Introduction 2013 Flexible learning
My name is David Gillespie and I am a ‘journeyman’ who learnt to love ‘classical’ French cuisine in an era of the master and apprentice type of learning. In my time I have been involved in the learning, practicing and now the delivering of culinary education in a tertiary environment for the over last quarter of a century.
Within my teaching at Otago Polytechnic for the last 20 years, there has been a move away from the `master apprentice’ model of learning, partly due to the immediacy of information that can be accessed now days, and the changing nature of industry in a worldwide basis. Our learners are now derived from a wider section of society than the previous cohorts which were sourced only from the `industry’.
I am currently immersed in the teaching of the Bachelor of Culinary Arts programme, in the `old’ School of Hospitality. The programme is in its second year of delivery and it has been a decade long project that has propelled my teaching into an area which now uses a design led model for project based learning while embracing of creativity within food design.
My marriage has lasted for 20 years also; we have two children who swim at a national level that means that sometimes we only know the changing of the seasons by the lack of intensity of the sun rise and bird songs. I provide most of the carbohydrates to the family on a daily basis, the dog manages to eat most of our scraps and the house is due for paint. My interests involve reading variety of books and magazines;
Ultimately I must operate under the rules of Otago Polytechnic and flexibility is constrained by yearly occurrences, semester reporting and time tabling restrictions which are due to resource sharing. However without some of these `milestones’ for students to reach, extrinsic motivation may be lacking.
Some blended delivery exists within the cookery programmes at Hospitality, with Moodle mostly being used for content, and flicker http://www.flickr.com/photos/bca2013 currently being used to capture images. The majority of teaching in certificate and year one of Bachelor of culinary arts is face to face. Though the use of; phones and laptops is welcomed in class.
I am mostly involved in year one of Bachelor of Culinary Arts as the degree progress progresses there is more flexibility. A blog site is used by year two students for a group work project and the CAPABLE learners are assessed by using a graduate profile as the learning agreement and negotiated research is one of the tools we use.
So what do I want learn from this course
How can I bring greater flexibility for learners within the existing frame work given TECs `control of our courses? There are changes to strategic direction of our school in, so will I be better placed to endorse these more flexible modes of delivery?
As more technology’s become available for instance laptops, phone and now tablets, are these mediums fare and equable in the realms of blended delivery?
Can a community of learners be foster using new technologies? Facebook has revolutionized the `community’ of my past cohort of students: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/dgillespie
but will our new graduates maintain a “social alumina” moving forward?
Reference for images;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_Pierre_La_Varenne
http://www.materialmaterial.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/fool2.jpg
http://www.thewanderfulltraveler.com/wp-content/uploads//2012/11/lpsubs_new.jpg
http://cdn2.fishpond.co.nz/0025/050/209/24004004/4.jpeg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:On_Food_And_Cooking_UScover.jpg
Flexible,learning 2013. 
