This is it...

This is it...

I teach nursing and I am pursing a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction. So how did I end up in an education technology course? Simple. I've been a student in several online courses and none of them were alike.  Even if the CMS is the same and the program is the same, the course facilitator can make or break a course. I enjoy online courses when the course facilitator is interactive in the discussion and provides constructive feedback. I like learning activities that require thinking and application of learned concepts. I feel I learn more in an online course compared to the traditional classroom setting when assessments are not based solely on multiple choice testing.

My research interest is online education - specifically online learning assessments. The #1 question I receive from educators and peers when I state my research interest is: how can you teach nursing online? How can you teach a student to give a shot or take a blood pressure? Nursing is more than a set of procedural skills. Anyone can be take a blood pressure but it takes an educated nurse with good critical thinking skills to manage a client in cardiac arrest in the absence of a physician. Nurses are first line care providers in the hospital. As such, we need to teach our students to think critically. It is true that procedural hands-on nursing skills are difficult (and some impossible) to teach online. I feel students learn the best in blended learning settings. The online students assumes a greater amount of learning accountability. I cannot open the student's head and pour in the knowledge. Students must also put forth an effort and possess interest in learning.

We have learned so many excellent computer applications to assist teaching online. I used the CMS assignment to set up my critical care course for the Fall 2012. I've added YouTube videos, web links, PDFs, journal articles, a wiki assignment, blog, and discussion threading to my course. I am going to attempt the flipped classroom. I had not heard of it before this class. I feel it will be an excellent way to assist students to apply important concepts. I feel it will also give students more confidence in the clinical setting. I would like to thank all of my classmates for an excellent learning experience.

Sincerely,
Janeen

P.S. I am a HUGE Michael Jackson fan hense the blog title. ;)

10 Things I Hate About Wikis

10 Things I Hate About Wikis

1. Cumbersome navigating from page to page
2. Not easy to identify what specifically was added to Wiki pages
3. Communication with team members is difficult to follow
4. Difficult to share works in progress like a PPT
5. Limited formatting options unless you are technically gifted
6. Visual design is unattractive
7. Must be logged in to edit a page
8. Several people editing the document creates a disorganized appearance
9. Notifications fromWiki fill up my email
10. Don't really understand the point of it

Classroom Management Systems (CMS)

Classroom Management Systems (CMS) for online education in the simplest terms provide educators with a means to structure content. The intent is to create an interesting, online class with up-to-date technology that supports educational efforts. The virtual classroom is the meeting place for students and the instructor. Many new classroom management tools are available for online educators. Most schools, colleges, and universities offering online education have a course structure system in place. No matter what CMS is used, several key aspects of classroom set-up should be addressed:

• Instructions & Trouble-Shooting - Including instructions on how the course works and how to navigate the system helps students to identify expectations ease anxiety regarding use of online tools. Programs like Camtasia permit the instructor to create an audiovisual orientation to the course structure. Examples of how to use instructional tools like discussion threading can be demonstrated. In addition to course orientation, a line-list of trouble-shooting activities may help students through technical difficulties.
• Organization - Structure of the online course is important. Weekly organization of content helps students stay ontrack. A course schedule with dates and learning objectives is helpful. Learning activities and supplemental information regarding specific course content should be placed together in an online folder. Some instructors choose to make materials available to students week by week whereas others open the entire course and content.
• Appearance - Choose course colors that are not distracting to learning. Select font that is easy to read. Written directsion should be clear and simple. Avoid over-loading students with excessive text on a page. Pictures and clipart can serve to motivate students while introducing them to important ideas or concepts. The appearance should be motivating and engaging.
• Activities - Activities should be developed to support intended learning goals. Activities that require application of key concepts require higher-level thinking skills. Activites that encourage interaction with the content provides students with a broader understanding. A variety of activites should be used to create interest and keep students focused. Online games, quizzes, case studies, creation of video or voice presentations are fun and encourage creativity. Discussion threading, blogs, social network applications, and guided Internet research via webquests are beneficial activities.It is important for online students to interact with the instructor and with classmates. Activities should include individual and "small group" work.
• Support for Students - It is important for the course facilitator to be available. Preventing feelings of isolation in an online class is important. Posting contact information such as email, phone number, and creating an online office helps students feel connected. In addition, being present in the discussion and providing timely feedback on assignments offers students support and guidance. Technical support services should be visible and readily available for online students. Post the name of such services, email, and phone number for services and include hours of operation.

