home

**Confucius wrote “By three methods we may learn wisdom: first by reflection, which is noblest, second, by imitation, which is easiest and third by experience, which is bitterest”** **(Cited in Dracup & Morris 2008)** Currently, I am working as a lecturer within a university environment with a career spanning some 10 plus years within tertiary education. This posting is complimented by a further 15 years within clinical practice.
 * Welcome to Katrina's wiki.**
 * __Who am I?__**

My teaching philosophy pertains to three elements. The first, being to foster an inquisitive mind and develop an excitement to learn. Secondly, I seek to provide students with a methodology to obtain knowledge through enhancing critical thinking skills rather than simply imparting contents in fact. The overriding element however, is to engage the student to make learning and enjoyable process.
 * __Teaching Philosophy Statement__**

I consider myself to be a novice with technology and have embraced the use of technological devices reluctantly and on an as needs basis. I speak languages other than English however, I do not speak “text” - a language style utilised on a daily basis by the younger generation of students. The main struggle I experienced was in adapting my teaching and assessment style to on line learning environment. How does one remain engaged with students where the face to face contact is removed? Questions regarding the motivational aspects for students and a concern for the satisfaction with the learning journey arose. Additionally, issues presented in designing assessment that was both contemporary and meaningful to students from mixed generations while achieving required learning outcomes. My student cohort consists of a mix of cross generational students with perhaps an overrepresentation of the “mature age” student. It is these students who often present for personal appointments identifying that they are at odds with the technology. Their main concern is that in their time poor existence ( many are working as well as studying and balancing the family side of things as well) - added to this they need to not only learn content but simultaneously attack the technology that must be used along the way. To fully appreciate the position of these students, my decision was to offer myself as the proverbial guinea pig and attempt to utilise technologies such as the Wiki in order to present this assignment. Having already made a distress call to my lecturer in response to my having “bitten off more than I can chew” after a malicious Wiki marauder sabotaged my first Wiki effort. At that moment I was ready to toss the entire experiment in and revert to a nice simple word document format….. However, where is the challenge in that? This certainly promises to be an experience of the bitterest form……. __**Reference:**__ Dracup, K & Morris, P 2008, ‘How will they learn’, //American Journal of Critical Care//, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 309.
 * __Why establish a Wiki?__**