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!

Klout, Klouchebag & Sponsored Tweets

I feel soooo old and out of touch!  How had I never heard the word Klout before this semester...?  How on earth did I exist, survive, thrive even, with no Klout?  I always thought I wanted clout, heck maybe even lots of clout.  Sigh... never knew I was supposed to hunt Klout instead.



Well, doing a project in my analytics class led to a more in-depth introduction to Klout.  My group actually used a case study focusing on the use of social media analytics, which is really interesting.  As much as I would rather just share the xtranormal video with you, this one seems a bit more thorough!  What's your score?  I'm going to assume I don't have one, since (I think) I managed to keep my Twitter account private.

Community Facilitation

In order to find some additional information on our discussion topics this week, I searched a bit and found this terrific ScoopIt! called online community facilitation.  Some of the articles are really interesting; I especially benefitted from the 'using data to prevent rules violations' and 'choosing an online collaboration tool' sections.

Bugs are Bugs...?!

I've been thinking about infectious, zoonotic, and vector-borne diseases recently... and about what examples of eye-catching media I might share with students in the future.  I remembered seeing this video a while ago, but of course it took me a while to track it back down.  Be warned, this video is gross- but fun!  I certainly don't envision students creating something exactly along these lines, but it should at least serve to get them thinking outside the box and maybe even considering this sort of project enjoyable (oh, the horror...!).

Thank Goodness for Tutorials!

Wow, I am now crazy excited for Popcorn Maker!  I have had a hard time figuring out this week's technologies... why on earth I didn't search for tutorials earlier, I have no idea!  At any rate, this video offers a great walk-through of creating mashups at Popcorn Maker; I did find a few quicker versions or more succinct 'tips and tricks', but I needed something a bit more step-by-step.  Hope it helps if you were looking for any review of this technology- it sure helped me get it!

Assessment of Students in Web 2.0 Authorship

As we discussed assessment this week, I decided to hunt some resources that might help me better design and implement assessments in the future.  There are SO many interesting articles, reviews, and even companies focused on student assessment in an online environment; it's almost overwhelming...  One journal article that I found very interesting recognizes student use of web-based authorship tools and forms, and discusses the challenges that educators now face in academic assessment of these student efforts.  
 

http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet26/gray.pdf

Pipes

I have had a challenging time figuring out the Yahoo Pipes technology this week... I can't seem to get the search function on the website to work; has anyone else had this experience?  I'm not finding pipes that are functioning in ways that would be professionally useful to me, so I've been a bit frustrated.  I did find one super neat pipe for movie trailers (I am a HUGE sucker for movie trailers... although sometimes they contain all the good parts of a movie, don't they?!):

http://pipes.yahoo.com/pipes/pipe.info?_id=9KUs2CRI3hGF2JCZ3rVd_w

I think it will be interesting to read others' experience with Pipes and see if anyone has better luck than I have had...!

Collaboration Tools

This is sort of carry-over from the discussion boards... about various collaboration tools and ways that groups might most effectively be able to work together online.  I like the Blackboard tools just fine; I've never had any trouble with them.  I don't love google docs; I find that the lack of formatting and editing abilities within the document just lead to more work.  And have you ever gone in to see that somebody took apart everything you did yesterday...?!  That can get sensitive quickly...

Recently I have started using a very simple screen sharing tool for a few projects:  https://www.join.me/

This tool allows primarily for screen sharing and audio or text-based conferencing.  What I like about it is the simplicity.  Users only have to go to the website and enter the nine-digit code that the meeting originator provides them.  No software installation is necessary.  Then the meeting originator shares their screen, and participants join via phone over internet or text in an on-screen window.  Since I am sharing my screen, I can pull up documents, ask questions of the people that need to contribute to that document, and make changes immediately.  It seems as though not being able to share controls could be a drawback, but sometimes I find too many cooks in the kitchen slow things down.  Everybody can see the document and offer feedback while the person who is screen sharing makes the changes.  Less painful (in my opinion) than learning Monday morning that the lone missing group member finally showed up Sunday night and rearranged everything in the google doc... yikes!

Technology in The Classroom - Infuse Learning & Edmodo

In search of some additional examples of the use of Edmodo in education, I tried searching videos for a change!  Found loads, of course, but this one was really good:

Technology in The Classroom - Infuse Learning & Edmodo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lz0hNJjFy-M

This video allowed me to better visualize Infuse Learning as it is implemented in a classroom to benefit both the instructor and the students.  I really like all of the screen detail that they worked into the video; it seems as though this system would be very simple to use.  It does focus on elementary students, but I certainly think college students would be willing to make use of it.  The video also mentions Edmodo, and the user contributions that can be shared among the class; I like the social media aspect of that site and I think it would keep increased numbers of students engaged.

