For those new mothers or soon-to-be-moms out there this is something that might be of interest to you...
My friend Cassie is giving away a custom made cover for your Bumbo. Check out her blog at http://cassieandcompany.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Finishing up Unit 4
Reading and grading assignments for Unit 4 has been very time consuming! Wow! Who knew that grading papers would take so much time? I am wrapping things up and posting Unit 4 grades to Blackboard. The students did fairly well with the discussion board question for this unit. I think that the prompt-How do cultural difference and diversity affect healthcare? Pick a group of people and discuss how their cultural and social norms may affect healthcare. How can the nurse be culturally sensitive to this group of people? Consider: personal space, language, communication, time, touch, eye contact, family involvement, privacy, pain, etc.”- encouraged them to really think about the effects of different cultures on health care. The initial post and responses to one another were well written and well thought out. What has taken up a lot of my time these past two and a half weeks has been reading through and grading the written papers. Most of the students did a pretty good job. The majority of them struggled with APA style. I have encouraged them to learn it and have supplied them with a couple of links to helpful online APA tutorials. What’s more is that APA 6 will change all of that. I have been told that the students (and instructors) will have to learn and apply this new APA 6 in the coming spring semester! Proofing and reviewing these papers has taken up so much time. I learned how to use the reviewing/editing tool on Microsoft Word in order to provide the students with feedback and corrections to their papers. Whew!
Discussion Board: 12 hours
Grading/editing/reviewing Papers: 22 hours
Discussion Board: 12 hours
Grading/editing/reviewing Papers: 22 hours
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Final Reflection
This semester has gone by so fast! It is incredible how quickly four months can go by when staying busy. Extremely busy! I cannot believe that this semester is coming to an end. I feel like we just got started. In fact, there is still quite a bit for me to do with the practicum before I can truly wrap things up. I am still in the process of grading written assignments from unit 4 (which has been much more time consuming that I had imagined…hours upon hours…) and unit 5 is still underway. I will be able to grade that last unit when unit 5 concludes on December 10th.
During the past four months I have had the opportunity to learn so much and be a part of many aspects of online learning and instruction. I am grateful for my experiences. With all I have encountered, I have discovered that I enjoy online instruction. I can see myself being involved with an online, distance course in the future. In fact, I would really like to teach in this environment. Some people may feel that there is something lacking in online education, but I feel that a lot can be accomplished through online instruction and learning.
At the beginning of this semester, I felt like I was lost and in a scramble to find a program and preceptor to work with. Luckily with some diligent searching and some advice from Dr. Anderson, I was able to find a wonderful preceptor who was more than willing to allow me to work with her. She has been a big help in guiding me through the world of online instruction.
I want to take some time to look at my achievements of the course objectives as well as my personal objectives.
Course 5293 Objectives: Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to:
1. Analyze the role of the nurse as educator and sub-roles of administrator, consultant, leader, teacher and facilitator.
To analyze the many roles of the educator means to examine the multiple elements involved. I think that I have had the opportunity to see many sides and roles of the educator, but I know that there are tasks and roles that I was unable to experience in this practicum. Not only was I able to witness my preceptor in the role of educator, teacher, facilitator, consultant, leader, and administrator, I feel that I too was able to put on these many hats at some point during the semester. This was done in a number of ways; through the online module that I developed and taught, through guiding blogs and discussion boards, or by answering concerns and questions of students through emails.
2. Utilize a systematic approach; conduct a needs assessment relative to needs of specific populations or individuals.
The difficultly with online teaching is trying to learn each students’ needs. Many times this may not be obvious. Often times an instructor may not know that a student is struggling until they take a look at their grades and participation, or lack there of, in online discussions. I sent out a few emails to students when I noticed that their blogs were not properly set up or that they were not creating posts. Students that struggled with this assignment or failed to participate received poor grades in this area. I wanted to see if I could assist them with this assignment whether it be setting up their blog website, prompting thoughts for reflection, or encouraging time management.
3. Select and apply teaching techniques and methods for culturally diverse populations in the educational setting of choice.
