Football is Forever Changed
As I scanned my Facebook feed last night while I waited for practices to wrap up I noticed that a colleague had shared and commented on a recent USA today article regarding concussions.  Although the article was interesting and something I may talk about at a later date, what caught my attention was a related article with a striking headline at the bottom of the page. The article was from May of 2016 and the title declared Expert: Concussions will change, not kill football. Of course I then spent a few minutes reading an article I probably read back when it was published and I couldn’t help but think that this expert opinion is already out of date.  The game of football is forever changed by the prevalence of, and new awareness about the dangers of improperly treating a concussion and the long-term effects it may have. The game of football has changed, and this change will continue to be more prevalent as more and more high schools across the country transition to 8-Man football programs or eliminate their programs completely.  
How the NFL’s Concussion Crisis Is Impacting High School Football
As a high school athletic trainer (AT) I’m constantly educating the public on what I do. This is the never-ending struggle of an AT, to be seen and appreciated for what we are, allied health care providers with a vast and constantly cultivated knowledge of many subjects. One subject very close to my heart is adolescent concussions. I’ve read every article I can find, I’ve researched all sorts of treatments, and am constantly working with colleagues of all kinds on how best to protect, treat, and assist young athletes who have suffered concussions. In the 15 or so years that I’ve been volunteering, or working in athletic training rooms, I’ve seen changes but the information is constantly evolving and developing on how best to prevent, treat, and rehabilitate a concussed athlete.  Although football is not the only sport that I see concussions in, it is the one that gets the most attention. My first response to the question of why I think that is, is always the same. Football concussions get the most attention because of the concussion crisis the NFL saw starting in 2013 with the release of League of Denial: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis. That moment in time was a catalyst for the changes I am seeing everyday on my high school’s campus.  I also am hearing rumors about it happening at other schools all across the state of California and I would bet, across the entire United States as well.  
Why Eight-Man Football?
8-Man football is going to be the new normal at many high schools. I predict this transition will become even more common over the next five to 10 years especially at schools that probably would never trouble fielding a football team. Just wait for it. Never heard of 8-Man football? Well, you’re not alone. I knew about it, but hadn’t really heard too much until about three years ago when our JV team played against an 8-Man team on an early Saturday morning. Basically the main differences are a shorter, less wide field and only eight players line up on each side of the ball, two less lineman and one less skill player. At that time, our coaches were a bit lost with how things were supposed to happen and the officials were reading out of their rule books up until the minute the game started. It just wasn’t common place in Orange County, Calif. Now, you’re going to see it everywhere. I’ll bet on it and I’m not a gambler, unless you count scratch-off lottery tickets because I love to win with scratchers.
Everyone wants to know why my school’s football program transitioned this past year to 8-Man football. It’s always first “Why did you do it?” and then, “How do we do it?” Eventually the conversation turns into somewhat of a debate on whether it’s even really football. After two weeks of games and over a month of practices I can assure you, 8-Man football is FOOTBALL in every sense of the word. I’ve been watching this game my whole life, thanks to a house divided (Dad and brother are die-hard Raider fans while my Mom is a loyal fan of the 49ers…that’s the real Battle of the Bay!), and what I see at my school throughout the week of practice and under the lights on Friday night is the game of football. So, let me get back to why we transitioned. I could go into it and explain that we are an extremely academic school with high standards and expectations, we’ve had four coaches in the past four years, or that we’re a small school with small enrollment (approx. 520) but the bottom line that I see is that parents aren’t encouraging their kids to risk their investments. Parents of students at my school, and across the state, who are likely successful individuals in their own right, do not invest this much in their child’s high school education to willingly put that investment at risk. Let’s not lose sight of the fact that concussions are brain injuries and you only get one brain. It’s not common for my student athletes to have little to no experience playing tackle football before high school. The common reason I hear is that their parents felt it was too dangerous and too much of a risk. Now I don’t want to put words in anyone’s mouth, and I’m not saying that everyone feels this way, but times have changed. When I was a kid, every strong young boy signed up for the youth Pop Warner football program, my older brother included, and I just don’t see that in Orange County where there are hundreds of thousands of young boys and girls who are eligible for this sport.  
In early August the LA Times published an online article that stated High school football participation drops by 3,520 in the state of California. The number of participants in the article is for the 2015-16 academic year. I hope they follow up to show this year’s numbers because I predict they are much lower. Working through my seventh year at a small high school, I have seen the numbers on our roster shrink to less than half of what we had in the fall of 2010 when I first started. Every week I hear rumors (I work at a high school so rumors are common) that another school is looking at possibly transitioning to 8-Man football. Yesterday, I heard that a large school -- with an enrollment well of more than 1,500 students -- in the surrounding area is considering the transition next year. It may be shocking to others, but not to me.  
For the high school where I work, 8-Man football is a perfect fit. We can adequately field a team after struggling for years to fill our roster and I honestly feel that our kids are as safe as they can be in a violent, full-contact sport because we are finally matching up against similar schools with similar-sized student athletes. After a 71-44 win last Friday night, I think the kids finally believe it too.
If your school or program is considering the transition to 8-Man football, I can tell you you’re not alone. Embrace this change because it is going to be more common over the next five to 10 years as the generations move through this change in the youth levels of this sport that so many Americans love to cheer for on Sundays (and Monday night, and now Thursday night too)!

