These graphs represent percent responses based on the anonymous online qualtrics survey responses. This information provides a glimpse into the behaviors and attitudes of Ventura County residents on water conservation during a time of drought.
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I came into the BLLP cohort not really knowing what to expect. I did hear from some previous faculty cohorts that it was very good but also very challenging. I would have to say that the biggest challenge besides being introduced to, and sometimes being overwhelmed by technology tools I have never utilized, was trying to complete the work and attend all the classes during an incredibly busy spring semester. Trying to balance a busy teaching load with committee work, a Performing Arts job search, an external committee review, finish a CD and do a live performance of all the music recorded on the CD for my mini-grant presentation, was challenging to say the least. In my opinion, this course could be more effective if it was offered as a six week once a week class that met over summer break. However, I really did enjoy the community and feeling of camaraderie of learning with and from my CI colleagues, as well as all the great folks at the FIT studio including Jaimie, Jill, Kristi and Mike.
I did have some preconceived notions of blended learning and particularly online only learning at the beginning of the semester. However, in the very first class session, I was amazed at Michelle Pacansky-Brock videos and the visual appeal of what her online class looked like. I was also impressed with our many CI colleagues who presented to us throughout the semester and their use of blended and online technology. It was reassuring that many of our esteemed CI faculty is actually utilizing these technology tools. I also thought an excellent in class presentation was when the students came to speak to us. It was very interesting to get the student’s different perspectives on what they thought worked and didn’t work.
Some of the technology tools and concepts that I felt were very beneficial and plan to use in the future include voicethread, discussion boards, google presentations, CI Keys, 5 Essential elements for CI Learn, week zero, liquid syllabus and hopefully many more. However, I do realize the amount of extra time that can go into making some of the tools work for you and understand (as suggested by Jaimie and others) that I should only introduce a few new technology tools per semester so I don’t overwhelm the students and myself!
Finally, I want to thank and commend everyone responsible for the BLLP faculty development course and to my colleagues in the cohort.
Sincerely,
Paul Murphy
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Greetings! We’re nearing the end of the semester and if you’re like me, you might be pretty overwhelmed by that end-of-semester to-do list. And, while you may have read or heard about some cool digital tools that you want to explore over the summer as you build or revise your courses…. darn it… you’ve forgotten the name of […]
As we approach our final weeks of school, I am truly thankful for the amazing cohort and instructors that I have met throughout this journey that we call nursing school. I can still remember my initial plan, which was to apply to Ventura’s nursing program since I did not have much faith in making it to CSUCI. Speaking to one of our classmates, one who I went to high school with but did not really talk to, Cesar encouraged me to apply to CSUCI instead to purse my nursing career. I was fortunate to have a friend like him because he had faith in me and believed that we could both make the program and flourish throughout the 3 extensive years. In disbelief, I received a letter stating that I was accepted into the program. From this point on, I realized that my life would change forever and there would be a lot of sleepless nights, but it would all be well worth the pain.
Critical care, our last nursing course, has truly taught me a lot about nursing and the importance of truly using “critical thinking.” This discipline takes a special type of nurse because nurses are faced with seeing individuals at their worst along with families grieving for their loved ones. It’s difficult not to imagine your own family members in such critical states, but being in this profession makes it inevitable. I had the opportunity to work with many nurses who were delighted to have students, which made my experience even better because I was able to learn a lot and take note of their personal practice. I have probably performed more skills during this semester than all of the other clinical semesters combined, which is always a plus for us since we rarely have time to perform skills in the clinical setting. Aside from my experiences, I also wanted to commend our instructors for sticking throughout this journey with us and providing us with their knowledge and experiences. A famous quote that has always stuck with me (also because my dad hates it when I don’t know how to do something) states “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” While this quote highlights the importance of knowledge and ability to work, nursing school has taught us more than we can ever imagine. I have learned to give my time and presence to patients and their families when no one else would listen. I spoke to patients and truly sat down to listen to their stories because I knew that they have not had a decent conversation since their hospitalization. As I reflect on the last 3 years of nursing school, there is one thing that I will never forget. That is to be genuine in all that you do and do not let anyone change who you are because we are all special in each of our own ways and contribute equally to this profession that we call nursing.
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