Blogging with Guest Experts

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Blogging with Guest Experts

• Helen Adams Jolen Neumann, Instructors
• School Library Information Technologies Program
• Mansfield University
• Access Legal Issues in the Information Age
  online course

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Why Have Guest Experts?

• Students
• learn directly from subject area specialists
• have opportunity to ask questions
• experience a different source of information
• acquire different perspectives on the topic

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Who is an expert?

• Critieria for a guest expert
• Knowledgeable on the topic
• Willing to respond to student questions over a 3
  day period
• Able to communicate complex ideas in simple terms
• Enthusiastic about this experience
• Personable

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How the blog assignment evolved

• Blackboard incorporates 5 Web 2.0 tools
• Discussion Board
• Chat
• Blog
• Wiki
• Vary students learning experiences
• Experience with guest expert chats
• Experience as guest expert blogger for Indiana
  University
• Fall 2008 course experimental blog

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Advantages Disadvantages of Blogs with Guest
Experts

• Advantages
• Asynchronous format
• Fits into any students schedule
• Participation is mandatory
• Opportunity to experience new learning format
• Enthusiasm for class and content
• Disadvantages
• Greater time commitment for guest expert

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The Blog Assignment

• Blog replaces 2 class discussions
• Blog time frame
• Requirements
• post an initial question by Friday midnight
• Follow-up question or 1 comment by Sat. midnight
• No single day blogging
• Guest expert checks responds daily

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Preparing a Guest for Blogging

• Invite guest
• Establish generic guest account
• Enroll guest in course
• 2 weeks before blogging experience
• Send instructions to access the blog
• Initiate practice
• Provide a brief description of the class number
  of students
• Describe what will happen student expectations

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Student Preparation for Blogging

• One week before the blog opens
• Post an announcement in BB
• Blog reminder
• Guest experts credentials
• Provide a URL to a photo of the guest

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What We Learned

• Helen Jolens Experiences
• Ideal vs. Reality
• More difficult time-consuming to grade
• Rubric Assignment Changes

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Rubric Adjustments

• Initial Blog Rubric

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Lessons from the WIKI

• Timing is everything
• Teaching WIKI logistics
• Usefulness of resources?
• Some topics were neglected
• Students overwhelmingly approved

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Conclusions

• Guest experts
• Interactive tools add variety interest
• Students try out tools with assistance
• Blackboard evaluation tools