Last Thing - perfect timing

I was SOOOO happy to see what Thing 8 was. I was just given the opportunity to write a chapter for one of the two quasi-bibles of emergency medicine. This is HUGE for my career. However, I have 2 months to accomplish this. So in two days since I got the email, I've developed a wiki to organize my outline, PDFs of references, etc. as well as added about 30 references to my new Connotea library. My next decision point will be whether or not to use EndNote or RefWorks. I've had recommendations to use EndNote, but not much personal experience. I used RefWords back in undergrad. I'll probably use RefWorks because I bounce between computers all the time. Looks like Write-n-Cite (part of RefWorks) now takes Word 2007 documents.

I choose Connotea because it seems a little more aimed at the medical sciences. Also, I find it easy to cut and paste the PMID # into Connotea.

I probably spent one hour or so looking up references and putting them on my wiki and my Connotea library.

Since this is the last "thing" of this project, I think this will be my last post. Will it be my last blog? I don't think so.

My academic interest is more in the translation of knowledge instead of the creation of knowledge. I already am accustomed to using technology to teach (proud to admit I'm a geek) and the stuff I've learned here applies perfectly. I have some ideas for some work related blogs and other Web 2.0 stuff. While P&T committees are very interested in more of the typical journal and textbook publications, I think most of the learners will be seeking knowledge in Web 2.0 applications. We educators need to adapt. And quite honestly, working on this sort of stuff is so much more fun that reading or writing journals.

Thank you, 8Things divas. We'll talk later.
TattlingYeti

Thing 7

This one's pretty easy for me. I already use Google Docs extensively. I've been using it to share documents with residents when we are working on a scholarly project. Currently I'm trying to figure out when to use a wiki and when to use this.

I have to write a book chapter soon. I'll need to decide what to use. I work to two different hospitals and a simulation center. The sim center has Office 2007, so does my home computer. Google docs does not support the new formatting. If I write my chapter on my home computer, I can only work on that computer. Maybe I'll divide up the work into stages and use a wiki initially, then use my home computer (word 2007) to finish it up.

Basically, if I need to collaborate, I'll either use a wiki or try my darndest to get the collaborators to use Google Docs. Technically, I think it's in Beta but I've never had trouble for the editing. However, sometimes the printing is a little weird.

Since I'm pretty facile with Google Docs, I only spent ~20 minutes on this one.

Thing 6 Wiki Wiki Wiki

Convenient timing on this one. I've developed a couple of wikis so far. One is for a multi-institutional research project on Google Sites. The other is for a little pet project for work through PBWiki (can't really describe it yet). Emphasis in the above sentence should be on the work "developed". Have I actually added anything to them yet? No. Working on that.

Our residency did their PIF on wiki and it went well. I'll probably start running my resident research projects on them as well. I'm getting some of the same functionality on Google Documents, but I'll try a wiki next time and see how it goes. Editing the 8Things Wiki was a breeze.

I like my first glance at AskDrWiki. They need the Emergency Medicine page started. I'll see if I can get to that in my free time. :)

Did about 30 minutes on this Thing.

Thing 5 Video and Podcasts

Too bad the cool videos won't allow embedding.  So here's a link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afIBrdwP22E

It's the Unwritten Rules of the Gym...pretty funny, IMHO.

I haven't actually added a podcast to my Google Reader. I use my iPod regularly for workouts. My attention span is ridiculously short. So I really like the "Quick and Dirty Tips" series of podcasts - I follow Grammar Girl, Money Girl, Mighty Mommy and the Nutrition Diva. I have followed the medical blogs - most are a little too boring for me unfortunately.

I spend about 30 minutes on this thing.

Thing 4 - social bookmarking

Oops, accidently posted a post with nothing in it.  Glad they have "edit posts".

I found this out very helpful.  I had heard of del.icio.us but never knew what it was.  This is how I'll be doing my bookmarking from now on.  I'm always on different computers between the 3 hospitals I work at and the simulation center.  I'll admit I'm a little creeped by the "social" part of it.  Do I want work colleagues to see what links I post to ?  Can they see it?  I don't think so, but until I dive into it a little more I'll watch what I put on there.

I'll make a little plug.  I've been using a little web gadget called Toggl to keep track of how my time I spend on projects.  I didn't use it to figure how much time I spend on this Thing, but that would have been a really good idea.

I looked a little at the other sites - Digg is interesting, and I've heard a lot about StumbleUpon.  For now, I'll just stick with one site (Delicious) and see how I do.

Now I'm rolling

1. What do you like about RSS feeds / feed readers?

Less work.  Info is there and ready for me when I'm ready for it.  

2. How could you use RSS feeds in your personal or professional life?

I'm already using RSS feeds a lot.  My Google Homepage (iGoogle page) is filled the various feeds from entertainment (cakewrecks.blogspot.com) to work-related (Wachter's World, NEJM Image of the Week, etc.).  

3. How did you find additional feeds to add to your reader?

Oh, my gosh, it's a disease!  OK, so I go to a blog for whatever reason, that blog links to another relevant blog, so I check it out, then subscribe.  Occasionally I'll search ("add stuff" to my iGoogle page).  I recently tried FeedReader, but I do seem to be actually using it.  Probably too busy.

4. How long did it take you to complete this Thing?

15 minutes maybe - once I realized exactly was RSS feeds were, I realized that I already subscribe to a zillion of them.

Thing 2 finally done

Wow, this one took a while.  I started this Thing about 3 weeks ago, but only spent about 90 minutes on it.  The articles to read were a little dense.  Also I found myself following links to other sites since I'm sort of an educational theory geek.  Also, I'm only a little bit older than Generation Y.  In my job, I teach people from all sorts of different generation.  So I feel I need to be at least conversational, if not fluent, in various teaching modalities and strategies.  That's my big motivation in doing the 8 Things.  I feel I vaguely understand a lot of the concepts but I don't truly get the nuts and bolts of them.  

I spend a lot of time on the internet.  I haven't gotten myself so addicted that I need to pay a ton of money to get in on my phone yet...I think it's kind of nice to be "off the radar" every once in a while.  But whenever I'm on my personal or work computer, I'm online.  I do most of my job-related information hunting on the internet.  I "google" much more often than I crack a journal or, heaven forbid, a textbook.  Some think it's blasphemy.  But often when I need information, I know the reputable sites.  Or the answer is at the tip of my tongue.  All I need to do is see it and I'll recognize it as correct.  So what if it's on Wikipedia.

On to Thing 3...

Get to Know Your Librarian

So I'm sitting in a CME class on Medical Education Research.  The last objective is "communicate effectively with your research librarian".  OK, back to work.

My first crack at this

Ok, setting up the blog was really easy. Not sure why I didn't do it earlier...probably because I didn't know what to say. But now I can get CME for this?! Sweet.

I have been thinking about establishing a blog for my professional work and probably will eventually. I already follow a number of blogs (Wachter's World is probably my favorite medical one so far). I'm fairly geek-savvy so I shouldn't have too much trouble the tech. Content...another story?

I think 8Things will be very helpful and I look forward to picking up tips. My biggest concern is the fact that I could waste a whole lot of time doing this.

If I say it took less than one hour to do this, will I get less CME credit. :)

Next challenges:
1. figure out how to change the time zone on this
2. design an avatar - may need to get my 4-year-old to help me on this.