Flipped Classrooms

I've thought long and hard about transforming my class into a "flipped classroom." This would be an excellent learning environment for senior nursing students. Entering screencasts that include PPT presentations with voice prior to classroom experience is an excellent idea. Once students read assigned materials and review PPTs with voice, coming to class and applying learned concepts will facilitate lifelong learning. Rote learning of concepts is one thing - but application of concepts proves understanding of the materials. Adult students desire a deep understanding of concepts and practice in the classroom is an excellent precurser to clinical application. I am considering re-thinking my teaching plan for the fall to include the "flipped classroom" experience.

Screencast versus Podcast

Audio or audiovisual...what makes the best presentation? I don't feel there is a "best" presentation technique. Many factors come into play regarding choice. Who is the audience? What are the learning objectives? Benefits of audio include easy downloading to mobile devices for students however; many handheld devices accept audiovisual recordings. Capturing the student's attention and movitating learning are the key initiatives of creating a successful learning environment. The  bottom line is we have become a society dependent on our mobile devices. Creating learning experiences that include those devices are likely to attract student attention. Creating an audiovisual learning experience meets the needs of auditory and visual learners.

PowerPoint had become the "norm" in classroom lectures. As such, PPT presentations with voice can be easily configured to transmit to mobile devices. Audacity is a free program that permits audio transmission. Screencast.com permits broadcasting of audiovisual presentations. As an educator, I prefer the audiovisual transmission as learners have the option of listening or watching and listening. Camtasia is a popular choice for educators to create audiovisual transmissions. The drawback to Camtasia is that there is a learning curve associated with use. Techsmith.com is an excellent source of information for Camtasia users.

In my opinion, audiovisual presentations rule. Educators are able to meet the needs of both auditory and visual learners. The power of words combined with the power of pictures cannot be underestimated. The educational world is undergoing great transformations. Technology can make learning fun and interesting. It can also make it difficult. As educators, we cannot forget to make learning accessible to all - those "technologically advantaged" and those "technologically-disadvantaged." Creating audiovisual presentations may reach both audiences. It is of dire importance for the educator to survey the audience of student learners when making decisions regarding the best technology to use in education.

Using Podcasts In Education

The use of podcasts in higher education in gaining popularity. Current research indicates students perceive podcasts as useful and meaningful tools to learn information (Evans, 2007). As the author points out, many students already own some form of audio/digital player and enjoy learning in the manner. As educators in the 21st century, it is important to use current technology that encourages students to participate in learning. Podcasts have many uses and can be effective tools is used correctly in the educational setting. Lee (2008) points out advantages of podcasting in the classroom:

• Simple to produce
• Immediate
• Educationally focused
• Reusable
• Engaging

Creating learning activities that are fun and technologically up-to-date encourage learning in a fun and meaningful way. When students enjoy learning, they are more likely to take an active role in the process thus establishing lifelong learning. Incorporating podcasts into instruction has numerous possibilities that are only restricted by our imagination.

References

Evans, C. (2007). The effectiveness of m-learning in the form of podcast revision lectures in higher education. Computer & Education. 50, 491 - 498.

Lee, M. J., McLoughlin, C., & Chan, A. (2008). Talk the talk: Learner-generated podcasts as catalysts for knowledge creation. British Journal of Educational Technology. 39(3), 501 - 521.

Facilitating Meaningful Online Discussions: How is it done?

What is the best way to facilitate online discussions? It is agreed that discussion is the heart of online learning however; the best way to promote discussion varies among educators. Some are very prescriptive, identifying required number of postings and word count per post whereas others are vague. Directions that are very descriptive may result in poor quality work from students as they are trying to meet grading requirmens rather than offering meaningful contributions ot the discussion. Vague directions may leave students unsure of expectations. Preparation of discussion should occur in three phases to best meet intended learning outcomes:

Phase One: Directions to Learners 
Students are at risk for feeling abondoned or alone in an online classroom. Be sure to inlcude ways students can contact you. In the syllabus, post your contact information. Include more than an one way students may contact you. In addition to an email address, include a phone number, fax number, mailing address, or alternate email. Set up a "virtual office" where students can ask questions related to the classroom content or structure.

