Farewell

This has definitely been a digital literacy course. I have learnt so much but more importantly as it draws to a close I remain totally motivated to continue the journey. I have the tools, I invested in a large monitor and a new grunty beast to drive it .... and me as far as I want to go. Thanks to Lynn and the whole group I have learnt the basics, found my confidence, fired my enthusiasm and there are endless goals to investigate and hopefully conquer. Thank you to everybody concerned for helping me to digitally fly. I hope we touch base with each other sometimes, on that note be it onenote endnote or footnote C U Later

Three weeks to go...

Unfortunately it is time to think about winding up. Jess left the group and it is sad to see the end in view but she increased my knowledge which I appreciate and I hope all who have come & gone realise that each has enriched each other by sharing. Often one has no set agenda but like this week someone shares their achievement and you are on another learning curve. Rach had done a project and RSS was mentioned, what is that? So I learnt a little by looking at her work & then over the the weekend I looked at the training video on wiki Ed which explained about RSS & signing up on a reader etc. I still get the occasional "inadequate over-powered" feeling but I am probably the least pre project literate and I keep that reality in mind. I decided weeks back to look how far I had progressed rather than what I cannot do yet. Once you have the basics it is practice, practice. My goal was to master Power Point to a moderate skill and feel confident on a computer to find instruction on how to do things. I am on course to reach that target by final meeting. Lynn told us about End note and I will get a copy from Uni, I have done a online tutorial & wish I had known of the programme years ago when I started my degree but to be honest I doubt I would have had the patience & confidence to master it. This project has fired a determination that has seen me put many many hours of research & computer practice in. I have also found and down loaded a 60 day trial Microsoft One note. The tutorials on line are very informative. Again I am aware that broadband is essential to achieve goals & a luxury unavailable to a majority. I am fortunate to have people like Lynn & Anil....they are a security blanket giving the confidence to try try & try again..thank you. I have my 22" screen now and learning to use the split screen facility.
My goals at this stage are to use power point for a class presentation in Sept and use end note for my next essay. I have learnt to be patient and look more carefully. I want to up date my desk top computer but I have researched the specifications repeatedly and I'm learning exactly what each piece of hardware does. I will wait until I feel I know what I need and what is value to me. The experience of this DIL group has taken everything to do with computers out of the 'too hard to do basket'. Not only has this group achieved that for me but it is passed to my family and friends whom I have been able to help also I understand what computer literates are talking about...hm I enjoy Fridays.

Always forward...

Another enjoyable and informative session. It's the little steps that reward. Margaret had a 'cute' little mouse for her lap top that uses a usb connection....hey I've been struggling with this touch pad & it was good to find this alternative. I wonder if Dick Smith's notice I'm appearing like clock work at 3pm on Fridays for new goodies. Good group discussion...agree with Rachael that time is an even bigger ingredient than Digital Inf knowledge. Once you are told how it needs lots of practice however the Confidence gained from the initial tutoring to go find & search for those answers is the key. Once the seeds are sown it's up to the individual. In that you are either hooked on learning and happy, in fact keen to learn or you are not & without motivation your gone. As a Grad student obviously I'm keen to learn or I wouldn't be at Uni. This DIL course has become like an extra paper to my degree. I give it as much time & effort. The support from Lynn & the rest of the group is second to none. This week I spent time with Lynn & Rachael who helped me learn more about Power Point and giving a presentation. I have been researching computer capabilities for a 22" monitor. I want to learn how to split screen for 2 documents and Anil has investigated a download which I'm keen to learn as a group.
We all looked at the Microsoft programme Onenote...delighted at the overview as will be very useful. Have done some research re this and will put it on group e-mail.
Continuing to study the wiki learning modules. Glad to get the opportunity to share with Jo, Jess and Margaret discussing our progress & what we are each achieving. Group learning is a brilliant format. It reminds me of the movies, as they say on the American Marines....no one ever gets left behind.

