Chapter 9, Why would members rather listen to the experience (or so-called evidence) from non-professionals than the professionals? How did these people view credibility? What are the possibilities for learning and change in this case study?
I was intrigued with the thoughts about “end of tradition”, the fact that we as a society have lost faith in figures such as doctors, fathers, teachers and scientist. As a nurse I can say that I am not surprised by the above fact; I think there are many reasons for our loss of faith. Going to the physician in today’s world consist of waiting for sometimes more than 2 hours to see the Dr., once you do see him he spends maybe 5-10 minutes with you, hands you a prescription, that he may or may not explain and says see you back in 2 weeks. In today’s world of malpractice insurance and the high overhead for the physician, practicing medicine consist of a drive through mentality. I believe that today’s lay person, has many more resources at his hand, the internet being number one. Say you go to the Dr. and he tells you to loose 20 ponds before you come back. You ask him for some pointers and he answers you well you just need to eat salads. If you are like me that is just not going to cut it. You get home and go online and find many chat rooms, or support groups with specific ways to loose weight, you are able to interact with others who are experiencing your same problem. You can share ideas and get support, much like face to face support groups but in the privacy of your own home. I am a Diabetic Educator, and teach patients about their diabetes, but I myself do not have diabetes. I think that if a patient can relate to another who has had the same experiences they have, it will make the self-management much more meaningful.
I think that one of the concerns about all this self-help is credibility. There is just as much bad advice as there is good advice in the World Wide Web. It is up to the consumers to do their own research before one makes up their mind whether to trust information or not. I liked the ideas from Burrows and Nettleton, that although people are better informed, it doesn’t mean that they are any more able to make the choices that they must make.
I believe that we are able to learn and teach in these case studies, but we must give the learners choices, we must present them with the facts, and the potential side effects. I believe that by having support groups that are maybe ran by a person with expert knowledge, they would be able to guide, inform and rebuke false information. I believe that the facilitator should be open to new ideas and explore the ideas with the group.
Chapter10-12 and Riel & Polin. How are the online communities structured and how was the technology designed to facilitate community activities, knowledge building, and learning and change? What are the implications for your design and delivery of the course, if you are the instructional designer, trainers or an instructor?
Chapter 11 in our readings for this week covered four different virtual communities. It dealt with the ways that members of a community encounter, engage, master, use, and transform the knowledge-in-use in the community. It reiterated our readings from last week and the fact that a community has certain purposes and is organized in specific ways to accomplish the expectations or tasks. The chapter covered four examples of on-line community using diverse examples. Each of the different communities was structured in a different way and used different technology to facilitate community activities. The Kindred Spirits (KS) looked for a cultural situation which they identified with the works and life of Lucy Maud Montgomery (LMM); the founders were looking to create a space in a social environment reflecting the world LMM wrote about. KS is an example of a virtual community that was formed with a purpose, its fonder was knowledgeable about the technology, but with the expansion he lost control of the site. It is an example of a community that began with one purpose, but that evolved and changed or time, leading to a splintering off of the original members into other forums. I believe that if I were to design a course, first of all I would enlist help in the technology part; I would also consider the reason for the course, what are the needs of the users. I would make it an easy to follow format, with lots of prompts and help hints. I would try and design the course in a way that novices could negotiate the site without much technical difficulty. My personal experience from last semester showed that there is a whole different learning curve with on-line education and community. Not only did I have to get used to being a student after 10 years, but I had to acquire a new technical skill.
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8 comments:
Hey Shelly! I enjoyed reading your blog about the professionals drive through mentality! I think that people know more and expect more now. It goes back to what you said about even designing a course. The instructor needs flexibility and tools that are easy for the student to navigate through. I agree with your idea of a facilitator to rebuke false information, much like the success of the paid staff on the online communities we have studied in this class. This could improve creditability in a way....I recently saw a question on the internet (how can I lose weight quickly?) I read through the answers and I could tell who was somewhat knowledgeable and who was totally crazy. Someone said "don't eat"! But I wonder if a young 14 year old girl could discern this? A facilitator would be ideal in this situation, for education! Talk with you later! Allison
Shelly,
Wow, the opening paragraph sound just like the last 2 regular doctors that I HAD. If a doctor only spends 5-10 minutes with a patient, why does it take two hours to see them? Because of the practice of over-booking and the wonderful medical sells reps. Sorry, I am ranting.
I agree with you in that people have numerous resources today than what they did have at one time. These (internet) resources seem to serve as an extended family medical (and other) advice system. How many times have you turned to a parent when growing up and asked “what can I do about this or that aliment?” These type of websites that chapter 9 are speaking of seem to be doing just that, however, the extension of the communication boundary is much larger now.
I think that online forums and communities could be a valid place to get information, but it is important to note that a choice should not be made just because a some people all in one local place say a product, or whatever is really great. It is like being in an Apple store, majority of the people will believe that Macs are great and everyone should own one.
Shelly, I like the fact that you think about the patient and how he or she feels as a learner. Whether or not someone can relate to your problems is essential for people reaching out for medical support and education. This is a big influencer when people join communities devoted to their specific problems. People can compare treatments and experiences or just be supportive and empathetic.
Shelly, I like the fact that you think about the patient and how he or she feels as a learner. Whether or not someone can relate to your problems is essential for people reaching out for medical support and education. This is a big influencer when people join communities devoted to their specific problems. People can compare treatments and experiences or just be supportive and empathetic.
Shelly, I agree with your intent to make the community easy to navigate for users. As educators, we think of the "design" of the community as how the information is structured and accessible. I think we forget that a major part of the design of a community is what the user actually sees on the screen, aside from the content. Is the site too busy? Too blank? Are the colors distracting? Is information accessible? I'm glad you brought this aspect up.
Shelly, I could totally relate to your example of visiting the doctor. I recently switched doctors because of this exact reason, waiting too long to only be seen for a few minutes. I do have sympathy for doctors though because I know there are big demands on their time. I still think they should build rapport with patients. Also, I liked your discussion about the design. It's important to think about the ease of use when doing the design. Thanks for all of your thoughts!
Shelly, Thanks for giving a summary of chapter 11. Your comments of LMM make me want to read the chapter now. I enjoyed reading many of her books over the years. I also understand about the lack of time with physician appointments. I remember a time when whatever the physician said was as if it was stated by "God" and many people did whatever they were told to do without question. Today, we have so much information available that one can check out what is told to them and they can make decisions. I also think that as consumers are more aware of their rights a patients, they(consumers) seek out information that confirms or denies what the physican has said. Thanks, Julie
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