Nursing Education and Video Podcasts Tools and Technologies for Distance Education Clinical and Telehealth
Enhanced Podcasts for Learning Purposes In Nursing Education
Enhanced podcasts are audio podcasts that include still images that are synced with the audio narration. One common format of an enhanced podcast in education is presentation-style slides with voiceover narration. The slides and audio are synched together, delivered via the distribution feed, and made playable on computers and some mobile devices.
The most common file format for enhanced podcasts is the Advanced Audio Coding–encoded audio file. Another popular format is Adobe Presenter, which results in a PDF or Flash based output file. It is important to note that not all mobile players can play every file format and the capabilities of mobile devices are changing rapidly.
If your institution has a
handheld or mobile device requirement, targeting file formats that are most
compatible with those mobile devices is important. Computers and laptops are
capable of playing any of the file types.
Video Podcasts (Vodcasts)
A video podcast, or vodcast, is a podcast that includes video. This video may include enhanced material, such as slides with synced narration, but typically it includes live action film of the speaker or speakers. Vodcasts may be used to provide content, provide instructions or expectations for assignments, or to clarify content on a routine basis.
Courses using instructor-generated video content are touted as a way to increase student engagement (Draus, Curran, & Trempus , 2014) and the social presence of the instructor (Borup, West, & Graham, 2012). One cautionary note on video formats, similar to enhanced podcasts, is that there is less compatibility across devices.
For example, Adobe Flash, one of the Internet format standards for streaming video, is not playable on any of the Apple mobile devices. A more universally common format for all devices is MPEG4 video, or specifically H.264 codec, used for video compression. HTML5 is another popular video format that is touted to use less power on mobile devices and result in smaller file sizes.
All vodcast files tend to be relatively large
and therefore careful attention should be given to whether video is a necessary
component to the delivery of the material. If video is essential, using shorter
clips (less than 5 or 10 minutes) is desired to limit the size of the file
download. The size of the playback window can also be reduced to make smaller
file sizes for distribution.
Podcast and Vodcast Creation Tools In Nursing Education
Simple audio-only files are easy to capture and can be created with a variety of portable recorders. For the most professional results, the use of a soundproof booth and special microphone will result in the best sound quality; However, at a minimum, use of a good microphone in a quiet room will result in much higher quality sound (Indiana University, Center for Teaching and Learning, 2011).
Editing of audio files can be done with software such as GarageBand (Mac platform) or Audacity (Mac or PC) that is available for free via the Internet (Foster, Larmore, & Havemann, nd). In addition, some universities are making automated podcast systems available in special classrooms to capture live lectures (Marchand, Pearson, & Albon, 2014).
This takes the time needed for recording and posting the files out of the individual faculty member' responsibilities and automates the process with technical setup and support ahead of time. Creation tools for enhanced podcasts include the Life suite of applications, such as GarageBand, Keynote, and iMovie, on the Mac platform.
In addition, a very popular and easy-to-use tool for creation of enhanced podcasts is PowerPoint and Adobe Presenter. Using the Adobe Presenter plug in within PowerPoint, faculty can create voice over narrations of their slides and can output the file as streaming video (Flash), a self-contained PDF file, or a movie file.
As noted earlier, not all file types are compatible with mobile players, so it is important to target formats that fit the student profile in your institution. Creation of vodcasts involves cameras to capture the live video and postproduction software to edit the video.
Video may be captured simply by using a smartphone or built-in web cameras, or may be more professionally done with professional video cameras and microphones. Use of professional equipment will result in higher quality audio and video in the final product. Software needed to edit and process such files includes Adobe Premiere, Adobe Presenter, and iMovie.
If extensive editing of video files is required, it is recommended to have support staff that are skilled in the use of such software to provide assistance in this area, as learning to use video- editing software with proficiency can be time consuming.
Similar to enhanced podcasts, it is important to understand your user group when making vodcasts available and either provide multiple file formats or target those most used by your student group.
Technologies for Distance Education Clinical and Telehealth In Nursing Education
Along with the advances and changes in technology that have enabled students to attend courses from a distance, similar technology has allowed for nursing care at a distance (Grady, 2011). Telehealth involves the use of electronic communication equipment to share clinical and health-related information (Health Resources Services Administration, 2012).
Telenursing is the use of these electronic communication devices and equipment to deliver, manage, and coordinate nursing care from a distance (American Telemedicine Association, 2011). Similar technologies that are used to provide care and monitoring to remote locations might also be used in monitoring students at remote sites.
Such technologies include video and audio conferencing, computers, and specialized remote monitoring equipment. Students at a distance may use the technology to perform physical assessments, interviews, and interventions at a distance (Klaassen, Schmer, & Skarbek, 2013).
Use of the technology can also enable students to gain clinical experiences
that may not be geographically located near them (Grady, 2011), as well as
enable practice with technology that will likely increase as more health care
is delivered in homes (Rutledge, Haney, Bordelon, Renaud, & Fowler, 2014).
Give your opinion if have any.