Potential Uses for health 2.0 in nursing education

In the past 24 hours I have subscribed to over 15 blogs related to web 2.0 and Health 2.0. Although the content is very interesting very few of them actually describe how we can use these resources in an educational capacity.

Second Life has had a buzz in the educational arena for quite awhile. John Miller at Tacoma Community College has really helped pioneer nursing resources in the famed social network. Check out NESIM in world, and you will see the beginnings of Human Patient Simulation in a virtual world.

So how can health care educators use second life and NESIM to create learning opportunities for their students? There are a multitude of ways to convey information to people in world. Power point can presented in a more interactive manner. Imagine, the Neuro lecture you spent 8 hours creating coming alive. Your avatar can demonstrate a seizure, students can treat the signs and symptoms you talk about. On your Second Life island you can build interactive models of the heart, lungs, and brain that students can twist, take apart, see video, and share thoughts about.



Although Second Life is still a rudimentary version of what will be reality in a few years, becoming comfortable with type of experiences that can be realized in world is a good idea for any educator. This is the precursor to the Holideck.

Social Networking: MySpace, Ning, & Facebook have started, and maintained, a culture of sharing ones life online. I recently was at a conference on the future of education in California, and listened to a presentation by Diane Skiba, a well known nursing informaticist. When she mentioned her thoughts on social networking a buzz arose from the crowd. The faculty in the audience immediately began to tell stories of how MySpace could be trouble and how their kids had posted content with questionable motives. I prefer to think about the way this technology can provide a place to connect and mentor students.

Recently I started using the site NING to create my own social network to bring together educators in Arizona to form a Statewide Simulation Network! So far we have over 30 members and the site has been up for 2 weeks. The site provides a central place for members to blog about experiences, share information learned, post videos of simulation, share pictures of props, and meet others to share resources.

So how does this relate to students??? Every school can create their own social network for FREE. Educators and students can enter into a mentoring relationship simply by logging in. It's easy, it's effective, and its safe. Social Networking will bring out questions and thoughts that may not have been shared in an intimidating face to face conversation. You may find out more about your impact on students and the issues surrounding their learning experience. In my opinion, it can only better the educational experience!

Twitter:
For those that have not been to Twitter yet, it is a micro blogging site that allows users to answer the simple question, "What are you doing right now?" in 140 characters or less. This message is then placed on the site, sent to phones, or instant messaged to your followers.

OK, imagine you have a sudden change in assignment criteria, you have found a great article or web resource, or you just had an experience in clinical that you want to share with the students instantly. You can Twitter it on your phone and have it sent to your students in the blink of an eye. No more emailing and hoping they check it. As we all know, this upcoming generation has the phone in the pocket at all times. In fact, email is too slow for these new techies. Instant connectivity can provide learning opportunities both in and out of the hospital.
Check it out here!!!

Conclusion:

As faculty technology should not scare you or turn you off. It is the way of the world now and it is important that we realize student centered learning is where our focus should be. As the next generation of students hits our classrooms the PowerPoint lectures are not going to hold their attention. It will be important to use our imaginations and our expertise to create interactive learning techniques that will engage and create more competent and confident health care practitioners