eTools for Nursing Schools

1. eTools for Nursing Schools Presented by Edvance360 LMS-SN

2. eTools for Nursing Schools • Fact: Online learning is here to stay. Most schools are experiencing stagnant or loss in traditional enrollments and a 6-21% increase in online enrollments.http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2011/11/11/study-online-education-continues-growth • Fact: Nursing education cannot be taught completely online. • Problem: How do nursing schools balance the needs of today’s students with rigorous curriculum that includes intense hands-on exercises?

3. eTools for Nursing Schools • Answer: Hybridize. For the purposes of today’s webinar, hybridized courses are defined as courses for which 10-80% of the course material is provided to the student via online tools. Hybrid Courses: • Provide the convenience students are looking for. • Provide additional tools and material to facilitate the many learning styles of students, thus increasing the quality of their learning experience and engaging students. • Take a load off the teachers!

4. Now, let’s look at some of the tools and their benefits…

5. ePortfolios Blogs PowerPoints Videos Lectures Collaborative Context Field of Interest WIKIs Discussion Forums File sharing

6. Web 2.0 Web 2.0 or “read/write web” developed from a recognition of how technical developments and significant changes in internet usage have altered how we interact with information and with each other in the electronic world. From it we can see a new focus on innovation, creation, and collaboration.It emphasizes: Shared knowledge over static information delivery Knowledge management over content management Social interaction over isolated “surfing”.

7. CMS/LMS/LMS-SN/NLE Course Management Systems (CMS) are generally used in very limited ways by both faculty and students. According to a recent Educause Center for Applied Research study, the vast majority of students who use course-management systems do so simply to gain access to course materials and their grades. Learner Management Systems (LMS) are built around the individual learner, rather than the course. An LMS-SN or NLE incorporates all the academic features of an LMS with the Web 2.0 features of a social network. This catapults learning from the confines of the classroom (virtual or residential) to encourage more action and participation.

8. Social Networks • Social networks are defined as connections or relations between people engaged in different kinds of communication. Communication can be one-way as well as two-way and synchronous as well as asynchronous. There are at least three types of networks: • Networks between people working collaboratively • Networks between people sharing a context • Networks between people sharing a field of interest

9. Social Networks Social-networking tools can help students become more engaged in their academics by keeping it on the forefront of their daily lives. Studies show that the more engaged students are in relationships with faculty and students, the more likely they are to learn. Students are going to be interacting through technology, so why not integrate this kind of technology into your classes? Social-networking tools are excellent tools to enable students to chat about what they’ve learned in classes and communicate with their professors, define what they are learning in a wiki, blog about their experiences, share information, and collaborate. Social Networking technology provides an environment that students are already familiar with, so using it to better connect Edvance360 users in their interactive, multi- tasking, apps-ready world is a great way to increase learning.

10. “Social Networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook have shown, among other things, that students will invest time and energy in building relationships around shared interests and knowledge communities.” - Edward J. Maloney, What Web 2.0 Can Teach Us About Learning

11. Social Bookmarking Social bookmarking tools can also support communities. The principle behind social bookmarking is to bookmark your web pages on the web, instead of in your browser. When you bookmark a web page, you tag the page with different keywords of your own choice. These bookmarks can be viewed and shared by other people. You can use social bookmarking to provide web pages with pertinent links and resources to students as well as enable students to provide additional resources to their fellow classmates.

12. Blog A blog is a log file with dated entries listed on a web page in chronological order. Maintaining a blog requires continuously writing new entries which can be categorized under different headlines. In itself, a blog is not a social or collaborative tool. However, when linked to other blogs, it becomes a social environment or community and networks are formed. You can use blogs to engage students in dialogue, ask for feedback, solve problems, share advice, and chronicle life from your/their perspective.

13. Discussion forums Discussion Forums are web applications for holding discussions and posting user generated content. Internet forums are also commonly referred to as web forums, message boards, discussion boards, (electronic) discussion groups, discussion forums, bulletin boards, or simply forums. Messages within these forums are then displayed either in chronological order or as threaded discussions or both. You can use forums to engage students in dialogue, ask for feedback, solve problems, debate topics, and share advice within a course or a community.

