Personal Bibliographic Manager Software: Endnote? Zotero? or Both?

I was reading an article this morning that provided an analogy that the use of technology is like learning to ride a bicycle with no training wheels.  How true, especially for those who are uncomfortable using technology.  Switching from using hand-written notecards to store reference information to a software solution can be an adjustment.  I have been teaching students how to use EndNote (http://www.endnote.com/) for several years now.  I began teaching undergraduate students to use Zotero (http://www.zotero.org/)just a couple of years ago.  My colleague, Karen, said that she attempted to use Zotero with graduate students and had all sorts of problems.  She has decided to switch back to requiring EndNote, but accept Zotero for students who cannot affort to purchase EndNote.

One of my students is writing a paper about the use of Zotero and inadvertently nudged me to learn something new :)!  She had downloaded the beta version of Zotero that allows for sharing of references and synching the reference library with the Zotero server.  Wow, did that get my attention!!  Why?   I now will begin to use the sharing aspect of the references with students in courses that I teach.  I really like the way that I can grab info from web sites in Zotero and attach any associated PDF file with a click of the mouse.  I  also like the way that I can use EndNote to search for articles in PubMed and also search for PDF copies of the references.  Because the two software packages have different strengths, I have decided to use a combination of the two.  I can export references from EndNote into Zotero so that the file can be synched and shared.  To learn more about the beta version of Zotero, go to http://www.zotero.org/support/2.0_beta

Screen Capture and Video Software - Snag-it, Jing, and OneNote

A colleague mentioned that she was going to visit a nursing program that is using Jing and Snag-it software.  Jing and Snag-it are developed by TechSmith, the same company that produces Camtasia.  Jing is free. With the really scarce resources for many of us, free software is good.

Snag-it (http://www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.asp ) is used for screen capture.  The software is available for a 30-day free trial.  It is much better than the Print Screen function that we all have with our computer keyboards because you can choose exactly what you want to capture.  I use Microsoft OneNote (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/onenote/default.aspx ) software, which is similar.  OneNote is available for a 60-day trial. The reason that I like it better, is that the software runs in the background, so all I have to do is to tap the Window+S keys to do a screen capture.  I also like the way that OneNote keeps automatic notes about the screen captures, for example, the day, time, and source (if it is a URL) of the capture.  OneNote allows me to store the screen captures in a workbook.  Those features are really helpful when designing online course content.

Jing (http://www.jingproject.com/) provides the ability to record video of on-screen action and it also can be used for screen capture.  The free version of the software is available for both the PC and the Mac.  It includes tutorials and is easy to use.  The on-screen action video is very helpful for that "teaching moment" assistance.  As an example, a couple of years ago I was running into roadblock using a software to access my web site.  One of our fantastic support people in the GCSU Web Enhanced Resource (WER) group figured out a work around. He created a short video of the on-screen action and emailed it to me. 

If you need a way to capture a part of a computer screen or capture screen action, consider trying Snag-it, OneNote, and/or Jing. All are very easy to use.

Using Web Folders (WebDav)

I remember the first time that I heard the term WebDav, I thought that it was a Geek term and something that I would never need or want to do.  Was I wrong or what!  I am a huge fan of WebDav!  WebDav is a term that indicates that it is possible to have a shortcut to a folder on a remote computer.  The shortcut, located in My Network Places, allows you to synchronize files from your personal computer and the remote computer with using drag and drop. 

When might it be useful?  It depends....  Do you have a wiki, a personal web site, or are you an instructor using a learning management system?  If you have a web site where you must log in and need to upload and download files, check to see if the site supports WebDav. 

As an instructor, WebDav has saved me hours of tedious labor!  That is the good news. 

The caveat (there is always one) is that if you have Windows Vista or Windows 7 operating system the setup may be problematic. 

