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, 13 Feb 2005
Feb 13, 2005: Feeling the construction process.
For the past few weeks, I have been following
Oliver Forget and his Freyssinet team - more like a musical ensemble and
a conductor. As I watched, I came to know several of his guys and my story
began to change from a technical photo essay to a more personal photo essay.
Just as I have been learning from Bill Mankin (High Steel Structures),
David Wertz (SCDOT) and Marvin Tallent (QA/QC PBC), there is more to sculpting
a bridge and doing it with excellence and beauty than simply assembling pieces
of a tinker toy set. As the bridge construction winds down, I want to bring
more of the
people side of the story to these photo essays.
posted at: 10:00 | path: | permanent link to this entry