14. RSS Feeds It is possible to subscribe to blogs (as well as other news content such as newspapers, magazines, etc.). Using RSS feeds enables users to be notified whenever a new entry has been written on a blog or an article of interest has been published. This enables connections between bloggers and their readers. You can use RSS feeds in classes by asking students to subscribe to your class blog and other news feeds applicable to class content.This encourages class discussion.

15. Communities Communities are groups of people collaborating or communicating for any reason. Communities can be based on themes, personal interests, hobbies, etc. They can also be academically based (i.e. when a teacher divides the class into groups of 3 to work on a class project, a community is born). Communities can be public (open to the whole school) or private (only open to specific people within the school). You can use communities to solve problems, dialogue, gather feedback, maintain relationships after courses have ended, and more.

16. WIKIs Wikis provide a collaborative area for instructors to post vocabulary that students are learning within a course. The students can then define the vocabulary (called wiki entries). This method gets students to define for themselves what they are learning, read what other students have posted, make changes, and generally come to a class consensus on what is being learned. You can use wikis to also get feedback from students. If they are defining a wiki entry incorrectly or there seems to be some confusion, that’s your cue!

17. File Sharing Enabling students to share files within a course and review their peers’ work is an incredible way to foster collaborative learning. Many LMS systems provide a secure place for this to happen. Students can also share personal files and photos, much like they would on Facebook or MySpace. This allows relationships to build. Your LMS should provide an area for both uses.

18. ePortfolios A portfolio is simply a collection of a student’s work that shows progress towards, and the achievement of, specific learning objectives. Portfolios have been used in the learning field for years to build students’ repertoires and track their learning progress. Students can produce their work in any number of file types (e.g. videos, PowerPoints, etc.) and link them with other work, comments from instructors, class projects, etc. In Edvance360 LMS, this can be easily accessible through ePortfolios.

19. ePortfolios Also, over the years, there has been a shift from a “final product” to a focus on the thinking and planning process that causes the final product. Since today’s learning environment constitutes students learning through relationships, documenting interactions from e-mail, blogs, wikis, chats, etc. can be used as evidence of their learning. ePortfolios are exceptional tools that allow unlimited possibilities to have a conglomeration of work that is easy to access.

20. Instant Messaging Some professors are beginning to use instant messaging within the classroom setting. (Why not? Your students are!) A teacher’s assistant can be assigned to pop an IM to a student in class who looks confused or seems to be having trouble. During study times, this is a great way to connect with students to offer one-on-one advice and help. Most IM software systems are free and even come with computers.The trick will be to have a list of each student’s “handle” – which is their IM contact information.

21. Texting Administrators at schools are using this means of communication to alert students of emergencies and other necessary alerts. Instructors can use texting to remind students of dates and deadlines, offer daily advice, etc. This is only just now being used in an academic setting. Most phone companies are beginning to offer unlimited texting. Go ahead! Blow your student’s minds!

22. Video Videos can be used to pack an exclamation into any presentation – live or online. Contrary to popular belief, they do not have to be created and you do not have to have an editing team to support you. Try youtube.comor Google’s sources for free videos. Use them as catapults for class discussion and on discussion forums to support concepts or points. Or, provide students the opportunity to turn in a video rather than a paper. You might be surprised at what students turn in! To link to a video, simply copy and paste the URL of the video location into an object in PowerPoint. Or, download the entire video to your computer, then upload it to the school’s LMS.

23. Video & Digital Recording If you want to get a bit more creative, you can create your own videos using a variety of free or inexpensive editing software tools. The learning curve might be a little steeper, but the result is a unique broadcast that your students will enjoy, share, and discuss. Keep ‘em short, keep them simple, and to the point. Try 60-second “commercials”. (You might even try uploading them to youtube.comand see what kind of fame you garner.) You’ll need a camera – and it doesn’t have to be an expensive one. You’ll need editing software. See list of tools for teachers.

24. Video Conferencing Also known as live video/audio, this form of communication is excellent for those times when you want to hear immediate responses (online language courses) or just need to be able to read facial expressions. It’s a more expensive form of communicating – often just the streaming server and equipment is cost-prohibitive to schools. However, many LMS vendors do provide live video/audio at an additional cost. It might be worth looking into…costs to think about are equipment for yourself, for the school, and for your students.