The beauty of online instruction is that it allows much flexibility for the educator and students. People of all cultural backgrounds are now learning the need to utilize technology and this is important especially when taking an online course. Students may struggle in the beginning with the technology side of the course, but once they get a grasp of the use of the computer, Blackboard, email, and blogs, the rest of the course will go more smoothly. The assignments in this course allowed the students to use creativity, personal experiences, and reflection as they worked through their assignments. I feel that this allowed them to share and reflect upon their cultural diversity. The discussion board was an area where it was apparent that the student population was quite diverse and that English is a second language to some of the students. Even with the diversity the students seemed to be able to communicate well with one another, offered feedback, and asked for clarification if need be.
4. Demonstrate appropriate use of various evaluation techniques to assess student progress in the learning process.
I have been given many opportunities to evaluate and grade student assignments and progress through the course. My preceptor allowed me to assess students’ progress by grading assignments and posting grades. It has been a good experience for me and a very time consuming one at that. I did not know that reading through blogs, discussion board posts, and evaluating written assignments could take up so much time! Being that this course was conducted through Blackboard, I learned how to post grades into the grade book.
5. Evaluate instructional implementation through student, self, and administrative evaluations.
This past week, my preceptor and students cooperated by completing an evaluative survey in order to provide me some feedback on my instruction. This was helpful for me in seeing areas of weakness that I may need to improve upon and areas of strength that I can continue to build upon. Overall, I am pleased with the result of the evaluations. Personally, I feel that I have done a good job in this practicum and that my teaching project was well put together and presented, but I know that there is always plenty of room for improvement.
Personal objectives: Throughout my practicum experience I aim to:
1. Practice narrative discovery by guiding student blogs
I have had the privilege of reading each and every blog posted by my students. As written about in my own blog, I have talked about how some students have done an excellent job in their reflections and posts, how some put in minimal effort, and how a few students often times failed to post at all. I tried to encourage blogging and provided prompts to those who needed help with something to write about.
2. Utilize a variety of methods of communicating online in order to effectively communicate with my preceptor and students
This was done through emails, discussion boards, and blogs.
3. Become familiar with technologies used for online learning
I was delighted that I had the opportunity to become more familiar with Blackboard and see some of the behind-the-scene workings of this program. It was a great experience for me to be able to learn how to submit grades, post announcements, created assignments, and more. I worked more with blogs and discussion board, this time reading, prompting, and assigning grades
4. Develop and/or implement a lesson or module
My online unit module took place over three weeks and was developed as my teaching project. It contained reading assignments, blog prompts, a discussion board question, and a written assignment required of my students.
5. Document experiences that take place throughout this practicum
Blogs! This is where I have been documenting the majority of what I have done during the course of this practicum.
6. Observe and participate in different teaching techniques within online learning
As stated above, I have been involved in discussion boards, creating an online module and presenting it to the students, blogs, assignments, etc.
7. Guide and encourage students to critically think
This has been ongoing throughout the semester. Students have been urged to use critical thinking skills through their assignments and discussions.
8. Learn how to successfully conduct an online class through observing my preceptor, actively participating in activities and lessons, and taking initiative in communication and learning opportunities
I think this objective pretty much sums it all up. This is what I have been striving towards throughout this entire practicum experience. I think that I have done a good job of meeting this objective and will continue to do so until the conclusion of the semester.
9. Practice and utilize time management
This has been a biggie! Time management is key as a student and as an instructor. School is very time consuming, whether it be due to completing assignments or conducting assessments and grading. I think that I have done well with making the most of my time. I tried not to get too overwhelmed or let things pile up or wait until the last minute to get things finished.
10. Learn various teaching methods used in distance learning
Blackboard, blogs, discussion board, online communication, etc.
11. Analyze the role of faculty in an online course
As looked at in our 5293 course objectives, it is apparent that an online educator is more than just a teacher. The role of faculty in an online course is to educate, facilitate, guide, counsel, administer, lead, teach, instruct, train, direct, advise, and encourage.
12. Support my preceptor in directing students in their progress throughout the course
My preceptor was great to work with. She encouraged me to work alongside her in all aspects of the course. This also entailed helping to direct students as they worked through the course.
13. Monitor discussion board communication and prompt further thought and feedback
The discussion board questions were tackled well by most students as well as the feedback and ongoing communication amongst one another.
