ACA-Kokatat Instructor of the Month
I am honored and would like to say thanks to the American Canoe Association and to Kokatat for selecting me for this recognition. http://issuu.com/_aca/docs/jpe_2.13?mode=window
Outdoor Program Administration course – Jan 2-24, 2013
Outdoor Program Administration Course description:
This online course is for individuals who manage outdoor programs or individuals looking to learned, through real life projects, how to effectively administer outdoor programs. Using case studies, contemporary issues, instructor-lead discussions and projects, students will acquire the managerial skills to effectively manage outdoor programs at a college, a non-profit organization, a municipality, and a military program. This course will have a strong emphasis on budgeting, marketing, policy-development and staffing. Hands-on projects and online discussions are the primary components of this class. This class is ideal for juniors and seniors in the Outdoor Ed program, practitioners that would like to enhance their management skills and individuals from other disciplines looking for a career in outdoor programs administration.
Sign up today: http://www.plymouth.edu
Required textbook below:
Future Role of Outdoor Educators – Dan Garvey – 2012 NOLS Faculty Summit
This is an inspirational presentation given by Dan Garvey to the NOLS faculty in 2012. I briefly met Dan Garvey at a Thesis defense at UNH in 2001. Although I do not know him, I know his work in experiential education. This presentation applies not only to NOLS instructors, but to all of us in the field of Experiential Education. I agree with Dan’s statement that we need to operate outside our silos in order to have a stronger impact and to continue changing people’s lives through experiential education. The last 6minutes of his presentation are very powerful. This is coming from someone who has worked for 12 years for Outward Bound. When you watch his presentation you’ll know what I am referring to.
Dan, thanks for challenging us to be better outdoor educators and to stay in this field!
Motivation and Outdoor Education
What do you think about Dan Pink’s talk, as it relates to the Outdoor Education industry?
Endurance Staffing closes its doors
One of the first outdoor instructor staffing agencies has shut down after almost 3 years in operation. Endurance Staffing’s main focus was to help outdoor education organizations find qualified staff for programs in areas such as rock climbing, ropes course facilitation, kayaking, and more.
The business model of ES was simple; companies would contact ES for their instructor needs and ES would offer pre-screened instructor candidates. After the staff selection, companies would pay a mark-up on the instructor per diem. This mark-up was based on the instructor qualifications and the number of days in the field. As the principal administrator of ES, I felt that the industry was not ready for this type of business. However, I know that ES had an impact in the outdoor industry by provided a revolutionary approach to the never-ending cycle of finding qualified outdoor instructors for their programs and sometimes last minute instructors.
In addition, ES had a video podcasting channel on iTunes with more than 20 educational videos and a wiki for instructor collaboration. I am curious to see the direction of the outdoor industry in 10 years when it comes to recruiting, selecting, training and developing staff. Don’t worry I’ll have a blog post before then. I welcome your questions and comments, and I will keep blogging until the next time we meet.
For those in the field!
TIOBEC Sailing Expedition Training 2011
The Thompson Island Outward Bound Sailing expedition took place from June 26-July 3 of 2011. I had the honor to be the trainer again this year, along side Captain Arista. We delivered the new curriculum designed by Alex Chu that is currently in place at TIOBEC summer expedition programs. The journey was from Boston harbor to Gloucester and back. As you see in the pictures we did some rowing, but also we had great wind. To those in the field!
