1) What have you learned about analyzing learning task and objectives? How can you plan to apply this new information (new to some of you who have not taken an instructional design course) to your design project?
My analysis consisted of chart audits that revealed a high percentage of nurses were applying the Functional Assessment Staging Tool to patients that did not have a diagnosis of dementia or a dementia related disease. In addition, when the tool was used the staff was not scoring the patient appropriately.
Because the previous year had zero compliance with attendance from on-call staff at mandatory continuing educational offerings a new delivery system (instead of face-to-face) was justified.
Therefore, an analysis of perceived barriers, ways to overcome those barriers, and the staffs’ perceived confidence in their abilities to utilize new technologies as a means of receiving the in-services were completed.
The objectives for the educational offering are:
a) The learner will define the FAST.
b) The learner will identify what diagnoses are appropriate for application of the FAST.
c) The learner will apply the FAST.
d) The learner will evaluate their knowledge of the FAST.
The objectives for the introduction of the new technologies as a delivery system for continuing education are:
a) The learner will participate in the educational offering.
b) The learner will utilize new technologies being offered.
c) The learner will discuss the effectiveness or lack of concerning new technologies.
d) The learner will locate the narrated PowerPoint presentation.
e) The learner will download the podcast to their iPhone.
f) The learner will engage in discussion with their peers on Tapped In.
g) The learner will evaluate their confidence in their abilities to utilize the virtual community.
h) The learner will evaluate their confidence in their abilities to utilize the technologies.
2) Given the learning objectives/tasks you have identified, what instructional strategies or activities you have identified from Bonk and Zhang’s book are useful for your target community members (or learners) to achieve their goals/objectives?
My learning strategy for the introduction of the technologies:
a) Provide written step by step instructions of how to log onto Tapped In.
b) Provide written step by step instructions on how to download iTunes.
c) Provide written step by step instructions on how to access the podcast.
d) Provide written step by step instructions on how to open and view the PowerPoint.
e) Be available to answer questions via my work phone at all times.
f) Talk to each staff member individually at their convenience over the phone or face to face in order to support them during their initial interaction with each piece of technology.
g) Use case studies in the educational offering.
h) Use the discussion forum as a place to discuss the education and allow them to reflect on their knowledge and personal experiences in order to build on existing knowledge and/or realize new knowledge.
i) Use the podcast and narrated PowerPoint to increase participation in continuing education, because it is available anytime and at their location of choice.
PS. The objectives that are listed under question 1 are just some ideas. If you have any suggestions or something you think I should include or take out please let me know. It feels like there are a number of items that need to be addressed but they are supposed to be so specific I don't want to combine anything. At the same time I don't want to overwhelm my audience with a long list of objectives. Thanks!!!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
Week 7
CH.9 CSCL 2
This chapter discusses participatory simulations. Dewey’s principles of experience were applied. They took students and had them wear a computer simulation tag that monitored their actions and interactions with the other students. The students were active participants in this experience; it is different because normally I would think of the students as avatars in an onscreen community. A virtual virus was breaking out and it affected the students through their tags. The students were able to interact within the program and utilize active participation. This encouraged the students use critical thinking skills and allowed them to incorporate their own real life experiences into their predictions and conclusions. Because these elements were introduced through this type of learning; you can conclude that the learner took more away from this educational experience because they were able to put tangible meaning and real life experience to the module. The chapter also went into how to implement this type of learning. They mentioned things like why it is important to keep the technology unobtrusive and ensure the rules of the game are easily understood and able to be applied in everyday, real world experiences.
Ch.10 CSCL 2
Chapter 10 looked at how an educational offering was received by students that were able to view only the instructor’s face and students that had multiple views of the instructor in addition to the instructor being able to see the students. The idea here is that if the instructor can see that the students are oriented to what he is referencing and if the two can show cues of acknowledgment then learning and communicating is enhanced. The chapter pointed out the importance of ensuring that the view includes hand gestures, face, and object manipulations when using video conferencing technology.
Ch. 6 Bonk
This chapter was basically an introduction/explanation of various web sites. It starts by introducing the reader to Wikimedia. The go onto talk about everything from YackPack to YouTube. They give the reader monumental moments in on line history. They give you the background on the sites that they discuss and how they were started. They describe the members of the internet community as learners that take an active role and not passive; they challenge these members to be learners and educators that interact and use their “voice” to keep the knowledge growing.
