Blogging and discussion boards are two
ways an instructor can enhance the adult learning experience. One difference between
blogging and discussion boards is access. Discussion boards are typically
available to a select group of individuals whereas a blog is available to anyone
with access to the internet. Discussion boards require students to sign in with
a password before accessing and posting information.
Another difference between a discussion
boards and a blog is readability. A discussion board primarily consists of posts
that are divided into categories called threads. Each thread contains posts
about a particular topic in chronological order. Blogs are similar to discussion boards because they contain
text but they may also include links to other websites, embedded video, pictures
and graphics (King & Cox, 2011). Both blogs and discussion boards enhance a
student’s writing and critical thinking skills. Compared to discussion boards, “blogs are not as structured, usually not edited, and they
frequently include a variety of tools for self-expression” (Burke & Oomen-Early, 2008, p.362).
Blogging Pros:
The readings this week focus on
the benefits of incorporating blogging in adult education. Blogging can empower
students to analyze and critique information while determining their
perspectives on a variety of issues (Oravec, 2002). Blogging can also develop a
learner’s network of colleagues by bringing together virtual mentors, coaches
and individual with similar profession interest (King & Cox, 2013). Blogging
is just one way that technology can enhance learning.
Blogging Cons:
Certain populations may not have
access to the internet and therefore would not benefit from education provided
on a blog. I have thought of creating a blog for my student population which is
stage IV CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease) patients. Upon assessment, I found that only
a handful of my patients have access to the internet.
As a healthcare professional, another con
that comes to mind is liability. If a healthcare professional manages a blog,
it is essential that they monitor posts to ensure accurate information since inaccurate
health claims can be dangerous for readers. Maintaining a professional blog requires
diligence, understanding of local laws, and a method for managing ongoing
updates (Autumn, 2013).
Burke, S., & Oomen-Early, J. (2008). That's Blog Worthy: Ten Ways to Integrate Blogging into the Health Education Classroom. American Journal of Health Education, 39(6), 362-364
Frischtak, H., & Sinha, P. (2013). The Hitchhiker's Guide to
Global Health Blogging. Prospectives in Biology and Medicine, 56(4),
602-610
King, K., P., & Cox, T.,D. (2011). The
professor's guide to taming technology : Leveraging digital
media, web 2.0, and more for learning. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Pub.
Oravec, J. A. (2002). Bookmarking the world: Weblog applications in education. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 45(7), 616-621
HI Christine,
ReplyDeleteYou managed to masterfully articulate very technical information into very common language. I see that as being very important with blogging since you have a diverse audience unfamiliar with our adult education "insider" language.
Also, very ethically minded of you to bring up the liability issue as a health care professional regarding health topics. Because of your content, it is a higher profile issue and something all educators should be mindful of regardless of content. As educators we need to take into account our personal and professional values, where our primary obligations are and evaluate the consequences of our actions (Brockett & Hiemstra, 2005) Enjoyed your post Christine, thank you!
Sue
Brockett, R. G., & Hiemstra, R. (2005). Promoting ethical practice in adult education. Adult Learning, 16(3/4), pp. 4-6.
Greetings Sue!
DeleteThank you for the comments. I typed and re-typed my original post several times as I was trying to put my thoughts into words. In answering the question of the week about the pros and cons of blogging, I kept thinking about my role as a licensed health educator. I believe it is the responsibility of the person managing the blog to provide accurate, research based information. You make a very good point that all educators no matter the content, should abide by that same standard. I know that there are health educators that have very active blogs and I am researching how they handle liability, ethical issues. I am not as concerned with the information that is provided by the educator as I am with replies or posts that follow the original blog. I think blogging is an excellent way to discuss health information but I think I might start with a "closed" private blog that would only allow certain participants access (Burke & Oomen-Early, 2008).
Burke, S. & Oomen-Early, J. (2008). That's Blog Worthy: Ten Ways to Integrate Blogging into the Health Education Classroom. American Journal of Health Education, 39(6), 362-364.
(I tried posting this earlier, but it still hasn't shown up, so I'm trying again. Sorry if it comes through twice!)
ReplyDeleteReally fascinating post! I had not considered this issue from the healthcare standpoint, but this clearly has far-reaching consequences. Some statistics say that over 70 percent of adults have searched for health information online, and that internet users are increasingly less trustful of large corporations that might disseminate health information (Bossaller, 2014). Blogs and other small resources maintained by medical professionals are likely to become “go-to” sources for many. As a medical professional yourself, how do you see this affecting duties of healthcare providers? You mention “diligence, understanding of local laws, and a method for managing ongoing updates,” all of which appear extremely important. Will managing online information become a new role in a practitioner’s office, perhaps? Will this need to be absorbed into medical professionals’ current duties? Will it replace some other task that is currently done? Basically, how do you see online health information impacting the future of the field?
Thanks for this insightful and thought-provoking information!
__________________
Bossaller, J. S. (2014). Evidence, not authority: Reconsidering presentation of science for difficult decisions. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 53(3), 232-241. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.er.lib.k-state.edu/docview/1515296940?accountid=11789
Susanna,
DeleteThank you for the interesting statistic regarding online health information. I can't tell you how many times in a week, "I read it on the internet". Fortunately and unfortunately, the internet is the "go-to" source for many people. We are fortunate to have vast information that the internet provides but unfortunately, it is not always accurate. I really appreciate your thought provoking questions.
