RootsChat.Com
General => The Common Room => Topic started by: Greensleeves on Tuesday 15 December 15 12:51 GMT (UK)
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An interesting new course with FutureLearn will be starting in March:
Genealogy - Researching your Family Tree
run by the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.
These courses are online and entirely free, although you can purchase a certificate of completion at the end, if you wish.
Here is the link for anyone who might be interested:
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/genealogy
Moderator Comment: We've added a profile picture that you might want to use on there so that you all know who you are :)
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Thanks GS, just signed up for that. It should be interesting, and hopefully it will open a few more avenues.
I can thoroughly recommend these course, I've done several with them. There is no pressure, you can work at your own speed and do as much or as little as you want. There is usually a good discussion section with others on the course as well, and you can opt to follow people. Perhaps if others sign up from RC we can let each other know and support each other there.
They are repeating another good course there in March as well, "England in the time of Richard III." I found that fascinating and learned a lot from it.
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Many thanks for posting this Greensleeves - I too have joined up. :)
Jen
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Thanks from me as well for posting this. I have also signed up. I am sure I will learn a lot.
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That's great Jan, Jen and 3SD. We'll have to make sure to introduce ourselves on the course so we can, as Jan suggests, support each other.
I've done quite a few courses with FL now: Hadrian's Wall (twice), England in the time of Richard III, The Battle of Agincourt to name but three. They have all been thoroughly enjoyable and it will be interesting to do a course where I do actually know a bit of what they're talking about before the course starts!
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Thanks....been meaning to have a look at their courses; I've also signed up!
Nanny Jan
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We're going to make a nice support group aren't we? By following each other we can contibute to conversations, I introduced myself on the course and have already gained a follower! ;D ;D Nearer the time perhaps we'll have to PM each other the names we use on there, so we know who we are.
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I also introduced myself and have a follower already, ;) I think it's going to be fun and educational. ;D
Good idea Groom
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Just signed up - really looking forward to it.
William
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If you add the hashtag #rootschat to the end of your post in the discussion part there, and your profile info then we can all keep in touch on here too - and keep up with how we're all doing. :)
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We can also mention RC as often as possible and get more people to join. ;) ;)
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I've signed up too, and its good to see several RC people have also !
I've done several of the Future Learn courses ... Hadrians Wall, two courses on Ebola, Richard III, psychology, forensics ....... they are excellent, and if nothing else, they keep the grey cells active !
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Thanks so much for posting. I have signed up and look forward to learning how to set my higgeldy piggledy records in better order and where to find information sources unknown to me.
Sandra :)
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So glad you're liking the link I posted and are signing up. I am so looking forward to the course - I only wish it started sooner! Looks like it is going to be hugely popular since there are already nearly 1,000 people signed up. I still find it astonishing that courses such as this come absolutely free, and that people all over the world can participate. Wonderful stuff!
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I've joined too :)
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Hooray! We should make quite a good group; as Jan (Groom) suggested earlier, we should swap names nearer the time so we can 'follow' each other and offer help/support etc, and reply to each other's posts. There will probably be about 2,000 people on the course so it's good to follow certain people and not get totally swamped by the number of participants.
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There will probably be about 2,000 people on the course
At the rate people are signing up I think there may well be a lot more than that, as I think it only opened today.
To anyone who hasn't done one of these type of courses before, they are great fun. It doesn't matter if you don't finish in time either as there are no set deadlines and the course stays open after the 6 weeks are up. There is also no pressure to post anything, it is completly up to you. If all you want to do is read the articles and watch the videos that is fine, but it is also good fun discussing things with others. As GS said earlier, it will be good to start this one knowing something about the subject matter.
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I've signed up. :)
I've also done several Future Learn courses and can recommend them, whether you choose to actively participate in all the on-line discussion or prefer to work away quietly - we all have different approaches to learning and Future Learn caters admirably with no deadlines or pressure.
Maggie :)
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I've also signed up - never done one of these before so it will be interesting.
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thinking of joining as well. hopefully I can do it from Canada
cheers
anne
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thinking of joining as well. hopefully I can do it from Canada
cheers
anne
Yes, there are people from all over the World on these courses.
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Signed up too, after all these years of researching I need to get on and write it all up in a way that my family will be able to understand it all. Hope this will help me to focus and finally get it done!
SM ...
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Signed up for it - just hope I can keep up with all that will be required.
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Thanks for the heads up. I've joined up, too.
I've done other Futurelearn courses - sometimes participate and sometimes just read through the material and comments and do the exercises by myself. If you have lots of time, you can even read ahead on the course, which is useful if you need to juggle your availability.
Someone on Rootschat originally put me on to Futurelearn courses - Thanks! 8)
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thinking of joining as well. hopefully I can do it from Canada
cheers
anne
I am in South Africa and my application went through, got the confirmation email and am all registered and signed up, so don't wait do it ;)
Seems there is going to be quite a crowd of Chatters on this course :) :)
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also joined
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Don't worry about keeping up, Wiggy - you can work at your own pace and either keep up with the front-runners or just plod happily behind. They leave the site up once the course is finished, so that those who prefer to work at a slower pace can get to the end without a struggle. As hsfam says, you can choose the way you want to do it, and there really isn't any pressure, other than the willingness to learn and the excitement of finding out new things!
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Well that's nice to know! thanks for the reassurance. ;)
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I am in the middle of my first Futurelearn course, as recommended on this site! I am a bit behind but will just keep going. I wondered about the genealogy course, sounds as if I had better sign up.
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I have just signed up for the course. Have not done anything like this before. Looking forward to it.
cheers
anne
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I'm signed up too :)
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This sounds really interesting, thanks greensleeves for posting the link. I've lapsed a bit recently with my research, ::) so this will hopefully get me back on track. Not sure what I'll be doing in March, but I guess I can always catch up with it if I'm away and unable to access the internet for a couple of weeks?
