Sarah Bodell
University of Salford
School of Health, Sport and Rehab Sciences
Frederick Road
Salford M6 6PU
UK
email: s.j.bodell@salford.ac.uk
Blog: www.frederickroad.blogspot.com
Skype: Sarah.Bodell
Second Life: Lyla Beeswing
FaceBook: Sarah Bodell
About me
I graduated as an occupational therapist from Liverpool in the UK in 1991. Since then I have worked in Mental Health, Palliative Care (my passion) and in education. Currently I am a Senior Lecturer at the University of Salford, and have been involved in the development of an online Msc in Advanced Occupational Therapy. This stimulated my interest in web 2.0 applications, in particular the power of online social networking for personal and professional development. I am currently involved in a project with a UK NHS Trust which seeks to explore the use of online networking in relation to team work and am also working with Angela Hook on the development and application of virtual reality tool in occupational therapy education.
Like Angela, I use Facebook (a lot), blogs (read and learn more than write), wikis (for all sorts of collaborations and planning), skype (for student tutorials), second life (at the behest of my colleague), google docs (loving these), wiziq (for open access webcasts), and elluminate (for teaching). i won't tell you about my online shopping habits.....
Susan Burwash
Department of Occupational Therapy
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G4
Web: http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/ot/
Blog: http://www.susanburwashstudios.com
Twitter: subu_ot
Skype: sburwash
ichat: sburwash.ot
About Me:
I've been an occupational therapist for 31 years and am an assistant professor at the University of Alberta. When I'm not teaching or supervising students in "role emerging" placements (another fun part of my job), I'm a PhD student and a glass artist with a very small practice promoting women's wellness. In the OT world, I would likely be labeled an early adopter/evangelist. I got online very early, and was the 1st in my neighbourhood with DSL. While teaching at University of British Columbia (1994 - 97), I developed online resources for students, traveled around the province teaching clinicians about the potential of the web, wrote a column ("Web Goddess") for the Canadian OT Association practice magazine, tried out WebCT (initially developed at UBC) and taught myself how to design web-sites. With help from OT friends, I lobbied for the development of an OT newsgroup. While teaching in Texas, I became familiar with distance learning using interactive TV to connect 3 campuses. During a break from working as an OT, I spent 4 years in the studio - my "self-funded BFA". Much of my learning came from participating in online fora and newsgroups related to my artist/artisan interests. This fueled my interest in the concept of online communities of practice. Since returning to the OT fold, I continue to be interested in technology for teaching. As a direct result of Anita Hamilton's research project, I've become a big fan of wikis and use them frequently. I also encourage students to use technologies such as Google Docs, Google sites and blogging in courses I teach and while supervising students in fieldwork. I love my iPhone and hope at some point to have time to learn about developing apps. I've started an Occupational Therapists and Apps page on Facebook as one way to connect with others who share this interest. My WordPress blog speaks to my dual interests in art, design and occupational therapy. I spend far too much time on Facebook, and tweet about OT and/or art. I'm a Mac fan. I am both thrilled by the potential benefits of technology and worried about whether I'm driving myself to distraction. With Anita Hamilton and Rashid Kashani, I'm one of the e-migoes who explore and champion the use of useful technology within our curriculum.
Anita Hamilton
2-64 Corbett Hall
University of Alberta
Edmonton, AB Canada T6G 2G4
Blog: http://technots.blogspot.com/
Website: http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/ot/Anita_Hamilton.cfm
Skype: Anita.Hamilton.UAlberta
Second Life: Annilou Szumski
Twitter: VirtualOT
About Me:
I qualified as an occupational therapist in 1989 at LaTrobe University, Melbourne and later did my Master's in OT at the Univerity of Queensland. I teach occupational therapy at the University of Alberta. As an OT I have worked in the area of mental health, vocational rehab and older adult rehabilitation. I became passionate about using online technology about 10 years ago and became more involved in using this technology when I started working at Deakin University in Australia. I have brought my passion and interest in online technology with me to the University of Alberta where I met like-minded spirits Susan Burwash and Rashid Kashani, we are known as the e-migos. Since arriving here I have completed two research projects using online technology. One looked at students perceptions of using a wiki for group work collaboration, the other project looked at identifying safe ways to teach people with an acquired brain injury how to access the online world through blogs and Facebook. I have recently commenced my PhD looking at the importance of online learning tools in occupational therapy education and practice. I routinely use Facebook, Blogger, Wordpress, Google Reader, iGoogle, Google Docs, Slide share, Camtasia and wikis. I am learning more about podcasting and Twitter at the moment.
