metal:ED

MIG welding first draft

2006-12-08T11:49:00.000+11:00

Hello everyone, the metal:ED team are'nt resting on our laurels now MEM 5.12C is complete.

We have had alot of interest particularly from MECAT (Metal, Engineering, Construction And Transport Curriculum Centre)about developing further units, so we decided to develop a draft video of a bead weld using the MIG process.

Take a look here

I have also designed a flash animation describing the MIG process.
Take a look here

We'd love to hear your feedback too!

Professional Development: Powerpoints

2006-12-05T17:07:00.000+11:00

One of the most important, and ongoing aspects of the Metal:ED Project has been the ongoing professional development that all team members are undertaking as part of the process.

Jody and Brian have been leading the team in learning about video production throughout the project, whilst I've had the pleasure of working with team members to undertake some IT training across a range of areas including using Blogs and Wikis and some more basic skills like using email and Powerpoint.

John Sharples has done some fabulous work in that area - creating a great Powerpoint presentation on Safety Theory for MEM 5.12C Perform Routine Manual Metal Arc Welding. Check it out!

We'll post some more work from some of our other team members shortly.

Congrats John! Nice Work! ;-)

MEM5.12C is FINISHED!

2006-11-29T15:16:00.000+11:00

Hello everyone.

The metal:ED project has been a big success, and I'd like to thank all the team members involved for their contributions. Congratulations to everyone!
Now we all hope to continue on with this proven concept of delivering trades-based resources through video.

I'm pleased to post up a FLASH web-based version of the finished DVD.
Click HERE to see the finished videos.

Metal:ED is Highly Commended at the Quality Awards!

2006-11-04T12:31:00.000+11:00

The Metal:ED team have had another busy week getting ready for our showcase at the NSW TAFE Quality Awards 2006.

This year the event was organised by the Hunter Institute and held in Gosford, where teams gathered to showcase their work and to meet and share info with each other.

It was a great day, with lots of impressive projects to check out and interesting new strategies being implemented by teams from across all Institutes in NSW.

Les, Jody and myself had the honour of representing the team at the event. We set up some banners and a display of the videos that have been produced so far and gave out fliers about the project.

There was lots of visitors to our little booth, and and we gained some interesting feedback to take back for discussion with the rest of the team.

AND - the great news is, Metal:ED received a Highly Commended in the the Peter Wright Award for Excellence in Teaching Award. GOOO Team! ;-)

A special mention has to go to Jayne Bachelor and her Bridging the Gap team who were also recognised with a Progressing to Quality Award. Yay!

Finished draft DVD ready for review by Metal:ED team

2006-10-23T09:41:00.000+10:00

Hello everyone.
After months of hard work by the metal:ED team, we now have a finished draft DVD.
Here is how the DVD disc looks:

And this is the DVD slick cover:

Now its over to the Metal fab guys to thoroughly review the DVD to ensure we have covered all the units of competance in a way that is educationally sound.

Pad weld - Competancy unit 2 draft ready for review

2006-10-09T13:38:00.000+10:00

Here is the final draft clip for review.
Its the competancy of creating a pad weld.

Please feel free to provide us with some feedback on any of the draft clips in this and previous posts below.

For competancy "Pad weld - flat position"
Click HERE to view the video. (opens in a new window)

Note: Please remember that all of the draft clips have been compressed for web delivery. The final product will be in full DVD quality.

Bead and Butt welds - New drafts for review

2006-10-05T13:07:00.000+10:00

The editing of the various MEM 5.12C competancy units continues to roll along.
The idea of publishing these draft clips is to enable anyone to provide us with feedback & suggestions, particularly on the educational content.
So please feel free to post your reviews, the more the better.

For competancy "Bead weld - multirun in a flat position"
Click HERE to view the video. (opens in a new window)

For competancy "Butt weld 10mm plates - flat position"
Click HERE to view the video. (opens in a new window)

More competencies nearing draft stage

2006-09-18T16:12:00.000+10:00

Hi again everyone!

Now that Unit MEM 5.12C - Perform routine manual metal arc welding has been formally agreed to, the team now know exactly what is required.
The 'grunt work' of editing the weld footage is progressing nicely. Most of the animations are also nearing completion. John Sharples has been a great help, as he has given up his time to sit with me to fine tune the animations in flash.
All of the metal Fab team are learning alot about the processes Brian and I are using to produce the video clips for each weld competancy.
We have found a great way to really highlight the various 'lead' and ' lateral'angles that are crucial for the students to learn in every weld competancy.

See the screen grabs below:

These graphics fade in over the top of the actual matching weld footage, to illustrate in more detail the various angles to the viewer.

Jo Kay is providing some valuable training to the guys in Powerpoint initially, and there is a real enthusiasm from them, as new teaching practises and resource ideas come to light.
The project is well on track, and more video clips of the weld competancies will be posted soon, so stay tuned!
Jody.

