The joint presentation by Angela Hook, Sarah Bodell, Will Wade from Oxford Brookes, and Natan Berry in USA and myself seemed to go extremely well with good interest by those in the audience. Check out Angela’s posting on the Salford OT blog. I’ve also included a copy of the powerpoint presentation here:
so in Angela’s words, please take the time to look at the presentation, and leave a comment, even if it is just to let me know that you visited. Click on “comment” at the end of the post and type your comment into the pop-up box. Even if you didn’t attend, please feel free to comment. Or head back over to Angela and Sarah’s blog and leave comments there.. or check out Will’s or Natan’s blogs (click on their name above to get taken to their blogs).
Hi Merrolee, Posting the slide show provides a nutshell overview, which is good. Technology is scary! and challenging to me and I’m sure to a lot of other OT’s out there. For me the challenge or encouragement to leave a post helps break down the task, as currently the concept of developing my own blog still seems too huge. I am finding watching your 30 day challenge a great way to increase my knowledge in bite size pieces. I was wondering about your comment about not being to wordy in your postings, do you get frustrated by not really discussing things in depth, or do you do this privately. through emails away from the blog?
Rita
Hi Rita
Lovely to have your comment here and glad to see you are following the posting challenge! You could probably do some of these without even having a blog! (ahh!!! I think you are – this is the day 4 task huh???)
Umm – to answer your question I probably don’t get too frustrated as I do have other avenues for expressing my ideas – through my assignments for my doctoral study, through discussions in gtalk or through emails with others who I’m in contact with, and of course conference presentations! I have seen other’s who are good bloggers also doing a 2 or 3 part series on a topic, which is another way of exploring a topic in more depth, but doing it in more manageable chunks for the reader! So I guess the short answer is my blog isn’t the only medium through which I explore my ideas, perhaps on reflection it is the place where have a summary of my thoughts to date! My next challenge after I complete the commenting one, is to do the blogging one and to also tidy up my blog – as I’ve got different ideas in different places in the blog and I could connect these much more effectively for myself (sometimes I forget what I’ve posted on)… and for others who want to follow through the ideas I’m exploring on the blog.
Oh and a question for you – would it be more helpful to have the voiceover with the powerpoint – or was the visual enough?
By: Rita on 13 June, 2008
at 1:42 pm
Merollee – as if by magic! Just dropped by to say hi – no idea you were in the UK now – would have made huge effort to join you at conference this year…….. missed opportunity.
Life got busy the past year. For first time in ages, logged onto the COT website this evening and saw headlines… Have reproduced comments below, as unlikely you’ll have access to members area of COT website. Do keep in touch!!
Slides brill, will post to COT site and also to own blog. Good on you guys.
From posting I did a few mins ago on COT forum (sorry, would have mentioned you if I’d been here first).
“Hi. Haven’t posted in a while. Special “hi” to Kent OT’s (sure a few of you are reading this), and people I haven’t been in touch with for a while (old St.Loye’s (‘93-’96) and SW London /Surrey. Been busy, but been inspired by COT website this evening (as if!) … unashamedly cutting and pasting below, if you haven’t read the news headlines from yesterday and haven’t delved deeper into the conference update:
“Delegates urged to use blogs and social networking to share skills and experiences
Blogging and commenting on social networking sites offer good evidence for CPD and can help OTs to meet some of the HPC standards for re-registration, conference heard. Angela Hook and Sarah Bodell from the University of Salford showed delegates how sharing their experiences and opinions online, and responding to comments and feedback, would help them hone their skills in writing, reflecting and research.
Blogs provided the perfect forum for creating joint research opportunities, sharing experiences and as a useful marketing tool for OT as a profession, said Angela, who encouraged OTs to come forward and comment on others’ blogs. ‘People need more confidence and motivation, ‘ she said. ‘The more you are out there and comment, the more people will come to your blog. You just need to have a go.’
Will Wade from Oxford Brookes University demonstrated how to create a blog and urged delegates to join the online OT community. ‘This is about more than just adding to your CPD – it’s for yourself and the community,’ he said. ‘OTs are fantastic at enabling people to talk to each other and we need to develop more conversations amongst ourselves.’”
