First, let me say, social platforms in general are not my favorite. There are too many and I personally like a singular way of communication such as via Canvas messenger or texting.

Discord- I liked that it was colorful. The visual appeal seemed engaging and the layout offered ease of use. I also appreciated the hashtags where conversations can be tailored under specific categories which are organized by a single hashtag. Users would then cycle through to a specific group of messages based on the content they are seeking. I in general still find it overwhelming but this is today's world of social media, and I could definitely see a use in a group of students that will be together for a period of time (like nursing school) where they can correspond with each other on various topics in one place. The study room voice channels were also very interesting and I would think useful. I see more utility of this tool when a group will be together for longer periods of time versus shorter classes; I just don't see it getting used fully.

SLACK Messaging- Slack is incredibly similar to Discord in that it is organized with a hashtag category. I like Discord more than SLACK because of the visual appeal. SLACK had a basic white background and limited functionality, where Discord offered better visualization (which can help engagement). There are no voice channel options on SLACK either. Overall just seemed like a more basic version of Discord

Kahoot- Loved this! I played around with a few of the free quizzes and found myself actually having a good time. It was engaging and interactive. The point allocations are fun, and you can see who in the group is in the top leader board. I enjoyed the ease of use as well. When it comes to being an educator, we have a lot of these new resources available, but ease of use is important to me. I can definitely see the utility in this in any class.

Poll Everywhere- Very similar to Kahoot- but less user friendly in my opinion, harder to use, and not as engaging. Similar in that you set up quizzes and it offers real time engagement. I did notice that Poll Everywhere actually shows how many students in the group are answering each option, in real time. So you could see that 3 people are selecting answer “A” for example, and you can see them changing answers as well. The only thing I don’t like about that is that students may be swayed to change answers as they see a majority selecting a certain one. 

PreziVideo-

I was most astonished by this and absolutely plan to utilize this tool in the future. When I compare this to Zoom for example, when you screen share on Zoom, the students are viewing your whole screen and then you (on video) are popped into a tiny portion of the screen. It makes it difficult for students to look at your visual cues due to the sizing. Prezi Video is pretty incredible when you are on the same screen as your presentation. This allows for better visual cueing and also would increase engagement with students. I really enjoyed this and again, think this would be helpful in any class utilizing the online platform.

GoogleDocs- I love this tool and utilize it constantly. It offers real time changes and engagement on documents which can create opportunities for quicker feedback. An example of this in my own personal experience is my drafts for our Capstone papers. Originally I was sending my chair a Word document attachment to an email. She would write comments on it and then email it back. The last draft I gave her I sent via GoogleDocs, and she would go through and offer suggestions which I could then “accept” and it would change automatically instead of me having to retype. This tool is fantastic for offering real time feedback and collaboration.

Discord: I have used this for a small group of classmates. The instant messaging is much easier than texting, you can see if members of your group are available/online, and if you want to get on a video call, you can just push one button instead of setting up and sending out a zoom link. When reading the article on Social Learning Theory in digital environments – I was very opposed to the idea this could happen. But…Discord made me feel much more connected to my classmates while doing hours of homework – seeing they were online and doing the same. It did feel like a shared experience. Discord is great for classmates, but I can’t figure out how it would be used in my work environment. Very interesting that Discord was in the news last week in regard to the leaked documents, apparently there are much larger servers than our small student groups!

Podcasts: This probably sounds ridiculous to list, but when I think about having to listen specifically for certain programs on NPR vs. the ease of listening to my favorite things on a podcast now – it is actually a wonderful technology. In my work environment, I have used several short clips of Hidden Brain in the classroom and it has gone over very well. In my dream class, I will likely include something about assigning a podcast for learners to listen to ahead of the class for discussion.

ChatGPT: I had a physical reaction to learning about this at first and was tachycardic when creating an account to explore. I can’t believe it, but after watching the video from Trinity Grammar School – my mind is opening. I do think I could use this in my work environment for the first draft of an unfolding case study, ideas for learning activities, or maybe even an introduction to a topic in the classroom. Again, as we discussed in class, this would be initial/first draft kind of use.

Google Jamboard: On a basic level as I understand it, this is a whiteboard with “sticky notes” that can be arranged and colored for organization. The buttons are familiar if you use google docs which is helpful. I have led a few meetings to brainstorm project ideas on Zoom which have been incredibly painful, very low participation and many crickets. I think the Jamboard could be really good for this kind of thing. Being a low-tech person, it felt very easy to use.

Mentimeter: This is a very easy way to ask questions to a group and display answers. It seems like it can work either online OR in the classroom. However, it wants me to pay for more than three questions at a time.

Online Stopwatch: As we spoke in class, the timer can be stressful for folks, but I have used this for timing breaks in the classroom. It keeps everyone on the same page and is super simple. I like to give lots of shorter breaks but that doesn’t work when we can’t restart on time, so this actually helps a lot!

Overall, these can be tricky with the work environment because there are SO many.  Although it could feel limiting for an organization to choose only a few to use, I think it is a good idea so that teachers and learners can get used to a few things at a time. I have attended Zoom classes where it is clear the teachers are trying to pull out as many apps as possible to mix it up. I found it distracting and WAY too much. So being purposeful in our choices feels very important. I also like that most of the things I tried can be used for both in-person and Zoom classes.
-Christine McCarthy

 

Part of my philosophy recognizes the importance of safety and that means meeting people where they are at. I understand that technology can be challenging in different ways for different people, and I support the right to an education. I wanted to be sure to consider access, ease of use, and decreasing mental load so that there is energy to focus where it is needed. From this perspective I’ve either explored or re-explored these platforms/apps.

