The Bridge Blog
A dialog about our new bridge and these web pages
Overview. As a pointy-headed
university professor, my weekend project of bridge photography and
building these web pages generated many questions and introduced me
to just-in-time learning. I enjoy chasing my curiosity and
want to identify ways to encourage younger learners to also enjoy curiosity
chasing and learning.
Learning usually requires repetition while forgetting occurs when
I infrequently use information. Many young learners do not understand
the importance of repetition. Weekly visits to the bridge provided
the repetition necessary to detect changes in the bridge and
consequently generated
many questions and opportunities for learning. Over the course of the
bridge project, I had access to few experts for answering questions.
Rather than a liability, this became an asset and pushed me to improve
my search skills with Google. Soon, I found that answers
to questions encountered during my weekly photo shoots were often
only a Google-search away -
(see
Restoring the Joy in Learning). Consequently Google + Internet became
dependable extensions of my memory.
The bridge story is a work in progress and is evolving from a simple
collections of photographs to an experiment with Internet-centric
just-in-time learning.
Insights I gain from you
will find their way into the learning centers of MUSC.
Palmetto Bridge Constructors, a joint venture between
Tidewater
Skanska and
Flatiron Constructors, as well as
High Steel Structures,
Freyssinet, the
SCDOT and the
Federal Highway Commission Office
of Bridge Technology guided much of my learning.
I also learn from many of you and from Google-linked resources. More
important is the e-mail encouragement I receive from many of you.
Sun, 23 Jan 2005
Jan 23, 2005: More than photos.
Thinking about the evolution of these pages over
the past 18 months, I realize that what I'm doing is telling a story as it
unfolds -
a story about what I see each week as I look at the bridge construction from
afar (running across the James Island connector at noon).
I have removed "afar" and weekly I take a standard set of
photographs from the SC Aquarium and while riding a bicycle over the old bridge.This represents the core "data" for my project. From these images, I can
track changes, and when I see something new or puzzling,
I start a side exploration, just as I would in the laboratory. I ask Google somequestions and if what I learn seems useful to share,
it becomes part of the dialog in this photo-essay. For kids, I call this
chasing my curiosity and it is ok not only for kids but also for adults
to chase their curiosity and ask questions. In this manner, there are
no teachers and students but a group of co-learners.
posted at: 06:11 | path: | permanent link to this entry
