The effective use of blogs in economics education Developments in Economics Education (DEE) Conference Paul Ayres and Bhagesh Sachania http://del. icio .us/ cfbloke / dee

Aims of this session In the next hour, we hope that you will have answered the following questions: What are the possibilities for using blogs in economics teaching? How can they be harnessed to disseminate research? What are the opportunities and risks of blogging?

In the next hour, we hope that you will

have answered the following questions:

What are the possibilities for using blogs in economics teaching?

How can they be harnessed to disseminate research?

What are the opportunities and risks of blogging?

How will we do this Experiential learning approach Small group work Examining best practice Discussions and brainstorms … facilitated by us, but with active input from you

Experiential learning approach

Small group work

Examining best practice

Discussions and brainstorms

… facilitated by us,

but with active input from you

Who are we to tell you this … Paul Ayres, Economics Editor, Intute: Social Sciences, paul . ayres @ bristol .ac. uk Experienced blogger and podcaster at: http://www.intute.ac.uk/socialsciences/blog/ Collaborated on the Economics in Action blog, part of the Why Study Economics initiative http://whystudyeconomics.ac.uk/blog/ Written and presented about these issues to a number of Social Science organisations

Paul Ayres, Economics Editor, Intute: Social Sciences, paul . ayres @ bristol .ac. uk

Experienced blogger and podcaster at: http://www.intute.ac.uk/socialsciences/blog/

Collaborated on the Economics in Action blog, part of the Why Study Economics initiative http://whystudyeconomics.ac.uk/blog/

Written and presented about these issues to a number of Social Science organisations

Who are we to tell you this … Bhagesh Sachania, Information Officer, Economics Network, b.m. sachania @ bristol .ac. uk Has run a series of workshops on the effective use of educational technology at economics departments round the UK Authors of the “Guide to Using Blogs in Economics” available from: http://www. economicsnetwork .ac. uk /showcase/ ayres _ blogs . htm

Bhagesh Sachania, Information Officer, Economics Network, b.m. sachania @ bristol .ac. uk

Has run a series of workshops on the effective use of educational technology at economics departments round the UK

Authors of the “Guide to Using Blogs in Economics” available from: http://www. economicsnetwork .ac. uk /showcase/ ayres _ blogs . htm

About you A quick show of hands: How many of you know what a blog is? How many of you read blogs about economics? How many of you have commented on a blog written by someone else? How many of you have written a blog post already?

A quick show of hands:

How many of you know what a blog is?

How many of you read blogs about economics?

How many of you have commented on a blog written by someone else?

How many of you have written a blog post already?

What is a blog? “ Blog (short for Weblog): a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer.” ( Merriam-Webster’s Words of the Year 2004) Try “Writing and managing content” section 3 of the Guide to Using Blogs in Economics

“ Blog (short for Weblog): a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer.”

( Merriam-Webster’s Words of the Year 2004)

Try “Writing and managing content” section 3 of

the Guide to Using Blogs in Economics

Characteristics of blogs Quick and easy web publishing Offer instant communication Regularly updated Require little technical knowledge A social / networking activity Link to other online resources

Quick and easy web publishing

Offer instant communication

Regularly updated

Require little technical knowledge

A social / networking activity

Link to other online resources

Rise of the bloggers Over 70 million blogs online 120,000 new blogs every day 1.5 million blog posts a day 87% of UK online adults have heard about blogs 40% of US online adults read blogs for political news Sources: technorati.com, Harris Poll, Nielsen/NetRatings

Over 70 million blogs online

120,000 new blogs every day

1.5 million blog posts a day

87% of UK online adults have heard about blogs

40% of US online adults read blogs for political news

Sources: technorati.com, Harris Poll, Nielsen/NetRatings

Activity 1: Learning from other people and their blogs Tell your colleagues about your favourite economics blog and why you like it If you can’t think of one go to: http://www.intute.ac.uk/socialsciences/economics/ Search for blog* to bring up a list of blogs and blogging related sites We will collate the suggestions and come up with an economics blog reading list

Tell your colleagues about your favourite economics blog and why you like it

If you can’t think of one go to: http://www.intute.ac.uk/socialsciences/economics/

