This paper explores the use of digital logbooks, specifically a proposed 'bt logbook' that combines blogging and Twitter, as a means to enhance industrial training and supervision in vocational education, particularly for dental technology students in Nigeria. It highlights the limitations of traditional paper logbooks, such as restricted space for entries and the inability to efficiently share learning experiences. The study advocates for digital logbooks to include multimedia capabilities for a more comprehensive documentation of students' practical learning experiences.

1. Logbook for Industrial Supervision and Training-A look at paper and
digital logbooks.
ABSTRACT
This paper looks at the possibilities of using social media as digital logbook for industrial training and supervision because
digital logbook has the potential of turning industrial training experiences to an open source which is capable of changing
the landscape of vocational education around the world by enriching skill development through the pool of resources that
could be pulled together from students’ learning experiences. I examined paper logbook for dental technology students
from three Nigerian higher institutions that send their students for industrial training to our dental laboratory. I searched
the Internet for practical examples of paper and digital logbooks and presented a novel digital logbook called BT logbook
otherwise known as blog plus twitter digital logbook.
OVERVIEW
Technical and Vocational Education training (TVET) is a field of study where learners should develop skills to be able to
function in their fields but there is disconnect between school knowledge and industrial training experiences. This gap
needs to be bridged by the use of logbook for supervision of student industrial training. Across the globe the use of paper
logbook is popular more than the electronic type but at the advent of information and communication technologies
educators and trainers in the TVET fields are looking at the possibilities of digitising industry experiences. Digital logbook is
generally more advantageous than paper logbook but the proposed BT digital logbook which requires blog, Gmail and
twitter accounts could be more helpful in addressing the shortcomings of paper logbook giving students more opportunities
to upload files in many formats and providing opportunities for students to present learning experiences in many other
ways other than writing and drawing. The idea of a combination of blog and twitter as a digital logbook will be very useful
for many reasons1.
<Graphic 1: BT Logbook. Graphic 3 i.e figure 5: BT Logbook Entry Page>
Blogger and twitter are social networking sites that give opportunities to users for different purposes and this novel idea
for their use in technical education is important and will address a lot of issues surrounding digital record keeping and
creation of open resources.
According to National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) a logbook contains ‘record kept by a person of the
knowledge, skills or competencies attained during on- or off-the-job training’ 2
This is one of the limited descriptions available about logbook on the Internet. I observed from my searches of the Internet
that no school documented the use of digital logbook for industrial training on the Internet.
Logbook is a book of record of events, activities and experiences that enable user keep account of progress of an activity
over a period of time. It is in common use in many fields of human endeavour. As the name suggests it is a book usually
designed for users to make entries of daily activities or sometimes weekly activities as the case may be. It is designed for
users to easily make entries according to a predetermined outline with headings and subheadings that make it easier for
user to fill in information into blank spaces for ease of future reference and scrutiny. It is usually made with certain criteria
in mind and this is why there is no one pattern fits it all but schools and organisations make their logbook according to
their needs. Logbook is usually made in printed materials with a back cover that bears the name of the organization that
gives it.
From my study there are three types of logbooks namely:
Paper logbook
Digital logbook which could be a software and non-software, accessible either offline or online.
Logbook as a technological device7 e.g Shutterstock.