14. Gain knowledge in the process of developing and/or preparing online courses
Wow! I think that I really did gain knowledge and insight in what is involved in preparing and developing modules and assignments for online courses. (Although I would imagine that there is much more that I didn’t get to see that is involved in the preparation.) Online educators must really be prepared at the beginning of the course for this will help guide how the entire semester runs. The online instructor must know what types of technology and assignments he/she will want to utilize so that he/she can help students become familiar with new technology and how to utilize it before engaging in assignments.
15. Gain experience in assessments, evaluations, and grading of assignments
I am glad to have had this wonderful experience, having first hand experience at evaluating and grading assignments.
All things considered, this practicum experience went really well. I look forward to more teaching experiences to come. With this experience, I feel a little more confident and know that with more experiences and guidance I can be a great educator.
During the past four months I have had the opportunity to learn so much and be a part of many aspects of online learning and instruction. I am grateful for my experiences. With all I have encountered, I have discovered that I enjoy online instruction. I can see myself being involved with an online, distance course in the future. In fact, I would really like to teach in this environment. Some people may feel that there is something lacking in online education, but I feel that a lot can be accomplished through online instruction and learning.
At the beginning of this semester, I felt like I was lost and in a scramble to find a program and preceptor to work with. Luckily with some diligent searching and some advice from Dr. Anderson, I was able to find a wonderful preceptor who was more than willing to allow me to work with her. She has been a big help in guiding me through the world of online instruction.
I want to take some time to look at my achievements of the course objectives as well as my personal objectives.
Course 5293 Objectives: Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to:
1. Analyze the role of the nurse as educator and sub-roles of administrator, consultant, leader, teacher and facilitator.
To analyze the many roles of the educator means to examine the multiple elements involved. I think that I have had the opportunity to see many sides and roles of the educator, but I know that there are tasks and roles that I was unable to experience in this practicum. Not only was I able to witness my preceptor in the role of educator, teacher, facilitator, consultant, leader, and administrator, I feel that I too was able to put on these many hats at some point during the semester. This was done in a number of ways; through the online module that I developed and taught, through guiding blogs and discussion boards, or by answering concerns and questions of students through emails.
2. Utilize a systematic approach; conduct a needs assessment relative to needs of specific populations or individuals.
The difficultly with online teaching is trying to learn each students’ needs. Many times this may not be obvious. Often times an instructor may not know that a student is struggling until they take a look at their grades and participation, or lack there of, in online discussions. I sent out a few emails to students when I noticed that their blogs were not properly set up or that they were not creating posts. Students that struggled with this assignment or failed to participate received poor grades in this area. I wanted to see if I could assist them with this assignment whether it be setting up their blog website, prompting thoughts for reflection, or encouraging time management.
3. Select and apply teaching techniques and methods for culturally diverse populations in the educational setting of choice.
The beauty of online instruction is that it allows much flexibility for the educator and students. People of all cultural backgrounds are now learning the need to utilize technology and this is important especially when taking an online course. Students may struggle in the beginning with the technology side of the course, but once they get a grasp of the use of the computer, Blackboard, email, and blogs, the rest of the course will go more smoothly. The assignments in this course allowed the students to use creativity, personal experiences, and reflection as they worked through their assignments. I feel that this allowed them to share and reflect upon their cultural diversity. The discussion board was an area where it was apparent that the student population was quite diverse and that English is a second language to some of the students. Even with the diversity the students seemed to be able to communicate well with one another, offered feedback, and asked for clarification if need be.
4. Demonstrate appropriate use of various evaluation techniques to assess student progress in the learning process.
I have been given many opportunities to evaluate and grade student assignments and progress through the course. My preceptor allowed me to assess students’ progress by grading assignments and posting grades. It has been a good experience for me and a very time consuming one at that. I did not know that reading through blogs, discussion board posts, and evaluating written assignments could take up so much time! Being that this course was conducted through Blackboard, I learned how to post grades into the grade book.
5. Evaluate instructional implementation through student, self, and administrative evaluations.
This past week, my preceptor and students cooperated by completing an evaluative survey in order to provide me some feedback on my instruction. This was helpful for me in seeing areas of weakness that I may need to improve upon and areas of strength that I can continue to build upon. Overall, I am pleased with the result of the evaluations. Personally, I feel that I have done a good job in this practicum and that my teaching project was well put together and presented, but I know that there is always plenty of room for improvement.
