This is my last posting for this blog. I will be crossing the graduation stage in 9 days. It’s hard to believe that the road I decided to follow 2½ years ago has finally ended. There have been times I thought this point in time would never happen; it’s taking forever to get here; and where did the time go.
I know I won’t miss the administrative side of TWU and the constant frustrations since the beginning. I will dearly miss my classmates and my professors. I will miss bantering with Dr. A. I know that I’ve probably have not been the easy student to deal with but I bet I’ve been one of the more interesting students. ;)
In one of my very first postings in one of your class, I talked about a professor (Dr. Drake) who encourage students to push some of the limits and think outside the box because that is what graduate education is about; discovering of the new and challenging the establish. You agreed, but at that time neither of us dreamt that I would be one of your students for five classes in four semesters. I do believe that my challenges of the establish has probably upset you, but I think is shows my deadication and the significant number of hours spent on just thinking about so many hours thing outside the box". You have remotely had to put up with me going through some rough times, such as my father’s death. I truly appreciate your patience, encouragement, and extension of deadlines.
Although this is an online program, I have developed a lifetime friendship with one of my classmates. In spite of the pressure and madness of balancing families, work, and school, Ginger Hinshaw has become one of my closest and dearest friends. She’s incredible and is teaching now in the undergrad program and in the PhD program. TWU’s quality and reputation will continue to be strong with professors like her. It’s also nice to know that although I’m finishing and beginning a new career, I will be able to stay connected to the CON through her. I know at sometime down the road, I will apply to be at least an adjunct clinical professor.
I do know that I’ve discover so many things about myself that 3 years ago, I would have laugh if someone had been able to foretell the future as to what I’ve learned; how my professional skills have grown; my new passions for nursing research, informatics, and healthcare law; my rejuvenated passion for nursing; and pride in my honed writing and communication skills. Additionally, I’ve determined that my drug of choice is learning and school. I think the only ones disadvantaged by this will be my children. Being strong academically will probably be mandatory for them. But I have made sure that they have well funded Coverdell accounts that should get them both through graduate school!
I’ve also discover a new self esteem, a stronger inner soul, and a professional “peace”. I’ve created papers, presentations, etc. that I am truly proud of. I have survived personal events and tragedy because I found solace in the various requirements of my classes. The source of my professional “peace” is my newfound skills, qualifications, education, and professional security as a nursing educator in spite of the current unstable economical climate.
There is so much more I would like to express in terms of how the Nursing Education Program has completely changed my life in a wonderful and positive direction. Saying thank you is just not enough.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
Personal Experiences, Researching Blogs, and Blog Evolution at Internet Speed
I don’t particularly care for blogs or reflective journals. This is strictly a personal opinion. I’m not a very creative or clever writer. I don’t need to document my life because my life is not different or exciting and I consider it private. I have recently read some new opinions about blogs. Educator positions are still focused on how they are part of the social interactions necessary for learning. I find it interesting that only 10% of the blogging population will continue to blog and the same 10% that blog also keep a private diary.
Buffington, M. (2007, March). Blogging With Graduate Students. Distance Learning, 4(1), 21-27. Retrieved November 28, 2008, from Education Research Complete database.
So what happened to the other 90%? Have blog promoters thought beyond academia . . . how is the real world is now using blogs and the carelessness of primary school teachers? There are a few minor publications questioning how blogs have been thrusted upon students when it might not be a productive interaction for that student. There are so many blogs now and used inappropriately.
I was open to reflectively journaling when I was required to do so. What I find interesting is that when looking back at the beginning of this program, one professor disguised his requirements of reflective journaling utilizing specific open ended module questions and evaluations that were turned in privately through email attachments sent directly to him. The open ended questions were thought provoking and directly at the current module of the course.
My following academic experiences reflective journaling was required. The journals were also turned in privately. At that particular point in time, my very academically oriented father passed away. A review of those journal entries do show how my academic obsession was started. These entries were used to create my educational philosophy; based on my inherited obsession. If I were to ever apply for a faculty position . . . well . . . it’s a safe bet that I probably won't be offered an interview. The journaling was cathartic but in my opinion not productive and feedback was limited.
As the program has progressed and journaling became blogs. My blogs, when noticed have been criticized, but not by fellow students. For example, I wrote about clinical situation regarding the interactions of a particular student nurse in an unusual situation. I described the patient’s situation and the student’s extremely wonderful reaction. I did not use any names nor the name of the facility. I was immediately cut down about “too much” information about the patient AND she posted my grade publicly. So much for creating dialogue! Another class, I spent a great deal of time and thought for each of my blog postings each week. I got five comments total for the semester. I belief that when it comes to blogging, professors are overloaded and other students don't really want to read blogs but so solely to make comments for a better grade.
Blogs are popular right now in primary education. Try doing a Goggle search and you will find hundreds that can freely accessed for viewing. The children’s pictures are big and clear. Perfect for the pedophile! http://blogs.oaisd.org/post/379/17901. It took two clicks to determine this child is a first grader (the same age as my daughter) who attends Georgetown Elementary School in Hudsonville, Michigan.
Take a look at this one; http://mrsbingham.blogspot.com/2008/02/time-to-be-graded.html. The “way” she writes to her class and her link to YouTube showing her dancing in front of her class, is unprofessional. My children will be home school if this is the quality of today’s middle and high schools teachers.
There are blogs that will provide instructions on how to make a “A” on your blog postings for school. http://www.passionateblogger.com/does-your-blog-get-a-failing-grade-how-to-get-an-a/. These blogs are on how to make money (even as a student) using a blog. http://www.howtospoter.com/web-20/web-design/grade-your-blog-seo-and-marketing-value http://www.johnchow.com/what-is-your-twitter-grade/
http://www.passionateblogger.com/make-money-with-your-blog-with-performancing-ads/
http://bloombergmarketing.blogs.com/bloomberg_marketing/2004/10/grade_your_blog.html.
Blogs have evolved so fast that the business marketplace has invaded and are manipulating blogs.
“Whatever this is, it isn't media as we know it. "You've got to rethink the structure of media at its most fundamental level," says Jeff Jarvis, whose blog, buzzmachine.com, covers politics and whatever else is on his mind. He should know because, yes, it's the same Jeff Jarvis, who, with the deep pockets of Time Inc., spent $200 million to launch Entertainment Weekly in 1990 (and who, when he's not blogging, serves as president and creative director at Advance Publications' Advance.net). Jarvis is operating these days as what can only be referred to as a blogger coach. He recounts recently helping James Wolcott, a contributing editor at Vanity Fair, post his first blog item. "There was this gasp," Jarvis says, when Wolcott realized the wild immediacy of posting in a nanosecond. . . While Jarvis' blog to date doesn't even court advertisers, he's been on a whirlwind of speaking engagements focused on the topic of blogs and marketing--having been asked in recent months to speak to Starcom IP, DaimlerChrysler and the Association of National Advertisers. Topics range from how marketers can use blogs to engage in conversations with their customers to whether they should start their own. At the very least, Jarvis says, marketers should be monitoring what's said about them. "Go to Google, put in your brand," he instructs. "Or better yet, put in your brand, put in a space and the word 'sucks.'"
