CGD Update

Registering for some CGD

I just updated the CGD page on my blog. I know I left lots out eg the blog and Facebook posts I read each day and the small video clips I view on Youtube and other sites.

What is CGD you may well ask?

I am pasting below the text of my blog post from 2011 in which I described this activity.

CGD - It's not a disease

I recently posted my plans and rationale for keeping a Learning Log for Genealogy. This is a record of those learning opportunities that I have taken. 

Shortly after this I read DearMyrtle's post Education Plans in which she reported on her plans for the coming months. This is an assignment for the ProGen12 Study Group of which she is a member. She has listed her plans under the headings Area of  Focus, Activity, Time Frame and Cost..

Myrt asked "What are your plans to hone genealogy research skills? " which set me to thinking if  I should have a more formal plan for learning.  I have been pondering this for a few days and have decided that, as I am an amateur genealogist, I do not need a formal education plan.

So for my CGD, Continuing Genealogical Development, I plan to look out for educational opportunities that cater for deficiencies in my knowledge (not hard to find) or pique my interest. I undertake learning via a range of delivery methods: face-to-face, online via webinars or podcasts, radio broadcasts,  various print media and by trial and error.  I will endeavour to take part in at least one learning activity per week and will continue to document these in my Learning Log.

I will seek out potential learning opportunities by reading blogs, accessing the geneawebinars blog, following the calendar of SAG,  reading about events at Unlock the Past, perusing mailing lists and keeping my eyes and ears open.

I am sure that I will find plenty to keep myself amused. 

How about you? 

Tell me - How would you choose?

The Salt Palace Convention Center

A few days ago I went through the Conference Schedule on the Rootstech app and selected the sessions I would attend. That was then, this is now.

Downloading and skim reading the papers for the sessions that appealed to me has helped me to focus on my priorities and select sessions that will give me the best value. I have discovered that my priorities are DNA, Ireland and the UK and Technology with a bit of entertainment thrown in.

So what criteria did I use to select the sessions?

• I don't attend talks I have heard before (there are a few). 
• I favour speakers who present new material.
• I won't attend talks I may hear in Australia (wish I knew what was on the Congress program).
• I am dismissing talks that are US centric because I only have few ancestral connections to the US.
• I am avoiding talks by vendors that appear to be infomercials. I can get that info in the Expo Hall.
• I won't attend beginner technology sessions.
• I am attending sessions by a couple of engaging speakers like Josh Taylor and Judy G Russell  for their educational and entertainment value. Ron Tanner is also good for a laugh and learn session.
• I am attending one session because I am starstruck. Can't wait to see the Scott Brothers.
• If it's about DNA I'll be there.
• I discounted sessions where the presenter hadn't submitted a paper. 
• I'm taking on recommendations from fellow attendees in previous years so I'll be listening to Bruce Durie.
• I'm avoiding speakers I consider pompous or boring.
• I may attend sessions to support genimates who are presenting.
• Unfortunately I have to miss a couple of good sessions due to Ambassador duties.

I am not setting my schedule in stone. I will use feedback on presenter quality from fellow attendees to amend my selections. I will also have some fallback choices made so that if I can't get into a popular session I will be able to quickly move to another.

Tell me - How would you choose?

Online Learning

I'm a student again!  

1989

I don't do things by halves I have taken the opportunity to enrol in two free online introductory courses in family history.

When I was at the Society of Australian Genealogists a few weeks ago and told two of my genimates who have already undertaken the University of Tasmania Intrroduction to Family History course they giggled and told me that I would be frustrated by the course. They weren't wrong. How frustrating it was to spend the first 2 weeks of this course on administrivia and learning to use the online messaging and learning system. MYLO the system that delivers their online learning is clunky. Locating replies to one's messages in the system requires determination and lots of digging. It is not at all intuitive.

Like a trooper I have stuck with the course and have now completed Weeks 1-3 and about 50% of the requirements for week 4. What concerns me mostly is that the course is based on a very traditional 20th century version of genealogy research. So far no mention has been made of the value of using one of the many excellent computer software programs that are available to family historians to record the data they research. Some of the resources that have been suggested would not be at the top of my list. I am concerned that the online multiple guess questions asked in the quizzes are very simple and do not really measure learning.

