# data[].attributes.body
I would first like to address those aspects of technology that have impeded my learning. Those would chiefly be assignments that include the importing and manipulating of digital files. These tasks have actually distracted from my own learning process. Also, too many online resources only serves to intimidate me and stress me out. I like what is the required material to complete the given assignment in an easy to reach format. I personally think there should be a summer school course in technology in pedagogy prior to the start of the program, so that people who are less skilled in technology get a little leg up at least.
I have learned with, and enjoyed, the various in-person activities and discussions. I think the best learning activity for me is when I have been assigned to teach something on my own. I recently heard that when we are challenged to teach a subject to someone else, we retain the most information on the subject matter ourselves. In class discussions can be very fruitful as well, as long as the instructor keeps them on track and keeps the stronger individuals from dominating the conversation.
Group activities have been kind of a mixed bag for me. It has been a challenge to work with other strong personalities but a learning experience as well. In truth, I have learned a lot about the use of technology through group activities because there were peers to learn from. This was far from ideal, however, and there was the occasional student who resented the lack of tech acumen I brought to the table.
So, in all honesty, the technology has been the smallest contributor to my education as a graduate student. Though, it is, at the same time, assenting in the era we live in.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
How our transport team escape rooms feel sometimes 😅

# data[].attributes.body
Learning activities that work best for me are ones that allow me to use all my senses and come at the same topic in a number of different ways. Creative activities that make me think outside the box usually help me learn best. Our NICU transport team clinical supervisor leads our quarterly transport team training that keeps our competencies current. Usually it includes skills lab and simulation; however, every once in a while she will create an "escape room" type activity where we have to solve puzzles using transport team knowledge and skills before we can move out. I always leave these learning activities with new knowledge and feeling like I grew as a transport nurse.

Creating and giving presentations also helps me to learn and grow. It usually requires collecting a lot of information, synthesizing it, and identifying the most important parts to be shared. I have a presentation to give in our next staff meeting, and it always makes me feel more like an expert when I'm the one who is required to present it and answer questions.

I feel neutral about Healthstream--the online learning system we use at the hospital. I understand these are required to check a box but they are so easy to tune out of and click through to get to the end so I find very little learning to have actually occurred after the fact. I think focusing Healthstreams to align with patient population would be a good way to utilize these online learning modules.

Like many others have discussed, Canvas discussion boards have interfered with learning in the past. To me, it feels like the epitome of busy work. I get that it's an attempt to replace in person discussion, but it has nowhere near the same feeling or learning associated with it. I'm not sure an actual in class discussion can be replicated online and I think that's the problem with how most educators tend to use discussion boards.

# data[].attributes.body
Reflecting on my professional development toward a nurse educator role, the tasks and activities that have contributed to my growth and development are those that facilitate active learning and that are meaningful for my current and future practice. For example, developing a teaching philosophy as an assignment helped me reflect on the numerous theories and ideas I have learned so far, and pick what I want to actually implement in my role as an educator. Collaborative activities have also contributed to my growth and development because I can learn from my peers and gain new perspectives.

I also learn best from experience and hands-on activities. One activity that is memorable for me is one that I did in a simulation facilitator course. We divided into groups and were told to facilitate a simulation on building Legos. It was fun and silly, but it taught me how to facilitate a simulation without being hung up on the clinical information, and focusing on how to be clear, facilitate collaboration, and focus on the learners rather than the actual content. My experience in my fellowship educator role at my workplace has been invaluable for my professional development, and my fieldwork also has helped me apply and reinforce the content from my graduate courses. My most memorable learning moments occur from trial and error, developing and teaching actual curricula, and reflecting on those experiences, which is why Kolb's Learning Cycle is one theory I often refer to when describing my learning style.

Reading articles in journals and the flipped classroom are interesting learning tasks, but neutral ways for me to learn. I like reading the evidence that supports ideas and concepts, and I like becoming an expert in a topic to teach as an assignment, but it is not the best way to teach me how to apply the material and implement it into my future practice.

Graded quizzes and tests have interfered with my learning because my anxiety and stress related to passing the assessments impede my ability to truly learn the material.     Long videos, such as recorded lectures, also impede my learning because I tend to get distracted and lose interest. It is too tempting to multitask, and I am not as great at multitasking as I like to think. Watching a video is not engaging and I can become unmotivated if I have to rewind the video several times or pause it to take notes. Auditory learning is probably my least favorite way to learn.