Taylor, C. (2004, November 8). High On the Blog. MediaWeek, 14(40), 22-26. Retrieved November 28, 2008, from Academic Search Complete database.
“Frankly, I’m surprised and a little hurt that no one has seen fit to start a blog about my blog. It feels as if everyone out there must be reading every entry I post because of all the unfriendly looks I get on the street. So let's just get this out of the way: Yes, I am the guy you think I am. The middle-aged fellow who still gets a thrill out of writing words like "lubricious" and who clings to his dream of working in the great outdoors as a mail carrier. But surely you already know that much about me. It is all part of the blog-versation we have been having in the blogosphere every day, all day. . . Like so many others, I started a blog so that I could see myself think, so that my unique voice might be heard beyond the pages of the doomed and clueless dead-tree media. Also, I wanted to get stinking rich. Given the vast readership my every musing was bound to attract, I figured that advertisers would soon flock to my blog. . . But the truth is that I never had any supply-and-demand issues. I shared everything about myself on my blog, and still nobody blogged back. That is the thanks I get for making myself vulnerable. By now you've learned all about my hookup with Maria Bartiromo and other Atkins-induced hallucinations. My blog, you might be interested to know, was the first place you could have read the news of my incipient bald spot. And it didn't seem to matter to anyone that I was the brave blogger who exposed and ultimately proved that I had plagiarized portions of my online biography from the pages of Iacocca. In the preblog age of old media, a twerp like me could never have brought down the likes of an icon like me. . . I tried everything to provoke a response . . . Didn't the intimate pictures I posted of my pilgrimage to Dollywood resonate at all? . . . I am shutting down my blog for good. I'll just go back to being one of those small-minded people who selfishly live life, rather than generously chronicling every tedious moment. If I do finally spring for that new web-enhanced hole punch, you'll never even know about it. You'll be left to wonder forever what I listened to next on my iPod . . . But if you happen to find yourself missing my blog, don't hesitate to mention it on your own blog, of course.”
Hyatt, J. (2005, April). Blah, Blah, Blog. FSB: Fortune Small Business, 15(3), 108-108. Retrieved November 28, 2008, from MasterFILE Premier database.
“It's enough to drive a PR guru to drink: The company president is writing a blog about corporate vision, the stock price, his vacation to Colorado, and his new golden retriever puppy. What will the shareholders think? Sound far-fetched? Guess again. Some of the highest-ranking managers at companies like Sun Microsystems, General Motors, Hewlett-Packard, and Boeing have entered the blogosphere, writing weekly or semimonthly entries in their online diaries. Any curious reader can learn why Sun's President and COO Jonathan Schwartz suffered two months of bad hair days (hint: Never let your 2-year-old's barber trim your ponytail). Or find out what Bob Lutz, vice chairman of global product development for General Motors, has been driving lately (preproduction models of the Pontiac Solstice and G6 Coupe, and a Hummer H3) . . . And you can find out how all of these executives view important trends in their industry . . .it's the appeal of a bully pulpit to promote their views, unfiltered by the media . . . Blogs, after all, are known for being spontaneous, raw, and controversial; while many corporate executives have spent their career being everything but. "In some respects," says Michael Smith, professor of communication at La Salle University in Philadelphia, "the image of an executive blogging is akin to the image of a portly person in a Speedo bathing suit--something doesn't quite fit." . . . But whom, exactly, are you reaching? "I have no idea," says Richard Edelman, president and CEO of public-relations firm Edelman, regarding the readership of his own blog . . . It's probably not the general public: Only 27 percent of Internet users read blogs (and only 38 percent of Internet users even know what a blog is) . . . most executive bloggers conclude their audience is a mix of industry insiders--customers, industry analysts, journalists, employees, and competitors.
Larson, C., & Smart, T. (2005, July 25). Blogging Bosses. U.S. News & World Report, 139(4), EE2. Retrieved November 28, 2008, from Middle Search Plus database.
Kara Dawson is an associate professor of educational technology at the University of Florida has voiced a perspective about requiring students to create blogs. “I have a friend whose personal blog about her plight with breast cancer as a stay-at-home mother of two led to her job as an official blogger with the Cancer Blog. She majored in journalism. I have a colleague whose blog about the potential of social software in teaching and learning has attracted international recognition among edu-bloggers. He is a former English teacher . . . blogs have changed the face of communication, and brought new opportunities, new relationships, new forms of recognition, and even new earning potential to many people. But not to everyone. Certainly not to my two classes of graduate students. They ended the fall semester blogged down and blogged out . . . But last semester, it just seemed a snore . . .Typically I expect students to write at least one posting a week and to comment on several others' blogs. Sometimes I require students to post on a particular topic, and sometimes I leave it open-ended. Whatever the approach, I found last semester that many students fell victim to blog overload. I began to feel overloaded, too . . . Don't get me wrong. I love blogs. I have my RSS feeds set to a number of blogs that help me stay current on personal and professional interests. But the key difference is that I am not forced to read any of those blogs. None of them were created because of someone else's course requirement . . . Frankly, the blog postings I required my students to write were just not very interesting. Those students are bright, insightful, frequently opinionated, and, as a whole, a pleasure to be around. Their blogs were not . . . With few exceptions, the blogs would sit inactive until about 24 hours before our face-to-face class meetings (or 24 hours before the assignments were due in my online class), when a flurry of posts and comments would erupt. Then I would spend an excessive amount of time reading and commenting in the hours before class. Some students did the same, while others didn't bother to comment at all. Effective teaching and learning? I think not . . . So I admit it. I got caught up in all the hype about blogs; about their potential for communication, for creating global connections, for expressing oneself, for extending face-to-face discussions, and for building community in online environments. In most cases, my initial excitement has not borne fruit . . . I don't fault my students. I am the instructor. And given my background in pedagogy and education, I should be a good leader. But when it comes to blogs, I have not been . . . I am not going to give up on blogs. What I am going to do is become a much more critical user . . . I offer some thoughts as I prepare to revamp the integration of blogs in my courses . . . Recognize individual learning styles and preferences. I find it funny that I would have to remind myself of that, given that I am expert in pedagogy. Before blogs came along, I offered my students multiple options for demonstrating their knowledge. Some created concept maps, others audio-recorded their thoughts (prior to podcasts), many kept individual journals, and others created movies or presentations. All students were responsible for demonstrating their interaction with class content from week to week and sharing the results. In retrospect, that is not such a bad plan. I can simply offer blogs as another possible option. . . Most people with successful blogs are deeply committed to posting, for personal reasons, such as a passion for their subject, the satisfaction of reaching a wide audience, or the ego boost associated with having others find their narratives important enough to read. Many people with successful blogs also have an innate slant toward the writing profession. I need to recognize all of those facts, accept that not all students will embrace the opportunity to blog, and redefine my expectations and purposes for using blogs in the classroom . . . It is very difficult to have an extended conversation within blogs. By their very nature, they position one person at the helm of all activity. The threaded format of discussion forums allows for multiple interactions among multiple individuals. It also allows subtopics to flow from a broad topic . . . I am very open to student suggestions but know that is not true of all faculty members. My students may have feared retribution. They may have just not cared enough to comment. So from now on, blogs will be a socially negotiated addition to my course work . . . While some readers may take my comments as an attack on the merit of using blogs in teaching and learning, I still believe they have a definite role to play, especially given what we know about the importance of metacognition and social interaction in the learning process. My hope in sharing these insights is merely to help others consider what the role might be in their own classrooms.”
