POT restarted in Week 13 (Introductions).

For Week 14 (Classroom Elements), I learned how to post an image in a blog. In addition, I shared with my fellow learners how this particular image was used in my dissertation study and reflected on how very powerful images can be in both face-to-face and online learning environments.

In Week 15 (Audio & Video), I recorded my post using Audacity for the first time. In my post, I discussed the potential benefits of using Audacity in an online Medical Terminology Course.

Screencasting and Multimedia were the topics for Week 16. As such, technology took center stage. During the week, I experimented with Lucid Chart, Prezi, and Screen-o-matic and decided to use Lucid Chart to digitally create a concept map of a respiratory disorder. Using Lucid Chart reminded me of using a classroom whiteboard to connect concepts for students.

The topic of Week 17 was Online Leaners. By reading the posts of my fellow learners, I became aware of how important FAQs are for the efficient functioning of an online course. I also learned how to build a survey using Survey Monkey.

In Week 18 (Classroom Management and Facilitation), I learned to use pedagogy as the guide for course development and technology as a support for pedagogical goals. Also, I independently researched information on the cloud-based software, Open Class, and shared my findings in the post.

Learning Theories and Online Learning was the topic for Week 19. From the resources provided by the POT faculty and from what I discovered through an Internet search, I learned about the (proposed) learning theory of connectivism and how it can guide the design and desired outcomes of online courses.

In reading and viewing the POT learning resources provided during Week 20 (Intro to Educational Technology & Instructional Design), I was given an historical perspective of technology in online learning. Also based on the learning resources, I found myself pondering ways to get students to “think.”

Week 21 (Web-enhanced and Hybrid Open Classes) was filled with very thoughtful resources and discussion regarding MOOCs and emergent learning. Wanting to learn even more (i.e. emergent learning), I further researched student outcomes relate to MOOCs and shared this information with my fellow learners.

In Week 22 (PNLs), I learned about the importance of Personal Learning Networks.

For Week 23 (Presentations), I introduced the topic, Online Learners; specifically addressing demographic data related to online learners, reasons why students take online courses, and how to prepare students for online learning. My initial plan for the presentation was to create a Slidecast – which seemed a fitting way to introduce this topic. However, after uploading the power point slides to Slideshare and recording the audio with Audacity, I discovered that I was going to have to upgrade my Slideshare account (i.e. pay money) to create a Slidecast……and changed my mind. I then decided to use the power point slides with voice-over audio. Once I completed this, I converted the presentation to a YouTube video (first one) so that it could embedded in my blog.

Using the POT Certificate Class Self-Assessment Rubric, I would grade myself as follows:
Very likely to achieve learning objectives: Quantity of Posts, Length of Posts, Completing and Absorbing Readings, Studying Videos, and Time Spent on Course

Somewhere in between very likely and moderately likely to achieve learning objectives: Content of Posts

Moderately likely to achieve high learning objectives: Commenting on Colleagues’ Posts

Not as likely to achieve learning objectives: Extending participation in the online learning community (although I did attend the MCC-sponsored PDP offering, 3C Media)

Beyond using the rubric, it is difficult for me to comment on the quality of my posts. All I can say is that I sure tried to be thoughtful and engaging…. even though I do not currently teach an online course.

My thoughts regarding this program are nothing but positive. Both the POT instructors and my fellow learners were extremely supportive. On a personal note, my goal for this semester was to become more confident and competent with technology. Well, I have definitely become more competent with technology (keeping in mind that I began with essentially no skills), but still need to work on the element of confidence. Irrespective of my challenges with technology, I believe that I have the knowledge and skills to successfully design and teach an online course. Thanks to the POT faculty and learners for making this happen.

Here is my presentation!

In his video, “Sharing the Moral Imperative,” Dean Sharesk challenges all educators to build personal learning environments that promote a culture of sharing. He goes on to say that students are the direct beneficiaries of sharing among educators. Well, I could not agree more that students benefit from what is made open and public by instructors at other institutions of higher learning. For example, third-semester nursing students at MiraCosta College view YouTube videos on heart disease to help them learn about cardiac disorders. What is unique about these videos is that were developed by an instructor who used to teach at MCC, but now teaches in a nursing program in Washington state. I recently visited with the instructor that lives in Washington state and informed her that a MCC nursing instructor (who is a POT graduate) uses the videos in her course. This news of course delighted her, yet in a sense seemed to surprise her. Because she “passively” shared this information, she has/had no idea how many students world-wide have benefited from her work.

