Having a blogging crisis

Yesterday I was privileged to be a member of a blogging panel at the Reality Bites writing festival. In the morning I joined experienced and successful bloggers Matthew Cashmore and Rhonda Hetzel to talk in general terms about blogging. And in the afternoon I led a blogging workshop in a computer laboratory.

Reflecting about blogging
I had a thoroughly enjoyable time and especially enjoyed talking to Matthew who has been blogging for many years and is a social media expert working at Lonely Planet. Our discussions coupled with the fact I am approaching my 2nd year of blogging anniversary has left me to reflect on this blog and ask myself if I am achieving what I set to achieve?

Is this blog meeting my needs and my audience? How can I attract a bigger audience? Now that I am about to become unemployed and consequently beholden to no particular employer or organisation, can I cut loose and write more personal posts? Should I be keeping a personal blog as well as a professional blog? Does this professional blog meet my needs as I start to think about my future direction in terms of employment? If I have a personal blog, do I write it as 'Sarah Stewart'? If I do, how will that impact on my professional identity?

All this reflection has led to the blogging equivalent of a mid life crisis!

I'm bored with my blog
At the moment this blog is boring me. It is dense with professional information and somewhere along the line I have lost a sense of 'me' in it. Now, that has a lot to do with my real life. I have been extremely busy with the eMentoring and Second Life midwifery education projects and have had little time to think about my personal life, let alone write about it. Actually, truth be told, for the last two months I haven't had a personal life. This weekend is the first time I have had a complete break from either project.

Suffering blog envy
I have always insisted that this blog is about my personal learning and I do not particularly want a blog that panders to a certain audience. If I wanted to do that, my blog would be targeted at pregnant women or people interested in clinical midwifery. At the same time, it would be great to reach a wider audience than I am at the moment. This is especially true as I start to look for another job, and think about the future direction of my career.

I guess the bottom line is that I have been afflicted with a major case of blog envy. I want a blog like Rhonda's. But at the same time, if I try to promote a more personal blog, how effective would that be in attracting a widespread audience unless I have something to 'sell'?

Getting back to my roots
I have dug out a post I wrote at the beginning of 2008 that hopefully will help me to refocus called My blog goals for 2008. My goals were:

• use my blog for my own personal and professional learning;
• role model blogging and social networking to midiwves;
• build a midwifery community that goes on to meet via virtual meetings and conferences.
  

I have achieved all those goals - indeed, they are ongoing. So maybe the issue isn't so much my blog, but rather my life style. Maybe, I need to manage my time more effectively so that a. I have a personal life, and b. I find time to blog about it.

Where does Twitter fit into this?
In one sense, Twitter has taken over the role of personal blogging. Whilst I have been writing very few personal blog posts, I have been putting out a lots of personal thoughts and maintaining personal connections on Twitter. So maybe, the option for me is to concentrate on building my blog as a professional space, and using Twitter for making and keeping personal connections?

So you can see, I'm in a right old tiss and would love to hear your feedback. Should I have a personal blog as well as this professional blog? How can I make this professional blog more engaging and attract a wider audience? What do you think?


Image: 'It's the hard knock life!' Ruben Bos
www.flickr.com/photos/82159604@N00/94688137

Menopause - the final taboo?

Now I have reached my mid 40s I am starting to notice a few physical changes that herald the start of the menopause which has got me thinking about how I am about to enter a new phase of my life.

I have spent so much of my adult life focusing on pregnancy and birth, it has come as a shock to realise I know nothing about menopause. It's not something that comes up in conversation when you're talking to young women who have just found out they are pregnant, or whose boobs feel as if they are going to explore just after they have given birth. But now I have started my own journey into the menopause, I have become a lot more conscious about attitudes to this particular rite of passage.

Needing a comb over
I have found it fascinating that people do not appear to want to talk about the menopause and have been wondering why. For example....

I have noticed that my hair has been falling out. Now I am a pretty pragmatic person and don't worry too much about my appearance, but the thought of going bald has set me off in a blind panic. I was all set to make a mad rush down to the emergency doctors but as I had an appointment to get my hair cut - the hair I have left - I thought I'd talk to the hairdresser about it first.

