Final Class Reflection

15 August

Tonight was our last class so this will be my last reflective blog as it relates to the class. It is one of my goals to maintain the blog, I'm not sure just yet what form it will take. I just know that will be ongoing and evolving and I'm wracking my brain for a really cool name.

I have not always been a life long learner by choice. I would keep up with current practices for my job but I couldn't say I sought out knowledge. I loved trivia games but looking back I think it was because I could "show off" how much I knew, not because I could learn more. Then one day, the nursing education department rolled out a new way for completing our annual nursing competencies. Instead of checking off successfully completed tasks on a list the nursing staff was being encouraged to come up with creative ways to validate our competencies. One suggestion was to create a game for others to use and since I was bored I decided to give it a try.

The results were twofold. 1) The creation of a board game and an interactive PowerPoint game (Before I knew such a thing as templates existed!) that I am proud to say are still being used in our competency program and 2) seeing firsthand the engagement in the eyes of my fellow nurses. They were learning and I had had something to do with it. I was hooked!

I got down to business, attained certification in my specialty of practice and trainer status for our professional organization's chemotherapy course (I was officially teaching). After a bit of investigation I discovered a graduate degree in instructional design & technology. Reading course descriptions after talking with a colleague who had just finished the masters program made me believe it was a perfect fit for me and so my quest began. It turns out I like to learn things.

I am not a digital native (The first time I saw a computer I was twenty years old) so when my professor offered an elective class on Teaching and Learning with Web 2.0 I knew I would learn something and I have not been disappointed. Our class motto has been "It will be what you make it", so, what have I made of this class, no, incredible learning experience?

First of all, I have become more comfortable navigating the Internet and I feel much more confident in playing with the Web 2.0 tools. There is a great deal to be said for immersing oneself in a culture, whether it be a foreign country or digital technology. I am happy to say I've collected some exciting technology to share with my colleagues.

Another take away for me is less tangible but very important to me. I have learned that it is okay to ask for help. I grew up in a time when education really focused on being right. Those who answered the questions correctly and behaved went to the head of the class. Competition was the name of the game. So I never asked for help. I studied on my own and worked best when projects were solitary events. Everyone functioned this way, you either got the concepts or you didn't. Asking for help was a no no, a sign of weakness and imperfection. I find this ironic because when I am working at the bedside, I am never alone, and my colleagues and I work together as a well oiled machine. Within the class we had an online group from all over the world and I was quite surprised to discover a community of educators who didn't judge my inadequacies but willingly, with no visible benefit to themselves, answer questions, provide insight and share examples of their work. Collaboration is good!

The concept of sharing is probably the most important idea that I will carry away with me. The educators working with Web 2.0 technology are all about sharing. The tech is free and phrases like "why reinvent the wheel" kept popping up as we talked with these folks who were generously sharing their time as well as their ideas. Kevin Honeycutt used the phrase "we're better together" and that has resonated with me. As I reflect on it I believe I naturally gravitated toward this position because I don't really think of what I do as teaching but as sharing what I know with the goal of making all of us better care givers.

I am also taking with me the idea that it is okay to initiate ideas and a better confidence to do just that. I plan to use what I have learned from my incredibly generous educational personal learning community and create a professional learning community among nurses who share my specialty. Before this class I would never have had the courage to do this as I am a behind the scenes kind of girl. Now I see it as more than feasible.

Finally, I want to involve myself in the future of teachers. My best friend and my college roommate are both educators (yes, they both have our class wiki URL to use as a resource) and I have always had a healthy respect for teachers and the work they do. However, in the last five weeks I have come to know, by virtue of their passion and generosity, just how incredible teachers are. Let's face it, I am passionate about what I do as a nurse, but I also like to get paid. I am fortunate because the hospital I work for has remarkable resources and my director pays me for my extra time. I don't believe that is the case for teachers and that is a shame. Adequate compensation is the very least we as a society should be providing these innovative, passionate people charged with the future of our children.

So, I got some good hands on practice, made a few new, truly remarkable, friends who inspired and motivated me and I finally became a believer in the idea that failing is one of the best ways to learn and that learning should be collaborative, messy fun. Not bad for five weeks and degree credit. Thank you Dr. M, this class rocked. See you all on the net!

Reflections

14 August 2008

I cannot believe it has been almost a week since I spent time writing in the blogosphere. I just reread my last post and noticed that I actually referred to myself as an educator. As most who read this know, I am not a teacher by profession. I am a registered nurse who works at the bedside giving hands on care and I love what I do.

I developed an interest in staff development about three years ago and started looking for a graduate degree that would complement this interest. I discovered (or was led to, you pick) Instructional Design & Technology. So I dove into the program here at the U of M and while I love it, have been challenged by it and learned volumes I have always felt a bit of an outsider, until today. I am an educator.

I have not blogged this week as I have been ruminating about our homework and class meetings and how I can apply what we have learned to my professional development and the professional development of my colleagues. I've also been working on the layout of the table of contents for the modules on the class wiki so I have been reviewing all of the remarkable material.

My take away from all of this reflecting? First, there is life after PowerPoint and I intend to live it. I have always had a love affair with the written word. As a result I tend to teach with text (and the chemo course I teach requires the use of their slides, shudder). I have seen others use video and audio but never really felt comfortable with it myself or, if I am being honest, really believed it was productive. But as I have read, and listened to and watched the material in my classmates modules I realize I am learning, and if someone so resistant can learn then how much would someone who isn't resistant, or doesn't learn by reading benefit? So I am thrilled to have tools, tutorials and examples of slide shows and presentations that are vibrant and thought provoking.

My second take away has to do with passion. One of our video references commented that learning should be joyous. The fact that the speaker said it with passion made me a believer. In fact, the passion of so many of our speakers in their belief that education is about more than bullet points, lectures and tests has encouraged me to catapult myself into practices (this blog, for instance) that I would never have attempted on my own. So, educators passionate and persistent about technology can, and will, transform the educational landscape from passive reception and regurgitation to active participation and creation. If we, as educators, are passionate about guiding learners not only will the learners be engaged, they will in turn be passionate about their learning. Passion is contagious!