Where did June go? Thirty days is just not enough. I love the endless sunshine because I am not driving to and from work in the dark. However, I do like to hunt so I'm also happy that the days are getting shorter. That means November is just around the corner...
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It's the first day of summer in Alabama, and we are about to start a heat wave for the next several days. For welders, it will just be another normal feeling day. Have you ever been inside a welding lab or in a plant where welding is going on? Do you know what welders have to wear to meet OSHA and safety guidelines? We have to wear jeans or thick twill pants AKA work pants. No holes, no frays, no place where random sparks can get to the bare skin and burn. We have to wear long sleeve shirts. Most wear a tshirt underneath for when we can finally take the long sleeve off. Then its steel toed or composite toed work boots. Try wearing those without good socks. Then we wear a protective apron, goggles, helmet, ear protection, and gloves. Wearing proper protective equipment (PPE) is such a big deal that I wrote three different lesson plans about it for my undergrad. This is why some welders take time off from welding from time to time so that they can recuperate.
Welding can be a hot, dirty, and physically challenging occupation. When a local job market has both a high demand and high salary scale for qualified welders, motivating and keeping students in these classes may not be much of a challenge. In areas where industry pay, need, or working conditions are deficient, welding program enrollment can decline. According to award-winning welding instructor, Kurt Billsten, successful programs should begin recruitment when students are young adolescents, rather than waiting until students are in their late teens or early adulthood. Billsten stressed the importance of using innovative and stimulating welding class activities to encourage interest and participation. Some students may find welding to be as much a creative output as it is structural. When students have the option of obtaining industry credentialing before high school graduation, they are more likely to remain with the program. Welding programs with strong business and industry connections retain students because the students are often offered jobs while still training. As with many other programs, money and job security prove to be considerable motivators for sticking with a chosen profession.
Technology was a lifesaver for all of us in education during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are YouTube videos and Powerpoints that anyone can download and view for just about any topic. That helps for those who struggle with the material. However, problems can arise when the videos or PowerPoints have untrue statements or techniques.
My only issue with "Bring Your Own Device" to class is when students, no matter the age, want to stay on their phones during the lecture. The worst is when they want to get their phones out in the welding lab. They need to realize that could be a hazard. I don’t want to seem like I’m passing the buck, but by the time students get to me at college, they should know cell phone and other device etiquette. Maybe a class could be offered in the K-12 schools for students to learn about proper usage within the classroom and social environment. I think we need to talk more about device use on the job. I may try to get some of the local industries who hire our students to come to class and talk about this issue. It's interesting that my recent survey assignment found similar sentiments from the respondents. In my undergrad program, I had to take a 300 level Orientation class about things like transcripts, student clubs, and proper email use. I would rather have one where we have to listen to local companies a businesses tell all about their work expectations, including device use on the job. No matter how educators feel about instructional methods, we must agree that technology is here to stay. The smartphone is now as commonplace to the 21st century student as paper and pencils were to the 20th century student. As technology changes at an exceedingly faster pace each year, we must stay up-to-date with the latest apps, tools, and devices available for student use. I have always said that I did not have time to learn "this or that" in technology. But I have found that I can save a bunch of time once the tech tools are in place and working. Saving all of that time on boring everyday activities will give me more time to work with students, plan for future classes, and have time for myself.
Being an effective teacher requires knowledge of the developmental maturity of the students. What may be considered appropriate methods in teaching preschool age children will differ greatly than the methods used for older children, teens, or adults. However, no matter the age or grade level of the students, the effective teacher must still demonstrate leadership and control in the classroom. Whereas managing an elementary or middle school classroom may require attention to details such as following a school’s dress code, monitoring student behavior on campus, and training students to meet certain noise level expectations, a college-level instructor would probably face great resistance from adult students. Some college instructors may exhibit a “no-nonsense” approach as stringent as any K-12 teacher, but I can tell you that does not work. I have had several students who were old enough to be my father. I was fortunate that they were willing to accept instruction from me, but I don't know if I would be as accommodating as them if the show were on the other foot. I like to have a class where we can joke and not be so solemn and strict.
Are we using technology just for the sake of using technology or it is engaging students? Does it enrich the curriculum? I think it's a combination of both. I know that state standards for both high school and post-secondary expect technology to be used in some way. We've been living in the SmartPhone and Tablet world for over a decade. Just watch a toddler. That toddler understands these devices better than us, and that kind of multimedia exposure has crept into the classroom just like every other aspect of our lives. The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting shutdown of schools proved that was a good thing. It made all of us reassess how we do things, even those of us in traditional hands-on classes. There's no way I can teach the lab part of welding via online instruction. But Blackboard sure helped with some of the book work that we have them do. When we use powerpoints or videos that we find online, we tell the students where they can find them so that they can view them again if needed. Much of our curriculum revolves around the American Welding Society standards. We tell the students that we use that source and we tell them how to find study materials from the AWS website. Let's talk about YouTube and TikTok on another day.
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