Personal objectives: Throughout my practicum experience I aim to:
1. Practice narrative discovery by guiding student blogs
I have had the privilege of reading each and every blog posted by my students. As written about in my own blog, I have talked about how some students have done an excellent job in their reflections and posts, how some put in minimal effort, and how a few students often times failed to post at all. I tried to encourage blogging and provided prompts to those who needed help with something to write about.
2. Utilize a variety of methods of communicating online in order to effectively communicate with my preceptor and students
This was done through emails, discussion boards, and blogs.
3. Become familiar with technologies used for online learning
I was delighted that I had the opportunity to become more familiar with Blackboard and see some of the behind-the-scene workings of this program. It was a great experience for me to be able to learn how to submit grades, post announcements, created assignments, and more. I worked more with blogs and discussion board, this time reading, prompting, and assigning grades
4. Develop and/or implement a lesson or module
My online unit module took place over three weeks and was developed as my teaching project. It contained reading assignments, blog prompts, a discussion board question, and a written assignment required of my students.
5. Document experiences that take place throughout this practicum
Blogs! This is where I have been documenting the majority of what I have done during the course of this practicum.
6. Observe and participate in different teaching techniques within online learning
As stated above, I have been involved in discussion boards, creating an online module and presenting it to the students, blogs, assignments, etc.
7. Guide and encourage students to critically think
This has been ongoing throughout the semester. Students have been urged to use critical thinking skills through their assignments and discussions.
8. Learn how to successfully conduct an online class through observing my preceptor, actively participating in activities and lessons, and taking initiative in communication and learning opportunities
I think this objective pretty much sums it all up. This is what I have been striving towards throughout this entire practicum experience. I think that I have done a good job of meeting this objective and will continue to do so until the conclusion of the semester.
9. Practice and utilize time management
This has been a biggie! Time management is key as a student and as an instructor. School is very time consuming, whether it be due to completing assignments or conducting assessments and grading. I think that I have done well with making the most of my time. I tried not to get too overwhelmed or let things pile up or wait until the last minute to get things finished.
10. Learn various teaching methods used in distance learning
Blackboard, blogs, discussion board, online communication, etc.
11. Analyze the role of faculty in an online course
As looked at in our 5293 course objectives, it is apparent that an online educator is more than just a teacher. The role of faculty in an online course is to educate, facilitate, guide, counsel, administer, lead, teach, instruct, train, direct, advise, and encourage.
12. Support my preceptor in directing students in their progress throughout the course
My preceptor was great to work with. She encouraged me to work alongside her in all aspects of the course. This also entailed helping to direct students as they worked through the course.
13. Monitor discussion board communication and prompt further thought and feedback
The discussion board questions were tackled well by most students as well as the feedback and ongoing communication amongst one another.
14. Gain knowledge in the process of developing and/or preparing online courses
Wow! I think that I really did gain knowledge and insight in what is involved in preparing and developing modules and assignments for online courses. (Although I would imagine that there is much more that I didn’t get to see that is involved in the preparation.) Online educators must really be prepared at the beginning of the course for this will help guide how the entire semester runs. The online instructor must know what types of technology and assignments he/she will want to utilize so that he/she can help students become familiar with new technology and how to utilize it before engaging in assignments.
15. Gain experience in assessments, evaluations, and grading of assignments
I am glad to have had this wonderful experience, having first hand experience at evaluating and grading assignments.
All things considered, this practicum experience went really well. I look forward to more teaching experiences to come. With this experience, I feel a little more confident and know that with more experiences and guidance I can be a great educator.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Unit 4 Blogs
I just got done grading blogs for unit 4 of the five units! Like previous units, some students did a great job with their reflective thoughts, some gave little effort, and some did not post at all. I thought that my blog prompts would help to encourage those who have had a difficult time with blogging. About half of the students used the prompts to help in their reflections. Half of the students blogs about what the unit covered, cultural diversity in nursing. Some blogged about what was on their mind (which is fine.) (I like to see their reflective thoughts.) And some chose not to blog at all. Disappointing :( One more unit left for the students to get full credit for their blogs.
