Reflective Blogs

What is a blog?

A blog (short for 'web log') is a user generated diary or journal of entries, which
is usually displayed in reverse order (in other words, newer entries first, older
entries last). Blogs can be edited, and added to, by their owners. Users or
readers can add comments and content, which may be moderated by the owner.
Blogs can be created on any subject. Different types of electronic information
can be posted to a blog including text, video, audio and pictures. Blogs can be
hosted on the owner’s website or through an open source of public providers
which are listed later in this handbook.

For a more detailed (but simple!) explanation, you can watch this YouTube video

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN2I1pWXjXI

or read the FAQ provided by a blogger

www.blogger.com/tour_start.g

How to set up your blog

There are many free sites that will help you set up, design and add content to
your blog. These sites will also suggest ways for you to personalise the look and
feel of your blog. We feel that the internet is an important part of networking in
the 21st century. We want you to learn to navigate around it as well as
developing the key linkages between the knowledge that exists out there!

A lot of the learning at first might be trial and error. Try out some sites and see
which ones work best for you. Here are some suggested blog building sites:

www.blogger.com

YouTube video at

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0klgLsSxGsU

or read the FAQ provided by Google reader at

www.google.com/support/reader/?hl=en
Digital Storytelling

Introduction to Digital Storytelling

Information has been passed down from generation to generation through

stories. Regardless of age, race, creed, stories capture interest and is an
effective way of ensuring engagement with information. With the onset of the
digital age where digital cameras, audio recorders and computers are
increasingly coming into common usage the art of storytelling is transforming to
utilize these forms of media. Boone 2000 reports how companies such as Coco-
Cola use digital stories to strengthen their brand by encouraging customers to
bond emotionally with their product. NHS is one of the growing numbers of public
services asking users to relay their NHS experience through digital stories.

Even though you may not be highly confident in your abilities as storytellers, just
stop and think about the number of stories you have told in your lifetime. In our
daily lives our conversations are packed full of stories sharing and engaging
friends and family in incidents that have occurred, experiences and knowledge
we have acquired, dreams and aspirations we have.

Concept of Experiential Learning

The following teaching unit has been designed to take you through the process
of creating your own digital story. It embeds principles of experiential learning
and includes components for comprehension, planning, action, sharing,
reflection, evaluation and revised-action.

Experience sits at the centre of the learning process, and as such is heavily
embedded in traditional forms of teaching based in classrooms to work
placements. Kolb (2007) says “as a learner it is my experience that guides how I
learn and says when I have learned something”.

McDrury and Alterio (2003) outline a “Learning through storytelling” framework

which consists of 5 stages.
References

Boone, M. (2000) Branding With Digital Stories. Sales & Marketing Management,
152, 30.

Guthrie, G. P. (2003) 1,600 Quotes & Pieces of Wisdom That Just Might Help You
Out When You’re Stuck in a Moment (and Can’t Get Out of It!), Lincoln, USA,
iUniverse.

Klob, D. (2007) What is experiential learning? . Podcasts and vodcasts. Hay

Group.

PhotoStory 3 software:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?
FamilyID=92755126-a008-49b3-b3f4-6f33852af9c1&DisplayLang=en

Instructions:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/phot
ostory/tips/firststory.mspx

iMovie software:

http://www.apple.com/ilife/imovie/

instructions:

http://www.apple.com/support/imovie/
Activity

1. Carry out an online search to find a digital story. If you don't

manage to find a story have a look at some of the links provided
below.

2. Select one story that you found interesting and write a brief
outline on your blog describing :
your reason for selecting this story
photos, narration the storyteller used, (how effective were they?)
give a web links to the story.

3. Once you have posted your outline, read the outlines produced by
a few of your colleagues and comment on their posts.

Digital Story Examples:

Dana Atchley Productions

(http://www.nextexit.com/dap/dapframeset.html)

• Stories for executives: PriceWaterHouseCoopers- What is value to

you?)

• Location based storytelling: The World of Coca Cola, Las Vegas

• New technology stories: Pinnacle Systems

Centre for digital story telling:

http://www.storycenter.org/index1.html

Endangerhealth:
http://www.engenderhealth.org/our-work/maternal/digital-stories-
uganda-fistula.php

The Patient Voices digital stories

http://www.patientvoices.org.uk/stories.htm

1000 Lives Plus to deliver safer care - every time, for every patient in
Wales
http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sites3/home.cfm?orgid=781

Storyworks
http://www.storyworksglam.co.uk/testimonials.html

Digital Storytelling in Healthcare

http://www.storycenter.org/healthcare.html
Useful Resources

The resource links below maybe useful in finding copyright free images.

