Happy Halloween!

 (Krista was running the camera)

We recently had a chance to check out the "Hangout" feature that Google has rolled out. Many compare it to Google's answer to FaceTime or Skype. To make a long story short, it allows people to chat, have a web conference with up to 10 people at a time, and basically hangout over the internet. The video below explains it a little better.

If you have not signed up for a free Google account yet, there is no better time than now! No need for Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, Skype, or FaceTime, with a Google account these capabilities are all included. Communicate with your instructor or other learners in a fun and easy way.

Staying Connected

 Sometimes we get busy and have to juggle many connections in our lives. Finding a balance between our connection with the natural environment (the real world) and the busy world of people phones and computers is important to me. Something as simple as taking a walk helps me to ground myself. Taking time to breathe and appreciate the world around me sometimes gets lost in the need to keep all of the connections going. As an online educator, the connection to learners at the other end is really important to me and I worry when I see learners in my course list who haven't connected for a week. Although I have an expectation that everyone keeps a weekly journal and keeps me up to date with their situation some learners can't connect for some reason and there are short term disconnects. If the disconnect goes on for too long it seems that it becomes more difficult to re-establish a routine.

Getting through online courses is all about staying connected. If you are in an online class and haven't connected for a few days call your teacher or message them to let them know what is happening. Finding a balanced and selective way to stay connected to all of the important things in our lives can sometimes be elusive, but is really worth the effort.

Here is a light hearted introduction to the edcentre.ca team. If you are travelling through La Ronge, please drop in at either the Northlands College location (GED/Literacy/Plato support) or the Northern Lights School Division central office (Online high school courses) for a visit.

Tip for Success

“Pay attention: It's much harder to commit something to long-term memory when our attention's divided, for example while multitasking.”