Digital Portfolio

Here is my Digital Portfolio! I hope you all like it! It was fun and easy to make this Portfolio. I am hoping to add some things to this as I grow as a professional.

http://sites.google.com/site/amatcport/

Plaxo/Linkedin

Both Plaxo and Linkedin are useful sites. I found many work related people I knew on Linkedin. I think as I grow professionally, using these types of websites will be helpful. I can keep all of my professional contacts and personal contacts information in one section. These sites are more for social networking with colleagues and other professionals in your field.
MySpace and Facebook are more of social media sites to share whats happening in your everyday personal life with your friends. Facebook and MySpace should not be used as a social meeting place for those you work with. I feel that it is unprofessional to share private aspects of your life to the entire world. Things can be posted that could potentially put your job and reputation at risk. It is definitely not a risk I am willing to take. As an example, we were hiring for an position with my department and one of the first things we do once we get a resume is look them up on the Internet to see what we can find. It was simply amazing of all the pictures and posts we found! Some things were harmless but others were, let's just say, interesting.
Working with Google Pages was fun! Having another outlet to post and share my professional history is great! I like the idea but being able to as creative or simple as I wanted to be. I'm sure with the way we as a society are heading into more of a technology based future, having sites like Google Pages will make things more convenient and easily accessible.

Library Thing

I love to read!! Unfortunately, I do not have a lot of extra time to read. This site was cool but I do not think I use it too much in my daily life. I tend to keep all of my favorite books so I can read them again. This website could be useful to get suggestions for other books based on what I have read already. And I could look up some books that I would like to read, someday.

http://www.librarything.com/catalog/netta404

Foto Trix

This was fun!! I tried another site listed on the assignment page but I was having a difficult time downloading the image. I was disappointed too since it involved my most favorite super hero, Wonder Woman. This picture brings me back to my high school band days. Yes, I was a band geek and PROUD OF IT! Students would have a great time on this site! It was fun just to create and be goofy. Good times!

http://www.fototrix.com/

Podcasts

I found a couple of interesting podcasts on podcast.com. I had to look under sports medicine to find podcasts that related to my field of athletic training. I stumbled upon MUSC podcast(Medical University of South Carolina). It has podcasts with orthopedic surgeons explaining specific sport related injuries/conditions. Most of the podcasts are about 10 minutes in length but are very informative. I would definitely refer an athlete, parent or coach to listen to this podcast for further information. Sometimes, the people mentioned above do not believe or trust all the information that we as Certified Athletic Trainers give but when they hear it coming from a doctor, the information becomes more valid. Frustrating as that is, having something like these podcasts where actual practicing physicians speak on these conditions, can legitimize the situation. The information posted on the podcasts was easy to follow and user friendly.

Athletic Trainer: Smooth Professional

I thought this video was corny but AWESOME!!! It gives a small glimpse into our daily lives as Certified Athletic Trainers. Youtube is a guilty pleasure for most people. Many times I have been called into a office to look at a Youtube video just for fun. I must admit, it is very entertaining but it can also be educational. I have found many self-help type videos that have been very helpful. One of Youtube's downfalls is that is has so many videos and topics that a person could get distracted from their original task. Youtube can be used as an educational tool just like it has been for our current classes at FPU. Having a step-by-step and informational videos pertaining to our classes has been an asset and is another way teachers can utilize the Internet and its sources for continuing education.

Technorati

I did not find too much information in regards to "Kinesiology." Only 28 blogs came up when I searched under Kinesiology. Some of the blogs did not even pertain to Kinesiology and some were in a foreign language. Yet again, Web 2.0 proves to be popular and used by many people. Technorati is another website for people to connect, share and educate themselves on a vast amount of information. I looked up information on celebrities, fashion and news. There were so many blogs, posts and tags that came up in these searches! At times, I feel overwhelmed with the amount of information that is provided in Web 2.0 sites. Although the information is interesting, I do not have the time or the patience to go through all the posts and blogs about a particular subject. But, this is another site that can be used for research as long as you stay on task and not allow yourself to get too distracted with all the information posted.

Del.icio.us

This website has so much information! I browsed many sites and found good information and news. Del.icio.us is one more website that is attempting to make the Internet easier and more convenient. Again, everything you need is located in one place. This website definitely has potential to be used as a research tool. Students and teachers can use del.icio.us to mark various different websites and share them amongst each other. By sharing the same information, everyone can learn the exact same information that way no ones gets lost in the process. Teachers can also monitor what their students are viewing online and to check if the information they are receiving online is accurate. Del.icio.us is also a great way to mark all your bookmarks and keep them easily accessible. Whether you are a teacher, student or just someone who enjoys browsing the web, the convenience of keeping all of your bookmarks close and organized in a neat fashion, is appealing to all. Although, I do not feel that my current bookmarking page needs additional changes or the use of Del.icio.us. I am comfortable using my bookmarking page for my personal uses. But, I could utilize Del.icio.us as an educational tool for my athletic training students. I could post links for my students to view and use a discussion topics in class.

