Posted by Ken Kurtis on October 23, 2000 at 13:16:10:
In Reply to: NAUI meeting at Reef Seekers posted by Bruce Campbell on October 22, 2000 at 13:18:14:
(Bruce Campbell wrote) How about a brief report? Attendance?
Although I've never in my life been accused of being brief . . .
Gordy came with the new NAUI materials last Thursday evening. NAUI has totally re-tooled everything, from the workbooks to the texts. Most exciting/interesting is the addition of a video and a PowerPoint presentation.
Also of interest is to note that they will use this same format (video w/text) for basic, advanced, rescue, and master diver programs. Especially in the latter three, I think the video/text format can be very effective.
The video basically walks people through the textbook and is also keyed to get them into the workbook. In addition, the whole thing is on audiocassette (2) so you can listen to it in your car or wherever.
I think this (video) can serve as a very good teaching tool and a way to get people to go throguh the material. However, my concern (as has been discussed in these threads before) is that it also opens the door for an instructor to just give someone the book and the tape and pretty much cover the classroom stuff that way. Maybe I'm just an old mossback, but I still place a lot of value in (interesting) lectures and classroom discussion. I am personally not comfortable with the increasing trend in our industry for "home study" of the written material.
On the other hand, this new tape also serves as an excellent vehicle for the instructor who wants to teach a more thorough class in the same amount of time, as he/she can have the students cover the basic material on their own and still devote the same amount of lecture time in cthe classroom, but now covering topics and issues than we normnally would not have time to cover within the time constraints of a "standard" basic class.
However, I fear that, as is happeneing with most home-study scuba, NAUI has jumped on the treend of let's-make-it-quicker-and-easier, which frequently. IMHO, seems to translate into not teaching folks as well.
The PowerPoint slides, to me, represent the most interesting and bold concept. NAUI has taken the general outline and discussion topics from the Instructor Guide, and made them into a PowerPoint presentation (actually 9 units, if memory serves me correctly). Best of all, you can actually modify the presetnation to make it flow better within your existing lecture structure.
One of the hallmarks of NAUI has always been to encourage their instructors to think independently and to realize that the standards set by NAUI, unlike PADI (and this is not meant to be PADI-bashing so don't go there), are to be MINIMUM standards that can be exceeded with HQ's blessings.
In that same vein, the PP slides represent a lot of work and can form the basis for the instructor who wishes to take the time to do so, to modify, expand, or embellish the presentation to make it fit better with how diving is actually done and taught in his/her area.
How many instructors will take advantage of the new technology, however, remains to be seen. It requires having a computer of some sort in the classroom (or a portable laptop) and, if you're talking to a large group, at least a big TV or a video projector to use the stuff.
Since video projectors tend to run somewhere around $3000-5000, I can't see that being an option for too many instructors or stores. However, you can get an adapter that allows you to take a singal from the computer and convert it to a TV signal (I believe it's called TV-View or soething like that) and that runs around $100, so should be in the budget of all instructors.
In general, I personally view the new materials as a huge step forward for NAUI. I think, especially from a marketing standpoint, it's something long overdue as PADI long ago produced their excellent video series and has been using that quite effectively in their program. The PP is simply the icing on the cake and is also a subtle re-affirmation of NAUI's belief in the value of instructor-presented material and lectures to really help divers learn. NAUI has long believed that not only in-water skills, but in-brain skills are what make good divers. Knowledge is power and, in this case, safety and competence.
What was most distressing was the attendence, or lack thereof. I'm not sure how many NAUI instructors, DMs, AIs, and stores there are in the general area, but we ended up with a grand total of six people. And three of them were Gordy, myself, and one of my PADI DMs (I invited our entire Instr/DM staff, both NAUI & PADI) who also brought a video projector for us to use.
One of the hallmarks of NAUI, as I mentioned earlier, has been the indpendence of its instructors and NAUI has always encouraged independent and innovative thinking. But one of the albatrosses of NAUI has always been that same independence of its instructors because sometimes there's an attiude of "I'm doing fine" that shows resistence to new ideas and methods.
Personally, I think PADI's idea of manadatory attendence at annual updates to get everyone familiar with new products and to get everyone thinking along similar lines.
Anyhow, that's the report from the field. Thanks much to Gordy for taking the evening to make the presentation and to any NAUI instructors reading this, take some time to look at the new materials. They're so nicely done you'll be surprised they're from NAUI.
Ken Kurtis
NAUI Instr. #5936
Co-owner, Reef Seekers Dive Co.
Beverly Hills, Ca.