It was four degrees outside and not much warmer inside, but the sun was shining as it has invariably done in Taranaki this year, so no problem with getting up and ready for the early start online.
As is typical of education courses, a very disparate collection of individuals had gathered together with the sole intent of learning more to assist with smoothing the road to success for the students in their care. I was thankful that I was not required to speak to my introductory slide to the entire group, but only to the seven members of the breakout group to which I have been attached for the next nine weekly sessions. A gentle introduction is always appreciated, especially on the last day of the school holidays.
That gentle introduction lasted for exactly one hour and then it was time to hit the ground running, with immersion sessions on both the familiar and the unfamiliar. I found it very helpful to learn how useful google groups can be - and surprising to discover that I have been a member of 62 such groups in the past three years and that I am currently a member of 15 groups, about 10 more than I was aware of.
On a professional level, I had always dismissed the value of voice typing since I last made use of it four or five years ago, but on renewing my acquaintance with this tool I was delighted to discover that the efficacy has been drastically improved. The transcription hardly missed a beat with recreating in print what my Scottish accented English had been dictating - with the exception of "whanau" being represented as "fun hour", which does have a lovely ring to it. This tool with be of invaluable assistance to the reluctant writers in my classes, particularly those who are often dispirited by proofreading their own work and discovering a host of spelling errors.
On a personal level, it was a pleasant experience to be collaborating with teachers drawn from the length and breadth of Aotearoa, it does get a little isolated here in our corner of Taranaki. Let's see where we go from here.
Kia ora Kenneth,
ReplyDeleteGlad it was a gentle introduction to the day.
I think revisiting tools such as voice typing and getting to use them with support, is a great way to find out how others use it and to learn some more. Google is always updating things as well, as people ask for changes.
Ngā mihi,
Maria
Kia ora Kenny,
ReplyDeleteOh, I can see I am really going to enjoy reading your blog each week! Don't forget, this is an "intensive" course, so sometimes you will feel a bit overwhelmed by all the information. But don't panic... there will be plenty of supporters along the way (the marvellous Maria to name just one!) and your confidence will grow and grow I am sure. One step at a time rather than giant leaps is all it takes to change course a little. Loved the 'fun hour' translation. Priceless. Nā, M