Oh-verwhelming

I was just working on another new online environment - the Wiki. I found searching for information on the web (even for very specific things) became quickly tiring because of the vast quantity of information out there. It's a time consuming task to evaluate quality resources to recommend to a client. Some excellent resources did not appear readily when searched for, while others - of lesser relevance - always came up in searches. I spoke to a friend who designs websites for leisure and he mentioned that there are certain things that you can include in the web pages to make them appear at the top of search lists. For instance adding question marks would make your page appear in higher priority, although it has no bearing on the website's content. Who knew? I do, however, know enough to recognize how little I know about computer technology! Good thing there are computer programmers and designers to consult with!

I think it can be valuable to have a basic understanding of how new technology works in order to use and evaluate it. For instance, now that I know how a Wiki functions, I wonder about the reliability of a Wiki versus a resource with strict peer review policies. Also, virtual environments are becoming increasingly popular in rehabilitation (like the Nintendo Wii) and I think it is important for all OT students to be equipped with the skills to use new computer technologies as well as the confidence to learn and pursue new technologies.

Regardless of how inept, inexperienced, or uncomfortable I may feel towards using a new technology, I think that it is my responsibility as a future therapist to invest time and effort into learning about it - especially if it could be of benefit to my future clients. I think that a key aspect of OT is encouraging and teaching clients to embrace new ways of experiencing. If I am to succeed in the profession, I suppose I ought to practice this myself. I guess this blog and the Wiki are a start!

OT Bloggers

In poking through more OT blogs, I came across this one: http://oteducation.wordpress.com/
It is authored by a lecturer in New Zealand and, according to another OT blogger, played an important part in promoting OT blogging! I have been posting questions on other OT blogs as well as learning much from reading through the thoughts of these practitioners. Some blogs have been quite amusing http://otstudents.blogspot.com/ and others incredibly informative http://technots.blogspot.com/.

Blogging seems to be a highly effective way of sharing information and networking and it seems that many OTs and OT students are accessing blogs as resources. I think I will use blogs as resources for giving and receiving new ideas and advice in future practice. I think it's great that a virtual community of OT bloggers has developed and I am glad to be a part of it!

That was fast!

To my surprise, one of my classmates found a reference to my blog yesterday by searching for OT blogs on Google. It didn't come up because I have posted an immense amount of material - as you can see. Instead, a prominent OT blogger (mentioned in my previous post) found that I had mentioned his blog and wrote about mine. Thanks Bloggingot!

I can't believe how fast the presence of this new blog was discovered. This shows what a great, and speedy, knowledge dissemination tool a blog can be!

Speaking of which, has anyone out there used blogs in their OT practice? What was your experience like?

Oh, wow!

I guess I should mention that I am a first year occupational therapy (OT) student. I looked for blogs relating to occupational therapy and found a great one: http://bloggingot.wordpress.com/
It was very useable and had links to other OT blogs, OT organizations, and OT relevant topics. There was also a neat feature in the side bar - a mini quiz! I will have to figure out how to add this to mine. This blog's creator also used the blog to recieve advice on preceptoring. Quite a few people responded and provided helpful advice. It seems that blogs can be much more than online diaries as I initially thought.

O.K.

It usually takes me a while to catch on to using new technology. I am still playing around with what this blog can do (ie doing silly things like replying to my own posts). I have yet to explore other blogs, which would be very useful in learning about the potential applications of this technology. I will do that now and report back later!

Oh, boy!

Welcome!

This is my first attempt at blogging. It already feels odd talking to myself like this. OK, then. Goodnight!