Clearly state expectations of discussion in the syllabus. Include the frequency of participation (ex. Post response to weekly discussion question and reply to at least two classmates' postings). In addition, include a schedule with due dates and timeframe for submissions.  Develop a grading rubric for discussion postings. This will help students know how you will evaluate their participation in the discussion. Encourage students to "link" postings to the assigned reading. You want students to make connections between assigned readings and discussion.

Be sure to have information regarding technical support if students run into problems. This information should be included in the syllabus. Explain "what to do" if technical problems occur. It is helpful to include commonly occuring problems with resolutions in the syllabus or on the course home page. Post the phone number of technical support services for unresolved conflicts.

Phase Two: Facilitator Assumes and Active Role
Include an opening remark that is welcoming and motivating. Perhaps a non-graded "ice-breaker" activity can be used as the opening discussion. An example would be posting a personal biography discussion to help learners get to know one another. 


Create postings that are driven by reading assignments and learning activities. Consider requiring students to reference assigned readings or learning activities in postings.

Provide constant feedback to discussion postings. This lets students know you are following the discussion. Indicate when students are doing a good job. Clarify points that seem "foggy." Always spell-check your work and "set the tone" for postings. Students will look to the facilitator as an example of how discussions should be conducted. Create an environment that includes all students and they feel part of the learning group.

Phase Three: The Wrap-Up
Consider using a "wrap-up" activity following the week's discussions. for example:

• Write a summary of the week's discussion points
• Write a paragraph about the most important concept learned this week and how you will apply it in the future
• If you were leading this week's discussion, explain how you would do it.
• Write a summary of the themes or patterns you notice that developed during this week's discussion.

Instructional Website and Learner Engagement

Today I worked on the Wiki assignment for class. I don't know why I cannot wrap my head around this assignment. My group members are great and they are putting some excellent information on our Best Practices category. I have looked at so many resources everything seems to be running together. Maybe I should look at it as a "good thing" instead of a "bad thing." It means the information is overlapping thus demonstrating similar or like perspectives on what what makes an instructional website good. I decided to concentrate on learner engagement. Motivation in an online course is very important and creating a stimulating learning environment can be challenging and fun. I just need to keep an open mind on "fun" learning rather than "required" activities.

Nursing education is behind the times. We have not progressed far from teacher-centered instruction. Much of what we do as nurse educators is too much of "what we do" instead of promotion of active learning. In order to establish lifelong learning, we must engage our students in subject matter. We must promote active learning. We need to move away from "PowerPoint" lecture to creating an interactive learning environment. Online learning puts more of the responsibility of learning on the learner.

Suggestions for Active Learning Activities in Online Nursing Courses (blended or asynchronous)

• Case Study Analysis: Present a client scenario and develop open-ended questions connected to learning objectives
• Reflective Writing Assignment: Assign students to write reflections following the clinical experience (what went well, what did not go so well, what will you do differently next time...)
• Journaling: Assign students to keep an ongoing journal of medications he/she administered during the clinical experience and relate the medication to specific pathophysiology and benefits to individual patients
• WebQuest: Develop a WebQuest to explore issues significant in professional clinical nursing practice
• Discussion Threading: Create discussion threads requiring students to apply learned concepts from assigned readings and learning activities
• Blogging: Create a classroom blog and encourage students to share thoughts and feelings on certain "affect-driven" topics like death, pain control, HIV status, etc.
• Affective Response Activities: Developing empathy: create a scenario to role-play various members of the healthcare team interacting with a patient and family members in a healthcare situation
• Return Demonstration: Teach students to perform a head-to-toe assessment on a patient and require a video return demonstration
• Leading Questions: Foster socratic thinking by asking "What if?" questions
• Brainstorming: Present a clinical issue or topic and encourage students to brainstorm possible solutions
• Concept Mapping: Assign students to create a concept map demonstrating relationships between patient pathophysiology and the medical treatment plan