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The name Trainer Meaghan, which has been shortened to T-Meg more recently was given to me on August 10, 2010 by SHS Alum Eric Cheng.  I tell the story every so often...
On my first day at Sage Hill School I showed up early.  I was excited and nervous on my first day so I thought early was best.  I was so early that I had to wait around for Coach Tolver to show up and let me into the Athletic Training Room because I didn't have keys yet.  Getting there early was important so that I could start to inventory my supplies in the short time before football practices began later that morning.  As I was going through the cupboards and looking under the tables I found a lot of things.  Some things were obviously trash, some things were going to be useful, and I had no idea why some things were in that room!  As I was finishing my inventory, a student athlete ran into the room and in one big rush blurts out "Are you Trainer Meaghan?!!"  I remember shaking my head, probably squinting my eyes as I surveyed the student and tried to make sense of his question and replied, "Well I'm your new Athletic Trainer and my name is Meaghan, so I guess I'm Trainer Meaghan."  
From that moment on the name some how stuck and it still amazes me at times.  Everyone was calling me Trainer Meaghan so soon after my arrival that I even had a wonderful parent order me a couple of shirts on which they embroidered the name "Trainer Meaghan" by the end of the football season.  I knew that the name had 'stuck' but I didn't quite realize how much it would become my name (and I think it's a huge honor by the way).  Over five years later it is a huge part of me, who I am, and who I strive to be every day.  
When I had an assignment in a technology course to create a blog I thought long and hard about what to name it.  Did I want a personal blog?  One I could use for work?  I finally decided on a work blog and after lots of suggestions from friends and a few students....Just ask T-Meg was born!  After all, that's what I ask of our student athletes....Wondering about something related to Sage Hill School Athletics?  What games are on campus this week? Do you have a question about an injury?  Are you wondering why you're sore and how to help yourself be less so?  Well.....Just Ask T-Meg!!  
I'll always do my best answer your questions or find you the answers you're looking for.  

