October 22, 2009
Final Assignment
for 77542/ZERD/001/ Enhancing Instruction through Educational Technology
Instructor: Rita Simons Santiago
Herbert Flaig 0019452
Applying “Blogging” for my spring 2010 classroom course Principles of Microeconomics 201-200
Background: I have taught this course , using Power point as a technical aid to teach. I have not used the internet and the many educational technical aids that it offers. I also have not used Blackboard to turn it into a “blended” format for teaching the material. While I do most of my teaching online, I have not applied any of the tools that Blackboard offers, in my classroom course. Taking this course has convinced me that I should start phasing in some of the “technological teaching tools” that the internet now offers. Specifically I think that using “blogging” as a start for the spring 2010 will be useful and achievable for me.
In starting this process, I make certain assumption about the students I teach and how I can teach them more effectively .
1. Virtually all the students in the class have not taken any economics courses in high school or college.
2. I am troubled by the student attrition and failure rates, and am always looking how can reduce these.
3. Many of my students have little interest in, or knowledge of micro economics and business issues. Typical they do not read about or are particularly interested in economics.
4. I believe students will become more interested in the field of economics, if they can see a direct relationship between micro economics as how it impacts their live. Students will show greater interest in the subject, if they learn that a knowledge of economics makes them more savvy consumers , entrepreneurs and citizens.
5. Therefore it is very important to get them engaged in the subject, it is important to increase their knowledge base beyond the textbook or my lectures. It is always a goal to get students to develop not only a short term “pass the course and get a good grade” interest, but also to nourish a life time interest in economics.
6. Based on surveys I always take in my classes, I know that virtually all students now have access to the internet.
7. I strongly believe that using the technological tools that the internet has made available, specifically blogging will help address the above issues.
The Plan for adding blogging to the Syllabus for Economics 201-200 for the spring.
1. I will essentially use the “Discussion Board” concept and use blogging as a way to engage students in matters relating to microeconomics.
2. Instead of using “Discussion Board” I will develop a specific blog for the students in this course and through a blog supplement my lectures and the material in the text book.
3. This will mean for me to develop weekly discussion topics, or cite articles in the local papers business section that students can discuss, critique, and debate amongst themselves.
4. I find that students become more engaged in economics, if it is not only taught as an academic subject , but if they can relate to economic subject at hand if they can relate to it in a more personal way i.e. local news of consumer behavior, news about local companies, or entrepreneurs. Of course in a growing global economy what happens in southeast Wisconsin is often the result of what happens in the rest of the world. ( See the attached article as an example of material I will post to get the online discussion going)
5. Currently part of the requirement is for students to write 50 journal entries for the semester on business on economic issues, which are typically based on articles they summarize in the local newspapers. This work is part of their final grade.
6. These journals are currently written in isolation by each student, having a blog, that everyone in the class can see and participate in,will, I believe, raise the level of the entries made.
7. For the trial run, during the 2010 spring semester, of this new “blogging” process I will not make it mandatory for students, but give students the choice of writing their journal on paper, or on the blog.
8. Each blog entry up to 20 entries will contribute 5 points towards their final grade, with a maximum of 100 points. ( 20 entries X 5 points per entry)
9. After the spring semester I will review the process to see what worked and what needs to be changed.
10. I believe this will be a success and lead me to move further in the direction of using the internet as one tool to improve teaching and learning.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
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