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Not sure what I'll be doing in March, but I guess I can always catch up with it if I'm away and unable to access the internet for a couple of weeks?
No problem with that, there is no one checking up on you, you work at your own speed.
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Done a few FutureLearn courses and some can be seen as taster sessions, especially ones run by lecturers, as you'll often get directed to their courses should you want to study the subject further.
Their MSc course has an outline you can look at http://www.strath.ac.uk/media/ps/cll/cpd/docs/PG_Genealogy_Timetables_2015-16_FT-2015-04-10_public.pdf
which may give an indication as to what might be covered.
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That looks quite heavy - from the courses I've done with FL they are very user friendly. At the end of each course they do give you a link to full time courses the relevant university runs and I expect some people do go on to study. Most though just do the MOOC courses for fun.
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That looks quite heavy - from the courses I've done with FL they are very user friendly. At the end of each course they do give you a link to full time courses the relevant university runs and I expect some people do go on to study. Most though just do the MOOC courses for fun.
That is the fulltime course, NOT the MOOC :). I don't expect the course will be very heavy. What I like about these courses is that lectures have comment threads where students give opinions on.
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What I like about these courses is that lectures have comment threads where students give opinions on.
I think that is one of the best things about the courses, the interaction and discussions with other learners. Those who are more experienced help others and people are not worried about asking questions. It is often the learners who give links to other sites, books etc that they have found interesting and useful.
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I too enjoy reading the comments of other students on these courses: a lot of people are incredibly knowledgeable and are happy share their thoughts/experiences/knowledge, which beautifully augments the course content.
I remember when we were doing the England in the Time of Richard III course with FL, I happened to discover that my ancestors came from a village in County Durham owned by Cecily Neville, Richard III's mother. When Richard travelled to London to claim the throne, many of the men from the village accompanied him. It was exciting enough for me to have discovered that, but even more so because of the timing, which meant I was able to share something of relevance to the course with my fellow students.
That is in my opinion one of the strengths of these courses: it's not just the course content which is important but also the role played by the students.
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The Future Learn MOOC courses are terrific. I've done several and enjoyed them all, though I think you need to spend more time on them than they suggest (or is it just that my brain doesn't work a fast these days?).
Make sure that when you introduce yourself to others you mention RootsChat. it looks as though there will be lots of us doing this.
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I agree about the amount of time, Gill - with all the courses I've done I have spent far more time than they estimate. It could be that I read a discussion on the discussion thread and then have to go off and read up about it, and then there's another hour gone. But as you say, the FutureLearn MOOC courses are terrific.
I've managed to identify some of the Rootschat crowd who have signed up for the course and have 'followed' them. Plenty of time to ID all the others. I just wish the course started sooner. Am really looking forward to it.
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it does look as if we are going to be a merry band doing this course and I myself can't wait from what has been said on this thread it looks as if it is going to be very informative and lots of fun.
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Make sure that when you introduce yourself to others you mention RootsChat. it looks as though there will be lots of us doing this.
Gill, I'm following you now!
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I've signed up as well
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Great, Historycat! Could you PM me with your 'real' name so we can find you! Ah, not necessary, I've found you on there!
Regards
GS
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I see you have followed me as well! I have one of my U3A group joined up, I'll have to get her to introduce herself. We appear to have quite a number of chatters on there
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The handy thing is once one of us follows we should be able to track each other. I hope I'm following the right person Historycat! ;D ;D
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I've just found a few fellow RootsChatters, and 'followed' you all, so hopefully we can keep track of each other 8). Any more RootsChatters on there - please identify yourselves :)
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I've just found a few fellow RootsChatters, and 'followed' you all, so hopefully we can keep track of each other 8). Any more RootsChatters on there - please identify yourselves :)
I'm following you - I feel like a stalker. ;D ;D
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I'm also feeling like a stalker....... ::) ;D ;D
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I've just joined in the stalking :) Greensleeves I know I'm following you as you introduced yourself by your rootschat name , I have done the same. I'm also following a number of other rootschatters :)
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I just hope that everyone I'm following is from RC otherwise they may wonder who the strange woman is!
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You've convinced me, I'm in too. :)
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Well done - I'm following you!
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Is anyone else having a problem with the link to the survey on this course. When I click it, it says it's broken
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Yes, I did a couple of days ago, obviously they haven't fixed it yet.
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How do these courses work when everyone does not have access to the same information?
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Yes Groom just had a notification that you are following me, along with several others!
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It's all online, Erato, so any links given can be accessed by everyone. They sometimes recommend extra reading for interest but that isn't necessary to complete the course. In the ones I've already done there have been short lectures, videos, discussions. Then the learners tend to pick it up with lots of discussion on line. The moderators are lecturers from the Uni and they keep an eye on the discussions, answering questions where necessary and stepping in if anyone gets out of line!
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Oooh I'm being followed :D
I managed to fill in the survey this morning, so the link was working for me. A lot of the questions were generic for all courses, asking about career development etc, which wasn't relevant for me, I've done with my career, now I'm trying something completely different!
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Everyone does have access to the same information, Erato, but they don't have to work at the same place. What we are doing currently is trying to identify the RC participants so we can 'follow' them and read any comments they might post once the course starts. We also 'follow' other people, for example those whose research might be in the same areas as our own. You can read everyone's posts but with over 2,000 people taking part, the way to keep in touch is to 'follow' people so that you can prioritise their posts if you wish
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Oooh I'm being followed :D
I managed to fill in the survey this morning, so the link was working for me. A lot of the questions were generic for all courses, asking about career development etc, which wasn't relevant for me, I've done with my career, now I'm trying something completely different!