Dawson, K. (2007, February 2). Blog Overload. Chronicle of Higher Education, 53(22), C2-C3. Retrieved November 28, 2008, from Professional Development Collection database.
I’m also not attacking the use of blogs, but as Ms. Dawson, I recognize that they are not “a one size fits all”; they are being used carelessly by some educators; they can create a lasting impression of unprofessionalism; and their original value/intent is now being eroded by commercialism. I also agree with Ms. Dawson's decision to offer a variety of choices for interactions. Blogging is just not for everyone.
I know that some of my postings in this blog have not been "in line" with what is popular and currently embraced as the latest and greatest pedagogy. But if we are to be the future leaders in nursing education, we must continuously challenge ourselves and challenge the "norm" because without expressing reasoned opposition, we will become stagnate or worse; followers.
Buffington, M. (2007, March). Blogging With Graduate Students. Distance Learning, 4(1), 21-27. Retrieved November 28, 2008, from Education Research Complete database.
So what happened to the other 90%? Have blog promoters thought beyond academia . . . how is the real world is now using blogs and the carelessness of primary school teachers? There are a few minor publications questioning how blogs have been thrusted upon students when it might not be a productive interaction for that student. There are so many blogs now and used inappropriately.
I was open to reflectively journaling when I was required to do so. What I find interesting is that when looking back at the beginning of this program, one professor disguised his requirements of reflective journaling utilizing specific open ended module questions and evaluations that were turned in privately through email attachments sent directly to him. The open ended questions were thought provoking and directly at the current module of the course.
My following academic experiences reflective journaling was required. The journals were also turned in privately. At that particular point in time, my very academically oriented father passed away. A review of those journal entries do show how my academic obsession was started. These entries were used to create my educational philosophy; based on my inherited obsession. If I were to ever apply for a faculty position . . . well . . . it’s a safe bet that I probably won't be offered an interview. The journaling was cathartic but in my opinion not productive and feedback was limited.
As the program has progressed and journaling became blogs. My blogs, when noticed have been criticized, but not by fellow students. For example, I wrote about clinical situation regarding the interactions of a particular student nurse in an unusual situation. I described the patient’s situation and the student’s extremely wonderful reaction. I did not use any names nor the name of the facility. I was immediately cut down about “too much” information about the patient AND she posted my grade publicly. So much for creating dialogue! Another class, I spent a great deal of time and thought for each of my blog postings each week. I got five comments total for the semester. I belief that when it comes to blogging, professors are overloaded and other students don't really want to read blogs but so solely to make comments for a better grade.
Blogs are popular right now in primary education. Try doing a Goggle search and you will find hundreds that can freely accessed for viewing. The children’s pictures are big and clear. Perfect for the pedophile! http://blogs.oaisd.org/post/379/17901. It took two clicks to determine this child is a first grader (the same age as my daughter) who attends Georgetown Elementary School in Hudsonville, Michigan.
Take a look at this one; http://mrsbingham.blogspot.com/2008/02/time-to-be-graded.html. The “way” she writes to her class and her link to YouTube showing her dancing in front of her class, is unprofessional. My children will be home school if this is the quality of today’s middle and high schools teachers.
There are blogs that will provide instructions on how to make a “A” on your blog postings for school. http://www.passionateblogger.com/does-your-blog-get-a-failing-grade-how-to-get-an-a/. These blogs are on how to make money (even as a student) using a blog. http://www.howtospoter.com/web-20/web-design/grade-your-blog-seo-and-marketing-value http://www.johnchow.com/what-is-your-twitter-grade/
http://www.passionateblogger.com/make-money-with-your-blog-with-performancing-ads/
http://bloombergmarketing.blogs.com/bloomberg_marketing/2004/10/grade_your_blog.html.
Blogs have evolved so fast that the business marketplace has invaded and are manipulating blogs.
“Whatever this is, it isn't media as we know it. "You've got to rethink the structure of media at its most fundamental level," says Jeff Jarvis, whose blog, buzzmachine.com, covers politics and whatever else is on his mind. He should know because, yes, it's the same Jeff Jarvis, who, with the deep pockets of Time Inc., spent $200 million to launch Entertainment Weekly in 1990 (and who, when he's not blogging, serves as president and creative director at Advance Publications' Advance.net). Jarvis is operating these days as what can only be referred to as a blogger coach. He recounts recently helping James Wolcott, a contributing editor at Vanity Fair, post his first blog item. "There was this gasp," Jarvis says, when Wolcott realized the wild immediacy of posting in a nanosecond. . . While Jarvis' blog to date doesn't even court advertisers, he's been on a whirlwind of speaking engagements focused on the topic of blogs and marketing--having been asked in recent months to speak to Starcom IP, DaimlerChrysler and the Association of National Advertisers. Topics range from how marketers can use blogs to engage in conversations with their customers to whether they should start their own. At the very least, Jarvis says, marketers should be monitoring what's said about them. "Go to Google, put in your brand," he instructs. "Or better yet, put in your brand, put in a space and the word 'sucks.'"
Taylor, C. (2004, November 8). High On the Blog. MediaWeek, 14(40), 22-26. Retrieved November 28, 2008, from Academic Search Complete database.
