Twitter/Blog Assignment

With the wrapping up of the semester, I have to look back at my classes and what they provided for me.

One of these is the Twitter/Blog assignment of both my PR classes (ADPR 5910 and 5920). To combine both of these assignments under one explanation, students were required to fulfill a predetermined number of Tweets and Followings, a pre

While learning these social medias is extremely important in this major, I have an objection to the execution of them. I believe in application-based learning versus arbitrary number assignments.

Learning how to Tweet and follow is good. But I feel that a demonstration of your ability to do so is sufficient. Having to show regular use through a high-number assignment is overdoing it. Just because you CAN do something doesn't necessarily entail that you LIKE doing it, and having to show regular use is forcing excess. I, for one, don't like Twitter that much. But I can show that I know how to use it. I feel that a demonstration of use is better than excessive using.

The same goes for blogs. The blog assignment was not as numerous as the Twitter assignment, but it still left the feeling of excess. I feel I should be able to demonstrate blog usage (internal links, posting, HTML, etc). But more than two or three just becomes redundant after a while. While I understand the other half of the assignment was to show our opinion of different PR events and build a center to show knowledge, I feel that the more important lesson here is actually learning to use the interface, not wracking our brains for info.

In the end, proof of application is far more useful than arbitrary number assignments. After a while, in my opinion, it stops becoming beneficial and starts becoming masturbatory.