Technology Best Practice Essay
In today’s world students have the choice to use digital literacy in the learning process. There has been the introduction of technology in the classrooms so that to encourage the involvement of students in the studying process. According to studies conducted, it has been revealed that students who are actively engaged in technology absorb and have the tendency to retain more content. It has also been revealed that use of various teaching and learning methodologies enhances students learning.
There are many technology best practices that are employed in nursing education. All the practices are used in order to make nursing education be more effective. There also many methods that are used in the enhancement of ways that student engage in didactic nursing education. This paper looks at the use of clickers, which enhances the students’ interaction and learning in a didactic pediatric nursing course.
The use of clickers involves the use of computer by the instructor, which has an attached receiver and projects a presentation in the form of PowerPoint, which the students view. The students usually have wireless keypads whereby they select the answers which they belief are the correct ones by pushing the corresponding letter. After this, the correct answers are sent to the receiver, which is attached to the computer. The results are collected by the clicker system software. The results are then displayed in graphical form for all the participants to see within the presentation.
The clicker system software also capacity to store the student choices on all questions by the individual student. This allows the instructor to use the data for the purposes of grading. (Mastrian & McGonigle, 2010).Clicker is an emerging technology, which has been used to actively engage students in the lecture, and allows immediate feedback in regard to their understanding of the learning materials. Clickers create an atmosphere to students’ interaction, which makes them to have critical thinking (Klainberg & Dirschel, 2009). They also make the students to utilize knowledge in the safety of the classroom environment. Students have the advantage as they come to the classroom ready, as they are already aware that there would be a quiz.
The clickers offer support and stimulate discussions among the students about the responses they are supposed to give in reward to the quiz. Clickers are also useful because they provide immediate feedback, enhance learning among peers, and act as an encouragement of experience sharing and support adult learning styles (Herrman, 2008).Clickers usually enhance greater students’ involvement in the lecturing process. It is also technology that students enjoy to utilize in the learning process. This reduces boredom and leads to reduction of inattentive situations that arises in the classroom by the students. By the use of clickers, it is possible to customize the course in order to fit the needs of the students. It also helps to limit the time spent on areas that are already mastered by the students and enhances introduction of more topics that are more challenging (Cherry & Jacob, 2008).
The only thing that hinders the use of clickers in nursing course is cost. They are expensive and therefore most students find it difficult to acquire. However, it is a technology that has lead to growth and development of nursing education. It is a technology that should be encouraged in many institutions to enhance the students learning process in their nursing courses.
ReferencesCherry, B. & Jacob, S. (2008) Contemporary nursing: issues, trends & management, Mosby publishers.Herrman, J. (2008) Creative Teaching Strategies for the Nurse Educator F.
A. Davis Co. publishers.Klainberg, M. & Dirschel, K.
(2009) Today’s Nursing Leader: Managing, Succeeding, Excelling, 1st edition, New York, Jones & Bartlett Learning.Mastrian, K. & McGonigle, D. (2010) Integrating Technology in Nursing Education: Tools for the Knowledge Era, New York, Jones & Bartlett Learning.