This afternoon I logged in to the University of Strathclyde Researching your Family Tree course which commenced today. What a difference! The interface is clean and intuitive and learners don't need to devote two whole weeks to learning to navigate the interface. Sure I pressed the wrong key a couple of times but it was easy to find my way back to the beginning and continue with my work.

1995

The course coordinators have introduced themselves, the learning outcomes have been explained, some definitions shared and we have already started learning. This is in contrast to the course from Tasmania. The materials in the Strathclyde course are organised so that one does not have to jump back and forwards to find course materials.

Of course I may change my mind as I progress through the Tasmanian course but for the moment my money is on the course from the University of Strathclyde.

Yes , those giggling genies were right.

Beaut software is even better

It's hard for me to contain my excitement when I find something fantastic but I have exercised considerable restraint while Beta testing Version 6 of Family Historian software. As a Beta tester I committed to keeping mum about the new version and its features but now that the developer Calico Pie has announced the product's imminent release and discussed some of its new features I feel I can open my mouth. Here is a snip from the company's recent newsletter:

Family Historian 6 is due for release on December 9th. It will be a big and exciting release, packed with enhancements and great new features. There are far too many features to cover in a single bulletin (and in any case, we want to keep some surprises for the day), but just to whet your appetites, we are including a sneak preview of a just a couple of new features below – Map Windows and Witnesses.

As a tester I can confirm that it is big and exciting. When  I moved over from The Master Genealogist to Family Historian a couple of years ago I was delighted with FH except on a couple of  counts. The major one being that I lost all the witnesses to events that I had created. There was a work around in version 5 of FH but I couldn't be bothered with it. 

I was delighted when I found that a witness function had been added to Version 6. During the testing I put this through its paces on a copy of my database and it worked a treat. Now I will be able to reinstate all the ministers/priests who BMDed family members, all the guests at various family events, godparents, bridesmaids and so on. Calico Pie suggest:"For example, you could use it to record the fact that a group of people all lived together, if you wanted to. The practical effect is to provide richer and more fleshed-out reports, and a richer experience when browsing, because witness details can be accessed when viewing an event from the point-of-view of any of the participants."

Jane Taubman teaching FH 2014

If you are into maps then the new mapping facility is fantastic. There aare some other new features that really struck a chord with me but I must keep them under wraps for the moment.

Santa Jill will be delivering my update by download as soon as the package is released on December 9. I just need to find out how to place an advance order!

You may know that I recently undertook two days of Family Historian training with Family Historian guru, Jane Taubman. Jane and I are intending to show off FH version 6 in a Google Hangout in early January. I will share details when I have a time and date.

BTW. The only perk I receive from Calico Pie is the opportunity to test and comment on the beta version of their new release. I just happen to lke their product.

A Hangout High

It always takes me a while to come down after a GeniAus Hangout on Air and last Tuesday's was no exception. I was joined by an exceptional group of panelists who had so much to say and share about the topic, CGD (Continuing Genealogical Development). I do enjoy chatting with these folk in the informal atmosphere of a Google hangout on Air.

Unfortunately due to the stormy conditions in and around Sydney several panelists were not able to stay the distance. I'm sorry we missed your contributions but appreciate the effort you made to connect.

I detected several themes coming through in the conversations. These included the importance of organisation, citing one's sources and the value of blogging. Panelists took part in a range of traditional and online learning activities and appreciated podcasts, hangouts and webinars. It was interesting to note that many of the panelists work or have worked in IT related jobs and that most of them are geneabloggers.

When I put the panelists on the spot and asked them to nominate a presenter they would recommend these names were mentioned Lisa-Louise Cooke, Chris Paton, Thomas MacEntee, Dick Eastman, Richard Reid, Kerry Farmer, Maria Northcote, Helen Smith, Kim Phillips, Cyndi Ingle and GeniAus. Watch out for them at an event near you or online.

Among the events panelists plan to attend are Rootstech 2015, Congress 2015, The Unlock the Past Baltic Cruise and the NSWACT State Conference.

Signed up for Two Courses

I moved my family tree data over to Family Historian nearly two years ago now but I still class myself as a beginner with this versatile software package.