“Frankly, I’m surprised and a little hurt that no one has seen fit to start a blog about my blog. It feels as if everyone out there must be reading every entry I post because of all the unfriendly looks I get on the street. So let's just get this out of the way: Yes, I am the guy you think I am. The middle-aged fellow who still gets a thrill out of writing words like "lubricious" and who clings to his dream of working in the great outdoors as a mail carrier. But surely you already know that much about me. It is all part of the blog-versation we have been having in the blogosphere every day, all day. . . Like so many others, I started a blog so that I could see myself think, so that my unique voice might be heard beyond the pages of the doomed and clueless dead-tree media. Also, I wanted to get stinking rich. Given the vast readership my every musing was bound to attract, I figured that advertisers would soon flock to my blog. . . But the truth is that I never had any supply-and-demand issues. I shared everything about myself on my blog, and still nobody blogged back. That is the thanks I get for making myself vulnerable. By now you've learned all about my hookup with Maria Bartiromo and other Atkins-induced hallucinations. My blog, you might be interested to know, was the first place you could have read the news of my incipient bald spot. And it didn't seem to matter to anyone that I was the brave blogger who exposed and ultimately proved that I had plagiarized portions of my online biography from the pages of Iacocca. In the preblog age of old media, a twerp like me could never have brought down the likes of an icon like me. . . I tried everything to provoke a response . . . Didn't the intimate pictures I posted of my pilgrimage to Dollywood resonate at all? . . . I am shutting down my blog for good. I'll just go back to being one of those small-minded people who selfishly live life, rather than generously chronicling every tedious moment. If I do finally spring for that new web-enhanced hole punch, you'll never even know about it. You'll be left to wonder forever what I listened to next on my iPod . . . But if you happen to find yourself missing my blog, don't hesitate to mention it on your own blog, of course.”
Hyatt, J. (2005, April). Blah, Blah, Blog. FSB: Fortune Small Business, 15(3), 108-108. Retrieved November 28, 2008, from MasterFILE Premier database.
“It's enough to drive a PR guru to drink: The company president is writing a blog about corporate vision, the stock price, his vacation to Colorado, and his new golden retriever puppy. What will the shareholders think? Sound far-fetched? Guess again. Some of the highest-ranking managers at companies like Sun Microsystems, General Motors, Hewlett-Packard, and Boeing have entered the blogosphere, writing weekly or semimonthly entries in their online diaries. Any curious reader can learn why Sun's President and COO Jonathan Schwartz suffered two months of bad hair days (hint: Never let your 2-year-old's barber trim your ponytail). Or find out what Bob Lutz, vice chairman of global product development for General Motors, has been driving lately (preproduction models of the Pontiac Solstice and G6 Coupe, and a Hummer H3) . . . And you can find out how all of these executives view important trends in their industry . . .it's the appeal of a bully pulpit to promote their views, unfiltered by the media . . . Blogs, after all, are known for being spontaneous, raw, and controversial; while many corporate executives have spent their career being everything but. "In some respects," says Michael Smith, professor of communication at La Salle University in Philadelphia, "the image of an executive blogging is akin to the image of a portly person in a Speedo bathing suit--something doesn't quite fit." . . . But whom, exactly, are you reaching? "I have no idea," says Richard Edelman, president and CEO of public-relations firm Edelman, regarding the readership of his own blog . . . It's probably not the general public: Only 27 percent of Internet users read blogs (and only 38 percent of Internet users even know what a blog is) . . . most executive bloggers conclude their audience is a mix of industry insiders--customers, industry analysts, journalists, employees, and competitors.
Larson, C., & Smart, T. (2005, July 25). Blogging Bosses. U.S. News & World Report, 139(4), EE2. Retrieved November 28, 2008, from Middle Search Plus database.
Kara Dawson is an associate professor of educational technology at the University of Florida has voiced a perspective about requiring students to create blogs. “I have a friend whose personal blog about her plight with breast cancer as a stay-at-home mother of two led to her job as an official blogger with the Cancer Blog. She majored in journalism. I have a colleague whose blog about the potential of social software in teaching and learning has attracted international recognition among edu-bloggers. He is a former English teacher . . . blogs have changed the face of communication, and brought new opportunities, new relationships, new forms of recognition, and even new earning potential to many people. But not to everyone. Certainly not to my two classes of graduate students. They ended the fall semester blogged down and blogged out . . . But last semester, it just seemed a snore . . .Typically I expect students to write at least one posting a week and to comment on several others' blogs. Sometimes I require students to post on a particular topic, and sometimes I leave it open-ended. Whatever the approach, I found last semester that many students fell victim to blog overload. I began to feel overloaded, too . . . Don't get me wrong. I love blogs. I have my RSS feeds set to a number of blogs that help me stay current on personal and professional interests. But the key difference is that I am not forced to read any of those blogs. None of them were created because of someone else's course requirement . . . Frankly, the blog postings I required my students to write were just not very interesting. Those students are bright, insightful, frequently opinionated, and, as a whole, a pleasure to be around. Their blogs were not . . . With few exceptions, the blogs would sit inactive until about 24 hours before our face-to-face class meetings (or 24 hours before the assignments were due in my online class), when a flurry of posts and comments would erupt. Then I would spend an excessive amount of time reading and commenting in the hours before class. Some students did the same, while others didn't bother to comment at all. Effective teaching and learning? I think not . . . So I admit it. I got caught up in all the hype about blogs; about their potential for communication, for creating global connections, for expressing oneself, for extending face-to-face discussions, and for building community in online environments. In most cases, my initial excitement has not borne fruit . . . I don't fault my students. I am the instructor. And given my background in pedagogy and education, I should be a good leader. But when it comes to blogs, I have not been . . . I am not going to give up on blogs. What I am going to do is become a much more critical user . . . I offer some thoughts as I prepare to revamp the integration of blogs in my courses . . . Recognize individual learning styles and preferences. I find it funny that I would have to remind myself of that, given that I am expert in pedagogy. Before blogs came along, I offered my students multiple options for demonstrating their knowledge. Some created concept maps, others audio-recorded their thoughts (prior to podcasts), many kept individual journals, and others created movies or presentations. All students were responsible for demonstrating their interaction with class content from week to week and sharing the results. In retrospect, that is not such a bad plan. I can simply offer blogs as another possible option. . . Most people with successful blogs are deeply committed to posting, for personal reasons, such as a passion for their subject, the satisfaction of reaching a wide audience, or the ego boost associated with having others find their narratives important enough to read. Many people with successful blogs also have an innate slant toward the writing profession. I need to recognize all of those facts, accept that not all students will embrace the opportunity to blog, and redefine my expectations and purposes for using blogs in the classroom . . . It is very difficult to have an extended conversation within blogs. By their very nature, they position one person at the helm of all activity. The threaded format of discussion forums allows for multiple interactions among multiple individuals. It also allows subtopics to flow from a broad topic . . . I am very open to student suggestions but know that is not true of all faculty members. My students may have feared retribution. They may have just not cared enough to comment. So from now on, blogs will be a socially negotiated addition to my course work . . . While some readers may take my comments as an attack on the merit of using blogs in teaching and learning, I still believe they have a definite role to play, especially given what we know about the importance of metacognition and social interaction in the learning process. My hope in sharing these insights is merely to help others consider what the role might be in their own classrooms.”
Dawson, K. (2007, February 2). Blog Overload. Chronicle of Higher Education, 53(22), C2-C3. Retrieved November 28, 2008, from Professional Development Collection database.