Hello to all my followers....probably only a few people, 'classmates', and error clicks online - I know my goal with this blog was to write posts and update my Sage Hill Community on various activity in and around Sage Hill School, and I know I've failed in this attempt.  I began this blog as an assignment while completing my Masters degree.  That was a time-consuming and stressfully year (14 months to be exact) of my life!  I really thought that when I completed the degree that I would be inspired and would spend a lot of time on this blog but as it turns out, my brain went to mush and I've been mainly cleaning out my DVR.  
Well, now I'm back in school taking the Sage Hill MADE course.  This course is designed for faculty/staff to learn all about the in's and out's of Canvas as well as to learn some tools that will make us better in our jobs as educators.  I know I'm not your traditional educator.  I don't go by Miss, or Ms. Beaudoin, I don't have a classroom, I don't give grades (or those lengthy, yet very important comments) and I'm lucky enough to wear athletic attire 90% of the time.  Although, I don't meet these criteria, I know that I educate students every day in that small closet styled room known as the Athletic Training Room at the end of the long hallway leading into the studio building.  I educate student athletes on human muscle anatomy, the physics, and biochemistry of the human body, the chemistry behind why we heat at times and ice others, the physical medicine of rehabilitation, as well as sports nutrition and proper hydration.    
The topics previously listed above are not traditional classes at Sage Hill, but maybe some day they will be.  Until then, I'm taking this MADE course to help understand what my Advisees see and deal with on a daily basis when it comes to submitting assignments and just checking in on-line.  As Mr. Irwin let me know I received a couple of zero scores already for incomplete assignments (this being one of them)....my level of empathy for our students increased dramatically!  Here I am....already with a blog created and in use and because I don't check into Canvas often I forgot about submitting the assignments!  Hopefully I'm back on track and maybe he'll give me some partial points ;).  

Alright lightning fans.....I'm finally done with my technology class and I'm ready to try to blog for real.  If you saw the first several posts or scroll down you'll get to see a lot of boring stuff.  Feel free to peruse or scan but I'm looking forward to blogging about you....my athletes and our community at Sage Hill School.  My goal is to have at least one post a month, maybe more if things come up, but lets try once a month to start!  
So what should I blog about?  What questions do you have for me? What do you want to see here?  We have so many exciting things happening at Sage Hill and so many things to talk about, such as: CIF playoff opportunities, a new football coach was just hired, school health forms are about to change and be online, student athletes are committing to schools.  All very exciting stuff!  Start sending things my way, and who knows, it might just be my next posting!

To start off, where are we at?  
Well, we are half-way through our Winter sports season....and Spring sports are just around the corner!  As of right now both the Girls and Boys Varsity Soccer Programs are undefeated, Boys Varsity Basketball is ahead with 4 wins and 2 losses, while Girls Varsity Basketball is split even with 3 wins and 3 losses.  
We will start the second half of the season tomorrow afternoon/evening against our biggest rival, St. Margaret's!  Hopefully we can pack The Ube and Ramer field for basketball and girls soccer games!  Check the SHS website for start times.

Finally I wanted to share a little snippet of my weekend.  I'm still busy finishing my Masters degree and had to run up to the Central Coast to interview a retired Athletic Trainer that I worked with while at Cal Poly, Steve Yoneda.  I get to do a living biography on him and it was pretty interesting to learn about his life, and how the profession of Athletic Training developed at Cal Poly.  I'm sure a lot of my students can't imagine not having an AT.  Steve learned to tape ankles from an equipment manager at Santa Barbara High School because back in the 1960's there was not a formal educational track toward a career in Sports Medicine. I hope I can do his life (thus far) justice and get all the facts straight.  I've learned a lot from him over the years, and appreciate that he is letting me attempt to tell his story.  

On the way home from this trip I stopped in the small town of Orcutt, just south of Santa Maria where our very own Mille Tanner was competing in a Road Cycling Race where she completed over 50 grueling miles up and down hills, switchbacks, and with cars on the road in about three hours.  For the last three years I've wanted to see what it was like at a race and even though it took 40 or so minutes between the 'laps' it was really exciting!  I arrived just in time to see the women pass the finish and start their final lap and then got this fuzzy shot (see below) of the peloton as they jockeyed for positions going into the finish!  I can't really find Millie (bib number 207) in the shot because she was fighting for position and thought she might have disqualified herself as she got pushed over the double yellow line (she ended up getting just a warning from the race official).  Millie, who was leading almost throughout the entire race ended up with a 5th place finish while her teammate finished 3rd.  He father Jet expressed that although he hoped Millie would win, a top 10 finish would be a good start to her season as well.  Great Job Millie!  I'm proud of you for hanging in there with what seemed like a group of riders much older than you!  Hopefully I get to see you on the podium some day!

