A few years ago when I started working at the university where I am currently employed, I was curious what was in the closet across the hall from my office. After obtaining the keys from the nursing secretary, I was amazed to find some very expensive pieces of equipment gathering dust. There were two human patient simulation mannequins, two laptop computers, and two compressors on rolling carts gathering dust. It turned out that there was close to $70,000.00 worth of equipment stashed in there. The nursing faculties were using lecture for 90% of their teaching techniques while modern technology was wasting away in this nearby closet.
Human patient simulators have chests that move up and down with each breath, palpable pulses, heart and lung sounds, a bladder that may be catherized, an airway that may be intubated, and blood vessels that may be cannulated for intravenous fluids. I asked why the mannequins were not being used for teaching tools and the answers I received were "if it ain't broke don't fix it", "we've always done it this way", "it's too much trouble to work the things, it's easier to just lecture". So, I presented my case to the nursing chair and asked her if I could start using the mannequins in the skills lab. She told me that I was welcome to get them out of the closet but that she "didn't think that simulation would help students that much". Hmmm...the proverbial old dog - new trick syndrome. I moved SimMan and SimBaby out of the hall closet and into my skills lab and started teaching Level 1 students how to hear blood pressures on SimMan's arm, and where to palpate pulses. They loved it just as I suspected that they would. Level II students were practicing their assessment skills and detecting adventitious heart and lung sounds. Using the computer, I ran a few code scenarios with the Level III students one-on-one, and they had to demonstrate that they knew what to do in a cardiac emergency. These are just a few of the examples of skills that students must look, listen, and feel to accomplish because some things just can't be learned from reading a book or listening to someone lecture.
I plan to use Keller's ARCS model (Driscoll, 2005) to change faculties attitudes and motivate them to use the human patient simulators to enhance student learning. The first step will be to get their attention by encouraging students to tell faculty how much they have learned and have enjoyed working with the simulators. The second step will be to demonstrate to faculty how relevant using modern technology is to this generation of learners who prefer technology over lecture as a teaching technique. Lastly, I will encourage faculty that if they can use a computer, they can program SimMan and SimBaby to work. It's really no trouble at all and the rewards are tremendous.
Reference:
Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction, Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
"Connectivism"
How has networking changed the way that you learn?
I am an older adult learner. Networking has certainly changed the way that I learn. In my younger days, traditional four wall classrooms with chalkboards, erasers, and long lectures were the norm. Now, I am online and pursuing a degree via the internet at my own pace in my spare time.
Which digital tools best facilitate learning for you?
Driscoll (2005) describes learning as a "persisting change in human performance or performance potential" (p. 9). I would have to say that my computer has enabled me to return to school and is the digital tool that best facilitates my learning. With my family and work obligations, distance learning has been a blessing to me.
How do you learn new knowledge when you have questions?
I love to read, so I Google it...and see what various websites have to say about a topic. Also, the Walden library holds a wealth of information. In addition to that, I teach at a local university and there are experts in various fields available on campus that I may network with to help me with questions that I might have.
Reference:
Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.) Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
I am an older adult learner. Networking has certainly changed the way that I learn. In my younger days, traditional four wall classrooms with chalkboards, erasers, and long lectures were the norm. Now, I am online and pursuing a degree via the internet at my own pace in my spare time.
Which digital tools best facilitate learning for you?
Driscoll (2005) describes learning as a "persisting change in human performance or performance potential" (p. 9). I would have to say that my computer has enabled me to return to school and is the digital tool that best facilitates my learning. With my family and work obligations, distance learning has been a blessing to me.
How do you learn new knowledge when you have questions?
I love to read, so I Google it...and see what various websites have to say about a topic. Also, the Walden library holds a wealth of information. In addition to that, I teach at a local university and there are experts in various fields available on campus that I may network with to help me with questions that I might have.
Reference:
Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.) Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
Collaborative Constructivist Learning
Do you believe that humans have a basic instinct to interact and work as a group?
I believe that "two heads are better than one" as the old addage goes especially in problem based learning. Rheingold (2009) stated that collaboration is a natural human instinct and describes Wikipedia as an outgrowth of the instinct to do group work. In nursing education, students often work on assignments in small groups and assume responsibility for group learning outcomes and student's become accountable for their own work too. Collaborative learning promotes active, reflective learning, and encourages teamwork.
How can technology facilitate collaboration among learners based on constructivist principles?
Hannafin et al stated (as cited by Driscoll, 2005) that collaborative technologies that are Web-based can provide "problem scaffolding" and access to experts and on-line support systems (p. 404). This type learning environment allows students to communicate with others whether inside or outside of their immediate learning environments. In nursing education, the use of computer-mediated communication allows a free exchange of information among students, faculty, and nurses in practice settings (Billings & Halstead, 2005).
References:
Billings, D. M., & Halstead, J. A. (2005). Teaching in nursing: A guide for faculty (2nd ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Saunders.
Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
Rheingold, H. (2009). Thoughts on design, technology, and culture. Retrieved from http://designative.info/2009/04/03/howard-rheingolds-way-new-collaboration-talk-at-ted/
I believe that "two heads are better than one" as the old addage goes especially in problem based learning. Rheingold (2009) stated that collaboration is a natural human instinct and describes Wikipedia as an outgrowth of the instinct to do group work. In nursing education, students often work on assignments in small groups and assume responsibility for group learning outcomes and student's become accountable for their own work too. Collaborative learning promotes active, reflective learning, and encourages teamwork.
How can technology facilitate collaboration among learners based on constructivist principles?
Hannafin et al stated (as cited by Driscoll, 2005) that collaborative technologies that are Web-based can provide "problem scaffolding" and access to experts and on-line support systems (p. 404). This type learning environment allows students to communicate with others whether inside or outside of their immediate learning environments. In nursing education, the use of computer-mediated communication allows a free exchange of information among students, faculty, and nurses in practice settings (Billings & Halstead, 2005).