# data[].attributes.body
The first thing that jumped out at me for learning/activities that contributed to my growth was taking the TeamSTEPPS Master Trainer class. Honestly when I signed up, I thought I was just taking the regular class – didn’t realize it was the Master Trainer class! But – it is one of my favorite classes I’ve ever taken through work. It was a two-day class that was a multidisciplinary group (in fact Dr. Ezeonwu was in my class!). There were nurses, providers, social workers and more. The class was fast paced but well timed through the days, included lots of engaging and funny videos (here’s a great one on listening It's Not About the Nail), and included a group skit at the end. Each topic included an activity that asked us to relate it to our work place.  Another example of something that I learned a lot from was offered by UW Organizational Development and Training. It was the Tier 1 leadership class (its now retired and they have an alternative offering). It was also a two-day class, also multidisciplinary, and very much related to our workplace. It included lots of group discussions and mini in-class assignments that asked us to reflect on work experiences. Often when I am in a class or other lecture of sorts, I will think, “Ooh, that is something I want to think more about!”. But it really helps me a lot when I get time right there and then to reflect on the topic. Sometimes my initial thought about reflection is that it is not as necessary for education as lectures and reading, but looking at these two experiences, reflection was a big piece of why I learned so much! A class that did not feel very useful was a pain class I took at HMC where the instructor crammed in a lot of topics but only covered everything at a surface level, and did not have time for questions, let alone reflection. Once I took a de-escalation class in order to work at our Respite program and it was very disappointing. There was a workbook for the class and the instructor literally read the material to us. This is the ultimate way to NOT engage with a class.  I have had other instructors clearly read their slides and have also felt it very difficult to engage. Even if the instructor adds more ad lib thoughts after reading – I’m already checked out. Really hope I never find myself doing this!

-Christine McCarthy

# data[].attributes.body
So many different activities...

Looking back over years of "education" I've had many opportunities to learn in different ways. I wanted to start with defining what "learning" is... and then I re-read the first question and it wasn't about which activities helped you learn - it was which "actually contributed to your growth and development?" Which answers my first question - I've learned information from many activities but the small group/class discussion is one of those activities in which I have been challenged by the most. And, in "challenge" I mean that those are where my opinions and thought processes have been challenged and brought about new ideas and opinions based on the productive discussion in classes. This program has warranted many of these and I've learned so much more than I thought possible by participating in these discussions - it makes me want to come to class every time.

Another activity that has helped me tremendously is creating or developing something - the act of manipulating content in some way: like creating a PowerPoint or Prezi presentation, developing a concept map, designing a model of the information - whatever fits best with the information at hand. I am one of those people that doesn't necessarily prefer visual or auditory learning, but learn far faster and more concretely with kinesthetic learning. I've discovered I need to fidget, doodle, color, etc. while in a learning environment in order to learn most effectively.

Ironically, most online discussion boards have been neutral at best or detracting at worst when it comes to learning for me. More often than not it feels like "checking a box" and accomplishing something that is required - even the mandatory replies to other students are often stretched or repetitive. Depending on the questions proposed and the manner in which content is engaged by the professor, student responses to the initial question are often very similar which makes replying difficult without repeating the same thing that was already said.

Healthstream is a tool used by one of my employers that has been helpful at times for new information - I have actually learned a few things through their interactive modules. However, the few pieces of information I've learned compared to the sheer volume of hours spent clicking through each of the modules is tedious and detracts from the learning experience. It is an easy-for-them to use tool to track annual education compliance and required education pieces for accreditation. It is also used in preparation for new policies or procedures but without in-person follow up in some way it is less than helpful as a bedside nurse and as a unit charge nurse. There is often a disconnect between the information the education department wants staff to know and what they actually know.

# data[].attributes.body
In reflecting on my preferred learning activities, it really has been a variety! I come back to discussions/conversations that have been impactful in my learning. I love book clubs- reading and discussing. One undergrad assignment I had was reading two different books (assigned) and then writing a paper about themes that I found. I loved that assignment! If I am learning a new skill or new workflow, show me a visual and then let me practice in a low impact to outcome setting. If I am learning about a new consent form, show me the new and old form tell me how many differences there are and then let me find them. I appreciate having freedom within learning activities to be creative. Last spring in class 513 teaching methods, I really enjoyed getting to pick whatever I wanted to write on for the final paper. It seemed a bit overwhelming at first, but I loved it! Remember field trips in elementary school? I like going to the museum and exploring an artist or style and spending time learning about it via videos, books, or podcasts. Life connects in interesting and unusual ways fostering creativity can be a subtle part of learning. Here is a wild idea- can you use art to teach assessment skills? Possibly- part of assessing is noticing, looking, examining. I love to stand in front of a painting and see what all I notice. One time after taking a tour of the Hoover Dam I spent the next few months just learning more about it!  Interesting but neutral are team type games either physical or cerebral- like Jeopardy or Pictionary but I’m not a huge fan of timed activities so while I find this fun with others, I also find them stressful. Passive activities like lectures with minimal conversation are painful for me- I’m thinking A&P class or chemistry. While I was reflecting on writing this post, I spent some time exploring on the web and came across this framework- and I found this helpful to give myself structure in thinking about this reflection.
Video about the conversational framework.

