Official Weblog for ADV111

This blog is part of the course requirements for students enrolled in ADV111 Wilderness Expedition Skills, a course in the Adventure Recreation and Tourism program at Washington County Community College in Calais, Maine

Sunday, October 30, 2011

No Sailing Monday

We will plan on having our last sailing class this Wednesday, November 2 instead of on Monday.  Use your time Monday to complete assignments and study for the Nautical Navigation final exam on Tuesday evening.

See you then.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Sailing Expedition Reflection

I hope you enjoyed your sailing experience as much as I did, and that your experience aboard has provided you with some insight into what the windjammer industry is like in Maine. For this expedition, one of your formal learning objectives for ADV111 was your menu and food preparation for a group. This was one of three group cooking experiences you will have this year. For this blog, please review the goals we listed (see below) and spend some time thinking about the following questions before writing. As I mentioned to you earlier, I am expecting to see evidence of quality time reflecting and writing about your experience.

Among your menu planning goals:

  • sufficient quantity/calories
  • nutritious  
  • withstand limited refrigeration
  • tastes good
  • easy to prepare
  • offers variety
  • presentation

 In this blog, please address the following questions:


 Planning
  • How well did your recipes address your goals? Identify those goals accomplished, and those that could be better addressed next time.  
  • How well did your shopping list reflect what you actually purchased?

Preparation

  • Comment on the quality of your meals.  
  • How could you prepare the meals differently in the future that might better achieve your goals? Consider everything from purchasing ingredients and repackaging to packing and cooking.
  • Did all members of your group have equal responsibility in the preparation? Why or why not?

Presentation  
  • Were your meals well presented? 
  • What extra steps did you take to provide an appealing presentation?
  • How did you incorporate your theme into your presentation?


And finally, reflect upon your sailing experience on the Pedagogy. Address the following:


  • How did this experience live up to your expectations?  
  • What were the high points of the trip? What were the low points?
  • How do you feel about your nautical navigation skills as a result of this experience?
  • Compare sailing the Pedagogy to sailing the Flying Junior dinghies.
  • What is your impression of the windjammer tourism industry here in Maine?
  • How do you think you performed individually on the expedition? How do you think you performed as a group?


We will discuss some of these in class on Friday.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Sailing Update

Hi All,

I was able to confirm with the lighthouse keeper for tomorrow's plan.  We will meet in front of the main entrance at 9:00 tomorrow morning and pick up Damon at the Farmer's Union at 9:15 and Lisa at Brown's corner in Dennysville at 9:30.  Remember to bring your pfd.

See you in the morning,
Scott

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Backcountry Disease Closure / Sailing Expedition Check-in

As you have learned of various potential health hazards related to food preparation in the backcountry, hopefully you have become aware of the importance of hygene while working and preparing food in the field. As we begin focusing on food preparation, I would like you to comment on the following:

1. Identify three strategies you will include in your planning for our sailing expedition to reduce the potential for transferrence of disease while on our trip.

2. What was the most difficult part of presenting your lesson? How will you overcome this challenge the next time you present? (Oooh, yes, that's right - there will be a next time!)

3. As we begin preparing for our sailing expedition, think about a meal you have enjoyed in the past that you would describe as an excellent experience.

     a. Describe this meal.

     b. Identify what made this meal exceptional (i.e. the atmosphere, the company, the food, the presentation, the situation, etc.)

     c. Explain how you could incorporate aspects of your exceptional dining experience into your meal preparation while on our sailing expedition.


4. What expectations do you have of this sailing expedition? Describe what you think it will be like during a typical day on board, and identify what aspects of the experience you are looking foward to, and what aspects you are concerned about.



Your blog entry is due by class Friday, Oct. 21. As always, be sure to use spell and grammar check, and use complete sentences and paragraph structure.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Post Sea Kayaking Expedition Reflection

Hello Gang,

I very much enjoyed working with you all last weekend on our first expedition. Judging from your comments and reactions, It appeared as you all enjoyed it as well. As I mentioned at the end of the experience, I am pleased with how you are all progressing individually as well as a group.

Part I:

I would like you to reflect upon your expedition last weekend and write a blog entry that summarizes your experiences. As you reflect, comment on specifics such as:

  • food
  • teamwork/comradery
  • LNT
  • paddling skill development
  • student leadership
  • safety
  • Reversing Falls
  • planned activities/initiatives
  • your own goals
  • your favorite and least favorite parts of the expedition
  • things you would like to have been done differently

 Part II:

In his book "Outdoor Leadership," John Graham writes:

“Leadership is not a science to be picked up in one book or course, but an art to be learned over time.”

Consider and answer the following questions:

1. What do you think John Graham means by this quote, and
2. How do you think this applies to your experiences of last weekend?

Please remember that your blog entries should be of considerable length and depth. It is highly recommended that you type your responses in a word processor, use spell check, and then copy and paste into this blog. You may find that you need to make more than one entry to fit your entire response into the text box. Refer to the blog evaluation rubric for further information on how you will be evaluated. Your responses are due to be posted by the beginning of class on Friday, October 7, 2011.