Review
The class is predictably at different stages in the process of moving through the Study Skills course. Some are finding it fairly comfortable, and slow-going, whereas others are struggling, and feeling out of their depth. Such is the way with computers. I’ve intentionally kept the main communication channel to the email group up to now.
Aim - Expanding the Communication Channels
This week I’d like to expand things to include the pageflakes course hub, MSN Messenger and Elluminate.
Expectations
How much time are you spending on your studies at present?
This is a full-time course, which means that you should expect to spend approximately 40 hours per week on it. You might choose to study from 8am – 5pm every weekday, or you might choose to study at other times that suit you. At present that time should be split between Study Skills & Basic Massage. Over the next week you should aim to spend approximately 30 hours (6/day) on Study Skills and 10 hours (2/day) on Basic Massage. The study skills workload is clumped at the start of the course to give you some time to get familiar with the technology platforms that we are using, and to gain some skills for learning.
After the next block, Anatomy 1, Bioscience 1, Communication 1 & Fundamentals of Massage will start which will mean that you have less time for Study Skills.
Weekly Tasks
This week you’re going to get some experience of communicating using MSN Messenger & Elluminate.
Windows Live & MSN Messenger
If you’re still working your way through getting familiar with emails & Windows Live don’t panic. This course is designed to be largely self-paced. If you’re really struggling, consider booking a time at one of the Community Learning Centres for some face-to-face support. Also remember that Helpdesk (479-6039) should be able to help you with any problems using Windows Live or MSN messenger.
Once you’ve set up your Windows Live account and have MSN messenger working on your computer, you should aim to keep these open as much as possible when your computer is on. To do this, open a separate tab or window for Windows Live. Messenger has it’s own window. Please note that using MSN is not assessed or required in this course, but it is highly recommended. It is an invaluable way of communicating with classmates & some lecturers. If someone sends you a message via MSN your computer will inform you of the message.
Elluminate
Our first Elluminate meeting will be on Wednesday at 1pm. To login to the meeting you will need to have completed the following Wikieducator Learning Resources.
Here is a link to the meeting. To go to the meeting, either click on this link or right-click on it select "copy link" and paste it into your web browser. It's a good idea to do this at least 30 minutes before the meeting. If you have any trouble connecting, please send an email through the course email group.
Can you please email me directly (davidm@tekotago.ac.nz) to let me know if you can or cannot attend. I may be able to reschedule it so let me know what times suit you.
Assessment
You should also be starting to work your way through Approaches to Learning.
By the end of this week I expect that most of the class should have completed Task 5, or be well on their way to this. Again don’t panic if this isn’t true for you. It’s not the end of the world. Just make sure that you’re putting in the time that you need to put in and getting the support that you need.
Support Options
Me (479-8378)
- Email group
- Wikieducator
- Direction
· Helpdesk (479-6039) for any issues related to
- Windows
- Windows Live
- Your computer
- Using Elluminate
- Using Blackboard
- Face-to-face computer support for the same types of things that Helpdesk supports
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