I’m also not attacking the use of blogs, but as Ms. Dawson, I recognize that they are not “a one size fits all”; they are being used carelessly by some educators; they can create a lasting impression of unprofessionalism; and their original value/intent is now being eroded by commercialism. I also agree with Ms. Dawson's decision to offer a variety of choices for interactions. Blogging is just not for everyone.
I know that some of my postings in this blog have not been "in line" with what is popular and currently embraced as the latest and greatest pedagogy. But if we are to be the future leaders in nursing education, we must continuously challenge ourselves and challenge the "norm" because without expressing reasoned opposition, we will become stagnate or worse; followers.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
In Memoriam . . . . . Dr. Ted Drake
As we (future nursing educators) are so acutely aware of that there are gifted teachers. It doesn't happen very often, students are blessed with the chance assignment to work with a person who is truly worthy of the title, teacher. Someone who very soul could not possibly been happy in any other profession in life.
Back in the Fall of 2006, I took the course LS 5573 (Non-Library Science Majors); The Internet. The description of “concepts, principles, and techniques associated with identifying and using information resources via the Internet; standards and protocols; browsers and search engines; classification and indexing issues; distribution of information. Credit: Three hours” did not look that daunting at the time. I consider myself slightly above average user of the Internet. As mundane as the title and description of the class is, this class is FAR from that. The information and skills that I received, I use everyday. If I don’t graduate in 20 days, I've learned an invaluable life long skill. It has been easily one of the most useful classes I’ve ever taken in my entire life. The class syllabus stated, “to help prepare TWU graduates to take their place in the Information Age. The skills taught in this course will be vital to your successful use of the Internet as a research tool.” This was definitely an understatement.
It has taken me awhile since that class to also understand that my professor was just as important as the class. The class would have been dry and boring without the right professor. The class was never boring with the clever tips and Internet savanger hunts. I actually learned to write a Boolen search string that was half a page long that actually worked!
I worked very hard under the instruction of Dr. Ted Drake. Dr. Drake was an adjunct professor at the time and I’m unsure of how long he had been teaching at TWU. His other job was the Director of Library Services at Tarrant County College. He had been teaching for nearly thirty years. He was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. He never told the class in spite of his horrible symptoms and side effects from chemotherapy. I’m not sure why he told me. I think one of my projects that focused on cancer patient education websites must have been the trigger. We only discussed his situation a few times during the semester. After the semester, we chatted and email regularly. He resigned his teaching positions to focus on his health.
Dr. Drake was so supportive and such a wonderful teacher. I think he considered me one of his pet projects. He encouraged, cajoled, guided, gave advice, etc. He never gave me answers and claimed he never had any. He had a special way of asking questions that on first glance had no answers. The assignments also seemed just as impossible. So many of my IT skills and willingness to try new ones, he helped me through. The hardest project in my entire academic tenure was creating a website using html code. We were not allowed to use software assistance. It took two weeks of solid work to get my website up and running with all project requirements.
I never dreamt when I took the course how much it would prepare me for all of the educational technologies that I’ve learned how to use or have learned about over the past 2½ years. I swore that if I ever had to build another website, I would either shoot myself or hire someone. Here I am again building a website for my best friend. The currently used wiki website requires knowing html code to create and refine the appearance of the pages. The wiki reminds me of what Dr. Drake call WYSIWYG [what you see is what you get] website building software. Just like WYSIWYG software, the wiki appears to be really good at creating html code but also throws in some junk code; making the appearance hard to control until the junk code is removed.
WOW. I never thought I would ever be able to talk about a subject like html code when I signed up for this program and definitely not in my previous years of my professional career until now.
Working on the wiki was a bit hard this week and so was creating this blog. I had asked Dr. Drake to “hood” me at graduation. He helped me discover a side of myself that I had no idea even existed. He opened my eyes to my own potential as a Geek Nurse as well as the incredible need for nursing educators willing to learn IT skills and a desire to teach computer literacy.
Now you know why my passion is what it is. Dr. Drake was the first professor to assist me in my self discovery and the first to believe in my willingness to think outside the box. When I was frustrated with school to the point of willing to only just “get by”, he was always quick to remind me that ‘pushing envelopes’ and challenging ideas (even those we believe in), is what academia and especially graduate school is suppose to do. “The school can’t fire students with passing grades but they do hire those with great grades” was his usual parting email comments.
As I stated, Dr. Drake and I chatted on a regular basis after that semester. And now, he is gone. Strangely, I never met him face to face until his funeral. I will forever be grateful and truly miss my teacher who was so kind to me through out this graduate program that without his help, I might not have come to the appreciation my own understanding, skills and potential skills utilizing educational technologies. I already miss him and his fatherly support.
Back in the Fall of 2006, I took the course LS 5573 (Non-Library Science Majors); The Internet. The description of “concepts, principles, and techniques associated with identifying and using information resources via the Internet; standards and protocols; browsers and search engines; classification and indexing issues; distribution of information. Credit: Three hours” did not look that daunting at the time. I consider myself slightly above average user of the Internet. As mundane as the title and description of the class is, this class is FAR from that. The information and skills that I received, I use everyday. If I don’t graduate in 20 days, I've learned an invaluable life long skill. It has been easily one of the most useful classes I’ve ever taken in my entire life. The class syllabus stated, “to help prepare TWU graduates to take their place in the Information Age. The skills taught in this course will be vital to your successful use of the Internet as a research tool.” This was definitely an understatement.
It has taken me awhile since that class to also understand that my professor was just as important as the class. The class would have been dry and boring without the right professor. The class was never boring with the clever tips and Internet savanger hunts. I actually learned to write a Boolen search string that was half a page long that actually worked!
I worked very hard under the instruction of Dr. Ted Drake. Dr. Drake was an adjunct professor at the time and I’m unsure of how long he had been teaching at TWU. His other job was the Director of Library Services at Tarrant County College. He had been teaching for nearly thirty years. He was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. He never told the class in spite of his horrible symptoms and side effects from chemotherapy. I’m not sure why he told me. I think one of my projects that focused on cancer patient education websites must have been the trigger. We only discussed his situation a few times during the semester. After the semester, we chatted and email regularly. He resigned his teaching positions to focus on his health.
Dr. Drake was so supportive and such a wonderful teacher. I think he considered me one of his pet projects. He encouraged, cajoled, guided, gave advice, etc. He never gave me answers and claimed he never had any. He had a special way of asking questions that on first glance had no answers. The assignments also seemed just as impossible. So many of my IT skills and willingness to try new ones, he helped me through. The hardest project in my entire academic tenure was creating a website using html code. We were not allowed to use software assistance. It took two weeks of solid work to get my website up and running with all project requirements.
