Thursday, February 28, 2013
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Feb. 16 - Article review #1
See One, Do One, Teach One: Advanced Technology in Medical Education
Citation: Vozenilek, J., Huff, J. S., Reznek, M. and Gordon, J. A. (2004), See One, Do One, Teach One: Advanced Technology in Medical Education. Academic Emergency Medicine, 11: 1149–1154. doi: 10.1197/j.aem.2004.08.003
Summary: Medical educators today are faced with the challenge of not only working on a tight budget and schedule but to teach high-risk, sometimes rare, skills and procedures. As technology use has grown in medicine, so has the use of web-based education, virtual reality, and patient simulations, which have eased the pressure on medical educators considerably, as long as educators are willing to embrace these technologies. The researchers have written several recommendations for medical educators. First, they recommend that all emergency physicians be computer literate. Their data was several years old even in 2008, when the article was written, but their findings were that many emergency medicine residents could not conduct a basic literature search. The second recommendation was that "every emergency department should have access to medical educational materials via the Internet, computer-based training, and other effective education methods for point-of-service information, continuing medical education and training." Again, the data was from 1999, but the study they used found that physicians had access to the Internet less than 20 percent of the time, and most physicians felt they should have full-time access to the Internet. The third recommendation was for real-time automated tools to be integrated into emergency department information systems for contemporaneous education. Fourth, the writers recommend a shared library of multimedia and video-based training. They made several recommendations about using virtual reality and high-fidelity patient simulators as well, comparing virtual reality with patients to virtual reality for commercial pilots. The writers concluded that emergency physicians and societies needed to embrace the changing technology and utilize it to its fullest potential.
Reflection: To find this article, I performed a Google Scholar search with Dr. Luck's search phrase - effectiveness of educational technology - and added the word "medical" to hone in to searches that had to do with my field of health science. I myself have felt restricted in my educational abilities by budget constraints. I learned patient care skills in a hospital on a day-to-day basis. I can't take three classes of 25 students to a hospital every day, or even multiple times per semester. Thus, finding easily-accessed web education resources and virtual reality programs is a vested interest of mine. I was disappointed that the article, written in 2008, included statistics from 1999, even though that was only nine years prior to publication. I would truly be surprised to find many emergency medicine residents who were unable to use a PowerPoint. Maybe a few less could use Google Scholar, but only because they might not have heard of it. Internet access is almost universal in hospitals at this point and I would guess that many physicians utilize it frequently. I can't say this for all hospitals, but when I left an HCA-owned hospital in 2005, we had online education opportunities at our fingertips and from what I saw during my recent experience as a patient family member, these opportunities have only multiplied exponentially for hospital employees. Did this article and its writers cause this explosion? Perhaps they influenced the decisions of a few physicians and administrators, but I think the most likely cause was the proliferation of online information. Emergency medicine training websites exist now for free for anyone - even 16-year-olds - to learn how to perform valuable emergency procedures. Who knows, we might even have non-physician-operated emergency rooms in the future... I don't know if I'm ready for that.
Personally, I can't wait for the cost of virtual reality patient simulation to drop to the point where I can afford to bring it into my classroom. In high school health science education, the logistics of getting students to medical facilities are prohibitive, but a programmable manikin will allow me to introduce my students to elevated heart rates and other dangerous conditions they would never see in a building full of their fairly healthy peers. Though I learned patient care skills "on the floor" and I survived, I remember feeling nervous about things like starting IVs, flushing IV lines, and even dealing with nauseated patients. Technology can't teach students everything they need to know, and they will still need hands-on practice to become competent medical professionals, but practicing on a simulated patient gives the student the opportunity to perfect the skill before using it on a real person. I am a fan of the use of technology in health education and I hope to see a lot more of it.
