Interview

Our final assignment for Integrating Technology in the Adult Classroom was to interview an adult educator and discuss how they use technology in their program. I chose to interview Sonya Midyette, a professional development educator at a hospital in the Kansas City area. The area on which we chose to concentrate for the interview was in computer based learning, identified here as CBL. The hospital uses computer based learning to cover a wide range of information from general news pertaining to the hospital to training offered on new equipment and review courses.

References:

Garrett, B. M. (2012). Changing the game; some thoughts on future healthcare demands, technology, nursing and interprofessional education. Nurse Education in Practice, 12(4), 179-81. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2012.03.006

Huang, E., Chiu-chi, A., & Khurana, P. (2012). Users' preferred interactive e-health tools on hospital web sites. International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing, 6(3), 215-229. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17506121211259395

King, K. & Cox, T. (2011). The Professor's Guide to Taming Technology. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing

Audio/Video / Podcast: Pros and Cons for Adult Learners Part II

Because we really never stop learning there are many ways I use audio and video technology every day. One way I love to use YouTube is for their  photography tutorials. 

Instructors can use great resources like these to support in class lecture or projects. Interacting with videos like this one as well as podcasts, I feel like I engage with the material and forget I'm learning anything at all. It can be a very natural learning process.

Photography sites on YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9LYstQfVXI

http://www.youtube.com/user/PhotographersOnUTube

And this one that offers all sorts of great stuff like lectures and tutorial videos as well as great articles!

http://photo.tutsplus.com/

References:

G2Gallery, (April 6, 2012) The Complete Alan Ross 'Ansel Adams Lecture'

Retrieved October 9 2013 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-LrCgX8L8s

PhotograhpersOnUTube, (February 25, 2011) Photography Tutorial-FIRST Lesson! What is Aperture? DSLR Photography Lesson for Beginners, Retrieved on October 9, 2013 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3833CgvK7MU

adoramaTV, (June 5, 2013) Adorama Photography TV, Retrieved on October 9, 2013 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9LYstQfVXI

Audio/Video / Podcast: Pros and Cons for Adult Learners Part I

                 http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/2013/09/25#.UlYN9NK-2uI


We end up with all kinds of people in our adult classrooms don't we? Those who are well versed in technology and it's benefits and those who would prefer to stay in the 20th century!
In the adult classroom some variety in instruction is never a mistake. There are as many different styles of learning and preferred learning as there will be students in your classroom. (Kathleen P. King, Thomas D Cox, 2011) Each student uses different methods and processes to absorb information. Our job as adult educators is to help students find those areas so that they can be better learners.

In the area of audio/video podcast and the adult classroom the pro’s far outweigh the cons in my opinion. Honestly the benefits are so numerous there really isn't room to list them in this environment, but here are a few of my thought and reasons for both the benefits and drawbacks of offering an audio/ video and podcasting in the adult classroom.

Pro’s

Con’s

·         Podcast are another tool educators can use to draw students into the learning process. Given the opportunities technology offers in the classroom there is not style of student learning needs that can’t be met. If our desire is to see students learn then our goal should be to finds ways in which to engage students. ·         Students are used to having some measure of control over their own interactivity. When adults have the type of control and access to technology that they have why would we expect them to function differently in the classroom? When they can look up a YouTube video that shows them how to change the brakes on their car or how to use their new camera, why would we expect them to put away those viable learning assets and walk into a classroom online or in person with nothing but a textbook? We shouldn't limit ourselves and them to only what we have always known. (Wlodkowski, 2008) ·         In an online environment the need to have some sort of face to face activity can be vital for student success. Interacting with a computer cannot take the place of the need to real person contact. YouTube can offer some of that “face-time” even though it might not be in person. One of my professors in this program put her weekly updates and information on YouTube which allowed us to see her as a person and feel like we had a face to put with the voice.

·         Educators need to make use of the technology without hampering our abilities to teach hamstringing ourselves into technological nightmares of not having time to teach because we are too busy trying to be technologically savvy. We can make so much noise with our gadgets and methods that nothing of value is taught. ·         Students can become used to being hand fed information in such a way that learning can’t occur without entertainment.

We have experienced lots of different opportunities for learning in this adult classroom in particular. Experimenting with those styles have given us the chance to see what works best for us. What makes our learning enjoyable, and what sucks us in so that we hardly notice we are learning at all. If we stay engaged as learners of technology ourselves we can expect to be a part of the cutting edge not falling so far behind that our classrooms and students suffer for our ignorance.

References:

Watterson, B. (2005) The Complete Calvin and Hobbes, Atlanta, GA: Lineheart Books. GoComics Retrieved on October 9, 2013 from http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/2013/09/25#.UlYN9NK-2uI

Kathleen P. King, Thomas D Cox. (2011). The Professors Guide to Taming Technology. Charlottee: Information Age Publishing.

Wlodkowski, R. J. (2008). Enhancing Adult Motivation to Learn. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.