Of cause it's different to get back after beeing with so many people all the time and this has been a enjoyble experience to meet so many different studentens, mentors and academics. All have contribiuted with there different views on nursing.
It is first now that I can look at what the learning outcome has been for me personaly.
I came with very high expectations to these 12 days. I have been working abroad for so many years with nureses and other professionel areas from so many different cultures in my special field, that I hoped to get even more now with the sudents onbord. And that was my reason to apply for this IP.
I think what I have learned though the MINE project is that Europe is getting smaller in the way that more people travel to other countries to study, work, and live for a shorter or longer period of time. When we travel we bring our own culture and understanding with us but we also learn something new.
Some cultures are very simmilar to us were others are very different. This is what creates the challenge but at the same time what makes international nursing interesting. Different cultures approaces nursing based on their environment and attitudes to those with an illness. The cultural visits and tours around the hospitals showed the different approaches and how culture, politics, way of life, attitudes and society create different health models and hence, different approaches in nursing. The cultural visits help create a great atmosphere where we could approach each others and get to know how people felt about the programme, nursing etc.
I do think we can learn a lot from each other and we can give each other good ideas as to how we can improve our nursing.
That is also why I find it a bit a shame that there was not more sturctred time for the mentors and academics to discuss this as a groupe. And also bring in the students on that.
When we finaly got the group to meet it was hard enough to get everone to focus on the task ahead so there wasen't that much time for realy group discussion.
If there was a thing I would have liked to change is that the mentor group should have been put into use in a better way.
Making the digital story was fun and in many ways educating. But it did not use peoples knowledge and potentiel well enough. Much more focus on dialog and dissucion would be my idea - because it takes time with coummunication when english isn't the first laungage. Communication is hard enough in you own laugage, but to get the right point acrose in english is a challange for all.
The MINE IP was an intensive sharing of ideas, thoughts and attitudes. It prepares students nurses going on exchange as to some of the realities of what they might experience and what they need to prepare for. It also allows a student to network and think about the country they would like to go to on exchange.
For the mentors it tried to guide us in how we need to prepare for students, examining our own practice and the practice of those coming to us and, what support structures we have and need to develop. The key area for me is preparation and getting to know the student before they come.
The MINE has helped me to see even more when we get students from other countries as to what I need to do to prepare but also I feel I understand more about their background and nursing profession.
I feel the Erasmus programs helps to bring down barriers and to establish exchange of information between the partners. And when you get to experience some of it yourself it is easier to explain it and perhaps implement some of the new knowledge in your own institut or hospital.
Before we got to Finland we all had to make a presentation of ourselves on Facebook. I think the general idea is good but there where to many people in the group that whern't where part of the group for 2012. It would be much better to have a groupe for each year.
I was also missing the dissusion of etical conduct on Facebook - why not put that into the pathces?? You need to bring this up before you start using public medias as Facebook and blogs. It needs to be discussed what to put into this and what not....and why - dicuss how it reflects back on you when other people read it or see pictures of you. That is realy one thing that needs to be adressed in the begining.
Facebook helps but so would Skype or Messenger. I think the MINE projects idea of Facebook to help getting to know/share ideas was importent and the way for the future. It also mean we can still keep in contact, network and share ideas long after the IP has ended. For the mentors and academics I am sure they found they are more aware of different teaching/learning methods and how they might implement them.
We also had to make a film about our country before we came. I really liked the films that where made and they gave an impression about the people who had made the films. Everybody had approached the fim making in different ways - whice was fun and educational to watch.
Maybe the films could be uploaded to the WIKI so others would benefit from them? It would be a shame to let them go to waste.
The WIKI site is a good idea. I
hope in the future all the students who are thinking of studying
aboard will have the opportunity to visit the site. There are a lot of good and
useful information on the site and the site is made for students by students
which mean that there is information on the site you probably would not get if it is made by mentors or academics. For the mentors it tried to guide us in how we need to prepare for students, examining our own practice and the practice of those coming to us and, what support structures we have and need to develop. The key area for me is preparation and getting to know the student before they come.
The MINE has helped me to see even more when we get students from other countries as to what I need to do to prepare but also I feel I understand more about their background and nursing profession.
I feel the Erasmus programs helps to bring down barriers and to establish exchange of information between the partners. And when you get to experience some of it yourself it is easier to explain it and perhaps implement some of the new knowledge in your own institut or hospital.
Before we got to Finland we all had to make a presentation of ourselves on Facebook. I think the general idea is good but there where to many people in the group that whern't where part of the group for 2012. It would be much better to have a groupe for each year.
