11 advantages of using a blog for teaching

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11 advantages of using a blog for teaching

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Pro's and Con's of using a Blog as a class or teaching tool

Advantages of Blogs	Disadvantages of Blogs
Quick and easy way to create a class website1	Takes time to keep a blog updated 1
Encourages class participation and discussion 1	It may be difficult to keep the students blogging about subjects relevant to the class.1
Easy way to practice writing and improve writing skills1	Students may not blog if they are not required to because it takes time 1
A place to collaborate on projects 1	Writing may be more casual than assignments turned in by traditional methods. May encourage sloppy writing habits similar to email and instant messaging.1
Give students a feeling of ownership1	Blogs are not good for questions that require fast answers 1
Once students get in the habit of blogging for class, it is easy to continue writing because it is easy to create your own blog1	Not all college courses have content that is appropriate for discussion and opinion essays 1
More public form of communication than email so it encourages students to organize their thoughts more clearly before writing them 1	If students are required to blog but they do not have anything they want to say, they will only write the minimum and it may not be relevant or useful 1
Encourages students who are shy about talking in class to share their ideas 1	May be difficult for some students who have lower computer skills 1
·         A place for students to express themselves and share information 1	It could be difficult to follow a discussion if replies are in individuals' blogs rather than immediately next to each other 1
Easy for all students to read each other's writing 1	Blogs do not give the feeling of a conversation because there is time delay 1
Easy for instructor find out what the students think and feel about the class and the lesson content 1	Some professors and/or students may not want to learn new technology 1
The class can share their writing with people outside of class.1	Blogs do not offer confidentiality 1
Flexible, lots of uses 1	Blogs may create competition between students 1
References for this chart: PBworks. Blog Pros and Cons. Retrieved from http://meblog.pbworks.com/w/page/11074182/Blog-Pros-and-Cons

Reminders for Central Lines

Central Venous Catheters are referred to as several different names such as CVC, Central Line, Vascular Access, etc... There are many different types of Central Catheters. Some are more or less central than others. The more or less centrally a catheter is depends on the distance from the superior vena cava. However, whether a PICC, Broviac, Subclavian or any other central catheters, they are all at risk for infection. Along with the different types of central lines, there are also internal and external lines. External lines are the typical lines that we use at the hospital for our average patients. Internal central venous access is more for the chemotherapy and hematology patients that are going to need very long term access.

The policy at Children's hospital is to be sterile when accessing any central line, this includes when changing tubing and Qsytes, placing medications on tubing that does not havea Qsyte intact, changing dressings and stringing any lines that are going to be placed on a central line.
The patient,  family members or anyone else in the room should also wear a mask while the central line is being opened.

All dates on tubing and dressings should be easily visible.

Some reasons to place a central line in a patient would be the following:

poor peripheral venous access,
long-term antibiotics,
needed drugs that cause harm to most peripheral venous access,
frequent labs,
TPN-parenteral nutrition,
CVP monitoring,
long-term pain management
severe dehydration

There are several complications that can come from having central venous access.
The number one complication that the hospital is trying to decrease is infection.
Others that are less common are air embolism and pneumothorax during insertion for lines placed through the chest. 

Remember, if you see anyone breech the protocols when accessing central lines, stop them immediately and guide them through the correct process of accessing central lines.
Mishandling central access devices can lead to severe problems in our patients.

References

Seatle Treatment Education Project. The Facts About Intravenous Catheter Lines. Retrieved on March 12, 2011 from The Body website at http://www.thebody.com/content/art1786.html

Putigna, F.& Solenberger, R.(2009). Pediatric Surgery for Central Access. Retrieved from Emedicine website http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/940865-overview

Facts about Central Lines

Central Venous Catheter facts

Nancy Rose

Basic class about CVCs, some important points

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Across 2. Without microorganisms 5. A 10 ml syringe exerts less or more positive pressure compared to a 3ml syringe 8. CVC dressing should be changed every ______ days or sooner if soiled or non-occlusive 9. What solution should be used to prep the skin before inserting a CVC? 10. How is tip position of the CVC verified? 13. How many seconds should the hub be scrubbed before accessing? 16. Lower third of the SVC or cavo-atrial junction is the desired tip _____ for a CVC 17. Before infusing through a CVC, blood _______ should be verified.

Down 1. What is the acronym for the Infusion Nurses Society? 3. What is the name of the vein that receives the blood from the upper body before entering the heart? 4. What intervention cleans the catheter's intraluminal surface & prevents drug precipiation? 6. Evidence based practice emphasizes examination of evidence from clinical _______ 7. What is the volume of normal saline flush after withdrawing blood from a CVC? 11. What is the most visible symptom of thrombosis? 12. What is the body's first line of defense against entry of micororgansims? 14. What percentage of skin flora can be eliminated with a 30 sec friction scrub? 15. When obtaining a blood specimen from a CVC the discard (waste) volume is ____ times the volume of the CVC

 References
Rose, N. Central Venous Catheter Facts. Retrieved on March 12, 2011 from 
           http://www.armoredpenguin.com/crossword/bin/crossword.cgi