Growing Up Puppy - Scout's Journey

Over at the discussion boards, I mentioned service learning projects that I use in conjunction with some of my courses.  One is Small Animal Breeds & Behavior, where students learn to identify common companion animal breeds, and study behavior development and problems.  This video is from Southeastern Guide Dogs, one community organization where students might choose to do service hours.  Would you believe that your volunteer work can be as easy as puppy hugging?!  Or dog walking?  Because these dogs are born with a purpose, they must go through critical development periods in very specific ways, so puppy hugging comes with rules about letting puppies play tug of war or growl at each other or play bite.  Dog walking comes with rules too!  Walkers aren't allowed to correct or offer commands to the dogs; this might interfere with their real training, so you get quite a workout walking the pups...



I chose this video to share because it shows some of the techniques that look plain enough on the outside (puppies on non-level surfaces, novel textures and colors, puppies going everywhere with the puppy raiser, etc.), but that veterinary technology students are learning the meaning behind.  Everything is done with the intent to produce a perfect service dog in the end! 

Losing Library Jobs?!

Today I found the article linked below about the reinvention of libraries, and specifically how competitors occupy niches in the 'reading ecosystem'.  The article's main thrust is the competition that start-ups bring to libraries, and how traditional systems should be learning from and networking with these new organizations in an effort to remain relevant. 

http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/09/future-of-libraries/start-ups-take-library-jobs-reinventing-libraries/#_

I think the article is interesting for a couple of reasons; one, it's neat to find additional tools and resources to investigate, and two, we look at these resources and see so much more than a library.  At least, we purport to, right?  None of us ever show off our pages, boards, stories, or postings and say 'look how great this is, it's just like a library!'... interesting.  All of a sudden I find myself wondering what I am missing at the brick and mortar library.

Mixing Modalities?

As I tried to find ways to utilize Flickr for educational purposes, I came across this SlideShare:

http://www.slideshare.net/shaunna/educational-uses-of-flickr

How interesting, using a tool we looked at recently to figure out a tool we are now looking at!

This slideshow helped me quite a bit; I had not thought of a 'virtual field trip' or using flickr for research, but the examples here are really neat!

Analytics

In the 'overlap' theme that Dr. Dennen touched on in her blog last week... I am doing both the Web 2.0 and the Analytics course this summer too!  This week, since I found some challenge in locating education or discipline specific resources in our new technologies, I decided to look for analytics instead!  I found this interesting article linking analytics with online course discussion facilitation and intervention:
http://www.sfu.ca/~afw3/research/e-listening/resources/WiseEtAl-LAK2013-OnlineDiscussionAnalytics.pdf

One of the biggest things that I look to immediately take out of these courses is an ability to better encourage or develop the involvement of my students in online classes.  I love that this article uses analytics to help me see what techniques might do that in the format that I will be using (come fall, I will teach some Bb online only sections, instead of hybrids, yikes!).  We have explored more fancy and technical tools, certainly... but as I figure out which of those I will develop some comfort level with, I like the thought of improving my utilization of the tools already in place!

Learning Spaces

While again exploring Scoop.it!, I came across the following article (scoop? story? sheesh…) under ‘Using Technology to Transform Learning’:

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Education/Tricia-Kellehers-Blog/Digital-learning-transforming-the-relationship-between-the-learner-and-their-learning-spaces-20140610162045.htm 

I found this article very interesting because it strikes me as a way or at least a documentation of changes that we might see in traditional face-to-face classrooms secondary to the addition of technologic support or tools.  Many times we relegate classes to strictly ‘F2F’ or ‘online’, but in fact students are going to be most successful if the learning environment conforms to them whenever possible.  So I think that being an IDer or instructor who can help create a flexible learning environment that can work face-to-face or from a distance could greatly assist my future endeavors.  

Tried and True Resources with New Perspective

As we discussed mashups this week, I thought of the Global Alliance for Rabies Control website that is updated annually for World Rabies Day. It's interesting to me to look back at resources that I have previously utilized and see them in a new light; in this case I am realizing just how flexible and beneficial this site is, in part due to how much of a mashup it is!  This resource provides such a great variety of educational tools for individuals, practices, and instructors that I typically have veterinary technology students and clubs review the information and share their favorite findings with other classes. Below is one of my favorite videos to catch the interest of students; it is disturbing and intriguing but certainly gets them talking about the topic!  Please be warned, it is graphic, depicting the normal progression of rabies in a human patient.