Last thing....I promise!  Don't forget to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more regular updates, cool photos, scores!

GOOOOOOOOOOO Lightning!

The attached document is a final assignment for KIN 710.  This assignment directed me to select a technology of interest and use it in a setting and in a way that I would use it.  Last year I was appointed to be a part of the Wellness Team at Sage Hill School.  One area that was lacking and that interests me is an Employee Wellness program.  The attached document entails the development of such a program and how the technology of Fitness Trackers, specifically a Fitbit Flex, can be used to promote employee wellness.  

Pros/Cons of Personal Web Site vs LinkedIn Page

    I think that there is a place for both a personal web site and a LinkedIn page.  I see a personal website as something that would be a good fit for someone who works independently or is the sole owner of a company.  LinkedIn, on the other hand, appears to be better for professionals who are looking to work and connect with other people within companies.  I could be totally wrong about this, and someone who works for LinkedIn may be gasping at my perceptions but this is how I see the site for now.  I am new to the experience of a personal web site, but have had a LinkedIn page for several years.  My experience with LinkedIn has been positive so far.  A few years ago, I applied for a position that I was very interested in, but didn’t quite have all of the qualifications for.  Within hours of submitting my online resume, the person in charge of the hiring process had viewed my profile (one of the nice things about LinkedIn in my opinion).  I was thankful that I had the profile and that it looked professional and was up to date.  I was never contacted about the position but I felt that overall it was a good lesson to me that having a LinkedIn page was important, as potential employers will look for you!  I wonder what will happen in the future with my personal web site?
     A personal website is a good place to put a lot of information about yourself while being able to individualize the look and layout.  A personal web site can reach a specific audience or a broad one depending on the discussed topics and scope of outreach to potential viewers.  This format also allows you to be accessible to any person with internet access, as you will likely not limit individuals based on a subscription or membership to your page.  A LinkedIn page is a little more specific as it seems to be more profession based and is ‘Linked’ to your professional background, experience, and goals.  There is a format of being able to share articles and information but the ability to individualize is a little less.  LinkedIn is also slightly restrictive, as you may not reach as wide of an audience as not everyone may have a LinkedIn account.  

Survey
     One of the assignments for this module was to investigate and create an online survey.  I've done this in the past for a few other things - both school and personal and have always used SurveyMonkey.  I like the format, think it is easy to use, and love that I can make free short surveys when I need to.    Here is a link to a quick survey for my classmates on Ankle Taping! 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZN29TJC


The weebly website creator also allowed me to create a poll so I wanted to include this as well to show another option for creating an online survey.  

Online surveys may be useful as I continue this blog and interact with my community.  A funny example is that I will play music in my ATR after school and before practices and games.  Sometimes there is a great difference in opinion on what genre of music is 'good' or not.  Creating an online survey that the students can interact with and have a say in could very well solve the problem of what we get to listen to! 


Statistical Analysis
    When I was going through my first undergraduate degree there was only a couple of options available for how to run statistics (and I know...I'm not that old).  You could do it the long way, with a lot of crazy numbers and formulas, or use a basic computer program called SPSS that would do the heavy lifting work for you.  Although statistics and math in general is not a strong subject for me, I did really enjoy it.  Statistical analysis is kind of like problem solving for me, and the best part, is that you get your answer.  Statistical analysis basically lets you know if something is to be considered significant or not, and by how much so.
    I enjoyed having the opportunity to see that there are so many options out there now to assist with this kind of work.  David Lane provides a significant list of free software that is available for various types of statistical analysis problems                    (http://davidmlane.com/hyperstat/Statistical_analyses.html).  The list also breaks down the software choices into groupings based on the type of output you may be looking for.  The Lane site is not the only site that provides this type of information but I felt it was easy to navigate and very user friendly.  
     Statistical Analysis is very important to the field of Athletic Training, especially with the recent requirements for a portion of CEU's to be from Evidence Based Practices (EBP).  Statistics are what prove that these practices are relevant and helpful to our field and overall to the athletes and patients we treat on a daily basis.  I don't foresee myself being directly involved in research in the near future, but I can't say never.  If I do find myself involved in a research project in the future, at least I know how to find the necessary tools to help me!