I use the Blackboard learning management system, Windows XP, and Internet Explorer 7.  I was able to "map" to the WebDav folder using my home office computer with Vista OS.  My colleague, who has Windows 7 on her personal computer has been unsuccessful.  I created screenshots for creating a WebDav folder with one of my courses.  You are welcome to download it from
http://hercules.gcsu.edu/jsewell/textbook/WebDav.docx

If you are using Windows 7, you might want to look at the following post http://www.techiechips.com/web-folders-web-disk-webdav-problems-on-windows-7/ to see if it is helpful.  If you have a solution to the problem, please post! 

The old adage, "you can't miss what you never had", is true for the WebDav function.  I never want to return to the time consuming, tedious way of building and editing online courses.

Online Course Design Tools

I worked with a colleague for about 5 hours yesterday on the design and edits for an online Oncology Nurse Navigator course which will begin at the end of January. My colleague is teaching the course.  I assist her by providing technical support for students, covering instruction  in her absence, and providing course design assistance.  We expect an enrollment of 15 students, all who are experienced registered nurses and work in cancer care settings.

We discussed strategies to assist students to be successful in the course without any face-to-face meetings.  The last time we taught the course we did have a couple face-to-face meetings.  We recognize that it may not be possible for the students to meet face-to-face because of their work schedules or because they live at a distance (several applicants are from out-of-state).  Below are some of the topics that we discussed that might be helpful to other instructors.

Strategies for Designing and Editing an Online Course

• Use OpenOffice to create the learning content as html documents.  Rationale:  OpenOffice has the "look and feel" of Microsoft Word, but it generates much cleaner html code that is easily edited in Blackboard and other learning management systems.  Graphics can be copied/pasted into an OpenOffice document and the software will automatically save the graphic in an html compatible format with a name similar to that of the document.
• Develop a file structure naming process that uses numbers.  If the learning mangement system alphabetizes files, like Blackboard, the structured naming system makes it a snap to add the files to a learning module.  The file naming process that I use is noted below, although I abbreviate the words to Intro, Assign, and Assess.
• 1_Introduction
• 1a_Objectives_Assignments
• 1b_Assessment
• 2_Introduction
• 2a_Objectives_Assignments
• 2b_Assessment
• Use WebDav to synchronize files.  Create a link to the online course in My Network Places and synchronize files from the course folder on the computer with the files in the online course.  I always have a mirror image of my course files offline.

Strategies for Working with Students Online

• Include an orientation module to the learning management system as the first learning module.
• Use information from a Computer Survey (see the previous blog) to identify students who may need additional assistance with technology issues.
• Provide online orientation and other instructor support with webinar software.  (Note: Our university does not have webinar software available, so we discussed using DimDim).
• Show students how to use PowerPoint with narration for class presentations (Another blog).

Other topics that we discussed and practiced using included a computer video camera to provide the personal touch to online instruction.  We also dicussed the use of Microsoft OneNote software for screen captures and other notes.  The comparable software solution that is free is Evernote (https://www.evernote.com/) (Yet, another blog). 

Computer Literacy Survey

I created a computer literacy survey that I use in my online and hybrid (meet both face-to-face and online) courses.  I will attach the survey to this blog as a Word document.  Instructors and others are welcome to use it.  Instructors could adapt it for their courses to obtain a baseline assessment of the students' computer literacy skills.

Students and others could use it as a self-assessment tool.  The survey has instructional value in that it assists the learner to identify key information about their computer.  You are welcome to download and adapt the survey for your personal use from http://hercules.gcsu.edu/jsewell/textbook/ComputerSurvey.doc

The survey is written for the PC, but if you are interested in having one created for the Mac computer, just ask.

As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions.

Updates on the Informatics and Nursing textbook web site

The textbook support web site at http://dlthede.net/Informatics/AddtionsCorrect.html has been updated to include many of the informatics listserve conversation topics.  The updates are noted below.