Hmmm still not working for me. Anyone know if the survey is individualised to the people following the course or is it a generic one that all people on that course fill in please?
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I have had a new email from Future Learn inviting me to complete the survey - this time it worked!
Really looking forward to this course - thanks for the heads up. Great to see so many references to RootsChat in the discussion thread. We seem to be gaining new members!
William
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Hmmm still not working for me. Anyone know if the survey is individualised to the people following the course or is it a generic one that all people on that course fill in please?
It's the same survey for all Future Learn courses as far as I remember.
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I have had a new email from Future Learn inviting me to complete the survey - this time it worked!
Really looking forward to this course - thanks for the heads up. Great to see so many references to RootsChat in the discussion thread. We seem to be gaining new members!
William
Did you report the fact it wasn't working? Is so where/to who did you report it please?
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No I did not report it - just went into my emails earlier this evening and there was a new email from them and this time the link worked. Perhaps its on its way.
William
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As the course doesn't start until March, they probably weren't expecting 2,000 people to be stamping a path to their door this early on in the proceedings! ;D
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As the course doesn't start until March, they probably weren't expecting 2,000 people to be stamping a path to their door this early on in the proceedings! ;D
Shows how well they don't know us. Shall we start a panto going? ;D
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Shall we start a panto going?
Please don't expect a picture with a mad parrot - I've knocked off for Christmas. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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In all seriousness I've signed up for the Agincourt one as well, just to get a taste for it. Always liked my history....
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Stuart, I did the Agincourt one recently, it was fascinating. I can also recommend England in the Time of Richard III, and Hadrian's Wall. All three are great courses and totally fascinating. (I always liked my history too....) ;D
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Stuart, I did the Agincourt one recently, it was fascinating. I can also recommend England in the Time of Richard III, and Hadrian's Wall. All three are great courses and totally fascinating. (I always liked my history too....) ;D
Tempting though it is to sign up for about 6, I do have a full time job unfortunately. However it does appear that they repeat them more than once, so all is not lost :)
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I'd definitely recommend the England in the Time of Richard III - that has been my favourite course so far. The Agincourt one was also good though.
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Have just joined the course. Looking forward to it very much. I know it is still a week off but may I wish all, particularly the moderators who keep us all on course, a very happy Christmas and a peaceful 2016. isk :) :) :)
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I've joined as well. My first genealogy formal or informal tuition. Whichever it might be.
Regards Crowsfeet
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I've joined too, should be interesting ;) ;)
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Me too. Really looking forward to it. :) :) :)
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Just checked in on the site, there are a good bunch us Rootschatters on there, I think the course is going to be great.
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We may have encouraged a few more to join RC as well. There are at least two who have asked about it!
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If it's the same post I saw they pronounced us a friendly looking bunch :) :)
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If it's the same post I saw they pronounced us a friendly looking bunch :) :)
That's right. ;D ;D
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It's been a long time since I "studied" anything so I am really looking forward to it. Especially as it is an interesting subject even if you aren't addicted to it ;D ;D
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Yay,my first EVER follower. Is that you Groom?
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Like you 3sillydogs, I haven't formally studied anything for ages. I hope I can cope. :o
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Folk who've done these courses before say you can work at your own pace, so I'll just have to take their word for it ;) ;)
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Just wanted to say good luck everyone, I won't be doing this course as I did the full Masters with Strathclyde.
However I see the Educator is Tahitia McCabe who was my 2nd year lecturer. She is full of knowledge, lots of fun and a great tutor. So enjoy everyone.
I am going to go and have a look at the Agincourt course now.
Kerry
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It's fine, there really is no pressure on these courses. When it starts you will see all the 'lessons' for the week, which usually starts with an intro, and then you work your way through each section, ticking them off as you go. Some are videos, some are articles, and the good thing is you don't need anything else other than your computer because the resources are there online. There will also be links given which you can follow if you wish, which give further information; these are generally optional.
After each 'lesson' you are invited to comment about what you have learnt, but you don't have to. I've found quite often that other people have already posted opinions similar to mine, so I haven't felt it necessary to add anything other than a 'like'!
Thanks for that info kerryb - am looking forward to the course.
I did the Agincourt course earlier this year and thoroughly enjoyed it! However so far my favourite has to be the Hadrian's Wall course; the people who run that are so hands-on and enthusiastic, it was an absolutely wonderful experience for everyone concerned.
Regards
GS
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Yay,my first EVER follower. Is that you Groom?
;) Yes
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So now I'm following you and 3sillydogs. Hope we don't end up going round in circles :D
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How often are these courses repeated? I'd be interested in doing the Richard III and Agincourt ones once this is finished (if I like it).
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As GS said there really is no pressure. My first course was the Hadrian's Wall one and I was a bit concerned as it was the first online course I'd ever done and I was worried about having to get things done by deadlines etc and people chasing you up. It isn't a bit like that though, you work at your own pace and if you don't want to do something, you don't do it! Even if you decide it isn't for you and drop out, no one asks why.
In some of the courses I've done there have been quizzes to help you and at the end of some of the weeks there have been tests. That threw me into a bit of a panic at first! However they were multiple choice and not too hard, also, no one but you knows what you score anyway.
A lot depends on the people who run the course, in some courses the Educators are very hands on, as GS said, and are always about answering questions and joining in the discussions. In others they aren't as visible and often these courses aren't as enjoyable. I think this one though, as everyone will be starting with an enthusiasm for genealogy, should be a good one.
Sustev, I can recommend the Richard III one, I really enjoyed that.
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Thanks for the advice. It sounds so easy. but the Richard III starts 7 March which clashes with this one. I'm hoping it is run again later so I can take it then.