What the hairdresser thinks
The hairdresser is like the local catholic priest - you can tell her anything. The salon I visit is small so conversations are shared. Customers and hairdressers talk about anything although discussion does tend to focus on relationships and sex. So I looked forward to a good old chin wag with 'the girls' about my hair and what to expect.

When I brought the topic up, the very nice (and very young) hairdresser whispered to me that yes, your hair does thin when you become menopausal. And in an even quieter voice which I could barely hear she told me it's because there is a rise in testosterone levels. Then she gave me a rather pitying look and changed the subject.

Hushed tones
What struck me was that if this had been a conversation about sex, pregnancy or even death, it would have been at a normal volume level and more than likely included everyone who was in the salon. But despite the fact that the salon was full of women, my hairdresser and I were talking in whispers. I wanted reassurance and information. What I was left with was a sense of isolation.

So my question - is menopause the final taboo?


Image: 'window voyeurism' .danica
www.flickr.com/photos/55346254@N00/384804105

Reality Bites: How to make a blog

Welcome to Reality Bites Writers' Festival - The what, why and how of becoming blog savvy.

Aims:

How to follow other people's blogs.
To set up blog with appropriate settings.
Be able to discuss why commenting on other people’s blogs is important and enable people to comment on your blog.
Be able to follow your comments on other people's blogs.
Be able to discuss how to control spam.
Be able to discuss why you would or would not moderate your blog.
Be able to use hyperlinks and upload images.
To write first post.
To set up profile.
To exchange blog addresses with other workshop participants.

Useful information
Sue Waters: Here's my first five top tips for writing better blog posts.
Create and maintain a basic weblog: Getting to the point.
Problogger: 31 Day Blog Challenge.
Sue Waters and Michele Martin: 31 Day Comment Challenge.


Feedback
Please leave comments and feedback about the workshop in the 'comments' section of this post.
What did you enjoy? What changes can you suggest for future workshops


Thank you.

Image: 'Sunrise, Noosaville, Queensland.' fastskybus

www.flickr.com/photos/90579847@N00/2481097641

Trip to the Australian outback

Earlier in the week I spent a couple of days in Longreach, which is in the outback of Queensland - three hours flight from Brisbane. I went there to run mentoring and computer skills workshops.

View Larger Map

Outback Australia

The first thing that struck me was just how huge Australia is, and how remote some communities are. Longreach is a warm and welcoming community, but as a city dweller I really don't know why anyone would want to live hours drive away from decent shops and restaurants. However, I was assured that people live in Longreach and surrounding areas because they love the sense of community that prevails as opposed to the less friendly city environments.

Lack of midwifery care

The other thing that stuck me was the lack of maternity and midwifery support people receive in these areas. They have the choice of birthing in the Longreach hospital or driving five hours to Rockhampton. Many make that drive because they do not want to birth in Longreach - something to do with Longreach having a rival rugby team! Yet, to do this, they are required to move there four weeks before the baby is due. There is little to no post natal support or follow up.

It really brought home to me how much work needs to be done to support pregnant women in rural and remote areas, yet at the same time how complex that is. It also really struck a cord with me, and got my midwifery receptors buzzing - how I would love the challenge of working in a rural setting like this...apart from the fact it has no decent shops, MacDonalds.......!

Still no kangaroos
I drove up and down the main highway a few times but still didn't get to see any live kangaroos. But I did see a number of road trains which are another of Australia's icons. They drive so fast and must make a hell of a mess of any kangaroo they drive over.

Hats off
The land is dry and harsh, and very unwelcoming and I take my hat off to the people who live out there. At least today they have modern resources to support their living. How the early settlers survived is a miracle.

At the same time I could see the appeal - maybe it touched the part of me that has descended from generations of West Country farmers in the UK. So maybe my next job is as midwife in rural and remote Australia? Who knows?!

eMentoring workshops

Here is the plan for delivering information about eMentoring as part of the eMentoring project I am coordinating for Aged Care Queensland, which is funded by the Dept. of Health and Aging.

