Final Blog Post for Summer Course

It has been an interesting summer semester, to say the least.  The review of the chosen Web 2.0 tools have been enlightening for me and encouraged me to find new ways of educating our learner groups.  While it takes a great deal of time to search out some of the tools and learn how to effectively use them, once the user is comfortable with some of them they can easily use the to initiate new learning techniques and engage the learners in new ways.

In this post, I will briefly reflect on each of the tools that I reviewed this semester.  

1. Fuze: Communication tool that encompasses collaboration, presentation, and discussion capabilities.  I can see utilizing this tool in an education setting where physicians and educators can share content and meeting resources in a setting where learners can meet and provide feedback.  The instructor can post digital images, mock patient records, and additional resources for real-time learning.  I hope to use this tool in the future and encourage our medical student and residency educators to do the same.

2. Blabberize: Creativity tool with photos.  As I expressed in my blog post, while I think it is a novelty tool, I don't see using it in my educational setting.  However, I could see where some educators could use it to share information about specific techniques or educational information.  Blabberize is very easy to use, but not something that benefits medical students or residents more than a couple of times, based on my own brief experiences with it.

3. Text2MindMap: Critical Thinking and Problem Solving tool.  This was my first experience with mind map development and I could easily see connections on how to make this a useful tool for educational purposes.  I used it as a tool to share with the class the different specialties of residency/fellowship programs at Methodist.  By being able to separate them into medical, surgical, and pathology-based programs, the learners could then see what individual programs are sponsored at Methodist.  This was a very basic use of this tool, but I can see using it in future opportunities.

4. Flisti: Easy-to-use feedback tool. Flisti is a very easy to use web application tool that allows the user to create a simple, one-question survey or poll to provide to participants embedded on websites or sharing on other social media sites.  While I can see this as a valuable tool when trying to gauge very individual and minor thoughts of a learner, the inability to add questions makes this tool less user friendly and informational than a survey tool similar to that of Survey Monkey.  I do not foresee using this tool in the future.

5. Convert PDF to Word: Productivity tool. The final and most likely the tool that I will use most, was this one that converts PDF documents to Word documents.  This allows the user to modify the document to fit their needs or update information that may be on the original document in need of modification.  In the world of medical education, we share a variety of documents and information that is useful based on similar accreditation requirements.  Many, however, post in a PDF format to prevent changes or make the document "locked" in and many times fillable without experiencing format changes.  I can see using this for the creation of evaluation materials and other documents useful to learners.

I've learned a great deal this semester. I look forward to using some of these tools as I continue to learn the importance of engagement and introducing new learning techniques into the virtual and traditional classroom.

Web 2.0 for Medical Student Education

In my final presentation for this semester, I encourage you to listen to how I hope to incorporate Web 2.0 tools in medical student education.  As Houston Methodist embarks on a new adventure with Texas A&M Health Science Center medical students, it will be up to our clerkship directors and coordinators to find new and engaging ways to educate our learners.  I hope to share this presentation and ongoing discussions on how to implement these tools into the teaching arena to engage the students and formulate new ways of learning.

I hope that you enjoy my VoiceThread presentation found here:

Web 2.0 Tools for Medical Student Education

ConvertPDFtoWord Web 2.0 Tool Review

In the final installment of Web 2.0 tool reviews for this semester, please find the Screencast-O-Matic review of ConvertPDFtoWord.net. (Make sure you only use this web address.  Others opened several tabs and would not allow me to close - I had to completely shut down and start over.

This was an excellent, easy-to-use, and FREE tool that each user could use when converting a PDF document to a Word document.  I hope that you enjoy the presentation and are able to use the tool in the future!

P.S. I really enjoyed using this screen recording tool and look forward to using it in the future for sharing information to individuals that I work closely with and can share how to access or complete items in different places online.

Flisti - Module 5 Web 2.0 Review

Trevor's VoiceThread Presentation of Flisti

Name of the Web 2.0 Tool:   Flisti - —"Create free online polls without signing up"

URL of the Tool: www.flisti.com

Please select the one, primary category for this tool: —Easy-to-use feedback tool

Please describe this tool in your own words (a minimum of 150-250 words).

