Tuesday 27 November 2012

Journal Entry #4 for PIDP 3240 Social Media

Assignment #1
Journal #4—Reflection on the Role of Social Media in Education
The role of social media within education is established and will only become more entrenched as time goes on.  With new types of media being developed and utilized at an ever increasing rate, students and teachers will accept and adopt these tools for the classroom use.  Forms of media such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and use of e-mail and text messaging make it possible for people to connect at a rate never seen before.  All of these sites can be adopted to help the teacher and the student to stay in touch, learn, develop ideas and reach new heights with the possibilities of education and learning.  Projects can be posted and worked on from remote sites; students can communicate with one another without the need to be in the classroom or on campus. In much the same manner as our VCC PIDP 3240, entire courses can be taught via the internet, from enrollment and assignments through major projects, assessments and marking.
When I reflect on my own course work and materials, can I foresee the use of social media within my classroom?  On many levels it is a resounding “Yes”. PIDP 3240 has opened my eyes to the possibilities of different aspects of media and the internet.  What I once imagined would be too difficult or require excessive work, I now realize are quite simple. A blog or wiki can be set up and created within minutes.  I wish to use my blog that is still growing as a means to motivate and educate my students.  Should my students wish to visit my page, they will find a site that summarizes my career and illustrates the possibilities of a future in aviation.  While my blog is filled with material on my PIDP, I am also trying to expand it into something worth visiting.  A quick look over the blog has some short, interesting (to me and others I hope!) video links as well as photos of my time in the industry.  Every photo I have posted and the different locations I am in is a direct result of my industry time.  Each picture has a story, and although I am snowboarding in the mountains, how I got there is a result of a road trip to repair a machine or a perk of the job.   
Within the 16 month aircraft maintenance program, I receive my students for Level 5 at the 10 month period.  They are getting over the hump so to speak and are on the downhill side, graduation in sight within 6 months.  I encourage them to think about where they wish to be and in what area is their desire to work.  Is it for a large airline on big commercial jets?  Maybe their eyes are set on a career in the helicopter industry.  I use myself as an example and my time working on turboprops as a way to motivate them for this last push towards graduation.  Photos posted and rotated from time to time can keep my site fresh.  Interesting jobs and locations on the road hopefully get the student excited for those parts of the industry.  Additional educational materials can also be placed onto the blog.  I try to hold back some of the good stuff from the classroom as a means to encourage the students to visit the blog.  As an educational tool it can provide a switch from a morning of PowerPoint dryness.  I also like to include links to job boards and search sites for work in the industry.  By Level 5 students are beginning to think more seriously about work, these links can help them search for jobs and fine tune their resumes and cover letters.
I see value in implementing many of these tools in some fashion or another to many areas of course work.  At the very least, a site such as Facebook could be used by the class as a communication tool solely amongst themselves for assignments, projects or study. I have no problem with them reminding each other about upcoming work.  Over the 16 month aerospace program, the entire class remains together, only changing due to failures, drop-outs or other students cycling back into the class if there is space available.  A class Facebook site would be an excellent tool.  When I mention to the students that they should have at the very least a class e-mail address it is amazing the amount of times that this is the first they have heard of it.  There is often the realization of an opportunity missed over the previous 10 months of the program.  A Facebook site is also an excellent way for the instructor to post any news of interest for the students, such as current events regarding aviation; soliciting interest about a possible field trip; asking students to review a video before including it in future classes etc.  Once graduated, a common e-mail site or Facebook page gives the class a format to stay in touch; update one another to their job search; post pictures from their current job and generally remain connected.  I remind them over and over, who you know in the industry is almost as important as what you know.
Social media certainly has its place within the realms of education.   I continue to solicit information from my students about what they use; what is the latest and greatest.  In this way, should a form of media arise or gain in popularity that I may be able to use with a minimum of fuss, I will be able to research it and maybe try it out rather than fall too far behind the times.
I am very interested in using Twitter as a feedback device about my course and lectures.  As an instructor, I am always concerned about moving too quickly or not explaining a subject clearly enough for every member of the class.  Twitter could be used as a method of self -evaluation, Tweets serving the purpose of asking questions or classmates helping each other once away from school.  Many of my students are ESL from the Asian rim area and as such have a tendency to avoid asking questions in class.  This is a result of cultural differences and a fear of embarrassment should they admit publicly that they do not understand a certain topic.  I encourage every student to use my e-mail, office phone or in the future maybe Twitter to pose these questions or concerns in a manner that ensures a certain degree of privacy.  With a Twitter account, I can answer questions or direct students to textbook areas or additional subject matter.  Classmates can also help each other and create a forum to discuss all matters aviation related.  My lectures can be criticized or exams discussed, in essence, almost like the topic of the “Muddiest point” from PIDP 3230, yet in a digital, social media format.  At the end of the week, I could have the students Tweet their muddiest point.  They could easily send out a brief message about which topic they found to be the least understood of the weeks.  Having received this Tweet, or chosen the most common or important, I could then start Monday by reviewing this area of the subject matter. 