I learnt a lot from Family Historian expert, Jane Taubman, on the Unlock the Past Genealogy cruise in February when she presented a series of lectures on the package. Jane indicated that several times a year she conducted full day courses for Family Historian users at Dillington House in Ilminster, Somerset in the UK. When I expressed an interest in these courses Jane asked when I would be in the UK and said she would try to schedule some courses when I would be there. She was as good as her word.

Tonight I have signed up for two full day courses in November. Hopefully by the time I return to Australia I will be an intermediate user of the Family Historian software.

These are the courses I will be taking

You can read all about the courses here: http://courses.rjt.org.uk/wp/category/family-historian-courses/.

Back to Learning

You may or may not know that I keep in a page on this blog a record of my  genealogy related learning activities. I previously explained in a post from 2011 why I keep this CGD Learning Log.

I have recently taken a ten week break from more formal learning while travelling around the globe and visiting with Mr Geniaus many of the places on our bucket list. During this time I tried to keep up with happenings in the genealogy world and to conjure up a blog post now and then. I have not, however, save for a few visits to repositories in the UK been a diligent old researcher or learner.

For my first learning activity after my return I watched a Hangout on Air by two of my fave genealogists, Pat Richley-Erickson (aka DearMyrtle) and Russ Worthington. In this video which is now available here on Youtube Pat and Russ explain the importance of having a profile on Google+ that will allow others to recognise you as a person with shared interests.

If you are a Google+ user and wish to tweak your Google+ profile I recommend that you watch this video. If you are not a Google+ member it is time you joined up.

Friday Jackpot

I guess it helps that my knowledge of The Family Historian software package is rudimentary so I have lots to learn.

Yesterday I hit the jackpot. I pointed the Bambino in the direction of Wyong and motored up the F3 freeway for the Wyong Family History Group Family Historian Interest Group (that's a mouthful) meeting which turned out to be a workshop lead by the very knowledgeable John Owen. On arrival I was welcomed warmly and made to feel at home by John and the group. I think there were around 8 others in the group and more than half of us had our laptops with us.

After going over last month's homework (where I learnt some valuable new tricks) John launched into a demo of today's tasks that involved setting up various customisations in our databases. After the demo we all tried to apply our new learning with John fielding our questions and guiding us. This is a fabulous way to learn - much more effective than some "chalk and talk" lecture or learning from a set of printed notes.

I now need time to modify my software and add some of the bells and whistles John demonstrated.

A major outcome for me in the light of what I learnt today is that my decision to change to Family Historian  was further justified. My previous program was known for its facility to be customised.  Family Historian  is similarly customisable plus it has other features that make it attractive to me.

Thanks, John and members of  the Wyong Family History Group Family Historian Interest Group,  I had a fab afternoon. I'll be back next month.

Wyong Bound

Wyong, to the north of Sydney, is about an hour's pleasant drive from my home via the F3 Freeway; it is actually more convenient for me to travel there than into Sydney's CBD.

My quest for CGD will be taking me to Wyong this week when I attend The Family Historian Interest Group Meeting at The Wyong Family History Group. As a new user of this program I was thrilled when I found that there was a user group within cooee of my home. The topic for this meeting is The Property Box : Adding Tabs; adding items to a Tab:  I know I will learn something from this event as I am yet to explore many of the features of the wonderful Family Historian program.

On a future jaunt to  Wyong  I will be dispensing CGD when I present a talk as part of the Wyong Library's Family History series. On 26th September at 10:30 am I will be chatting about one of my pet topics Social Media for Family Historians. I'll demonstrate tools that allow family historians to connect with cousins, collaborate on projects, discuss issues, market and promote genealogy services and perform acts of genealogical kindness. When I have details for bookings I will publish them on this blog.


Hopefully I'll meet up with a host of new family history contacts from the Central Coast on my planned outings.

Learning from Legacy

Tuning in to last week's Legacy Family Tree webinar with Claire Brisson-Banks provided me with a wonderful opportunity for CGD.