This chapter discusses participatory simulations. Dewey’s principles of experience were applied. They took students and had them wear a computer simulation tag that monitored their actions and interactions with the other students. The students were active participants in this experience; it is different because normally I would think of the students as avatars in an onscreen community. A virtual virus was breaking out and it affected the students through their tags. The students were able to interact within the program and utilize active participation. This encouraged the students use critical thinking skills and allowed them to incorporate their own real life experiences into their predictions and conclusions. Because these elements were introduced through this type of learning; you can conclude that the learner took more away from this educational experience because they were able to put tangible meaning and real life experience to the module. The chapter also went into how to implement this type of learning. They mentioned things like why it is important to keep the technology unobtrusive and ensure the rules of the game are easily understood and able to be applied in everyday, real world experiences.
Ch.10 CSCL 2
Chapter 10 looked at how an educational offering was received by students that were able to view only the instructor’s face and students that had multiple views of the instructor in addition to the instructor being able to see the students. The idea here is that if the instructor can see that the students are oriented to what he is referencing and if the two can show cues of acknowledgment then learning and communicating is enhanced. The chapter pointed out the importance of ensuring that the view includes hand gestures, face, and object manipulations when using video conferencing technology.
Ch. 6 Bonk
This chapter was basically an introduction/explanation of various web sites. It starts by introducing the reader to Wikimedia. The go onto talk about everything from YackPack to YouTube. They give the reader monumental moments in on line history. They give you the background on the sites that they discuss and how they were started. They describe the members of the internet community as learners that take an active role and not passive; they challenge these members to be learners and educators that interact and use their “voice” to keep the knowledge growing.
Friday, February 19, 2010
CSCL2
The chapters discuss methods to help facilitate learning. One mention was about helping the students grow away from the task oriented mentality. I enjoyed reading the first chapter because I learned a lot about myself and how I could apply some of those theories to my own learning and comprehension strategies. I understand that I am in a graduate program and this should have already been learned. To be honest I am still very task oriented. I have to really try to put more into my work then just answering questions or making my responses seem relevant and intelligent with little effort. I find it difficult when I have to answer over 100 posts each week in my classes to maintain a high level of engagement. I’m not sure what I would do (if anything) if told to only write and respond if I wanted to. After the readings and my reflection I have decided that it has to be a personal goal, which I keep in the forefront of my mind when interacting in my classes. I thought it was interesting that the author pointed out that students are taught (or our culture) to be task oriented when it comes to school. They gave examples of reading Shakespeare but not being able to understand how it would be relevant in real life. The teacher presents it as a task that must be completed in order to progress in school, not to progress in life. They also stated that if the purpose of what was being asked of them was explained then the students may engage on a different level. I agree and see that even as a grad student. I also see that with my co workers. They attend in-service because it is mandatory and most would admit they got little out of the experience. When the staff is asked to put on the in-service based on their feelings of importance or needs assessment (they have something to gain), then they themselves enjoy it and engage as well as their peers because they are supportive. The underlying message I got from the readings was that the learner has to be on board with the purpose and be looking to obtain the same outcomes as the educator for them to be engaged and it be more than a task they are required to complete. Another example is the when they discussed the boy Ted who was very competent in his math skills but had low scores on test and other worksheets. He found what he enjoyed and was relevant to him and pursued that portion only.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Case Study 1
I chose to observe the virtual community Facebook. I don’t frequent many virtual communities so I decided to use one that was familiar to me. On Facebook I play games, I chat with friends, I read posts from a girl I knew in the military and whom I haven’t seen in 8 years, and I post pictures of my children like my daughter at the Wiggles concert last summer.
The purpose of Facebook is to network and socialize. People join and participate on the site according to their own individual goals or agendas. If you’re looking to reconnect with old friends or family it is a great place to do that. If you want to network or share information about events in an informal setting it is great for that as well. I’ve seen invites for high school reunions, pampered chef parties and work parties. As a community it has endless opportunities.
Facebook is built around pages rather than rooms. For instance, my cousin is a middle school teacher in Houston and one of her students was hospitalized this past fall because of the H1N1 flu. This student’s parents set up a Facebook page for him and posted daily updates on his status. His relatives that could not be there daily were able to respond and involved as well as those of us that did not know his family but wanted to support them through that time. It is free to start a page and simple to do.
Facebook is extremely user friendly and continues to grow and make changes based on the needs of its participants. The primary structure of Facebook revolves around the communication and interaction of its members through its instant message network, by e-mails, board posts or chat. There aren’t multi-person chat rooms like you may see in other virtual communities. On Facebook you chat with one person at a time which makes it hard to communicate in instances where more than one voice would be beneficial.