Another very interesting site for rabies education is the CDC's official rabies webpage:



http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/index.html


In addition to offering numerous types of resources (scientific journal articles, national data factsheets, worldwide data, disease incidence, transmission, prevention, etc.), this site keeps an up-to-date prophylaxis recommendation for human immunization and a current list of products available for these protocols:

Storify Usage

As I explored Storify this week, I had a hard time seeing just how it might be supportive in an educational setting.  So I tried looking for examples of its usage or implementation, not strictly in a higher education setting, but in any learning effort.  One resource I located was interesting because it touched upon Storify's ability to help encourage students to critically evaluate the sources they choose to use.  This could be for two reasons; their work will be viewed by others instead of only the instructor, and most students are encouraged to investigate the validity of online resources.
http://www.kyledavidgroup.com/storify-and-higher-education/

The next resource I found very helpful is a blog post from an 'Irish feminist researcher in transatlantic dialogue with the Americas'!  This entry is very helpful because it provides examples of Storify work and exactly what she used it for with regards to educational settings. She also references other tools that we have discussed this semester, including the Storfication of tweets and the differences between Storify and Pinterest.
http://americasstudies.com/index.php/storify-research/

LinkedIn for Education

I was not previously familiar with LinkedIn as an educational tool, but I found some beneficial spots there while we explored it this week!  Perhaps more helpful to my students than to me, but at any rate… I can certainly use it for them.

I pretty easily found the education channel and many resources for college students, and found a really neat article written by the President of Sarah Lawrence College.  It focuses on the College’s identification of six abilities that students should develop in order to become leaders in today’s marketplace.  An assessment platform has also been developed in order for the College and faculty to track student progress as it relates to student achievement of the abilities.  I found this interesting because I teach a class in professional development and ethics, and a number of the critical abilities mentioned would be relevant topics to discuss in that course. 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesleadershipforum/2014/06/05/the-six-critical-abilities-students-need-for-success-after-college/

The Smoothest Swimming Technique In The World? Jono Van Hazel

One of my observation communities has had very interesting things to learn this week!  They tend to share and discuss technical guides to specific training methods and regimens; this week I found great swimming information.  Many times the conversation starts with an article or video from a triathlon magazine or a particular trainer; as more people contribute, other books or resources will be brought in as well. 



A recent discussion started with an article from triathlete magazine about swim cadence:

http://triathlete-europe.competitor.com/2014/06/05/improve-your-swim-cadence#vhJAgi5Gkx0AJUp9.01



Quickly, participants in the discussion brought their own Garmin data, book references, the YouTube video above, training techniques, training equipment reviews, and more!  Below is a graph from one book reference that a community member shared.  Bottom line, I need to go swim... :)  Did you see that guy's head in the video?  It never moves!!  Smoooooth.

Slideshare Exploration...

I tried to locate some appropriate resources or documents on slideshare, but my luck has not been too good as yet.  I have a hard time finding slideshares that are from reputable sources and containing really great information.  It seems difficult to figure out who posted things… I always want to know where things come from! 

I found an interesting overview of the history of veterinary technology, but the information stopped at about 2003, and the photos included in the slideshow were of very poor quality.  So it seemed to have accurate details, just not enough of them, and not a real eye-catching presentation. 

http://www.slideshare.net/windleh/history-of-veterinary-technicians

Then I found a slideshow about salaries in veterinary technology… this one is awful.  Grammar, terminology, and information on the slides are simply incorrect.  And it seems to be just pushing viewers to a website to read about veterinary technician salaries, but since it couldn’t properly describe the veterinary technician… I am a bit suspicious! 

http://www.slideshare.net/VeterinaryTechx/veterinary-tech-salary

But then I found this one… working dogs have long been a special interest of mine, so of course I had to look this one over!  In practice I volunteered with educational programs to help human partners of working K9s learn how to administer first aid and stabilize to their dogs following injury.  Currently, I have students participate in service learning projects where they volunteer with service animals (therapy/ PTSD/ assistance).  In recent years, the veterinary emergency and critical care discipline has learned a plethora of information from veterinarians who work in the various ongoing theatres throughout the Middle East.  The particular areas of trauma and first response in veterinary medicine have grown by leaps and bounds over the past five years.  I dare you to try and make it all the way through without a tear J

http://www.slideshare.net/maditabalnco/afghanistan-dogs-of-war

 

 

This is a test... (or, it will be!)

I just found something new... and I'm trying it on my blog!

