Technology Formats

The last couple weeks have been quite a learning experience for various technological teaching methods. When we first started the lesson, I was very excited to begin exploring new teaching methods. I became engrossed with the examples. After watching a tutorial or exemplar for each technology offered, I was excited to take each one for a test drive. I began opening up each link, skimming over the sites, seeing what each had to offer. However, sometimes, once I started looking deeper, confusion might hit. The sites were not what I had envisioning as teaching formats. In my opinion, online teaching formats were ways to present lectures and slide shows. The first site I opened had nothing to do with a presentation format. The first site was for creative, short teaching moments. The site was called Infographics & Data Visualization by Visual.ly. The site assists people in creating fun and aesthetically pleasing posters to present information. I was very impressed by what I saw. These were some of the most creative, yet professional looking posters I had ever seen.  The biggest disappointment for me was the cost to be able to use the tools.

                Cost amongst most of the websites was one of my biggest disappointments. For many of the formats, I would have liked a free trial. This would have allowed me to become familiar with the program and determine whether it was an investment I was willing to make. Instead, anything with a cost associated and no free trial was immediately dismissed. Technology can be fairly expensive. As an educator, determining what presentations styles are entertaining, user friendly, and cost effective can be difficult.

                The one presentation I found that fit these three criteria was the Screencast-O-Matic. This was the technology I chose to use for my first presentation. At first, I was trying to complete the presentation using only the free trial. However, after further investigation, I found the subscription was affordable, considering how many more editing options were included. I enjoyed working with this format. However, I quickly concluded a simple PowerPoint may be just as effective at times. If the teaching material being presented is a “how-to” type of presentation, this format is perfect because of the ability to utilize video, audio, draw, and real-time screens.

My findings while browsing the web

This week has been interesting. I have always considered myself competent and fairly savvy in computers and the world-wide web. This week proved me wrong. The websites and articles available to enhance nursing education are incredible. People have often told me of the technology, but I had never seen much information or research about it. Throughout the past week, I have found myself being creative with search phrases and utilizing one site to link to another. If the site holds my attention and interest, I am willing to spend time reading and creating test tools.

Surprisingly, one of the sites that caught my eye and attention was via a site I visit frequently: Pinterest. I have found myself wondering why I never thought to search this social media site for interesting technology being used for and by nursing students. Utilizing this site in this way makes sense. Many students already hold an account; a separate account is not needed. By creating a page, students from all over the United States and the world can share sites, apps, and ideas being utilized to enhance their education. Some of the sites and apps seem less credible; however, several seemed to be economical and reliable.

Yet, while finding all these fun sites and apps, I came across a program I thought would be helpful, especially in group work. Disappointment struck when it proved otherwise. Group work can be tedious and difficult to share work. This site promised to ease these situations. The site is called Evernote. I spent a fair amount of time attempting to find the ways it promised to make group work and note taking easier. So far, I am not grasping their ideas. To me, this site is another form of Microsoft Word. Documents are typed. Media, such as audio, photography, or other visuals can be incorporated into the document. However, in order to share this information with others, the document had to be saved and emailed. When I first began, I was hoping it would act more as an open forum where anyone in the group could log in to the site, make changes to any document, and save so the rest of the group could further critique and change leaving only one document instead of several copies.

 I soon learned that I must be cautious when trying new products and tools. The creators of these sites want others to use their product, just like any business. Teachers and students must learn how to become savvy and knowledgeable shoppers. This skill comes with practice and research. When I first began looking at the Evernote application, I did not read any consumer or expert reviews. If I had, I might have saved myself from spending the time exploring only to be let down. This is becoming a key process in today’s education. So many resources are available in various forms that students must learn how to differentiate the reliable from fiction.