Claire Hayward
Access to Communication and Technology
West Midlands Rehabilitation Centre
91 Oak Tree Lane
Selly Oak
Birmingham
West Midlands
B29 6JA
Email: claire.haywardot@googlemail.com
Web: www.actwmids.nhs.uk
twitter: @enableot
skype: e-nable
second life: Leonie Garnet
About Me:
I qualified in 2000 from the University of Southampton and worked for several years in community and in-patient services across health and social care. I then relocated to USA for two years, setting up a home based, safety assessment service for the local Area Agency on Aging, worked as a crisis counsellor for a Mental Health service and also for the Long Term Care Ombudsman. On my return to the UK I worked as a senior practitioner in Social Care, and currently work in a regional specialist centre for electronic assistive technology encompassing Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Environmental Controls and alternative computer access. I sit on the Membership and External Affairs board at the UK College of Occupational Therapist and I am studying for an MSc in Advanced Occupational Therapy.
I believe strongly that web based tools should be harnessed by the global occupational therapy community, both for professional collaboration and development. I am excited by the opportunity to "e"nable the people we work with to participate to the fullest extent in occupations meaningful to them using web media.
Angela Hook
University of Salford
School of Health, Sport and Rehab Sciences
Frederick Road
Salford M6 6PU
UK
email: a.hook@salford.ac.uk
Blog: www.frederickroad.blogspot.com
Skype: witch641
Second Life: Almenah Telling
About me
I qualified as an occupational therapist in1983. My practice career has been within the field on Forensic Mental Health, moving into managing mental health occupational therapy services before entering the world of education in 2000. My interest in using technology as a tool to enhance learning and development has developed over this time.
The MSc Advanced Occupational Therapy programme which is delivered totally on line incorporating international aspects, negotiated assessments and priciples of elearning and virtual learning communities was developed by myself and Sarah Bodell and is in its 2nd year of successful delivery.
I use online tools to develop professionally and personally and am learning everyday from my networks. I am currently involved in developing a simulation environment in Second Life for students which we are hoping to develop further.
I use Facebook, blogs, wikis, skype, second life, google docs, wiziq, elluminate and podcasts
Karen Jacobs
Boston University
Department of Occupational Therapy
635 Commonwealth Ave.
Room 511A
Boston, MA 02215 USA
Website: http://people.bu.edu/kjacobs/
About Me:
I am a clinical professor and the program director of distance education post-professional programs in occupational therapy at Boston University (BU), Boston, Massachusetts, USA. I have worked at BU for 27 years. I teach courses on-campus and on-line such as Analysis & Adaptation of Occupation, Educational Theory & Practice, Health Care Management, and Ergonomics for Therapists. I am a faculty in residence and live on-campus at BU. I completed my doctoral degree at the University of Massachusetts, a Master of Science in occupational therapy at Boston University, and a Bachelor of Arts at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.
My research examines the interface between the environment and human capabilities. In particular, we examines the individual factors and environmental demands associated with increased risk of functional limitations among populations of university and middle school aged students, particularly in notebook computing and backpack use. I am also interested in tele-rehabilitation.
I am also a certified professional ergonomist (CPE) and the founding editor of the international journal WORK: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment and Rehabilitation (IOS Press, The Netherlands).
I enjoy technology and am an early adopter.
Rashid Kashani
2-64 Corbett Hall
University of Alberta
Edmonton, AB Canada
T6G 2G4
bio: http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/ot/Rashid_Kashani.cfm
Skype: rkashani
About Me:
I am an Occupational therapy educator at the University of Alberta. Previously employed as a Sessional Lecturer with the University of Alberta and Sessional Instructor at Grant MacEwan and Ability Career Services in a Therapist Assistant and OTA program. I have 14 years of clinical experience in a wide variety of clinical settings and four degrees to date. I still keep clinical skills up to date via a part-time private practice and some exposure to hospital practice during university winter closure. In October 2009 I commenced my PhD studies in Health Studies at the School of Health and Social Work at the University of Plymouth in the United Kingdom. The PhD study involves creation of an arthritis self management program using a virtual world platform and developing a methodology around measuring clinical effects of such an intervention. I presently self-fund a plot of 9000 sq. m. in the Second Life platform on the mainland that students are able to use for projects and presentations. To date, this has primarily been with OCCTH 900 students and an OCCTH 518 project.
