BusM 457: Blogging Required
August 29th, 2005Tomorrow my internet marketing class at BYU
begins. My father and father-in-law both taught at BYU for 35 years. It
is a dream come true for me to be able to teach at this great
university. I'll have 45 students, and we'll cover the ins and outs of
internet marketing for 16 weeks.
I'm planning to require each student to start a blog. This will provide
hands-on experience with what is becoming an essential tool in the
internet marketing arsenal. At first I was considering having them blog
about internet marketing, but this weekend I decided it would be better
for them to choose their greatest passion -- or the field in which they
want to make a living -- and blog about that. I want their blog to
become a way for them to market themselves within their own industry.
If you are a student, have you ever been required to blog? Can anyone
point me to any professors who have required this? I'd like to speak
with one or two before making this assignment.
Posted in: Blogging
August 29th, 2005 at 18:08 PM
I've never heard of required blogging, but I think it's a good idea. You should also have them get a list of RSS feeds that they read regularly.
August 29th, 2005 at 20:08 PM
Hmmm... I'd make sure you leave open the option for them to blog pseudonymously if these aren't just blogs on a closed network. Not all of your students will be open to the idea of putting their name out the public internet associated with something in their private education. It helps that you're proposing to let them blog about whatever they want, but some people will still be uneasy about it.
Here's one example of why it might be healthy to be a bit cautious...
http://chronicle.com/jobs/2005/07/2005070801c.htm
August 30th, 2005 at 23:08 PM
Maybe I should assign those who don't want to blog to work in small teams on a Wiki--so that they can still measure the traffic to their site, but they can be anonymous.
August 31st, 2005 at 04:08 AM
Great idea...exposure to wikis is critically important too. And beyond either one, the idea of RSS marketing explicitly.
August 30th, 2005 at 05:08 AM
I setup a wiki for a class Paul was involved in, and a lot of people on my team had an experience they would otherwise not have had. That's meaningful. Blogging would also be meaningful as it is a skill every internet marketer will need. I would have students do both, and give them the option of blogging anonomously if they prefer.
August 30th, 2005 at 16:08 PM
Paul, have you considered podcasting your lectures? If you record your lecture tonight, even with a tape recorder, we could convert it to MP3 (or bookmarkable MP4 for iPod) and have a feed for it within a couple of hours after the class.
August 30th, 2005 at 20:08 PM
Great idea on the podcast. paul, I hope you do it!
Thanks in advance
August 31st, 2005 at 09:08 AM
One more vote for podcast Paul. Would be very useful for someone like me located in India.
August 31st, 2005 at 18:08 PM
http://econtufte.blogspot.com/
This is a blog created by an econ professor at Southern Utah University where students are always contributing (when class is in session). I assume that it is required for the class
September 2nd, 2005 at 01:09 AM
I'd also love a podcast because I have a scheduling conflict with another class that I need to graduate. Even if you had one of your class members post detailed class notes to his or her class blog, then I wouldn't feel like I was missing out. (And there were a lot of people on laptops typing practically every word anyway.)
September 6th, 2005 at 17:09 PM
Dr. Charles Graham and Dr. Stephanie Allen (Instructional Psychology & Technology) both require their students to blog if they are enrolled in their classes.
Post new comment