I was also missing the dissusion of etical conduct on Facebook - why not put that into the pathces?? You need to bring this up before you start using public medias as Facebook and blogs. It needs to be discussed what to put into this and what not....and why - dicuss how it reflects back on you when other people read it or see pictures of you. That is realy one thing that needs to be adressed in the begining.
Facebook helps but so would Skype or Messenger. I think the MINE projects idea of Facebook to help getting to know/share ideas was importent and the way for the future. It also mean we can still keep in contact, network and share ideas long after the IP has ended. For the mentors and academics I am sure they found they are more aware of different teaching/learning methods and how they might implement them.
We also had to make a film about our country before we came. I really liked the films that where made and they gave an impression about the people who had made the films. Everybody had approached the fim making in different ways - whice was fun and educational to watch.
Maybe the films could be uploaded to the WIKI so others would benefit from them? It would be a shame to let them go to waste.
The new forum on the site so former exchange students can write about their experiences and students think about going on exchange is a brilliant idea and I do hope that the site will be publice to all students so that the work and knowledge that is put into it is not wasted.
Blogging took time to get used to. I wanted to do a blog each day and felt if I didn't I would miss key information. I can see this is a valuable tool for the student and assessor with regards to feedback and reflection. It might be good to have the student have to do a daily entry so at the end of the programme their are 12 blogs from everyone.
This might be too demanding though and against the nature of MINE (who knows) and adult learning but if it should be usefull then I find it importent to be done well.
The digital stories were educative and a new teaching/learning experience I have had. To be creative, explore meaning with images, try new ideas, use technology and work, as a team is a very interisting thing. If it's me I'm not sure, but I do think that for some this metod is benifitiel and I will take the idea back with me to my students.
Assessment patches where something new to me as well. I can see
how these together make a complete assessments. The whole is bigger than the
parts and I think this is true with MINE. We already did part
of the patchwork before we landed in Finland so this was a nice
start! But we need more information earlier. Denmark as a new participater realy needed to get information much earlier - and I do fully understand different reasons why it did not happen - but it is importent - we would have liked to have done so many things in an other way if we new wahts was expected of us.
All participants can take their experiences back to their colleagues and share what they have learnt. I plan to do this and will be presenting what the programme was/is, what I have learnt and how we (as a whole) can benefit from.
Just before we (the danish delegation) left for Finland we got a mail sayng that the academics need to do a presentaion of the nursing in there country and the mentor could participate if they feelt for it. That was really not okay. The information that was presented should be from all - student, mentores and academics. And the ones who used that approache where the ones who did the best and most inspiering presentations. I would have hoped that we have had much more time for this, because this was a realy god thing.
Just before we (the danish delegation) left for Finland we got a mail sayng that the academics need to do a presentaion of the nursing in there country and the mentor could participate if they feelt for it. That was really not okay. The information that was presented should be from all - student, mentores and academics. And the ones who used that approache where the ones who did the best and most inspiering presentations. I would have hoped that we have had much more time for this, because this was a realy god thing.
Also from my point of view the whole pedagogy thought behind MINE should have been presendted much more clearly.
A lot of the things what was done - or realy not done irretated me a lot (not starting on time, not giving full information, lack of precise information and thaen still expect people to get it.... ect.) And I do think if the strategy and pedagogy behind MINE was clearly explained it would have been easier to follow for students, mentors and academics - and we could have supported it much better.
It may seem very critical what I'm writing but I have learned that there is a very fine line betveen letting people be creative and lose and not communicat enough information to them.
Finaly:I found the MINE IP to be a learning experience. It showed me a different ways to learn by being creative and drawing on other people experience. The final conference was very well done. The result of hard work, group work, sharing and enjoying the whole process.
If I have to end with something - which seems like a mantra for me is once again communication is importent before during and after in a cleare and precise way. That is the only why you can make sure that everyone is one the same page.
Take Care and hope to meet many of you again
A lot of the things what was done - or realy not done irretated me a lot (not starting on time, not giving full information, lack of precise information and thaen still expect people to get it.... ect.) And I do think if the strategy and pedagogy behind MINE was clearly explained it would have been easier to follow for students, mentors and academics - and we could have supported it much better.
It may seem very critical what I'm writing but I have learned that there is a very fine line betveen letting people be creative and lose and not communicat enough information to them.
Finaly:I found the MINE IP to be a learning experience. It showed me a different ways to learn by being creative and drawing on other people experience. The final conference was very well done. The result of hard work, group work, sharing and enjoying the whole process.
If I have to end with something - which seems like a mantra for me is once again communication is importent before during and after in a cleare and precise way. That is the only why you can make sure that everyone is one the same page.
Take Care and hope to meet many of you again
