MERLOT Mobile App - Contribute an App to MERLOT

MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resources for Learning and Online Teaching) needs your help.  We need for users to add mobile apps along with a brief description to the MERLOT database.  Of course, as a healthcare provider, I am especially interested in health related mobile apps. MERLOT is free for all users.  Just create a login and password to access the resources. 

As of today, there are over 106,000 members from all over the world.

The timing is important because of the release of the MERLOT app for the iPhone, Blackberry, and Android phones (as well as the iPad and iPod touch).  A view of the MERLOT app is  noted below.

MERLOT Updated Content Builder

I copied an email that I recently received below.  MERLOT has improved the Content Builder to make it easier to create learning resources.  Once the learning resources are built, the user can add them to the MERLOT database.  This a a fantastic opportunity for instructors to make their resources public for students and others who could benefit.

If you use the MERLOT Content Builder and would like to have the learning resource peer reviewed, make an attempt not to have the resource so tightly coupled with a particular course that others could not easily benefit. 

MERLOT announces Content Builder 2.0 – a significant upgrade to their instructional web authoring system. 

Easier to use.  Easier to build pages.  Easier to store in the cloud. 

Long Beach, CA, USA, December 2011. MERLOT announced today the immediate availability of a major release of its authoring website system, MERLOT Content Builder.

This new release provides an improved interface that allows instructors to more easily manage, organize, and navigate through their authored web material.  The new version supports all previously developed Content Builder material.

Instructors can develop web pages in many ways, including using library templates for e-portfolios, lesson plans, pedagogical analysis, student reflection, online courses, tutorials, presentations, and others.  Examples can be seen at MERLOT Effective Uses of the MERLOT Content Builder Tool  (which was created using the new Content Builder).  There is also a new version of the Quick Start Guide to help you get familiar with the Content Builder. 

Instructors can:

·         Easily create instructional web pages and websites

• Download IMS-certified Common Cartridges of the web pages and websites built in Content Builder to use in applications that support the Common Cartridge format
• Add a Creative Commons license to web pages and websites created with Content Builder
• Contribute web pages and websites directly  to the MERLOT repository

To learn more, visit our information page or contact the MERLOT Webmaster at webmaster@merlot.org. 

Teacher Training Videos and Glogster

I had a few moments to explore a website developed by Russell Stannard, Teacher Training Videos at http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/

He has a wealth of information available for teachers and has developed short video tutorials for the resources he discusses.  One that I viewed was about Glogster.  Glogster (http://www.glogster.com/) allows us to create interactive posters that include video and audio.  A teacher can have a free account that will accommodate 50 students. Glogster is a social networking tool because the posters can be shared and  rated. It is an interesting teaching tool and certainly one worth exploring.

I can envision using Glogster to create an interactive concept map.  I thought of concepts maps after reviewing a QSEN (Quality and Safety Education for Nurses) presentation, Advanced Practice Nursing

Education: Teaching QSEN Informatics and Teamwork Competencies, where DNP students used concept maps to depict the electronic health record (EHR). The PDF presentation is online at http://www.qsen.org/docs/2011_conference/QSEN_2011_Warren.pdf

ICU eLearning

The Society of Critical Care Medicine has an elearning website at http://www.learnicu.org/Pages/default.aspx  Interesting resources!