The effective use of blogs in economics education

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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

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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?

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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

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Who are we to tell you this

• Paul Ayres, Economics Editor, Intute Social
  Sciences, paul.ayres_at_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

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Who are we to tell you this

• Bhagesh Sachania, Information Officer, Economics
  Network, b.m.sachania_at_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.economicsnet
  work.ac.uk/showcase/ayres_blogs.htm

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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?

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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-Websters Words of the Year 2004)
• Try Writing and managing content section 3 of
• the Guide to Using Blogs in Economics

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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

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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

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Activity 1 Learning from other people and their
blogs

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

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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

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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

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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 Leslies matrix of blog uses
  http//www.edtechpost.ca/gems/matrix2.gif

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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

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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

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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

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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?

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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

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Whats 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