wikis, blogs and other technology in is classes
DESCRIPTION
Wikis, Blogs and Other Technology in IS Classes. Vicki L. Sauter Professor of Information Systems. Range of Courses. I teach information systems courses Introductory MBA course on IT Systems Analysis (MS and BS level) Decision Support Systems (MS and BS level) - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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Wikis, Blogs and Other Technology in IS Classes
Vicki L. SauterProfessor of Information Systems
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Range of Courses
I teach information systems courses– Introductory MBA course on IT– Systems Analysis (MS and BS level)– Decision Support Systems (MS and BS level)– Doctoral Seminar on Systems Analysis and Design– Internship Requirements
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Additional Technology
Email list on outlook so I can email them wherever they are
Discussion board in Blackboard for group discussions
Post final grades for the students to see late in the semester grades
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The Internet vs. Blackboard
My material was available prior to the introduction of Blackboard
I have too much material to move Students rely on the materials in later courses My students rely on the materials as references
in their careers Students from around the world are using my
materials both in their classes and just because they find the materials there
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Why My Students are Different …
My students are usually technology-proficient They already have some experience with
many tools we use in class They are less tolerant with kludgy tools They are better able to trouble-shoot
problems They will tell you what you should be doing
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Why My Students Are Different ….
Problems in the classroom are part of the learning experience for IS students
They need to learn what CAN happen They need to learn how to respond They need to learn coping strategies
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Sauter’s First Law of Technology
Never attempt to do something that someone else has not already done successfully
At least do not attempt it alone
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Sauter’s Second Law
If it is technology, it will break
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What is a Blog?
Wikipedia: A blog is a website in which items are posted on a regular basis and displayed in reverse chronological order. Like other media, blogs often focus on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news. Some blogs function as online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic.
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What is a Blog?
Blog is short for weblog. A weblog is a journal (or newsletter) that is frequently updated and intended for general public consumption. www.bytowninternet.com/glossary
A short form for weblog, a frequent and chronological publication of comments and thoughts on the web. They usually include philosophical reflections, opinions on the Internet and social or political issues.www.epolitix.com
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What is a Blog?
The name "blog" is a truncated form of "web log" according to Rebecca Blood's essay "Weblogs: a history and perspective." Blog is used to refer to sites that can best be described as mini sites or mini directories, populated with the site owner's personal opinions. Blogs are now popular for business use as well.www.thewebdivision.com/glossary.html
Blog is short for Web log and is a Web page that has short, frequent updates made to it. Similar to a Web journal or "what's new" page.www.cougarcreationsinc.com/web_definitions.htm
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Decision Support Systems Course
Course Goals– Make them more aware of how decision makers
act– Translate that decision making knowledge into
awareness of how to use models to support decision makers
– Teach them to build software that includes models and support for understanding those models
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Motivation for Technology Use
Need students to focus on decision making and modeling since it is a critical component in decision support systems
They have a rudimentary modeling background and no experience in applying those models in real world situations
Students never really understand what a model is outside of a textbook question
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Blog Assignment
Emphasize discussion of the models, their impacts, and their assumptions
Find examples of models Critique those models Requiring other students to engage in a directed
discussion through the blogs Worked through an article in class explaining what
should be addressed and how to review the article
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Specifics of Assignment
Each student must identify an article each week that discusses decision making
An entry provides a link to an article that discusses decision making and/or modeling and provides a critique of the use of the model and the approach to the decision making.
Each student must comment on other articles and the students’ critiques of the assignments
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Example of their Work
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Problems – from the Students’ View
Navigation of Blackboard to look at all blogs is tedious
Blackboard screen does not resize nicely Not everyone keeps up, so it is hard to go
back and comment on others’ discussion The assignment is too vague
(undergraduates) It takes too much time (undergraduates)
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Problems – from the Students’ View
People don’t engage in discussion – there is the original comment and then they never come back (graduate students)
People late in the alphabet do not get quality comments
Blogs do not thread nicely
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Problems – My View
There is a wide range of attention to this assignment
Especially at the undergraduate level, there are often not quality comments
Since I do not require people to go back and respond, there really is not discussion
No obvious improvement in conceptualization of decision making or modeling
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Changes
Designate one or two students to find and review an article each week
Require discussion on the article (at undergraduate level, this may mean requiring “x” postings)
Instructor post comments Instructor start process with a review in the
blog format
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Introductory MBA Class
Course Goals– Make students more aware of technology and
how it can be used in business– Provide a basic capability in using and
implementing some technologies– Make students aware of the challenges and
legalities associated with implementing technologies in businesses
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Motivation for Technology Use
Need students to focus on how technology has been used in various industries
Expose students to the range of applications and the range of issues associated with those applications
Provide them with an experience that uses technology rather than just writing a term paper
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Blog Assignment
Select an industry Research how technology has been used in that
industry Critique those applications Make recommendations for how to improve the
application of technology
Respond to the comments I made in the previous week
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Specifics of Assignment
Each student selects an industry of interest to them.