Hardware Learning

On Friday I presented my first power point attempt which I had loaded to a memory stick. great success & appreciated positive encouragement from the group. Unfortunately mind cluttered with problem that after purchasing a monitor it would not respond to the dvd drive loading. Anil has offered to assist which is most kind but am hovering on buying new motherboard etc, new computer box inners. Mine 6 years old & maybe time for 'new baby'...however despite the stress have learnt heaps on how the 'beasts' tick. My lap top decided to pack a sad re broadband which had me on the xtra help desk for over an hour but again it is all knowledge. My 'free research computer skilling is racking up quite a tab! Not that I need much encouragement, I absorb new tech toys like a dry sponge in a bucket. My laptop & desk top computers have different operating sytems so it has been a training exercise between using the two. If not for this course I would not have had the confidence to try these up grade steps. there is a lot of searching re screens and loading stuff and it has been a satisfying challenge helped by a few paracetomol tabs.
Will be at computer shop on & off all week, but onwards. Again bring on Friday.....I want to be a geek!

On Line Learning Reflection

Jo's point re web access is such valid food for thought. Digital learning is awesome...well I think so anyway but without broadband & continually updated soft & hardware the most adept users are like a musician without an instrument. I spent hours over the weekend setting up delicious, creating my first PowerPoint presentation & downloading it to a memory stick. I am delighted with my achievement but it kept niggling at the back of my mind how fortunate I am to have the facility. Learning is a luxury. National economies list skilled population as the major asset and goal but adults not in schools or offices entailing access to computers fall through the cracks...maybe?.....hmm.

Further Reflection

After many hours spent trying to fix why my blog didn't show asked group for help via e-mail plus one sent to myself. My e-mail double sent straight to my delete box so I guessed a problem especially when I didn't receive a reply from anyone. Sure enuf no-one in group received message.
Lynn was planning to help me after group but Jess stepped up, she is a very computer literate young lady and she patiently discovered my url was the issue. I cannot explain further as I don't understand how she fixed it, it wasn't straight forward and no purpose to dwell there until I have the knowledge.
My decision is to move on now I can access my blog and report.
I tried every thing I knew to fix the problem myself to no avail so I felt good about seeking assistance, I did not feel frustrated neither that I was giving up or stupid. To me it was a sensible decision and I was confident to ask.
I have learnt that I must explore solutions for myself but when all avenues are exhausted...ask. I will never master IT the system is expanding so rapidly that I will always be a learner and that is good, it is like studying any subject, the more you learn the less you know.
My goal for this week is to use the wikieducator site. I want to become more proficient in group e-mails for sending to my Uni-Guide students.
Also now I have my head above water I want to spend more time with other members and join in what they are doing more. Sometimes I discover how to do things by "accident" & in future I need to take notes so I can re track the method. For example Gabrielle asked how I put my photo on my profile and I couldn't explain it for her and I felt disappointed we couldn't do it together.
Longer term I want to get an initial power point presentation on a memory stick. Never done either previously. I will follow the manual as far as I can then discuss results with the others for input. I have to do presentations in the course of my lectures and have admired the power point efforts of other students. They are much more interesting for the audience than a speech.

Trier

July 11

Today was so good. I showed my blog problem to Jess and she fixed it. Amazing, there is no way I could have done it. I almost cried, just a spontaneous relief/reaction after days of frustration.Lynn was going to help me but Jess stepped in, bless her.
No way can one learn from a manual like the personal contact of a teacher or fellow member with a higher knowledge. Thanks so much Jess.
Now I can concentrate on my powerpoint for the next week.
Lynn gave us photo copies of web sites to look at. She had taken them from computer pages of interest. I will explore those this week.
I am slowly going through the learning on wiki.
I have put a photo on my blog & profile.
Group lessons in this small number of members is so constructive.