The participants on Facebook set the behavior and expectations for their own portion of the community as a whole. Individuals choose who can see and be involved in their particular pages. By allowing the participant to make these decisions it allows the individual members to set tone and create his or her own user experience. Anything considered inappropriate can be flagged and reported to the Facebook administrators. There are other automatic checks and balances built into the system for monitoring as well. For example, someone who repeatedly sends e-mails in mass will have their account locked and receive a message that inquires about their status and purpose while educating the individual on the nuisance and legalities of sending spam. Just this past month I received a message from Facebook warning me of a certain e-mail that was being sent to members with a computer virus embedded within it. Facebook was able to stop the e-mail from continuing to be sent, alerted users to the danger and shut down the sender’s page. And while I didn’t feel any repercussions of the virus, many of my friends did. This virus was able to send itself out to everyone on their contact lists which then caused the Facebook auto-checker to shut down their accounts as well. An inconvenience to these accounts and Facebook as well, but it prevented the virus from continuing any further. I felt like it was contained quickly and caused very little disruption to my community experience.
The features that sustain and develop the community are those that are made daily to improve the site based off of member recommendations and feedback. For example, each game the members play has its own page where you can go to make suggestions. The owners of that page can then reply or communicate through e-mail with more explanation or comments. When changes occur posts appear on the main wall for everyone to see as a group head’s up.
Facebook remains my first experience in online community interaction. It also remains my favorite experience in online community interaction. I enjoy the games and reading about old friends and family. As long as Facebook continues to grow and respond to the majority demands of its members it will remain stable and continue to grow without becoming stagnant.
The virtual learning community I chose to explore was Tapped In. I chose this site based on my own curiosity from the readings in the book. As it was described, I thought it seemed like it was the perfect site. In my mind I imagined logging on and being befriended instantly by a person who would guide me through a site full of rooms with links and ideals about how to offer education – a page full of legitimate resources.
I requested membership when I first visited Tapped In and was accepted. Instantly a man named Jeff introduced himself and asked to show me around. He already knew I was a nurse and where I was from. He showed me step-by-step how to get started. He created a profile with my picture and minimal information with instructions on how to go back and fill out more at a later time. I was given my own classroom and office all within about 20 minutes of registering. He asked about my expectations and needs and offered suggestions on how to best meet my goals without feeling overwhelmed.
Later, while I was exploring the site on my own I saw a notice that said a tutorial for beginners was getting ready to begin with instructions on how to join the meeting (which was as easy as typing in one word on a chat screen). There were six people there and a woman named BJB leading the discussion. She was just as encouraging, positive and personable as Jeff. She started out by having us each introduce ourselves and promised to try and meet each of our individual needs. She would tell us to return demonstrate something she’d explained and then say, “Great job!” or that BJB is handing Shelli a gold star. I felt included and valued. BJB explained the purpose of the site and its history as she led us around the campus. She talked about many things that were discussed in our readings. For example, she explained the importance of making the members feel included such as adding photos and written bios rather than utilizing some unnamed avatar roaming the site.
BJB stated that “just a little information makes a person more real and the connection more personal.” This idea is an important feature of Tapped In. It is a community of educations and not just a place in cyberspace filled with impersonal avatars. She also gave a rationale for everything that she demonstrated or had us do. After the introductions she explained that they always start with introductions because each member is valued for what they contribute. I was impressed. The learning community is a place for educators to share resources, information, ideals, collaborate and network. Each interaction with the staff is recorded and transcribed and sent back to you. I like this feature because you can review instructions at any time.
Tapped In is intended to be a virtual university campus. So there are buildings, rooms, office, classrooms, presentation rooms, whiteboards, file folders, etc. Events on the calendar are organized as professional development. Tapped In members set up their classrooms as groups and only those invited to the group may attend. Groups are set up for members and discussions within the group are recorded asynchronously so that members can communicate in a simulated real-time discussion despite being separated across different time zones. New groups are promoted through the Tapped In newsletter. The group’s creator can also collaborate with another teacher in the groups that they have set up. For example, I could set up a nursing group and collaborate with another teacher that was a vocational education expert on the subject of nursing as a career. The members of my group would have access to the resources in that room while the vocational members would have access to mine. Private offices in Tapped In are set up to serve as a resource room. They are there to serve as a cozy place to chat with colleagues or set up a study group.
