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.
Thu, 28 Apr 2005
April 28, 2005: Getting a presentation together
Looking at the photos from the past 21 months reminds me of how much
change has occurred - in both the bridge construction as well as weather
and light conditions. Typically I
experienced early morning conditions from October to April and then
switched to afternoon photos from November until May. This was primarily
in response to the sun's position (in the morning) relative to the line
connecting my photo
spot with the new Cooper River Bridge. I experienced clear weather, cloudy
weather, fog, rain and nearly hurricane conditions. By and large most of
the details of the photo conditions are long lost memories - a result of
the biologial
forgetting process.
Looking at these photos reminds me of the rich variety of viewing conditions
I experienced as well as the development of the bridge.
Organizing them as a time
lapse photo stream seems like an interesting way to view almost 2 years of
fun. I have started with 3 compositions: growing the west span,
growing the east span and reaching for the clouds while closing the gap.
posted at: 08:25 | path: | permanent link to this entry
