Thursday, March 11, 2021

Not just three days - A whole year of online learning

I had a crazy three days during the RootstechConnect online event.

As a Rootstech Ambassador I had a commitment to discuss and comment on the event via my social media platforms so, as I didn't have time to blog, I was busily communicating with genies all over the world via my GeniAus Twitter.

As an administrator of the Australians at RootstechConnect Facebook Group I was kept on my toes  communicating and responding to questions from members of that group most of whom had never experienced a Rootstech event. Having the event online conquered the "Tyranny of distance" that hampers the educational development of many my genimates downunder. 

I took the opportunity to set up a Chat Group on the RootstechConnect website for Aussies at RootstechConnect so I spent quite a bit of time responding to comments in that forum. I found that most of our Aussies used our Facebook group to communicate as it offered the ability to have nested posts and to more easily respond to an individual. I found the embedded chat most useful for asynchronous communication with speakers at the event.

Due to family commitments, I didn't have time to watch all the keynotes live but I was able to return and watch the remainder later in the week. I managed to watch around thirty presentations during the course of the event but that is just the tip of the iceberg.

A year's worth of learning

When I am away from home at a face to face event I can be selfish and distance myself from living family but when I am at home I put living family first. It was hard balancing the needs of family with the temptations of RootstechConnect. Perhaps next year I will hole up away from home in a resort where I can totally commit myself to Rootstech.

Since the online event I have popped into the Rootstech website on several occasions to catch up on many of the sessions in my playlist. The ability to stop and start the recordings of the sessions and to apply the learning concurrently on our own devices makes for a really valuable learning experience that is practically impossible in a face to face lecture. I found this especially useful for the sessions like these from Dave Annal, Richard K Miller and Alexis Rossi.

What I really love about RootstechConnect is that it is not just a virtual conference but it is an online library of learning experiences that we can access on demand when we either have a particular need to learn or refresh our knowledge on a subject or when we just have a spare hour to absorb new knowledge.

As ambassadors we are encouraged to write a post at the conclusion of the event. This caused me great concern because RootstechConnect is not over, the year of learning from RootstechConnect is only just beginning. I see my role as Ambassador continuing until Rootstech 2022 comes along.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jill, I asked for a few days off work however it didn’t happen exactly as I planned do I think a hideaway next time is a great idea. Fran

Bobbie Edes said...

I did watch a number at the time and am also slowly tackling my list as commitments permit. It was a great concept and I’m really grateful for the education opportunities it offers.

Bobbie Edes said...

I did watch a number at the time and am also slowly tackling my list as commitments permit. It was a great concept and I’m really grateful for the education opportunities it offers.

crgalvin said...

Thanks for the excellent job you did as ambassador, gathering the Down Under folk together and answering all those queries. Yes, a treasure house of learning available for the next 12 months with so many wonderful presentations. I look forward to learning throughout the year.

GeniAus said...

Thanks all for your comments. Let's keep the momentum going.

Cassmob (Pauleen) said...

I think we’re all going to be kept busy watching and applying this year. You did a great job keeping everyone in the loop...it was evident how much difference this made when reading the mystification of many overseas genies.

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