Flisti is a very easy to use web application tool that allows the user to create a simple, one-question survey or poll to provide to participants embedded on websites or sharing on other social media sites.  The interactive poll allows the user to ask their audience a multiple choice question and makes it very simple by not requiring a sign up or downloading of an application.  Flisti is a new startup and is developed to create a very quick and easy poll development application.

Download and install a program or plug-in for the tool to work properly?

The tool does not require that the user install a program or download a plug-in.  

What do you need to know before using this tool? (What skills do you need to have?)

Overall, this is a very simple-to-use tool that anyone could understand.  The user only needs a poll question and the multiple choice answer options.  Flisti then creates a link to the survey to be placed on a website, Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media site.  This is a very easy to use application..

What do you need to have before using this tool?

To effectively use the tool users need to have a question and potential answers in mind. 

How do you use this tool? (Write the basic steps using a numbered list)

1. Visit www.flisti.com

2. Type the question and the multiple choice answers in the boxes provided.

3. If the user needs to enter additional answer options, they can click on + Add Answer and if the audience has the option of choosing more than 1 answer, the user can set up the question by selecting the box that says "Multiple Answers". 

4. Press "Create a New Poll".

5. Embed the link into your preferred website or social media site.  

6. View Poll Results.

Locate or create your own example of an educational resource created with this tool

Trevor's Poll Question

Please describe a scenario of how you might use this tool in a teaching environment.

This tool would be useful only uf the user wanted to create a quick, non-scientific survey that could be sent out in an email or via a social media site or posted on a website.  It would allow an instructor to ask questions on certain topics that could provide a quick answer to a question that could spur additional discussions. For my own example, I created a Flisti survey question asking the participant about their preferred method of learning. 

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using this tool in a formal or informal teaching environment?

Advantages: Free, —No log in/download required, very simple to use, easy to share/add to website and/or other social media sites, responses easy to view 

Disadvantages: —Only one question can be asked at a time, not a scientific survey, and anyone can answer if they search it on the Flisti site

Would you recommend this Web 2.0 tool to others, or suggest that they explore a different tool?

I would probably not recommend this tool because of its limited use in the classroom.  It's easy to use, but with only one question being asked, you would have to make certain that the question creates enough interaction and discussion for the tool to be useful.

Major Trends in Distance Education (Future) - Group 4

The topic that our group was given to research and present on using VoiceThread was "What are the Major Trends (the future) in Distance Education?".

Group 4 consisted of Sobia Khan, John Mrozek, Marlene Wark, and me as group leader.  Our final presentation posted to VoiceThread can be found here: Group 4: Future Trends in Distance Education

With a very busy week ahead for all of the group members, we started our initial discussion on email to begin to assign our sections and decide which of the many trends in distance education each of us would cover. Email was the easiest way to begin since we only had each other's email addresses and need to at least get the ball rolling.

Marlene was kind enough to host an online GoToMeeting session for our group on Friday evening so we could all meet, virtually, and begin to sort out some of the final details of our individually-developed presentations.  We all agreed that once all of the presentations were completed, they would send them to me and I would organize them into the sections based on the best logical flow.

We had to get somewhat creative because Sobia was in Florida, so we had her on speaker phone while the online meeting was taking place so she, too, could participate.  On Saturday, all 3 team members sent their individual presentations to me and I combined them and posted them to VoiceThread to begin the recording process.

By Sunday evening, after juggling work, triathlons, pool parties, and regular weekend chores, our team successfully added recordings to all of our slides and the presentation was complete!

This process was simple because I had used VT before in a previous course and was comfortable with uploading the presentation and commenting on my slides. There are still certain aspects of VoiceThread that I don't like, primarily the inability to delete/add a slide once it is uploaded.  This isn't huge if it is only one presenter, but when you add 3 more you can't simply re-upload a presentation and start over.  Secondly, I don't like the fact that regardless of how clear your graphics are in PowerPoint, some get distorted when it saves it in VT.  However, I believe that our presentation looked exceptionally well.

