SMAWB & GMAWB SENSE-BASED COURSEWARE NOW ON DVD IN ENGLISH & SPANISH

By Steve Houston

Our Shielded Metal Arc Welding Basic (SMAWB) and Gas Metal Arc Welding Basic (GMAWB) SENSE-based curriculum packages are now available on DVD with English and Spanish options on the same disks.

Enjoy all the same great features that these world-class curriculum packages currently offer—Modular design; compelling, close up views of the arc and puddle; easy-to-follow, skills-based student workbooks; and comprehensive Instructor Guides. Only now, you can take advantage of the power of DVD to enhance the quality and effectiveness of your training.

Digital video gives you unparalleled opportunities to vary pacing to maintain student interest, emphasize key points, and focus students on arc performance, electrode manipulation and puddle control.

For example, digital video allows you to freeze the image without the distracting screen-chatter that you get with videotape. So, you can use the pause feature to create pristine still images to focus students on specific aspects of the arc, puddle, filler and heat-affected zone. You can also use pause to emphasize key concepts by reviewing them immediately, rather than waiting until the end of a video segment. Or you can prepare students to attend to key concepts by pausing to stress the importance of upcoming material.

Digital video allows you to zoom into an arc shot to focus students on the relationship between electrode manipulation, puddle control and the final weld bead. Something that you just can't do with videotape.

Digital video also lets you slow the action down to a half, a quarter or an eighth of regular speed. Slow motion gives students a better opportunity to rehearse each skill exercise visually before trying it themselves. The result is more efficient skill transfer. And, for those students who need remedial help, slow motion can be a great tutor.

Another thing that you'll like about DVD over video, is the fact that DVDs are menu-driven. No more time wasted cuing tapes before class, or fast forwarding and rewinding to fine topics. Just select a topic from the menu and hit "Play," or hit "Menu" in the middle of a topic to select a new topic.

And, if you're faced with the challenges of teaching in a bilingual setting, you'll love the fact that you can play these new DVDs in English or in Spanish by selecting the desired language option from the main menu.

To find out more about the new SMAWB and GMAWB courseware on DVD, or for pricing and upgrade information, call 800 332-9448 ext. 5433 or email hiwt@welding.org.