Visual Resume
    Creating a visual resume was a requirement for this module.  I choose to include it in the tab where I list my various work experience as I felt it was a more important location.  In the past I have maintained a resume as a part of my LinkedIn profile.  I recently created a new visual resume, importing the information from LinkedIn, using the website Resume Baking.  This website allowed me to create a visual resume online, as well as a PDF of that resume that I could post on my site.  I have included a link to the resume and a downloadable PDF to the right hand side of the work experience page/tab.  

Here is another installment to my blog!  Again, this blog post is mainly dedicated to the Technology course I am enrolled in.  Although it may not be of extreme interest to all of my student athletes and members of the Sage Hill community, I do hope that someone reads this.
I am learning a lot throughout my Masters degree coursework and hope that if you do stumble across these postings, that you may learn something you didn't know about before!
Alright, here is the educational portion of this post....

Apps in Education
         Educational apps are definitely a tool that will continue to be developed and used increasingly over time.  When you search the iTunes App store, a variety of interesting apps show up.  There is everything from apps for young children to help them learn colors as well as study tools for college students.  The applications that are available as teaching tools are also in abundance. 
        It’s hard to grasp the full breath and use of all the available apps in just a week of time, especially as new apps are added every day.  I am thankful for various sites and blogs that break down the best of and top 100 of these apps; otherwise I would feel completely overwhelmed!  In the future I believe these apps will continue to grow and become more user friendly as well as more multi-use.  For example an app that helps you make recordings of lectures that can be posted online will also be able to be used as a testing and or study aid tool.  When it comes to technology in education the limits are truly endless and will reach as far as the educators imaginations!
         I really enjoyed the prezi presentation on 60 apps in 60 Minutes (https://prezi.com/swceiv2g3bbt/60-educational-apps-in-60-minutes/ )  This presentation was filled with so much information I literally went back and forth through the parts that interested me twice! 

• I did not know about the app QuickEdit app for editing documents.  This would be very helpful for me as I often have to walk around with my laptop while on campus.  This would allow me to access my documents from the iPad that my school has provided for me and make edits on the go.  

• The app Evernote is something that I really want to try as I am constantly thinking of things I need to do when I get back to my ATR or office while out at practices and games.  This way I could make a ‘note to self’ from the field and it would be synced back at my desk so when I sat down to do paperwork I wouldn’t have to remember to look up the note I made in my phone.  I think this would be very helpful to me and look forward to implementing it. 
  
• Dropbox and GoogleDrive are two apps that I already use and find it to be immensely helpful.  I can save my school assignments to my dropbox and access them at home or at work (if I have an extra few minutes to look at or add to a paper I’m writing!).  GoogleDrive has be extremely helpful at Sage where I am constantly sharing ‘living’ documents that change regularly.  I love that I can make changes and everyone I share the document with can see the changes without me having to email them an updated copy!  It has also been very helpful when collaborating with other people on documents such as our school-wide Return to Learn, Concussion policy.

• Genius Scan and JotNot are two apps that I need to look into as well.  I am in the process of beginning a roll-out of an Electronic Medical Records (EMR) program at the school.  We are in the beginning phases but there are several forms that our families will have to print and then scan and upload.  This may be a VERY USEFUL app for individuals who want to do this but don’t have a scanner at home!
  
• When I look up Anatomy apps for demonstration and teaching purposes there is a plethora available!  I am going to spend some time looking into them as it will be very helpful in the Athletic Training Room.  These apps are also a bit expensive but I think they will be very helpful.  I have several models of body parts and pictures/charts on the walls of the ATR but they don’t always show the specific muscles or tendons I’m trying to show my student athletes.  If anyone has a good suggestion on a great anatomy app please let me know!
  

