[Nick] Hi Christian how are you
Christian Itin> Doing all right and yourself
[Nick] Great, this is my first experience in the chat room and just
- happened to be on the web page at the right time
Christian Itin> all right...how did you end up coming to the page?
[Nick] Was looking at the new TAPG page
Christian Itin> all right...I just made some changes..but have not uploaded
- the page yet...making some more links
[Nick] How is the job search going
Christian Itin> Well...it's still early...I've got a likely interview lined
- up for Wheelock college in Boston
[Nick] Weather is lousy in the east this week
Christian Itin> They are starting a joint MSW/M.ED program and are
- interested in my background
Christian Itin> Where do you live Nick
[Nick] Looking at your web page and writings I would say you have a diverse
- background
[Nick] New Hampshire
Christian Itin> Yeah...I'm a true generalist
Christian Itin> Where about in NH
[Nick] But as this is a chat room for Adventure Base Practice do you think
- that technology is a benefit in the
[Nick] woods or is it another barrier for a true experience of nature
Christian Itin> Interesting question
Christian Itin> I would say it is a double edge sword
Christian Itin> one the one hand we have the added convenience/safety of
- things like modern plastics, cellular phones, etc
[Nick] A sword that leads unskilled people to use technology (cell phones,
- etc) as a defense against learning
[Nick] skills that are essential in the outdoors.
Christian Itin> one the other that convenience makes it more difficult to
- really leave civilization, to rely solely on the group etc.
Christian Itin> yes perhaps a defense or it does not drive them to "need"
- the skills
[Nick] This summer on Cannon Mt. a couple used a 911 cell call in order to
- call the police because they were lost
Christian Itin> Yeah that is a good example of people skating by with out
- the skills.
[Nick] They did not have a map,or gear but a cell phone
Christian Itin> And yet if they did not have the cell phone they might be
- dead
[Nick] Good point, but with out the phone they may not have gone out at all
Christian Itin> Yes, true...but certainly people have always gone out
- unprepared...I think the real issue for me is with in institutionalized
- programs
Christian Itin> What is the role of technology in institutionalized programs
[Nick] Tough questions as programs want to "be safe"
Christian Itin> I make a real distinction between Adventure and Adventure
- Programing...which I see as primarily teaching and doing adventure
[Nick] Adventure is doing adventure?
Christian Itin> And adventure-based programing..which I see as using the
- adventure as a learning tool for many purposes. So they may not be
- learning the same level of of skill
[Nick] Is it skill we want to teach or is it the experience,or both
Christian Itin> Yeah...like when I go out and ski, bike, climb for myself
- with my friends, for my own kicks...it's really different then when I'm
- teaching climbing...and different sill from when I use climbing for some
- learning purpose
Christian Itin> I think it can be all three...but that is a part of the
- "institutional" goal
[Nick] Institutional goals are often out of the institutions.
[Nick] I guess I don't know what you mean by institutions
Christian Itin> So what do you think...what do you think of technology in
- the wilderness
Christian Itin> Institutions = organizations or the programs that offer the
- programs, as opposed to the instructors
[Nick] Technology is something that is useful in the wilderness but should
- be used as sparingly as an evacuation
Christian Itin> I'd agree with that
Christian Itin> So what kind of program do you work with?
[Nick] Hood in the woods mostly
Christian Itin> Are you being asked to use more technology (eg. cell phones
- and such)
[Nick] Cell phones are a must. But in certain areas are just weight for
- they do not work in certain ranges (yet)
Christian Itin> I worked with a drug and alcohol tx program in NH...and we
- did not use cell phones for that reason...but we certainly talked about it
Christian Itin> and that was about 10 years ago
[Nick] I think they are becoming more powerful in range as technology
- advances
Christian Itin> yup....I know it will only be a matter of time till you'll
- be able to be reached wherever you are!
[Nick] Part of the reason , i feel , kids are being encouraged/sent to
- outdoor programs
[Nick] is that technology is making them less able to entertain self
- without electricity
[Nick] and becoming sedentary
Christian Itin> Have you ever heard Kurt Hahn's famous quote about that?
[Nick] No, like to hear it
Christian Itin> I don't know it verbatim...but it goes something like
Christian Itin> Todays youth have to be protected from five social diseases.
- Spectoritis from the increase of modern means of locomotion
Christian Itin> and then I can't really remember the other diseases...one
- is compassion, an other is craftsmanship
Christian Itin> and I can'
Christian Itin> can't remember the last two
[Nick] like the process of it- so true
[Nick] Its getting faster
[Nick] And you and I are into it as we chat on our computers
Christian Itin> Wait...I just found my quote book
[Nick] I like the ability to do what we do/ but as with any process the
- repetitive action can move to addiction
Christian Itin> It's decline of fitness due to modern locomotion, decline of
- initiative, due to the widespread disease of spectoritis, decline of care
- and skill due to the weakened tradition of craftsmanship, and the decline
- of self dicipline due to the availability of tr
Christian Itin> tranquilizers and stimulants and the decline of compassion
- which he called spiritual death
Christian Itin> It seems these are still present today...and it seems
- similar to what you were saying
Christian Itin> And yes It is funny that we are sitting here on a chat
- line...and yet we might never have this communication if the technology did
- not exist
[Nick] The difference is it appears to be going faster
[Nick] Yes I enjoy the ability to chat
Christian Itin> yeah...certainly technology is advancing faster...and so it
- makes sense that the problems with it and that it causes are as well
[Nick] But I enjoy a glass of wine now but recognize it as risk
[Nick] Technology is the same
Christian Itin> Actually they say one glass of wine is actually good for
- you...it's when you have three or more that you loose the benifit...which I
- think is consistent with what you are saying
[Nick] I agree
Christian Itin> Are you a member of TAPG
[Nick] The difficulty is that there are more and more easy ways occurring to
- avoid suffering
Christian Itin> I'm not sure if I agree with that...I mean it seems that
- suffering still exists in many ways..but what the suffering is or what has
- caused it has changed
[Nick] Yes, more of a process/content experience
Christian Itin> yup
[Nick] The process is the same the content is different
[Nick] Yes I am a AEE TAPG person
Christian Itin> That is one of the reasons I really like
- existential/constructivist thinking...and probably narrative..because it
- helps us to rewrite the process
Christian Itin> or how we interpret the process
Christian Itin> Have we met before nick (I mean in person)
[Nick] Exactly Need to think that one over
[Nick] Hey, I ve got to go its been nice chatting and hope to stop by again
- soon
Christian Itin> Good chatting with you...see you online
>> Nick has left channel #Adventure-basedChat