As a learning community, Tapped In can almost be defined in two different ways. A student using Tapped In would say it was definitely a Task Based Learning Community where goals are specifically defined and participation is temporary and focused on learning a set series of objectives. The transfer of knowledge in this type of group would be from the group leader or organization down to the student level.
However, an instructor or educator would probably described Tapped In as a Knowledge Based Learning Community. In this type of learning community it is the production of knowledge and the ongoing participation of members who are willing share that knowledge. Participants are committed long-term to growth of the community itself and the knowledge contained within. There is a focus on learning how to learn and to develop as instructors.
I found Tapped In to be amazing. As a new member I’m still learning about all of its goals, needs and features but from what I’ve seen there isn’t anything that I can see how it could be improved. I’m looking forward to using this site as a learning resource as I move forward with my career as both a nurse and an educator. I’m sure eventually I’ll find something worth critiquing about the site, but for now it seems perfect.
References:
Tapped In, retrieved Feb 2, 2010, from http://tappedin.org/tappedin/
Facebook, retrieved Feb 2, 2010, from www.Facebook.com
Riel, M. & Polin, L. (2004). Online Learning Communities
The purpose of Facebook is to network and socialize. People join and participate on the site according to their own individual goals or agendas. If you’re looking to reconnect with old friends or family it is a great place to do that. If you want to network or share information about events in an informal setting it is great for that as well. I’ve seen invites for high school reunions, pampered chef parties and work parties. As a community it has endless opportunities.
Facebook is built around pages rather than rooms. For instance, my cousin is a middle school teacher in Houston and one of her students was hospitalized this past fall because of the H1N1 flu. This student’s parents set up a Facebook page for him and posted daily updates on his status. His relatives that could not be there daily were able to respond and involved as well as those of us that did not know his family but wanted to support them through that time. It is free to start a page and simple to do.
Facebook is extremely user friendly and continues to grow and make changes based on the needs of its participants. The primary structure of Facebook revolves around the communication and interaction of its members through its instant message network, by e-mails, board posts or chat. There aren’t multi-person chat rooms like you may see in other virtual communities. On Facebook you chat with one person at a time which makes it hard to communicate in instances where more than one voice would be beneficial.
The participants on Facebook set the behavior and expectations for their own portion of the community as a whole. Individuals choose who can see and be involved in their particular pages. By allowing the participant to make these decisions it allows the individual members to set tone and create his or her own user experience. Anything considered inappropriate can be flagged and reported to the Facebook administrators. There are other automatic checks and balances built into the system for monitoring as well. For example, someone who repeatedly sends e-mails in mass will have their account locked and receive a message that inquires about their status and purpose while educating the individual on the nuisance and legalities of sending spam. Just this past month I received a message from Facebook warning me of a certain e-mail that was being sent to members with a computer virus embedded within it. Facebook was able to stop the e-mail from continuing to be sent, alerted users to the danger and shut down the sender’s page. And while I didn’t feel any repercussions of the virus, many of my friends did. This virus was able to send itself out to everyone on their contact lists which then caused the Facebook auto-checker to shut down their accounts as well. An inconvenience to these accounts and Facebook as well, but it prevented the virus from continuing any further. I felt like it was contained quickly and caused very little disruption to my community experience.
The features that sustain and develop the community are those that are made daily to improve the site based off of member recommendations and feedback. For example, each game the members play has its own page where you can go to make suggestions. The owners of that page can then reply or communicate through e-mail with more explanation or comments. When changes occur posts appear on the main wall for everyone to see as a group head’s up.
Facebook remains my first experience in online community interaction. It also remains my favorite experience in online community interaction. I enjoy the games and reading about old friends and family. As long as Facebook continues to grow and respond to the majority demands of its members it will remain stable and continue to grow without becoming stagnant.
The virtual learning community I chose to explore was Tapped In. I chose this site based on my own curiosity from the readings in the book. As it was described, I thought it seemed like it was the perfect site. In my mind I imagined logging on and being befriended instantly by a person who would guide me through a site full of rooms with links and ideals about how to offer education – a page full of legitimate resources.
I requested membership when I first visited Tapped In and was accepted. Instantly a man named Jeff introduced himself and asked to show me around. He already knew I was a nurse and where I was from. He showed me step-by-step how to get started. He created a profile with my picture and minimal information with instructions on how to go back and fill out more at a later time. I was given my own classroom and office all within about 20 minutes of registering. He asked about my expectations and needs and offered suggestions on how to best meet my goals without feeling overwhelmed.
