Risks and benefits of a virtual maternity clinic?

A midwifery friend of mine has been given the job of developing a website cum online resource that provides information to pregnant women and families, facilitates conversation and discussion, with a chat room for families to be able to talk to midwives. But because this website will be under-written by a health organisation, there are concerns about the risks to the organisation.

I would be really interested to hear from anyone involved in this sort of work. What do you perceive as the risks and benefits? How does your organisation manage the risks? What online platforms have you used? What advice would you pass on about what works and doesn't work?

Image: 'Midwife in Glanerbrug (Home)'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33055478@N00/2655437944

Is Connectivism a credible theoretical framework for my EdD research?

At last I have settled on my topic for my EdD research - I am going to look at the impact of the Virtual International Day of the Midwife (VIDM) which is an annual free, online conference that I have been facilitating for the last 4 years. So I am now at the stage of trying to find a theoretical framework to guide the development of my research proposal.

Connectivism
I am very interested in the theory about learning in the digital age, Connectivism, which has been developed by George Siemens and Stephen Downes. In his sideshow to the 2010 DEANZ conference, Professor Terry Anderson explains very clearly the difference between connectivism and the more traditional learning theories of behaviourism and constructivism. Connectivism explains that we learn via the networks we develop, so the emphasis is not on content (behaviourism) or the process of learning (constructivism) but rather the connections we make to nodes which may be people, information sources or non-human appliances.

Difference between connectivism and constructivism
I was asked the other day what is the difference between connectivism and constructivism....what is the difference between connectivism and what Etienne Wengar says about communities of practice? Constructivism explains that we learn in groups or communities....that our learning is socially constructed....people come together to problem-solve, discuss, and validate learning. Learning is based on prior experience and shared with the group. On the surface that doesn't sound very different from Connectivism. However, my understanding is that constructivism and communities of practice are a lot more formal....based on groups that come together with a definite purpose in mind...with a common aim and desire to work together for a specific purpose and outcome in mind.

Network of practice 
To put into my context, the midwifery research email group I belong to is a community of practice (COP) made up of midwives with an interest in research and the aim of sharing latest research findings and helping to support each other as we develop our own research projects. But the VIDM is not a COP because the participants only come together every year, they do not work together at any other times. Participants are distributed all over the place. The way they come together is very ad hoc and serendipitous. The whole event takes a snow-balling approach to organisation and implementation, and rely on networks for information to be distributed.  So, according to Siemens and Anderson, the VIDM is more of a network of practice, as opposed to a COP. Which brings me to asking if I can use Connectivism to explain what goes on at the VIDM? How are participants learning? Are they learning through the connections they are making at the VIDM, or is there no learning going on at all? Can participants learn from networking  in such a short time frame? What networking, if any, goes on after the VIDM? How are participants networking, if at all? Do they do it during the conference itself? Or are they networking via other avenues such as the VIDM wiki or Facebook page?

The problem with Connectivism
 I have always struggled to get my head around theory and how you develop research around a framework which is why I have avoided qualitative methodologies in the past. So I am a little concerned about my choice of Connectivism as a theory to explain what happens at the VIDM. The problem with it is that it is a relatively new theory, and remain controversial in some quarters. And I am not 100% confident that I have the depth of understanding and knowledge around educational theory to be able to critique it at a level that will be expected for an EdD. And I wonder if I'd be better off applying an "easier" theory like Rodger's Theory of Diffusion which I do understand and has been critiqued and researched extensively.  Another option would be utilising a theory around professional development, especially in the online context.

Connectivism hasn't really been tested, in my opinion. There is little empirical evidence that looks at it closely and I have a real worry that it has been latched on to by educational technologists and has become more of a trendy fad than a credible theory. This provides both a threat to my research and also an opportunity. On the one hand I could use this opportunity to apply this theory in practice, and make a real contribution to discussion in this area. On the other hand, it may be so new and untried that I am unable to work with it, especially in the context of the EdD. Whilst I want my EdD to make a contribution to knowledge development, I do not want to make life too hard for myself.

 I usually end my blog postings with questions for my readers but this post is more of a musing out loud so I am not even sure what questions to ask you. What I am about to do is do some reading around professional development, so if you know of any theory or author that you think might help me, please feel free to let me know.


