Week XIV: Using Games for Teaching and Learning

This week we learned about Second Life and online games that can be used for learning. Although games can be used just for entertainment, we can make anything educational. I do think Second Life is a very interesting game, however, I don't think that it should be used for educational purposes. Google Earth is a great application that can be very useful and educational. I would like to figure out how to use it to make traveling movies and such that will allow me to document my trips. This is a great source for teaching geography and where a child lives.

I feel that it is very important to have a fun learning environment in the classroom that utilizes online resources. I hope to do this in my practice to teach my patients resources online. I think it is a good idea to show them instead of just handing them a sheet of paper saying what they need to do. There are no games that I can play with my patients and since many of them will be older, I do not think that would be appropriate.

I came across a thread that talks about gaming in the classroom. You can find it here.

Week XII: Creating a Professional Web Presence

During this week's class, we talked about the importance of creating a web presence. We went on our Facebooks and discussed what we are showing to the world. Since our lives have become so public, we must make sure that we are in control of what others know about us. I, personally, have always paid attention to what image I was portraying on Facebook and Myspace. It is not always easy to realize when you have added something that is not going to be perceived as inappropriate but we must try. Most of us have a web presence but for class, we had to create a professional web presence. You can view my webpage here. This purpose of this assignment was to have a professional page online that will allow others to know about us. It includes stuff we want to share in a format that is more professional and appropriate than Facebook/Twitter/etc.

When I have my own practice, I will have a professional web presence for my business. I plan on using many tools that I have learned from this class. My application of these tools can be found in those weekly posts. I want to have a website for my practice that will inform my patients of how to contact me, what services I offer, insurances that I accept, etc. I am looking forward to creating this page and increasing business.

I found an article about creating a successful web presence for a business. It was written by Steve Strauss and posted on 4/11/2010 on USA Today. Maximizing your web presence is key to building your small business.

Week XI: Open Source Software

This week we talked about social networking and open source software. When we discussed social networking, we mentioned the pros and the cons of it. It is important to realize that not all people are aware of the pragmatics that occur when using the internet. It is important to education our youth on what is safe to use and how not to trust everything you come into contact with while on the internet. There have been many unfortunate events that occurred because of bullying on the internet which can not always be prevented since it is such an open place. We also learned about open source software which is software that is typically available online. The codes are available for many people to manipulate and change to create the end result of the product. It is almost like having a lot of people create a product together but they do not even have to know each other. Music, games, resources, etc have been created through this method.

Since open source is a methodology and a practice, there are tons of resources online that are created this way. Although I am not likely going to create an amazing program for other to use on the internet, I will utilize these resources. I do not know exactly what sources I will use when I am an audiologist, but I am sure that I will be able to find something that will make my life easier personally and professionally.

When researching more about this topic, I came across a website that helps you find and develop open source tools. It is called Source Forge and it is free! You can even browse for tools by category which can make it even easier to find what you are looking for. This is a great site and I hope you enjoy.

Week X: Tech Tools for Critical Thinking

This was a great week. We learned about a different way to organize our thoughts through concept maps. All people learn differently. That is what I really appreciate about others. Although I may make sense out of one way of doing something does not mean that someone else can understand it. So concept maps are a great tool to organize you thoughts for yourself or to show others. You can see my example of a concept map when making the decision for which graduate school to attend in my previous post. As you can see in the concept map, USF seemed like the best choice. I have actually made the decision to attend USF so it seems that it really worked out for me!

As an audiologist, I can use concept maps and other tech tools found online to help me be productive in my business. It is important to share you ideas to others when trying to build a business. If I do not own my own business at the beginning, I can make this for suggestions or a way to better my interaction with my patients. This is not a direct tool that I can use regularly, but I can definitely benefit from it.

I found another really cool tech tool online to share. It is a free tool that allows you to call this number with a memo for yourself or something else and it will send the transcription and your audio to your email. The transcription is said to be very good, too. You can also send it to others so if your phone is not web-enabled but you want to send an email, you can do so! Check it out here!