Blog #3: Chapter 5 The Connected Educator

Chapter 5 of the Connected Educator is titled “Using Tools to Support Connected Learning”. The authors of this novel introduce different ways in which we, as connected learners, can utilize tools to support our professional careers. As we know, tools cannot be used to their fullest potential, unless we truly understand how to use them. The authors remind learners of connected education to create a consistent and professional username throughout different websites. There were three basic tools outlined within this chapter, including bookmarking tools, connecting and collaboration tools, and continued education in the classroom.

One of the initial tools introduced was tagging, otherwise known as social bookmarking. This concept is a simple way for individuals to organize the information that is gathered online. In this way, it makes it more simple to be shared with other users. There were two websites offered from the novel, called Delicious and Diigo. These tools allow users to bookmark the information and knowledge they deem valuable from the internet. These sites assist individuals in saving and tagging their online resources, and moreover organize so that users can gain easy access to this information. The second piece offered by the authors was the connection and collaboration tools. Some examples of these tools were blogs, podcasts, google reader, google docs, wikis, and twitter. These websites, or tools, offer users the ability to outlet information or read about information of specific topics. Blogs allow users to read about those topics or even write about topics that interest them Podcasts are digital audio files on the internet that can be downloaded by listeners. Podcasts are designed for audio purposes and allow listeners to gain knowledge this way. The final tool offered in this chapter are those for teachers, for continued and extended learning.

All of these tools can be useful in my future career as a nurse. As mentioned in previous blog posts, education as a nurse does not end when we graduate. There is always further knowledge to be gained in the medical field. As time goes on, science is always expanding and humans are learning more. This strongly correlates to nursing, because as more information is discovered, there is more information that we must apply to the medical field, meaning that nurses can always continue their education. Delicious and Diigo can be used in the nursing world as I can organize the information that I deem important to my field of study. Moreover, using blogs and podcasts allows for my to not only connect with others with the same professional goals as myself, but to gain more knowledge by researching the information I am hoping for. I think for my professional career Wikis are the most useful as the information is easy to access and understand. The website is simple to navigate and it is full of vast information. After reading this chapter, it brings up the question, do all careers require continued education like the medical field?