My Trip to Japan

I love my job! For those of you that do not know where I work, I work for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, (USACE) Learning Center (ULC) located in Huntsville, Alabama as an Instructional Systems Specialist. Our organization is responsible for developing and presenting Proponent-Sponsored Engineer Corps Training (PROSPECT) classes needed to accomplish the Corps' Vision. We are part of the USACE family that is currently commanded by Lieutenant General Robert L. Van Antwerp. USACE around the world has approximately 34,600 Civilian and 650 military members. We employ military and civilian engineers, scientists and other specialists that work as leaders in the engineering and environmental arena. We have a diverse workforce of biologists, engineers, geologists, hydrologists, natural resource managers and other professionals that meet the demands of changing times and requirements as a vital part of America's Army. We have offices around the globe to include places like Japan, Republic of Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Europe. The offices contribute significantly to the peace and security of the regions that they are located in though the execution of multi-billion dollar construction programs.

Less than two weeks ago, I was invited by the Japan Engineer District (JED) Commander, Colonel Truesdell to go TDY for 120 days. His district is located on Camp Zama, Japan where I will provide backfill support for deployed personnel supporting the rebuild efforts in Afghanistan. It is both an honor and a privilege for me to be able to help and provide this kind of assistance. Joining the JED is an opportunity to make a lasting contribution to support the soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and their families living and working in Japan. What an incredible opportunity for me both professionally and personally!

Camp Zama (キャンプ座間) is a U.S. Army post located approximately 35 miles southwest of Tokyo. The JED has a skilled workforce consisting of over 315 personnel including Japanese and U.S. citizens working together with the government of Japan. They are one of the largest of the 45 districts in the Corps that provides quality, professional and comprehensive engineering, construction, and other value-added services in support of peacetime and contingency operations around the world.

So, as you can imagine I have been quite busy with lots of things in preparation of my 13-hour flight to Japan. I have had to get five shots (I still cannot raise my arms above my head), take three online training modules, fill out countless pieces of paperwork, create orders, find my passport, finalize funding, and send lots of email to make my departure date of 31 January 2011. I appreciate all the helpful folks along the way that have helped make this trip possible (USACE HQ, JED, SAW, ULC, HNC, and the support of my husband). With a 13-hour time difference, I am not sure what my personal connectivity will be like but I am looking forward to keeping all of you informed through this blog, Facebook, Twitter and on Skype.

Statistical and source information: http://www.usace.army.mil/Pages/default.aspx

Collaborative Learning

When institutions of higher learning open up and embrace collaborative learning techniques, they have a chance of surviving and thriving in our networked, global economy. With current technology, it is now possible to embrace some of the new collaboration models that will help facilitate a change in the relationship between students and instructors in the learning process. In the industrial model of student mass production, the instructor is considered the broadcaster. Meaning, the person that is responsible for the transmission of information in a one-way, linear fashion from transmitter (instructor) to receiver (student). For years, broadcast learning has been an appropriate way of gaining new information for a previous economy and generation; however, it is increasingly failing to meet the needs for a new generation of students who are now entering the global knowledge economy. Educators who use varying approaches of collaborative learning often tend to think of themselves less as an expert in transmitting knowledge and information to students, and more as an expert in design of intellectual experiences for students. Collaborative learning techniques allow a structure that creates more student participation and much more learning occurs when this happens. In addition to increased learning, mutual exploration, collective meaning making, and problem solving it creates a better learning outcome and understanding of the material in general.

What are your thoughts on collaborative learning?

Single Canvas Teaching

Have you heard the phrase, “Death by PowerPoint?” Imagine being able to use a presentation tool based on the idea of a single “canvas” rather than a sequence of multiple slides. This concept allows you to link to and reference work of leading scholars in the field while sharing this presentation online, thus allowing students the ability to explore links that are embedded. As an example, we can place an image of a form or computer screen shot at the center of the working area and label the distinctions about it. Additionally, an instructor will be able to put explanations and web links further out on the canvas. This organizational approach allows the form or computer screen shot to serve as the central point of the presentation and helps clarify how additional information is related to it. This application enables presenters the ability to zoom in or out on each explanation as needed and to follow links to online demonstrations of how to fill out the form or interact with the screen shot. Additionally, the canvas can be divided into different regions and as part of a team teaching concept; each instructor can place their comments, images, videos, and links in their respective areas. This tool can allow a team to develop a smooth and efficient presentation and the nonsequential nature of the tool, results in a richer experience for students by allowing the discussion to guide the presentation in unplanned directions.