Later, while I was exploring the site on my own I saw a notice that said a tutorial for beginners was getting ready to begin with instructions on how to join the meeting (which was as easy as typing in one word on a chat screen). There were six people there and a woman named BJB leading the discussion. She was just as encouraging, positive and personable as Jeff. She started out by having us each introduce ourselves and promised to try and meet each of our individual needs. She would tell us to return demonstrate something she’d explained and then say, “Great job!” or that BJB is handing Shelli a gold star. I felt included and valued. BJB explained the purpose of the site and its history as she led us around the campus. She talked about many things that were discussed in our readings. For example, she explained the importance of making the members feel included such as adding photos and written bios rather than utilizing some unnamed avatar roaming the site.
BJB stated that “just a little information makes a person more real and the connection more personal.” This idea is an important feature of Tapped In. It is a community of educations and not just a place in cyberspace filled with impersonal avatars. She also gave a rationale for everything that she demonstrated or had us do. After the introductions she explained that they always start with introductions because each member is valued for what they contribute. I was impressed. The learning community is a place for educators to share resources, information, ideals, collaborate and network. Each interaction with the staff is recorded and transcribed and sent back to you. I like this feature because you can review instructions at any time.
Tapped In is intended to be a virtual university campus. So there are buildings, rooms, office, classrooms, presentation rooms, whiteboards, file folders, etc. Events on the calendar are organized as professional development. Tapped In members set up their classrooms as groups and only those invited to the group may attend. Groups are set up for members and discussions within the group are recorded asynchronously so that members can communicate in a simulated real-time discussion despite being separated across different time zones. New groups are promoted through the Tapped In newsletter. The group’s creator can also collaborate with another teacher in the groups that they have set up. For example, I could set up a nursing group and collaborate with another teacher that was a vocational education expert on the subject of nursing as a career. The members of my group would have access to the resources in that room while the vocational members would have access to mine. Private offices in Tapped In are set up to serve as a resource room. They are there to serve as a cozy place to chat with colleagues or set up a study group.
As a learning community, Tapped In can almost be defined in two different ways. A student using Tapped In would say it was definitely a Task Based Learning Community where goals are specifically defined and participation is temporary and focused on learning a set series of objectives. The transfer of knowledge in this type of group would be from the group leader or organization down to the student level.
However, an instructor or educator would probably described Tapped In as a Knowledge Based Learning Community. In this type of learning community it is the production of knowledge and the ongoing participation of members who are willing share that knowledge. Participants are committed long-term to growth of the community itself and the knowledge contained within. There is a focus on learning how to learn and to develop as instructors.
I found Tapped In to be amazing. As a new member I’m still learning about all of its goals, needs and features but from what I’ve seen there isn’t anything that I can see how it could be improved. I’m looking forward to using this site as a learning resource as I move forward with my career as both a nurse and an educator. I’m sure eventually I’ll find something worth critiquing about the site, but for now it seems perfect.
References:
Tapped In, retrieved Feb 2, 2010, from http://tappedin.org/tappedin/
Facebook, retrieved Feb 2, 2010, from www.Facebook.com
Riel, M. & Polin, L. (2004). Online Learning Communities
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Chapters 5-12
One thing I got from each different group discussed in the chapters was they all define community differently. When I first began the reading I was tuned in to trying to find the right definition of VC. After reading the book, I can see that it is ok for every person or site to have a different take on the definition. The members contribute to a definition that it is dynamic and evolving. One of the statements in the book talked about how members set the expectations. They model appropriate or acceptable behaviors for their communities. Then a new person determines what their expectations are, if they will fit in, and will they be able to contribute under those circumstances. The chapters also reiterate that the VC has to support the members. They have to meet the members at their level of education and support them as they progress and grow.
Another ideal that I found interesting and applicable to my own career was the detraditionalization. As a nurse you take on the role of advocate for the community you practice in. With the internet that has become a challenge. I may tell my patient best practice and then they read on line something that sounds better. I have to be aware of how people use or find their information in order to educate and advocate for them. I have had to explain to many of my home patients that the physician may prescribe a medication that will not match up with what the WebMD states. That sometimes physicians can and will prescribe for off label uses. I have to explain risk versus benefit ratios to them. I have to explain that if you look up a prescribed med and it says it is an antidepressant that is true but you are taking it for nerve pain. It is sometimes a battle to get a patient to maintain compliance because of the information overload. They want to be in charge of their care and we are taught to encourage that, but it can be difficult when they are not sure what they are reading and who is telling the truth.