Claire

As one of the several million Australians who has ancestors from the British Isles I was keen to take part in this webinar "The Quest for Your English Ancestors" that was held last Wednesday evening in the US. It was therefore available at the convenient time of 11:00 am for Sydneysiders like me. Most of the Legacy webinars are held in the early afternoon in the US which is in the wee small hours of the morning in Australia (not nice on chilly winter mornings). 


I was interested to hear Claire present as I met her at Rootstech in 2011 and 2012. She did not disappoint. Although I knew most of the things that were mentioned in the webinar it provided me with a wonderful refresher and a great scaffold for organising all of the English knowledge floating around in my head plus I learnt a couple of new things.  I loved Claire's brisk pace; she did not waffle on but presented as much matter as she could in the time available. 


This webinar is a fantastic resource for anyone new to English research. I would commend you to watch the online recording that is available on the Legacy site until  23rd July. A benefit of watching the recording is that one can stop and start it to take notes.    


Make sure you watch the webinar right to the end so you can catch Claire's "Final thought".

Webinar Tips

In a recent post on Twitter  @ancestorchaser asked about advice for taking part in webinars. I responded with "Sit back, relax, participate".


That response elicited a second tweet from  @ancestorchaser "@geniaus Is there a list of them or anything to join?"


As I couldn't do justice to this question in 40 characters I promised to respond in a blog post drawing on the content I shared in my recent talk on Geneawebinars for Unlock the Past's Brisbane Expo.


This advice on Preparing for a webinar comes from Familysearch techtips:

• First, find a webinar!
• Review system requirements. You will also need an active internet connection with enough bandwidth for streaming. Dial up will not serve you well in this capacity.
• Register, if needed.
• Prepare your computer. Download required software, and make sure in advance your equipment works. You will have the greatest success if you close extra programs you are using on your computer. Streaming video content, as is the case with webinars, puts a large load on your computer’s memory and processing power.
• Log in early.
• If audience participation is allowed, make sure you mute your microphone when not talking!

Source: https://familysearch.org/techtips/2012/02/genealogy-webinars

I would add:

• Invest in a microphone/earphone headset for your computer and get used to using it
• Shut yourself away in a quiet room and put a "Do not disturb" sign on the door
• Set yourself up with a nice cool drink
• Use a second laptop or tablet to take notes during the webinar so you can have the webinar screen visible at all times
• Sit back, relax, have fun

Where do you find webinars?

• GeneaWebinars Site - Check the calaendar http://www.geneawebinars.com
• Commercial Organisations' Websites – Ancestry  http://www.ancestry.com/cs/us/videos , Legacy and Rootsmagic offer webinars
• Genealogy Societies - IGS  http://www.ilgensoc.org/cpage.php?pt=227 ,
  UGA  http://ugagenealogy.org/cpage.php?pt=11  
• Professional Genealogists –
  Dear Myrtle  blog.dearmyrtle.com/p/webinars.html , Michael John Neil  www.casefileclues.com/webinars_neill.htm ,
  Elise Friedman  relativeroots.net/webinars/,
• Internet searches - don't restrict yourself to genealogy webinars. Search for webinars about general tools you use for genealogy purposes like Evernote, Google+, etc.
• Social Media Notifications - Monitor Twitter, Google+ and Facebook for news of future webinars.
• Society Newsletters may give details of webinars
• In Australia the SAG website www.sag.org.au lists their webinars - These are for members only webinars 

A major problem for Australians is that most of the US webinars are broadcast in the early morning hours (Australian time); there are some that are on in the evening in the US and these are available around noon in Australia.

The good news is that Unlock the Past is planning to host webinars that will be scheduled at times to suit Australian audiences. Watch their website for news about this initiative.

These speakers have expressed an interest in presenting webinars for Unlock the Past:

Jill Ball (NSW)  Carol Baxter (NSW)  Vicki Eldridge (NSW)  Jan Gow (NZ)  Shauna Hicks (Vic)

Rosemary Kopittke (Qld)  Noeline Kyle (NSW)  Thomas MacEntee (USA)  Michelle Nichols (NSW)

Cora Num (NSW)  Chris Paton (Scotland)  Geoff Rasmussen (USA)  Helen Smith (Qld)

Lyn Whelan (NZ)

There are exciting times ahead for Australian Genealogists.