Number three

July 4
6pm...have noticed incorrect time placed on blogs....anyway 3rd workshop today. Another success for me. I feel like a pre-schooler busting to show a parent a drawing from kindy. In my case my patient husband will be the recipient of "I did it" his patience at being the 'listener' & critic of my undergrad essays is limitless..bless him. So what did I do. I have cut & pasted my 2nd report from word!
Lynn showing her usual patience explained about hot keys and how I could get my sabotaged report from last week onto the blog. Bare in mind that was over three hours ago, and I was going solo with a few notes that looked very explanatory with Lynn sat there but a bit sparse with no-one to ask.. my heart was thumping as I hit Ctrl A talk about nervous anticipation...such satisfaction to see 'magical' appearance of text.
The two hours goes so quickly but it is long enuf too, the head gets so crammed and I need to go home and use my familiar computer and practice.
The rest of the group were working on Mahara with Anil's help. It is something I wouldn't use at this point and there is so much of the basics I need to learn therefore I am taking this opportunity to learn to walk before I run. Mahara days will come.
This week I am going to concentrate on the wiki learning site plus practice making a power point presentation. This will be a challenge as I need to transfer illustrations from the web. Therefore I hope to get the cut & paste & copy functions a familiar skill. It will also be my first attempt at down loading to the memory stick. Then I will want to be sure I can erase the data and use the stick again, next I want to learn how you find more than one item if several are down loaded onto the same stick.
I did create an account in Mahara today with Lynn but the e-mail I was supposed to get hasn't arrived as yet.....will look at that if I get chance.
Every meeting gets more relaxed because we are developing trust in the group, fear of making a 'silly' mistake has decreased, I think in all of us who initially felt that way and respect for each others trying is increasing the learning capacity. I feel proud & fortunate to be a member of this group of people.

20th June I attended the first workshop of DIL Albany Project.
With no pre-conceived ideas I went along at 1pm with Jo & Rachael, whom I already knew from my University study. I met Lynn our group leader and all members of the group introduced themselves & outlined their level of computer expertise and what they hoped to achieve with the group. My initial thought was that I was the least computer literate plus most members used IT for their employment and they would use & want skills that I would not use (therefore get practice with regularly) However we were to list our individual goals so ok. The structured intro got overwhelmed with everybody keen to jump in. Everybody was helpful & keen to help each other but it was ‘above my head’ to even know what to ask.

I left the first session quite disillusioned as to my capability and would my questioning hold up the proceeding and give off any worthwhile study data or statistics for the research? I looked the websites on the handout and I had an attempt at doing a blog this I achieved but couldn’t work out how to attach it to the group site. Over the weekend e-mails were flying back & forth between group members and the contents were all Hi Tec and a foreign language. “All”I then wanted was to know what were they talking about!
My decision.
I sent an e-mail of my concerns to Lynn she assured me by prompt reply to the effect… “Hang on help is on its way”
This helped. It gave me encouragement to look at just what I could already do computer wise and work on realistic goals that I hoped to achieve.

Power Point presentations
Comprehend jargon
Group e-mail initiation set up & use.
All of what ever else I could learn along the way

27th June non-compulsory 2nd workshop.

Prior 2 days I had navigated the blog site and looked at the DIL sites, still very confused I didn’t feel very optimistic about the workshop.
As I entered the room Lynn gave a big positive smile and I felt like I was going to the dentist, even with full dentures the dentist still terrifies me. No comment huh!
Everybody was asked in turn what they thought, where were they going & so on…..I listened to them all & I was last to speak. When I proclaimed my doubts especially re jargon comprehension the room was a buzz with agreement and hey I was not alone. I started to relax and feel more comfortable….amazing how much better the brain finctions when your emotions ‘unfreeze it’. Lynn gave me one on one help for awhile we ‘found’ my blog & tied it in. We opened the Power Point & Jo helped me & we learned tog about getting pictures from google pictures etc. Speaking of loading a presentation onto CD a savvy PhD member explained a memory stick would be much better. A what? Wam, instance lesson from my right hand side buddy: armed with USB, flash memory gigabytes and heaven knows what I was dispatched after class to Dick Smith. Hanging on a display of ‘foreign bodies’ I found it yeah, made my purchase and felt marvelous. What a metamorphosis in 3 hrs from sad tears to eureka!!
I am a realist, no matter the chestnut clichés re; ‘you are as old as you feel and age doesn’t count etc’ the fact is no matter how much you boot the pedal, an A Ford can only go so fast but like the tortoise, it does get there. This senior who was a whiz at pounds shilling & pence mathematics in her day is en route to duplicating it in IT….good things take time.
Yesterday (30th). I spent 2 hrs writing a blog of my progress. I got into and navigated the site and felt confident….in the excitement I forgot the basic rule…SAVE… yep I lost it, mustn’t print what I thought but it wasn’t oh dear. Today I am ratting away on word which I will attach and save. Later I will give that blog another session. I have been looking at the introductory jargon & courses on wikipedia & printed off the Cheat sheet that they recommend for the basic formatting tricks. Bring on Friday.