his
business without making any innovations, can still be called an entrepreneur.
Risk: I
also do not fully agree with the statement that high risk level is an inherent
trait of an entrepreneur. Trying to gain market shares in a mature industry
does involve several degrees of risk – financial, strategic or otherwise. But
if the industry is new or there are not many players in it, one may achieve
growth without necessarily taking high levels of risk. The level of competition
determines a big portion of the risk that he needs to take. Emerging markets
around the world have several examples of this case. Several industries are yet
to reach the less urban areas of the emerging markets. Although entrepreneur in
general may engage in risky endeavors, his goal should always be to minimize
risks at a certain targeted growth level.
Debt was one of
the topics mentioned in the blogs above. Yes, debt is a measure of financial
risk. But low debt does not mean a ‘no’ to entrepreneurship. Again, depending
on the state and type of the industry, the owner may not need to take high
levels of financial risks. Besides, it may also mean that he has big personal
funding.
In conclusion,
desire for growth is the fundamental difference between an entrepreneur and a
small business owner. A small business owner, as the name suggests, is simply
an owner of a small business. The name does not necessarily say anything about
his behavior. The two terms may or may not overlap depending on the behavior of
the SBO. The other qualities of an entrepreneur - like high energy, high risk,
and innovation- result due to one’s desire for growth and therefore, should not
be the defining characteristics of an entrepreneur.
Notes to the
Instructor
What to expect and
what to look for in student blogs
The blog instructions
are specific, asking students to write about the difference of an entrepreneur
and a small business owner, so their blogs will certainly address these two
concepts. How they do so will vary. The student comment is very concrete,
using examples relating to an entrepreneur and a small business owner.
This is a good blog
example; don’t expect students to cover everything in depth.
- Look for frequently-mentioned examples of entrepreneurs
and small business owners.
- Record the number of students who concentrated
on traits in these examples, those who focused on innovation, and those
whose blogs centered on some on growth and lifestyles.
- Record the frequency with which students agree
with those arguing there is no difference between them.
Integrating blog comments into class discussion and activities
Ask class members why
certain individuals are mentioned as entrepreneurs more than small business
owners. This can lead into a lively discussion of traits and how they are
displayed by entrepreneurs familiar to many of us.
Have students form
small groups with the task of linking the key traits of entrepreneurs.
Groups post their results, leading into class discussion of how these two
frameworks are similar and how they differ.
To view extra blog, please download complete pdf (click here).
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