dreamingspires posterous

For your information it was a Large Flat White coffee which is just as well as we did cover rather a lot of ground.  See, the thing is I have come to expect things I read on the internet for free. And Publishing Houses tend not to give things out for free.

I expect to be able to find information, good quality information mind, and then I want to pass on that information to others.

Snippets of information are read and digested like electronic grazing.  I cannot recall a period where I have learned so much in so short a time. In Marie Curiesque fashion (who did not patent her radium-isolation process enabling others to use it) information is gained and passed on.

Publishing houses like to argue that they are there to provide the peer review process, guarantee quality, publicize….No longer, with the Wiki model peers review peers and quality comes to the surface – whether being noticed from blogs, nudges, digs, stumbles, twitter...  It's fast and powerful.

My friend, Jolyon, made some comments & predictions:

Journal articles will be published pre-review by their authors online for a small fee and be available almost instantly.  Then they will be reviewed by peers who will comment, rating it and giving suggestions for change. As articles are written by researchers and read by researchers most of the reviewers comments will be relevant, and an anonymous review will carry far less weight than a public one.

Very different from the traditional subscription model as it stands where aricles are sent to the Publishing House and not published until they have gone through quite a tortuous review process for all.

Universities will be able to have unlimited numbers of students because students no longer need to physically attend class.  Study material will be sourced by students from wherever they decide, and it will be free. 

Students may opt not to enroll for courses at all deciding instead to study independently and when they are ready register (and pay) to take the exam, irrespective of whether they have studied with that University or not. 

Students will opt for those Universities who are regarded as top in their field such as Harvard/Oxford/MIT and take their exams, although they may only have a limited number of attempts at passing.

Good news for the larger 'Ivy League' Universities as their student numbers could be greatly increased, less so for the smaller Universities who may see students prefer to take exams elsewhere.

The choice is now more with the users than the institutions.

It really was a very good cup of coffee

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Yesterday, after learning to fly and vaguely suitably attired I ventured further into the virtual world of Second Life, to meet Tessa Feinsmith and Fidelius Dollinger of the Ann Myers Medical Center (http://ammc.wordpress.com/)

The Ann Myers Medical Center was developed for the virtual training of Medical and Nursing students and those in other allied health fields. They exist through the voluntary efforts of the educators and students, providing lectures, events & training tools to help students and provide medical professionals available for consultations in areas of psychology, oncology, gastroenterology, general practice and surgery.

It is a Center for collaboration with people from around the world.  This is what is impressive about the site.

I was given a tour of the Center by Fidelius (who put up with my slightly chaotic meanderings – at one point nearly sitting on her lap), and then Tessa, a lecturer at the Center, met me to explain some of what she is doing with nursing students. The students use the radiology and surgery suites, a simulation lab as well as the lecture theater.  And if my virtual mouth could have been open, it would have been. 

Along with training students using the various facilities at the Center, Tessa is currently preparing a simulation course for early next year. Students attend at a specific time, and interact with both the lecturer and each other. 

Tessa is looking for nursing lecturers to help with their simulations by the way – and you can bring along your students as well.
To give you an overall snapshot of what they are doing and building from their blog:

"Holidays are almost over, Academic years all over the world are about to start.
a psychology department has been created
a cardiology department is in the planning phase,
preparations for a conference have been finalized.

a radiology terminal [setup] in the Radiology room behind the screen. This terminal holds web sites for radiology images and training...

And the schedule for next year:
Year opening AMMC
January 17 at 10 AM SL time
Location AMMC conference centre.
By Dr Ren Stonecutter
!!!! Dress code GALA+AMMC lab jacket :)

January intern meeting
Topic coping with stress
January 31 at 10 AM
Locatiobn AMMC conference centre
By Vera Zhaoying

Critical care event
February 14 at 10 AM, SL time
Location AMMC conference centre+grounds
by Endora Mc Kinnon

You get the idea…. if you are interested in working with the Ann Myers Medical Centre leave a comment on their Website http://ammc.wordpress.com/. (see also Berci Meskó's website at http://scienceroll.com for more on virtual elearning sites http://tinyurl.com/39h9s4).
If nothing else you get to be in Second Life and learn to fly…(currently wondering if I need virtual L plates).  Maybe travelling by ferry would be a safer way to go.

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