Does Technology Change The Way We Teach?

The answer to this question can be summed in one word…”yes”, at least it has the potential to. However, whether or not it is used effectively, or even whether or not it is used at all, is dependent on each individual educator and circumstance. Also, I don’t think readers would be too impressed with a one word blog post. Therefore, I will use this blog post to discuss not whether technology changes the way we teach, as I feel that most people would agree with that statement at face value. Instead, I will use this blog post to discuss the most significant way in which it can change the way educators teach.

The greatest impact that technology has on the way educators teach is the wider audience it enables us to cater to, speaking both of student engagement and geographically. Instead of only standing up in front of a classroom and lecturing, which would engage only your auditory learners; or showing PowerPoint slides, which would exclude kinesthetic learners, the creativity that can be incorporated while developing lesson plans is limited only by the imagination of the content developer. With the technology available in today’s educational setting, it is unacceptable to deliver content that does not reach all learning styles. Even if technology is not available in every classroom, and thus cannot be used to help deliver educational content, it is reasonable to assume that the majority of teachers have access to various technologies. Thus, at the very least, technology can be used to help develop the lesson plans ahead of time, in an effort to broaden the students’ classroom learning experience.

Geographically, technology gives both students and teachers options that were not previously available. In higher education, the college a student attends does not need to coexist in the same geographical location, as online programs continue to proliferate. Furthermore, curriculum development consortiums can now be comprised of schools with similar resources and values, instead of those residing in close proximity to one another. Using tools such as virtual meetings, Google Docs, instant messenger, and email, communication and collaboration is no longer limited to neighboring school districts. Technology can therefore be used to ensure that the richest curriculum is developed.

Using Web 2.0 for Instructional Purposes

Web 2.0 applications can be used to help aid instruction if properly implemented. One tool that has potential benefits in the classroom is Diigo. Diigo is a cloud-based personal information management system that can further be used for collaborative purposes. With Diigo, students have the ability to bookmark a webpage as displayed, or they have the option to highlight, annotate, or add sticky notes to a webpage and save the webpage with their editing. The bookmarked sites can then be shared with other individuals. Used for this purpose, Diigo has the ability to be used as a collaborative research platform for students.

A Web 2.0 proposed project that would incorporate the use of Diigo includes assigning students to research a topic that has been presented in class; and to bookmark these articles with their highlights, comments, and annotations to the class account. Students would then be tasked with reviewing another student’s articles and comments and responding with their own thoughts, both on the original article and their reaction to their peer’s comments.

The Value of Learning from Fiction

Using fiction to teach nursing-related content can be a valuable teaching methodology and is frequently incorporated into nursing curricula. The use of simulations and case studies are just a couple of examples of widely used teaching strategies that incorporate the use of fiction to educate nursing students. Currently, clinical sites are becoming increasingly harder to secure, thus nursing students are afforded less time in the clinical setting to practice and apply classroom content. Subsequently, simulations and case studies can be used to mimic real-world scenarios, providing students the opportunity to evaluate consequences of nursing interventions. For example, if students administer an incorrect dose of pain medication, it is fairly known what effects that medication will have on the patient physiologically. Thus, once the incorrect dose is given, the consequences that would occur in the “real-world” can be mirrored, in this case the patient respirations would significantly decrease and the students would need to react accordingly.

Due to limited clinical site availability, the use of fiction to teach nursing content is a becoming a widely used and accepted practice. Furthermore, the predictability of patient responses physiologically makes the use of fiction extremely valuable in experiencing real-world consequences to chosen nursing interventions.

The Value of Portfolio Assessment in Nursing Education

The use of portfolio assessment as a means of assessment is increasing within the field of nursing education. Portfolio assessment allows both students and teachers to evaluate the learner’s progress over the course of study. The value of using portfolios as a mean of evaluation is further increased for adult learners, as it encourages self-directed learning and self-reflection. Furthermore, as it is a means of formative assessment, the portfolio can guide future learning once potential areas for improvement are identified. In order to achieve this, the student should use his/her portfolio to set goals for future learning, and can subsequently utilize new portfolio contents to evaluate progress towards identified outcomes. Additionally, if various types of data and materials are exhibited within the portfolio, measurement of multiple dimensions of student progress is possible.