Using PWP to Improve Profile
         One suggestion that was listed in the class Wiki document on what should be in a PWP was posting a link to social media pages.  I had not previously considered doing this, but I am now strongly thinking about doing just that.  I work very hard to maintain a very professional presence in my social media postings so I do think that they would be a positive reflection of myself as a professional.  This may also show that I have the skills and ability to be a contributing member to the entire community. 

Facebook vs LinkedIn
         I view Facebook and LinkedIn as two very different social media domains.  Facebook for me is a bit more personal as I am ‘friends’ only with people I know well from my childhood, through college, and into early adulthood.  LinkedIn is a part of my professional life and I only connect with individuals I have worked with or know through professional networking.  I believe it is appropriate to keep the two aspects of my life separate.  It can be a difficult balance but I do know that it is important to have a professional only social media profile.  When I applied for a position several years ago I saw that within days of receiving my application and resume, the person hiring the position viewed my LinkedIn profile.  I take precautions to keep my personal life private by only being friends with people I truly know on Facebook and putting security settings on my account as well.  

Wikis in Education
        I have recently been exposed to the use of Google Docs and file sharing through the use of a Goolge Drive in the workplace.  This type of shared document is the only type of wiki I have ever used before.  I feel silly to admit but I did not even know that this type of file sharing was used or available.  Now that I have been using this type of technology I think it is amazing and a great option for efficient and collaborative team work even if you are not working in the same office or in my case at the same time of day.  Most recently, my school asked the school Learning Specialist, and myself, to draft a school policy in the event of a concussion injury to a student.  This policy is known as our Return to Learn Concussion Policy.  This document was drafted and edited by several people before it was adopted as a school policy and published in the Student Handbook.  All communication and edits regarding this policy were done without ever meeting in person, which is quite amazing. 

Professional Networking Strategies - Using Technology or Not
        Business and networking are changing with technology; there is no doubt about that.  I think the question here is whether professional networking in-person is still as applicable and important as having a solid online profile.  I believe that an online presence is extremely important but being able to act professional and be a good employee/colleague is just as important. 
         Having a good online presence is a good start.  In the busy multi-tasking world we live in anyone who knows a persons name, can look up information about him or her and search their job history in a matter of seconds.  These are permanent and public details of a person’s life.  If someone’s social media profiles are also easily accessible then, based on the visible information, a lot of information can be assumed about that person.  Although a lot can be assumed from an online profile or portfolio, there is still something to be said about an individuals ability to do well meeting or conversing with others in person. 
        I have found that the professional relationships I have fostered through in-person networking have helped me and been more important than relationships I have only associated with through other contacts.  To be honest, if I have not met or worked with an individual I don’t feel as if they will greatly contribute to my ‘network’.  I could be completely wrong in this thinking, and I may change my mind in the future.  For now I am planning on keeping my professional online network to include only people I know or have worked with.  I think I would definitely include some of my classmates from this program in my network as I feel we have begun to get to know one another throughout our courses. 

 

This post includes my first every 'podcast'.  Creating a podcast was very tricky for me and I'm still not sure I did it correctly!  Below you can click on the audio file where I give a brief description of Sage Hill School and my position there.  If there are any topics that you, fans from my community, would like for me to talk about let me know!  This is just another interesting way for me to share information.  
Click below for a link to where I've also posted this podcast on an audio sharing platform called SoundCloud.

Podcast on SoundCloud

Class Discoveries
    This class has so far shown me that there are a lot of tools out there to disseminate information to my 'community'.  I am currently not at teacher, but I feel like I do have an educational role as it pertains to my student athletes and their health and well being.  By experiencing different ways that I can share information I'm learning what is user friendly to me and what is not.  I'm also learning what formats may be useful to me and what formats may not be so useful. 
  Having a Facebook fan page, a twitter account, and now an Instagram account has proven to be a good way for me to continue to reach out to my community.  When I debuted this blog I had a few students comment to me that they thought this might be 'kind of cool'.  They expressed that they would like for me to post info about scores and highlights as well as about various injuries and things that are happening to our athletes at Sage Hill.   I think I will continue a bi-monthly posting on this blog of various information after the conclusion of this class.
  I think one of the biggest things I've learned throughout this class is that I'm not nearly as technologically savvy as I thought I was.  I easily get flustered by things I have to do, things I have to download and sometimes I feel like I'm just clicking and opening at random!  I am aware of various technologies but I really didn't know how all of them worked and how I could use them for my benefit.  Sure, social media is something I've used, but not to its fullest capabilities.  I'm looking forward to learning a lot more over the next few weeks that I can extend outside of this class.    