I never dreamt when I took the course how much it would prepare me for all of the educational technologies that I’ve learned how to use or have learned about over the past 2½ years. I swore that if I ever had to build another website, I would either shoot myself or hire someone. Here I am again building a website for my best friend. The currently used wiki website requires knowing html code to create and refine the appearance of the pages. The wiki reminds me of what Dr. Drake call WYSIWYG [what you see is what you get] website building software. Just like WYSIWYG software, the wiki appears to be really good at creating html code but also throws in some junk code; making the appearance hard to control until the junk code is removed.
WOW. I never thought I would ever be able to talk about a subject like html code when I signed up for this program and definitely not in my previous years of my professional career until now.
Working on the wiki was a bit hard this week and so was creating this blog. I had asked Dr. Drake to “hood” me at graduation. He helped me discover a side of myself that I had no idea even existed. He opened my eyes to my own potential as a Geek Nurse as well as the incredible need for nursing educators willing to learn IT skills and a desire to teach computer literacy.
Now you know why my passion is what it is. Dr. Drake was the first professor to assist me in my self discovery and the first to believe in my willingness to think outside the box. When I was frustrated with school to the point of willing to only just “get by”, he was always quick to remind me that ‘pushing envelopes’ and challenging ideas (even those we believe in), is what academia and especially graduate school is suppose to do. “The school can’t fire students with passing grades but they do hire those with great grades” was his usual parting email comments.
As I stated, Dr. Drake and I chatted on a regular basis after that semester. And now, he is gone. Strangely, I never met him face to face until his funeral. I will forever be grateful and truly miss my teacher who was so kind to me through out this graduate program that without his help, I might not have come to the appreciation my own understanding, skills and potential skills utilizing educational technologies. I already miss him and his fatherly support.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
"Lurking and Learning" is Just as Important as Posting
“In a web-based … course, student attainment can be at least as successful through online discussions as face-to-face seminars. Indeed, students studying purely online appeared to perform slightly better than those following a blended route, although factors other than method of learning account for most of the difference. Increases in online activity were associated with higher assignment marks. Face-to-face seminar students who registered more hits in WebCT achieved higher marks in the assignments. Online discussion students who read more postings achieved higher marks and the highest average mark was obtained by the group who posted most often to the online discussion.”
Campbell, M., Gibson, W., Hall, A., Richards, D., & Callery, P. (2008).
Online vs. face-to-face discussion in a web-based research methods course for postgraduate nursing students: A quasi-experimental study. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 45(5), 750-759.
This study was conducted in 2002-2003. Through a school’s educational management software (similar to TWU’s BlackBoard), all student activity (also known as hits) were recorded. Every time a student logged in, open a discussion to read a discussion, post a discussion, etc., were all tracked. Age and sex did not influence the study population of graduate level nursing students. The final recommendations were that other schools should conduct similar research to help “develop an evidence-based approach to web-based education” (Campbell, Gibson, Hall, Richards, & Callery, 2008).
I like what this research was able to provide. Evidence that good grades are possible for the student who just reads a discussion. Yes, the best grades were associated with students that participated in discussions. On Cathy’s recent blog (http://cathy-cathysjourney.blogspot.com/), she talked about “lurking and learning.” She made some assumptions that is actually supported by research.
This way of thinking flys in the face of the discussion question are essential for developing the online community. I’m not so sure that discussion question is about the online community. It is the online version of classroom face to face discussion. And just as it occurs in the classroom, some times there really isn’t anything else that needs to be said about a topic. Should students be penalized for only reading? I have always thought that the “grading” weight of online discussions is too high for graduate students. Undergraduate students need the discussions in traditional classrooms and especially online. I witnessed this fact during my teaching practicums.
Graduate level discussions. . . I’m not so sure that all students need to make replies just to make sure that their names appear. BlackBoard obviously has the capability to track the same activity as presented in this study. Notice on each of our current postings, there is a counter for how many times a posting was read by the class and how many times you personally have viewed a posting. In Chapter 1 of Pallof & Pratt, they discussed and stressed that every student has a level of interaction that is conducive to his/her learning. Some students need a lot of interaction while others are much happier with minimum interaction with the class and instructor. So if Pallof & Pratt and this recent study show that interactional needs and levels are so varied with online courses, should discussion questions be so highly weighted? Just a thought.
Campbell, M., Gibson, W., Hall, A., Richards, D., & Callery, P. (2008).
Online vs. face-to-face discussion in a web-based research methods course for postgraduate nursing students: A quasi-experimental study. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 45(5), 750-759.
This study was conducted in 2002-2003. Through a school’s educational management software (similar to TWU’s BlackBoard), all student activity (also known as hits) were recorded. Every time a student logged in, open a discussion to read a discussion, post a discussion, etc., were all tracked. Age and sex did not influence the study population of graduate level nursing students. The final recommendations were that other schools should conduct similar research to help “develop an evidence-based approach to web-based education” (Campbell, Gibson, Hall, Richards, & Callery, 2008).
I like what this research was able to provide. Evidence that good grades are possible for the student who just reads a discussion. Yes, the best grades were associated with students that participated in discussions. On Cathy’s recent blog (http://cathy-cathysjourney.blogspot.com/), she talked about “lurking and learning.” She made some assumptions that is actually supported by research.
This way of thinking flys in the face of the discussion question are essential for developing the online community. I’m not so sure that discussion question is about the online community. It is the online version of classroom face to face discussion. And just as it occurs in the classroom, some times there really isn’t anything else that needs to be said about a topic. Should students be penalized for only reading? I have always thought that the “grading” weight of online discussions is too high for graduate students. Undergraduate students need the discussions in traditional classrooms and especially online. I witnessed this fact during my teaching practicums.
Graduate level discussions. . . I’m not so sure that all students need to make replies just to make sure that their names appear. BlackBoard obviously has the capability to track the same activity as presented in this study. Notice on each of our current postings, there is a counter for how many times a posting was read by the class and how many times you personally have viewed a posting. In Chapter 1 of Pallof & Pratt, they discussed and stressed that every student has a level of interaction that is conducive to his/her learning. Some students need a lot of interaction while others are much happier with minimum interaction with the class and instructor. So if Pallof & Pratt and this recent study show that interactional needs and levels are so varied with online courses, should discussion questions be so highly weighted? Just a thought.
Monday, October 20, 2008
My Best Friend's Website
My best friend and I met in our academic travels. We shared a project one semester and we've been very close friends ever since. She's the writer and I'm the Geek, so it's a good fit. This semester is just like many semesters since we met. I get an email with a very timid question, I call her, and we typically end up creating a project together; she writes and I techno what she writes. I will admit that the reverse is also true. When I need a nurse editor, she gets an email from me.
This semester she's taking a class that requires her to create a web page. On first blush, most semi-techno geeks will think that it's no big deal. For two nurses to attempt this feat without extra help is a BIG deal. My friend's class is one that I took much early in my academic journeys. I had to create the same project, a half way decent looking web page. The project can't not be produced using a software application; you must use html source coding to create it. Yes, two nurses had to write html source code to create a webpage.