Online (via Elluminate)

Session One (One hour) What is mentoring?
1. How to use various functions in Elluminate.
2. Introductions.
3. What is mentoring? - brain storm on white board
4. How can mentoring be achieved in online environment
5. What do you want to achieve in the eMentoring program?

Session Two (One hour) How to be a mentor or mentee.
1. How to use various functions in Elluminate.
2. Introductions.
3. What makes an effective mentor? - brainstorm and discussion approach
4. How you can work well with your mentor/mentee in online environment.
5. Phases of the mentoring relationship - presentation and discussion.

• How to deal with conflict.
• How to end the relationship.
  

Brisbane 28th May What is mentoring? One and a half hours.
1. Introductions.
2. What is mentoring? - brainstorm and discussion
3. Tello stories of experiences of mentoring in the past - what lessons did you learn that you can take into this eMentoring project.
4. How can mentoring be achieved in online environment
5. What do you want to achieve in the eMentoring program?

Longreach 2nd June What is mentoring? Three hours
1. Introductions.
2. What is mentoring? - brainstorm and discussion.
3. Tell stories of experiences of mentoring in the past - what lessons did you learn that you can take into this eMentoring project.
4. How can mentoring be achieved in online environment
5. What do you want to achieve in the eMentoring program?
Break
6. What makes an effective mentor? - brainstorm and discussion approach
7. How you can work well with your mentor/mentee in online environment.
8. Phases of the mentoring relationship - presentation and discussion.

• How to deal with conflict.
• How to end the relationship.

I would like to acknowledge how helpful Anne Rolfe has been by providing so much useful information about mentoring on her website: Mentoring Works

Image: 'Lua and Ling' _Xti_
www.flickr.com/photos/43746012@N00/218583979

eMentoring computer skills workshop

Image: 'underneath a star' jaeWALK
www.flickr.com/photos/31874781@N00/3133924813

This is the program for the computer skills workshops which aims to prepare people for eMentoring.

Aim of the workshop
To introduce people to various social media tools and resources that can used for communicating with their mentor or mentee.

• Think how you are going to monitor all your different online accounts.
• Think about your online profile, how you want to brand yourself or appear online.
  

Image: 'blue daisy' *L*u*z*a* return to nature
www.flickr.com/photos/11599314@N00/590975150

Synchronous communication
Skype - free calls to anyone in the world who has Skype connection. Can also be used to make free calls to landlines. Can use instant message, voice and video communication.

• Sign up for Skype account.
• Add workshop participants to your contacts list.
• Search for a friend or colleague and add to contact list.
  
• Send a text message to a contact.
  
• Call someone on your contact list.
  

Elluminate - free Vroom for up to three people.

• Sign up for free Vroom.
• Invite a workshop participant to join you in your room.
• Send a text message to the other person.
• Use the audio function and talk to the other person.
• Write a message on the whiteboard for the other person.
  

Image: 'Life lessons' lepiaf.geo
www.flickr.com/photos/10997674@N07/3328823970

Collaboration tools
Google Documents - collaborate and work on a document, presentation or spreadsheet.

• Make a Google account.
• Make a new document.
• Share it with other workshop participants.
• Edit your document.
• Publish as web page.

Doodle - schedule meetings and quick surveys.

• Schedule your next meeting with your mentee or mentor.
  

Image: 'Christmas #1' kevindooley
www.flickr.com/photos/12836528@N00/2070566107

Finding and sharing information
YouTube - web site for sharing videos

• Look for a video on how to use Skype, Elluminate or Google Documents.
  
• Look for a video about topics of interest to you.
• Look for a video related to provision of aged or community care services.
• Look for a video about mentoring.

Slideshare - web site for sharing PowerPoint presentation.

• Look for a presentation about topics of interest to you.
• Look for a presentation related to provision of aged or community care services.
• Look for a presentation about mentoring.

Flickr - website for photo sharing.

• Using 'advanced search', look for images that have a Creative Commons license.