As she and I spoke further, I came to learn that she had “flipped the classroom” in a course that she teaches. I then informed her that the instructor at MCC using her videos had done the same thing. I then suggested that the two of them communicate with each other to “share” their experiences. However, if I had already completed Week 22 of POT before we spoke, I would have suggested that they both build a personal learning network in which sharing would be purposeful and intended. According to Alex Curos, the first step in building a PLN is building a twitter network.

Speaking of Twitter, Martin Weller stated that “The use of Twitter can both boost and predict citations of journal articles.” As someone who just completed a doctoral dissertation, I absolutely want to learn more about this……………….

Lots to ponder after completing this week’s assignments. Here are some of my thoughts as they pertain to “emergent learning “and MOOCs.

First, I want to thank, Cris, for the dynamic introduction and for referencing Claire Majors’ work regarding communication networks. After listening to the video, I conducted an Internet search to find out more about the relationship between emergent learning and a distributed communication network. In the article entitled, Emergent Learning and Learning Ecologies in Web 2.0, Williams, Kanouso & Mackness (2011) concluded that emergent learning is likely to occur when “when many self-organizing agents interact frequently and openly, with considerable degrees of freedom, but within specific constraints.” Furthermore, they surmised that if the openness of a distributed communication network is not balanced by “constraint and inclusive values” emergence can degenerate into isolation for a learner. This isolation may in turn reinforce prejudice rather than produce the “wisdom of the crowd.” The challenge for faculty, therefore, is finding and maintaining balance in a course designed as a distributed communication network.

A MOOC is an example of distributed communication network in the sense that a MOOC promotes connections among learners. According George Siemen, MOOCs foster self-regulated, motivated, and autonomous learners….and emergent learning. However, in the report entitled, Innovating Pedagogy 2013, by Sharples et al. (2013) indicated that fewer than 10% of people who register for a MOOC complete the course. Also, they found that viewing is far higher than engagement and that there are different types of participant, including the viewer, the volunteer student, and the social learner. What I have gleaned from this report and the other material on MOOCs is that more research is needed to uncover the short and long-term benefits of MOCCs for all categories of learners.

During his podcast, History of Educational Technology, Rick Schwier asked class participants to recall their earliest memories of educational technology. I quickly recalled using slides/projector, transparencies (overheads), mannekins, and a cardiac monitor/defibrillator for the first CPR and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) courses that I taught as a nurse in the mid 1980’s. The slides/ projector and transparencies re-emphasized/supplemented material found in the course textbook and were used for the theory portion of the courses. The mannekins and cardiac monitor/defibrillator were used in the practical portion of the CPR and/or ACLS course.

The CPR and ACLS courses were designed by the American Heart Association (AHA) and were intended to be standardized. As such, the same instructional materials and technology (except for the cardiac monitor/defibrillator which varied between hospitals) were used to teach ACLS across the globe. In order to “pass” the ACLS course, participants had to achieve a score of 84 on a multiple-choice exam and proficiently lead a team of healthcare providers in the successful resuscitation of a simulated cardiac-arrest victim. As an instructor, I was tasked with “uncovering the material with the students” (Jim Julius), helping them to “think” about how to use knowledge to save a life, and assessing their ability to save a life. As was stated by Jarion Lanier, “If students don’t learn to think, then no amount of access to information will do them any good.”

Fast-forwarding to the present, I still teach ACLS in a face-to-face setting. The design of the course and student learning outcomes are essentially the same as they were in the mid 1980’s except that videos have replaced the slides and transparencies. In addition to the face-to-face course, the AHA began offering the ACLS course online about five years. The practical aspect of the course consisted of a computer simulation of a cardiac arrest and the online learner had to essentially manage the emergency by responding to a series of prompts in a rapid-fire manner. Not surprisingly, students complained that the complexity of the simulated assessment environment (i.e. educational technology) made it difficult for them “think” and therefore save the patient’s life. Rather quickly, the AHA realized that the design of and use of educational technology in the online ACLS Course was ineffective and transitioned it to a blended learning format in which the practical testing of the student is conducted in a face-to-face environment.

I have decided to focus my discussion on connectivism, as it is an emerging learning theory or “element” (Jim & Lisa) of a learning theory that I am just learning about. According to Strong & Hutchins, the “primacy of technological enhancement differentiates connectivism from the more dominant learning theories.” In his Jan. 2012 blog entitled, What Does Connectivism Mean for Education, Justin Marquis stated that within the framework of connectivism, “Those responsible for teaching and training need to incorporate instructional strategies that match learner expectations and the physical changes that technology has wrought on the human brain.” As such, he opined, “The application of connectivism to teaching and learning requires a thorough rethinking of the educational process and the role of the teacher, student, and technology in that process.” Jim and Lisa echoed similar sentiments about the changing roles of and relationships between the instructor, student, and content within the connectivism framework and presented a visual depiction of the relationships. Interestingly, within this framework the role of the instructor appears to be one of environmental designer. (Even more interesting though was how George Siemens has envisioned instructors as network administrators and curators).