A friend called last night to tell me that she's in the hospital getting worked up for potential meningitis (yikes!).  Today the update was that while CSF cultures are pending, they are running tests for Lyme disease because they symptoms match and working in veterinary medicine presents a potential for exposure.  Now, I teach clinical pathology and am familiar with Lyme disease in pets, prevention, yada yada... but I've never dealt with it in a human!  So I ran off to the CDC and started reading about Lyme in humans to see if there might be any differences :)  Bottom line, if it's caught early she should recover with no troubles (if it even comes back as Lyme- we really don't know for sure yet).

So at the CDC Lyme page, I spotted this:

 

Of course, I have no idea what to do with it... but I'm going to try and put it on my blog page!  In the meantime, for your learning pleasure, here's a super fun Lyme disease quiz:
http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/quiz/q1/index.html

Confessions of a RICE Queen

My name is Carrie, and I love to ice!  You know you’ve heard it before; RICE for injury- rest, ice, compression, elevation.  I love them all; who doesn’t want a reason to rest, ice feels great on sore spots (or hey, at least makes them numb), compression really speeds recovery, and elevation just makes you look like a serious athlete, right?  Knees are my weakness… the more I run, the more ice they enjoy! 

But wait, there’s a new kid in town, and his name is METH (I swear, I’m not kidding).  Today in one of my online communities, we are discussing this article about a new set of recommendations:

http://www.thestar.com/sports/2014/05/26/more_trainers_rejecting_rice_treatment_for_minor_sport_injuries.html

Will it change my habits?  I’m not sure yet; the evidence is interesting but the article is far from comprehensive.  I like the idea of active recovery but using heat just screams inflammation to me!  Not to mention it speeds transmission of pain… while ice slows it.  Dangit, I am so resistant to change!

Observations 1

I am having great fun observing my communities!  A few days ago, I spotted some links from one of them; one link was to a runner academy interview with a pretty famous endurance coach, and the other was to a live webinars (or podcasts if you couldn’t make the live versions) being held about finding a quiet mind during a race, visualizing victory (I never bother with that, ha! I am a back-of-the-pack girl), and speed play!  At any rate, I look forward to continuing this project, and participating in the community eventually.  In the meantime, a quick ‘you know you’re running in Florida when…’ moment:

Communities

The community observation paper assignment appeared very straightforward upon first reading… and then I tried to locate my communities, ha!  The only social media sites I have previously used are facebook and a perfume enthusiast’s discussion board (no, I am not kidding; I am really really into perfume).  These two don’t have much to do with each other, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t find something new, since I needed new communities anyway!  I got a bit caught up in trying to find a social media based community that revolved around my profession, or the profession that I teach.  But really, all I could find were organizations, and these are groups that I already participate in.  So I went with a hobby that I have; triathlon.  My husband and I both compete very casually in the sport of triathlon.  I’ve only done it since 2012, so I am still quite the beginner… and I am crazy happy if I somehow manage to beat one or two people at the back of the pack!  But I’m in it for the experience, so I am happy just to finish (for now anyway).  My blog wallpaper is a photo of the type of triathlon bike that I own; meet the Specialized Transition Apex- she is a beauty!  At any rate, I have not participated in communities related to triathlon before, so that’s what I hunted next.  I found a local group of triathletes that is on facebook, and a discussion board arm of the perfume-aholic website that is the fit board.  Since I have used both sites previously, the learning curve shouldn’t be too dramatic.  But each distinct community within the social media site is novel to me, so I look forward to seeing what I find!

Sign of (me being behind...) the Times

This week’s topics and references have really made me feel behind the times… I’ve been online and a distance learner for a long time, and I guess I have fallen into the trap of thinking that this status means I am making use of web 2.0 and I am sort of ‘with it’ when it comes to technology in education.  I’m not.  This class is apparently right where I need to be, because I don’t have a handle on how some of these basic web tools can allow me to better facilitate learning experiences!  I am excited to learn about twitter and feed readers because I see an opportunity to customize my own experience while expanding my resources in education.  I won’t pretend as though I don’t feel a bit overwhelmed, because I do.  Every time I start searching for resources online, I get distracted by this cool thing, and that neat page, what's this article, I should read this, but I'll need to follow this link to read the original... you know what I mean.  But the idea of bringing my favorite resources, blogs, and social media to one spot with a feed reader seems like a great time and effort savings!  Even if it makes me feel ten years behind the curve…