Aviation is an industry that has a language all its own, filled with different terms, terminology and acronyms.  I would like to use Twitter to start sending Tweets or acronyms of the day to my students or followers.  Every day of the week could be a different acronym, from EICAS to FADEC, then on to EHSI and GPWS.  What does it all mean?  Challenge the students to figure it out, reward the ones who follow up the quickest.   An accumulation of points then gets them lunch on me or an introduction to people of interest at the various companies I have connections with.
Given the time at BCIT, I would also like to photograph every step of the main engine disassembly projects during our shop time.  These photos could then be posted on a site such as Picasa or Flickr.  When the students are working in the shop, a laptop could be attached to the large screen monitor and the photos synced to the project at hand.  Students could jump steps ahead to preview the task, or work in reverse for the re-assembly.  From home this same site could be used as a study aid, seeing as on the final day of their project they receive an in-depth oral examination encompassing the previous 3 weeks of work.
I do try and use videos and links to such sites as YouTube for the most current visual aids.  Many times in the shop, I will plug in my laptop and show videos relating to the subject at hand, should I be able to find them.
Utilizing other forms of social media could also be implemented into the course with the right amount of research and time.  With respect to my course work and the infrastructure at BCIT, I can see this being a slow and tortuous process.  What I teach and how I teach it are very regimented at the school.  Students are learning about aircraft maintenance, using hand tools, inspection methods, lectures, shop time and complicated hands on project work.  I am sure there is a way to apply social media to some aspect of this course, but it would have to be well thought out and probably apply to the theory segment only.   What we are trying to teach is the whole big picture in this program.  Not only are the hand skills critical to the process, but so are the theory lectures and projects.  Topics discussed in the classroom must then be applied to the projects at hand in the shop. 
We also emphasize in our teaching professionalism, integrity, honesty, reliability, critical thinking and a gamut of other aspects of the job of the airplane mechanic.  Students are already overloaded with new topics, terms, and ideas from Monday to Friday, how then to spin some of this work off into a social media form?  As well, our curriculum is set by the federal body of Transport Canada.  Everything we teach has been vetted and reviewed by not only the institute and government body, but other such as CAMSE and EASA.  Material taught; how it is presented and covered; time spent on each subject and to what degree of understanding; shop time etc. are all mandated and dictated towards the students graduating, becoming apprentices and gaining a license as an Aircraft Maintenance engineer or AME.
My major issue with implementing social media is having the time to pursue this tool.  The resistance to change is quite strong within the walls where I work, and this topic has been a constant sore spot during my PID course and the various journal and rationale rants I have written.  Developing something as involved as a social media aspect to my course would be an excellent project and help bring this course 10 years more up-to-date.  Unfortunately many of my co-workers are still dependent on overhead projectors, chalk and talk, photocopy handouts that are 20 years obsolete and are terrified of using a computer terminal or video from YouTube.  An outdated VHS tape is the best their class could hope for as a break from copying notes from the board.  The mere mention of the internet or term social media strikes fear into their faces and raises their blood pressure.  Development and implementation of anything new is close to impossible without the support and signatures on paper of anyone who may be even remotely involved with teaching my same class at one time or another. 
That being said, I am always looking for new opportunities to teach my students.  Any new form of media, video, photo or hands-on tool I will gladly implement if it will hold their attention for 15 minutes.  If I can get something to sink in and stay there for the duration of my course, then it has served its’ purpose.  We at the BCIT Aerospace campus are blessed with a state of the art facility, yet it is only being used to a fraction of its capability.  Resistance to change is strong within the walls yet as an industry aviation is built on adapting and exploiting new technology.  Pilots now have digital flight bags, essentially replacing the small suitcases they toted onto the plane with iPads full of everything they need in terms of maps, GPS coordinates and various flight data to be uploaded to the airplane.  Mechanics now have the ability to be trained in a virtual reality environment, using a simulator to replace the flight deck of a large aircraft for systems work.  Not many airlines have a spare $300 million dollar Boeing 777 sitting idle for the staff to use as a training resource.  Mechanics are using to a greater degree simulation, computers and good old paper to expand on their learning environment.  Modern machines demand an understanding of not only the nuts and bolts of the repair and assembly process but troubleshooting skills that begin before the aircraft has even landed.  Todays’ technician needs to be fully versed in a wide variety of procedures and technologies to compete in an already tight marketplace.  How can we as instructors prepare them for that?  In the simplest terms we also have to stay involved with the cutting edge of teaching tools and technologies, and our employers have to listen and adapt to our concerns if we are to continue to remain competitive and produce a top notch product….our graduates.