https://www.futurelearn.com/info/courses/blended-and-online-learning-design/0/steps/191671

# data[].attributes.body
When I think about the learning activities that contributed most to my learning I think about when my cohort was training to labor patients. There was so much to learn, and I remember thinking there was no way I would learn it all.  I most enjoyed having a subject matter expert with our small group, and I enjoyed having props, and a case study. It is one thing to learn skills independent of their application, but an entirely separate and valuable learning experience to learn those skills within context. For example, it was powerful to learn about chorioamnionitis, while also practicing the hands on skills of hanging an IV antibiotic as a secondary.
Another learning activity I found really powerful was in Storm's class when we were divided into groups, and each group gave a short presentation on their topic. It really helped us to hone in on the most important information because our presentations were so brief. The problem I had with this technique though, is that I tended to learn my topic really well, but couldn't really focus on the other group's presentations. I believe it was the preparation for my presentation that facilitated the most learning, and that is an important lesson to remember when I am planning learning activities for my resident nurses. It may be less about the presentation, and more about the preparation.
Neutral learning activities have been those like Cahoots or other online voting systems where the class logs in and then chooses the correct answer as the question is displayed on the screen. For some reason, I was just never really impressed. It felt forced and uninspiring. Because I don't like them as a learner, I have never used them as a teacher.
Another activity that I find incredibly valuable is self-reflection exercises. I think there are many ways to facilitate self-reflection, the most common to be to answer a series of qeuestions, or respond to a prompt (similar to this activity). In fact, I am considering how I can incorporate padlet into my residency program as a means to reflection that others can read and respond to. I find if the time for reflection is worked into the learning session, or the reflection itself becomes the assignment, then I am more likely to do it, and thus more likely to get something out of it.
Finally, I find in-situ learning much more effective than when you learn something in a classroom and then try to apply it to a real patient. As I am building drills and other learning opportunities for the labor residents, I am alwasy thinking about how I can get them into a real patient room, with the real equipment, etc. I want their learning to be as meaningful as possible, and I think doing things in situ adds a lot.

# data[].attributes.body
Tasks and activities that have actually contributed to my growth and development are definitely those that incorporate hands-on materials along with visuals. One solid activity I can think of in nursing school was when we were learning about different fields of vision conditions such as having glaucoma or cataracts, etc. Our instructor of course introduced these conditions in a lecture format, but then when we went to the lab, we applied different glasses that represented each condition. For me this was meaningful because they were able to incorporate lecture based learning to the lab setting, and through kinesthetics provided us the opportunity to “feel” what that was like for the patients so that we could understand and empathize. For me, anytime what is being taught can be further elaborated through the use of kinesthetics, it really contributes to my understanding and development.

Some activities that I find neutral are actually forced discussion boards. What I mean by forced is (unlike these in Padlet) where there are specific expectations of word limits or number of references or responses to peers requiring a certain length. Of course there are some benefits to these in the sharing as ideas, but I label them as neutral because I feel more inclined to make sure I am meeting the criteria my instructor is wanting to receive a good grade, rather than actually focusing on what is important to add to discussion. I find that conversations in class are better than those through the use of online discussion boards or even these on Padlet because it allows me to explore my own thoughts and ideas without extensive expectations.

One’s that I can think of that have interfered with my learning are those that I personally find distracting. One example I can think of is when people use videos where there are rapid changes in scenery or distracting visuals such as cartoons. When images change rapidly or are highly distracting, I find that they are just interfering with my learning at that point.