Web 2.0 tools in Education
  Web 2.0 in education can be tricky at times.  At Sage Hill we recognize that as coaches, faculty, and staff members we are 'automatic reporters' as required by law.  This means that if we 'see', witness, overhear, or are disclosed to any information that negatively or illegally involves a child and their wellbeing that we are required to report that information to the proper authorities.  When young people post so much about themselves online it puts us, the educators, in a position to know more about their lives than ever before.  At Sage Hill we have a policy that prohibits us (coaches, ATs, teachers, staff members) from 'friending' or 'following' our current students online.  I think this is a good policy.  It is also the main reason why Trainer Meaghan has a fan page and not a personal Facebook page.  
   On the other hand I believe that Web 2.0 can have a positive impact on education as there are so many other ways of receiving information.  Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. all have ways of sharing and providing links to information that students can use to further understand concepts as well as to make them relatable to them in this day and age.  
     

Top 100 Tools for Learning
Looking through the Top 100 Tools for Learning was eye opening.  So many of the sites such as Google Search, YouTube, Facebook, and Linked In do not instantly come to mind when I think of educational or ‘learning tools’.  Other tools such as Word, PowerPoint, and Google Scholar are what I think of as more traditional learning tools.  I was surprised at how many of the top 100 tools that I use on a daily and weekly basis.  Before I began this masters degree program I was a regular user of 26 of the various tools.  Now as a student once again, I am frequently using 35-40 of the tools every week.  This has made me realize how much more I could be doing as an educator and to think of creative ways to use these tools that already exist.

I feel as if the concept of education has stayed the same since I was in a traditional educational setting but the main difference is the ease of finding information and the versatility of the tools to help facilitate the learning process.  I think as a educator it will be important to know what tools are out there so that I can experiment with different ways of finding and sharing information with my student community.



YouTube 
YouTube is a great tool that I have had the experience of using as an instructor as well as as a student.  Several years ago I co-taught a couple of lab courses at Chapman University.  During one of the courses we created an assignment where our students had to create a video showing how to properly complete a first aid proficiency.  They had a lot of fun making their videos and I enjoyed grading them because of the entertainment value.  
Below is a video that I found on YouTube that does a good job talking about the profession of Athletic Training while still being entertaining.  It also has a Michael Jackson song....so how could you possibly go wrong with that?

Trainer Meaghan has now joined the Instagram craze!  Here is my first photo!

Note to student-athletes who steal T-Meg's phone and take awkward selfies...I now have a place to post, and the knowledge of making funny images for everyone to see.  You have been warned!

Social Networking in Undergraduate Education

            Although I am enrolled in an online master’s degree program I have not had much experience with social networking in my previous educational experiences.  At the end of my first undergraduate degree Blackboard, an online Learning Management System, was slowly being used for the first time.  At the time I did not find it more helpful than how my professors disseminated information originally.  There was also a little bit push-back from the instructors at the time who didn’t know how exactly the system could assist them in their process of educating.  Now, a decade later I am again introduced to an online Learning Management System, Canvas.  The students at Sage Hill use Canvas to receive information, assignments, and view their grades.  The faculty uses Canvas to send out information, post quizzes and assignments as well as to collect assignments.  As a member of the wellness team, I have seen the implementation of an online wellness class for tenth graders.  There have been some initial issues and miscommunication with the rollout of the program, but I believe in time, it will become a staple part of the curriculum.