References
Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age. George Siemens 2005.  http://www.ingedewaard.net/papers/connectivism/2005_siemens_ALearningTheoryForTheDigitalAge.pdf 
Connectivism: Learning as Network-Creation. George Siemens 2005. http://www.astd.org/LC/2005/1105_seimens.htm
Connectivism: Learning theory of the future or vestige of the past? Rita Kop and Adrian Hill. 2008 http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/viewArticle/523
Connectivism: Learning Theory or Pastime of the Self-Amused? George Siemens. 2006. http://simplybax.edublogs.org/files/2011/09/Connectivism-Learning-Theory-or-Pastime-of-the-Self-Amused-25xmwrt.pdf
Three generations of Distance Education Pedagogy: Challenges and Opportunities. Terry Anderson 2010. http://www.slideshare.net/terrya/three-generations-of-distance-education-pedagogy-challenges-and-opportunities
Connectivism. Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connectivism
The networked student. Wendy Dexler. 2008 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwM4ieFOotA

Rumours about me

There is a rumour going around our street that our house is a den of iniquity and my hubby and I are drug dealers!  It's all come about because a little old lady who lives up the street has seen what looks like a police man staking out our house every morning, and she's convinced it's because we're dealing drugs. What she doesn't realise is that the man in blue who looks like a policeman is my hubby (who wears a uniform not unlike that of a policeman) waiting for his lift to work! Lordy....now you can see how these rumours start!!!?????

Using Facebook for teaching, learning and assessment

I have just been asked by a colleague for examples of how teachers use Facebook for teaching and learning, as well as assessment in higher education.

Using Facebook as a student
As a student I prefer it as a communication tool. Last year my EdD class tried to use the discussion boards in Moodle but we felt there was a lack on spontaneity and even though I subscribed to the threads, I never received notification of posts. So we have moved to Facebook this year. Not only is it easier to communicate, but we also get more involved in each other's lives, outside of our study, which makes us feel closer as a group.

Using Facebook as a teacher
Again, as a teacher I have found that Facebook supports spontaneous communication compared to the BlackBoard discussion boards that I was using. I use it a lot to share information and links with students. But more exciting is that I see students supporting each other as they answer each other's questions and problem solve together. This has saved me work in the long run.

I haven't used Facebook in a more formal way, say for assessment. So I would love to hear from anyone who is using Facebook either as a teacher or student. What do you use it for? What is your experience? What tips would you pass on to a teacher thinking about how to use it in his teaching? 

Here are a few resources about teaching and Facebook.

•  5 Best Practices for Educators on Facebook
• Educator's guide to Facebook
• 100 ways you should be using Facebook in your classroom
• Just to let you know...Facebook does not have the ability to cure cancer, solve global warming or make you a better teacher
• Using Facebook as a supplementary tool for teaching and learning
• Facebook in education
• How higher education uses social media

Student midwives, clinical skills and cell phones

I have just spent the last two weeks teaching student midwives and I have noticed an interesting change in student behaviour compared to previous years. When we have looked at any clinical skills, including actual demonstration and practice of those skills, cell phones have appeared in seconds and at least half the class have been taking videos and photos. Yesterday I volunteered to be a model for sterile water injections (a method of treating back pain in labour) and it felt like I was being mobbed by the paparazzi.

When I asked a couple of students what they were going to do with the photos and videos, they replied that they were going to show them to friends ands family, to explain what they were studying in university. They hadn't really thought about sharing anything , especially the videos, online as a teaching/learning resource for others.

What I would like to do one day in a research project is track is how students use these images and videos, and then explore what happens when the students proactively produce and publish images and videos online as a teaching/learning resource.

Have you heard of any similar projects? Are you a students who takes photos and videos at university/college? What do you do with them and why? Are you a teacher? How do your students use their cell phones?

Image: 'Communication'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/35707686@N06/3474643866

4th Annual Virtual International Day of the Midwife: calling for presenters

Welcome to the 4th Annual Virtual International Day of the Midwife (VIDM), a 24 hour FREE ONLINE CONFERENCE on the 5th May, 2012 for midwives and anyone interested in childbirth.


The Virtual International Day of the Midwife (VIDM) celebrates the International Day of the Midwife by bringing midwives and others from across the globe together using online electronic media. A variety of live online events are presented every hour for 24 hours on the 5th of May 2012 (starting time has yet to be arranged) via web-conferencing facilities. These may include presentations about latest research or practice issues, informal discussions, panel discussions, meetings or story-telling.

The organising committee are now calling for Expressions of Interest (EOI) to present at the VIDM eVent. This year's theme is MIDWIVES SAVES LIVES. However, we will consider any topic as long as it is of interest to midwives and people interested in childbirth.

