Reflective Blog #8 - Week 8

"Aha!" Moments

Where do I begin with the “Aha!” moments? I will start with Alan November’s article, Creating a New Culture of Teaching and Learning assigned in the first week. I actually wrote the words, “Aha! Article” on the top of the article printout. Although, Mr. November’s article mirrored some of my current beliefs such as the importance of teaching critical thinking skills and not everything on the Internet is true, I did not consider the fact that many students believe, if it is on the Internet it is true and what the impact of that assumption may mean.

November’s discussion on how to deconstruct and map relationships of Web sites was extremely enlightening. So, week five’s critical analysis activities were full of “Aha!” moments. Being informed researchers builds a foundation of informative teaching and learning. I learned something during every activity of the Mapping exercises, from examining Web site’s authors, history, purposes, to the number and types of search engines. I can say the activities for this particular week will forever change how I conduct research and how I educate future students.

Mr. November’s automating vs. informating analysis was another point of clarity in this course. Although I knew just because a course is online did not mean learning was taking place, his definition of the difference between automation and actually informing and creating learning gave a clear picture of what typically happens when the discussion of technology occurs. What should be happening is information communication and building capacities that translate to the home.

His thoughts on connecting people and building learning communities spoke to a major tenet of my educational technology philosophy and that did not change. Connecting students, particularly those without unlimited access to technology is an important part of my philosophy. Educational institutions are given a great opportunity to create information community environments that not only informs but also to build communities to connect students of all socioeconomic backgrounds.

However, through completion of this course I am able to visualize and incorporate technology in the goal of connecting students to resources in informative and impactful ways inside and outside the classroom. Being equipped with the tools to help students learn in creative, collaborative ways, and empowering them to construct and be active participants in their learning, that translates into uses in other parts of their lives, is the greatest reward of all.

I must say thank you to each of you. I learned a great deal from each of you. I must also give a great big thank you to Dr. Wickersham for a great course! This course is an example of creating the type of learning environment touted in the research. 

Hattie



Reflective Blog #7 - Week 7

In pondering the instructional design and plan for this week’s project, I focused on developing a learning environment for the employees of the hospital where I am employed. I am the Compliance/Privacy Officer and an area often misunderstood is patient privacy and security. The learning objective I chose for the technology plan was, “To provide a learning community that shares knowledge, and reinforces and/or reshapes employee decision making and actions concerning HIPAA Privacy and Security standards.” The learning objective had to incorporate a dynamic that actually provided concrete, factual information for educational purposes and to change decision-making and actions, when needed. In addition, provide employees with an opportunity to interact with each other and engage in the learning process.

Because our mandatory training modules come from the corporate office, I wanted to think of a way to introduce additional opportunities for learning with technology in which employees would actually participate. Some technology such as cell phones is prohibited in the hospital, therefore, the ability to incorporate other  forms of technology into one space and provide a place for fun interactive activities for employees led to my decision to utilize a wiki space. http://patientprivacyourresponsibility.wikispaces.com/

Although not all employees have a computer, there are kiosks in the hospital and employees could access this particular space away from the hospital. The wiki space would have a link to a decision-making survey (such as Quandry). This is particularly important because employees often do not think through their actions concerning patient privacy, particularly when it involves other employees as patients and family or friends. A product such as Quandry would allow me to reframe scenarios and questions to either reinforce correct decisions or guide employees to correct behavior. The wiki space would also have short weekly surveys, incorporate slideshows on privacy and security facts, podcasts, and provide links to government websites. There is also the possibility of incorporating instant messaging/chat feature for the space.

The learning outcomes in use of the wiki space would be to increase employee knowledge of the privacy and security standards but also provide an impetus for change in employee behavior concerning privacy and security. Employees become more cognizant of how their actions and decisions may violate the privacy and security standards and understand the ramifications of their actions. The employees would have a chance to pose questions and scenarios in the discussion area that allows them to participate in the learning community and interact with other employees. The incorporation of the decision-making survey, short weekly surveys/quizzes, and information from the discussion areas all provide a way to assess learning outcomes and areas for future education and training.

I would have to say I view my instruction in a much more interactive and dynamic fashion. I would love to incorporate many of the technologies I have learned about in this course, however, my current enthusiasm must be tempered based on what will be allowed with my employer. In spite of this, the ability to incorporate a podcast presentation and the accessibility to many open source tools will allow me to make a stronger case for change. I will also be able utilize the skills and tools I have learned in this class in any future educational instruction, training or presentations in order to engage learners. I have already set up a wiki space for a devotional prayer group with my church, shared the use of concept maps, and Jing with other friends and colleagues. This course will have a lasting impact on how I view learning.