Greetings from New Delhi, India

Greetings from New Delhi, India.  I am here for the Indian Cancer Congress (ICC), which begins in the morning.  My nursing colleague, Savitri, and I have two appointment to meet with Indian nursing colleagues today.  We look forward to meeting others at the ICC pre-conference for nurses tomorrow. 

We are continuing to develop the Indian Cancer Portal at http://oercindia.merlot.org.  Your contribution and suggestions to improve the website are welcome. 

Word Processing Self-Assessment

Self-Assess your word processing skills. Click in the cell for the column Rate Yourself.
Enter the numbers 0-4. The highest score possible is 248.

• 0 - No skill 
• 1 - Able to do with assistance 
• 2 - Competent working independently 
• 3 - Advanced competency 
• 4 - Expert, can teach others

APA Template for Google Docs

I created an APA template for Google Docs.  You should be able to view it at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ALBZqImAIxs-x6WIQJ8GzV8XRgBK0JKngqUgqOyz5WQ/edit?usp=sharing

The limitation, of Google Docs, as noted in the previous blog, is formatting the page header.  In Google Docs, the page header is the same for all pages.  With APA 6th style, the word Running head are uses only for the title page.  The words do not appear on subsequent pages. 

APA Templates for Word Processors (Mac - Pages & Word, OpenOffice, Google Drive Docs)

If you need to write a paper that uses APA 6th style, consider beginning with a pre-designed template. Remember that you must use the APA manual to verify that the template is designed correctly.

You can also configure the word processor by editing the default style. Any well-designed template can save lots of time, so that you can concentrate on the document content.

• Apple iWork Pages - http://www.michaelhanscom.com/eclecticism/2010/10/28/apa-6th-edition-paper-template-for-apple-pages-iwork/
  Note: Do not worry about saving the template with the other Pages templates.  After you have saved it, for example in the Documents folder, it will be available from your pick list to open.

• Microsoft Word for the Mac - use the same website as noted for Apple iWork Pages.  

• Apache OpenOffice - http://templates.openoffice.org/en/template/apa-6th-edition-paper-template-1
  Note: There are a couple of errors on the template that are easily corrected.  First the title page does not show a course name, instructor, or due date.  It should show the title of the paper, the author name, and the institutional affiliation (APA, 2011, p. 23).
  The first paragraph of the abstract should NOT be indented.
  
  The paragraph headings need to be edited.  See page 62 of the APA manual.

• Google Drive Docs - there are many templates, but I was unable to locate one correct formatting.  One of the limitations of Google Docs is that the page header is the same for all pages. 

MERLOT OERC (Open Education Resources for Cancer) Portal in Development - OERC India

MERLOT is partnering with physicians and nurses in the country of India to develop a portal for cancer resources.  The website, still in development, is online at http://oercindia.merlot.org/index.html

I and several of my colleagues representing OERC will participate in the Indian Cancer Congress 2013 from November 20-24. As of today,  2700 attendees who have signed up for the Congress. On November 20, I will provide a pre-conference 90 minute hands-on workshop on the MERLOT OERC India portal.  I will also participate in two of the nursing oncology pre-conference sessions.

I look forward to meeting representatives from the Ministry of Health, nursing faculty, and students during the stay in New Delhi.  

There will be have a table at the conference to share information about MERLOT, OERC, and INCTR (International Network for Cancer Training and Research).

If any of the readers for this blog are interested in MERLOT or cancer and open education resources or OERC India, please:

• Join MERLOT
• Search for learning resources
• Contribute new learning resources
• Create Personal Collections
• Make comments about learning resources

APA Style Guide to Electronic References

If you are writing a paper that has references to websites, you might find the Publication Manual of the America Psychological Association (APA) does not provide the information you need.  APA published an electronic book, APA Style Guide to Electronic References, to address the need.  There is a Kindle version of the eBook at Amazon.  The cost ranges from $9.26 to $11.95. The eBook includes lots of examples for Facebook, Tweets, online PowerPoint slides, and more.  You can use electronic bookmarks and search the book. 

PS - There is also a Kindle version for the Publication Manual of the America Psychological Association. 

Use of Health Apps by Healthcare Consumers

NPR News, The Long List of Health Apps Features Few Clear Winners by Nancy Shute,  reports that although there are 16,257 health apps, but laypersons are not taking an advantage of them.  The most popular are calorie counters and fitness apps.  My FitnessPal is an example.  I have the app, but need to use it. 

It was interesting to read that there are 558 apps for mental health.  Mental health was the most popular topic. 

I suggest that many healthcare providers are not award of apps that might empower healthcare consumers.  I have a learning exercise in one of the courses I teach where students search for apps related to their nursing specialty. Students often share that they were surprised about the availability.  Healthcare providers should evaluate the quality of apps in order to assist patients and families.

You can read more at:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/10/30/241852598/the-long-list-of-health-apps-features-few-clear-winners#!