Another ideal that I found interesting and applicable to my own career was the detraditionalization. As a nurse you take on the role of advocate for the community you practice in. With the internet that has become a challenge. I may tell my patient best practice and then they read on line something that sounds better. I have to be aware of how people use or find their information in order to educate and advocate for them. I have had to explain to many of my home patients that the physician may prescribe a medication that will not match up with what the WebMD states. That sometimes physicians can and will prescribe for off label uses. I have to explain risk versus benefit ratios to them. I have to explain that if you look up a prescribed med and it says it is an antidepressant that is true but you are taking it for nerve pain. It is sometimes a battle to get a patient to maintain compliance because of the information overload. They want to be in charge of their care and we are taught to encourage that, but it can be difficult when they are not sure what they are reading and who is telling the truth.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
responses to the instructors questions from last weeks blogs
Response 1: Some of the implications of the power of the VC to education would be:
• On-line classes that are 3 dimensional. For example using the adobe connects to learn in this class.
• Educators can share tools and ideas.
• Educators like myself that may not be contributors can take chances and ask questions without the fear of ridicule and can build confidence.
• Educators and learners can network to build relationships and knowledge.
Response 2: I don’t know about “experts”, but it definitely makes learning more dynamic and presents many different perspectives.
Response 3: For the future of nursing it means educators and learners don’t have as many barriers as they did in the past. For example it was costly and time consuming to send your staff to a conference for them to stay up with best practice or to obtain their required continuing education. Now it is relatively inexpensive and you don’t have to leave or travel, you can go sign on at your home or work and participate. Best practice or evidence based practice is so important to nursing right now. St. John Medical Center in Tulsa just received Magnet Status which in the nursing community is as high as you can go. Nurses want to work in a Magnet hospital and because those types of hospitals are so limited in numbers it is very competitive. The nurses have to be engaged in higher learning and very active in their nursing community in order to stay up with the changing and advancing practices. The VC aid them in this and it would be challenging to work as a nurse in this day without being involved in VC and internet learning and networking. Truly staying active in VC is an expectation of nursing. It used to be just for academics but now the bedside nurse is expected to be just as involved. Because of shared governance they bedside nurse plays the largest role in advocating to change and implementing best practice.
• On-line classes that are 3 dimensional. For example using the adobe connects to learn in this class.
• Educators can share tools and ideas.
• Educators like myself that may not be contributors can take chances and ask questions without the fear of ridicule and can build confidence.
• Educators and learners can network to build relationships and knowledge.
Response 2: I don’t know about “experts”, but it definitely makes learning more dynamic and presents many different perspectives.
Response 3: For the future of nursing it means educators and learners don’t have as many barriers as they did in the past. For example it was costly and time consuming to send your staff to a conference for them to stay up with best practice or to obtain their required continuing education. Now it is relatively inexpensive and you don’t have to leave or travel, you can go sign on at your home or work and participate. Best practice or evidence based practice is so important to nursing right now. St. John Medical Center in Tulsa just received Magnet Status which in the nursing community is as high as you can go. Nurses want to work in a Magnet hospital and because those types of hospitals are so limited in numbers it is very competitive. The nurses have to be engaged in higher learning and very active in their nursing community in order to stay up with the changing and advancing practices. The VC aid them in this and it would be challenging to work as a nurse in this day without being involved in VC and internet learning and networking. Truly staying active in VC is an expectation of nursing. It used to be just for academics but now the bedside nurse is expected to be just as involved. Because of shared governance they bedside nurse plays the largest role in advocating to change and implementing best practice.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Week 1 readings
Intro:
The introduction was about defining virtual community and the boundaries that are in it. Wesley Shumar and K. Ann Renninger discuss the components that make up an online community of professionals with common interests. An online community is much like a real community of professionals, in that there is the contribution and sharing of ideas among community members. A virtual community differs from a face-to-face gathering because it allows interaction to be both more flexible and durable over time due to the Internet's archive and retrieval functionality. There isn't one set of criteria to define an online community. A physical community can be defined by a mutual topic of interest, occupation of a physical location and shared resources, and social organization among its members. These qualities either don't exist or else factor in less quantities when trying to define the more open and ephemeral boundaries of an online community which is more of a social arrangements among members. Shared mutual interests as symbol and activity reflects the nostalgia or ideal spirit of the group against the actual reality of modern times or specific circumstances. These communities of people share a common kinship despite differences in class, job definition and location. The forms of communication that take place in these types of online communities are almost mythic in nature in that at no point in history could this communication taken place in the physical world. An online community might be perceived as some sort of electronic town hall. But it is precisely because there is no physical presence in a virtual community as opposed to its physical counterpart that engagement within the community itself becomes much more pronounced online. It's not enough just to be present there must be constant and supplied content provided in order for the community to exist and thrive. When presented online this content is no longer limited online by time or space: e-mail conversations between individuals can be shared and archived; sounds and images can be stored and accessed at will; even language barriers and geographical locations can be eliminated altogether. In an online community, communication itself is multilayered. Archiving ability means a conversation that took place a year prior can be saved and shared among all members, it can be added to and expanded upon. It redefines not only what people say, but meaning of what the group as a whole can do together. It eliminates the concept or need for a hierarchical organizational dissemination of information. Communities themselves become more fluid as the individuals who make up the community have the ability to alter the discourse and boundaries of what exactly the community represents.