In addition to measuring student progress, portfolios can further be used to measure program effectiveness. School program administrators should periodically assess the materials contained within student portfolios, in order to evaluate whether program learning objectives have been met. If program learning objectives are not illustrated, then curriculum revision may be indicated.

Edited Video Presentation

The Process of Critiquing Yourself

Critiquing your own work is not always a fun process, as people tend to overly critical of their performance. However, the various benefits that can result from doing so are well worth the slight discomfort. Upon first perusal of my presentation, what first struck me was how much I use my hands when I talk. To me, this was a distraction, although others who watched my video stated that they viewed it as a positive, so it appears that it depends on the learner whether the use of hand motions during instruction is a pro or a con. The following is a list of benefits that can result from critiquing one's own performance:

-Educators can observe whether learners are engaged in the presentation
-Educators can subsequentyly improve instruction methodology based on the level of learner engagement
-Improved instruction will promote greater content mastery/student achievement

As improved student achievement is likely the goal of all educators, it is in their best interest to occassionally critique one of their own learning sessions, in an effort to continually improve their instruction and curriculum development. The recent opportunity to review my own teaching instruction proved to be a beneficial guide that will assist me in creating future lesson plans.

What Does Video Editing Mean to Me?

At the present point in time, the concept of video editing does not mean a lot to me. When I thinking of video editing, I envision the Hollywood process of taking raw video, choosing desirable parts of the raw footage, and molding those desirable pieces into one comprehensive film. I have never attempted the process of video editing, and I anticipate the process to be time consuming, requiring basic knowledge of software that I have yet to learn. I am excited about the opportunity to learn how to utlize such software, as it will enable me to explore its potential use in nursing education.

Using Technology in the Educational Setting

The available technology that can be used to influence educational instruction is rapidly evolving. From virtual worlds and simulators to whiteboards and personal response systems, the technology is ever-changing with increased implications for our educational system. Moreover, not only can instruction be impacted by technology, evaluation of instruction can be impacted as well. Instead of using traditional testing methods to assess content mastery, technology can be utilized to determine the problem-solving steps that were taken which resulted in students arriving at a certain conclusion.

With all that being said, the use of technology in the academic setting is highly influenced by financial and time constraints. For instance, while I am passionate about the use of personal response systems for formative assessment purposes, they will not be available due to financial constraints. Teachers must therefore become creative in how they use technology that is readily available to them in their academic environment.

One technological resource that is currently available to me for a limited time is a PowerPoint extension called Articulate Presenter 09. Articulate is an e-learning software that aids users is easily transforming PowerPoint presentations into Flash content. A Presenter 09 overview demonstration of the key features can be found on the company's website:

 http://www.articulate.com/community/tutorials09/presenter09/Overview/player.html

HTML Limitations

From a novice perspective:

Knowing relatively nothing about HMTL personally, I would have to say that one of the biggest limitations of HTML is that it is not user-friendly. Learning how to use HTML is comparable to learning another language, one that does not look even vaguely similar to the language I am familiar with. It is for this reason alone that I have yet to master learning how to effectively utilize HTML.

From an expert perspective:

Seeing as I know relatively little regarding HTML, I consulted an expert to obtain his perspective on limitations associated with using HTML for web design. In his opinion, the biggest problem with HTML is that the specification is so slow moving. The world wide web consortium is too diverse and expansive, with individual companies holding steadfast to their own agendas, causing a lack of cohesiveness and efficiency when attempting to release a new HTML specification. For example, it has been over 10 years since the release of HTML 4.01. In a rapidly evolving medium, the inability to create new specifications in an efficient manner is limiting.

Using Creative Commons as a Solution to Copyright Law

Photo courtesy of timefornurses (http://www.flickr.com/photos/timefornurses/5071249770/)

Copyright Law as it Pertains to Nursing Education

Copyright law has significant implications for educators, and nursing education is no exception. Under the current U.S. copyright law, written work is protected for 70 years following the death of the author of the protected work, unless it is a work of corporate authorship, where it is protected for the shorter of 95 years from publication, or 120 years from creation. Once the copyright has expired, the work enters the public domain, where it can be used by anyone without restrictions.