I am developing an OCCTH 599, 3 credit module that will involve the use of a virtual world program where the student will create a "reusable learning object" that would be something value added to clients, therapists or students. It could be an actual virtual world object, a proposed program or themed area, a means of making virtual worlds more accessible to specific population(s) or other approved project suggested by the student. Students will also be expected to produce a paper, and if the project is compelling/unique enough, further work could be pursued to publish the project outcomes in a journal. This OCCTH 599 independent study can potentially be done at a distance, though some initial face-to-face instruction will be required.
I am also developing some 'reusable learning objects' to facilitate more immersive and quasi-3D applied anatomy than current online resources, and considering using artificial avatars that can be mock interviewed by students. The aim is to complete the outline/proposal for this course in the next 1-2 years.
Long term projects (in the next 10 years) include the compilation of a text book applicable to physical medicine and occupational therapy with input from the clinical community.
Merrolee Penman
School of Occupational Therapy
Otago Polytechnic
Dunedin
New Zealand
Blog: http://oteducation.wordpress.com/
Website: http://tinyurl.com/y2vm93j
Skype: mellyp61
Twitter: merrolee
Second Life: Koru Bracken
About Me:
Kia ora.... I'm an occupational therapist, educator and researcher. I've taught on occupational therapy programmes in Perth (Curtin University of Technology), Scotland (Queen Margaret University College) and here in Dunedin (Otago Polytechnic). Like Karen, I have been responsible for the Postgraduate Programmes our school offers (Masters of OT, PGDip/Cert OT Practice, and the fourth honours year of the Bachelors of Occupational Therapy), although for this year I'm responsible for the Bachelor of Occupational Therapy. I have been an early adopter of technologysince my early days as an OT (1983) even taking night classes for a little while (until my basic maths left me floundering) in COBOL and PASCAL (programming languages) because I strongly believed that computers would one day be important for our profession. It just took a little longer than I thought and became so much easier as the years passed.
My research interests are centred around learning, whether that be for children with disabilities attending their local schools, learning of undergraduate students, or that of my colleagues in practice. As part of this I've researched the use of technology to support professional learning of both occupational therapists and educators, and in the last couple of years have actively worked to increase our profession's understanding of the possibilities of social networking tools to support our professional development. I'm enrolled in a educational doctorate programme exploring the extent to which New Zealand occupational therapists are self-directed learners.
I have used blogging, twitter, most of the google tools, wikis, social bookmarking, facebook and Linked In to 'meet' and come to know our group- I found Will, Sarah and Angela through blogging and social bookmarking. Anita and I go back further when we were both involved in the ANZ OT Fieldwork Academics and started to look at the possibilities of social networking for that group. Karen - we've had the priviledge of hosting at Otago Polytechnic and thanks to my sabbatical this year.. I have also spent time with the other 2 e-migos - Susan and Rashid.
Will Wade
The ACE Centre Advisory Trust
92 Windmill Road
Headington
Oxford
OX3 7DR
Web: http://www.ace-centre.org.uk
twitter: @willwade, skype: willjwade, gTalk: willwade, tumblr: blog.sourceymonkey.com, web: sourceymonkey.com
About Me:
I'm an OT working in the field of Assistive Technology and Communication working across the UK with children and young people with physical and communication difficulties. I'm also an honorary staff member at Oxford Brookes University having spent the previous two years as a research therapist investigating the Sitting Ability of Children with Neuromotor Dysfunction (playing computer games! yay!) and have presented the findings at a number of conferences. I have many passions and a rapidly reducing amount of time to fit them all in! In a previous life I worked as a Web developer for companies such as the BBC and as such many of these passions are developing web based activities that can broaden the knowledge base for the clinical & academic OT. Through my work on metaot.com I met up with Angela & Sarah from Salford University (and around the same time Merrolee in NZ) and helped to present a joint paper presented at the UK COT Conference in 2008. All in all I'm keen for all OT's to become uber geeks :)
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