-Taylor Smith

# data[].attributes.body
As we move forward in learning about technology, this is helpful to reflect on what has actually been of value to us. I am interested in learning so many tech applications, but examining what I find valuable might help guide me to use only valuable activities for my learners. That being said, I have to consider what is valuable for myself might not be valuable for others. Hopefully, being more in tune with what I find valuable to my learning will help me critically evaluate applications before using them.
I have found the activities that have contributed most to my growth and development are in-person group discussions, doing hands-on activities when I have to teach information back or "be the expert," looking more information up related to a topic, and critical reflection. Group discussions help me grow because I can sit back, listen, process information, and then think of questions that deepen my learning. I love hands-on activities because, for me, it is engaging and fun, so I feel like I retain the information better. Several times in the program, we have had to be the "expert" and then have group discussions. This contributed to my growth because I felt I had a responsibility to be knowledgeable on the topic, so it pushed me to put in a lot of effort be create a deeper understanding of the material. I also have found that individual self-exploration of material really helps my growth. It leads me to explore information that I am motivated to learn more about, so I retain it and develop a greater understanding of the content. Lastly, critical reflection I have found to be so important. Thinking back pushes me to revisit what I have learned, process it again, and evaluate the information I have learned.
This leads me to the video I posted. I was looking up learning activities just to jog my postpartum brain and came across this video. If you are up for some cognitive dissonance, check it out! It states that people don't benefit more from visual/auditory/writing/kinesthetic learning styles and that we all actually learn best using all of them. It argues that teachers are given unnecessary work to do to cater to all these styles. Very interesting and blew my mind. Basically, what is more, important than a "learning style" is that students create meaning, and that is how they will learn best.
As for learning activities that I have been neutral on...I think doing quizzes is fun at the moment, but I don't think it helps me learn on a deeper level because I am just regurgitating information. For activities that interfered with my learning...canvas discussion boards...(Padlet is great, though!) It interfered because it did not motivate me to want to learn more (aka read the posts...it was too overwhelming for me).
Moving forward, it makes me consider that I need to ask the students which activities help them create meaning with the content. Then use applications to foster their development of meaning with the information so that they will learn it better.

# data[].attributes.body
The learning activities which have contributed the largest to my own growth and development have 3 components to  them: 1-environment, 2-hands on portions, and 3-random team members. Ropes courses in my youth were the first challenge because I tend to observe and offer input as I see it, which is more comfortable to me as an introvert to be in a smaller group, but random groups where I don't know others has pushed me to jump in and respond because I don't have any past feelings or worries. One ropes course I attended, you were not allowed to talk or mouth words, and we had to get all of us out of a tripod rope set-up without going under to moving the rope. I learned a lot about  myself and communication. If these activities are high stakes, I tend to panic, and so it isn't as meaningful and I know I would never be good at doing anything on a game show. Traditional teaching lectures rarely interest me and I struggle to stay awake, and people just reading from a PowerPoint makes me feel like it is pointless and the speaker has chosen to assume I can't even read and think for myself. These really interfere with my learning too, because I am trying to figure out what I give off that would make someone think that. We just had a speaker at our Nurse Learning Day for Optum who kept saying "And as I said", except she hadn't discussed the topic previously, and it honestly confused me to no end! My brain kept rewinding the things she had to see what I had missed and then she lost me completely. Having to come up with a presentation, that is creative and fun is more meaningful to me and I am more apt to practice the material and really hone in on the subject I am supposed to learn, because I may get asked questions. That tends to motivate me to know the material as in-depth as possible. I was in an outdoor class my senior year of high school, and I can honestly say I still use and remember what I learned, because the learning was on my feet. I was never around the same people, and it was always fascinating to me. The program had 75 students, so it was fairly simple for them to mix us up and mingle as we completed things in the great outdoors like skiing, hiking, hang -gliding and it always accompanied an active form of physical exercise along with a homework portion. Sometimes you were matched up with an instructor, which did not make me nervous because of their teaching styles. The attitude of the class was a person learning from another person model, and it was fascinating. The end of activity always wrapped around a theme and they would have us discuss as a group, so everyone could add to the content and make it meaningful. We also had our own budget and school bus, so it was a pretty amazing program. I was sad to hear of it's final year about 10 years ago. I gained confidence in myself along with skills and learning from the experiences, and I have never worked so hard in a program.
-Shelley

# data[].attributes.body
Learning Activities that Contributed to your learning:

This is not an activity I did in any classes, but I did in study groups outside of the classroom. In my anatomy and physiology class and Egyptology 101 class in my undergraduate education I taught other students about the lecture subjects of that week or taught imaginary students in an empty study room in my dorm. I would write explanations and concept maps on the whiteboard to illustrate content as well as talk through concepts with myself or with other students if they came to my study session. I learned best by teaching the content to imaginary learners or other students. It was super helpful for me to learn in my nursing classes, and I did my best to carry it forward with my classmates. It was a great collaborative way to discuss issues we were having with understanding content and if someone knew the subject matter better, we would switch roles of who was being the “students” and who was being the “teacher” in the study group. It made studying much more fun and interactive. It really helped me in studying for difficult nursing exams and allowed us as a group to support one another to learn difficult concepts while playing to each of our strengths in knowledge and helping each other with our weaker knowledge areas.

