I agree with you, it’s a great idea.
Just depends on if the Sqns have the right tech. Not all Sqns have that luxury. Granted most have at least a few PCs but not all do and not all have the staff with the technology skill set.
Again comes down to what staff you have available.
We have a couple of staff members that can barely turn a computer on nevermind navigate Skype.
Both present the same problem. Although the longer courses are better value.
I did the Air Nav one as a rookie CI and it was really good and as I recall we were done by Friday morning.
What needs to happen is to give CIs a daily amount.
We do video conferencing at work and while convenient it leaves me feeling empty, as it loses the “off screen” interaction and networking that proper meetings allow. I couldn’t imagine sitting in a room talking to screen for hours on end. I’ve used skype once and was a soul less experience.
@Teflon Agreed and it doesn’t suit all learning styles.
Some cadets need to do practical work in order to understand a subject. Video conferencing lacks that whereas a day course would be able to implement that alongside old fashioned teaching styles.
And that’s where you initially concentrate your training effort before teaching the sylabus. I suspect the staff teaching the subjects in particular the techincal ones will have a fair grasp of computing somay just need tutoring in the discipline required.
If my partner can teach 70 to 90 year olds to skype who 6 months previously never used a computer anybody can learn.
You may only need one day rather than several where there is a practical componant to the course
Not just cadets that learn with the practical elements.
The Air Nav course was good because it was theory followed by practical.
Your suggestion has just made me think that we as a Sqn could be teaching some the less tech savvy staff on how to better use PCs. I think I’ll look at doing that in the new year.
Does your partner has some materials they would be happy to share for teaching this?
The practical compliments the theory and vice versa, so just doing the practical divorced from the theory isn’t constructive.
Imagine doing something like woodwork or science and not having the theory and practical combined.
She hasn’t as she has her own company as a computer tutor and her lessons are driven by the needs of her customers. What she does is before the first lesson she tells them to write down what they want to learn and starts of from even ‘this is how you turn your computer on’ does not do the tech side, but also she sets up iPads kindles or mobile phones and troubleshoots softwear problems.
She has taught many peopel who had high power employment who never really know how to write a word document.
Each person will have different learning needs so your teaching may have to be tailored to them rather than a group.
Thank you for the advice and the idea, haha!
So how does the OU work, they do theory via the net then have a summer school for practical, same priciples.
I think teaching our own staff what we know will definitely go a long way rather than waiting for some wing course which may never come around.
The ATC is in the process of “embracing Skype” . . .
Every single email account has access to Skype for Business, and OneDrive.
The OU has a much more developed and detailed subject documentation, so doing the practical divorced from the theory would work better. Also the people lecturing at the summer schools will be fully conversant with the theory and the practical.
Also people doing OU courses have an interest and mindset as they are paying for it, we are people with the subject matter thrust upon us with no particular interest in it and cadets more so, so it needs to be made easier to access.
True, it’s back to the principal of not waiting for others, and I’m sure this is already happening and will continue to happen.
But this thread is about things we would like to see happen/change in 2019 or beyond. . .
The problem is HQAC seem to wait for us to do something, “nick it” and say look what we’ve done aren’t we good.
And? Who cares?
If good ideas spread across the corps then I don’t care if the credit for the idea is taken by HQAC or Blue Peter.
No need to apologise and I understand the scepticism!
TBH, my view would be that if someone has no particular interest in a subject then don’t teach it!
Easier said than done if you don’t have staff to teach subjects in the first place. I try to have the MOI qualified NCOS teach as much as I can because most staff simply do not have the knowledge required to teach the current syllabus or they are not down often enough to maintain continuity in a subject.