St Fagans - Old School (literally) Zeiss Ikonta 521/2 6x9

St Fagans - Old School (literally) Zeiss Ikonta 521/2 6x9
Originally uploaded by VEB Zardoz the Gravyboat

I have been introduced to many new technologies in this course. I tried to fight the whole Facebook and Twitter phenomenon but it is fun to see what other people are doing. I still do not see myself keeping up with either forms of technology. Although it was a great way to keep in touch with former student-athletes and athletic training students. The University of the Pacific Athletic Training Education Program has a Facebook page just for that reason. We have had a great response to it and old friends are now connected again.
I like the idea of using both blogging and podcasts for my student-athletes and athletic training students. I can post rehabs on students blog with directions and pictures of exercises if needed. Student-athletes can keep me posted with questions, comments or concerns they may have. Also, by giving SA an open forum to express their feelings, it might increase adherence to their rehab program which might produce a more positive outcome both physically and mentally.
Podcasts could allow me to give verbal instructions to both SA and ATS. Sometimes things get lost in translation in a written form of instructions. I could better explain the injury, condition and rehab to both parents, coaches and SA. Again, this can increases adherence to rehab and hopefully get SA better, faster.

Web 2.0

The Web 2.0 website was fun! There were a lot of many cool websites to play with. There was a hair salon where you could upload your picture and try out new haircuts and hair deigns. I thought about signing up for the Spanish class but I am trying to focus on classwork right now. I do not want to change my focus to other things at the moment. I attempted a genealogy site but I did not want to include my family's information without their permission. I am going to tell my dad who is high school/recreational softball coach about a free stats website. He is always looking for a stats program that he could use. He loves being on the computer so this might be perfect for him!

Paris Las Vegas (#165)

Paris Las Vegas (#165)
Originally uploaded by Christopher Chan

I had to post this picture since I just came back from a mini vacation in Las Vegas. Good times!!!

The RSS feed assignment was interesting. It was far easier than I thought it was going to be. I do like having all my news information in one location versus all over the place in my favorites folder. http://www.bloglines.com/public/amatc

The google docs program is pretty interesting. There are so many things you can do with it! I write many rehabs for my injured athletes in an excel spreadsheet. With the google docs I can add tables and images faster. Also having the dictionary and translator option can be helpful with some of my international students.

old sunshine

old sunshine
Originally uploaded by hkvam

I thought this had plain beauty. Simple, vibrant color. It's getting older but still hanging.
This has been a very busy week. I feel overwhelmed at the moment but I know it will get a better. I am going on a much needed vacation for a few days next week. Looking forward to that!
School was interesting this past week. Scott gave us some pretty challenging tasks which I completed but it took some time and patience. I like the idea behind microblogging but it overwhelmes me and is very time consuming. I do not plan to continuing with the microblogging in the near future. But is has been an interesting journey.

Microblogging

I have found that microblogging is very interesting and definitely has its uses. I have also learned some insightful information regarding microblogging in education from the articles posted on our forum.

I like the idea of being free to create, write and communicate with social blogging i.e. facebook, twitter. Sharing pictures and stories with others seems like a great way to connect and interact with people who share similar interests.

Engaging students to create and utilize blogging increases participation and enthusiasm. This is what we are all striving for in education. Parents, staff, faculty and students can post comments, questions or concerns via blogging so everyone to see. This will allow for more consistency in the learning process.

The University of the Pacific and Fresno Pacific University utilize a emergency response system that is pretty much a form of blogging. I never thought of an emergency safety system as a means of blogging or social networking.

The convenience of learning at your own pace intrigued me. This is once of reasons I purposely applied for an online education. My work schedule is very demanding and leaves little room to attend classes off campus. With on-line education, I can choose when I want to attend class.

Our athletic training program uses a blog-like program to make announce to staff and students regarding upcoming events, classes and changes in practice time. It has been very helpful in decreasing confusion.

Overall, the use of microgblogging can be very helpful in education. It is just a matter of how and when to utilize it.

My office

My office
Originally uploaded by amatc

This is my home away from home. This is my office at the University of the Pacific. As you can see, its a regular office. I try to keep it clean, free from a cluster of papers. I have an assortment of pictures everywhere....pictures of my friends, family and some inspiring ones to keep me sane while working. I got a little frustrated with the blogging/flikr assignment because I was confused on how to connect the two accounts. But I figured it out. Finally!!

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

First Blog

Hello!
Today marks my first blogging experience! It's been a busy week but a productive one. Wrapping things up at work and looking forward to keeping busy with school work and not student-athlete injuries.