8 hours
8 hours
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Evaluation survey
I have been spending some time creating my evaluation survey to have my students and my preceptor complete for me. I created a tool similar to one that we use to evaluate in-service programs at work. I combined this outline with the template that Kay so generously shared. I had it complete and then realized that there would be an issue with it being anonymous. Since I am teaching an online course, I thought I would just have to email this document out to my students and ask them to email it back to me. This brought up the issue of it being anonymous. I also thought that some students may choose not to participate because of this. On top of that, I would like honest opinions, and if the students knew that I would be able to tell who’s survey was who’s, they may not be completely open with their thoughts. My preceptor graciously offered to help me put the survey online through psyhdata (like the surveys that we are asked to complete at the end of a course). This way, students can log on, fill out the evaluation, and the results will be available for me some time after and kept anonymous. I was thrilled with this idea and so thankful to my preceptor for helping put it together. (I really am learning a lot about online teaching!) The survey will be available starting today for my students to complete.
3 hours
3 hours
Friday, November 13, 2009
more of the same...
Well, I have spent the past week reading and grading more blogs. There were just a few students, literally 3 students, that were thoughtful in their postings. The other students did not do such a great job. Some students failed to blog at all. As I was reading some of the blogs, I could tell that some of the students were blogging just to put something down; sometimes just writing one sentence. Not reflecting on what they were learning, doing in their jobs, or reflecting on life in general. I was a little disappointed this unit in the quality of the blogs (with the exception of a few). I have not posted grades yet, but will do this by Monday. I am debating whether some should get partial credit or if it is an all or nothing approach from here on out. I will discuss this with the instructor and see what we can agree upon.
For the next unit, since I am in charge of teaching and carrying out the lesson, I have given the students prompts and things to think about as they blog. The unit is about culture, so if they needed a little push or a little help in provoking thoughts and reflections, I was glad to offer a couple of things to think about and reflect upon. Maybe this will help the quality and quantity of the blogs completed for this next unit.
10 hours
For the next unit, since I am in charge of teaching and carrying out the lesson, I have given the students prompts and things to think about as they blog. The unit is about culture, so if they needed a little push or a little help in provoking thoughts and reflections, I was glad to offer a couple of things to think about and reflect upon. Maybe this will help the quality and quantity of the blogs completed for this next unit.
10 hours
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Midterm Reflection
I am amazed at how much I have learned in the past couple months. I have learned a lot about education, teaching an online course, and about myself regarding my views and thoughts on instructional teaching. Overall, my practicum experience is going well, and I am enjoying getting my feet wet in the educational realm of nursing.
I have learned that teaching an online class takes patience. The instructor must have patience with the students and patience with technology. The students must also learn patience. At times technology is not our friend and slows us down or makes us frustrated when it does not work properly. We must also be understanding of one another because often time postings, responses, and feedback are not immediate. I have received a number of emails from students and do my best to respond to them within 24 to 48 hours. I think this is only fair being that I am helping to teach the class and facilitate their learning. The sooner I can respond to my students, the sooner they can get back to work, the less worry they may have, and frustrations may be reduced. I have noticed that students are not as responsive. There have been times when I get responses from students after-the-fact or I may not receive a response from certain students at all. This caught my attention and caused me to do a little reflection, looking into my own responses as an instructor, as a graduate student, and as an undergrad student. I know now that my feedback and response time as an instructor to the students is a vital part of their education. If I do not give them proper feedback or respond to their questions, concerns, and needs in an appropriate time frame, it could potentially hinder their learning and understanding. As a grad student, I respond when I see necessary and when I feel that the feedback I have to give is pertinent and may benefit others. Looking back, as an undergrad nursing student, I probably did not respond unless asked to do so. If I received an email from a classmate or instructor, or if I was called upon in class, I would respond. I did not go out of my way to offer feedback to others. As an instructor, especially of an online course, I have the responsibility of making sure my students are engaged in their learning and comprehending as much as possible. My feedback to them is essential in this learning. One of my personal objectives is to “utilize a variety of methods of communicating online in order to effectively communicate with my preceptor and students.” I think that I have done this and am continuing to do so. I have learned to communicate through emails, discussion board, blogs, and Blackboard.
