I have always been very passionate about social media, but when it comes to teaching social media, there is nothing more rewarding. I have shared my experience through webinars and blog posts about how I approach social media in a variety of different ways.
However, whenever I would review a book to use for class – I always asked the question: How would I integrate these insights into an assignment for my students?
There have been some books recently that have addressed this need (major props Keith and Carolyn!), which is great to see and I have to give both of these professors props for providing books that address this.
I would express some of my thoughts (and at times, frustration) to my friends and family about the challenges we are facing in higher education and teaching social media. I would share with them the fact these books were covering great topics and were best sellers, but they never provided additional resources or ideas for how to apply these concepts. Students are not going to be given an exam to best tested on what a tweet is or have a reflection paper going over what one chapter went over in a book. They need hands-on activities that tie in key concepts with real world applications to spark creativity.
I realized at this point that the skills gap is NOT due to the fact we are not teaching our students the key concepts they need to know for when they enter the workplace. It’s the fact we are not incorporating assignments and exercises that really are allowing them to learn and be tested on these key concepts and skills. As educators, we need to address this immediately.
So, that’s why I wrote a book.
Yep, I pulled a Beyonce marketing and PR move here. I have been working on this project for the past few years and only a handful of people knew I was working on this. I would work on this as I was at conferences, in between classes, and sometimes early in the morning with my first cup of coffee in hand. This had always been on my mind and it finally has become a reality. I am thrilled, excited, and proud of this piece of work.
This is not a social media textbook in any way. This is a book you never knew you needed but always wanted. This is a book dedicated to providing you with ideas, suggestions, and examples of exercises you can provide to your students. Some of these I have shared early versions of on Slideshare, and some are completely new. There are some I have never shared outside of my classroom.
Here are some things to expect when you are reading this book:
- Tips and things to keep in mind. No one ever told me what it meant to be a “social media professor.” I had to figure this out on my own and see what worked and what didn’t. I share some of these insights in this book as well providing some tips and best practices when you are approaching your social media class.
- Sample exercises and assignments. Some of these are new and updated and as I mentioned earlier, some I have never shared publicly. You don’t have to use all of these for your classes and there are some you may want to use for others. These are just ideas for you all to think about for your classes.
- Rubrics and feedback forms. I am a big believer in providing thorough feedback and guidance for students, so I wanted to make sure I shared some of these new rubrics I have created for these various assignments. I have feedback forms I give back for my students with their social media strategic campaign assignment.
- Extra activities to make your class energetic and dynamic. Class branding, how to decide what platform to use, and how to invite guest speakers from the industry to speak to your class both in person and virtually. I go over my approach and timeline for what I do for my class here as well.
This book is two-fold. I wanted to create a book as a living resource for professors to use as a supplement for their class. This goes beyond just looking at what assignments and rubrics to use. I wanted to give this book the insight I have learned over the years about creating what I call “the social media mindset” to be an effective social media professor. It’s not about just focusing on the tactical aspects of teaching social media, but approaching it with the understanding that you, as the professor, have to be social on social media as well. My goal has always been to create a resource I wish I had as a young assistant professor who was asked to create a social media class from scratch.
The second part of the book and reason why I wanted to write this is for the students who I have met both in person and virtually. I have gotten numerous emails, private DMs on Twitter, and tweets from students around the country (and sometimes around the world) asking me how they could be part of the class. Some have mentioned they wish I could livestream my class so they could participate, and others say they wish they could follow along because their university does not offer a social media class. This book is dedicated to you as well because you can use these exercises and assignments on your own to help build your portfolio for when you apply for your internships and future positions.
This is a resource for everyone who is involved in social media. I can see this being used not only in the classroom, but for internships as well to help frame certain projects that may be relevant to help a brand, organization, or even a sports team.
I would love to hear what you think about the book and if you have any suggestions or feedback. This book will be updated on a regular basis (as we have to adapt to the ever changing dynamics we are seeing in social media on a daily basis!). This is just the beginning and I hope serves as a resource to help you achieve your goals for inside the classroom and even in your future internship and position in social media.
Thanks and have a great day!
Best Wishes,
