1/21/2012- Introduction and Perspectives

I am working as an Occupational Therapist at a prominent community hospital. I am also a student in the Doctorate of Occupational Therapy program, where I am focusing my studied on occupational therapy in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Recently, our occupational therapy staff has been working closely with the ICU staff in prioriting Early Mobilization. Early Mobilization encompasses bed transfers, functional transfers, participation in hygiene tasks, etc.  My capstone will focus on the collaboration between occupational therapists and ICU RNs in the facilitation of Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) of patients who are on mechanical ventillation. This collaboration will take place on an online format which will allow for open discussion over barriers and issues the participants may be experiencing. This will give them a place to strategize how to make the new program work efficiently.

At this point in my life, I have used online teaching multiple times, beginning in my undergraduate days and extending to my Doctorate level classes. I believe I have a firm grasp on the role of student in online teaching, however, I feel I am starting at the very basics for the teaching components. I believe that online teaching will become an integral part of education due to its easy accessibility. People will be able to participate at times convenient to their schedules which will make discussions that much more efficient. Because, I believe, that when we have our own time set aside for learning, rather than a set schedule, we are able to produce a more concrete product.

I am taking Online Teaching to improve my computer skills and communication online. Hopefully, this will optimize my research project. I believe that we will continue to use the internet more and more, which is why I need to improve my foundation skills. I expect to be more comfortable with how to lead discussions online.