While the EOI must be in English, we welcome presentations on the day in other languages. We also welcome EOI from non-midwives and midwifery students. Presenters need not be experienced in using electronic media - members of the organising committee will be able to give support.

Please provide a short paragraph (no more than 150 words) describing your presentation and the form it will take (for example, you may wish to use a PowerPoint presentation). Please also include your status (eg midwife, non-midwife, midwifery student), country of origin and language of presentation. Your presentation or session should:
•Have a clear aim or purpose

•Focus on maternity care or midwifery

•Be of interest to an international audience

•Be appropriate to the chosen media

If you would like to give a presentation, please indicate what country and time zone you are available in your EOI. Please note: We will be using the web-conferencing platform Adobe Connect. All sessions will be facilitated by an experienced online facilitator so you will be supported at every stage.

Please submit your EOI by 4th March 2012 by one of these methods:

•Email to Sarah Stewart: sarahstewart07@gmail.com

•Add it to the VIDM wiki: http://internationaldayofthemidwife.wikispaces.com/Ideas+for+2012

•Add to the VIDM Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/VirtualInternationalDayoftheMidwife

•Via Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/VIDofM

•Or leave a comment on this blog.

Another change

I have been so busy over the last few months I have badly neglected this blog. And to be honest, I've spread myself too thin across the board. So I have just handed in my notice at Griffith University and will no longer be teaching undergraduate midwifery students in Brisbane.

This is a proactive measure I have taken so I can focus 100% on my job in the Educational Development Centre at Otago Polytechnic, my EdD research and developing my consultancy as e-learning/social media advisor.

I shall miss my colleagues at Griffith and hope we'll continue our connection in one way or another.  But I have to say that I am looking forward to being able to spend more time on blogging, researching and writing. And taking up other opportunities that pass my way, that I had to say 'no' to last year, like spending a month in Nepal helping with curriculum development.

The next big project that is looming fast is the 4th Annual Virtual International Day of the Midwife...calls for EOI will be coming out soon. 

How to use social media for virtual campaigning yet avoiding the spam trap

There is currently a campaign in the UK to elect a new president for the Royal College of Midwives. I have been advising Professor Lesley Page how best to use social media to get her message across. Midwives in the UK are notoriously reluctant to vote in RCM elections, so at the very least Lesley wishes to raise awareness about the elections, with the ultimate aim that they vote for her.

One of the things that has become obvious is there is a fine line between maximising opportunities for getting your message out to people and spamming. For example, one of the other candidates wrote a "vote for me" post in a Facebook group that I am a member of which focuses on the ethical advertising and marketing of formula baby food. Personally, I thought this was annoying spam because the post had nothing to do with the topic of the group or relevance to certain members of the group. So how do you get around this problem?

One answer I think is to integrate your message with the focus of the group, network or page so that there is a win-win situation....that you get your message across but you also contribute constructively to the group or conversation. In the case I was talking about, the candidate could have told the group how she feels about ethical marketing of formula feed and what she would do about it if she becomes president. Or she could actively request feedback from the group about the issue to inform her own position.

What do you think? Do you mind if people use your Facebook page (Twitter tag, email discussion group...) to advertise their election/information campaign? Do you have ideas about what is acceptable or not? What sort of campaigns do you share with others on Facebook and Twitter and what would you ignore? What guidelines would you suggest for virtual campaigning using social media?

Image: 'polling station'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25834786@N03/3598534263

Ghost chips

I have had a sad Christmas so haven't been doing any blogging or anything else much for that matter. My son's best friend (on the left) was killed in a car crash following a Christmas party. I am very sad for his family and also my son, because they have lost a huge part of their lives.

The loss of yet another young man, in the prime of his life breaks my heart and I wonder what on earth we can do to stop these lads taking such chances with cars and alcohol.

One of the things that really strikes me is that we have to change attitudes about alcohol and drink-driving. There has recently been a great advertising campaign against drink-driving in New Zealand which apparently has been very successful...although I have no idea how that "success" is measured. 



But at the same time, you have adverts about alcohol with beautiful girls in which drinking looks so cool, so does one counteract the other?



I would like to see an end to the advertising of alcohol, especially on TV and a decrease in the alcohol levels that are acceptable for driving in New Zealand. And as "grown ups" we have to model safe drinking practices to young people...before it is too late.

Starting to plan for the Virtual International Day of the Midwife 2012

I don't know where the years go. It seems that we get one VIDM over with and then we're starting to plan another. This is our 4th year and we're hoping for a fabulous program and lots of you midwives, students and people interested in birth will be able to join us.