Resources: (most photos are free to use, but always check and you may
need to credit the author)

Digital Storytelling in Plain English

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP6CeGLPuOY

Place-Based Digital Storytelling Overview

http://www.pbs.org/nationalparks/for-educators/digital-
storytelling/#tier3

Storyboard template (simple word doc)

http://opsound.org/

Free photos
http://www.flickr.com/groups/creative_commons-_free_pictures/pool/

Search Creative Commons

http://search.creativecommons.org/

Flickr Creative Commons

http://flickrcc.bluemountains.net/flickrCC/index.php

Free Sound Project

http://www.freesound.org/tagsView.php

Springer Images (Medical) (Tick search option - Only accessible images

(free + subscribed), check copyright information before using)
http://www.springerimages.com/

Public Health Images (use advance search and search for "public
domain" images)
http://phil.cdc.gov/phil/home.asp

National cancer institute- visuals online (Check Reuse Restrictions for

any images that you use. Reuse restrictions should say "None - This
image is in the public domain and can be freely reused")
( http://visualsonline.cancer.gov/ )

NIH Image Bank (mostly health related public domain images)

http://media.nih.gov/imagebank/

National Eye Institute Images

(All information on the NEI Website is published under public domain
and is not copyright protected. Credit needs to be given to the National
Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health (NEI/NIH).)

http://www.nei.nih.gov/photo/
Creating a digital story using photostory3:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEipKnL3DAE&feature=related

Fit For The Future

Service development/Quality improvement example
Fit for the Future provides a useful introduction to the UDSET
collection, pulling together many of the different aspects of the
outcomes focussed approach to community care, from restoring a
shared sense of purpose, through working in true partnership with
service users and carers and making better use of wider community
resources, to making effective use of the information gathered through
structured conversations to inform the design and provision of services
of relevance in the 21st Century.

http://www.digitalstorylibrary.scot.nhs.uk/FitForTheFuture.html

What Would Be Better If

June describes the potential of an outcomes-focussed approach to help
support service redesign. In particular, she considers its capacity to
make the shift from thinking in terms of the notoriously problematic
Unmet Need and thinking in terms of what would be better if.... and by
working in true partnership with service users and carers.
http://www.digitalstorylibrary.scot.nhs.uk/WhatWouldBeBetterIf.html

Part of the Job?

Nicola, a physiotherapist, highlights the importance of really listening
to people and recounts her discovery that carrying out a carers'
assessment could actually be a valuable part of the job.

http://www.digitalstorylibrary.scot.nhs.uk/partofjob.html

Better Together
Better Together is Scotland's Patient Experience Programme, using the
public's experiences of NHSScotland to improve health services.
http://www.bettertogetherscotland.com/bettertogetherscotland/flash/in
tro.html

Working as a team?
As an airline pilot, Martin is drilled and skilled in the essential
principles that underpin safe, effective teamwork. When personal
tragedy strikes, the universal relevance of these principles, from flight
deck to operating theatre, is brought into high relief.
http://www.patientvoices.org.uk/flv/0431pv384.htm

She’s fine don’t worry

Lack of communication between professionals and relatives can create
and exacerbate feelings of fear and lack of control. These can often be
addressed by a few simple, informed, words from someone who knows
the answers and takes the time to communicate them.
http://www.patientvoices.org.uk/flv/0276pv384.htm
From little acorns..
In this story, Val Leggett, Infection Control Nurse for Norfolk and
Waveney Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, describes how lateral
thinking, team work and use of colleagues' expertise achieved an
award-winning facility.
http://www.patientvoices.org.uk/flv/0266pv384.htm

Patient Voices: Stories from the Royal College of Nursing

http://www.patientvoices.org.uk/rcnpdf.htm

Copyright regulations:

http://www.lr.mdx.ac.uk/copyright/index.htm

Wikis

What is a wiki?

Wikis in plain English will explain to you exactly what a wiki is

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dnL00TdmLY&feature=channel

The MINE wiki can be found at

http://minestudentandmentortoolkits.middlesex.wikispaces.net/