I believe that I could use VoiceThread in my professional life because we have a disconnect between our learners and our office.  By presenting to the residents and fellows on an enduring presentation that they can see and hear me speak on, they are able to visit the information as often as they like and comment as if we were in a face to face presentation.  I have not considered it in the past, but as our program numbers continue to grow, it would be beneficial to have this option available.

Thanks, team, we put a phenomenal presentation together!

Text2MindMap Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Tool

VISIT MY VOICE THREAD PRESENTATION HERE: http://voicethread.com/share/5872525/ 

Name of the Web 2.0 Tool:   Text2MindMap

URL of the Tool: www.text2mindmap.com

Please select the one, primary category for this tool: Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Tool

Please describe this tool in your own words (a minimum of 150-250 words).

Text2MindMap is a creative web application tool that allows the user to type out words in a very simple to use format that then creates mind maps in a window for download and inclusion in presentations or learning materials.  The main concept of the tool it to allow the user to type the main categories as well as subcategories that creates a very easy-to-read and understand mind map for the student or other audience.  The easy and ability of developing a mind map from a simple outline would be very useful in a variety of contexts and teaching opportunities.

Download and install a program or plug-in for the tool to work properly?

The tool does not require that the user install a program or download a plug-in.  The user can also download their mind map into a PDF or picture for inclusion in presentations or teaching materials.

What do you need to know before using this tool? (What skills do you need to have?)

Overall, this is a very simple-to-use tool that anyone could likely figure out after one or a few tries.  The user only needs the ability to create an outline for the tool to effectively work and then type the information in using the proper indentation (in order to lump the main concept and subcategories together properly).  This is a very easy to use application..

What do you need to have before using this tool?

To effectively use the tool users need to either have a pre-developed outline of the intended mind map or they can enter the free-text in the box to the left of the mind map window as they are developing their map. 

How do you use this tool? (Write the basic steps using a numbered list)

1. Visit www.text2mindmap.com

2. Begin typing the outline using the simple format already provided in the tool:

3. Once the outline has been developed, click on “Draw Mind Map” and the system will automatically develop the users mind map that is editable, based on the information entered.

4. At any time during the development of the mind map, the user can edit the information in the left text column or move the mind map boxes around the screen and click on “Draw Mind Map” again, creating a more manageable window that is easy for user to understand.

5. The user can also modify the position, font, color, and lines that coincide with the mind map figure by clicking on the Options tab in the text formatting area of the tool.

8. In order to share the finished product, the user must choose either to save as a PDF or PNG file, but can also be shared via email Facebook or Twitter.

Locate or create your own example of an educational resource created with this tool

Please describe a scenario of how you might use this tool in a teaching environment.

This tool would be very useful in a teaching environment because it allows the instructor to put the information into very easy to follow outline format for students.  For my own example, I created a mind map of the individual residency and fellowship training programs at our institution that can be shared with others as they try to understand the type of residency or fellowship and the category under which they fall.  This could be a very useful concept for instructors to use and to categorize information in a way that the learner can use it as an enduring reference.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using this tool in a formal or informal teaching environment?

Advantages: free, no sign-up or downloads required, very user-friendly, simple format for entering the outline information, the ability to see the mind map and make changes before finalizing, ability to save and share the finished mind map with much ease and in several formats, ability to change options easily

Disadvantages: must have outline prepared or the ability to prepare an outline on the fly

Would you recommend this Web 2.0 tool to others, or suggest that they explore a different tool?

I would highly recommend this tool to anyone interested in creating mind maps for either learners or individuals that need to convey outlines in a very visible way to better understand how different concepts and categories connect.  I could see use of this tool in a variety of teaching and learning environments and the ease of use creates a fun tool to play around with until the perfect mind map is created.

Are you ready to Blabberize?

