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.

bailey beach beadboard beautiful blog brittany cabinet collapsarch collapsitems comments condo continue creating creative date decor diy door filed function gift guest handy hanging home installing jan kitchen light love month painted panels post pretty project reading renovation sew shelves storage top topsail tote tutorial var wall window wrapping year

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.