Batteries
The issue of mobile computer carts and battery life remains a hot topic!  Batterystuff. A tutorial on all kinds of batteries supports information that in Chapter 2.  http://www.batterystuff.com/tutorial_battery.html

If you are don't have a basic understanding about batteries, you may want to begin with the How Stuff Works web site at http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/battery.htm  and
Wikipedia on batteries. A very thorough explanation including estimates of length of discharge and life expectancy of various types. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_(electricity)

Review Site for the ANCC Informatics Certification Exam
Certification in Nursing Informatics was developed by graduate and post-graduate nursing informatics students at Duke University School of Nursing http://www.duke.edu/web/informatics/index.html . IThe topics addressed are Systems Life Cycle, Human Factors, Information Technology, Information Knowledge Management, Practice Trend Issues,  Models & Theories. 

Secondary Use of Data
Transforming healthcare through secondary use of health data. A 40 page 2009 report by Price-Waterhouse Coopers. You may need to register name etc., but the report is free. Presents an excellent case for secondary data use, includes guidelines. This information supplements Chapter 10.
http://www.medtechpublishing.com/pwc/Transforming-healthcare-through-secondary-use-of-health-data.pdf

Personal Health Records
Proceedings of the Post Conference of NI 2009 Reports on Personal Health Records. This compendium is a full treatise on many of the issues surrounding personal health records. Highly recommended. This information supplements information in Chapter 14.  http://www.uku.fi/vaitokset/2009/isbn978-951-27-1321-9.pdf

Meaningful Use
I anticipate the the topic of meaningful use will continue to be a very hot topic in 2010!  Meaningful Use and Beyond is a presentation by James C. Larson Dec 4, 2009 at the Northern Ohio Health Information Management Systems Society Fall Conference. This pdf file (MUandBeyond) provides an update, plus some of the objectives and support information in Chapter 21.  http://www.nohimss.org//Fall2009Presentations/Fall2009Presentations.htm

New Issue of the JOLT journal

Ed Perry, one of the editors for JOLT emailed information about the December 2009 issue.  JOLT is an open-access journal published by MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resources for Learning and Online Teaching) http://www.merlot.org/   I included a copy of his email below.  The journal article quality is excellent!

"The December 2009 issue of the Journal of Online Learning and Teaching (JOLT) is now online with the contents listed below. In this issue you will find 14 articles concerned with various aspects of online learning and teaching.

We hope you will find several articles of interest and that you will forward this notice to colleagues who might also be interested in JOLT http://jolt.merlot.org/)."

JOLT CONTENTS – December 2009

•  Online Teaching Experience: A Qualitative Metasynthesis (QMS) - Jennie De Gagne and Kelley Walters
• Using the Online Learning Environment to Develop Real-Life Collaboration and Knowledge-Sharing Skills: A Theoretical Discussion and Framework for Online Course Design- Lisl Zach and Denise E. Agosto
• Impact of Video Tutorials in an Online Educational Statistics Course- Thomas A. DeVaney
• Perceptions of Interactions in Online Courses- Doreen Gosmire, Marcia Morrison, and Joanne Van Osdel
• The Impact of a Web-based Homework Tool in University Algebra Courses on Student Learning and Strategies- Angela Hodge, Jennifer C. Richardson, and Cindy S. York
• An Online Math Problem Solving System for Middle School Students Who are Blind- Carole R. Beal and Erin Shaw
• Exploring the Potential and Perceptions of Social Networking Systems in University Courses- John D. Ophus and Jason T. Abbitt
• An Application of Contemporary Learning Theory to Online Course Textbook Selection- Gregory Mostyn
• The Self-assessment of English Language Student-teachers’ Contributions to Online Discussion Forums- Phillip A. Towndrow
• Connecting Students Globally Through Video-Conference Pedagogy- Alyssa J. O’Brien and Christine L. Alfano
• The Benefits of Face-to-Face Interaction in the Online Freshman Composition Course- Samuel B Howard
• Are College Students Prepared for a Technology-Rich Learning Environment- Victoria Ratliff
• The Narrative Case Study Meets Hypertext: Case Studies in the Digital Age- Meghan Griffin
• Promoting Online Collaborative Social Learning Communities with Student Response Systems- Kathleen Klein