Monday 26 November 2012

Journal Entry #3 for PIDP 3240 Social Media

Assignment #1
Journal #3—Twitter as an Educational Tool
Twitter is another arrow in the quiver of educational tools.  The facts support the numbers and popularity of Twitter, but is it actually a useful educational tool?  As the host of the blog states, it isn’t a be-all-end-all to education in the classroom, merely another potential way to get through to the student, help motivate and make a connection.
My feeling is that Twitter would be an excellent tool for the class to communicate amongst themselves; for me as the instructor to communicate various topics of importance; and as a form of criticism with respect to my teaching and effectiveness of my lectures.  If students are having trouble with certain subjects they could post tweets of their questions to one another.  If they are concerned about an area of lecture or a topic that they can’t quite grasp, they can post questions to me.  I could Tweet textbook areas they need to research more closely, maybe a video to watch or current events in the industry that students may be interested in.  Twitter could be used as a way for the instructor to gauge the level of interest in a particular field trip.  Answer sent via Tweets could be tallied and the majority wins.  At the end of the week, students could tweet their feelings about the weeks subject matter and review my lectures for weaknesses.   A teaching method discussed in PID 3250 Motivational Techniques was the technique of Muddiest Point.  Students can take one sentence or two to quickly write down what then considered to be the “muddiest point”, that being the most difficult or least understood topic of the week.  As a form of review or as a way to gauge the success of my weeks lecture muddiest point could go social media and apply to Tweets.  Students could tweet their muddiest point and on the Monday I could use these tweets as the basis for review.  Keeping tally of the muddiest points from class to class would also serve the purpose of helping to fine tune my lectures and make them more concise and universally understood. 
Within the program of aircraft maintenance, students are taught the value and seriousness of safety and attention to detail.  How could Twitter help me in my class with organization?  After some time to reflect, I honestly couldn’t think of any aspect or area where I could implement it to make that area of instruction better.  Could I use it to remind the students of upcoming assignments and exams?  Absolutely, except for one fact.  On the very first day of class I begin with an introduction to the course and myself as instructor.  I also lay out every exam and assignment due date.  Should the student forget is not my concern.  What we are trying to teach once again is responsibility, organization, teamwork, and reliability.  If I send out a Tweet every time an assignment or exam is due, then I am relieving them of the need to better hone those skills.
Using many of these newer social media tools to help the instructor or better the education is without a doubt possible.  I could see the use for Twitter in the PIDP program, especially for those classes taught on opposing weekends of Friday night through Sunday afternoon.  Tweets by the instructor to remind everyone of upcoming topics, things not to forget or venue changes are all excellent ideas, but e-mail works just as well.  Then again, we are grown adults and as I stated in the previous paragraph, it is up to us to remember material and become responsible for our own learning.
Unfortunately Tweets also force us to limit our vocabulary and use many different symbols, essentially creating another language.  Is everyone comfortable doing this?  I myself have noticed a trend of poor grammar, terrible spelling, and incomprehensible syntax.  My students range from recent high school graduates to adults well into their 30’s.  I remind them that once they are working and have obtained their AME (aircraft maintenance engineer) license, any paperwork they carry out is considered a legal document and remains with the aircraft, engines, propellers or landing gear for its’ entire life.  Neat, tidy, accurate paperwork is a must.  Is Twitter going to encourage this or further lead to the general decline in standards, attention to detail and workmanship?  To communicate quick snippets of information or let a group of people know about changes or updates Twitter could be of great value. 
How it could fit into higher education or be of use to different teachers or subject matter would be up to the individual. Is the class interested in using this tool or taking on another media account?  What about the demographic of the classroom?  Is everyone comfortable using this tool, or being forced into it due to a majority vote in favor of?  Todays’ student is required to have a computer, preferably a laptop for portability, a printer, multiple e-mail accounts and strong skills on how to use everything with regards to processing and moving information through various forms of hardware.  Many in the younger generation are adept in these skills, but what of the ones who can’t afford some of these tools?  What of the older students, an increasing demographic, who may be re-educating or updating skills and have not mastered these different technologies?
Beginning my latest career as an instructor has forced me to shift gears and attempt different teaching techniques with every new group I receive.  Reflecting on my past year of lecturing and teaching, what strikes me as my most effective form of communication is talking to the students, learning their names and looking them in the eyes.  At the end of the day, week or level, what I feel truly determines my success rate is whether I have made a connection and imparted my passion for what I teach into the subject matter.  By getting to know every student in the class over the 8 weeks they are with me forces us to communicate.  They will learn what it is that I value beyond test scores and quiz results.  I will also hopefully see where they are struggling or having difficulties and then alleviate those barriers.  I encourage them to visit my new blog, as it is used to show the potential for their newly chosen profession.  Aside from that, e-mail me or leave a voice message if you need me or have questions.  With the prevalence of information being thrown at us via television, internet, text, tweets, blogs, Facebook and others, I use my class time to leave all this at the door.  Cellphones are forbidden in class for the obvious reason of distraction and the need to focus on me, the subject matter and your classmates.  If the students can focus on me for 2 ninety minute sessions in the morning and 2 ninety minute shop sessions in the afternoon, I have witnessed that they tend to do just fine.  Twitter may very well have its usefulness in many aspects of education, but if used in my shop or classroom it would need to be well thought out.