Okay, I see that "deer in the headlights" expression on your face. So as you're looking at this web page, right click your mouse. One of the choices is "View Source" and a screen will pop up with some very scary stuff. That stuff is the html source code. It' how the computer knows what to use and how to display the web page. Believe it or not, the source code you just looked at is fairly standardized across the Internet. The biggest headache to "writing" this code, it that if one thing is not just right, then your web page either does not open, it doesn't remotely look like what you wanted, and/or attached hyperlinks don't work.
I fortunately saved the html source code for my project and was able to assist her. Her page was up and running over the course of about six hours, a gazillion emails, and just as many phone calls. But the page worked, the decorative background looked great, the variety of fonts and headers all looked as required by the project, the pictures were visable, the linked pdf file worked, and the hyperlink worked. She and I were both happy with the final results.
There is always method in my madness. I presented this reflection of my friend's project and the work involved to get it completed, for a reason. I have only one question to ask you.How much of this description did you understand.....Html? Source code? Web page? Right click? Mouse? Pop-up screen? Fonts? PDF file? Hyperlink?
The way I look at this.....even if you only got one or two right answers, you have education technologies to thank.
This semester she's taking a class that requires her to create a web page. On first blush, most semi-techno geeks will think that it's no big deal. For two nurses to attempt this feat without extra help is a BIG deal. My friend's class is one that I took much early in my academic journeys. I had to create the same project, a half way decent looking web page. The project can't not be produced using a software application; you must use html source coding to create it. Yes, two nurses had to write html source code to create a webpage.
Okay, I see that "deer in the headlights" expression on your face. So as you're looking at this web page, right click your mouse. One of the choices is "View Source" and a screen will pop up with some very scary stuff. That stuff is the html source code. It' how the computer knows what to use and how to display the web page. Believe it or not, the source code you just looked at is fairly standardized across the Internet. The biggest headache to "writing" this code, it that if one thing is not just right, then your web page either does not open, it doesn't remotely look like what you wanted, and/or attached hyperlinks don't work.
I fortunately saved the html source code for my project and was able to assist her. Her page was up and running over the course of about six hours, a gazillion emails, and just as many phone calls. But the page worked, the decorative background looked great, the variety of fonts and headers all looked as required by the project, the pictures were visable, the linked pdf file worked, and the hyperlink worked. She and I were both happy with the final results.
There is always method in my madness. I presented this reflection of my friend's project and the work involved to get it completed, for a reason. I have only one question to ask you.How much of this description did you understand.....Html? Source code? Web page? Right click? Mouse? Pop-up screen? Fonts? PDF file? Hyperlink?
The way I look at this.....even if you only got one or two right answers, you have education technologies to thank.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Technology Delights and Distress
It’s sometimes amazing when I think back to when I was in high school and the latest technological advancement was the microwave oven. And we all thought that anyone who had one had to be rich! What a luxury. Now….microwave ovens are a standard kitchen appliance and I would considered very strange if someone didn't have one. This just show how much I've been sucked into the technology vortex.
I’m looking at technology from this viewpoint due to multiple reasons: 1) this week, my cell phone went to cell phone heaven and I’m going through hell without it; 2) this week, I got a second monitor hooked up at work and so I now have dual monitors [Way COOL!]; and 3) a local radio host was talking about how quickly we all get with the latest technology. Let’s look at these points in reverse order.
The radio host was complaining about his cell phone acting up this week. It was so funny that I found myself laughing out loud. In his words, his cell phone had become “possessed” and the phone was on his coffee table. He just sat there watching it. He started talking about how technology has become so smart, he believed that devices like cell phones and computer can now think for themselves and so therefore can become “possessed.” It doesn’t sound near as funny as it did on the radio. The topic of his dialogue did get me thinking about how “possessed” I feel because my cell phone decided to die! Not the battery; dead as in refusing to function ever again.
I don’t think that it is really a matter of technology developing artificial intelligence which can then becoming possessed. We become sooooo dependent on technology that we think that we can not possibly function or have a normal life without the blasted thing! I do hope that education doesn’t forget that teaching and learning can occur without technology!
As my geekness and dependency on technology gets more and more integrated into my personality, I’ve known that my phone was about to “code” on me for a few months. The hinge was barely hanging on. I started doing some research on what cell phone I wanted to at least entertain the thought that I would like to have. The more I researched, the stronger my geekness grows. I have now decided that there is only one cell phone that will bring me happiness; the Blackberry Bold! Just to show you how much geekness there is now growing inside, I have picked a phone that you cannot get in the US yet. The US release has been delayed so many times now that I’ve quit looking everyday for the latest release date. Now, only to discover that the UK has now pulled the Bold from their shelves; say it isn’t so!!! So my technology distress is that my cell phone died and I can’t get the one I want. I sound like one of my kids. Again, I’m now beginning to pray that education never forgets it’s humble and simple past without all the gadgets.
I did have a technology delight this week to go along with my distress. I’m really thrilled with my new job because right now [this is going to sound crazy], I’m rewriting all of the departmental policies and procedures. I’m really happy because I do spend most of my days looking for the evidence to support our evidence based practice. I love to do research. Another geek trait. The only downside to this particular project is that I would have to have several screens open at the same time and was switching constantly between the screens. Last week, happened come across an extra flat screen monitor which is exactly the same size as mine. I asked my boss if I could have the monitor to set up dual monitor screens. She’s started to see and understand that I’m pretty geeky. With simple addition of a monitor splitter cable and a few adjustments in control panel, I was in heaven! Now, I can look at two full screen documents at the same time and work in both as needed. If you’ve never experienced being able to use dual monitors, I promise you will never want to work at your desk again without two screens. Only the clinical informatics person in our department understands and he immediately put in a request for his second monitor! (He have only been in the department two weeks.)
As academicians, getting to do research on one screen and working in the other has its advantages. For one, I at least think that I’m getting more work done faster. I am such a geek!
I’m looking at technology from this viewpoint due to multiple reasons: 1) this week, my cell phone went to cell phone heaven and I’m going through hell without it; 2) this week, I got a second monitor hooked up at work and so I now have dual monitors [Way COOL!]; and 3) a local radio host was talking about how quickly we all get with the latest technology. Let’s look at these points in reverse order.
The radio host was complaining about his cell phone acting up this week. It was so funny that I found myself laughing out loud. In his words, his cell phone had become “possessed” and the phone was on his coffee table. He just sat there watching it. He started talking about how technology has become so smart, he believed that devices like cell phones and computer can now think for themselves and so therefore can become “possessed.” It doesn’t sound near as funny as it did on the radio. The topic of his dialogue did get me thinking about how “possessed” I feel because my cell phone decided to die! Not the battery; dead as in refusing to function ever again.
I don’t think that it is really a matter of technology developing artificial intelligence which can then becoming possessed. We become sooooo dependent on technology that we think that we can not possibly function or have a normal life without the blasted thing! I do hope that education doesn’t forget that teaching and learning can occur without technology!