Image: 'Blue is my color' Edgar Barany
www.flickr.com/photos/40579921@N00/2952255374

Some resources and sites of interest

• How to use Google Docs: Common Craft.
• Transforming aged care with technology: Ross Dawson.

Evaluation of workshop: Please complete this evaluation form.

Mentoring indigenous Australians

A couple of days ago I wrote about the feedback I have received about eMentoring and indigenous and Torres Strait people in Australia. I have been considering these issues for the eMentoring program I am running for Aged Care Queensland, and also for the Flexible Learning Course I am taking at the moment.

I have come across an excellent website called Mentoring employers and indigenous trainees to enhance retention. There's heaps of great information so I will not regurgitate it all here. But I was struck by two things.

Values and beliefs?
The first thing is a sentence about values and beliefs.

Awareness, tolerance, and respect for the values of others are essential to establishing a successful mentoring relationship.

Everyone comes to the mentor/Australian Apprentice relationship valuing certain behaviours and ideals. As individuals, we are aware of some but not all of our values. As a first step, mentors should, themselves, recognise the values that are most important to them.

In order for me to develop and design flexible mentoring or education programs for people who are culturally different from myself, I must have an understanding of who I am.

A POM down-under
The older I get the more I am aware of my culture, and I identify very strongly with the anglo-saxon English background and history. But it's the history of England I identify with, and the land. I come from many generations of English farmers and I am very proud to have my roots in the West Country.

At the same time, I am also a Kiwi, and that has become all the more evident to me since I moved to Brisbane for the last few months. I love to identify with the liberal, free-thinking attitudes that I think characterize New Zealand. And I believe I am a lot less judgmental and conservation in my attitudes since I left England. So I think I am a real mix of cultural differences - how I was born and what I have become.

How does that affect my work as an educator?
Hopefully, it helps to me see that everyone has very different backgrounds and roads that they have traveled to get to the point where they are at. In terms of education flexibility, being aware of the cultural influences on people underpins design so that education meets individual needs. This isn't just in terms of the content we provide, but also being mindful of the different ways people learn. So it is not fitting people to education courses and processes, but rather fitting the courses and processes to fit the people.

Supporting indgenous people in a mentoring program
The second aspect of the website that struck me was the practical advice that was given about running a mentoring program for indigenous people. Whilst this information is directed at mentoring programs, it is just as relevant for more formal education courses.

It is likely that Indigenous Australian Apprentices will require support in the:

Recruitment stage - they may not be adequately prepared for direct entry into a structured training programme.
Formal training stage - they may have difficulty with aspects of the learning.
Work-based stage - they may require help in adjusting to the requirements of regular attendance and establishing effective working relationships.
Transition from training to an ongoing working role - they may need to explore and revise their attitudes and values associated with work, careers and financial security.

The message to me continues to be that people need support, edication, mentoring, professional development, call it what you will, in an individualised way - which to me is at the heart of flexible learning.


Image: 'Beach Access' G a r r y
www.flickr.com/photos/31533886@N00/2866282852

Flexible learning, eMentoring, cultural differences and sustainability

Flexible learning has been a theme for me this week as I have been progressing with my eMentoring project and also thinking about the Flexible Learning Course I am taking at the moment. One aspect we have been asked to consider is cultural inclusiveness. How accessible is education to people of different cultures and how can educational services be improved?

eMentoring and indigenous and Torres Straits people
To cut a long story short, one of the remits of the eMentoring project I am managing for Aged Care Queensland (funded by the Dept. of Health and Aging) is to recruit indigenous and Torres Straits people as eMentors and eMentees. This is because they are identified as a group of people who require support in the workplace, but do not get it as much as they should. eMentoring is part of an ongoing strategy to recruit and retain more indigenous and Torres Strait people in the aged care workforce.

However as yet, I have been unable to recruit any one from that cultural group into the project.

Barriers to eMentoring
I went to Cairns this week and spoke to several people involved with providing education and employment services to indigenous and Torres Strait people and asked them why they thought the eMentoring project has not attracted participants from that cultural group. The main issues were lack of access to the Internet, especially in remote areas such as Thursday Isalnd. Internet coverage is very unreliable in rural/remote areas. Lack of computer skills was one of the other main issues.



