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Have
you come across any of those little video tutors that pop up in PC tax
programs and the like these days? Cute, right? But doesn’t your
mouse head for the exit button as quickly as mine does? I find that while
most computer-based training products are a step up from audiotapes and
films, they still tend to be way too stiff and/or boring. That’s
why I’m pleased to report on some learning tools for navigators
that use the available technology so well that you may even enjoy spending
some precious summer time with them.
First
up is Navigating VNS from Course Line PC Navigation, or more specifically
from a creative fellow named Dan Bessmer. While this product is focused
on using a single PC charting program, Nobeltec’s Visual Navigation
Suite (VNS), it also effectively demonstrates how well the intricacies
of electronic navigation can be explained using multimedia computer tools.
I hope navigation instructors and students—and, let’s face
it, in this era of rapid transition we’re all one or the other or
both—take notice of the possibilities. And then let’s all
encourage the electronics and software makers to include tutorials of
this quality with their products.
At
any rate, Bessmer set up a PC and a studio so that he could simultaneously
record his computer screen and voice as he performed various tasks in
VNS. It’s almost like you’re looking right over his shoulder,
but in some ways better. While you can’t ask questions (actually,
Bessmer does offer optional live phone and seminar services), you can
control the pace of the instruction in numerous ways. The lessons are
broken up into manageable morsels that you can instantly pause or repeat,
and there’s a unique facility to skip ahead or back a few seconds—particularly
valuable to those of us now experiencing “senior moments.”
And when you view the main menu, you find a thorough outline of all the
chapters (called Waypoints), lessons, and sublessons.
Bessmer
also includes some short regular videos in which he introduces and concludes
subjects. They let you get to know your instructor better plus enjoy a
bit of the Pacific Northwest boating scene but are not entirely necessary.
More important is how well he has prepared and executed his core course
material. This is not simply another version of the VNS manual, though
having manual-type instructions animated and verbalized is a big help.
Instead, Bessmer often includes the whys of different procedures along
with the hows. Why develop a strategy for naming routes and waypoints?
When might you use the VNS tool that locates a particular lat/lon on the
chart? It’s all here. He’s also willing to include general
Windows tips as necessary, and he knows how to use bullet points without
being ponderous, how to script lessons carefully, and how to speak in
a relaxed, even comforting, style.
The
four hours of Navigating VNS do not cover its 3-D and radar options but
do thoroughly go through all the basics and many of the subtleties of
this powerful software. While I already knew the program pretty well (I
thought), I found myself going through all the lessons and was rarely
tempted to use the nifty skip control. And I’m definitely a more
able VNS jockey for the experience. I came to quite enjoy the intimate
teaching environment Bessmer has created and wasn’t surprised to
later find out that he brought significant relevant experience to this
first CD product (which costs $149). He spent years managing teams who
marketed highly complex industrial printing systems, in the process witnessing
and then learning to build effective training presentations. When he decided
to pursue a career related to his boating avocation, he went to work in
and eventually managed—aha!—Nobeltec’s customer support
department.
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Navigation Training continued > Page 1, 2,
3, 4, 5,
6, 7, 8
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