A co-worker of mine has been reading a SCRUM book and asked my opinion about which project management methodology is better, Agile or Waterfall. First I had to think hard about and really define SCRUM as a process of working rather than a methodology. But as we were talking I told him that I believe […]
A philosophy I developed years ago which is explained in my post Meetings are Effective, If Everyone Gets What They Want I believe that going into a meeting, everyone wants something and a successful leader/moderator understands that and does his/her best to provide that. Just like meetings, my philosophy applies to presentations and trainings. Participants […]
I got into Mechanical Engineering because: My Father was a Mechanical Engineer I like building stuff and taking things apart trying to figure out how they work I enjoy problem solving; hearing from someone “I need something that does X” and being able to find a solution for them But after working as a Mechanical […]
Many years ago I read a book called Presentation Zen and I fell in love with the concept, the idea that people remembered stories much more than facts and figures. Unfortunately at the time I was doing technology training and felt that the concept couldn’t be applied to training so I really didn’t apply the […]
One of the big differences between teaching in person vs online is the perceived separation.. Because of this separation many people are more comfortable not talking and just listening. I call that phenomenon crickets referring to when the teacher asks a question and nobody responds. There are several ways to reduce the crickets phenomenon: Ask […]
The first part of modifying your teaching material is to ensure all of your content is digitized and available in an online environment. This means any videos you play with a DVD or VHS tape for your students, you will need to find it online in a video sharing service such as YouTube. It also […]
Now that you have been in and out of a few sessions and are comfortable with the software, the next step is to create an optimum space from which to teach. Things to consider are: A comfortable chair and desk with ample space for your keyboard and mouse as well as your notes for class. […]
Having worked with instructors for the past 10 years or so, teaching them how to teach online, I have always felt it is a good way to reach a large number of people at a low cost, because travel is not required, and improved convenience. But with the current situation of the Coronavirus many instructors […]
Traditional swing car doors are fine, except when space becomes a premium such as a tight parking lot, a narrow garage or a high curb. I typically don’t have too much trouble since I’m not a big person, but there has got to be a better way…. My initial thought was a car with 4 […]
This philosophy was developed when I was still in school; I was working on a senior project with about 8 other people along with a faculty sponsor building a leaning recumbent tadpole tricycle. The sponsor organized a meeting with a representative from a large company who was willing to donate some sheets of Lexan for […]