Cultural considerations
But things were a little more complex than the usual lack of access and skills. Other feedback I receieved was:

• Indigenous people are very unlikely to engage with any form of electronic communication because they much prefer face-to-face communication;
  
• Building a rapport and feeling of trust is vital when working with indigenous people -this would be very difficult with computer-mediated communication (CMC);
• Literacy levels are very low in indigenous communities so text-based communication would be problematic;
  
• Communication tools such as video and audio would not engage indigenous learners because of the complexity of the technology;
• People would not want the shame of 'failing' if they could not get their heads around eMentoring;
• Partners could put up barriers because of jealousy, especially if the mentors/mentees were of the opposite sex;
• The lack of privacy due to living in a close community could prevent people using community computers.
  

Need for mentoring
Having said all that, the people I spoke to emphasized the great need for mentoring, especially for indigenous people entering the workforce or moving to a new job. It was felt that face-to-face mentoring was by far the most desirable mode of delivery. And there would need to be intensive work done to build rapport and trust (5-6 meetings are required before trust begins to form), especially when the indigenous person begins a new job or education program.

Image: 'For Chris Wilson, to Smooth the Edge' mollyeh11

www.flickr.com/photos/26015483@N00/2222131958

Making assumptions
I am not altogether sold on the idea that indigenous people would not engage with video or audio technology. If it was provided and made very easy to use, people may find it a much more user-friendly mode of communication, especially as their culture is of oral communication.

Somehow I feel very uncomfortable with the feedback I received. It felt to me as if indigenous people are being prevented from having the opportunities to engage with technology because a number of assumptions have been made. Sure, we need to pay considerable attention to the feedback I have discussed, and make sure people get the face-to-face support and education they need. Yet at the same time, I also think we should do all we can to provide opportunities for online learning and networking for those who are interested. If we do not provide alternative modes for learning, how can people say whether they like them or not?

Sustainability
I have become more and more convinced that small rural communities need to work together to provide access to computers and Internet, as well as training. As educators, we need to think about how we can hook into local libraries, schools and learning networks and collaborate to provide education opportunities to the wider community. So, for example, if I go to Chinchilla to provide a blogging workshop to staff in aged care I should make sure it is open to the whole community. This increases flexibility of learning, and it also goes some way to address the issue of sustainability.

This may mean that we have to do things for 'free' which could prove to be a stumbling block for administrators and accountants. But I truly believe that thinking about the 'greater good' is one way of dealing with flexibility and sustainability in education.

I would love to hear from anyone involved in providing education to indigenous communities. What would be your advice to me about how I can engage indigenous people in my eMentoring project?

My experiences of flexible learning

I attended an online discussion about flexible learning last week as part of the Flexible Learning Course I am taking. And it came to me that it would be useful for me to reflect on my own experiences of flexible learning as a student before I jumped in with deciding what other people want or should have.

Choosing my own project
My first experience of flexible learning was when I was studying for my undergraduate honors degree in health studies back in the late 1990s. I was able to choose to write up a project that I had carried out, as opposed to taking a set paper/course.

The advantage of this was that I was able to incorporate work that I was already doing into my course, which I believe is a vital strategy for flexible learning. It saved me time, and allowed me to think about work that meant something to me, as opposed to inflecting assessment on me that had no value to me.

Support and criteria
But I didn't do very well for the assessment ie in the writing up of the project. The project itself was extremely successful, but I didn't score a very high grade when I wrote it up because I did not properly address the criteria of the assessment.

I have always thought since that experience, that it is all well and good giving students choice, and 'allowing' them to do their own thing or make up their up assessment. But educators must support students when they take that approach to assessment, ensuring the students properly understand what outcomes they need to achieve and how the outcomes relate to their own particular project.

If you do not do that, I believe you set students up for failure.

Giving students freedom
I had a similar experience of flexible learning last year when I did the Design and Construction Course. Again, I did not quite follow the prescripted pathway of the course, but was encouraged to do my own exploration, and complete assessments that suited my own learning context.

