Friday, December 5, 2008

Educators Internet Knowledge

I have been at a conference all week where the subject is nursing education for the future. I have been shocked at some of the presentations. The speakers (experts in informatics or electronic technology) assume that nursing faculty don't know what Blogs are or what Wikis are or what facebook is or what an avatar is or what LinkedIn is, etc. In a sense, the speakers have been making fun of faculty and saying how ahead of us the students are. While I realize that students have grown up with technology, give me a break! I don't think I'm that odd, and here I am posting on my Blog. I don't do much with my limerick Wiki these days (it wasn't a great use of a Wiki), but I use several very successful Wikis at work. I have my own avatar on Wordcraft, a pda which I use extensively, and my husband and I host a forum that has a dictionary in Onelook. I am sure other faculty do the same. How do these "informatics" speakers get away with being so critical of faculty?

Having said that, I did learn about some new electronic techniques in education, and it looks like education in the future will change in nursing. For example, we will be using "user generated" content that is collaboratively designed; here are some examples. The video the speaker showed on the history of medicine was good, though I do wonder how students learn when fact after fact is thrown at them as happened in that video. It also seemed a little sophomoric to me. While I do think there is "death by powerpoint" now, I don't think those collaborative videos are perfect either.

1 comment:

Cat Herself said...

Perhaps their own experience taints their perceptions? Also, in many ways you are not the norm . . . at least, in my estimation! You are FAR above average in many things, why not this, as well?