Wednesday, January 22, 2014

In the Clouds

I absolutely adore anything DIY-related. HGTV is constantly on our television and all the while, I am on Pinterest trying to find my next project. The blog, Pretty Handy Girl includes some of my inspiration.

created at TagCrowd.com


Cloud Computing

The functionality behind cloud computing has tremendously changed the way business, educators and the world as a whole access internet-based applications. Cloudtrip is a great repository of cloud-based educational tools. For the adult learners that I instruct, the following sites will be most beneficial: TypingPal , MindFlash, and Socrative.

I instruct physicians, clinicians and office staff on the use of the Electronic Health Record (EHR). One would be quite surprised at the lack of typing skills many of these professionals arrive to my class with. These individuals are expected to document their entire patient experience electronically, through pointing, clicking and typing. TypingPal allows users to complete customized exercises and games to build keyboard techniques. Through the use of software like that of TypingPal, many of these unaccustomed users of technology may feel more competent while using their new EHR software.

Mindflash and other applications of the sort are like a dream come true for people in corporate healthcare IT. With constant turnover, upgrades and governmental regulation changes, physician offices are spending more and more time at training sessions, rather than tending to their sick patients. Of course this is not only timely, but budgets and ultimately the patient are suffering. Mindflash is a quick and easy way to assemble training courses, quizzes and reports that can be accessed through the cloud.

In my profession, it is important to receive feedback on how the training session was received by the class. If the training included too much information, not enough breaks, or the instructor was downright awful, we need to know. Socrative is a cloud-based student response system that allows the teacher/trainer to obtain information from the students/trainees via tablets, smartphones or laptops. In a more traditional education setting, (i.e. that of a high school), this would be a way to create quizzes, games, and track performance.

Diigo

I decided to join a diigo group that pertained to my professional development—CIPP Information Privacy & Security News. It is imperative that those in the health information field and specifically IT understand the importance of the privacy and security of health information. With the increasingly standard use of electronic health data, it is our duty to ensure that end-users realize this as well. This diigo group includes articles on the privacy of everything from military health records to identity theft.


Summary

The Cloud Computing Explained video provided by GoGrid (2008) really breaks down the structural processes behind the cloud and why it has taken over the internet. Johnson, Adams, and Haywood (2011) explain that cloud-based services address a range of needs and provide a variety of solutions in terms of software, infrastructure and overall system security. By utilizing this technology, physicians and other healthcare personnel have the ability to access essential patient medical record data from any device—from a cell phone or laptop in the hospital to an iPad while making rounds at a local nursing home. I had of course heard about cloud computing prior to this week’s assignment, but this has clarified the process and necessity.




Thursday, January 16, 2014

Blogging & Twittering

Over the past few days, I have learned a lot about blogs and Twitter—there was more to learn than I realized. Of course I have perused a blog or two in my day (I love “The Small Things Blog”), but I hadn’t appreciated most them. Previously, I had just assumed that bloggers were techie beatniks who had too much time on their hands—now give me my Golden Buckeye card! But in all seriousness, I had not fully embraced that many of these individuals spend a lot of time documenting their opinions, interests and ideas in such an artful fashion. As for blogging and education, I can definitely see the value for use in today’s society. When students participate in these collaborative environments, they not only have the ability to work creatively, but are also given the opportunity to develop teamwork skills and even collaborate with students from locations afar (Johnson et al., 2010). This puts a whole new twist on the ‘pen pals’ of the 1990’s. Today’s students are beyond technologically savvy and I am confident that this will also translate into their success in the workforce—particularly in corporate America. They will have used these online tools as second nature throughout the entirety of their education and potentially teach their older counterparts a thing or two about the digital generation. Twitter on the other hand, I am not so impressed with. I understand its purpose, the nicety of following a particular feed and ability to receive updates directly to your phone, but it seems to me that this is an abbreviated and fad-like Facebook. Tweets for Education Pt 2 provided some interesting suggestions for Twitter in the classroom, such as allowing ‘shy’ students to open up online, rather than physically in class and the ability to follow acclaimed politicians to gain insight and perspective (Y0da808, Tweets for education pt2). The use of hashtags is quite functional when connecting others posting about a topic, but again, I find this redundant to Google or any other search engine. With that being said, I would likely prefer to search most topics on Google, as many opinions I would rather not read. For educational purposes, sure updates can be sent using a class feed, but with only 140 characters, what can you really post, aside from a link? Now that I have a Twitter account, I will follow my husband's rugby team page. Though I will soon have their schedule posted on my refridgerator, I suppose I will subject myself to their mindless chatter. In summation, I find Twitter to be just another username and password to remember and regret having to install yet another application onto my phone. Cheers! Melissa References Johnson, L., Smith, R., Levine, A., and Haywood, K., (2010). The 2010 Horizon Report: K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium Y0da808. (2009, MARCH 05). Tweets for education pt2 [Web Video]. Retrieved from http://utetpt5550.pbworks.com/w/page/11602947/Blogging%20and%20Twittering