Name of the Web 2.0 Tool:  

URL of the Tool: www.blabberize.com

Please select the one, primary category for this tool: Creativity tool with photos

Please describe this tool in your own words (a minimum of 150-250 words).

Blabberize is a tool that allows a user to upload a photo of a person, people, animal, or whatever they would like to create a talking image.  This image is referred to as a “Blabber” and can be used for a number of reasons both educationally and just for fun. The tool is free and utilizes either the user’s own photos or those that are downloaded onto their computer for use with the tool.  Once the user has uploaded the photo that they want to Blabberize, they must select the mouth or jaw region that will be used to create the moving mouth.  Drawing the mouth is somewhat time-consuming and it’s difficult to see if it is going to work correctly or turn out as expected without several attempts to get it right.  The tool then allows the user to either record their own audio or they can simply locate a .wav file online, save it to a file and upload it into the blabber. Then, when the user clicks the play button, Blabberize puts the moving mouth and audio message together for a moving mouth with sound. 

Download and install a program or plug-in for the tool to work properly?

The tool does not require that the user install a program or download a plug-in.  However, in order to save the “blabber” that the user has created, they must create an account using their email address.

What do you need to know before using this tool? (What skills do you need to have?)

Overall, this is a very simple-to-use tool that anyone could likely figure out after one or a few tries.  The user only needs the ability to upload a photo, draw the mouth, and upload or record the audio to accompany the photo and make it “talk”.

What do you need to have before using this tool?

To effectively use the tool users need a microphone and a photo.  Accessibility to files for download and an email address if they choose to save their Blabberize creations. 

How do you use this tool? (Write the basic steps using a numbered list)

1. Visit www.blabberize.com

2. Click on “Make” and the screen below will appear:

3. Click on “Browse” to upload a photo.

4. If the user chooses to do so, they can crop the photo.

5. Begin to “draw” the mouth by selecting the area and dragging the green and blue dots to make the perfect mouth.

Start

Finished “mouth”

6. Click the arrow button and the audio box will appear allowing the user to either record audio using a microphone, a telephone, or upload a .wav file.  The audio has a maximum length of 30 seconds.  Select one of these 3 and upload audio to the blabber.  Then, click OK.  The user can then press the button to play the blabber to see the photo and audio merged with the mouth moving.

7. That is all that needs to be done to create a blabber.  However, if you want to save and embed or send the blabber creation, a user must create a free account.  If the user chooses to create an account, they will enter a username, password, and email address.  Blabberize will then as the user to title the blabber creation, provide a description, and create tags.  The user can also select either “private” or “mature”.

8. In order to share it, the user selects the web address or has the opportunity to embed it into the document or photo.

Locate or create your own example of an educational resource created with this tool

Enjoy!  http://blabberize.com/view/id/1147016

Please describe a scenario of how you might use this tool in a teaching environment.

As many online reviewers pointed out, this could be used for educators to have their students present information on a topic or individual.  An instructor could also use it as a weekly teaching tool for students to learn about different events or individuals. In my environment, I may utilize it to share snippets of information with our trainees that can be sent in an email or posted on an electronic bulletin board.  However, I think that there are many more valuable ways to get information across, so I likely wouldn't use this gimmicky tool.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using this tool in a formal or informal teaching environment?

Advantages: free, entertaining, no sign-up required if the user doesn’t want to save or share blabber creations, fairly user-friendly, could potentially be used for student engagement and teaching

Disadvantages: have to sign in to save creations, drawing the mouth can get somewhat frustrating after multiple attempts, audio limited to 30 second snippets which isn’t much time for a true educational teaching use, each audio file that I uploaded cut off too soon

Would you recommend this Web 2.0 tool to others, or suggest that they explore a different tool?

I would likely not recommend this tool to anyone above elementary or maybe middle school education.  It wasn't that it is difficult to use and the sign up wasn’t even that big of an issue, instead it took a great deal of time to get the mouth right.  I think it would be humorous the first few times, but after that I don’t know that my learners would take it serious and grow weary of it pretty quickly.