This chapter was interesting to me b/c so many of our students describe themselves as visual learners. In the classroom this is easy to accomplish using pictures, ppt, presentations, and videos. I have also been trying to incorporate more students drawings and concept/mind maps this year. We are also looking at purchasing access to online video libraries rather than purchasing individual hard copies of videos. This will enable students to have access to the video at home and the library will be continuously updated.
While I feel that I am meeting the needs of visual learners in the classroom, I am behind in meeting these needs in my virtual community. I have incorporated ppt slides with pictures into my modules to help with this problem, but I am struggling to think of other items to key in visual learners. My project VLC is a blended course and many of my face-to-face strategies are visual, partiularly the use of videos to explain the NCLEX exam and to model professionalism in nursing. I have thought about adding an embeded video to my online portion, but I am afraid that this may begin to overwhelm the students with material. They only have 3 weeks to complete the course and they have quite a bit of material to cover in that time. Practical Nursing moves very quickly and only 1 classroom day is dedicated to this course, after that.....the student is all online for Nursing Concepts II, but they begin med-surg at the same time.
Do any of you have suggestions to increase the appeal of a virtual community r/t professionalism (job search, OBN rules) for visual learners? I would love to hear all of your thoughts.
Have any of you used online concept mapping with your students? How did it turn out? I have students create concept maps with markers, pens, etc..., but I have been hesitant to use the computer programs b/c I am afraid that they will become so involved with the technology that they lose focus on the material that they are mapping?
I guess that this is enough questioning for now. I seem to have more questions at the end of the semester than I did at the beginning....Does that mean that I am smarter or.....? I certainly know a lot more about online instruction than I ever dreamed I would!!!
Thanks :-)
Jammie