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I have just signed up too ;D
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the Band of Merry Rootschatters is growing by the day :D ;D
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I've joined too! A bit concerned as I haven't studied for many years. Glad there are other Rootschatters doing the course.
Linda
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Linda
A lot of us will be in the same boat, not having studied for a long time. We will be able to support each other and as others have said we can work at our own pace. I think it will be great fun!
William
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I quite fancy doing the Richard III course at a later date and Greensleeves has sold me on the Hadrian's wall course. I think I'm going to have a busy year next year :)
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We'll have to do Richard together!
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Thanks for posting this I have also signed up. It has a lot of interest if there are 11 pages on this thread in three days.
Rishile
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From what I've worked out there are at least 27 of us on the course, but I'm sure I've missed some.
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purplekat
I have a friend who did both of those courses and she really enjoyed them.
cheers
anne
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We'll have to do Richard together!
Yes we will sustev :)
Thanks anne, they sound really good :)
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I have also signed up to do this course and am really looking forward to it starting. Like others I would highly recommend the Richard the third course and also the Hadrian's wall course. Another course which I would recommend is the Agincourt 1415 course and the course which I am currently doing the Exploring English: Magna Carta.
CJL
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Just signed up :)
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I've also done a couple of World War 1 courses with them and they were a bit of an eyeopener.
World War 1: Trauma and Memory
World War 1: Changing Faces of Heroism
I also did another one, World War 1: A History in 100 Stories. That was run by Monash University and was Australian and NZ focused as it dealt with stories about Anzacs. It was very interesting but I wasn't keen on the way it was presented as I found it a bit slow.
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Just another to add to the pot ........ The Archaeology of Portus - the lost harbour of Ancient Rome. The course is not dissimilar to the Hadrian's Wall one but filmed in glorious sunshine - you feel as though your are there on the dig and it links well with 'Hadrian'. There is a great deal of content offered on the course and some wonderful computer generated videos, also examples of laser scanning used to create fascinating animations of the buildings.
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I agree, Maggie: those animations showing how the buildings looked were absolutely stunning. Another stunning animation I fell in love with was from the Hadrian's Wall course. This showed an animated timeline of one end of the wall from before construction up to the present day.
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I'll be up for doing the Richard III and Hadrian's Wall ones later in the year, assuming I enjoy the two I'm signed up for of course. Also, completely differently, contemplating the songwriting one which starts in January. :)
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Aren't they a wonderful resource, these online courses! I think it's amazing that they are totally free of charge and available world-wide.
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Agree - thank you for letting us know about them :)
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Well, the enthusiasm is most definitely infectious. :) I've signed up for the genealogy course, and am looking forward to it for next year. Am still a little bit anxious, as I haven't done any formal learning for years, but I'm sure it will settle down once the course starts. Will welcome some familiar "faces" so I've searched the messages for 2-3 pages back, and 'followed' everyone I found so far.
The other courses mentioned on here also look really interesting as well. At this rate I'll probably spend most of next year in front of my computer. :)
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Umm might need to look into the course --
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Come on Spices, join us!
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I've been busy following all the RootsChatters I can find. And then I filtered all the discussions and just laughed.
There are so many replies from RootsChat people giving advice and ideas to others who mention their problems and brick walls in their introductions!
It seems that RC people just can't help themselves! ::) 8)
Merry Christmas, Everyone! :)
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Well, the enthusiasm is most definitely infectious. :) I've signed up for the genealogy course, and am looking forward to it for next year. Am still a little bit anxious, as I haven't done any formal learning for years, but I'm sure it will settle down once the course starts. Will welcome some familiar "faces" so I've searched the messages for 2-3 pages back, and 'followed' everyone I found so far.
The other courses mentioned on here also look really interesting as well. At this rate I'll probably spend most of next year in front of my computer. :)
What is great about these courses is that they aren't like formal learning, its crowdsourced learning with the option to be involved as little or as much as you want with no pressure to go faster than you are comfortable with. That said, there is a pace the material is released at, and you may feel the need to keep up with the crowd to get the most out of it :). This is because each part has a comment section where students are encouraged to share opinions, and comment on each others.
Judging by the level of interaction in the pre-start thread there will be a lot of peer comments to read :)
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I've signed up :)
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Great news! We certainly have quite a goodly bunch of us on there now.
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Yes there's quite a band of Chatters, hope we can link up with everyone :) :) :)
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At the last count it was almost 40, but I suspect there are others who perhaps have joined but not introduced themselves on Future Learn or who haven't given their Rootschat names.
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I just joined thank you. Please give me a reminder though of when it starts in 85 days time!! :o
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I just joined thank you. Please give me a reminder though of when it starts in 85 days time!! :o
Don't worry, Future Learn are very good at reminding you. They send emails telling you what is happening.
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I joined via Facebook as I was feeling lazy...... :-[
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I joined via Facebook as I was feeling lazy...... :-[
I expect it all links up.
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I wouldn't have known about this course if I hadn't read about it here, so thank you, :) I've signed up too. I haven't studied online before and have never used social media, so am slightly apprehensive about the etiquette of "liking" and "following".
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I wouldn't have known about this course if I hadn't read about it here, so thank you, :) I've signed up too. I haven't studied online before and have never used social media, so am slightly apprehensive about the etiquette of "liking" and "following".
Don't worry, it is quite simple. You click on "like" if you like or agree with something a poster has said. By clicking on "following" it just makes it easier to read posts of people you know or agree with, as you will be informed when they post. You don't have to do either if you don't want to.
