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Assignment 1 Part B - Media Tools: SlideShare

I choose to explore the siteSlideshare. When preparing for teaching, I often do a google search on a various topics and include “ppt” in my search to see what others have created. I am often referred to presentations that have been uploaded on Slideshare. Slideshare is a great resource to find information on various topics uploaded by other individuals. There is a vast amount of medical related content on the site. It also has the ability to be used by students and teachers in an online learning environment. Here is an example of content I have uploaded.

Purpose of Slideshare: User can upload content in the form of presentations, infographics, documents and videos to slideshare. Think of it as the Youtube for content.

Ease of use: Slide share requires registration. Without registration, a person can still view content uploaded content, but are unable to use any of the other functions. The registration process is easy, a person can sign up via an email address, Facebook or LinkedIn. Searching for content is similar to any web browser (although their does not appear to be any advanced search options). Adding content to Slideshare is as easy as uploading a file. Content can be uploaded from a file from a computer and also other sources such as; Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, OneDrive, Gmail or a link (ULR). Slide share allows for multiple different file formats to be uploaded such as Adobe PDF files, Open Office Presentation Documents, Microsoft Power Point and Microsoft Word documents. The majority of commonly used video files are also supported. Slideshare has partnered with Haiku Deck, a presentation software that helps create and upload presentations.

Confidentiality of content/discussion: Content uploaded to slide share can be designated as private and only visible to the user that uploads it. It can also be designated as public, which places the content open to be found by users on Slideshare and on the web. A nice feature that slideshare has that increase its security is the ability to allow presentations to only be viewed by those with the secret link. Added security can also be added requiring a password to gain access to the link. Under privacy settings, presentations uploaded can be made available to download by other users and also the ability to include a variety of embedding settings.

It does not appear that users have the ability to set up a closed group, were a class can share content with each other. Although there is the ability to search and follow other users. It appears that any discussion occurring on topics are open to any users who have access to the content. There is also the ability to flag/block inappropriate content and comments. Slideshare does also that that that copyright content may be deleted.

Transferability/scrubbability Content added to Slideshare can be easily deleted from the user’s profile. Slideshare also seems to have fairly advanced transferability of content. You are able to embed your own, or other users files to websites or blogs. Information can also be shared via Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Wordpress blogs. Files or links to content on Slidehsare can also be shared via email. As the content placed on slideshare is commonly used file types, the files can be easily downloaded off slideshare

Appropriateness for academic use: The content currently on Slideshare provides a wealth of valuable knowledge, especially in the health care field. Information found is often uploaded by doctors and other health care professionals. The content needs to be assessed for the quality and accuracy of the information, this is especially important in the health care field. Slideshare allows for college level student (and other levels) to view content, upload their own work and also share work with classmates. There is the ability to comment and create discussion around various topics. The discussion can be protected and made private in a roundabout way, by sharing links. An interesting feature is the ability to map your professional journey, similar to creating an online portfolio which can be used when applying for jobs.

I focused on the topic Neonatal Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS). RDS is a disease that affects premature babies. Premature babies born less than 37 weeks gestation lack a compound in their lungs called surfactant (Sweet et. al., 2010). Without surfactant, these babies struggle to breath and many may die without appropriate treatment.

A variety of web based resources were used to prepare for this topic. In the medical field, evidence based peer reviewed literature is considered the gold standard. UpToDate and Medscape provide an excellent overview of the pathology, diagnosis, and treatment options for RDS. These sites provide a foundation that the students can use as a base to build their knowledge on the management of RDS. The article in Neonatology journal titled “European Consensus Guidelines on the Management of Neonatal Respiratory Distress Syndrome in Preterm Infants – 2010 Update” further outlines the clinical management of RDS based on evidence based literature. These three resources provide the educators a framework for teaching of the topic and are valuable resources for the students.

Another important learning tool is the use of continuing education (CE) webinars available to students. There are a variety of CE webinars available on Drager Medical, a popular neonatal ventilator company, and NICUniversity. The webinars can be watched in class or at home by students and are also available on tablets to provide easier access. Upon completion of the webinars, there are questions available for the students to answer, and if correctly answered the students are presented with a certificate of completion. The webinars are often led by international experts in the medical field and provide the students with clinical experience that is often lost in textbooks or webpages. Although the Drager Medical webinars are often biased as they are developed to promote their ventilators, they provide valuable information about how to effectively use their products. It is difficult to obtain this information elsewhere.

The final resource I analyzed was Quizlet. The website is an educational tool where the teacher and/or students can create questions, quizzes and flashcards to help with studying and understanding of the material. Students also have the option of looking at other topics and subsets created by other groups.

I have focused on a range of learning resources to provide students with a valuable learning experience and to cover a variety of different learning styles. Resources examined include medical journals, newsletters and continuing education programs. A resource not available that would strengthen students learning on RDS is an interactive patient case studies website – this would enable students to develop critical analysis skills as required for effective management of their patients.

References:

Sweet D, G, Carnielli V, Greisen G, Hallman M, Ozek E, Plavka R, Saugstad O, D, Simeoni U, Speer C, P, Halliday H, L, European Consensus Guidelines on the Management of Neonatal Respiratory Distress Syndrome in Preterm Infants – 2010 Update. Neonatology 2010;97:402-417