Blog #6 The Finale

The past couple of weeks I have explored several technologies. Pecha Kucha (Japanese for chatter) 20x20 is a simple presentation format where you display 20 images one at a time, each for 20 seconds. The images advance automatically and you narrate "Live" to the images.  I used this technology with some pictures I had taken on vacation in Mexico at Chichen Itza.  The pictures were added to Microsoft Powerpoint and then placed on a 10 second interval.  If I was actually doing a Pecha Kucha and narrating I would change it to 20 second interval. Pech Kucha is very easy to use if you already know how to use powerpoint. The challenge would be speaking for only 20 seconds on each slide. I added a little Mariachi music to this to make it a little less boring. I think if I were presenting I would use a little background music on some slides.

Glogster as with most Web 2.0 teaching tools, is relatively simple to set up once you acquire a Glogster account. Getting started is safe, private, and user-friendly. You can sign up at the Glogster Edu website. After completing the registration steps, you will receive an email with your nickname, password and login link. I used this technology for my final presentation.  I enjoyed using this site and found it easy to use until I previewed my attached videos.  The videos would not show after I attached them and the screen would be black with the words restricted or out of area on it.  After numerous attempts of unattaching and attaching numerous videos, I finally referred to a Youtube video which explained how I could attach videos using a chain link symbol and not the traditional upload icon. I found this technology a challenge at first only because of the difficulty I encountered to view attached videos. The wall menu is easy to follow to set up your glog. It offered many fun animations and attachments to add to your presentation. Glogster can be used in educational settings as an alternative to traditional poster presentations.

 Animoto is a cloud-based video creation service that produces videos from photos, video clips, and music into video slideshows.  You may access this site by signing up at Animoto.com.  This site offers a free 15 second video which you create using your photos or videos.  Animoto has themed templates with music or you may create your own format.   creating a video is easy and you can create a video within minutes.  Attached are photos from J.C. Jewels, a  girls ministry I mentor. I found this site to be intuitive and user friendly. You don't need to create a powerpoint and the end product is much more visually satisfying. Upgrading your status allows you to have more access to various features as well as acquiring more video time.

J.C. JEWELS

Computer technologies have opened the door to many new teaching approaches for nurse educators. Teaching with technology is a learned skill, and it involves more knowledge and skill than just knowing how to use a computer. This course has revealed numerous types of instructional technology, which I have not previously been exposed to. Hence, programs are needed to enable teaching faculty to incorporate technology into their repertoire of teaching strategies. I think the use of technology in nursing education will significantly change teaching strategies and will continue to challenge nurse educators in the years to come.