Creating an Instructional Website

For a very long time I've wanted to learn how to set up my own website. Students in my critical care class have 7 weeks to complete content with little time spent on ethical issues in today's busy healthcare setting. They often shy away and voice they feel "unprepared" to deal with such dilemmas. As senior nursing students, they will be graduating in a short time following my class and face these issues in professional clinical practice. I decided to develop a website as a companion to critical care to allow students to learn about ethical issues commonly faced in critical care nursing as well as identifying personal feelings they may have about them. I choose to develop a website on Weebly.com. Many services offered on this site (including development of a personalized website) are free. There are hundreds of templates. It is extremely easy to set up hyperlinks to any learning activities developed. I created a WebQuest on the QuestGardens website and linked it to my site on Weebly. As mentioned in my previous post, students participating in the Webquest activity will be guided to find information on terminal weaning from mechanical ventilation. I created a scenario case study that students will use. They will analyze the case study (ethical issue) according to an assigned "side of the argument." Half the class will be assigned to support terminal weaning in the case study scenario and the other half will be assigned to stand against it. After thorough research students will participate in a class blogging activity discussing feelings and perceptions related to terminal weaning and these feelings or perceptions may differ from their assigned roles for the debate. As a final activity students will debate the issue in an open forum discussion. The intent it to present two different views of one complex ethical issue, using various ethical theories and principles learned in prior courses.

I feel activities such as this are very important to those entering the nursing profession. It is not a nurse's job to force an opinion on a patient or patient's family. It is important to acknowledge personal views on complex issues and set them aside. Nurses are supposed to support patients through tough decisions such as the case scenario developed. Sometimes "right" and "wrong" are very gray areas that need to be carefully considered. I've noticed that some nurses do not recognize the rights and feelings of those they are caring for and this is not acceptable. We must always respect the person. Sometimes we may not agree with a decision a patient makes but it is our position to support them. I feel very strongly about this. Once I cared for a patient who due to a religious belief was refusing a certain treatment. The physician and family literally bullied this patient to undergo the treatment. Reluctantly she agreed to take the treatment. Six months after beginning therapy she died a very sad and unhappy woman. Nurses must never judge patients nor give them personal opinions about "what should be done." It is our place to present the options truthfully and allow the patient and family to come to their own decisions - whatever they may be.  I am excited to try my activity with the new class coming in the Fall. I feel it will help them to look beyond themselves and recognize beliefs and feelings that may not be their own.

WebQuest

Today I submitted my WebQuest assignment. It was fun creating it. I tried to create a learning activity that would supplement classroom instruction and clinical application. I wrote a case study scenario and developed a debate activity for the class. I plan to use it in the Fall 2012 with my new critical care students.

I used Quest Garden to set up the activity. It was fairly simple. One problem I did encounter was uploading images on my web page. Finally, I got it after I edited the size of the picture. I had to download a Microsoft update in order to be able to edit the images. Once I get past the  frustration of trying to figure out how to do it, I CAN do it. ;)

Let's Podcast!

A relatively new educational tool is use of Podcasting in education. Podcasting has many promising features. Students can record voice, video, or a combination of the two. Richardson (2010) relates that "if you can podcast, you can screencast" (p. 124). The only software I have used for screencasting is Camtasia. It required a HUGE learning curve on my part. As a novice software user, Camtasia was confusing and difficult to format. I used it to develop an "orientation" to an online class I was teaching. The video was intended to present the online classroom and tools to the students. Most of the students enrolled to take the course provided feedback that they had not taken an online course prior to this. General information such as logging onto class, finding important information such as the couse syllabus and class plan, instruction on how to attach assignments to the assignment's link, and how the discussion threading worked was part of the video. I uploaded it to screencast.com as prompted. Much to my dismay the picture was very small. It took me quite awhile to figure out how to make the video "whole-screen." Students enrolled in the course experienced similar problems. Teaching online education is not "easy" as some faculty perceive it to be. It is my experience that the planning stage is much more timely. My concerns and motivation to teach well online prompted me to enter Kent State University's online teaching certificate course.

