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| Image Copyright Ancestral Journeys, 2012 |
I find myself reading - constantly - on a wide array of topics. My personal library skips through what you would expect: genealogy, history, military references; and then races on with music history, loved children's literature from years past, business and marketing texts, and so much more.
There is something I struggle with though, and that is making time for online education. I do my fair share of reading through blogs, news articles, and other mentions from our friends in social media. However, I'm constantly struggling with making time for webinar's, YouTube video's, Podcast's and tutorials. I know they can help me, and when I do make the time, I always learn something.
I actually really enjoy watching or listening to them. The topics list are varied and for the most part, the presenter's are engaging and entertaining. My to-do list is just sooooo long that I have a hard time convincing myself to stop trying to multi-task and focus on what is being discussed.
As part of my newly developed set of goals, I plan on taking advantage of two of these educational opportunities each month. Starting today.
So, here I'm going to remind you of the incredible set of videos that were made available just a few months ago, from RootsTech 2012. I've seen them all, but many are worth watching again. Take out your notes from this past March, and watch with me. While you're on the site, check out the schedule for next year.
Let me know what you learn today!
We're like two peas in a pod. I'm always learing, it is part of my personal and professional development plan. I have plenty of books in my personal library, tons of things I read online, I have developed a system for staying top of the blogs I follow, and I schedule any webinar I want to attend on my caledar so I don't miss them. It's just been over the last few month that I finally found a way to prioritize these things and make them a workable solution for my continuing education. Sometimes other things have to take a back seat and that's ok with as long as the education I'm taking in is relavent and necessary to acheiving my goals. Hope you can find something that works for you.
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DeleteJulie, As soon as I find more hours in the day... :-) Really, its all about time management, right? If only I could get my three year old to listen to PodCasts in the car, but that might have to wait a while. It'll come, I just have to make it happen. Thanks for reading, and thanks for commenting! ~Jen
DeleteThere definitely needs to be more hours in the day! I saw in your comment to Mariann that you're considering ProGen. It's a great way to take the next step to becoming a professional genealogist (or simply someone who wants to use professional tools and techniques for their own research). As you probably already know, it is an 18-month commitment. In order for you and your group members to benefit, you really do have to make time for it. It gets really boring when only one or two people participate regularly.
Delete(Sorry, I couldn't get the link to the set of videos to work, and will try later. But for reasons you are discussing, I don't have time to view them right now, anyway!) I can relate SO MUCH to your post. I'm always scrambling to apportion my finite time among reading blogs and commenting, viewing webinars, blogging, and researching. I don't see how you do everything you do, and while raising children too! And this is not even to mention going to conferences, and reading articles & books about genealogy. I'm definitely an amateur, not certified, but I've bought Elizabeth Shown Mills and Marsha Rising. When oh when to read them. Eventually I think I'd like to get certified. Right now I'm training myself to get through Twitter faster, with its blog posts, with time for my own blogging and research. Learning is a real "buzz" for me, too. Thanks for this post!
ReplyDeleteMariann, I'm with you. I'm not certified, yet, either, but hope to be some day. I'm also considering the ProGen program, but that will probably be later, next spring. Just not sure I can fit it in right now, with my other commitments. I'm also hoping to go to a few conferences in 2013, as well. Its certainly time consuming, but I think the magic is that it's so invigorating - when you do something you love, you never work another day again - type of situation. I have a few tools that I use to help me with social media, and I'm always looking for more. I've also developed a new plan of attack for my writing - blogs, IDG, Examiner, etc. Someday it will all come together, and in the meantime, I'm going to enjoy the journey. Much obliged, Jen
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