25. Podcasting A podcast is a digital media file, or a related collection of such files, which is distributed over the Internet using syndication feeds (RSS feeds) for playback on portable media players and personal computers. The term "podcast" is a combination of the words "iPod" and "broadcast,the Apple iPod being the brand of portable media player for which the first podcasting scripts were developed . These scripts allow podcasts to be automatically transferred to a mobile device after they are downloaded. Podcasting is a great way to send “bite-sized” material to studentsfor their studies in your course. It also doesn’t require them to be present.

26. Podcasting Though podcasters' web sites may also offer direct download or streaming of their content, a podcast is distinguished from other digital media formats by its ability to be syndicated, subscribed to, and downloaded automatically when new content is added, using an aggregator or feed reader capable of reading feed formats such as RSS or Atom. Rule of thumb…don’t make it boring or long. If you think students can tune you out in class, just imagine what they can do when listening to your podcast…DELETE.

27. Pictures & Animations To find pictures or animations, try searching the internet. Or, use the link in Microsoft Office to their website. It contains oodles of photos, animations, and sounds you can use for whatever you need. Also, don’t forget to search news sites for real life photos that can be used as long as a reference to the photographer and news site is listed. Think “right-click”! You can “borrow” pictures and animationsfrom anywhere on the web, just don’t publish them.See list of tools for more sites.

28. Music Don’t forget to use music to engage student’s emotions, build excitement, etc. There are numerous resources for free music (just search Google for “free music”). Embed them in presentations, play as an intro to class (2001 Space Odyssey is always a good one), or use creatively as homework assignments. Most computers or sites provide their own audio players.

29. Games, Jokes, Puzzles A great way to make a review more interactive and just plain fun is to use a popular game-show, such as Jeopardy, Family Feud, Who Wants to Be A Millionaire, etc. Use competition to build class morale and learning. You can also send puzzles that teach students vocabulary words, stimulate their memory, etc. And, unless you have a dry sense of humor like mine, jokes are a good way to insert humor in a border-line boring lecture. See list of tools for teachers for a few.

30. Tools for teachers Games, Jokes, and Puzzles www.almorale.com Game Show Presenter www.eclipsecrossword.com Crossword Puzzles   www.thiagi.com Games and much more for educators www.teachnet.com Free software for several games and more tools www.puzzlemaker.com Make your own puzzles with their free software Web Sites for Resources for Teaching Online: www.ion.illinois.edu/IONresources/instructionalDesign/learningStyles.asp www.4teachers.org www.discusware.com www.uvm.edu/~jmorris/creatingonline.html

31. Tools for teachers Web Sites for Resources for Teaching Online (continued) www.blogspot.com www.csulb.edu/~jvancamp/work4.html General Sites and Tips for Teachers: www.love2learn.com http://ctl.stanford.edu/Tomprof/postings.html www.cod.edu/software/Products.htm http://scholar.google.com www.edvance360.com

32. Specifically from Edvance360: • Course Evals - Move course evaluations online to save staff from tallying by hand • Resources - Upload course material online so students can access them at any time • Integrated Calendars - Manage course and clinical calendars online to remove burden of maintaining via email or other less efficient methods • Grades - Post grades online so students have immediate access; automate notifications so teachers don’t have to notify students when they receive a grade or the grade changes. • Communities - Create online communities to enable students to collaborate online in real-time

33. Specifically from Edvance360: Relationships - Host discussion forums, build wikis, manage discussion groups and more to enable effective learning outside classroomContinue Relationships - Build relationships with students from the moment they join the school and continue the relationship after graduation Continuing Education – It’s necessary to create life-long learners; nursing programs can take full advantage of this continued relationship (and income) via Continuing Ed courses and certificates

34. Specifically from Edvance360: Freshman Experience - Use the social network and collaborative communities to improve the freshman experience by making the student feel connected and decreasing the time it takes to “get to know” everyone in their courses using the Edvance360 social network and collaborative communities; use early warning systems built in to LMS to intervene. Interact - Use the Discussion Forums to facilitate discussion and debate. Nursing students tell us that this is the favorite part of every course they take! Clinicals - Use the Collaborative Communities for clinical rotational scheduled, notifications, discussion, journaling, and more.

35. Specifically from Edvance360: ePortfolios - Use the ePortfolios to build and demonstrate experience in preparation for employment. Import - Import publisher material and test banks to augment courses – you don’t have to reinvent the wheel! Communicate - Enable students to collaborate with each other and communicate with instructors, while decreasing your inbox!

36. eTools for Nursing Schools Presented by Edvance360 LMS-SN