References:
Billings, D. M., & Halstead, J. A. (2005). Teaching in nursing: A guide for faculty (2nd ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Saunders.
Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
Rheingold, H. (2009). Thoughts on design, technology, and culture. Retrieved from http://designative.info/2009/04/03/howard-rheingolds-way-new-collaboration-talk-at-ted/
Cognitivism and Behaviorism
After reading Bill Kerr's blog dated January 01, 2007 I started thinking about the importance of learning theories. I have to agree with Bill that "each _ism is offering something useful without any of them standing alone". In my nursing classes there are times when behaviorism is appropriate, other times cognitivism is an appropriate learning theory to guide the student instruction. For example, when I am teaching nursing skills, it is appropriate to teach using behaviorist principles. In doing so, step-by-step sequences can be quickly learned by students, and monitored and observed by faculty. Other times, behaviorist theory is not appropriate and the cognitivist theory is best suited such as when problem solving concepts need to be enhanced. We are reaching the end of a bed-based health care system and moving toward a high-tech outpatient based health care system. As nursing faculty I have a responsibility to prepare my students for a complex health care system that requires them to be critical thinkers. Karl Kapp stated in his blog on January 02, 2007, learning is "multi-layered" and "multi-faceted" and there are "too many levels for one school of thought or one model to do it all". I couldn't agree more.
Kapp, K. (2007, January 2). Re: Out and about: Discussion on educational schools of thought [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://karlkapp.blogspot.com/2007/01/out-and-about-discussion-on-educational.html
Kerr, B. (2007, January 1). Re: _isms as filter not blinker [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/2007/01/isms-as-filter-not-blinker.html
Kapp, K. (2007, January 2). Re: Out and about: Discussion on educational schools of thought [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://karlkapp.blogspot.com/2007/01/out-and-about-discussion-on-educational.html
Kerr, B. (2007, January 1). Re: _isms as filter not blinker [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/2007/01/isms-as-filter-not-blinker.html
Learning and Learning Theory in Educational Technology
How do people learn best?
If I could place all people into a single category of learners, the answer might come more readily. However, the truth is that learners have their own rates of understanding, refinement, and application skills. In addition, there are many things that influence the rates of individual learning such as degree of motivation, degree of participation, prior knowledge and experiences, and the types of learning activities being used. Billings and Halstead (2005) stated that learning is "self-active" and can only be "accomplished" by the learner (p. 233). Freire stated (as cited by Billings et al.) that learning is also influenced by power structures that decide what knowledge is important or valid. Siemens (2008) stated that a key question should be whether students learn best by "minimal guidance" or "guided instruction" (p. 13). Certainly over recent years there has been a paradigm shift and emphasis is on having learners construct and create knowledge while faculty serve as facilitators (Billings, et al.)
What is the purpose of learning theory in educational technology?
The purpose of learning theory in educational technology is the same that it would be in any discipline. Learning theories focus on how people learn. Driscoll (2005) stated that a learning theory is built upon linking changes in observable performance and what caused the changes. Two major bodies of learning theory from which many other theories have derived include behaviorism and cognitivism. The behaviorists theory is based on the perspective that learning is observable behavior brought about by external reinforcement. The cognitive theory is based on the perspective that learning occurs through mental unobservable processes that may or may not be seen as change in behavior. In today's world, technology-mediated instruction has influenced the way we teach and the way students learn. We need learning theories to help us focus on how students learn.
References
Billings, D. M., & Halstead, J. A. (2005). Teaching in nursing: A guide for faculty (2nd ed.). St. Louis: Elsevier Saunders
Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
Siemens, G. (2008, January 27). Learning and knowing in networks: Changing roles for educators and designers. Paper presented to ITFORUM. Retrieved from http://it.coe.uga.edu/itforum/Paper105/Siemens.pdf
If I could place all people into a single category of learners, the answer might come more readily. However, the truth is that learners have their own rates of understanding, refinement, and application skills. In addition, there are many things that influence the rates of individual learning such as degree of motivation, degree of participation, prior knowledge and experiences, and the types of learning activities being used. Billings and Halstead (2005) stated that learning is "self-active" and can only be "accomplished" by the learner (p. 233). Freire stated (as cited by Billings et al.) that learning is also influenced by power structures that decide what knowledge is important or valid. Siemens (2008) stated that a key question should be whether students learn best by "minimal guidance" or "guided instruction" (p. 13). Certainly over recent years there has been a paradigm shift and emphasis is on having learners construct and create knowledge while faculty serve as facilitators (Billings, et al.)
What is the purpose of learning theory in educational technology?
The purpose of learning theory in educational technology is the same that it would be in any discipline. Learning theories focus on how people learn. Driscoll (2005) stated that a learning theory is built upon linking changes in observable performance and what caused the changes. Two major bodies of learning theory from which many other theories have derived include behaviorism and cognitivism. The behaviorists theory is based on the perspective that learning is observable behavior brought about by external reinforcement. The cognitive theory is based on the perspective that learning occurs through mental unobservable processes that may or may not be seen as change in behavior. In today's world, technology-mediated instruction has influenced the way we teach and the way students learn. We need learning theories to help us focus on how students learn.
References
Billings, D. M., & Halstead, J. A. (2005). Teaching in nursing: A guide for faculty (2nd ed.). St. Louis: Elsevier Saunders
Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
Siemens, G. (2008, January 27). Learning and knowing in networks: Changing roles for educators and designers. Paper presented to ITFORUM. Retrieved from http://it.coe.uga.edu/itforum/Paper105/Siemens.pdf
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