Draft Video Complete: FilletWeld Horizontal/Vertical-3RUN 2Layer

2006-08-28T08:31:00.000+10:00

More milestomes to report from the metal:ED project! We have completed the first welding competancy, and we're ready for feedback.

John Sharples from the Metal Fabrication team at Wollongong has produced a script for us for FilletWeld Horizontal/Vertical-3RUN 2Layer, so we now have a great voiceover to go with the video and animations.

Check out the completed draft and let us know what you think!

We will use this draft to revise the process, ensuring that everything is up to scratch before we launch into work on the next video in the series.

We have also authored a fully functioning DVD, which shows the work completed so far.
This draft DVD, will show the Metal Fab team exactly how the finished resource will be structured.

Mobile Metal:ED

2006-08-15T20:49:00.000+10:00

One of our key aims with this project is to produce instructional videos that can be delivered to students in a variety of flexible ways - in the workshop, on the bus, in the classroom, at home or in the workplace.

Now that the team have produced the first test video, it's time to start thinking about how we might deliver our new resources to mobile devices... and so the experiments begin!

Still lots of technical issues to sort out, but I managed to get the draft Single Fillet Weld video Jody posted about yesterday onto both my Nokia N70 and my HP iPAQ.

The process was pretty simple......

For the Mobile Phone:

Step 1. Using Super, (a handy tool for encoding or playing any Multimedia file) I converted the video to a format that was ok for my phone, and downgraded it to a smaller file size for easier sharing.

Step 2. I connected my mobile phone to my computer using the USB cable - allowing me to transfer the file, ready for playback.

Step 3. I disconnect phone from computer and browsed to find the new file I'd tranferred.

Step 4. I opened the file up with the media player on my phone (real player) and voila!

Breakthrough complete - Metal:ED has gone mobile!

The next phase of this process wil be testing with various brands and models of mobile devices to make sure we're using the best video format and figuring out effective delivery strategies - MMS? Download? Bluetooth? Lots to learn!

We'll be running our next PD session with the team shortly. Learning how to transfer the videos onto various devices will definitely be high on our list of things to explore.

Feel like trying it out? You can download the file I tested on my mobile from: http://www.jokaydesign.net/metaled.3GP (1.97mb)

First Draft - Single Fillet weld in a natural vee position

2006-08-14T20:38:00.000+10:00

More news from the Metal:ED video shoots!

Here is a early draft of the first competancy we are editing.

The challenge is for us to combine the various camera angles with the animations.

The team from the Metal Fabrication and Welding section have helped us with our initial edits to make sure this video has the right 'stuff' educationally.

We'd welcome your comments!

Filming the first Metal:ED competancies

2006-08-03T12:23:00.000+10:00

Brian and I began filming the first footage for Metal:ED today.
Our earlier experimenting with lighting and camera settings paid off, as the shoot went very smoothly.

Metal Fab's champion welder, Jeff Edwards did a great job, and we had some good input throughout the shoot from the other teachers as well to make sure we had all the important angles covered on this 3 camera shoot.

We now have the footage to begin editing the first module of "Perform routine manual metal arc welding (MEM5.12C) "

Now its into the edit room to produce the magic! Stay tuned for progress updates!

Postcards from metal:ED

2006-07-19T16:24:00.000+10:00

Originally posted to the TOL2 Innovation on the Ground: Seed to Harvest EdNA forum, see our project postcard below.

Check out the Metal:ED Postcard below, which gives a bit of an overview of what we've been up to.

In the past few weeks, the team has done a great job of putting together a series of storyboards to map out the content to be included in our videos.

After a few weeks of hols (for some of the team, anyway!), things are hotting up again, with our first video shoot in the workshop planned for next Monday.

Anyway, looking forward to checking out the other postcards,

Regards,

Jo Kay
Metal:ED Project Team
Illawarra Institute of TAFE

PS. A note about the tools.... Love the DFilms everyone is putting together... inspired us to go looking for some cartoon/comic tools as well! The Comic above was created with Comic Book Creator - another fun tool to use, although you'll need to pay a little to register to use it if you really got into it.

Capturing the Details with 3D Animations

2006-06-27T19:13:00.000+10:00

Jody has been doing some awesome work to create 3D animations for inclusion in the Metal:ED videos we're working on.

The plan is to use these animations to highlight the key steps and details that students must be aware of when undertaking activities in the workshop.

Check out the examples Jody has prepared below. Comments and feedback are welcome!

Team Meeting - Getting the Plan Together

2006-06-26T18:21:00.000+10:00

Last week, the Metal:ED team got together to discuss the Project plan and assign tasks to various team members.

One of the important issues will be ensuring that we have very organised shoots in the workshop, as access to equipment is sometimes limited and staff in the Metal Fab section are all kept pretty busy. We spent a fair bit of time discussing which resources to work on first and planning the information we are trying to present.

A plan was hatched, and we have a Video Storyboarding workshop planned for Wednesday. During the session, Jody and Brian are going to work with the team to plan out each of the instructional video clips we'll be producing and creating useful storyboards that will guide the shooting process.

