The Journey of a Networked Nurse
Below is my brainstorm as I started to engage and use technology in education delivery and also as part my own education journey. These resources I have used both successfully and unsuccessfully on my journey to start becoming a networked teacher.
Wiki: One resource I have really found a greater appreciation for is Wikis, meaning Wikipedia, Wikicommons, Wikiversity and all the other amazing resources they create. What a collaborative effort and it really challenges the status quo on many fronts.
Blog: On the blog front, I have tried a few different resources but in the end my limited IT skills were probably the source of much frustration. ‘KISS’ approach on this one for the novice blogger and the learn as you go process, with a few temper tantrums thrown in for fun. You have to compromise on certain aspects but you can learn and develop skills as you progress. I run the most basic format (and cheapest), keep it all open access and the rest is trial and error. Just looking into copyright rules and creative commons is an experience in itself.
Social Media: For healthcare updates I have found Twitter to be amazing for the speed that discussion is generated on ‘right now’ healthcare topics. Why wait till the next conference, you can discuss and critique as the article is published. The community aspects, such as #FOANed and #FOAMed have kept me engaged and linked to an amazing resource pool. Social media allows everyone to have a voice as well so you see many differing ideas, so students to the experts can all engage in discussion- just focus on the positive aspect of having access to a global network.
YouTube: Instead of spending time creating lectures, I use the time to find quality resources that are superior in quality, finish, technology that I could ever dream of creating. Nurses are using these resources anyway (e.g. Khan Academy, Handwritten Tutorials and company e-learning packages) to learn so why not just get them accessing and engaging in resources they find interactive and engaging? The benefit of this approach is you have no connection to the resource, if a better one comes along or the old is outdated then you replace it. If you have put your own time and resources into a recorded lecture or presentation and your very proud of the work, how quickly would you replace this resource?
Resource: How to create a YouTube Playlist
Budget: The resources I have engaged have either been free or very low budget, this means I am happy to move on if they don’t work for me instead of persevering if I have invested money and time into something (is this the throw away culture?). The budget (approx €0; £0; $0) and all posts are completed in spare time around shifts. On the technology front I try to keep things simple for managing this blog, just a Twitter feed, image gallery and YouTube playlist are embedded into this blog. Any IT skills learnt have come from watching YouTube videos, Google+ and using the e-learning approach has been invaluable.
Personal Learning Networks: The most important part of this journey has been the learning community and the people I have come across and been inspired by. These educators, academics, doctors, nurses, students, IT specialists and school teachers provide me with a lens into different speciality knowledge and professional resources. They are inspiring and although I have never met most of them, they feel part of my day to day work life. This global network of resources provides ongoing resources and ongoing learning for networked learning.
Keywords: Networked teacher; personal learning network; networked learning; blog.
References
Baker-Doyle, K. J. (2011). The networked teacher: How new teachers build social networks for professional support. Teachers College Press. [blurb]
The Networked Teacher.com [and some additional resource links]
Lundin, R. W. (2008). Teaching with wikis: Toward a networked pedagogy. Computers and Composition. 25(4), 432-448.