Reference

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Wikis in Education

A popular form of sharing group projects online are Wikis. Wikis allow collaboration, editing, and sharing of information to a defined group of people. For a class project in a PhD course titled "Foundations of Curriculum and Instruction," my group set up a Wiki. First, we participated in a brainstorming discussion on how we would approach our topic. Next, we created an accompanying Word document to keep our ideas organized. Both phases went well and Wiki-collaboration was an excellent way to keep all group members informed of progress and needed changes. Our final project was a PowerPoint presentation with audio. We had difficulty getting the PPT to upload to the Wiki. We ended up emailing it back and forth. One of the group members was unable to download the finished product. She emailed her scripted portion of the PPT and I recorded my voice for her portion. Technology in education can be wonderful and it can be a disaster. None of our group members lived in close proximity. It was winter and we had a terrible snow storm that resulted in cancellation of classes. We could not meet the week of submission face-to-face to finalize the project. Although we ended up getting a good grade, some of the members of the group (especially the person who could not download the final audio version of the PPT) felt left out.  As technology becomes more prominent in education, it is important to recognize students who may not be as "tech-savvy" as others as well as students who may not have access to necessary software to participate 100%. We cannot limit our teaching with technology efforts to those with the most "software knowledge." As educators, we need to make a conscious effort on making sure everyone can use the technology we choose or instruction will surely fail. One of the aspects of the courses I've taken in ITEC is that the professors always make software requirements known. This is very helpful. :)

Twitter: The New Language

I am taking an instructional technology course that requires participants to join and take part in Twitter dialogue. Up to now, I was not part of the 175,000 million registered users (McMillan, 2011). Although the number of users is quite impressive, it has been discovered that the actual number of users and followers is much smaller. It is reported that of the 175 million registered users, 90 million have no followers and 56 million follow no one. These statistics should be considered when setting-up educational learning activities using Twitter. Why are people not being followed? Is it the presentation of ideas? Is it a lack of understanding how Twitter works? Is it a generational behavior? Similarly, why are there no followers for approximately 56 million users?

Generational differences may affect who is tweeting and who is following. Communication with Twitter may not be a comfortable format for generations not born during the computer age. Generation AO, the Always On generation, has grown up communicating digitally. For example, my 17 y/o son rarely talks on the phone. He texts, tweets, and sends instant messages. Shorter versions of thoughts and ideas are shared with this technology. For example, Twitter messages have a maximum word count of 140. Similarly, text messaging and instant messaging have limits. Because of the limitation, thoughts may be expressed in letters instead of words. For example, ttyl means talk to you later. Many times I have resorted to asking my son what some of these letters represent in communication. It is almost like learning a new language.

Reference

McMillan, G. (June 2011). How many people are really tweeting? Time Techland.Retrieved June 11th, 2012 @ http://techland.time.com/2011/04/01/how-many-people-are-really-tweeting/

Social Learning Theory and Blogging

Many aspects of learning can be attributed to social processes. Learning theories have distinctively social components. For example, Vytosky's Social Development Theory focused on the "connections between people and the sociocultural context" in which they interact (Learning Theories Knowledgebase, 2012). In education, blogging can be used as a medium to facilitate interaction among students in a class. Through blogging activities, learning is no longer a one-way transmission from teacher to student. Blogging permits lateral learning between classmates. Students can post comments to the blogger.  Students participating in blog activities assume greater accountability in the learning process. Instead of passive learners, students become active participants.

Reference

Learning Theories Knowledebase. (2012, June). Social development theory. Retrieved June 9th, 2012 @http://www.learning-theories.com/vygotskys-social-learning-theory.html

Mystery of Blogging

June 6th, 2012

Blogging is somewhat of a mystery to me. Kerawalla, Minocha, Kirup, & Conole (2008) describe various behaviors exhibited by students blogging in an online course. "Anxious, self-conscious blogging just to complete the suggested course activities" (Kerwalla et. al. 2008, p. 30) describes my feeble attempts at blogging. Online communication and social networking offer educators a medium to continue learning outside of the classroom. Blogging activities offer students a chance to evaluate, analyze, and apply learned content in a meaninful manner. It is my hope to learn more about blogging, over come self-conscious anxiety, and effectively use it as a continued learning exercise.

Reference

Kerawalla, L., Minocha, S., Kirkup, G., & Conole, G. (March 2008). Characterising the different blogging behaviours of students in an online distance learning course. Learning, Media and Technology. 33 (1), 21 - 33. Posted by Janeen Kotsch at 4:07 PM 2 comments