On our committee this year is Deborah Davis, Mary Sidebotham, Pamela Harndon, Chris Woodhouse and Lorraine Mockford. Here are the minutes of our first 2012 VIDM committee meeting.

1. Virtual meeting room
We will be using Adobe Connect this year instead of Elluminate. One of the advantages of Adobe Connect is that it by-passes firewalls so should be easier to use in organizations such as hospitals. We will hold all our committee meetings in the room from now on so we can get as skilled as we possible with using the technology.

• Here is the link to a practice room that will be left open for people to use and practice in: https://adobeconnect.op.ac.nz/r66887112
• I will add instructions on how to use Adobe Connect to the VIDM wiki over the next few weeks.

2. Extending the VIDM committee
We decided we would keep the committee as is for the time being so it doesn't get too big to manage, but we will shoulder tap people to help us out with specific jobs so the workload is shared as much as possible.

3. Affiliation with the ICM
Following various discussions with staff of the International Confederation of Midwives, we are going to investigate if we can become affiliated to the ICM. This will increase our coverage, give us more credibility and hopefully attract more midwives from developing countries.

• Will invite ICM president, Frances Day-Stirk to open the day. The time we start the day will depend on if/when she is available to join us.

4. VIDM wiki: http://internationaldayofthemidwife.wikispaces.com
I have made a start on editing the wiki in preparation for next year. If you have any ideas on how we can make it more user-friendly or jazz it up, please feel free to either let me know or edit the wiki yourself.

5. Facilitators
We'll be needing 24 facilitators who are able to facilitate each session, manage the virtual room, support the speakers and audience. We will also need at least four "master facilitators" who will take four to six hour slots and take over-all charge of what's going on, including stewarding the technology and supporting the facilitators. If you would be interested in helping out with either role, please let me know.

6. Speakers
After Christmas we will put out a call for EOI for speakers. We will also be shoulder tapping people. A speaker may wish to:

• present an aspect of his/her practice;
• lead a discussion on an aspect of practice or professional issue;
• present the results of research, audit or project;
• do something completely different.

We would especially like to invite student midwives, health consumers and midwives from developing countries. We would also like to invite speakers whose first language is not English - we would love to have some sessions in a language other than English. So if you're interested in being a speaker, please let me know. 

Don't forget...you can follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out the latest news. 

Shame on the British Journal of Midwifery

I was just about to submit an article for publication in the British Journal of Midwifery when I  found out that it has gone into partnership with the milk formula company, Cow and Gate, to sponsor the "Innovating for life" awards. This is the only midwifery journal in the UK to continue an association with a milk formula company, and causes ethical problems for midwives. Milk companies have one reason for working with midwives and that is to get us to promote bottle feeding. If women choose to bottle feed, that's their choice. But it is my professional role as a midwife to promote and support breastfeeding which has been proven to be the more beneficial method of infant feeding. For those of you who don't get it...it's like AA being sponsored by Guinness.

I have now decided not to publish in the BJM, and submit the article somewhere else. I for one do not want to be associated with practices that cause such conflict of interest in relation to infant feeding. In the meantime, you can find out more from the Facebook page "British Journal of Midwifery- You can't be Serious!"


References

Policy on infant formula industry funding, support or sponsorship of articles submitted for publication. Annette Beasley and Lisa H Amir. International Breastfeeding Journal 2007, 2:5 doi:10.1186/1746-4358-2-5

15 tricks of formula companies.  Ange13. http://www.rollercoaster.ie/Discussions/tabid/119/ForumThread/141259013/Default.aspx


Image: 'Moeder en kroost'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/64014075@N00/3265005500

Using social media to get yourself elected

I have been asked to advise and help a colleague use social media get herself elected onto the board of a professional organization. I have to admit I have never done something quite like this before, but it is not dissimilar to the marketing I have done for the Virtual International Day of the Midwife and such like.

First step
If I was going to vote for someone in an election, I would want to:

• know all the political stuff. In other words, what are the candidate's policies, philosophy and plans for the future?
• see she reacts to current issues as they crop up;
• interact with the candidate...ask her questions...learn more about her thinking. Some times it is a little scary talking to a famous person or political figure in the face-to-face environment, whereas it doesn't take much nerve to leave a question on Facebook;
• get to know the candidate...not just on a professional level, but also get to know her as a person.

What can we learn from Barack Obama?
With these questions in mind, I have turned to Barack Obama for information on how he ran his extremely successful presidential campaign in  2008. Much has been written  about the way Barack Obama used social networking. Needless to say, he had staff to run his campaign as well as significant funding. The majority of us are involved in campaigns that are a lot less ambitious. However, the core of what Obama did was interact with people. He ran a two-way campaign...he didn't just push out information but he responded to people...and got involved with them in any way he could.