Generation Always-On

            It’s frustrating for me to walk into a full athletic training room (4-5 people in my ATR haha!) and see everyone with their face buried in their phone or laptop.  I can’t believe sometimes how close teenagers can be to each other but so disconnected at the same time.  Unfortunately, I know I’m not much better than my student-athletes sometimes.  It’s so easy to check email, respond to texts, review social media, and read various articles, news stories, and seek information on the Internet. 
          The concept of Being Always-On describes teens-to-20’s age group that were born since the turn of the century who have grown up in a world that allows them to be instantly connected to all recorded human knowledge.  As I am outside of that age range I believe I have a grasp and understanding of the importance of disconnecting from time to time as it allows me to fully absorb the moment and take in what I am learning/experiencing and developing my own opinion of it.  I feel that one main disadvantage of being Always-On is that the discovery and interpretation of information is largely represented and students don’t always formulate their own opinions.  Why do we have to accept what Google gives us as the answer to a question?  Why can’t we search and find our own answers?  I remember struggling through an English project on The Scarlet Letter in High School and reading the ‘for dummies’ short version.  I thought I was so smart for finding a way to finish the project without actually putting the work in.  In the end I didn’t really have a better understanding of the novel, I simply regurgitated someone else’s interpretation of it.  My fear is that the current generation will lack some critical thinking skills when it comes to their education. 

Although I intend to continue this blog as an online web presence for my students and community to connect with me, over the next several weeks I will also be using it to post my reflections on various topics for KIN 710, Technology in Kinesiology. 

 

A Personal Web Presence, or PWP can be likened to an online portfolio or resume.  As technology is further implemented in education and school curriculum, I believe that it is important for educators to remain as professional as possible in their presence.  The President of Sage Hill School, Gordon McNeil periodically posts to a blog hosted on the Sage Hill School website (http://www.sagehillschool.org/Blog?rc=0).  This blog is a good example of a professional web presence that represents Mr. McNeill very well.  I very much enjoy the wide array of subject matter that he discusses and how it affects the Sage Hill Community.  I too would like to copy a variety of events and issues that affect the Sage Hill Campus but I will focus mainly on athletics issues and events.  I also plan on posting a fair amount of pictures to accompany my posts. 

 

Microblogging by using a tool such as twitter has been an interesting for me participate in, and I still have a lot to learn.  Last spring I created the twitter account for @TrainerMeaghan.  I use it along with a Facebook fan page to share scores, events, and funny things that happen in and around the Athletic Training Room (ATR).  It has taken me some time to start using regularly and I hope to use it more in the future.  I do have a few students and parents who ‘follow’ me. 

 

I feel that emergency and very stressful injury situations are when I am in my “sweet spot.”  I know that this role is where I am very strong and capable and am thankful that my employers recognize this in me.  Fortunately I don’t have to be in emergency or stressful situations very often.  People always ask me if I look forward to injuries happening?  The short answer to this question is, no.  Although I am at my best in those situations I never hope for a player to get hurt and feel pain. 

If emergency/stressful situations are where I am at my best, I will admit that slow days where I should be getting ahead on tasks such as paperwork, I find that I am not as productive as I could be.  This is where I need to work on my time management.  Things are always going to come up but I need to work on staying on task with administrative tasks.

 

The Internet has had a strong impact on my own personal learning.  There are so many tools available via the Internet to tell you how to do most anything.  I will often times seek out taping procedures or rehabilitation protocols on YouTube to make sure that I am preforming a skill appropriately.  I often check sites that apply to my vocation such as the rule books for CIF, the county board of health, and the NATA website.  Personally I follow a few dozen blogs that have to do with cooking and food, I haven’t made a habit like this professionally yet as I find too much information seeking can be a distraction.  If I have time to work on my computer at work, I generally need to be getting something done and not searching the Internet.  Occasionally I will eat my lunch at my desk and will spend that time browsing the web for information on current issues I am facing.  Overall I think technology enhances the learning experiences and has great benefits.  I do think that the learner has to use caution because not all sources on the Internet are credible or share correct information. 
I have recently opened a Pearltree account to organize information that I find interesting and necessary for this blog to be successful.  I have not yet created a lot of branches, but need to immerse myself further into the technology to have a better understanding of how it works and how it can further benefit me.