Twenty five industries selectedFashion IndustrySports IndustryRetail Sales IndustryMusic IndustryStudent Loan IndustryTravel Industry
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Specifics of the Assignment (cont)
Each week the student must research how the topic covered in class is addressed in the selected industry
How blogs are used in the music industryWiki technology in the high tech industryData warehousing and the retail industrySecurity in professional sports industry
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Move from Blackboard
Responded to concerns from last class Use http://www.blogger.com/
Easy to accessEasy to navigateScales and sizes nicelyEasy for commentsMore flexibility in the aestheticsSomething they may maintain in the future
(perhaps on other topics)
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Example of their Work
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Example of their Work
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Example of their Work
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Problems – from the Students’ View
No complaints have been expressed!
It is a “culture change” to develop a term paper quality document in weekly installments
It is not clear when to stop focusing on last week’s topic and to move onto this week
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Problems – from my point of view
It is much more work to comment on the blogs each week than to grade term papers!
It is hard to get them to go to the library and put in that kind of focus on research when they post each week and post to the web
The students are not commenting (at least online) to their colleagues’ blogs
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What is a Wiki?
It also sometimes refers to the collaborative software itself (wiki engine) that facilitates the operation of such a website
In essence, wiki is a simplification of the process of creating web pages combined with a system that records each individual change that occurs over time, so that at any time, a page can be reverted to any of its previous states.
A wiki system may also provide various tools that easily allow the user community to monitor the constantly changing state of the wiki and discuss the issues that emerge in trying to achieve a general consensus about wiki content. Wiki content can also be misleading as users may add incorrect information to the Wiki page.
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Systems Analysis Class
Class Goals– Provide students with the skills to develop a set of
managerial and technical specifications to address business need
Analyze business processes Critically examine problems and opportunities from a
variety of perspectives Examine technology as a tool to address those
problems Construct specifications for someone to build technology
to address those problems and opportunities
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Systems Analysis Class
– Develop team skills to address technology problems
Developing a group perspective on the problem Keeping a technical journal Brainstorming of solutions Evaluating solutions Sharing a vision of a solution “Selling” that solution
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Motivation for Technology
Student groups are not always cohesive– Some students “opt out”– Some students over control
Students miss many of the steps in the systems analysis process
Documentation of work often is not at an appropriate level
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What is a Wiki?
Wikipedia: A wiki is a type of website that allows users to add and edit content easily and is especially suited for collaborative writing.
The name is based on the Hawaiian term wiki, meaning "quick", "fast", or "to hasten". Sometimes the reduplication (wikiwiki) is used instead of wiki.
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Wiki Assignment
Students are required to keep a technical journal of their work on a semester project– Only students in the group have access to the
document– Students have the ability to add documents and
edit documents (including group members’ work)– Instructor has “seeded” the group wikis with
outlines and suggestions
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Examples of the Seeding
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More Detailed Seeding
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Problems
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Problems
The system has been very unstable Students often can see items in other
students’ wikis Students’ work gets saved in the wrong wiki
Students won’t use the tool We spend too much time in class trying to
troubleshoot
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Changes
We now have a solution to the problem The students continued to be hesitant to use the tool
because of concerns about other groups seeing their material and/or losing their material
I took a very hard position – they MUST post their notes or flunk the class
Considered “seeding” information outside the wiki (time intensive to create) and they can import if they want
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The Next Semester
Seeded information outside of the wiki Did not require the use of the wiki Set up the opportunity for the wiki use in the
classes and talked about the advantages
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The Next Semester
Only one group elected to use the Blackboard wiki tool
One group elected to use an external wiki tool (google’s wiki tool)
Greater flexibility Actual Word formatting Includes Excel sharing too Scales easily
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Questions?
Email address: [email protected] Home page: www.umsl.edu/~sauter DSS (graduate class) home page:
www.umsl.edu/~sauter/DSS/6833start.html Analysis (undergraduate class) home page:
www.umsl.edu/~sauter/analysis/ba3810start.html MBA Class home page: www.umsl.edu/~sauter/5800