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By the time the course starts next year we'll likely have just about all of the Chatters signed up....... 8) 8)
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By the time the course starts next year we'll likely have just about all of the Chatters signed up....... 8) 8)
;D ;D ;D
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Count me in But had to change my user name ;) ;) ;)
Might need to get more internet whatever
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the University of Strathclyde
They seem to be a very outgoing institution. I saw their booth at the RootsTech Conference in Salt Lake City this year. May see them back 2016?
http://londonrootsresearch.blogspot.com/2015/03/day-2-of-rootstech-2015-and-my.html
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Hello, I am thinking of doing this course but I need to read the publicity stuff properly and don't feel I can sit down and concentrate until after the midwinter madness. So I thought I would bookmark this thread and I hope to see you all soon.
Happy solstice, or whatever celebration you enjoy,
Harlemswife
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Hello, I am thinking of doing this course but I need to read the publicity stuff properly and don't feel I can sit down and concentrate until after the midwinter madness. So I thought I would bookmark this thread and I hope to see you all soon.
Happy solstice, or whatever celebration you enjoy,
Harlemswife
There is no penalty for leaving a course after you have joined it, whether that be before it starts, during the course, or after the course has ended. In fact there is no requirement to do the course at all. You will get a reminder when it starts and the start of each week, but no check up on what you have done happens.
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There is no penalty for leaving a course after you have joined it, whether that be before it starts, during the course, or after the course has ended. In fact there is no requirement to do the course at all. You will get a reminder when it starts and the start of each week, but no check up on what you have done happens.
That is the beauty of these courses isn't it - it is entirely up to you how much or little you do? I think that came as a bit of a shock, I expeced it to be more formal, as it was when I was at school and Uni. ;D ;D
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I've just signed up, haven't really got to look at anything yet though. First course I've done with them although I did have a longish chat with the Strathclyde people at last year's Who Do You Think You Are Live.
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There is no penalty for leaving a course after you have joined it, whether that be before it starts, during the course, or after the course has ended. In fact there is no requirement to do the course at all. You will get a reminder when it starts and the start of each week, but no check up on what you have done happens.
That is the beauty of these courses isn't it - it is entirely up to you how much or little you do? I think that came as a bit of a shock, I expeced it to be more formal, as it was when I was at school and Uni. ;D ;D
There is no compulsion to take sessions at Uni, which can be frustrating as a lecturer :(. Material is put online and peer learning encouraged. Its a matter of guiding students to change from how they were taught at school/college.
These courses do progress at a pace and you'll find the bulk of students go at that pace, commenting and interacting, so if you are behind the curve there can be feeling that you need to catch up. Not a great feeling to add some opinion on a section only to feel everyone else has moved on :(. Hopefully with a fair number of RC members on there, some will be going at different paces so people will be able to find/follow someone going at a similar pace at least :)
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Thanks for this, I wouldn't have come across it by myself. I have just signed up ;) Looking forward to getting started.
I'm working nights at the moment but will have a proper look and say hello in the discussion bit once I'm back in the land of the living.
Thanks again :D
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I found it and signed up too in the hopes of finding a relative as I keep coming up against brick walls - thick ones too.
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By the time the course starts we'll probably have the whole of RC on it ;D ;D ;D
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I am only taking it to find my great grandfather and all I have is his marriage cert so it is proving almost impossible at the moment to find him so I hope this course helps as I am fed up with all the brick walls I am finding but never him.
Decided it was worth a try and cannot hurt.
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I am only taking it to find my great grandfather and all I have is his marriage cert so it is proving almost impossible at the moment to find him so I hope this course helps as I am fed up with all the brick walls I am finding but never him.
Decided it was worth a try and cannot hurt.
Have people on here failed to find him as well?
That may be your reason at the moment, but I'm sure if this course is as good as the others that I've done, you will enjoy it.
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Have people on here failed to find him as well?
Quite a few threads, groom ;) - the most recent
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=740043.msg5863281
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Have people on here failed to find him as well?
So far, yes >:( links here
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=740043.msg5863206#msg5863206
Added sorry josey i see you have now added a link to the same thread :-[
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Unfortunately yes, no luck here but probably as it is a long and complicated case. Someone has just said it is possible to find him on just a marriage cert but not so far so I canonly hope the course will help as I am hitting brick walls. 12 years is a long time to look for one person.
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By the time the course starts we'll probably have the whole of RC on it ;D ;D ;D
I've just signed up too :) sounds really interesting (as well as possibly finding other means of discovering my gg grandmother who disappears after 1881 (aged 60). Also hunted for on here ;D)
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Currently studying The British Empire Future Learn course and if anyone wants another course after the Genealogy one, I highly recommend it.
Really got me thinking about subjects that I have never really thought about before and it is giving me a useful background to my genealogy in terms of some places some of them lived.
Kerryb
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Many thanks, Greensleeves, for starting this thread and alerting all of us lucky RCers about the course. :) I've counted 41 RC members signed up so far but there must be more than that because there are a few chatters in this thread that I've not picked up on when reading the intro's. :-\ ::)
I've given Rootschat several plugs (as have others) so there might be a rush of new members heading in this direction!! ;D ;D
I've checked out what other courses Futurelearn offers and have made a list of about two dozen more that I'd like to do! :o I hope they get repeated because that's far too many to do in a short pace of time. Having said that, my list is already two shorter because I've just completed a couple of courses to get a taster of what's ahead.
Incidentally, does anyone know anything about EdX? I saw it mentioned on Futurelearn and Googled to find the website. It appears to be similar to Futurelearn but USA-based so I'm wondering about data protection issues as it's outside the EEA? Three or four courses on offer there that may interest me.
Thanks again, ;)
theirchild
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I've registered for this one - as a Dundonian how could I resist....
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/identifying-the-dead
Jen
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Me too, I love forensic stories so it should be interesting as it's linked to a new Val McDermid story.................
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I'm doing the "How to write your first song" one at the moment, just to see what it's all like, and have Agincourt coming up soon too.
