New Faculty Workshop

I am creating this blog page for our whine and cheese party that we will enjoy between Module 1 and Module 2.  Please post any comments that you have about the content covered in Module 1: Evaluation, Promotion, and Tenure.

As always, thanks for you participation!

                     

The NLN offers the exam to become a Certified Nurse Educator.

PLP Target Goal #7 met!      

• I had planned to complete an asynchronous webinar through Nurse Tim in preparation for the Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) exam.  Fortunately, I was able to attend a synchronous webinar presented by Dr. Diane Billings through Nurse Tim.  This was a six hour workshop which did include a one hour lunch break.  The University of West Georgia provides a free subscription to Nurse Tim for  students enrolled in graduate studies so the webinar was free.  The CNE exam is offered by the National League for Nursing (NLN) and is not free!  If you are a member of NLN, it costs less but it is still expensive.
• Visit Nurse Tim at http://nursetim.com/

A handbook outlining the process of attaining this certification can be found at

http://www.nln.org/certification/handbook/cne.pdf . In speaking with a faculty member at West Georgia, I was informed that the pass rate for this test is around 50% but that being in school and having the information fresh is a definite advantage when testing.  She suggested that I continue to prepare and then take the test in the summer before I begin the intense dissertation process.

I am providing information for my cohort on how to register on Nurse Tim using the West Georgia subscription.  I am also including a copy of my certificate of completing the prep course.

Find out about other areas of nursing certification at http://www.aacn.org/wd/certifications/content/consumer-whatiscert.pcms?menu=certification

 

 I just met PLP goal #6 as I have created a Camtasia presentation and have uploaded to Screencast. I found the Camtasia software very challenging to use.  I was fortunate that Dalton State loaded it on my laptop for free.  I viewed the tutorials provided, watched and participated in another presentation with a classmate, and then made my first solo presentation at the University of West Georgia with extensive assistance from Charles Akin.  I want to say a special thank you to Connie and Charles for their patience in assisting me in learning how to create a presentation using this software.

I am posting the presentation to this blog so that my classmates from another course can view it and make comments.

Please give brief answers to the following questions:
1. What are three ways that help ensure that teachers survive emotionally?
2. Why is a teaching philosophy important?
3. Why should teachers have a peer support system?
4. How will you incorporate Brookfield's maxims as a nurse educator?

For your convenience, here is the link to my evaluation survey.  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1qH_S0ClnyZn3qGprNpBq6ZOdfLDPGw6765GEDeTTFMM/viewform

I hope you enjoy the presentation.
Thanks for watching!

Gail

Chapter14 Brookfield

Learn more about Camtasia Studio at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camtasia_Studio

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  Learning goal #5 of my PLP was to read the book, Don’t make me think and increase my knowledge regarding the principles of navigating and using the world wide web.

I completed reading the new edition of Steve Krug's book on web usability to meet this goal.

Don’t Make Me Think.

Steve Krug’s book, Don’t make me think, was recommended by the instructional designer at UWG.  I found the book easy to read and the information very useful.  The book was printed on nice, thick, and high quality paper which made reading more enjoyable. The font was large enough that reading glasses were not necessary and that made this reader not only feel younger but saved me time in locating my glasses. The pages and chapters were not crammed full of information and humor was used to make this intense subject matter more entertaining. The use of footnotes to further explain concepts was effective and kept paragraphs shorter.

The author designed the pages of his book as he recommended that a webpage be designed using eye catching headings, limited words, and lots of visual illustrations. The theme of the book was that when visiting a website, the visitor should have an easy time navigating and not have “to think” about how to accomplish the goal of the visit.  He recommended the two click and you are there method.  He argues against just muddling through a website as that takes precious time from the visitor and makes them feel less in control.  Krug stresses that most visitors are in a hurry and will simply scan a site and should find it clear which icons are “clickable”.

Steve Krug’s profession deals with website usability and he wrote this book for people who can’t afford his services.  Wikipedia describes website usability at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_usability. The book provides usability principles that anyone can use in website design and development.  The book was first published in 2000 and Krug added two chapters in this most current edition.  We weren’t carrying computers in the form of a phone in our pocket when the book was first written, so a chapter was added to address mobile devices and designing apps.  Krug states that “technology got its hands on some steroids” since the book was first published but that the principles of usability remain the same because it’s still about people and how they use the technology, not the technology itself.

Steve Krug’s web site: http://www.sensible.com/

PLP Target Goal:  4).Subscribe to EdTechReview (ETR) newsletter and read at least one journal article dealing with distance education.