Citation: Vozenilek, J., Huff, J. S., Reznek, M. and Gordon, J. A. (2004), See One, Do One, Teach One: Advanced Technology in Medical Education. Academic Emergency Medicine, 11: 1149–1154. doi: 10.1197/j.aem.2004.08.003
Summary: Medical educators today are faced with the challenge of not only working on a tight budget and schedule but to teach high-risk, sometimes rare, skills and procedures. As technology use has grown in medicine, so has the use of web-based education, virtual reality, and patient simulations, which have eased the pressure on medical educators considerably, as long as educators are willing to embrace these technologies. The researchers have written several recommendations for medical educators. First, they recommend that all emergency physicians be computer literate. Their data was several years old even in 2008, when the article was written, but their findings were that many emergency medicine residents could not conduct a basic literature search. The second recommendation was that "every emergency department should have access to medical educational materials via the Internet, computer-based training, and other effective education methods for point-of-service information, continuing medical education and training." Again, the data was from 1999, but the study they used found that physicians had access to the Internet less than 20 percent of the time, and most physicians felt they should have full-time access to the Internet. The third recommendation was for real-time automated tools to be integrated into emergency department information systems for contemporaneous education. Fourth, the writers recommend a shared library of multimedia and video-based training. They made several recommendations about using virtual reality and high-fidelity patient simulators as well, comparing virtual reality with patients to virtual reality for commercial pilots. The writers concluded that emergency physicians and societies needed to embrace the changing technology and utilize it to its fullest potential.
Reflection: To find this article, I performed a Google Scholar search with Dr. Luck's search phrase - effectiveness of educational technology - and added the word "medical" to hone in to searches that had to do with my field of health science. I myself have felt restricted in my educational abilities by budget constraints. I learned patient care skills in a hospital on a day-to-day basis. I can't take three classes of 25 students to a hospital every day, or even multiple times per semester. Thus, finding easily-accessed web education resources and virtual reality programs is a vested interest of mine. I was disappointed that the article, written in 2008, included statistics from 1999, even though that was only nine years prior to publication. I would truly be surprised to find many emergency medicine residents who were unable to use a PowerPoint. Maybe a few less could use Google Scholar, but only because they might not have heard of it. Internet access is almost universal in hospitals at this point and I would guess that many physicians utilize it frequently. I can't say this for all hospitals, but when I left an HCA-owned hospital in 2005, we had online education opportunities at our fingertips and from what I saw during my recent experience as a patient family member, these opportunities have only multiplied exponentially for hospital employees. Did this article and its writers cause this explosion? Perhaps they influenced the decisions of a few physicians and administrators, but I think the most likely cause was the proliferation of online information. Emergency medicine training websites exist now for free for anyone - even 16-year-olds - to learn how to perform valuable emergency procedures. Who knows, we might even have non-physician-operated emergency rooms in the future... I don't know if I'm ready for that.
Personally, I can't wait for the cost of virtual reality patient simulation to drop to the point where I can afford to bring it into my classroom. In high school health science education, the logistics of getting students to medical facilities are prohibitive, but a programmable manikin will allow me to introduce my students to elevated heart rates and other dangerous conditions they would never see in a building full of their fairly healthy peers. Though I learned patient care skills "on the floor" and I survived, I remember feeling nervous about things like starting IVs, flushing IV lines, and even dealing with nauseated patients. Technology can't teach students everything they need to know, and they will still need hands-on practice to become competent medical professionals, but practicing on a simulated patient gives the student the opportunity to perfect the skill before using it on a real person. I am a fan of the use of technology in health education and I hope to see a lot more of it.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Feb. 10 - catching up
I have some catching up to do. My mother's condition has deteriorated and she is not only in hospice but in a coma. :( When I am at her house I try to get some classwork done and between the company coming in and the questions I get asked by family members and friends, I just don't really have time to read like I should. I came home for the day and I hope to get some stuff done... though I really just want to sleep.
Ed. note from March 11: Later this same evening, Mom passed away. It's taken me awhile, but I've almost caught up.
Ed. note from March 11: Later this same evening, Mom passed away. It's taken me awhile, but I've almost caught up.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Jan. 26 part two
Here's my "assignment checkoff" for this lesson.
- I read the syllabus. Both of them.
- I use Firefox and love it. I have Chrome and IE also but I don't use them a lot.
- I installed Instapaper and learned about using bookmarklets. I'd used them before but not much.
- I created a Delicious account. I have Diigo and Pinterest already, and commented on them.
- I have 2 or 3 ways to get on the 'Net.
- I picked the three blogs I mentioned in my previous post.
- I had originally requested to follow those blogs with an email reminder but I think I'll use Google Reader.
- I re-started my old Blogger blog, Tech Bits.
- I THINK I sent all my info to Dr. Luck... but if I didn't, hopefully he'll let me know.
Sat., Jan. 26 - overwhelmed but maintaining
I'm managing so far this semester... by the grace of God!
Just briefly I want to mention the blogs I am following. Originally I had a different list of 3 I think, but I couldn't find it and decided to go back and select them again.