There is an exception to the copyright law, which is termed "fair use". Under the fair use doctrine, copyrighted material can be used for certain purposes, including criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Under the fair use doctrine, certain factors must be considered:

1. The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes
2. The nature of the copyrighted work
3. The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole
4. The effect of the use upon the potential market for, or value of, the copyrighted work

Information retrieved from http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html 

What legal issue keeps me up at night?

Nursing educators are faced with the dual purpose of not only educating future nurses, but also protecting the public by denying graduation to those nursing students who do not show sufficient knowledge and/or technical skill to render them competent to provide nursing care. However, proving that a student does not possess enough knowledge and/or skill to be considered minimally competent is often problematic, especially in the clinical setting.

My major concern is that I will be faced with the situation where I need to fail a student, but lack documented evidence regarding the reasons for failure. In the clinical setting, the students receive weekly reports on their performance. However, instead of stating the specific mistakes the students made, my teaching philosophy is that it will be more beneficial to the students to describe what they did well, and to provide them with areas for improvement. However, it is documented only as an area that could use improvement, which does not imply that the care they provided was unsafe. Therefore, I would not have sufficient proof that the care they provided was unsafe in the event that I would need proper documentation.

Engel v. Vitale 1962 Presentation

http://prezi.com/amrdid-t7rsi/edit/#3_3033671

Engel v. Vitale 1962

Citation: 370 U.S. 421 Engel v. Vitale

Topic: Prayer in school

Issue: Does the reading of a nondenominational prayer at the start of the school day violate the "establishment of religion" clause of the First Amendment?

Facts: The respondent Board of Education of Union Free School District No. 9, New Hyde Park, New York, acting in its official capacity under state law, directed the School District's principal to have the following prayer said aloud in each classroom at the beginning of every school day:

"Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our Country."

This daily procedure was adopted on the recommendation of the State Board of Regents, a governmental agency created by the State Constitution to which the New York Legislature has granted broad supervisory, executive, and legislative powers over the State's public school system. These state officials composed the prayer which they recommended and published as a part of their "Statement on Moral and Spiritual Training in the Schools," saying: "We believe that this Statement will be subscribed to by all men and women of good will, and we call upon all of them to aid in giving life to our program." Children would not be required to recite the prayer.

Shortly after the prayer was initiated, the parent of ten pupils filed suit, insisting that use of this official prayer in the public schools was contrary to the beliefs, religions, or religious practices of both themselves and their children.

Arguments:

For Engel (the parents): The separation of church and state requires that the government refrain from prescribing religious activities of any kind. The Regents' prayer violated the 1st Amendment and should therefore be barred from the schools.

For the Regents of the State of New York: The New York Regents did not establish a religion by providing a prayer for those who wanted to say it. Countless religious elements are associated with governments and officials, reflecting the religious heritage of the nation. New York acted properly and constitutionally in providing an optional, nonsectarian prayer. It would be an intrusion into State matters for the Supreme Court to strike down the right of the Regents to compose the prayer and encourage its recitation.

Findings: Yes, the reading of the prayer each day violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. Neither the prayer's nondenominational character nor its voluntary character saves it from unconstitutionality. By providing the prayer, New York officially approved religion.

Decision: 6 votes for Engel, 1 vote against.

The Court found the New York Regents' prayer to be unconstitutional. Justice Hugo Black wrote the opinion for the 6-1 majority: “We think that by using its public school system to encourage recitation of the Regents' Prayer, the State of New York has adopted a practice wholly inconsistent with the Establishment Clause. There can, of course, be no doubt that New York's program of daily classroom invocation of God's blessings…in the Regents' Prayer is a religious activity…”

Black further explained that “When the power, prestige and financial support of government is placed behind a particular religious belief, the indirect coercive pressure upon religious minorities to conform to the prevailing officially approved religion is plain…. The Establishment Clause thus stands as an expression of principle on the part of the Founders of our Constitution that religion is too personal, too sacred, too holy, to permit its 'unhallowed perversion' by a civil magistrate.”