As my geekness and dependency on technology gets more and more integrated into my personality, I’ve known that my phone was about to “code” on me for a few months. The hinge was barely hanging on. I started doing some research on what cell phone I wanted to at least entertain the thought that I would like to have. The more I researched, the stronger my geekness grows. I have now decided that there is only one cell phone that will bring me happiness; the Blackberry Bold! Just to show you how much geekness there is now growing inside, I have picked a phone that you cannot get in the US yet. The US release has been delayed so many times now that I’ve quit looking everyday for the latest release date. Now, only to discover that the UK has now pulled the Bold from their shelves; say it isn’t so!!! So my technology distress is that my cell phone died and I can’t get the one I want. I sound like one of my kids. Again, I’m now beginning to pray that education never forgets it’s humble and simple past without all the gadgets.
I did have a technology delight this week to go along with my distress. I’m really thrilled with my new job because right now [this is going to sound crazy], I’m rewriting all of the departmental policies and procedures. I’m really happy because I do spend most of my days looking for the evidence to support our evidence based practice. I love to do research. Another geek trait. The only downside to this particular project is that I would have to have several screens open at the same time and was switching constantly between the screens. Last week, happened come across an extra flat screen monitor which is exactly the same size as mine. I asked my boss if I could have the monitor to set up dual monitor screens. She’s started to see and understand that I’m pretty geeky. With simple addition of a monitor splitter cable and a few adjustments in control panel, I was in heaven! Now, I can look at two full screen documents at the same time and work in both as needed. If you’ve never experienced being able to use dual monitors, I promise you will never want to work at your desk again without two screens. Only the clinical informatics person in our department understands and he immediately put in a request for his second monitor! (He have only been in the department two weeks.)
As academicians, getting to do research on one screen and working in the other has its advantages. For one, I at least think that I’m getting more work done faster. I am such a geek!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Remote access technology is a wonderful thing!
At TWU, each student is given data storage space on the Pioneer Portal server. When I was traveling to campus for my hybrid classes, I would save my PowerPoint presentations on the campus server and to a flash drive. I can’t remember a single time that the campus server was not working when I needed to use it. Rather than worry about getting my flash drive to work, I would use the campus server. I started doing this when it was required for me to drive to the Denton campus and the Parkland Campus. Doing research in the library was less cumbersome in that I would check out a library laptop and save files to Pioneer Portal and references using the library RevWorks. What I find amazing is that when I started graduate school, two and half years ago, I didn’t know that these wonderful conveniences were available. So just starting this graduate program, I was instantly required to learn a variety of new computer skills and organization.
Those who just getting started or still have a few semesters left, I strongly urge you to learn to take full advantage of the IT made available to the students at all levels through PP, BlackBoard, and the Library. I also strongly suggest that if you have not taken your electives; take the two available Library Science courses, the Internet and Electronic Information Retrieval. I don’t care what level of user you are, I promise you will never regret taking these classes. I thought I was an intermediate technology user prior to these classes; only to discover that I was practically a newbie. I know that I am an intermediate level user now.
Those are just a few educational technologies currently available to us as students.
I bring up these wonderful technological advantages available currently through TWU for students. I have recently learned another wonderful technological advancement that may affect students at some point. I do see it as something that should be offered to faculty (if it is not at this time). My employer has it and I’m already spoiled!
Gone are my days of toting my laptop back and forth to an office. Gone are the days of carrying a flash drive back and forth to an office. My new employer offers a wonderful intranet feature. Similar to Pioneer Portal, I can access files that I save to the hospital server BUT . . . through the same remote access, I can access my desktop computer drive in almost seamless environment. The available technology to remotely access another computer’s hard drive has been around for about 10 years and most competent IT professionals have experience using to “fix” hard drives remotely. [It’s a weird feeling watch your screen cursor acting as if the computer has mysteriously taken over control.] What is unique is that I’ve never seen an employer use this feature for non-IT employees.
I’m thinking that this technology is probably the reason for the expansion and popularity of telecommuting and for businesses that have road warrior employees. This type of access available to hospital based is a first for me and I love it! My manager has already told me that if one of my children gets sick, I would not need to call in sick because I can still work at home when necessary. When I remotely access my computer at work, IT can track what I’ve done and provides my manager prove that I’ve been working on something even if I’m not physically at the hospital. The extremely large size of the facility may also have something to do with the availability and use of the technology.
I do not see any need for clinical nurses to have this capability unless they also have a significant amount of managerial responsibilities as well. I don’t foresee a reason for students needing this capability because of how easy remote access of the campus servers are. If I were faculty somewhere with an on campus office, I would be begging for this capability. Like I said, I’m already spoiled just after four weeks!
Those who just getting started or still have a few semesters left, I strongly urge you to learn to take full advantage of the IT made available to the students at all levels through PP, BlackBoard, and the Library. I also strongly suggest that if you have not taken your electives; take the two available Library Science courses, the Internet and Electronic Information Retrieval. I don’t care what level of user you are, I promise you will never regret taking these classes. I thought I was an intermediate technology user prior to these classes; only to discover that I was practically a newbie. I know that I am an intermediate level user now.
Those are just a few educational technologies currently available to us as students.
I bring up these wonderful technological advantages available currently through TWU for students. I have recently learned another wonderful technological advancement that may affect students at some point. I do see it as something that should be offered to faculty (if it is not at this time). My employer has it and I’m already spoiled!
Gone are my days of toting my laptop back and forth to an office. Gone are the days of carrying a flash drive back and forth to an office. My new employer offers a wonderful intranet feature. Similar to Pioneer Portal, I can access files that I save to the hospital server BUT . . . through the same remote access, I can access my desktop computer drive in almost seamless environment. The available technology to remotely access another computer’s hard drive has been around for about 10 years and most competent IT professionals have experience using to “fix” hard drives remotely. [It’s a weird feeling watch your screen cursor acting as if the computer has mysteriously taken over control.] What is unique is that I’ve never seen an employer use this feature for non-IT employees.
I’m thinking that this technology is probably the reason for the expansion and popularity of telecommuting and for businesses that have road warrior employees. This type of access available to hospital based is a first for me and I love it! My manager has already told me that if one of my children gets sick, I would not need to call in sick because I can still work at home when necessary. When I remotely access my computer at work, IT can track what I’ve done and provides my manager prove that I’ve been working on something even if I’m not physically at the hospital. The extremely large size of the facility may also have something to do with the availability and use of the technology.
I do not see any need for clinical nurses to have this capability unless they also have a significant amount of managerial responsibilities as well. I don’t foresee a reason for students needing this capability because of how easy remote access of the campus servers are. If I were faculty somewhere with an on campus office, I would be begging for this capability. Like I said, I’m already spoiled just after four weeks!
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