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Well I signed up as well looks like they will be snowed under from rootschat :o Always want to learn more
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Not long to go now, starts two weeks Monday - March 14th.
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Signed up last year, but only just seen this thread. Now trying to get copies of the recommended reading - rare as hen's teeth :'(
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I got one of the books from our local library and they are trying to bring in the other book from another library..
cheers
anne
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6 week course (4 hours / week) starts Monday 14 March so sign up now if you're interested.
That's it really.. Full information at:
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/genealogy
Topics merged.
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Hi Cavanaghs, there are at least 40 of us signed up already and following each other. Should be fun.
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Hi Groom .. Yes, I realised too late that there was already a thread about this course :-[ Great that so many people have already signed up - see you all there!
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I have tried to access, but the recommended books are not available - not in libraries and out of stock to buy. Must be a popular course.
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I've registered for this one - as a Dundonian how could I resist....
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/identifying-the-dead
Jen
I have just registered my interest on this one too!
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I wouldn't worry to much if you can't get the books, they are not necessary to do the course. I've just checked and they are available to download if you have a kindle or a kindle app on a computer or tablet.
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That's lucky - I don't have either of those things. :)
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I got "Genealogy: Essential Research Methods" out of my library last year. A good read, starts from basics like getting info from relatives etc. I guess they put the books up because there will be some on the course just starting out on the FH journey.
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For those on fb a page has been set up
https://www.facebook.com/groups/understandinggenealogy/
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Thanks, just joined it.
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Thanks, just joined the group.
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I've always found that people on FL courses are friendly, but I think this one will be even more so, as not only do so many of us have a common interest, but we already feel as if we know each other through RC.
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Just joined the course & Facebook group! Happy researching!
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I have signed up for the course too.
I just received the email about the suggested texts and am thinking of downloading them to my Kindle.
"How to do Everything: Genealogy 4th Edition" is quite expensive, and looking at the rundown of what it contains, I'm not sure it is worth downloading at a cost of more than £12. :-\ It seems that most of that information is available on various websites online (but of course you need to know where to look for it) and many things the book seems to cover, any of us who have done a bit of family history research probably already have a reasonable grasp of.
Does anyone recommend either of the suggested books? (I won't have time to read both of them before next week though) :)
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From other FL courses that I've done, although books are recommended as background reading, none have been necessary to complete the course. Usually each part of the course has links to online sites etc if you want to go further.
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I've also signed up for the course, looking forward to it. Thank you everyone for this thread, I wouldn't have known about it otherwise. I can see quite a few years worth of future study in lots of different areas opening up before me ...
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Just joined the FB group!
I got the Genealogy: Essential Research Methods book from Berkshire FHS, but I'm not sure if they have any copies left; it's a good read. I can also recommend "Family History Nuts and Bolts", 3rd Edition, by Andrew Todd. Not as easy a read, but worthwhile nevertheless.
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I haven't read the foregoing, but what I would find most useful, would be a complete comprehensive list of resources and where they can be found. A summary of what each item contains would be useful too.
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I don't know about a complete list :o but Ancestral Trails by Mark Herber is a good start - 800+ pages, plus bibliography and extensive index. Just don't get a hernia when you pick it up ;D
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Thanks for the comments about the reading material.
It will be interesting to see how the course pans out and whether or not the books will be useful.
I have Ancestral Trails and have read it, but that was some time ago.
I suppose any links they provide will suffice, especially for anyone who has done a bit of family history before and understands some of the basics.
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Just joined the Facebook group, really looking forward to it :D :D
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Am one of the many RootsChatters signed on for the FutureLearn course, but don't do (and would never do - too much personal information given away every day there) Facebook. Hope I'm not going to miss too much from any shared discussions on that site, but it's great that so many of us are joining the course.
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I've joined the FB group, but may drop out of that. Not only am I getting bombarded with posts as there are now about 300 people in that group, but I'm a bit worried that some are far too ready to give away information to strangers. There is now a map on there where people are being encouraged to mark where they live, slightly dangerous as most people use their real name on FB. I'm trying to find a way to hide the group until the course starts.
I don't think you need worry Gillg, from other courses I've done with FL, most of the discussion goes on on that site, anything else such as FB and Twitter is just an extra.
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I don't do facebook either, Gillg but, given that there are now well over seven thousand comments in the welcome area and rising, I think there will be a lot of discussion. People who have done other Future Learn courses have commented that they have never seen so much interest before.
William
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I agree with that, William. Once the courses get going there is usually a lot of chat on the FL forum, but I haven't seen as much on the introductory one before. Perhaps it is that genealogists are used to, and are comfortable with posting on forums such as this. Or perhaps it is just that we are a friendly bunch who share a common interest and like talking about it.
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Have just registered and done my introduction post. I'm going to read the rest of the introductory stuff tomorrow, as I've just seen the time, it's just going hit 2am, and I'm for bed! Where has the time gone tonight?
I'm going to point my relative in Scotland to this course, he hasn't been researching for very long, and as he's housebound at the moment, I think he might be quite interested!
Doubtful if I'll do the Facebook thing though, I have enough going on there already, but it's manageable and like Groom, don't particularly want to be it bombarded with any extras that probably won't interest my own friends (mostly family and old friends on there). I already bombard them enough with FH stuff, when I see them, or we email.
We could do our own little chat on TOT if we're allowed to do that!
Night all! Have a great sleep, or a great day!
Jeanne
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Just registered on this course.Looking forward to it.As it starts on my birthday,it`s my present to me ;D
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Just registered on this course.Looking forward to it.As it starts on my birthday,it`s my present to me ;D
Lashing out this year hullnow? Shouting yourself a free course. ;) ;D
Happy birthday. :)
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We could do our own little chat on TOT if we're allowed to do that!
