Friday, February 9, 2007

Session 5: Best Practice

This week podcast topic is about: Which, how, and why best practice that I learn and use.

The followings are the criteria for this week posting:

My classroom is equipped as any standard classroom. It includes a PC, overhead projector with white screen, DVD player, and VCR player. Since I am in vocational education (Automotive Technology), I have access and must use many other pieces of tools and equipments in the workshop. The constantly changing of diagnostic and repairing tools technology forces me to look for up-grade and learn the new equipments.
For example, last summer we have several new Genisys Determinator Exhaust Gas Analyzers came in. These diagnostic equipments are for Engine Performance and Smog Check classes. These Determinators are too advent and can be used in other classes such as Brake, A/C, Electrical…. They are small, compact, and have many other useful functions comparing to the old ones which we are currently using. This new equipment would be the best practice for diagnostic the vehicles for the present time. It can be up graded yearly to catch up with all the new model of vehicles by up grading the software.
Fortunately, two years ago I had an opportunity to participate in a training session with Honda Corp. in Torrance, California. I had a chance to learn and use this newest generation of diagnostic tool. It gives amazing information when hook it to the DLC (Diagnostic Link Connector) of the car. With massive amount of information in details which helps the analyzing and troubleshooting of engine performance becomes much easier. This tool monitors the running engine and makes the analyzing of the exhaust gas for smog check purpose and fine-tune the engine become a breeze.
I was amazed by the size and power of this instrument comparing to the cabinet-size of the ones we are using now. It is all electronic and programming. With previous training from Honda, I spent some time with the operating manual and practiced to use it. The operation seemed complicate at first, but after awhile I got familiar with and feel comfortable to operate it during workshop periods. Now I use it every time because it is small, and I can carry it around. There is only one cable I need to hook up to the DLC instead of many cables as the old engine analyzer we have. The best part is, from this tool, I can test every components and systems in the car. It gives me all the operating parameters and it lets me know if the test is good or bad. I do not actually touch the car or need any tool. I love it.
On the other hand, quite a few of other instructors do not like to use this new tool. They are complaining that it is too complicated to operate. I think that they are not familiar with this new technology, and they need to spend more time with it. Since we have seven of these units in house, and I had some training. I talked to my Chairman and had his permission to prepare a step-by-step PowerPoint presentation on operation of the Determinator. He will set up a training date, and I will give this in-house presentation to everyone. Since I am preparing this presentation at work and taking ETEC 623, I also had the permission from the instructor to make this preparation work to be one of my requirement projects for the course.

February 5 to February 11, 2007 Activities and Log

From Monday to Friday:
Listen to podcast and take note
Thinking about this topic
Finally, I decided to use freewebs.com as my web server and had my site up. (Project 1)
Set up my site freewebs.com/denguyen
Working on changing my domain to www.denguyen.com (It supposes to take affect this Saturday).
Taking digital pictures of the Determinator and load them up to my draft of P/Point presentation. (Project 2)
Shopped around and found an agreeable price and one year service guaranty for the A/C Recycling (Project 3)
Wrote a proposal to my Dept. Chair.
Finalized my draft and post my topic for this week on the blog
Read and post comments to other scholar postings

5 comments:

RFLORES said...

Hello Dee,

Depending on the circumstances, as you experienced it when learning to use the piece of equipment you mention in your blog, instructors can feel intimidated by technology. People's initial emotional reaction to uncertainty is one of panic and fear. This is an example of what Dr. newberry discusses on a previous podcast regarding the speed of technolgy assimilation. Such emotiona responses are natural; as such, we should expect them from others.

Rosa said...

HI De,

Great way to do time management. You are incorporating the assignments in school with your own work load. Time management is very crucial and can definitely be a best practice in any realm (I know you did not mention time management as best practice. I really see it as a best practice). The tool you mentioned sounds very powerful and useful. I am not surprised you are finding resistance in the implementation of this tool. In Session 4 you were talking about being a “laggard.” Well, here you are proving you are in the early adaptors category when it comes to this new tool. I believe everything is a matter of perspective.

De Nguyen Blog said...

Thank you for your comment. I was early about this instrument because I has a little bit of training at Honda.

Brian said...

De,

Do you find that some of the resistance comes from folks who think that the students should master the fundamentals and then learn the automated alternatives later? Kind of like teachers who think that kids should not be exposed to calculators until they have mastered each operation without.

Linda Faulk said...

What a great idea, to help others learn to use this new tool by creating a Power Point demonstration and teaching them. I think that many adults are fearful of change, both because they are afraid they will not be able to adapt and because they will look foolish tryng.