Tuesday 20 November 2012

Aerospace Links & Course Reading Material

These are all excellent sites, providing lots of information from some of the biggest aerospace companies today. 

http://www.bombardier.ca/
http://www.embraer.com/en-US/Pages/Home.aspx
http://www.airbus.com/
http://www.boeing.com/

Transport Canada
A good place to research CARs and those tasks required to get your license. Any questions about aviation and its' rules and regulations in Canada can be found here.

http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/air-menu.htm

Course Texts

Jeppensen A & P Technician Powerplant Textbook
Jeppensen A & P Technician Airframe Textbook
Jeppensen A & P Technician General Textbook
Jeppensen Helicopter Maintenance
AC 43.13Aircraft Inspection, Repair and Alterations
Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms 3rd Edition
Aviation Mechanic Handbook

Monday 12 November 2012

Interesting Videos and Subjet Matter

The following is an excellent animation for how a gas turbine engine functions, using a large jet engine as an example.
The second video is of the NOTAR (no tail rotor) Hughes MD 500 helicopter.  With no tail rotor, this aircraft uses ducted exhaust and airflow out of the tail boom for directional control and to counteract torque from the main rotor.
The third video is about the history of the unducted turbofan engine from the company General Electric.  The idea and design of the unducted jet engine was a proven concept, but market forces stopped its implementation.  The technological gains made by the company were spun off into the GEnx version of its' turbofan line.
Kenn Borek is a Canadian company that works around the world, from the sunny Maldives to the freezing Antartic.  This video shows the extreme possibilities of your future career.

Sunday 4 November 2012

LINKS

Classmates Blogs
http://annarankin457.blogspot.ca/
http://adeleberry.wordpress.com/
http://evdoyon.wordpress.com

Vancouver Community College
http://www.vcc.ca/

Vancouver Community College School of Instructor Education---Technology and Trend Blog
http://instructordiploma.com/category/t-t-blog/

Vancouver Community College School of Instructor Education website
http://instructordiploma.com/

VCC SIE Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/VCCSchoolOfInstructorEducation

British Columbia Institute of Technology
http://www.bcit.ca/

BCIT Aerospace
http://www.bcit.ca/study/programs/aerospace

Job Sites
http://www.indeed.ca/   An excellent site for your job search.  This site searches from a variety of sources and multiple searches can be carried out by the user using different keywords.  Job listings can be sent to your e-mail account.
http://www.avcanada.ca/  A good site for your job search, used by many smaller operators.
http://www.monster.ca/  Another excellent site...especially good with information regarding resumes, interviews, cover letters plus the do's and do not's of the job hunt.