My concern is with the subsequent replies after the health educator posts. For instance, a licensed health professional posts something about weight loss tips and then an individual replies with inaccurate/unsafe information about diet pills. As an educator and manager of the blog, what do you do? It would be necessary to de-bunk any information that could potentially be unsafe for future readers.
You asked if this method of teaching (blogging) would change the role of the health care professional in the future. I think that using blogs and websites will enhance patient care by providing an extension of our services. Burke and Oomen-Early mention using blogs for exchanging healthy recipes, discussing current events in health, and developing resources for a particular health issue (2008). Even general, health related posts might receive comments that go against the information that the health educator believes in. Do you believe that using a "closed" (private) blog would be beneficial? Thanks again for your comments! You really made me think about the future of my blog.
Christine
Burke, S. & Oomen-Early, J. (2008). That's Blog Worthy: Ten Ways to Integrate Blogging into the Health Education Classroom. American Journal of Health Education, 39(6), 362-364.
Susanna and Christine,
DeleteThis is a great topic that is so rich for discussion. If my doctors office had a closed blog accessible to patients that might be something I would read. However, I would be leery of a blog by any medical professional I didn't know. For the most part, we are careful about what doctor we will see as a patient, thus experienced internet users who can discern credible content might be cautious of reading a blog. So, what would the target audience be if it wasn't a closed blog? I am genuinely interested in your thoughts.
Sue
Great question Sue! I think a public blog might could provide very general health tips, recipes, etc. to a particular interest group. I think a public blog could be an excellent resource for health information. If the manager of the website was diligent in monitoring posts for inaccurate health claims/misinformation, individuals may benefit from discussion with other participants. As I think about the pros and cons of a health related blog, I think I am leaning more towards a general, open blog that provides general information. I would add the "comment review prior to posting" feature that you added to your blog as this would eliminate false information before it even hit the blog. Thanks for the tip!
DeleteThe liability issue is especially interesting. As I read your post, in particular the section on “con”, the first thing that came to my mind was HIPAA. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (n.d.) has an expansive policy on what can and cannot be shared and under what circumstances. A concern would be that, inadvertently, information that a patient would recognize as being theirs would show up in a blog. And although no other person on earth would know that patient, based on the information in the discussion, it could very possibly be construed as a HIPAA violation. I know in education we have the same concerns about FERPA. In my mind a classroom blog could possibly be considered a FERPA violation. Just the fact that a student’s name appears in a classroom blog provides verification that the student is in a particular class, in a particular school, or participating in a particular program. I am glad you brought up the liability issue, in opens some very interesting doors.
ReplyDeleteReference:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (n.d.). Health information privacy. Retrieved from http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/srsummary.html
Melvin,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing information about FERPA. It sounds like FERPA is similar to HIPPA for educators. I share your concerns regarding an individuals privacy. It would appear that an individual making a post would be "consenting" to disclosure of information but I can see where that could still be considered a HIPPA violation if the manager of the blog is a health care provider. As I have been researching this information further, I came across my credentialing boards stance on blogging. The Academy of Dietetics provides primary codes applicable to registered
dietitians (RDs) and dietetic technicians,registered (DTRs) involved in
social media which include:
• Principle 6. The dietetics practitioner
does not engage in false or
misleading practices or communications.
6b. The dietetics practitioner
promotes or endorses specific
goods or products only
in a manner that is not false
and misleading.
6c. The dietetics practitioner
provides accurate and truthful
This goes back to my original concern that a participant of the blog can post information that is inaccurate/unsafe. The health educator/manager of blog has the responsibility to correct and address any misleading information. As for HIPPA, I think it is a sticky situation to say the least. I agree with your thoughts that even the most discreet post might indicate that an individual is a patient of a particular health provider. Even if you had a "closed" (private) post, everyone that is a member could potentially disclose their identity.
I appreciate your thoughts and have more to think about before launching my blog!
Christine
Helm, J. (2013). Ethical and Legal Issues Related to Blogging and Social Media. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 113(5). 688-690.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post. In regards to the “cons” that you discussed, I can relate to students who have lack of access to the internet. From my adult ed teaching experience there were a number of ESL and GED students who did not have consistent and reliable access to the internet and therefore would not benefit from blogging. In this scenario, where there is lack of personal access, the instructor needs to build blogging time into the classroom setting and make internet access and computers readily available. But this does not help the distance/online learner.
ReplyDeleteIt’s interesting that you mentioned the liability issue on professional blogs (as it relates to medical information). I had not considered the risk involved with that. It sounds like a daunting task to manage this. It reminds me of our reading material from Witte (2007) where the “Talkback Project” blog was discontinued by an administrator who was concerned about students sharing too much information (personal neighborhood info). Even though the students LOVED the blogging and asked to continue, the district did not want to compromise a child’s safety and risk a child predator situation, nor risk a potential lawsuit. I know this is not the same as the medical blogging scenario, but it is a reminder of potential liability involved from the administrator’s perspective. What type of “disclaimer” would solve this issue? Would that alone be enough?
Witte, S. (2007, Ocotber). "That's online writing, not boring school writing":writing with blogs and talkback project. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 51(2), 82-96.
Angie,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post. The information that you shared about the "Talkback Project" was very interesting. I also believe that people searching for health information would love a blog as the children did in the "Talkback Project" but as you stated, similar concerns of privacy could be an issue. I hadn't thought about adding a disclaimer to my blog but that is a great thought. Thank you!