About social media for campaigning
So here are a few key messages about social media and campaigning, be it an election campaign, marketing a product, fund raising or promoting an event or idea.

• Don't expect social media to make you instant fame and fortune (or votes). You have to put time and effort into making posts, comments, responding to people and generating conversations.
• Social networking is about exactly that...being social. In effect what you are doing is building a community around your product. Keeping in mind the 1% rule...that only 1% people will actively engage with you online,  you've got your work cut out, which takes us back to the first point I made.
• Use the technology that people are already using. There's no point in setting up a Twitter account if everyone you want to reach is on Facebook. At the same time, the more distributed you are, the more people you are likely to reach. 
• Be consistent with your brand ie if you develop a logo or photo of yourself, use that on all your pages and sites so you have consistency and are easily recognised. 
• Remember a large number of people still use email, as well as cell phones. So think how you can utilize email newsletters and texts to keep people up to date with what you're doing.
• You need to think how you're going to continue after the campaign. Social networking is a long term option not just a quick fix for electioneering or selling a product. You will lose credibility with your supporters if you do not continue to engage with them, especially if they elected you into the position you were after.

Tips and tricks for campaigning

Having had a read around of blog posts such as The Barack Obama guide to social media marketing success by Rod Kirby and 50 social media tactics for non-profits by Chad Norman, as well as my own experience I have come up with a few ideas for the basic use of social media for campaigning.

1. Set up a YouTube channel and post short videos introducing yourself and discussing your thoughts, policies and ideas. Make them no longer than a couple of minutes.  Not only do you introduce your ideas but you give voters the chance to see what you look and sound like. Invite questions and comments, and always respond them...maybe with another video.
2. Set up a Facebook page. Use plenty of images because that is what catches the eye. Make sure you keep your wall up-to-date because that is what readers notice first. If you are running a campaign for a short period of time, post a comment or piece of information at least daily. Connect up with other Facebook pages that have similar interests and where your audience usually hangs out. Invite your voters to contribute to your page by asking questions and adding their own comment, but make sure you always respond. Run polls for example, to find out what the main issues are that voters wish you to address. Share information that your readers will be interested in. Connect your Facebook page to your cell phone so you can monitor the page when you are away from your computer.
3. Set up a Twitter account. Devise a unique hashtag, such as #electme which you use every time you post a comment and encourage others to use it so you can follow what others say. Monitor what people are saying about you using tools such as Tweetdeck. Send out tweets at least four times a day and always answer comments or questions. Connect up with influential people in your area that already use Twitter.
4. Create a blog. Facebook and Twitter are fine for short and sweet messages, but for longer, in-depth ponderings it is better to have a blog. This can save you money if you have a blog rather than a website. You can use various widgets to feed in your Twitter and Facebook posts (and visa versa). Publish a post at least three times a week. Make it relevant, easy to read, not too long and use lots of images.
5. Connect with voters. When you can, meet up with followers face-to-face with activities such as tweet-ups to give people a chance to meet you. An alternative is virtual meetings with webinars using free meeting rooms such as Wiziq.

If you want to know more, just "Google" social media and marketing or browse around the Mashable website. 

What tips would you pass on for successful campaigning using social media, be it for an election, marketing or fund raising?


Image: 'Tweet.'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25159380@N00/3649349353

Why is it my kids don't like Skype?

I don't know what it is but I just cannot get my kids (grown up now) to use Skype for audio and video calling. I have been using Skype for years and never have any problems with it. It is easy to use and provides excellent quality calls to one or more (up to about four in my experience) people. But my son and daughter have always rejected Skype.

A couple of years ago, it was all about MSN. Now it is about Facebook. I don't know how long it's been possible to use Facebook for video calls, but I was introduced to it a couple of evenings ago. It appears to work well and integrates seamlessly into Facebook chat. I can see why my children prefer to use Facebook because all modes of communication are merging into one application, which make life so much easier.

As for me, I feel slightly uncomfortable about putting all my eggs into one basket...especially into the Facebook basket. So I am going to be a fuddy duddy and continue to spread myself around...around Skype, Facebook, and Google...although, I know you'll remind me that Facebook now owns Skype. What I would like to try next is find out more about the integration between Skype and Facebook.

What is your favorite tool for audio and video calls? Have you had any experience of calling Facebook friends via Skype? If so, how does it work?