The project to be discussed in this session grew out of my FLLinNZ year. In the first semester of this year, a group of occupational therapists came together in one of the major New Zealand cities to explore the use of Web 2.0 as a tool for meeting professional development needs. In order to explore whether Web 2.0 provides tools as adjuncts to, or replacements for, the more traditional professional development tools such as conferences, workshops, inservices, journal clubs or even supervision, occupational therapists first had to learn how to use tools such as blogging, social bookmarks or RSS feeds. The group sessions were designed to increase skill, increase confidence and facilitate self-efficacy. Only when therapists are confident with the tools, can they being to consider how the tools can be the forums through which learning may occur. In addition, online Web 2.0 based resources for occupational therapists are few and far between. The goal of this project was to also increase the occupational therapy presence on the net. Outcomes of the project will be shared in this session, with opportunity to consider how learning from this group can be generalised to other occupational groups who share the same characteristics – low confidence, low self-efficacy, traditional views of learning, and a poor online presence. |