So, as I contemplate my role as the environmental designer or curator of a nursing course, I cannot help but think that a course based entirely on the connectivism framework would be more appropriately scheduled during the last semester of a nursing program. Up until them, it is my opinion that instructivism, cognitivism, and constructivism would be the prevailing learning theories utilized as nursing students look to faculty as experts to learn from and clinical work as field experiences upon which to associate knowledge.

In considering what LMS to utilize when designing a course and how best to facilitate a course, I will keep in mind what Eric pondered in his introduction, “How do I want the student’s to experience this course?” However, as a novice who has yet to teach online, I must equally focus on the recommendations of Ko & Ross on how best to “manage” an online course room so that it neither becomes a “nightmare” for me nor my students. So…my ultimate goal is to find the balance between the pedagogical goals and the LMS.

Based on what I learned from reading Lisa’s article, I should first focus on how pedagogical goals can be achieved and then consider what technology can support this. For nursing students, a pedagogical goal in all courses is the development of critical-thinking skills. The e-portfolio platform discussed in the article by Jennifer Demski is the type of technological advancement that would allow nursing faculty to assess the development of students to think critically as they progress through the program. Another pedagogical goal in a nursing course may be to promote interdisciplinary communication skills of students as future members of the healthcare team (nurses, doctors, dieticians, respiratory therapists, etc.). Open Class, the cloud-based software developed by Pearson, would allow for the coordination of interdisciplinary projects between campuses. Such projects would serve as the foundation for communication and collaboration between the healthcare disciplines.

Open class is free, open and flexible LMS that houses google apps and wordpress. It has been adopted by Central Piedmont Community College and West Virginia University at Parkersburg.

During the fall semester, I taught a f2f Medical Terminology Course for the first time. I am teaching the same course this semester as well. On Day 1 of the course, I am prepared to answer the following FAQs:
1. Am I required to purchase the course textbook?
You must have a textbook to reference during weekly group exercises and to complete chapter exercises.
2. Are the questions on the examinations multiple- choice?
The examinations will contain fill-in-the blank, labeling, true or false, open-ended, and/or multiple-choice questions.
3. Will I be required to spell medical terms correctly on the course examinations?
Although the correct spelling of medical terms is very important, points will not be deducted for the incorrect spelling of medical terms on the weekly exams. However, .5 points will be deducted for each misspelled word on the midterm and final examinations.
4. Can I “make-up” a weekly short exam if I am absent from class.
No, you will not be able to take the 10-question exam that you missed. However, on the day of the midterm exam, and again on the day of the final exam, you can take a 10-question exam that covers the material in Chapters 2-7 and 8-13, respectively. The score that you obtain on this exam will replace the score of zero for the exam that you missed.
5. Will there be an opportunity to obtain extra-credit points?
Yes! Students may obtain a maximum of 20 extra credit points for the semester by creating two examinations with 1-10 multiple-choice questions and the correct answers. The extra credit points from Extra Credit Assignment #1 (1-10 points) will be added to the midterm examination score or weekly exams for chapters 2-7. The extra credit points from Extra Credit Assignment # 2 (1-10 points) will be added to the final examination score or weekly examinations for chapters 8-13.

Last semester, after the midterm examination, I asked the students in the course to complete a paper-copy of the following survey . Even though this survey only contained five questions, it provided me with very valuable feedback about the teaching/learning and assessment strategies that I was using. Now that the survey is in survey monkey, it will much easier for me to “tabulate and evaluate” the survey results.

This week, I experimented with the following programs for the first time: Lucidchart, Prezi, and Screencast-o-matic and used LucidChart to map the concepts associated with the medical condition, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (see below):

Concept mapping is a great way for nursing students to learn how to “connect the dots” between the pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, and treatments associated with a medical condition. I usually use a blackboard or whiteboard when I concept map with students in a f2f class. The program, Lucidchart, will help me to digitally create concept maps for online learners.

This week I used Audacity for the first time. It was easy an easy program to use for audio recording. The challenge for me was with adding the recording to the post. My reflections about Audacity are included in the following recording:

https://soundcloud.com/darlene-burke/audacity-for-pot