This time, my experience was very positive. I was very well supported by the course outline, with lots of guidance and help with how I could do what I wanted to do yet meet the course outcomes. The result was that I learned a lot, passed the course and found the whole experience to be an extremely positive and constructive one. The assessments met my own personal needs as opposed to being there for the sake of it, causing me grief and making me do something that has absolutely no relevance to my learning.

Relevance of assessment
I'll be the first to admit that there are plenty of times that educators give students assessments that seem to have no relevance to the student at the time. What they actually doing is building a foundation for the student to go on with in the future. And there are other times when the student does not understand that the assessment has relevance for the future, not necessarily for the 'here and now' ie students lack the 'big picture' that the educators can see. So the student has to 'trust the process'- as I was always very fond of saying to my undergraduate midwifery students.

But as educators, I think it is vital that we look at our assessments and check out their appropriateness and relevance. Are we making student take assessments for the sake of it? What do the assessments add to the students' learning? How can the assessments be made 'flexible' to suit individual students' needs within the constraints of mandated course outcomes?

Can you think of an example of a course you took part in that was flexible and tailored to your individual learning needs? What aspect of the course did you like and what aspect did not work for you?


Image: 'zone5' SideLong
www.flickr.com/photos/45936582@N00/2909952599

How to find party dresses in Second Life

There are many places in Second Life where you can go and find new clothes that are free. But finding these places can be difficult when you are a newbie. And even when you get to a store, it can be a little intimidating finding your way around and knowing how to change into the new clothes.

One place you can go is Performance Island which is affiliated to Coventry University. Once you get there, you will find a choice of some fabulous free party dresses which you can have. Unfortunately there are no dress suits for you chaps, but don't let that stop you having fun!

How to get there

1. Teleport to Performance Island:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Coventry%20University/25/32/31/



2. Follow the sign to "Ladies Dance Wear"


Choose a dress

3. Click onto the dress you would like to try on.

4. Click onto "buy" (don't worry, although it says "buy", the dresses are free and you do not need any money). The dress will be saved in your inventory.

Putting on your dress

5. Go to your inventory on bottom right hand corner and click onto "recent items"


6. Click onto folder which will have title of dress eg "Blue Ruffles Gown". In the folder will be various items of clothing that will make up the whole outfit ie shirt, skirt and shoes.

7. Click on an item of clothing. Then right click and then click onto "wear".

8. Repeat this on each item of clothing until you are wearing the whole outfit.



Now you are ready to go and "party on down!"





Do you know of any other places where you can get free clothes, for chaps as well as women?


Images: Petal Stransky (me) and Aastra Apfelbaum (Deborah Davis)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahmstewart/sets/72157606092943201/

Using Second Life to teach students about clinical practice

The Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College London has developed a teaching/training resource in Second Life for their medical students. They simulate clinical scenarios for students to work through in the virtual environment.

We will be using a similar approach in the virtual birth unit as midwifery students work through simulations of birth scenarios - this video will give you a great idea of the sorts of approaches we will be using.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnPYhSbSABA

Blogging in Chinchilla

This is my plan for the blogging workshop I am facilitating in Chinchilla on Saturday.

10am-12pm Objectives

• Be able to describe what a blog is.
• Be able to find blogs that interest you.

Here are some blogs that may interest you, or use http://blogsearch.google.com to find blogs.

Gossip: http://perezhilton.com
Rugby: http://www.heavensgame.com/rugby-news
Reality Bites Writing Festival: http://realitybitesfestival.blogspot.com
Problogger: http://www.problogger.net
Dipping into the blogpond - Top 100 Australian blogs index: http://blogpond.com.au/top-100-australian-blogs-index/

• Be able to use a RSS feed to monitor blogs that interest you.
• Be able to describe the aim and purpose of your blog - why am I writing this, and who is my audience?

12pm-1pm Lunch

1pm-3pm Objectives

• To set up blog with appropriate settings.
• Be able to discuss why commenting on other people’s blogs is important and enable people to comment on your blog.
• Be able to follow your comments on other people's blogs.
  
