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Committed to the Fire Service |
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October 11-12, 2008 |
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With the changes in technology and learning styles of the typical firefighter, instructors are challenged to incorporate technology and distance education concepts in the classroom. This symposium provides fire service instructors an introduction to distance education concepts in an up close and personal way, featuring experts in the field. The ISFSI has partnered with TargetSafety to provide a symposium that provides information instructors can use to integrate technology and distance education into their training program. Symposium Topics Introduction to Distance Education Introduction to Distance Education You are probably asking: What in the world is distance learning and why should the fire service use it? This session will review what distance learning is, how distance learning has been used and developed over the years, how it has been used in the safety industry and how it CAN be used effectively in the fire and emergency medical service. Our speaker has been involved in distance learning since the 70's when it was better known as correspondence education, being trained using this approach and then effectively training thousands of fire protection engineers, insurance loss control specialists, safety consultants and insurance underwriters using "learning from a distance" as a basis for developing skills and expertise used by fire and emergency medical service professionals. William F. Jenaway, Ph.D., CFO, CFPS Dr. William F. Jenaway, CFO, CFPS, the Executive Vice President of VFIS, began his involvement in distance learning upon pursuing an insurance loss prevention specialist in the 1970s where traditional distance learning (correspondence courses) was the teaching method of choice. He also took college level correspondence training in fire protection engineering from accredited universities. Upon taking responsibility for training over 1,000 insurance loss prevention specialists he used distance learning methods of correspondence courses, email review and response for implementing procedures, and later computer based distance learning from 1-hour modules to teaching full college graduate level courses via distance learning. As an educator, fire chief, insurance professional, and fire service leader; Bill's expertise illustrates a full spectrum of distance learning concepts and applications as he treats us to an overview of the history of distance learning and its application to the fire and EMS community. Technology - From Print to Podcasting So where do you begin? This session will examine the variety of technology options and give some basic “how-to’s” for creating simple interactive content. The program will examine everything from simple print-based content all the way up to video streaming and synchronous learning environments. The program will also examine cost-effective options for developing content for today’s “millennial” learners. Eddie Buchanan Eddie Buchanan began his career in 1982 and currently serves as a division chief for Hanover (VA) Fire & EMS. He is the author of the Volunteer Training Officer’s Handbook and co-authored a variety of publications for the Volunteer/Combination Officer’s Section of the IAFC. He currently serves as President of the International Society of Fire Service Instructors and serves on the NFPA Technical Committee on Fire Service Training. Adapting Courses for Distance Education Can existing content be repackaged into a distance learning format? As an industry the fire service has no shortage of content. The problem is the majority of content is in traditional printed or Power Point format. Many other industries faced the same challenge with great success. Software exists to transform traditional content into distance education. There are vendors who can transition materials for a fee. This session investigates the advantages, disadvantages, and economics of upgrading existing content. Eric Kaufman Eric Kaufman established Melachi Incorporated as a graphic design firm in early 2001. The company soon found a foot hold in the eLearning industry, designing content for Georgia-Pacific, America Online, and The Department of Homeland Security. Growing into more of a content house than design firm, they continue to build, write, and consult on computer based training projects around the country. Founder and Project Lead at Melachi Inc., Eric has built a resume of experience across varying industries, while compiling a list a clients any small business would love to call their own. He is a graduate of the consistently top ranked North Carolina State College of Design, and is responsible for the art direction, project management, and client development at Melachi Inc. Brining his unique look at interactive learning, Eric has built a company that delivers creative and engaging learning content through the digital platform. Case Studies-Distance Success Stories How a major metro fire department saved money, increased time for hands-on training and greatly improved documentation and record-keeping of all training by utilizing an online training and training management program. Jacksonville Fire & Rescue Department (JFRD) serves over 800 square miles, employs over 1,300 personnel at 57 stations, and responds to over 90,000 incidents annually. JFRD has been recognized as the originators of many of today’s accepted and widely practiced rescue service methods. Given their leadership and progressive approach, it is no surprise that JFRD was one of the original fire departments to implement a web-based training and training management system. Demonstration of Distance Ed Platforms About TargetSafety TargetSafety is the leading provider of online training, loss prevention and risk management services to Fire Departments throughout the United States. For almost 10 years, TargetSafety has been dedicated to providing the fire industry with a complete solution to maintain compliance, promote safety, reduce losses, stay current with continuing education hours, and assist with the documentation of all firefighter training. TargetSafety is the only online training partner of the NFPA and is a pioneer in web-based solutions designed to simplify and standardize training and risk management. The company is based in San Diego, California and has a regional office in Boston, Massachusetts and Dallas, Texas. Incident Command: Blue Card Certification Online Panel Discussion and Open Question & Answer Period Panel:
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Please visit http://www.isfsi.org/symposium.php for more information. |
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