1. The Innovative Educator. I already had this blog in my Google Reader but I didn't realize it! A couple of years ago I took a class where I had to follow blogs and and it was on my Blogger page too.
2. Edutopia blog. When I first started teaching, an assistant principal suggested I look for ideas on Edutopia. Well, I was overwhelmed and knew most of that stuff was way over my head and out of my control. Some of it still is, but I don't find this website quite as intimidating anymore.
3. 21st Century Educational Technology & Learning. A friend, fellow educator and informal mentor retired at Christmas. She is still young, but she's been an educator for well over 30 years and she felt it was time to do it. I understood, totally, and I don't blame her. Though I felt she adapted well to the computer age, I was reminded that she and many of her friends and colleagues became teachers in the 20th century and that was the way she learned to teach, and there was nothing wrong with that! However, today's students - especially when they get to high school, where I teach - are digital natives. Though I "immigrated" at a pretty young age, I can relate to both ways, and I can use any help with technology I can get!
Just for fun, here is one I also had on Google Reader that I find interesting: The Fischbowl. I don't always agree with Karl Fisch but he's very intelligent and his blog is thought provoking.
Just briefly I want to mention the blogs I am following. Originally I had a different list of 3 I think, but I couldn't find it and decided to go back and select them again.
1. The Innovative Educator. I already had this blog in my Google Reader but I didn't realize it! A couple of years ago I took a class where I had to follow blogs and and it was on my Blogger page too.
2. Edutopia blog. When I first started teaching, an assistant principal suggested I look for ideas on Edutopia. Well, I was overwhelmed and knew most of that stuff was way over my head and out of my control. Some of it still is, but I don't find this website quite as intimidating anymore.
3. 21st Century Educational Technology & Learning. A friend, fellow educator and informal mentor retired at Christmas. She is still young, but she's been an educator for well over 30 years and she felt it was time to do it. I understood, totally, and I don't blame her. Though I felt she adapted well to the computer age, I was reminded that she and many of her friends and colleagues became teachers in the 20th century and that was the way she learned to teach, and there was nothing wrong with that! However, today's students - especially when they get to high school, where I teach - are digital natives. Though I "immigrated" at a pretty young age, I can relate to both ways, and I can use any help with technology I can get!
Just for fun, here is one I also had on Google Reader that I find interesting: The Fischbowl. I don't always agree with Karl Fisch but he's very intelligent and his blog is thought provoking.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Jan. 24 - What I've done this week!
Well, first let me say that I'm sort of surprised I've done anything this week. Here's a summary of my week:
Mom was in ICU from Monday to Thursday and came home on Friday. I stayed with her from Monday to Thursday, finally slept in my own bed Thursday night (which was AWESOME), and went back to work on Friday. I reinstated my blog Thursday night in an attempt to get off to a good start in my classes. After work Friday, I went to Mom's to get her settled in, and while waiting in her driveway, installed Instapaper on my iPhone, having already done that on my home and work laptops on Thursday.
I goofed off on Saturday since my brother was staying with Mom and my next turn was coming. I watched TV, did laundry, played with the cat as well as online. I didn't do a lot of classwork but I did a little reading on the message boards. On Sunday, I went to church, shopped, and napped before going to Mom's in the evening for her birthday. I also spent the night, and installed Delicious on my work computer, which I have found is nice to have home on the weekends.
Since Monday was a school holiday, I took care of Mom on her birthday. My brothers located my late grandfather's old lift chair, which wasn't being used, in a friend's house. It has been a real boon for Mom. People brought food so I didn't even need to cook, just heat stuff up. Mom's friend JoAnn came to stay the night, so I went home. I called in for Tuesday because I didn't have anyone to stay with Mom during the day. She had a pretty good day. More food! I am on the fried chicken and doughnut diet. I read through some of the messages on the boards.
I went back to school on Wednesday and worked today too. My cousin stayed with Mom yesterday and my brother stayed today. Yesterday she ate well but had a lot of company. When they all left, she was ill as a hornet. A nap helped matters a great deal. I did no homework or schoolwork... just hung out on her couch when she was resting, and followed her around while she piddled through the house with her walker. This afternoon, I went back to Mom's where I relieved my brother until JoAnn returned around 7. Actually both brothers stayed for awhile after I got there. While there, I tweaked an old test to administer tomorrow (if we don't get iced over).
