Social Media in PR Education

Slide 1: Social Media in PR Education - Euroblog 2008 - Prof. Dr. Thomas Pleil Hochschule Darmstadt March 13, 2008

Slide 2: Academic PR Education The claim Bridge science and profession Integrate results of research in education Thomas Pleil

Slide 3: Academic PR Education The claim Bridge science and profession Integrate results of research in education Some learning targets for PR students Expert knowledge Theoretical knowledge PR tool box etc. Knowledge on the occupational area PR, media, publics Relationship Management, e.g. Identify relevant conversations Join these conversations Moderate discussions Thomas Pleil Turn conversations into relationships See connections between concepts, ideas, actors

Slide 4: Trends in Public Relations 1. Explosion of information and knowledge 2. Collective intelligence 3. New virtual publics 4. Media Relations: Loss of importance 5. Communcation experts as relationship managers and networkers 6. Communication department as enabler of communications 7. Interplay between communications, innovation & knowledge management Thomas Pleil

Slide 5: Trends in Public Relations 1. Explosion of information and knowledge 2. Collective intelligence 3. 4. 5. Social New virtual publics Media Relations: Loss of importance Communcation experts as relationship managers and networkers Media 6. Communication department as enabler of communications 7. Interplay between communications, innovation & knowledge management Thomas Pleil

Slide 6: Social Media in PR Education Understanding Social Media as Means of didactics Instruments for communication management Tools for Project Management Knowledge Management Open Innovation Thomas Pleil

Slide 7: PR education in Darmstadt Programme of studies: online journalism (still: Diploma) 4 terms: Basics in online journalism 1 term: Internship 2 terms: Public Relations 1 term: Thesis Thomas Pleil

Slide 8: PR education in Darmstadt Courses (choice) PR Basics Theory of communications management PR tool box: conception, media relations, internal comms., evaluation etc. Fields of PR: Corporate Communications, Nonprofit-PR, CSR etc. Online communications Theory (e.g. social networks, relationship management) Instruments New developments: Socialweb PR Agency (Practical Projects), e.g. PR Conceptions Evaluation/Coaching Case Study Research Copywriting in PR No course dedicated to Social Media Thomas Pleil Integrate of Social Media in existing courses

Slide 9: The ambition Our PR courses are supposed to enclose the PR Body of Knowledge give an overview on actual debates in PR build up practical PR exercise establish experience with Social Media (in PR) Thomas Pleil

Slide 10: Didactical considerations Thomas Pleil

Slide 11: Learning 1.0 Thomas Pleil

Slide 12: Outside the classroom Thomas Pleil

Slide 13: „Education is Community.“ Marc Prensky 2007 (Designer of Educational Games) Thomas Pleil

Slide 14: Learning Theories Behaviorism Knowledge gained through experience Cognitivism Knowledge gained through experience & thinking Constructivism Knowledge is constructed Connectivism Knowledge is composed of connections and networked entities Learning as a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources. Learning happens in many different ways: courses, conversations, communities, reading textbooks, blogs, writing wiki articles… Thomas Pleil Siemens 2008

Slide 15: Comprise reality into education Thomas Pleil

Slide 16: The goal „Prepare students to participate in networks where knowledge is collectively constructed and shared.“ Mejias, Ulisis 2006 Thomas Pleil

Slide 17: Comprise whole reality Thomas Pleil

Slide 18: Our Social Media Scenery PR-Blog PR-Blog PR-Blog PR-Blog Educators‘ (other Twitter students) Educators‘ PR-Blog Weblog Textdepot Public Wiki PR-Wiki Social Bookmarks (Group Archive) IM Private Wikis Others‘ PR-Blog Bookmarks Course Blog PR-Fundsachen Thomas Pleil PR-Blog (other students)

Slide 19: Roles for Educators (Siemens 2007) Educator as network administrator Helping students to construct networks Educator as master artist Enculturation into a practice Very open spacy Educator as curator Expert with advanced knowledge Creating learning resources Great in an ideal world. Problems: Motivation, proactivity Educator as concierge Directing learners to ressources Incorporating traditional lectures Thomas Pleil Permitting learners to explore on their own Striking the balance

Slide 20: Lessons (Example) ------------ 1,5 to 3 hours ----------- Discussion: Hot topics within the Social Web Educator Generated Content: Body of Knowledge: Lectures, Excercises Learner Generated Content: Thomas Pleil Short presentations (topic chosen by students), discussion Articles in a Wiki