As an online learner for the past few semesters, I feel like I have become familiar with technology and the use of Blackboard. Teaching an online course takes this to a new level. As a student, I have had experience using different types of technology and programs through education, not fully understanding them, but being able to make use of them. As an instructor of an online course, I have needed to do more than just be able to use online programs occasionally; I need to have a good understanding of how to use technology, why certain programs are beneficial to learning, etc. I have had to take time out of my own coursework or online instruction, just to refresh my knowledge on technology or to really learn a program. The program we use the most in this RN to BSN online course is Blackboard. I am still learning and becoming more familiar with this program, but it is amazing how much more Blackboard can do when the instructor is able to modify and make changes. The “Help” feature has really become my friend as I learn more and more about the behind-the-scenes controls of an instructor using Blackboard. On Blackboard, I have been able to post announcements, create module or unit for the students to view and submit lessons, modify the discussion board, and post grades. I would imagine that most of us who plan to teach at the university level will get to have experience with Blackboard. It really is user friendly, but takes some time to get accustomed to and learn how to properly make use of it. Throughout this practicum experience, one of my goals is to “learn how to successfully conduct an online class through observing my preceptor, actively participating in activities and lessons, and taking initiative in communication and learning opportunities.” I think this pretty much sums up what I have been trying to do from day one. I have learned a lot and continue to learn though observation, communication, experiences, and interactions.
The first objectives of NURS 3623 states that the student should be able to “appropriately utilize various technologies incorporated in the online educational experience.” I feel that this objective not only pertains to the students in this course, but also to those of us teaching this course. I think that we have incorporated and utilized various technology resources. I need to add this objective to my list of personal objectives. Looking over my other personal objectives, there are some that I feel like I have met, some that I am in the process of obtaining, and those that may need to be modified to better suite my goals and achievements as an online instructor. My first objective listed is “throughout my practicum experience, I aim to practice narrative discovery by guiding student blogs.” I made this my first objective because this is what I feel like I have spent the majority of my time doing thus far. I have read countless blogs. This is a time-consuming process, but I feel that it is very important and beneficial to the learning and reflection of the students’ experience. I think that the students need to be able to reflect upon what they are learning, experiencing, or share ideas, emotions, or situations with others.
Looking over our objectives for this course NURS 5293, I feel that there are some objectives that I have done a good job of trying to obtain and others that I need to focus more time on in order to achieve. I feel that I have been able to “demonstrate appropriate us of various evaluation techniques to assess student progress in the learning process.” Thus far, this has been done through discussion board questions, blogs and blog prompts, and assignments. Each assignment takes different consideration when grading. Online coursework requires that students put in time and show the instructors that they comprehend the information and are able to demonstrate that understanding through various assignments. From the instructors, not only does it take time, but it also takes much teaching, communication, and feedback to encourage student learning and engage the students in comprehension and application of their learning.
For my teaching project, I am going to teach and direct an entire unit or module. I previously thought that I would be in charge of one assignment, but I have been encouraged to tackle the entire unit. I have chosen to cover the topic of ‘culture in nursing.’ I will encourage the students to blog about cultural experiences and discuss diversity in healthcare and how to be culturally sensitive to people of different cultures or populations. There will be a written paper covering culture, global health promotion, and patient advocacy. I am really looking forward to teaching this unit and I hope that the students will gain a lot from the information and ideas presented.
This practicum experience has been wonderful. I am learning a lot about myself, education, and online instruction and learning. I look forward to the remaining months of learning and interaction.
I have learned that teaching an online class takes patience. The instructor must have patience with the students and patience with technology. The students must also learn patience. At times technology is not our friend and slows us down or makes us frustrated when it does not work properly. We must also be understanding of one another because often time postings, responses, and feedback are not immediate. I have received a number of emails from students and do my best to respond to them within 24 to 48 hours. I think this is only fair being that I am helping to teach the class and facilitate their learning. The sooner I can respond to my students, the sooner they can get back to work, the less worry they may have, and frustrations may be reduced. I have noticed that students are not as responsive. There have been times when I get responses from students after-the-fact or I may not receive a response from certain students at all. This caught my attention and caused me to do a little reflection, looking into my own responses as an instructor, as a graduate student, and as an undergrad student. I know now that my feedback and response time as an instructor to the students is a vital part of their education. If I do not give them proper feedback or respond to their questions, concerns, and needs in an appropriate time frame, it could potentially hinder their learning and understanding. As a grad student, I respond when I see necessary and when I feel that the feedback I have to give is pertinent and may benefit others. Looking back, as an undergrad nursing student, I probably did not respond unless asked to do so. If I received an email from a classmate or instructor, or if I was called upon in class, I would respond. I did not go out of my way to offer feedback to others. As an instructor, especially of an online course, I have the responsibility of making sure my students are engaged in their learning and comprehending as much as possible. My feedback to them is essential in this learning. One of my personal objectives is to “utilize a variety of methods of communicating online in order to effectively communicate with my preceptor and students.” I think that I have done this and am continuing to do so. I have learned to communicate through emails, discussion board, blogs, and Blackboard.