To support the Court's finding, Black referred to the following ideas of the Framers: “To those who may subscribe to the view that because the Regents' official prayer is so brief and general [it] can be no danger to religious freedom…, it may be appropriate to say in the words of James Madison, the author of the First Amendment:… 'Who does not see that the same authority which can establish Christianity, in exclusion of all other Religions, may establish with the same ease any particular sect of Christians, in exclusion of all other Sects?'”

The Court's decision was not, Black pointed out, antireligious. It sought, rather, only to affirm the separation between church and state. “It is neither sacrilegious nor antireligious to say that each separate government in this country should stay out of the business of writing or sanctioning official prayers…” Thereafter, State governments could not “prescribe by law any particular form of prayer which is to be used as an official prayer in carrying on any program of governmentally sponsored religious activity.”

Implications: This was the first in a series of cases in which the Court used the Establishment Clause to eliminate religious activities of all sorts, which had traditionally been a part of public ceremonies. Despite the passage of time, the decision is still unpopular with many Americans.

References

Engel v. Vitale, 370 US 421-Supreme Court 1962. Retrieved from http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=14815219471388213647&q=Engel+v.+Vitale+(1962)&hl=en&as_sdt=2,36&as_vis=1.  

Pearson Education, Inc. (2005). Engel v. Vitale (1962). Retrieved from http://www.infoplease.com/us/supreme-court/cases/ar10.html.

What Makes a Good Presentation?

In order for a presentation to have an impact on its audience, there are several requirements for both the presenter and the presentation itself. The requirements are as follows:

The presenter/s need to be:

1. Well educated on the topic that is being presented.

While seemingly obvious, this criterion is arguably the factor that will most significantly impact the effectiveness of the presentation. If false information is presented to audience members as fact, it will be detrimental to their understanding of the topic. Moreover, audience members may disseminate the incorrect information to peers and colleagues, further compounding the problem.  

2. Able to demonstrate excellent public speaking skills during the presentation.

The content included in a presentation could be well organized, insightful, and of paramount importance, but if it is not presented in an articulate manner using effectual public speaking skills, the value of the presentation will be severely compromised.

3. Prepared to adapt to any technical difficulties that may occur.

While it is exciting to incorporate technology into presentations, the increased use of technology requires presenters to either have sufficient knowledge or resources to fix any malfunctions that may occur while using the technology that the presentation requires, or a back-up plan that can be implemented in cases where the technology cannot be utilized.

4. Able to connect with the audience.

If the presenter can connect with the audience on a personal level and make the content relevant to the majority of attendees, those listening to the presentation will be more actively engaged and will most likely retain more information compared to if the presenter spoke to each audience using the same, generic references.

The presentation needs to:

1. Be concise.

A very verbose lecture will bore even the most interested audience, so keeping the content to a minimum is recommended.

2. Be engaging.

In addition to the presenter being engaging, the actual presentation itself must be engaging in order to effect the most change. The more directly involved the audience is in the presentation, the more effective the presentation will be.

3. Accommodate various learning styles.

In order for the presentation to be engaging for the majority of attendees, a variety of presentation styles should be utilized to accommodate various learning styles. A verbal presentation that is also presented in written format, most commonly accomplished using software such as PowerPoint, will accommodate both visual and auditory learners. Demonstration stations, if applicable, would serve to benefit kinesthetic learners.

4. Teach new content.

While also seemingly obvious, it is imperative that the presentation contains novel content to audience members. The presentation could be factually correct, well organized, and well presented, but if the audience is already intimately familiar with the information presented, they will not be engaged and the presentation will be meaningless. In certain fields, healthcare being one of them, it is required to refresh certain content yearly, such as CPR certification. In these situations, presenters would be well serviced by identifying what information has changed since the last presentation, and highlighting those variances throughout the presentation.

5. Stay within the allotted time frame, allowing ample time for questions and audience discussion.

Audience members will each possess a unique perspective and set of past experiences that will influence their perception of the content presented. Allowing for audience questions and/or discussion will enable other audience members, in addition to the presenter, to benefit from their knowledge and expertise.