Slide 21: Lessons (Example) Continuing Learning outside the classroom Bringing the Social Web into the classroom ------------ 1,5 to 3 hours ----------- Discussion: Hot topics within the Social Web Educator Generated Content: Body of Knowledge: Lectures, Excercises Opening classroom to the Learner Generated Content: Social Web Thomas Pleil Short presentations (topic chosen by students), discussion Articles in a Wiki

Slide 22: Our Social Media Formats Thomas Pleil

Slide 23: Wikis Since 2004/05: pr-wiki.de: a public Knowledge Base Wiki articles instead of Term papers Checklists Thomas Pleil Linklists Purchase lists for the library

Slide 24: Wikis Experiences (PR-Wiki) Nearly no interaction between students and with environment Wiki articles: Written in Word, pasted into the Wiki Students: Nearly no involvement Educator: Public Notebook A growing ressource on PR but no really living project Thomas Pleil

Slide 25: Wikis 2006: adding a private wiki Management of projects, e.g.: Milestones Minutes of group meetings, briefings Expert Lists Documentation Syllabus Thomas Pleil About 60 % proposed by educator, 40% by students Texts Organizing dates and topics for presentations

Slide 26: Wikis Experiences (private Wiki) Very high involvement in Project Management High involvement concerning courses Privacy as a key for success! Thomas Pleil

Slide 27: Weblog Since 2005: PR-Fundsachen PR-Blog of all PR students Thomas Pleil

Slide 28: Weblog Experiences „How many posts do we have to write???“ Thomas Pleil

Slide 29: Weblog: Experiences Some numbers 3 classes with 44 blogging students 3 of 47 students rejected to blog (2 did design stuff) During terms: about 3 posts/week During vacation: nearly no posts 10 students with more than 10 posts in 2 terms 8 students with more than 20 posts in 2 terms Most students post 6 – 8 times in 2 terms 6 students tried to Podcast (Audio/Video) TA 55, 177 Feed subsribers Thomas Pleil about 20 % become Bloggers

Slide 30: Weblog: Experiences Problems: Finding topics Writing blog-like Managing comments Fear of mistakes Payoffs Networking with PR practitioners, Alumni, other PR students Digital reputation/job relevance for some students Not a leading blog, but visibility and exchange with Thomas Pleil environment

Slide 31: Weblog: The students Online Survey 2007: “Blogging is good exercise for career” Thomas Pleil

Slide 32: Social Bookmarks Group Archive for every class Reading Tipps Thomas Pleil Results of Research for Projects

Slide 33: Social Bookmarks Online Survey 2008: “The Social Bookmark-Archive was a good knowlegde base” Thomas Pleil

Slide 34: Social Media: Conclusions Problem 1: Motivation Information sharing and collaborating Extending classroom into every day life Problem 2: Force of habit Courses as lean back event Unususal roles for students and instructor More responsibilty for students Impact Strong benefits for 1 of 3 students Some benefits for half of the students Some are out of reach Thomas Pleil

Slide 35: Social Media: Conclusions Benefits: More responsibilty for students Activating some of the silent students More current knowledge Improved skills PR for the university and for each student Better job opportunities Thomas Pleil

Slide 36: The near Future Presence during terms: several Workshops instead of weekly seminars Between the Workshops: networked learning More Learner Generated Content, e.g. Skypecasts with Experts Better integration of Platforms Next Term: Google Apps In the Future: Social Community and mobile content? Thomas Pleil

Slide 37: References Büffel, Steffen; Pleil, Thomas; Schmalz, Jan Sebastian (2007). Net- Wiki, PR-Wiki, Kowiki – Erfahrungen mit kollaborativer Wissens- produktion in Forschung und Lehre, kommunikation@gesellschaft, No. 8, http://2big.at/8ui Mejias, Ulises (2006): Teaching social software with social software. In: Innovate 2 (5), www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=260 Prensky, Marc (2007): To Engage, engage with, in: Educational Technology, Nov./Dec.: 64 Siemens, George (2008): Learning and Knowing in Networks: Changing roles for Educators and Designers, Paper presented to ITFORUM, http://it.coe.uga.edu/itforum/Paper105/Siemens.pdf Walker, Jill (2005): Weblogs – Learning in Public, in: On the Horizon, Vol. 13, Issue 2, pages 112 – 118, http://jilltxt.net/txt/Weblogs- learninginpublic.pdf Thomas Pleil

Slide 38: Thank you! Contact details Prof. Dr. Thomas Pleil Hochschule Darmstadt Mail pleil@h-da.de Blog: www.das-textdepot.de Thomas Pleil Twitter: http://twitter.com/tp_da Skype/AIM: thomaspleil Tel.: +49(0)6071/82-9272