2. Digital logbook could be a software3, 4 or non-software5, 6. For software kind of logbook the user has to install it on his
computer system which could be accessed either offline or online while non-software could be in the cloud e.g. BT
logbook 6 which is being proposed here and some other examples that is proprietary5 and hosted on a client server.
Logbook is used widely in different professions and sometimes it could be a device fixed to an automobile for recording
activities of an operator or the operation of a machine such as Shutterstock7.
LOGBOOK AS TRAINING MANUAL
In vocational education studies which comprise of different vocations such as carpentry, automobile engineering,
plumbing and health related subjects like dental technology, optometric technology and courses in dentistry etc where
human health is of interest logbook design has challenged innovations and creativity but digital logbook has not been
commonly used. Digital logbook will enrich the documentation of the learning experiences of students and make explicit
things learnt especially where different techniques and methods have to be used for a process or procedures to be
completed. For example fabrication of dental prostheses go through a number of highly scientific and technical stages that
cannot easily be explained in written words just as we have with technical procedures in other vocations. The use of audio
or and video records will help explain a procedure for anyone’s ease of understanding- A popular saying goes: ‘A picture is
worth a thousand words’.
This study focuses on the use of logbook among undergraduate dental technology students that are sent from three major
schools in Nigeria. Students on industrial training named Student industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) use logbook
designed by the authorities in their schools and they vary from one school to another but have one goal: To provide the
students with a book of record that will afford the students enter details of their laboratory work every day.
However, these students in a study conducted expressed difficulties that paper format logbook presents. These include:
Limited spaces for description of lab activities taught and performed.
No spaces in some cases for drawing.
Burden of having to carrying logbook around every day and from one department of posting to another.
Entries are limited to description and drawing of lab procedures.
Logbook becomes rough and untidy as a result of making changes to entries earlier made.
Logbook becomes torn because of carrying it from one department of posting to another.
Unwillingness on the part of students to share ideas on entries made to logbook.
School supervisors unable to see logbook until students are back to school at the end of programme and hence
cannot follow progress of student’s learning experiences.
Industrial supervisors show limited understanding of the best ways to pass comments on student’s work.
Entries are sometimes made in a rough paper before transferring it to the main logbook which sometimes may be
lost.
Students could make changes at will and sometimes entries may not reflect the actual learning experiences
gained at work.
Students sometimes present ‘doctored’ report at the end of the programme which does not represent the actual
learning experiences.
Students have difficulties making drawings and may ‘mess’ up pages and leave them rough.
Although logbooks serve different purposes but for students from the three schools referred to the following observations
are noted on the use of logbooks:
It serves as a training manual for supervisors to guide and follow students' learning activities and correct entries
made into their logbook.
It affords the students the spaces for clearly explaining the details of procedures mastered.
It affords the industrial supervisors the opportunity for ascertaining level of progress made by the students in
understanding a procedure.
It affords the students the opportunity of noting the connection between experiences learnt in the school and
those at work place.
It affords the students the opportunity of building a pool of resources for future reference.
It helps student order stages of skill development.
It is a tool for collaboration.
For a student to understand a procedure well enough in order to have confidence to treat a live patient industrial training
or an Internship programme is a must for health vocations. However, a supervisor will need to have full details of how a
student carryout a procedure for him to be able to give the student required learning support.

3. In addition to the description and drawing which are the only ways a student using paper logbook could represent his
learning experiences digital logbook provides additional opportunities like the use of video and photo. It is in the light of
these that a digital logbook is proposed. Although I have explained different digital logbooks but a combination of a blog
and twitter as a digital logbook has many advantages that will meet the expectation of dental technology students on
SIWES programme.
Blog+Twitter digital logbook referred to in this paper combines the benefits of a blog with twitter. The blog of choice is
blogger because of a large free space provided, large network of users across different backgrounds, and twitter tab visibly
available for students to disseminate information about their learning experiences to wider audiences.
REFERENCES
1. http://elearningeuropa.info/en/blogs/blog-twitter-digital-logbook
2. http://www.ncver.edu.au/resources/glossary/glossary_full_record.html?entry=Logbook&query
=BROWSE
3. http://www.elogbook.net/
4. http://www.logbook.com/products/pretryit.aspx
5. http://labcollector.com/index.php/eln-add-on-newhtml
6. http://dentaltechnigeria.blogspot.com/2011/10/improvised-method-for-acrylic-
denture.html#links
7. http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-42770536/stock-photo-an-electronic-logbook-for-truck-
drivers-keeps-track-of-the-hours-of-service.html