I'm learning

Although I have had an Evernote account for over a year I have only gotten serious about using it recently.

I have Evernote Apps installed on four of my tech toys so that I have easy access to my notebooks from wherever I am. Rather than making learning this tool a chore I am learning on a needs basis.

Additionally I have subscribed to the Evernote Blogcast which, as well as featuring news snippets, gives tips on using Evernote. As I read the posts on this blog my confidence and competence in using this tool is growing. Following is a link to the post I learnt from today:

Quick Tip Friday: Capture Multiple Types of Media in a Single Note

A July Saturday at SAG

My last CGD activity before heading off on holidays this week was a talk given by Carole Riley, SAG Councillor and Professional Genealogist, on NSW Land Records.

Although I have attended talks by three different people on this tricky topic I am still a novice. Excellent advice came from the SAG volunteer who thanked Carole. This lady suggested that, to make sense of all the information Carole had presented, we should not put off going to the NSW Land and Property Information Dpeartment (commonly known as the Lands Department) but should do so whilst the content of the seminar was fresh in our minds. She suggested that we arm ourselves with Carole's comprehensive notes and make the visit.

So that I can shed my novice status I might just have to bite the bullet and make that excursion.

CGD - It's not a disease

I recently posted my plans and rationale for keeping a Learning Log for Genealogy. This is a record of those learning opportunities that I have taken.

Shortly after this I read DearMyrtle's post Education Plans in which she reported on her plans for the coming months. This is an assignment for the ProGen12 Study Group of which she is a member. She has listed her plans under the headings Area of  Focus, Activity, Time Frame and Cost..

Myrt asked "What are your plans to hone genealogy research skills? " which set me to thinking if  I should have a more formal plan for learning.  I have been pondering this for a few days and have decided that, as I am an amateur genealogist, I do not need a formal education plan.

So for my CGD, Continuing Genealogical Development, I plan to look out for educational opportunities that cater for deficiencies in my knowledge (not hard to find) or pique my interest. I undertake learning via a range of delivery methods: face-to-face, online via webinars or podcasts, radio broadcasts,  various print media and by trial and error.  I will endeavour to take part in at least one learning activity per week and will continue to document these in my Learning Log.

I will seek out potential learning opportunities by reading blogs, accessing the geneawebinars blog, following the calendar of SAG,  reading about events at Unlock the Past, perusing mailing lists and keeping my eyes and ears open.

I am sure that I will find plenty to keep myself amused. 

How about you? 

Australian and New Zealand Genealogy Course

On June 7 I first blogged at Spur of the moment student about The Australian and New Zealand Genealogy Course I had enrolled in run by NIGS with tutor, Kerry Farmer.

In the early stages of the course I put up a few posts: First disappointment - NIGS Course, Prompt response from NIGS, Keen as mustard, Geniaus: Reflections from a "spur of the moment student".

Now that I have finished the course it's time for a final reflection.

Would I do it again?  Yes.

Would I recommend it to others? Yes

What were the strengths of the course? The well-written and comprehensive notes. The responsiveness of the tutor, Kerry Farmer. The ability to study in one's own time. The great value for money. The ability to take part in online discussions with people with shared interests from other states and countries.

What were the weaknesses? The difficulties encountered in downloading .pdf files of course material. These could be emailed as zipped files sto course participants. Unclear directions on connecting to the online discussions although this was rectified before the second week of the course. The online discussions would be enhanced with a little more structure ie focus questions or talking points that could be distributed to course participants prior to discussions.

I can't say that I learnt a lot from the course but the few new resources I learnt about led to some great finds. The course was an exercise in positive reinforcement for me as I realised that I do have some knowledge in the subject. Additionally, because the course materials were set out in a logical sequence, the course gave me a scaffold or structure for organising my knowledge.

Being able to join in any NIGS online discussions that took place during the period of the course was an added bonus.

The course is being continually updated. It is currently jam-packed with information that may daunt beginning genealogists, however I believe that Kerry Farmer and NIGS are reviewing the course content. I note that the course is now rated as "Intermediate" on the NIGS site.

Anyone with an interest in Genealogy in Australia and New Zealand would benefit from this course.