• Be able to discuss how to control spam.
• Be able to discuss why you would or would not moderate your blog.
  
• Be able to use hyperlinks and upload images.
• To write first post.
  
• To set up profile.
• To exchange blog addresses with other workshop participants.
  

Please complete feedback survey

Additional resources:

Sue Waters: Here's my first five top tips for writing better blog posts.
Create and maintain a basic weblog: Getting to the point.
Problogger: 31 Day Blog Challenge.


Image: 'Blogging Au Plein Air, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot'
www.flickr.com/photos/9106303@N05/2177543844 Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

The reality of flexible learning in the context of eMentoring

I am currently living the experience of flexible learning from a design and implementation perspective, and it is not an easy experience.

eMentoring project
I am currently implementing an eMentoring program. To start people off, I am asking them to attend education sessions which include information about eMentoring, computer workshops for people who do not know how to use communication tools like Skype, and one on one work with mentor/mentee to create mentoring agreement or contract.

eMentoring workshops
The workshops are being held in Brisbane, Cairns and Longreach in Queensland. It goes without saying that I want as many people to attend the workshops as possible. It is really important that people understand what mentoring is and how to do it effectively. So these education sessions provide a framework for the eMentoring program.

The computer skills aspect of the workshops is also very important because many of the mentees and mentors have only very basic computer skills.

Barriers
But suffice to say, the same old barriers prevent people attending the workshops including lack of time, lack of financial support to pay for flights and accommodation, huge geographical distances between home and the workshops.

Alternative approaches to face-to-face workshops
There are a number of people who are unable to come to the workshops so I have had to come up with ideas about alternative ways of delivering information and encouraging the project participants to engage with each other. I have developed a handbook and CD Rom (funded by the Gaming Community Benefit Fund) as an asynchronous learning resource, and will be offering online seminars. If I had more time within this project, I would look at designing some supporting learning materials such as videos and podcasts.

Learning needs of mentees
But the need for flexibility extends beyond the actual workshops - I have also had to be very flexible in the way I have facilitated the mentees' thinking about their learning needs and how those needs can be met by the mentors.

I started the project with very fixed ideas about the project, what I expected people to achieve, and time frames. But what I have found is that I have had to talk to people individually in a lot more depth to tease out their issues and learning needs, and take time to make suggestions and guide their decision-making about their goals and objectives. I have also had to come up with completely alternative approaches and tailored packages to suit specific needs and populations.

For example, I am having to make myself available for one-on-one support and tuition, especially with working with indigenous staff in very rural and remote areas. I am also realising that I have to be a lot more flexible with time frames (which is very difficult to do as I am working with a set time frame). Everyone works to their own clock, which begs the question about how we manage the issue of time within formal education programs.

Implications for design of flexible learning
So what have I learned about flexible learning in the last couple of weeks?

1. Learners are not all square pegs that fit neatly into the square holes we design for them -sometimes they come to us as round pegs, so we need to work with them to manage the fitting of their learning needs with education packages, and/or visa versa.
2. It is worth investing the time to fully explore learner's needs and how they can be met.
3. If you want people to engage with your education programs, you have to be prepared to be challenged, which can be quite uncomfortable at times - you may need to very carefully examine your own pre-conceived ideas about education and turn them on their head.

Logistics of flexible learning for educators
My concern about all this 'flexibility' is how much of a time commitment it is for the educator compared to cost - in other words, how cost effective is this 'one to one' work that I have been doing. It has had to be done because of the type of project I am involved with - but would this level of interaction be sustainable in a more lengthy education program?

I would not be able to sustain the sort of one-to-one computer support that I am currently committing myself to. And it just would not be feasible to run around all areas of Queensland running small computer workshops. So I would need to think about how I can utilize community networks and resources to support people in their local environment, especially people in very rural and remote areas.

If you are an educator, what is your experience of designing flexible education programs? How much is it 'nice to do' but in reality is impossible to achieve and sustain? If you are a learner either in a formal education program or undertaking professional development at work, what does 'flexibility' mean to you?


Image: 'Flexibility' Bob.Fornal
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