Had pleasure of corresponding with Will and other OT’s (especially from New Zealand) about a year ago. Links on my website (www.housingot.co.uk). I set up my OT blog just over 2 years ago now and funnily enough added a new post a few days ago…. not knowing blogs, etc would be brought up at conference. So glad Will got on with it and did something – if I remember, our early emails covered doing something at conference… made it last year as an observer, life’s been busy this year, so Will, good on you for getting your act together if you’re reading this! And must do a joint effort sometime.
I guess one of the things about the web is that you make yourself visible (yes, doing it now), so reading some of the stuff highlighted in the conference discussions above (yes, dead gutted I didn’t make it), is that you make yourself visible. Gone are the days when OT’s used to know each other (and probably only each other) through Regional groups (hi to anyone who remembers me through the SW Thames Regional Health Authority committee back in 1996/7- I remember you all). Making yourself visible can be a bit off-putting. I guess one of the keys to it is to be respectful to others, share some good stuff and don’t worry too much about people that think it’s all a bit self-promotional. I did worry about that for a while myself, so been a bit quiet on the web-front, but think I’ve got over it again now (so quick hello to the people who know me if you’r ereading this (and post something).
If you’ve bothered to read this far, and on another note, I have taken a leap of faith and taken on a, I suppose, a non-traditional job – working as a Project Manager with Kent County Council. Great job, with responsibility for project managing implementation of self directed support. Hard work, complicated and all that, and know that opportunities like this don’t pop up that often. Do use link at the bottom to jump across to my blog, where there are some links to some things about Self Directed Support. Before you do that, please do read on……….
Would like to take the opportunity to invite other OT’s involved with SDS (or social workers, nurses, anyone championing SDS) to get in touch, particularly if you’re involved with RAS, business process redesign, cultural change within your directorate – work email is james.lampert@kent.gov.uk . Nothing like networking and learning from each other.
Wanted to take the opportunity to do some PR on behalf of citizens of the UK who want to be in control of their lives (sounds glib, but OT’s have gotta buy this stuff). If you’re in the dark about self directed support (SDS), do visit my blog – not a self promotion activity, but hopefully you’ll easily find the links through to the In Control site and a couple of “Community Care” magazine links, oh, and links through to “Putting People First” and the DH circular about Transforming Social Care. Won’t put links here as quite complicated and you can do from my site. All credit goes to Simon Duffy (google him) and the people he’s been working with.
Been busy and a little behind the game, so dead please about the next bit: for members of COT Specialist Section in Independent Practice – there’s a great article in the Spring edition (dropped through doors a couple of weeks back) by Bernadette Simpson – “The “personalisation” of social care services – what does it mean for the Occupational Therapy profession?”. Personal view is that this should be reproduced in OT News for everyone to read. Captured the scene nicely. Bernadette, do get in touch if you’re reading this – james@housingot.co.uk (or if you know her, pass on the message, please – couldn’t easily find you on the hard copy list that came with the bulletin).
OK. Gonna stop there. Look forward to opening up the debate about self directed support, blogging and all that stuff. Hope I’ve used the blogging thing and social networking thing to good advantage.
James
_________________
James
http://www.housingot.co.uk”
Hi James
It’s great to see you have been energised by reading about our presentation, and also seeing it picked up by COT. As with any change, it takes time for the pebbles that are dropped and
By: James Lampert on 13 June, 2008
at 8:16 pm
Great slides, Merrolee. Sounds like you had fun. Looking at slides, all I have to do is take out ‘OT’ and put in ‘midwife’. We have exactly the same issues. So look forward to continuing a joint conversation about we can support each other with blogging etc, even though we work in different professions.
By: sarahstewart on 13 June, 2008
at 9:29 pm
Hey Sarah – glad you liked the presentation – yes it would have been great to be there, but I know Sarah, Angela and Will would have done a great job!
I think you are right that many of the professions who are newer to these technologies could place their profession’s name in place of OT and it would still all make sense!
I do think a joint publication would be fun – so will whip over to the Salford OT’s blog and see if they have responded to your invitation!
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at 7:13 am
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at 3:45 am
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