Night all! Have a great sleep, or a great day!
Jeanne
Perhaps we could, I see my FB page is filled with posts, didn't think it would get so out of hand. ;D ;D
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Maybe a stupid question but would FutureLearn have any restrictions "i.e. copyright of the source" to be repeated on RootsChat. I do not want any more unwanted mail than I already have to deal with just by going on to Google ??? Lookin2
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Really looking forward to this course starting ;D
Re the recommended reading, neither are available from any of our libraries, but I've found both available as ebooks on Kobo. (Not sure if you have to buy a Kobo ereader first, I already have one, but now I can also read stuff on a tablet/laptop, which is great). I've downloaded the first chapter of the Helen Osborn one for free, and it looks quite promising, and is priced at £4.79, which isn't too bad, so I might get this. The other one is about £15, so I'll leave that for now.
Re Facebook, I do go on this from time to time, but have been put off joining the group by the comments on here. I'm sure there'll be plenty discussions on Futurelearn and Rootschat to keep us all going ;D
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I've sorted the number of posts on FB by hiding the group for now. I'll open it again once the course starts.
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I've sorted the number of posts on FB by hiding the group for now. I'll open it again once the course starts.
I did the same, will see how it goes once we start......
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I just signed up for this course last night, and am really looking forward to it! It's my first time, so perhaps someone could answer a couple of questions for me:
How did you find the recommended reading list?
Can I follow RootsChatters' discussions even if I'm not on Facebook (and don't plan to be)?
Thanks,
Arkay
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How did you find the recommended reading list?
Can I follow RootsChatters' discussions even if I'm not on Facebook (and don't plan to be)?
I haven't bothered with the reading list at the moment. At the end of every unit they usually give links to online resources, so if you want to do background reading you can follow those. If you mean how did we get to know about the list, it was in one of the emails. ;D
You can choose who you want to follow on the course, so once you mark them as following, when they make a comment on the FL site, you will get notification so that you can see it. If you look at the introduction part, a lot of people have said who they are on Rootschat. It isn't necessary to join the FB group.
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Most of the Rootschatters are following each other and there is already quite a group of us.
I also haven't bothered with the reading list, mainly because my local library doesn't have them and am glad to see from Groom that there will be links to online resources...
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Thank you both for your replies. But I still don't quite know how I can tell if someone in the discussion is a "RootsChatter" or not! (In my profile, I noted I was a member of Rootschat, but I didn't use the same username as I do on RootsChat.)
Arkay
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If you read people's introductions, a lot of us have said who we are on RootsChat. I'm afraid that's the only way you will know. Once you find one Rootschatter, have a look at who they are following and follow the same people.
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Hi folks. Just signed up. Have done a course with them before and it was really good.
Milly
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Wouldn't you know it? Just as the course is about to begin Gmail is playing up and displaying the message "Something's not quite right. We are having trouble connecting to Google." This has been going on all morning. Will they get it right in time, I wonder? Just what are BT and OR doing about improving service? Grrrr.... >:(
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You can join after its started. :)
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There is a support group for this course on Facebook if anyone interested.
SM ...
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Is that the one Historycat mentioned earlier or a different one?
For those on fb a page has been set up
https://www.facebook.com/groups/understandinggenealogy/
I've had to hide that group as my FB wall was filled with posts from there!
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Am seriously thinking of joining the course but don't do Facebook or Twitter or any of the others.
Children think it's a great idea but having reservations as to whether I would be able to cope or not.
I will be 80 in a few weeks time and don't know whether the little grey cells will manage to keep up.
Will I be able to take more than 6 weeks to complete the course if needed?
Aquilegia 18
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I don't do facebook or twitter either - come and join me as I am also having second thoughts but Groom assures me that it is very laid back and no pressure to do anything - or do everything - or somewhere in between -
That sounds as if you and I could cope doesn't it??
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Hi Aquilegia, you DON'T need Facebook or Twitter, they are all just extras, the course can be done without them.
The Futurelearn courses are very laid back and easy going. It is very relaxed and you can do as much or as little as you want. I was very apprehensive when I did the first one, as I thought it would be like when I last did any studying, ie things having to be done in a set time. It isn't a bit like that. You can take as much time as you like over it, so if you can't do it one week, just do it the next. It stays open after the last week, so no worries about that, take as long as you want to finish it.
One course I did, I realised after a couple of weeks it wasn't for me, so just stopped doing it. No one contacted me to ask why, or anything like that. It is very impersonal in that way. On another, there was a piece of work you could send in to be peer marked, again I didn't bother. I did the course for enjoyment, so didn't want to get involved in anything like that.
I'm sure you'll enjoy it, so please sign up.
Just what I said to Wiggy! ;D ;D
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Am seriously thinking of joining the course but don't do Facebook or Twitter or any of the others.
Children think it's a great idea but having reservations as to whether I would be able to cope or not.
I will be 80 in a few weeks time and don't know whether the little grey cells will manage to keep up.
Will I be able to take more than 6 weeks to complete the course if needed?
Aquilegia 18
I think it's fantastic that at nearly 80 you are still keen to learn, and obviously happy to use the computer (and RootsChat) too. I hope I'll still be able to keep up with whatever technology is around when I'm 80 - if i get there :). I hope you enjoy the course.
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If it's your first time with one of these courses you might feel pressured to work at speed as some of the other participants seem to do, but they are in all probability young and hoping to use the course as part of a qualification - you can, of course, get a Statement of Participation at the end (for £50!), but since I do the courses for fun (this will be my 5th) I don't bother.
Just work at your own speed and if you find the course is not for you, you can leave it. No one will contact you to discover why, but you can always put a note on the forum if you feel you need to explain. With so many people participating in this one it may be difficult to follow the conversations on the forum, so if you find one of them interesting just select "follow" and you will be kept in the topic.