I'll do my best to blog the process, so we can share Jody and Brian's expertise with our wider network and record it for future reference.

Testing the Technology

2006-06-16T16:51:00.000+10:00

Teaching and Learning Resource Unit (TLRU) staff have been working on some interesting experiments for the Metal:ED project - testing and refining an approach for capturing the welding process on film.

A few weeks ago, Jody and Brian joined Michael in the workshop to capture a test clip for further analysis. They were looking to ensure that a high level of detail can be captured - light and filtering settings being key.

Check out the First Test sample below:

An 8 X neutral density filter was obtained to see if more detail, particularly the weld molten pool, could be captured on film. Extensive tests using various camera settings were carried out, until everyone was happy with the level of detail.

The next step in the process is further value-adding to this footage. We'll be experimenting with text and image overlays, audio descriptions and how the clips can be integrated with other types of multimedia - like slide shows or flash animations.

Video: Value-adding to teaching resources

2006-06-09T12:02:00.000+10:00

Hi everyone, Jody Kerr here.

Everyone here at the TLRU is excited about the Metal:ED project.
We have produced many video / DVD resources at the TLRU recently, but this project has significant importance for everyone involved.

We are excited by the prospect of working so closely with a trades area like Metal Fabrication here at Wollongong Campus. Michael Pitt and his teaching staff, can see the real benefits that this project can bring to both teachers and students alike.

A significant plus for this project, is how we will be producing a resource and delivering profesional development to the project members of the Metal Fabrication area at the same time.

From a production point of view, Brian Weaver and myself will face some new challenges which should be alot of fun, as we work hand in glove with Michael and his team.

I look forward to posting regular updates on our progress.

Professional Development - metal:ED Style

2006-06-08T19:02:00.000+10:00

The metal:ED project is being funded as part of a TAFE Online Stage 2 Learnscope project titled Innovation on the Ground: seed to harvest - supporting e-learning skill development and technology use in the classroom.

In order to be part of this project, we had to create a fairly detailed plan, including a Team Learning Plan.

Putting this together has been an exciting exercise, and has had us thinking creatively about how we can undertake professional development and resource development simultaneously - thus ensuring 'bang for our buck'!

Here's a snippet:

I'm looking forward to working with the team to learn lots and create some innovative resources. I'm pretty confident that metal:ED is going to be both fun and productive for all of us.

We'll be documenting the implementation of this plan here on the metal:ED blog, so it's going to be interesting to reflect back on this post at the end of the year to see where we ended up!

Welcome to the Metal:ED Blog

2006-06-06T16:31:00.000+10:00

The Metal:ED project is focussed on empowering teachers of Metal Fabrication and Welding to produce their own Video based resources.

It is being undertaken by staff in the Teaching and Learning Resource Unit and Metal Fabrication section at TAFE NSW - Illawarra Institute, Wollongong Campus. It is part of a Learnscope NSW funded project Innovation on the Ground: Seed to Harvest which is designed to support e-learning skill development and technology use in the classroom.

During the project, the Teaching and Learning Resource unit will work with teachers from the Metal Fabrication section at the Wollongong Campus to:

Identify technical solutions for documenting a range of technical processes and techniques identified in Metal Fabrication and Welding courses
Teach participants how to operate a digital video camera, edit footage & produce chaptered DVDs for use by students.
Identify delivery options to enable student access across a range of different devices including DVD, via the Internet, via PDA or via Video iPod.
Create a databank of short video clips on common welding techniques which can be easily customised for inclusion in a range of learning resources.
Assist teachers in devising lesson plans for both face to face delivery and online delivery that incorporate these new video learning resources effectively.

The project team includes the following staff:

Team Leader: Michael Pitt, Head Teacher, Metal Fabrication/ Welding section
Michael will lead a team of teachers from the Wollongong Campus to design and develop the content for the video productions. He will also be responsible for liaising with staff from trades areas at the Illawarra Institute to ensure that the outcomes of the project are available to teachers from across a range of trade areas.

Team Mentor: Jo Kay (Teaching and Learning Resource Unit)
I will be acting as Team Mentor and will be providing ongoing project management and support to all team members. My role will also involve investigating some of the mobile delivery options we will explore during the project. Additionally, I will be responsible for documenting the project via this blog.

Technology Coaches: Brian Weaver and Jody Kerr (Teaching and Learning Resource Unit)
Brian and Jody will act as Technology Coaches throughout the project. They will be responsible for researching and designing a technical approach to create video resources in the welding workshop. They will also be demonstrating techniques and training staff from the Metal Fabrication/Welding section in basic video production and editing techniques.

Teaching Team:

Neil Smith Metal Fabrication/ Welding
John Sharples Metal Fabrication/ Welding
Geoff Edwards Metal Fabrication/ Welding

We're looking forward to producing some effective, interesting teaching and learning resources, and invite other educators (especially those from trades areas) to share their feedback and comments as we work our way through the project.