Chapter1:
This chapter explained that there was a site called MOO and it was great in the beginning but didn’t seem to build in room for growth or change with their participants. They had good communication with their participants and definitely mentored and built strong personal relationships but did not anticipate or prepare for the growth, change, and new needs of the community. They stated how they will do things better this next go around. The idea that they will make the community open to anyone is going to help most I believe. Then as people move on there can be someone to take their place in the community. I don’t feel like they addressed the fact that people are most likely not going to be lifelong members. It seems like they still have that as an expectations which I think will limit them again. They still seemed focused on keeping very defined boundaries between different groups of people. I think this too is a limitation.
Chapter2:
The reading about the young children participating in the virtual community pointed out that we have a need that needs to be addressed. It stated that girls are more likely to be intimidated with their skills and ability to learn and use the technology. I came away from this reading thinking I need to expose my little girl as early as I can and encourage her to abilities. She is 4 and has a membership to Jumpstart. She is able to turn the computer on, log on by herself and play for hours. She is very confident with her laptop. I will continue to praise and encourage growth.
Chapter3:
The math forum was the most interesting of the reading for me. It is set up without expectations or boundaries. It takes the information that the participants give (questions, comments, surveys) and builds itself based on those ideas. It seems to be ever evolving. I think from the previous readings this is what MOO should have done. Because it lets kids be involved it would seem that they may find a place to continue to grow, make life long acquaintance and build and foster their love for math. The previous readings showed us that a web site may not have lifelong participants but it seems in a situation like this you may go back even later in life. For example the teacher that was unsure of geometry. One aspect that may contribute to the lifelong participant may also be the emotional stability of the site. The protocol setup is what I see as extremely important. It makes things consistent and like the reading states they don’t appear to be passing judgment so they build confidence and trust inside the site. One thing that really stood out to me was the fact that the first teacher was very unfamiliar with technology and internet usage. The site was friendly enough that she was able to build her confidence and start taking advantage of other uses on their site over time. She didn’t continue to use only one idea and get stuck there. I personally find myself doing that on many of the sites I go to for my nursing information. I like the sites that are easy to navigate and build on themselves where they basically make you look deeper each time you get on, it doesn’t seem so overwhelming and before you know it you can utilize the entire site and navigate without effort. The fact that this site doesn’t disregard things as “topic drift” but recognizes them as a need is great. Another interesting statement was when they described participants as “takers”. That is how I would describe myself on most sites. I would like to be a giver and participant as they have described their community members. It shows how dynamic this site is because you can fall into any of these roles and still have a purpose on their site. The main idea I got from this reading was that they met people where they were, they did not limit their abilities. They can be anything from novice to expert an d participate on many different levels and move back and forth through those ranks as they wish.
Time:
The article was not specific to any site or person. It just acknowledged the fact that people are not coming home to watch TV and if they are they are on line after to talk about it with their peers. It pointed out that the way people interact now over the internet is changing our views, activities, and our involvement in the world.
