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"Along Those Lines"
7/11/2003 - Archive
Online Genealogy Training Workshops at MyFamily.com: The Best-Kept Training Secret on the Internet
I love genealogy and I love libraries. There, I've said it, and it wasn't hard
at all!
I also love teaching, and have been doing it for a long time. In fact, my business
is seminars. I own and operate a seminar company in Florida that focuses on
two core groups of people. On one hand, I work with library consortia and individual
libraries to provide continuing education to librarians and staff. On the other
hand, I also concentrate on genealogical training and deliver classes, workshops,
and conferences all over the country to genealogical societies and to many different
groups. However, it isn't always possible to attend face-to-face classes.
"Distance Education" is a popular term today in the training field.
It refers to obtaining instruction remotely, without necessarily meeting at
any time in a face-to-face situation with your instructor. Most distance education
courses are now offered through the computer by enrolling online, opening or
downloading class materials, working on and submitting assignments online, and
discussing the course with the instructor and other class members via e-mail
and/or online, real-time chats.
One of the best-kept secrets of genealogy on the Internet is the availability
of the distance education workshops available from MyFamily.com. As one of the
instructors, I can tell you that these classes deliver an excellent value for
the enrollees. In this week's "Along Those Lines . . ." I want to
share the details of what the Genealogy Training Workshops on MyFamily.com have
to offer.
How the Classes Work
The online Genealogy Training Workshops are conducted in individual interactive
class sites at MyFamily.com. Each class has its own secure site. When you enroll,
you will receive an official e-mail invitation to the class site and this includes
your ID and password to provide access.
Each class is four weeks long and is taught by an expert in that area. During
those four weeks, there will be eight written lessons that the instructor will
upload to the class website's File Cabinet. You can download these to your own
computer, print them, and study the materials. Some instructors assign homework
in some or all of their lessons to make you apply the material learned in the
lesson to your practical research.
The class website is also a rich multimedia experience in itself. You will ask
questions, share information, and interact with the instructor and with your
classmates using the online message board. You may upload photographs and share
stories, which is a great way to learn about one another and to exchange information.
You can upload your own genealogy database files in GEDCOM format or you can
create a file online using the free Ancestry Online Family Tree (OFT) software.
One of the optional activities in which you can participate is the class Group
Chats. From the class website, you can launch a chat room window and join in
a live, real-time discussion with your instructor and other classmates. I love
conducting the chats for my classes. We cover the materials for the current
lesson and have a lively Q&A session. In the course of our four weeks together,
I hold eight chats, one for each of the lessons, and by the end of our second
week we're all very much like family together. It's a fun, non-threatening way
to learn and to get your questions answered.
In addition to the class activities, enrollment in a class provides you with
four weeks of unlimited access to all of the online databases of Ancestry.com.
At the conclusion of the class, you can decide whether to continue access through
a subscription. However, you have another eleven months of access to the class
website to continue your discussions and expand your relationships with your
classmates. You'll all have something in common and can schedule your own regular
class chats.
All of this is a part of the class offering and most courses are available for $39.95 each.
What Courses are Available?
The coordinator for the Genealogy Training Workshops is Annie Blanchette of
MyFamily.com. She is a charming, funny, knowledgeable, and extremely helpful
administrator who is committed to making these workshops great. She is always
looking for additional subject experts with the knowledge and training skills
to develop and deliver new online class topics.
The current topics and instructors are listed below: - Beginning Computer Genealogy Class, presented by Jennifer Hanson
- How to Use Ancestry Family Tree, presented by Jennifer Hanson
- Intermediate Genealogical Research, presented by George G. Morgan
- World Census Records, presented by Cindy Rowzee
- Immigration & Naturalization Research, presented by George G. Morgan
- Genealogical Research on the Internet, presented by George G. Morgan
- English Family Trees, presented by Sherry Irvine
- Irish Research, presented by Sherry Irvine
- Scottish Research, presented by David W. Webster
- Northeastern United States Research, presented by Cindy Rowzee
- Native American Research, presented by Barbara Benge
- German Beginning Genealogy Research, presented by Adele Marcum
- Intermediate German Research, presented by Adele Marcum
- Italian Genealogy Research, presented by Jenny Tonks
- Eastern European Research, presented by Lisa Alzo
- Basic Slovak Genealogy Research, presented by Lisa Alzo
- Slovak Intermediate Research, presented by Lisa Alzo
- Writing My Family History Newsletter, presented by Cindy Rowzee
- Multimedia Family History, presented by David Beardsley
Other classes are currently being discussed and developed. However, you can
visit the MyFamily.com site at www.myfamily.com/gentraining
for details on each of the current classes, biographies of the instructors, and
dates the topics are offered.
What Do I Need to Participate?
Certainly you need a computer, either a PC or Macintosh, with the Microsoft Internet
Explorer browser with Java capability. (Internet Explorer is a requirement in
order to participate in the optional Group Chats. The Netscape and America Online
browsers do not always interact with the chat software and are therefore not encouraged
for use for the classes. If you are using a Mac, please use an older version of
Internet Explorer, not version 5.0 or newer.)
Some of the instructors, and I'm one of them, use Adobe Acrobat to produce lessons,
charts, and other class materials. This alleviates the differences between various
word processor formats and printer driver discrepancies while allowing me to produce
high-quality materials, which include tables, graphics, and other special formats.
The Adobe Acrobat Reader is a free download from the Adobe website at www.adobe.com
and is available for PC and Macintosh computer platforms.
You'll also need an e-mail account in order to receive your class invitation,
which includes the class ID and password, and to receive any urgent class notices
that the instructor might need to communicate regarding chat schedule changes
and supplemental materials.
Finally, you need to be able to commit a few hours each week to reading the lessons
and, if you like, to participate in the optional Group Chats.
Summary
Distance education is one very convenient way to go to expand your educational
opportunities. You don't need to travel to a classroom building. You have the
opportunity to work a class into your own busy schedule and access the lessons
at your convenience. You can post questions and messages to a class site for discussion
and responses. You can meet new people and friends. In addition, you have the
benefit of individual attention from a recognized genealogy expert for four weeks
and you have access to all of the Ancestry.com databases. Perhaps best of all,
you can access the class materials at your convenience, 24 hours a day—even
at three o'clock in the morning in your jammies!
Now, I'm not at all saying I don't want to travel, meet people, and deliver seminars
in a face-to-face environment. On the contrary, I thrive on those opportunities.
However, I love genealogy, libraries, computers and technology, and teaching,
and I really enjoy writing and developing training materials. Where else can I
combine all of these things into a means of training so many people in so many
places at once?
I can tell you that my fellow instructors and I in the Genealogy Training Workshops
have a lot of fun doing these workshops, and we think you will too. Now you don't
have any excuses not to continue your genealogy education!
Happy Learning,
George
George G. Morgan would like to hear from you at atl@ahaseminars.com,
but due to the volume of e-mail received, he is unable to answer every message.
Please note that he cannot assist you with your individual research. Visit George's
website at ahaseminars.com/atl for information
about speaking engagements.
Copyright 2003, MyFamily.com. All rights reserved.
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