The first article that I read from this newsletter addressed creating a digital portfolio.  I was very pleased to see that EdTechReview (ETR) recommended Google Sites for building an E-Portfolio. I had just posted that this is the tool that I plan to use to create my digital portfolio in the Distance Education Professional course at the University of West Georgia.

ETR states, “Google Sites is another great free tool from Google that enables users to create and share webpages easily” (Saxena, 2014). The tool is designed to facilitate collaboration and sharing and makes digital portfolio creation easy and user friendly. The interface is easy to use and it is possible to make a site private, so that it can be viewed by invitation only or the site can be made public. Using Google Sites, students and professionals can share and link to their very best work. This portfolio can serve as a showcase for potential employers or a link can be provided when applying to graduate schools. All of the hard work of collecting, organizing, and showcasing one’s work is made easy and available through a shared URL.

Since subscribing to EdTechReview, I have received numerous emails and articles involving distance education topics. I am providing the link so that my classmates can join me in reading this newsletter which originates from India.

www.edtechreview.com 

The following YouTube clip is by the founder of EdTechReview, Stephen Shapiro, and gives his reasons for founding this service.


 http://youtu.be/xTTzkEiu9bs

EdTechReview also has information for younger scholars at http://www.edtechreview.com/products/view/125/

       I just completed my PLP goal #3 by following Connie's lead and joining the Sloan Consortium. 

  

PLP Goal # 3-  Join Distance Learning Association and become 
                         more engaged in the DE process.
                         Connect and network with online learners and teachers.

                        

I am excited about the reduced rate that this fabulous source of information has offered me as a student!
Membership in the Sloan Consortium includes valuable resources that will assist me in gaining effectiveness in online teaching and learning.  I believe that being a member will give me access to information that will assist me in my journey as an online student and then prepare me to be a better online teacher.  It all boils down to having the time to take advantage of these great opportunities. Sloan-C conferences and workshops, free webinars, discussion groups, and peer networking will all facilitate my online journey.

Wikipedia describes the Sloan Consortium at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sloan_Consortium

Perhaps after graduation I can take advantage of the Sloan-C Certificate Program.  This program
prepares educators to teach and improve online courses using the Sloan-C pillars of quality in online education. The Sloan website states, "The program consists of a 9-week foundation course and a variety of electives that focus on improving overall competency within a specific area of academic focus while working individually with expert mentors".  The program is offered four more times this year and hopefully it will continue to be offered when I am finished with my dissertation.

sloanconsortium.org

Dr. Smolka may be interested in reading this link on Sloan and Texas A&M
http://www.prlog.org/12301524-sloan-and-texas-am-university-commerce-announce-strategic-partnership.html

PLP_ Goal 2

Subscribe to the Chronicle of Higher Education and will read at least one journal article provided in their newsletter, Wired Campus, related to online teaching and learning. I will use this information as I complete assignments in this course and prepare to become a better online teacher.

Wired Campus

    The latest on tech and education. chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/‎

   

I subscribed to The Chronicle of Higher Education and got my first email from Wired Campus today.  It turns out that Wired Campus is a Blog on the Chronicle’s website and you don’t have to pay to subscribe to receive this online publication.  They gave me a refund!! 

I perused the articles and found two that I could understand the language. The first article I read was about 600,000 books in a remote-storage facility used by the libraries at the University of Missouri having been contaminated by mold (Howard, 2014).  As a lover of all things paper, I found this news very distressing and one more reason to embrace all things online. A university spokesman stated that all volumes must be treated or disposed of to keep the mold from spreading.  I have just cleaned out my mother’s house and was marveling at how well her senior class picture with individual snapshots had survived the test of time (over 75 years).  We know from events at the Smithsonian that it takes a lot of money and work to preserve paper.  I’m thinking technology will be the key to preserving history.

The second article that I read was connected to the last post we did on "Engagement".  The administration at San Hose State University has adopted a new policy on how “technology-intensive, hybrid, and online courses” may be developed and implemented on its campus (Kolowich, 2014).  The policy addressed concerns that university administrators have ignored the principles of shared governance.  The new policy states that any partnerships with outside entities must be approved by majority vote of the tenured or tenure track faculty in the department offering the course implementing the same procedure used in the offering or of any new course or the modification of an existing course.  The faculty senate will post the full text of the final document on its website.  Oh the joy of politics!

Howard, J. (2014, January 31). Mold outbreak threatens 600,000 books at University of Missouri Library facility.  Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/mold-outbreak-threatens-600000-books-at-u-of-missouri-library-facility/49985

Kolowich, S. (2014, January 31).  San Jose University adopts new policy for online and hybrid courses.  Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/san-jose-state-u-adopts-new-policy-for-online-and-hybrid-courses/50029