Training continues ………

Welcome to our very first training Blog; a first step in building a collaborative learning community. For years our training has been focused on the classroom and only offered during the shoulder seasons i.e. Jan-April and Oct. –Dec..  We very much feel that training should be an on-going endeavor and not confined to the classroom and certain times of the year, in fact studies show that we gain the most in knowledge through informal collaborative learning, such as on the job training, joint projects, social media based learning, etc.  In the months and years to come it is our hope that we can build a diverse training environment within the park service, using multiple platforms to share knowledge.  This Blog is one of those platforms, along with e-learning, webinars, traditional classroom training, skills based learning through scenarios, and exercises, as well as blended learning (mix of e-learning and skills based learning).  This all is very exciting to us and a little scary too!

                

In our training calendar this Fall you will see for the first time that we are offering webinars.  Some of you have already taken advantage of our e-learning, Blood Borne Pathogen class for your late hire seasonal staff and even for some of our newest Rangers and Technicians.  We are just getting started with this type of learning, and while this may tap into some skills that you are not used to using, it is also a whole new skill set for us as trainers.  It is very different to create a training course in an e-learning platform from creating a traditional classroom course.

Over the next few weeks and months we will be introducing you to Mindflash, our Learning Management Software (LMS) for our e-learning courses that are created in house.  Check out an interactive video.  We will also be working to increase your familiarity with Smart Bridget, the web conferencing tool that we will be using for Webinars, and web based meetings.  Some of you have already begun updating your computers to the latest Adobe Software, and have begun to work with IT to ensure that your computers are working at the best level possible.  This is important, as it will ease your frustration in using these on-line platforms when everything works smoothly.

                

So what is the purpose of this Blog?  That is really up to you!  We will use it to share new information, to discuss projects, to share solutions, and to connect you with resources.  It is our hope to have guest bloggers, perhaps you might be interested in doing a blog post, or it could be some of our subject matter experts in DNR who we invite to share their knowledge and expertise on various topics.  The direction this blog takes is up to you!  A blog is successful when folks share their ideas and comments, ask questions, and in general participate.  We want your input for topics; they can range from how to use a new learning platform, to applying and understanding fishing and hunting rules and regulations.  We can explore many of our in-service topics further, as we add onto our classroom training by using the blog to answer your questions or provide additional information that time did not allow us to share in class.  You might have a project that you would like to share with everyone in the Park Service, be a guest blogger, share your project and get feedback from your colleagues across the state.  Maybe you are looking for solutions to a problem, let us know, and we will do some research, put your question out to one and all and perhaps you will find a solution right in our MPS family.

Blogs are really just mini webpages that are created in a less formal manner then some of the traditional webpages you have visited.  We can share photos, videos, links to resources, even ideas on the best campfire biscuit recipe if that is a topic you would like to explore further.  Our goal at this point is collaboration and learning and the blog is just one tool we will use to reach those goals.  We encourage you to post comments, to answer the questions that we pose, or to share additional ideas on the topics that we post.  We have only one rule regarding comments, and that is respect.  For true collaboration you must be open to sharing new ideas, and if you do not like something you must find a way of sharing that in the most positive light.  You can disagree, but disagree like you would if you were face to face with a colleague.

To get us started in using this blog, the last part of this post introduces a series that we will do for our first few blogs, which by the way will come out at least once a week, and when time allows and the topic is timely more often, the “ What ifs?”

What If………

When I first started my career as a Ranger, many moons ago, I was encouraged to constantly run scenarios in my head!  For example, tonight I am the only Ranger on duty, there is a full campground, and my seasonal ranger gets off an hour before I do.  I have a diabetic emergency in the bathroom in B loop, 15 minutes after my seasonal ranger leaves for the night.  What am I going to do?  You start building the plan in your head, what are the signs and symptoms I am looking for, what equipment will I need, who am I going to call, who is my assistance if I need it, who is going to take care of my closing duties, or do I need to request overtime from my supervisor etc.  This is a real simple example, but I am sure most of you could give me scenarios that are not so simple, the point is the more you have done the “what ifs” in your head, the more prepared you will be when this actually happens. “What ifs” also get you thinking about how prepared you are, is your first aid kit well stocked, do you have a tube of frosting or sugar packets in your kit, are there plenty of gloves in your kit, do I have something that I could easily record vital signs and patient information, are all my emergency numbers up to date, do I have a way of contacting my camp hosts for assistance, and what is my supervisor’s policy regarding overtime in this situation?

Do you think you have a plan? Now run your plan by your fellow Rangers and other First Responders in your park.  I will bet that most of them will add something or take something away from your plan, in the end you will have a starting point and be confident in your steps when this emergency happens.

Let’s try one of these “what ifs.”  Share your plan, discuss the resources you would work to pull together in advance, ask questions, share your ideas and what has worked for you, because now instead of sharing your plan with your colleagues in the Park, you can get feedback from your colleagues Park Service wide!  Post your ideas in the comments section below.

There are railroad tracks that run throughout many of our parks, are you prepared for a derailment in your park?   If you clicked on the link you would have seen a YouTube video of the train derailment in the Avalon area of Patapsco Valley State Park in 2010.  Immediately adjacent to the tracks is one of the most heavily used trails in Patapsco, the Grist Mill Trail.  Are you ready to help keep the public safe in this situation? What no railroad tracks in your park?  Ask some questions, jump in with what you think anyways, as the next park you are assigned to might have them everywhere.  What are your safety issues?  Who should you be concerned about? What might you need to have in place in advance?  What other agencies would you be working with? How easy can you get resources to the tracks in your area, what are your access points?

Perhaps to get you started you might want to visit CSX website and complete their on-line training for emergency response to train incidents.  To give you some incentive, anyone who sends the training division a copy of the certificate of completion for this course will receive one Elective credit ( 1 hour)!

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
―Mahatma Gandhi