Exploring

Today I began exploring Twitter… which is very new to me, I’ve never used or followed or paid much attention to it.  So before heading straight there, I thought I should do some research online in an effort to see what educators might already use twitter for, or what they see it doing for learners in general.  I stumbled upon a few different sites and articles, but I really didn’t know too much about what sorts of credibility these resources hold?  For instance, here’s one:

http://www.edudemic.com/twitter-in-education/

It’s an article about the use of twitter in education obviously, and the author overviews some history of communication prior to discussing the use of twitter to encourage student participation, overcome shyness in the classroom, and steps to using twitter.  But where did this come from?  Who is Edudemic and why do I want to listen to what they have to say about the use of twitter in education?  As I explored the ‘about’ page, I learned that this is an education technology website attempting to connect teachers and administrators with the best technological tools.  But it seems as though users and members are the contributing authors… which I suppose is fine.  I think.  Maybe?  The content seems to be current, the topics relevant.  But is this a blog?  Dare I say ‘just’ a blog?  Does that matter?!  And yes, I know how much this runs smack into topics found in the Bruns reading… another post for another moment.

At any rate, I have veered off on a tangent!  One issue is my orientation to twitter; I’ll get to work on that J  The other issue is; as I look for resources to assist me in getting comfortable with twitter, is this the type of resource I want to use?  I readily admit to obsessively checking my premises… I never want to get caught building tools, habits, arguments, or reasoning on faulty premises.  So I try to make sure that I am getting information from valid and reliable sources.  I am having fun exploring, but if anyone is willing to make recommendations, please feel free!

Web 2.0

Blog note: the post timing function seems to be off… I will try to fix it, but posts have been time stamped three hours earlier than my current time zone, even though the date stamp is correct.

I have to say… web 2.0 has been instrumental in my education.  For five years, I have been a distance learner in various situations; with a college, in a university program, and even as a professional completing continuing education credits.  In fact, the only reason I am still able to be a Seminole is thanks to online learning!  As I decided to return to college, leaving central Florida was not something I wanted to do.  Giving up my career was not very tempting either; I had to decide whether I could be successful at doing and getting what was necessary through a distance learning program.  I have done so, and I have never felt as though my education is compromised or lacking in any way due to it being online.  I am consistently amazed at people who assert ‘this lab could never be online’ or ‘my course doesn’t lend itself to distance learning’.  Because I have done it; lab classes, anatomy classes, clinical experience coordination, you name it and I have done it successfully within an online course.

I have participated in classes from too many airports to count, cruise ships hopping around the Caribbean, a dockside coffee shop in Alaska, and after climbing out of the catacombs in Paris.  Let’s face it, distance learners are spoiled!  There is simply nothing in the way of learners’ ability to go after education; as long as we have the initiative, the mechanisms are out there.  Making use of web 2.0 has consistently been a huge part of my education, and I hope to learn techniques this semester that will improve my implementation of it in an effort to improve the experiences of my own students. 

Social Media Building Blocks

I found this week’s Kietzmann article about the building blocks of social media very interesting!  Never before have I found myself noting the individual facets of the social media users’ experience, or the focus on different facets that varying social media outlets place.  The article does a great job of demonstrating this and outlining how firms might maximize their social media functionality.  I’ll admit though, that I am having a hard time relating this back to education as yet… (although I suppose that’s why we are in this class, yes?!).  I can see how differing social media outlets are engaging users, creating relationships among them, and allowing them to contribute or adjust content.  I can see how and why firms might want to take advantage of social media and the diverse ways that platforms may impact users. 

Maybe if we simply lift this honeycomb framework from the context of social media and applied it to a learning community, it would make more sense to me?  Facilitating the building blocks found in this article could result in a more flexible learning environment and experience for students or trainees that we are attempting to engage.  The functionality among the blocks seems to be successful in a number of social media platforms, so why wouldn’t it work in a learning setting?  The focus can vary, as demonstrated by Kietzmann; perhaps some courses or training modules focus on learner identity, some on sharing, some on presence.  The bottom line is that consumers are utilizing these platforms, so they do potentially bring a proven track record to the field of learning and performance!

First Post...

This blog will be used as my electronic journal for EME6414 throughout Summer 2014.  I will journal my reflections on the course material, note and provide commentary on resources that I have found online, and document experiences related to the class. 

I have never created or utilized a blog before... so this could be awkward, informative, reflective, boring, or all of the above!  I am excited to use this type of tool though, while journaling my own experiences and reading what my classmates post.

And my first reflection is in fact not a weekly topic reflection... it's about this Blogger template.  The title of it is 'picture window', and yet the unfocused photo seems to me to be of a highway.  I find this a bit odd; shouldn't a picture window be looking out upon a beautiful canyon or breathtaking waterfall?  Not traffic.  At any rate, soon I hope to learn this blogging thing well enough to find a way to replace the photo with some fantastic and meaningful picture that I took myself!