It's the end of the summer as we know it...!

Ok, this video is presented for no academic or educational reason whatsoever!  It simply serves to make me giggle, lower my blood pressure, and remind me that animals love unconditionally- no matter what goofy position or outfit I might be in :)  Whew, that's actually a lot of reasons, huh?!  Just not official and school related, I suppose.



We have certainly stepped outside our comfort zone this semester, haven't we?  And as my Yin Yoga teacher often likes to ask the class, 'what would happen if...?'  As in what would happen if you just kept on running?  Or what would happen if you did hold plank for three minutes?  And my favorite, what if you just sat still for a few more minutes, no matter the discomfort (after all, the longer you stay in position, the more your fascia changes...)?  Doing those things isn't always comfy, or easy, but we can usually do them and come out better on the other side.  Just like you and I have this semester!



What would happen if I blogged?  Oh the horror!  Well, I'm a blogger now :)  Will it continue, will I ever keep it up or use for anything again?  Who knows?  But I know I can.  What would happen if I built a wikispace classroom?  Well, I would have a classroom I didn't have yesterday!  And now I know I can.  What would happen if I Scooped.it!?  Ok, that one doesn't work so well...



At any rate, I have had a blast this summer, and I have learned some really terrific techniques and tools for my immediate use in teaching.  I'm looking forward to the fall term, after a tiny little break, of course.  On a very. big. ocean...  Good luck EME6414, and enjoy your break!

Tools by a different name...?

The number of tools that we have explored this term is huge... and needless to say, I find myself comfy with and returning to only about a half dozen of them.  I find myself feeling guilty about that occasionally, but really when I think about it; that's still a half dozen more tools than I had ever played with before, right?! 

I was doing a bit more experimenting with Scoop.it and found this veterinary news page:

 


I haven't quite figured out the connection yet, but the icon is for VetStreet, a pretty popular resource for CVTs and DVMs in practice, so this might be a good resource for me in the future.  The Scoop.it page pulls from all over the internet of course, and I see a number of sources on here that I have used previously.

This page even has a scoop that touches on a topic I deal with very regularly; a lack of public familiarity with what the veterinary technician is, what they do in practices, and how they might be a great resource for pet owners.  Every year during National Veterinary Technician Week, we try to do outreach efforts to help acquaint the public, but it's a topic that keeps coming up.

I took the hint and kept digging at VetStreet, and found that they have a page on their home website very similar to scoop.it!  It's called Pet Scoop... imagine that!  Here are the scoop home and search pages:

Very interesting, yes?!  They compile stories from all over the web that are vet-centric and post links, photos, and summaries.  Looks like they might have been inspired by Scoop.it!  Neat application of the idea to a dedicated website.

 

Therapy Dogs

As I began updating some resources that I typically share with students during the fall term, I came across new material on one topic, and I found it at an outlet that we have worked with this semester! 

This Edmodo blog page is about a therapy dog involved in classroom (K-12) applications, and a dog program that grew out of the teacher's introduction to therapy dogs. 

During the fall term I teach a course in small animal breeds and behavior, in which students complete a service learning project.  One option within this project is volunteer work in a setting that utilizes service dogs being trained for work to facilitate a reading program for high-risk youth.  The dogs spend their youth and training in a school for delinquent or at-risk youth, and in turn the youth practice reading by reading to the dogs!  They gain confidence and a voice while the dogs practice the focus and patience they will need in the future. 

Just another example of how the new tools that I am familiar with thanks to this class can serve me in the future!  I don't know that I would have paid much attention to Edmodo or blogs in the past, but now I have a much better grasp of the literal tools they can be for me and ideas that I might find from others' use of them.   

Sh*t Triathletes Say

Most of my work goes toward learning or communities related to veterinary technology or triathlon, as you may have noted during this blog!  As I hunted some resources and tools to include in my performance support and PLN assignments, I found this terrible (yes, terrific) video teasing triathletes.  They really are this obnoxious sometimes... but it's all in good fun.  Maybe it's just performance support via reverse psychology?  Teaching athletes what not to say?!  That's what I'm telling myself anyway.

Social Justice via Social Media

One of the discussion topics this week prompted me to go hunt some impactful instances of social justice enabled by social media... this video presents what seems like a fairly tame example; getting the lights fixed in a community.  However, the social media efforts were able to demonstrate just what a safety hazard and activity restriction the lack of lights brought to the community.  Eventually, the social media movement resulted in a march through the streets and repair of the lights. 



I'm glad to have found this positive outcome from a social media campaign for justice.  I get very cynical when below is most people's idea of activism (some people, all day everyday on Facebook and Twitter...).  I don't even know precisely what this 'knowledge movement' thinks they know... or is trying to impact...?  People photographed lying in their garbage?  Nope, not even going there...  I think the messages get a bit watered down when I know that I'm going to avoid the majority of these posts! 

 

 

World Vets - Nicaragua

I wanted to take a moment to share a video about an international effort that I have had students and graduates participate in; World Vets.  A student actually introduced me to it, while she was in our veterinary technology program.  After she graduated and became a professional veterinary technician with a large specialty hospital in the area, she worried that she might not ever have the opportunity to work with this organization.  I coached her a little on how to approach management and try to sell the idea of a six week sabbatical from a vet hospital... and now, four years later, she has been on two or three trips with the group; she's been around the world!  And she is happy to come back and talk to my classes about the work that they do and the experiences she has had.



This week made me think about World Vets because the international veterinary community is immensely diverse.  In many countries animals are not companions, they are or represent the family's income, wealth, and ability to work.  I should do a better job of exposing veterinary technology students to international issues, and now I'm thinking of ways that might be possible.  I suppose better coordination with grads or the group itself might open up the potential for communication between students and the volunteers, perhaps even real-time feedback.  Or I could find a way to integrate an international perspective in our classes prior to campus sponsored events that students already participate in (International Education Day, campus focus projects on particular countries).  At any rate, this week's discussions prompt me to do a bit of brainstorming!

Edmodo on Scoop.it!

Again I find myself using one tool to learn another...!  I suppose that's a great lesson though, right?  If I want to be able to create tools on social media that learners can actually make use of, I need to pay attention to the tools that I use the most, or learn the most from!

I'm trying to further my investigation and potential usage of Edmodo; I found this great Scoop.it! page that helped me learn a few more tricks :)  Maybe it will be of use to you as well!