Now it's nearly 10 and I'm home again, wondering if the wintry mix that's predicted will allow me a little more time to work on my classwork. I hope so. I am so far behind in my grading, planning, and my own classwork. Of course tonight I goofed off online for an hour before getting onto D2L. Oh, well. Tomorrow's Friday and even if I have to work, Fridays are usually a little more relaxed and fun at school. If I don't have to work, I have to go to Mom's to relieve my brother at 1:00. I have installed Delicious on my home computer tonight too. I tried it a few years ago and didn't like it. Now it seems a lot more user-friendly. Also, I downloaded the GenieO page. I find it a little creepy because it has obviously used my search history... oh boy. :D
Mom was in ICU from Monday to Thursday and came home on Friday. I stayed with her from Monday to Thursday, finally slept in my own bed Thursday night (which was AWESOME), and went back to work on Friday. I reinstated my blog Thursday night in an attempt to get off to a good start in my classes. After work Friday, I went to Mom's to get her settled in, and while waiting in her driveway, installed Instapaper on my iPhone, having already done that on my home and work laptops on Thursday.
I goofed off on Saturday since my brother was staying with Mom and my next turn was coming. I watched TV, did laundry, played with the cat as well as online. I didn't do a lot of classwork but I did a little reading on the message boards. On Sunday, I went to church, shopped, and napped before going to Mom's in the evening for her birthday. I also spent the night, and installed Delicious on my work computer, which I have found is nice to have home on the weekends.
Since Monday was a school holiday, I took care of Mom on her birthday. My brothers located my late grandfather's old lift chair, which wasn't being used, in a friend's house. It has been a real boon for Mom. People brought food so I didn't even need to cook, just heat stuff up. Mom's friend JoAnn came to stay the night, so I went home. I called in for Tuesday because I didn't have anyone to stay with Mom during the day. She had a pretty good day. More food! I am on the fried chicken and doughnut diet. I read through some of the messages on the boards.
I went back to school on Wednesday and worked today too. My cousin stayed with Mom yesterday and my brother stayed today. Yesterday she ate well but had a lot of company. When they all left, she was ill as a hornet. A nap helped matters a great deal. I did no homework or schoolwork... just hung out on her couch when she was resting, and followed her around while she piddled through the house with her walker. This afternoon, I went back to Mom's where I relieved my brother until JoAnn returned around 7. Actually both brothers stayed for awhile after I got there. While there, I tweaked an old test to administer tomorrow (if we don't get iced over).
Now it's nearly 10 and I'm home again, wondering if the wintry mix that's predicted will allow me a little more time to work on my classwork. I hope so. I am so far behind in my grading, planning, and my own classwork. Of course tonight I goofed off online for an hour before getting onto D2L. Oh, well. Tomorrow's Friday and even if I have to work, Fridays are usually a little more relaxed and fun at school. If I don't have to work, I have to go to Mom's to relieve my brother at 1:00. I have installed Delicious on my home computer tonight too. I tried it a few years ago and didn't like it. Now it seems a lot more user-friendly. Also, I downloaded the GenieO page. I find it a little creepy because it has obviously used my search history... oh boy. :D
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Starting now!
Thursday begins a new semester and with any luck, it will be the next-to-last semester for me. I like learning and I like classes but I would like them a lot more if I didn't have to teach them while I'm taking them! So... I am glad to see light at the end of the tunnel. I almost quit school completely this semester and if this week is any indication (and yes, I know this is the first day!!!) there will be times when I question my sanity for sticking with it! Maybe for some of my teacher/student friends it was an easy week, with early dismissals and late starts and days school was closed completely. However, my mother has been in ICU this week so it has been... interesting.
HOPEFULLY in the end it will be worth all the work. It had better be! :D Though who am I going to blame if it's not???
This semester I am going to do a better job of keeping up my blog than I did last year when I did this. I am no longer the technology coach in my end of the building because it was really taking a toll on my teaching. I was averaging $5 an hour for the coaching end of it and that was being generous. When I got a poor score on an observation I decided it was time to let that go. I still have a very over-committed schedule. Oh, well. I am looking forward to my classes and hopefully I will have time to focus on them!
HOPEFULLY in the end it will be worth all the work. It had better be! :D Though who am I going to blame if it's not???
This semester I am going to do a better job of keeping up my blog than I did last year when I did this. I am no longer the technology coach in my end of the building because it was really taking a toll on my teaching. I was averaging $5 an hour for the coaching end of it and that was being generous. When I got a poor score on an observation I decided it was time to let that go. I still have a very over-committed schedule. Oh, well. I am looking forward to my classes and hopefully I will have time to focus on them!
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