In my professional practice the activity that significantly contributed to my learning were our simulations and debriefings. Going through the realistic scenario with other learners was a great learning experience for me and supported me to feel more prepared to respond in emergent or emergency situations in the clinical setting. The debriefs were especially helpful since we in a safe space were able to discuss the pieces of the simulations that went well, did not go well and review policies/procedures or equipment we struggled with during the scenario. It helped me to understand my own actions and thinking in a guided and structured way. I also learned from what my fellow learners had observed about my own performance and from my own observations of how they did things in the scenario. Overall, realistic high fidelity nursing simulations were the best learning activity I have been able to participate in during my nursing career.

Learning Activities that were Neutral:

Discussion boards are interesting at times but are neutral to me because they do not always contribute very well to my learning. I notice that when I am answering discussion board questions with detailed instructions and rubrics, I get bogged down with writing my response in the way the instructor wants me to in order to get the best grade. I think that the intention of discussion boards is good, but they do not always contribute meaningfully to my learning. It also is at times overwhelming trying to choose from the many comments who to respond to. As well as to be cognizant of making sure you make the appropriate mandated number of comments and that they are substantive. I prefer the more informal padlet discussions as they are more free flowing and there is no prescribed rubric or number of comments I have to make on anyone else’s post.

Learning Activities that interfered with learning:

I hate the animated or PowerPoint based e-learning videos that they make us watch at work in HealthStream for our annual mandatory education! I do not learn anything at all from watching them. I have memorized the answers to the end of module quizzes (because they are the same almost every year) because I have done them so many times and memorization makes the quizzes at the end go faster. This strategy unfortunately does not contribute to long term retention of the information conveyed in the videos. The videos are not engaging or interesting and the monotone voice actors they use to narrate them are so boring it is easy to imagine me falling asleep on nightshift at my desk trying to watch them while also taking care of patients. Another detractor is that most organizations I have worked for expect you while you are on shift and caring for patients to complete these modules. This is so that they do not have to pay you extra or overtime for mandatory required education. It is difficult and almost impossible for me to learn anything from the boring video modules while I am distracted by doing my job and caring for my patients. The expectation that they be done at work is a huge distractor and detractor from contributing to workers actually learning and retaining any of the content of the modules. They have been the bane of my educational experience at most hospital/healthcare organizations.

Please let me know if you hate them as much as I do or if you have found any you like! (I genuinely want to know if anyone likes them or has learned from them)

-Morgan Sidles

# data[].attributes.body
Learning activities contributed to my growth in learning:

I get excited and creative in learning in experiential classroom activities, such as case studies, simulations, role-play, problem-based learning, or other activities that use real-life experiences as the basis for instruction. These activities provide me with a better grasp of concepts, the opportunity to be more creative and reflect, mistakes being valuable experiences, and building a positive attitude toward learning. It engages my emotions as well as enhances my knowledge and skills. My learning outcomes were achieved well when I was given more autonomy, open and creative environment rather than constrained and forced by an uptight and over detailed rubric in grading (there are multiple grading formats). The creativity-driven learning environment motivates me with inexhaustible vibrancy and passion.

Neutral learning activities:
Kahoot in a competitive group setting interests me very little. I can participate actively, but I need more meaning and value in participation to win. A similar way is on Quiz games. The simpler quizzes, the lessor interest drive my learning motivation. I might learn something, but I need help to retain value in learning. I get quickly loose interest and become dull in these activities.

What interfered with my learning:
Discussion board with rubrics and forced response (how much or how many responses to contribute in the discussion board to earn the score or grade). Discussion boards are reflective in nature. When it needs to be strictly set in grading purpose, careful consideration and assessment of the learners, such as their level, interests, values, and desired outcomes, have to be evaluated before setting the rubric for grading, especially in higher level learning students who pursue and learn in their autonomy. The purpose of the discussion board and its nature in learning become ravaged as it is measured to receive a grade. Specific frames and examples can be provided but should be unrestricted. One discussion subject with too many sub-prompts, even with a grading rubric, is a critical distractor to me. It inhibits the thinking process in depth and loses the value of learning.