Journal Entry #2 for PIDP 3240 Social Media

Assignment #1
Journal #2
Building on the social layer by Seth Priesbatsch
The next decade will be where the game framework is built.  What does this mean?  Using video game dynamics, it is possibleto shape/influence the way people behave.  We have already built the Social Layer on the Web, connecting people, building the structures of say Twitter, Facebook, Blogs as well as hundreds of other sites.  We can now all connect and interact, what is next?   Build on top of that what is called the Game Layer.  This idea will use things we have learned through video game design to influence people. 
While many people may have scoffed at video games and their sphere of influence, the ideas created and designs have led to innovation on a huge scale.  With millions of dollars being spent on the video game industry and many sharp young minds creating cutting edge ideas, it was only a matter of time till this energy and innovation was put to different use.  People and companies can now use the lessons learned with video games and then apply them to other sectors of the population to influence or shape, for good or bad. 
What does this mean for us as a society?  We are already bombarded by advertising, product placement and attempts to influence us as consumers.  Commercials on television, billboards or the radio can be filtered out.  What happens when our spending habits and purchases, internet viewing and TV starts being used against us?  Can the government use this information to influence our voting choices?  Can big business use this information to further sell their products or push their agendas without us even realizing it is happening?  What about the generation raised on video games?  Are millions of people in the coming generation already predisposed to becoming more easily influenced, having grown up accustomed to the process and the dynamics of, as Priesbatsch calls them, Appointment, Status, Progression and Communal discovery?
Social media and access to the internet is a fantastic tool.  But at what point do we say enough?  Is it ever going to be possible to stop the growth and expansion?  Will our reliance on it spell the end for independent thought?  Like everything else, will government and multi-billion dollar companies take over and exert their influence using these game dynamics to further their agenda?  Sounds like conspiracy theory but just look at newspapers and the big television networks.  Is the Fox network a source for the most important, unbiased, intelligent news coverage?  Probably not, but millions of other people may think so.

In the meantime this next step does represent where the internet is growing and moving.  Like a living creature it is further morphing and being shaped.  Inevitably some incredible ideas are being created and put to use, hopefully for the greater good.  It is changing the way we communicate and interact with one another and helping revolutionize people working together on a global scale.  This state and rate of change is unprecedented, I for one am having trouble keeping up.

Saturday 3 November 2012

Journal Entry #1 for PIDP 3240 Social Media

Assignment #1
Journal #1-- How Social Media Can Make History
Clay Shirky makes the argument that social media is now making changes to society worldwide.   When dealing with the dissemination of information, in the past it began with the printing press and books, through the invention of the telephone, film and on to the internet.  We as a society no longer have to rely on the “experts” or “professionals” to provide us with information and opinions.  With the internet and social media, millions of people worldwide are now connected and able to communicate amongst themselves, educating themselves and making their own informed decisions.
Freedom of information, thoughts, and the choice to make our own informed decisions are all values that we hold dear in our society.  There are still many places in this world today where the powers that be are afraid of this concept and take many steps to oppress it.  The internet has made possible the distribution of information amongst millions or billions of people.  The use of cellular telephones that are capable of taking pictures and video, plus the ability to connect to the World Wide Web, means the average man or woman can show to the world what they have seen or witnessed.  No longer just for phone conversations, a cellular phone can be a window or receiver to the world. 
Witness the most recent events in Egypt, Syria and Algeria.  The internet and the access millions of people have to it has led to revolution.  No longer willing to be oppressed, social media has helped people become united, share their emotions and become organized to overcome a common foe.  In the Ted video by Shirky he uses the example of Twitter.   The social medium of Twitter was used by the population to expose the corruption in China with respect to building code violations and bribery of officials that led to the deaths of thousands of children when their schools collapsed following a large earthquake.  The government could not stop the tide of information being generated by its own people.  By the time they were able to shut down the system it was too late, the story was out.
What does this mean for the future?  Is there such a thing as too much information?  Will we become incapable of making our own decisions unless we consult with social media to see what everyone else is doing?  How much misinformation is there out in the vast spaces of the web that we will have to wade through to get to the truth?  What of those amongst us who do not have access to the internet?  There are still billions of people on the planet that need to worry about food and shelter every day before they need worry about social media, communication and dissemination of information amongst the rest of the worlds’ citizens. 
 I find many of these subjects raise more questions than they resolve. Is the internet a good thing?  Undoubtedly “Yes”.  Is the sharing amongst people of information and events important?  “Yes”.  Will our reliance on the internet cause problems in the future with respect to how we as a society and global community interact and or react to each other?  Undoubtedly “Yes” in some form or another.  What will happen in the event of an environmental catastrophe where we lose access to electricity and the internet is unavailable?  I personally am in a bit of trouble should I just forget my iPhone at home one day of the week. My dependence on this little device for communication, internet, e-mail and a general feeling of safety knowing I always have it  handy has already been set in stone.  I am also fortunate to have come from a time before the prevalence of cell phones and internet access.  Should my access to the Web be cut off for whatever reason, I will inevitably get by just fine.  But what of the generations raised on it, reliant on internet connection for all things from directions and weather, to ordering food and basic communication?  Is this new technology and society being built into a mass of automatons, incapable of real independent thought?