I think I am feeling a little "lost" as I near the end of my Dip E-L requirements.  So much time on my hands that I'm not quite sure what to do with.  Still need to complete the last two assessments, which I will start working on this weekend.  Have recently purchased Adobe Photo Elements, so am starting to play with that.  Also need to learn how to use my new Nikon D60, which is "still" sitting in its box.  Did get my ipod out this weekend - have only had that since February!!!

My Web 2.0 PD activity is going well - well, I think so, anyway!  Think there is nearly 40 participants, although I realise that there are more lurkers rather than active participants, which I guess is the nature of this type of course.  I know I am getting a lot out of it and am enjoying exploring some new blogs and websites.

I now know that I want to re-focus my career and move more into an online facililtation environment, rather than doing what I am doing at the moment.  Need to complete my Cert IV in Training & Assessment, then take it from there.

Work wise we are still moseying along with our DOTS implementation.  Is very slow and frustrating, as I am always waiting on others to make decisions and decide how they want to arrange and deliver their education.  Weeks can go by with very little activity - and no sooner do I get something up online, someone else decides it needs to go back in for a re-write.  As too with policies/clinical guidelines - we are quite under the pump with delivering education on some new policies that have appeared on the horizon.  Unfortunately education is rarely involved in the development of new policies or clinical guidelines (we are working on getting that rectified), so by the time it gets here to be "educated on", invariably we find huge gaps in the processes so back to the drawing board we go.  Not quite sure why it is always when it appears at my end, but maybe has something to do with how my brain processes information, that I can clearly see the holes!?!

Last year I may have mentioned I developed an online fire training course specifically for healthcare facilities.  This has now been promoted to agencies throughout Victoria, and while there is a lot of interest, it is sometimes months before agencies are able to get back to me to give the go ahead to modify it for their sites.  Healthcare bureacracy at its finest!!  At least I have completed all my end of the requirements, with my final report being submitted back to DHS yesterday.  One thing off the "to do" list.

On the homefront, our renovations are cruising along and I now have walls in my new kitchen/pantry area.  This weekend hubby is building the bulkhead to go over the kitchen - we have a huge shop attached to our house which we are converting into our lounge/dining/kitchen area - then it will be time for wiring and plaster.  We are aiming for the new kitchen to be installed by Xmas, but will see how we go.  My part is to start stripping and repainting our 100 year old cedar double-hung windows and the four-panel doors.  I will try and post some pics on the weekend.

Most exciting news is I have ordered my iPhone, so am waiting patiently (not very) for it to arrive.  Sometime this week or next.

Hunter is going very well.  This week he has said to me "wait there Mum, I have a job to do!", as well as telling me that my "dinner was disgusting!".  In fact, most foods are "disgusting" at the moment, but he still manages to eat them.  Downside is he has decided he needs the lights on at night when he goes to bed, which is something we have always tried to avoid.  We now find him trooping up and down the hallway during the night to "see Mum" and "cuddle with Mum", which is what he tells his father when he arrives in the bedroom.  Bit of a shock to the system, as he has always been such a great sleeper, albeit a very early riser (5:30!).

Anyway, enough blabbing.  I need to go and work on some Cardiac Rehabilitation education now.

So long for this week...

 

After a little birdie mentioned I had not blogged for a while, I thought I had better jump on - can't believe that a whole month has gone by (probably the longest I haven't blogged).  I have been unwell for the last 2/3 weeks, which hasn't helped.  Back at work, but still can't shake this cold.

I was looking at the deadlines of the final assessments last night and realised there is no way I am going to make it.  Thank goodness Colleen is lenient, although this must be incredibly frustrating to manage, particularly with all the different clusters underway.

I have completed the content for the PD activity.  Now just need to get it online, which will DEFINITELY happen in the next 2/3 weeks.  Would like to do it now, but am pretty much away for the next 10 days, so it will have to wait until after then.  In hindsight I wish I had got onto it straight away, but I really couldn't get my thinking straight and lost momentum half way along.  Next issue will be how to translate this into the final assessments.

Work wise, we have commenced our LMS implementation - again doesn't help that I have been away ill, as I am now way behind.  It is also becoming quite apparent that everyone is leaving it up to me, as it really is a big learning curve for most of them.  Not quite sure how one person can deliver this across 26 organisations and 4,000 staff.....but I'm sure I will get there in the end.  The system (DOTS) itself is absolutely brilliant, and has some fantastic features, so I can't wait until it is up and running.  Next problem I have is our "content developers" who are being a tad slack and are not really keeping up their end of the deal.  As I am continually reminding them, there is no point having a system with nothing in it!!!  And it does concern me a little as some are going to go gungho and add all sorts of "crappy" content - non e-learning stuff - into the system, instead of keeping with the original aim of the project which was to implement e-learning and standardise content across the region.  I have set up a wiki for them to use for this, but even this has been a struggle.

Off to Melbourne next week for the LearnX 2008 conference.  Most exciting is the fact that I get to spend the two days with Kiley, which I am sure will be lots of fun...who knows, we might be sick of each other by the end of it!!!  There are some really great presentations over the conference and they provided this fantastic online Agenda Builder tool, where you could pick the sessions you want to attend, as well as the exhibitors you are interested in seeing, and it creates your own agenda.  Much easier than trying to think about it on the day and then running around madly trying to find the appropriate rooms.  Jay Cross is also presenting, which should be interesting.  I am not that keen on his presentation style - little too laid back/hippy like for me - but he is certainly an expert in the e-learning and web 2.0 field, so I am really looking forward to that one.  Mind you, is the last presentation on the Friday....I guess one way to keep everyone there right until the end!!  I then will have to drive all the way home (350kms), as am off on a "girl's weekend" for my girlfriend's 40th first thing the next morning.

The roleplay is cruising along quite well ... well, sort of.  I have enjoyed it as an exercise, however, would have been much more successful if everyone had been involved, as some of the roles that are crucial to this exercise are missing.  I know we will be doing a debrief of this next week, but my thoughts at this point are that it should become part of a formal assessment, and perhaps an assessment done early in the cluster, with a slightly longer timeframe - 2-4 weeks maybe?  I enjoy it from its "practicality" point of view, as is something that is relevant to what I do in my worklife.  Probably not so for those who are purely teaching.

It has also crossed my mind about what we are planning to do once this course is finished.  Now I know there are some who are really looking forward to that time (my husband being one!), but I am really going to miss the online interactions - I'm sure some of us will keep in contact, but these types of relationships are harder to maintain when you are no longer have a common interest.  I know one of us is off to do her Masters (Tammie!) which I am very impressed with, but I'm going to take a break from study and catch up on all the things I haven't had time to do over the last 12 months - renovating the house, scrapbooking, golf, cooking.......and my family & friends.  Mind you, I probably still have 6-8 weeks of school ongoing.....

What do you have planned?

 

Today I have spent the day researching microblogging and Twitter. Anyway, I must admit that at the beginning I was a little dubious about how this would work and could not really see the purpose of it, apart from it being just another "web 2.0" communication tool, but over the course of the day, and my research, I am beginning to change my mind. Think that must happen to a lot of people considering the number of Twitter users.

Now I am not typically an online chatter, or a "texter", so I think this will take a little getting used to. Have set up my account - gmrgrl - so if anyone has a twitter account, let me know so we can start "following". I haven't been able to find anyone I know using it, so please let me know so I'm not too lonely.

Colleen asked as a week or so back to select a cartoon which makes us smile and to send it out. Well, here is my contribution for the day!



- stay tuned, a PD development activity will be available on this shortly!!