The introduction was about defining virtual community and the boundaries that are in it. Wesley Shumar and K. Ann Renninger discuss the components that make up an online community of professionals with common interests. An online community is much like a real community of professionals, in that there is the contribution and sharing of ideas among community members. A virtual community differs from a face-to-face gathering because it allows interaction to be both more flexible and durable over time due to the Internet's archive and retrieval functionality. There isn't one set of criteria to define an online community. A physical community can be defined by a mutual topic of interest, occupation of a physical location and shared resources, and social organization among its members. These qualities either don't exist or else factor in less quantities when trying to define the more open and ephemeral boundaries of an online community which is more of a social arrangements among members. Shared mutual interests as symbol and activity reflects the nostalgia or ideal spirit of the group against the actual reality of modern times or specific circumstances. These communities of people share a common kinship despite differences in class, job definition and location. The forms of communication that take place in these types of online communities are almost mythic in nature in that at no point in history could this communication taken place in the physical world. An online community might be perceived as some sort of electronic town hall. But it is precisely because there is no physical presence in a virtual community as opposed to its physical counterpart that engagement within the community itself becomes much more pronounced online. It's not enough just to be present there must be constant and supplied content provided in order for the community to exist and thrive. When presented online this content is no longer limited online by time or space: e-mail conversations between individuals can be shared and archived; sounds and images can be stored and accessed at will; even language barriers and geographical locations can be eliminated altogether. In an online community, communication itself is multilayered. Archiving ability means a conversation that took place a year prior can be saved and shared among all members, it can be added to and expanded upon. It redefines not only what people say, but meaning of what the group as a whole can do together. It eliminates the concept or need for a hierarchical organizational dissemination of information. Communities themselves become more fluid as the individuals who make up the community have the ability to alter the discourse and boundaries of what exactly the community represents.
Chapter1:
This chapter explained that there was a site called MOO and it was great in the beginning but didn’t seem to build in room for growth or change with their participants. They had good communication with their participants and definitely mentored and built strong personal relationships but did not anticipate or prepare for the growth, change, and new needs of the community. They stated how they will do things better this next go around. The idea that they will make the community open to anyone is going to help most I believe. Then as people move on there can be someone to take their place in the community. I don’t feel like they addressed the fact that people are most likely not going to be lifelong members. It seems like they still have that as an expectations which I think will limit them again. They still seemed focused on keeping very defined boundaries between different groups of people. I think this too is a limitation.
Chapter2:
The reading about the young children participating in the virtual community pointed out that we have a need that needs to be addressed. It stated that girls are more likely to be intimidated with their skills and ability to learn and use the technology. I came away from this reading thinking I need to expose my little girl as early as I can and encourage her to abilities. She is 4 and has a membership to Jumpstart. She is able to turn the computer on, log on by herself and play for hours. She is very confident with her laptop. I will continue to praise and encourage growth.
Chapter3:
The math forum was the most interesting of the reading for me. It is set up without expectations or boundaries. It takes the information that the participants give (questions, comments, surveys) and builds itself based on those ideas. It seems to be ever evolving. I think from the previous readings this is what MOO should have done. Because it lets kids be involved it would seem that they may find a place to continue to grow, make life long acquaintance and build and foster their love for math. The previous readings showed us that a web site may not have lifelong participants but it seems in a situation like this you may go back even later in life. For example the teacher that was unsure of geometry. One aspect that may contribute to the lifelong participant may also be the emotional stability of the site. The protocol setup is what I see as extremely important. It makes things consistent and like the reading states they don’t appear to be passing judgment so they build confidence and trust inside the site. One thing that really stood out to me was the fact that the first teacher was very unfamiliar with technology and internet usage. The site was friendly enough that she was able to build her confidence and start taking advantage of other uses on their site over time. She didn’t continue to use only one idea and get stuck there. I personally find myself doing that on many of the sites I go to for my nursing information. I like the sites that are easy to navigate and build on themselves where they basically make you look deeper each time you get on, it doesn’t seem so overwhelming and before you know it you can utilize the entire site and navigate without effort. The fact that this site doesn’t disregard things as “topic drift” but recognizes them as a need is great. Another interesting statement was when they described participants as “takers”. That is how I would describe myself on most sites. I would like to be a giver and participant as they have described their community members. It shows how dynamic this site is because you can fall into any of these roles and still have a purpose on their site. The main idea I got from this reading was that they met people where they were, they did not limit their abilities. They can be anything from novice to expert an d participate on many different levels and move back and forth through those ranks as they wish.
Time:
The article was not specific to any site or person. It just acknowledged the fact that people are not coming home to watch TV and if they are they are on line after to talk about it with their peers. It pointed out that the way people interact now over the internet is changing our views, activities, and our involvement in the world.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Getting started
My name is Shelly. I am a nursing student and this blog is to meet my requirements for a class I am currently taking.
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