I know people have already posted about Padlet and Discord. I will add that Padlet could be a great way for introductions to occur via smart devices. I first used Padlet in Ko’s class fall quarter, I also got the opportunity to use it when I went to speak to some of his undergrad students. I found it helpful in getting to know them in this way before I walked into their classroom.

I’ve used Discord since first quarter last year and I’m not sure I would have survived grad school without it. I was able to both socially and academically connect with classmates. I’ve used it to hear another perspective, or used the voice channel for team meetings to discuss projects and work on papers or PPT slides together in real time on the documents via Google slides or Google docs. Here is an opportunity to combine apps and platforms. 

From the outlook of the teacher here are some other tech resources I explored. Standardization has its place to decrease my mental load and possibly that of my learners. The Academic wheel power and privilege (shout out to Amy) also is important to review when I consider my “classroom technology”.

Pear deck is an interactive presentation platform that works with both Google and Microsoft apps. I like that it works with both and could be used via smart devices. From what I’ve explored it can create interactive opportunities or formative assessments during a presentation, you can show the responses anonymously. As the presenter using it, I am already building on my knowledge base of either Google or Microsoft. I am going to play with this one further!

https://www.youtube.com/c/peardeck 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYmf3usCuJI 

I’ve never used Google Jamboard before, but I see some possibilities for engagement, learner check ins, and something that can be used from smart devices. I also like that this may also appeal to visual learners. If you play with it for a bit, I think that there are some fun and creative possibilities. With that said, some limitations like not being able to post video may not make available for use in certain situations. There are other similiar apps out there with their own pros and cons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sSCqPXpXIo 
I'm looking forward to exploring these and other mentioned by classmates!

 

Microsoft 365: 

In my workplace, every staff member has access to Microsoft 365, which is linked to their work email, so for the purpose of this assignment, I explored more of the features and apps that it offers. 

 

I have used forms to make surveys for data collection, but I recently started to explore the "quiz" template. The quiz option is great to use to test learner knowledge and is user-friendly. It has a variety of question types, and learners can get automatic feedback on their quiz results after they submit the quiz. I can review the results, and the results are automatically organized so I can see what questions most people got wrong. There is also an option to make the submission anonymous, which can help relieve the stress of users. I also like how I can generate a QR code to share the quiz so learners can quickly take the quiz on their phone. 

 

Whiteboard is an application within Microsoft 365 that I played with for this assignment.  It is a collaborative online whiteboard and it has many templates that you can use for brainstorming. Users can add sticky notes and use emojis to like or vote on items on the whiteboard. I like how it looks on the phone as well because you can zoom in and it is easy to edit. 

 

Mindmeister: https://www.mindmeister.com

I tried mindmesiter based on the suggestions on this discussion board, and I think it is a great tool to use to make concept maps during class for visual learners. I want to utilize this to help summarize material and organize information during a live course.

 

Padlet: 

I think Padlet is a great tool for discussions and gives learners an opportunity to interact with each other and make connections. It is easy to use, pretty, and mobile phone friendly, so I think my learners will enjoy using it. I like that you can make your post anonymous, and you can like and respond to posts.  

 

Podcasts and videos:
I am interested in exploring more ways to deliver content. I usually deliver content with a slide deck presentation and that is followed by some activities, but I feel like I could better optimize my class time in more creative ways to make my didactic content more interesting. 

-Janelle Reidy

I have not used Anchor, but I will explore using it as a podcast platform for class lectures, introductions, orientation, student assignments, etc.

I also like Prezi, even though not quite utilized yet. There should be many beneficial features. Prezi Design is a template-based slideshow-style presentation builder which creates a slideshow with rich media such as images, video, graphs, and more. I will explore more and utilize it in the class presentation for students.

I am excited to explore the Chat GPT. It is an unknown area to me, and I am sure there are some features that I can utilize to enhance teaching strategies in the future. 

 

 

I find the whole concept of AI pretty fascinating. Thinking about how much information it has access to and how it can review and spit information back out at us in no time at all is SO wild. It is also interesting to see it all unfold in real-time—both in school and just in general. I grew up in the 90s, so just in my lifetime, I went from no computer in the house to holding computers in just one hand and now to ChatGPT writing research papers for college students. Like we all discussed in class, obviously this can of worms is open and there’s no going back from here. I’m not exactly sure how AI will be used in a hospital system but I am interested to see how we all will learn to work alongside it rather than trying to fight against another technological advancement. I follow this neonatologist on Instagram and YouTube: here’s his funny take on ChatGPT: 

 

 

And, if you have 30 minutes, here’s the section from John Oliver on AI that I mentioned in class:

 

 

 

I have also explored Discord a bit more and like the idea of using it as a community meeting spot for new nurse cohorts. They spend a lot of time together in classes and see each other on the floor but I think having a commonplace outside of the workplace (even if virtually) would give them the opportunity to connect and decompress more. Each group could customize their own Discord server and decide what channels they want (i.e. work, personal, mentors, nurse/NICU memes, etc.) I think by creating and facilitating a community for new nurses, we could potentially help improve camaraderie amongst these nurses, unit morale and new nurse retention.

Padlet

I've never used Padlet before this quarter but I can see it's benefit over something like discussion boards. Even though the concept is the same, it just seems much more engaging and fun! I think it's combines the discussion board style with a more "youthful" experience by adding making it easy to add pictures, memes, GIFs, videos, etc. If I were to end up in an academic setting as an educator, I can see it being my "go-to" for discussions. I think it would also be useful for clinical groups to use as a supplement to post-conferences and debriefs for anything students wanted to share but didn't get a chance.