Sit back and enjoy what's on offer. I just hope BT and Open Reach will get their act together before Monday and allow me to access the course.
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The conversations on the forum do get confusing sometimes, but as Gill said, just follow one or two of us! Or, don't follow anyone and just work through the course, it's completely up to you how you approach it.
The first course I did was Hadrian's Wall and I was worried when I saw that some people had finished the first week on day one and had done the whole course in a week. However, looking at their profiles I soon realised they were serial course doers, and we're just adding them to their CVs. You can get as much or as little out of it as you want.
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For those who are working in the field, employers may pay for their certificate. For this course it is GBP 34.00 plus shipping costs.
You do not need to buy a certificate unless you would like to do so.
SM ...
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I've never done an on-line course before, but am up for doing this one, and thanks to everyone who has allayed my fears of not being up to it technologically, or not being able to keep up with those who finish it in record time :D
I won't be getting the cert - happily retired, so have 'binned' the cv ;D
I'm hoping that this will be a way of learning more about a subject I've been interested in for a long time, in the company of like-minded people, and I'm looking forward to lots of interesting discussions with fellow Futurelearners and RootsChatters. ;D
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Many thanks to Wiggy, Groom and Deirdre784 for your kind comments and support.
I have managed to sign up for the course this morning but didn't know how to identify myself as a Rootschat member.
Any hints on how to do this would be greatly appreciated.
Aquilegia18
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Hi Aquilegia18.
If you go to the discussion page (with now over 8000 comments!) you'll see a 'Most Liked' button. If you click on that then scroll down the page before long you'll see us Rootchatters!
Jen
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Hi Aquilegia18.
If you go to the discussion page (with now over 8000 comments!) you'll see a 'Most Liked' button. If you click on that then scroll down the page before long you'll see us Rootchatters!
Jen
Then once you find one of us, click to see who we are following and follow those people as well.
Only about 12 hours until it goes live!
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I discovered rootschat through the discussion board of futurelearn and now have found there is a free 14 day trial on findmypast. Other novices, like myself, may find this useful.
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Just noticed you are researching Buchanan in Scotland - me too! Will follow you on course. :)
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I discovered rootschat through the discussion board of futurelearn and now have found there is a free 14 day trial on findmypast. Other novices, like myself, may find this useful.
Welcome to Rootschat, glad you found us. Find My Past are also doing a month for £1 at the moment. Just remember to untick the renewal box if you take up that offer.
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=743774.9
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Thanks for that - will follow you.😀
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See you've found me ;D ;D I'm now following you. If you look at who I'm following you should find other members of Rootschat.
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Ummm, I've just signed up (gulp) :-\
We'll be travelling for most of the time and might not have internet access every day, but I'll try to keep up :D
Don't quite get the 'following' thing though. Better go and have another look.
Carol
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Hi Aquilegia18.
If you go to the discussion page (with now over 8000 comments!) you'll see a 'Most Liked' button. If you click on that then scroll down the page before long you'll see us Rootchatters!
Jen
Then once you find one of us, click to see who we are following and follow those people as well.
Only about 12 hours until it goes live!
I signed up for the course ages ago when this topic started, but have only just seen this discussion page! Have joined now too. I've found a few fellow RCers from posts but can't see how to find out who you're all following ???
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I've signed up too!
I've been doing these Future Learn Courses since they first started up, - (I got sent a Link by the OU).
I've done quite a few now, and have really enjoyed them. (So far I've never 'introduced' myself though:-)
Romilly.
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So far I've never 'introduced' myself though:-
I only put my rootschat name on, nothing else ::)
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So far I've never 'introduced' myself though:-
I only put my rootschat name on, nothing else ::)
I guess it depends on what name you've registered under on that Site?
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So far I've never 'introduced' myself though:-
I only put my rootschat name on, nothing else ::)
I guess it depends on what name you've registered under on that Site?
My maiden name ;)
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Hi Rosie99
I see you are following me, so have returned the compliment. :)
Gillg
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Thank you Gillg ;D
Rosie
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We'll all be following each other around like a great big daisy chain at this rate ;D
Carol
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Please can someone help me - where do I find the most liked button on the discussion page :-[ I feel a bit stupid having to ask about this. I have also signed up for the course and looking forward to it.
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Hi Didowells
Under the heading DISCUSSION there are four catergories: Everyone/Following/Most liked/Your comments.
Regards
Jean :)
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When you are on the actual course page, at the top there should be a bit that looks like this:
DISCUSSION (8235) Leave the discussion
Everyone Following Most liked Your comments
If you click everyone, that shows all the discussions.
Following just shows the people you are following and is perhaps the easiest to look at to start with.
Most liked shows the ones that other people have ticked to say they like or agree with.
Your comments, what you have posted and their replies.
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Many thanks groom and purplekat. I hadn't ventured into that bit before! All sorted now.
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The course is now open so those Downunder can start! I'm off to bed so I'm resisting opening it,
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We were encouraged to use our real names on the FutureLearn course. I signed up using mine - now I notice some of you are not doing so, so I have edited my profile and changed my surname. (I did not want to use my real name but it was recommended that you do so).
If some/many/most are using their real names on FutureLearn how do you know who the rootschatters are? (I didn't read all the introductory comments, but I did read some and noted mentions of rootschat however I did not recognize the names).
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Ruskie I used my real name and mentioned my rootschat name in my introduction.
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I used my RootsChat name ('cos I didn't read carefully enough to see that they wanted your real name.) - anyway you'll know who I am! ;)
Moderator Comment: Topic continued here: Free Online Genealogy Course with FutureLearn (Week 1) (http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=743943)