As an online learner for the past few semesters, I feel like I have become familiar with technology and the use of Blackboard. Teaching an online course takes this to a new level. As a student, I have had experience using different types of technology and programs through education, not fully understanding them, but being able to make use of them. As an instructor of an online course, I have needed to do more than just be able to use online programs occasionally; I need to have a good understanding of how to use technology, why certain programs are beneficial to learning, etc. I have had to take time out of my own coursework or online instruction, just to refresh my knowledge on technology or to really learn a program. The program we use the most in this RN to BSN online course is Blackboard. I am still learning and becoming more familiar with this program, but it is amazing how much more Blackboard can do when the instructor is able to modify and make changes. The “Help” feature has really become my friend as I learn more and more about the behind-the-scenes controls of an instructor using Blackboard. On Blackboard, I have been able to post announcements, create module or unit for the students to view and submit lessons, modify the discussion board, and post grades. I would imagine that most of us who plan to teach at the university level will get to have experience with Blackboard. It really is user friendly, but takes some time to get accustomed to and learn how to properly make use of it. Throughout this practicum experience, one of my goals is to “learn how to successfully conduct an online class through observing my preceptor, actively participating in activities and lessons, and taking initiative in communication and learning opportunities.” I think this pretty much sums up what I have been trying to do from day one. I have learned a lot and continue to learn though observation, communication, experiences, and interactions.
The first objectives of NURS 3623 states that the student should be able to “appropriately utilize various technologies incorporated in the online educational experience.” I feel that this objective not only pertains to the students in this course, but also to those of us teaching this course. I think that we have incorporated and utilized various technology resources. I need to add this objective to my list of personal objectives. Looking over my other personal objectives, there are some that I feel like I have met, some that I am in the process of obtaining, and those that may need to be modified to better suite my goals and achievements as an online instructor. My first objective listed is “throughout my practicum experience, I aim to practice narrative discovery by guiding student blogs.” I made this my first objective because this is what I feel like I have spent the majority of my time doing thus far. I have read countless blogs. This is a time-consuming process, but I feel that it is very important and beneficial to the learning and reflection of the students’ experience. I think that the students need to be able to reflect upon what they are learning, experiencing, or share ideas, emotions, or situations with others.
Looking over our objectives for this course NURS 5293, I feel that there are some objectives that I have done a good job of trying to obtain and others that I need to focus more time on in order to achieve. I feel that I have been able to “demonstrate appropriate us of various evaluation techniques to assess student progress in the learning process.” Thus far, this has been done through discussion board questions, blogs and blog prompts, and assignments. Each assignment takes different consideration when grading. Online coursework requires that students put in time and show the instructors that they comprehend the information and are able to demonstrate that understanding through various assignments. From the instructors, not only does it take time, but it also takes much teaching, communication, and feedback to encourage student learning and engage the students in comprehension and application of their learning.
For my teaching project, I am going to teach and direct an entire unit or module. I previously thought that I would be in charge of one assignment, but I have been encouraged to tackle the entire unit. I have chosen to cover the topic of ‘culture in nursing.’ I will encourage the students to blog about cultural experiences and discuss diversity in healthcare and how to be culturally sensitive to people of different cultures or populations. There will be a written paper covering culture, global health promotion, and patient advocacy. I am really looking forward to teaching this unit and I hope that the students will gain a lot from the information and ideas presented.
This practicum experience has been wonderful. I am learning a lot about myself, education, and online instruction and learning. I look forward to the remaining months of learning and interaction.
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