Search for blog* to bring up a list of blogs and blogging related sites

We will collate the suggestions and come up with an economics blog reading list

Activity 2: How might you use a blog for economics education? Potential teaching and learning uses of blogs: Replacing standard class web pages Professor-written blogs which cover interesting developments that relate to the theme of the course Organization of in-class discussion Organization of intensive seminars where students have to provide weekly summaries of the readings Requiring students to write their own blogs as part of their grade Henry Farrell, Crooked Timber blog

Potential teaching and learning uses of blogs:

Replacing standard class web pages

Professor-written blogs which cover interesting developments that relate to the theme of the course

Organization of in-class discussion

Organization of intensive seminars where students have to provide weekly summaries of the readings

Requiring students to write their own blogs as part of their grade

Henry Farrell, Crooked Timber blog

Activity 2: How might you use a blog for economics education? Potential research uses of blogs: Writing up as you go along Floating new or embryonic ideas Dissemination of research results Take advantage of the “invisible college” of fellow economists Engaging with the public to raise the level of debate on economic issues Sidestepping the mainstream media for publicity

Potential research uses of blogs:

Writing up as you go along

Floating new or embryonic ideas

Dissemination of research results

Take advantage of the “invisible college” of fellow economists

Engaging with the public to raise the level of debate on economic issues

Sidestepping the mainstream media for publicity

Activity 2: How might you use a blog for economics education? In your groups, come up with a 30 word statement on how you could use a blog in your economics education What are the characteristics of a blog that would make it appropriate over another form of technology / teaching? Try “Uses in Economics” section 5 of the Guide to using Blogs in Economics Try Scott Leslie’s matrix of blog uses: http://www. edtechpost .ca/gems/matrix2.gif

In your groups, come up with a 30 word statement on how you could use a blog in your economics education

What are the characteristics of a blog that would make it appropriate over another form of technology / teaching?

Try “Uses in Economics” section 5 of the Guide to using Blogs in Economics

Try Scott Leslie’s matrix of blog uses: http://www. edtechpost .ca/gems/matrix2.gif

Activity 3: What issues are associated with blogging? “… blogs are great as they let anyone say anything they want about any subject” … blogs present many opportunities

“… blogs are great as they let anyone say anything they want about any subject”

… blogs present many opportunities

Activity 3: What issues are associated with blogging? “… blogs are rubbish as they let anyone say anything they want about any subject” … blogs also have their risks

“… blogs are rubbish as they let anyone say anything they want about any subject”

… blogs also have their risks

Activity 3: What issues are associated with blogging? In your groups, examine your 30 word statements about your use of a blog in economics education Come up with a list of potential risk factors and opportunities of using a blog in this fashion Try section 4 “Risks” of the Guide to Using Blogs in Economics

In your groups, examine your 30 word statements about your use of a blog in economics education

Come up with a list of potential risk factors and opportunities of using a blog in this fashion

Try section 4 “Risks” of the Guide to Using Blogs in Economics

Activity 3: What issues are associated with blogging? Some questions you may wish to consider: Will your blog be publicly available? Will you allow comments? Does your institution know you are blogging? Are your ideas “safe” or could they be stolen? Who is in “control” of a student written class blog? What resources do you have available – time, computing, subject expertise?

Some questions you may wish to consider:

Will your blog be publicly available?

Will you allow comments?

Does your institution know you are blogging?

Are your ideas “safe” or could they be stolen?

Who is in “control” of a student written class blog?

What resources do you have available – time, computing, subject expertise?

Finally … a note of caution “ The roof of the classroom has been blown off and the walls have been set on the circumference of the globe." Ben Darrow talking about the educational potential of radio in … 1932

“ The roof of the classroom has been

blown off and the walls have been

set on the circumference of the

globe."

Ben Darrow talking about the educational potential of radio in … 1932

What’s next? Read the “Guide to Using Blogs in Economics” online at the Economics Network website Look at related websites from: http://del.icio.us/cfbloke/econblog Look out for the Economics Network technology workshop in Bristol next year Read 100s of economics blogs at the Economics Roundtable http://www. rtable .net/ Find more economics blogs via Intute: Social Sciences and suggest some new ones

Read the “Guide to Using Blogs in Economics” online at the Economics Network website

Look at related websites from: http://del.icio.us/cfbloke/econblog

Look out for the Economics Network technology workshop in Bristol next year

Read 100s of economics blogs at the Economics Roundtable http://www. rtable .net/

Find more economics blogs via Intute: Social Sciences and suggest some new ones