Sunday, March 1, 2015

Genealogy Do-Over Week 6



Week 6 of the Genealogy Do Over has me:

Evaluating Evidence and Reviewing Online Education Options


Evaluation Evidence
 When adding a Source to my Legacy Family Tree software program, a click of a button takes me to a Source Quality page where I can analyze the information and choose these options:
Source : Original, Derivative, or Authored
Information: Primary or Secondary
Evidence: Direct, Indirect or Negative

There is also an "I don't know" option for each if necessary.

  This is a fairly new tool in Legacy and so as I go over my sources for each ancestor,making sure to use it to analyze each source  attached has been a priority. I have found that going through the process on my computer program has helped me in the last couple of weeks as I have gathered information from Libraries and Archives. It is becoming more routine to evaluate the evidence as I find and record it.

 Reviewing Online Education Options

 There are so many ways to take advantage of online learning for Genealogy!

 Here are some of my favorites:
Webinar Wednesdays (and sometimes Fridays) from Legacy Family Tree Webinars are always free on the day they are given and for a few days afterwards. They also have a subscription that allows for access to all of their past webinars. Each new one is added after the free period. 
  These have been very helpful to learn from the best in the field as they teach on many varying topics. That's where I will continue to be every Wednesday, listening to Geoff and the speaker for that day.
  
Google Hangouts with Dear Myrtle and Cousin Russ are another free way to learn. If you are not familiar with Google Hangouts, it's easy! First set up a profile page on Google+ and then search for the Dear Myrtle community and click to join. Mondays With Myrt is held every Monday, as the name suggests, at 12ET. Topics of genealogical interest are discussed. As Myrt puts it "What ever has crossed our desks this week". Myrt and the gang also hold Wacky Wednesdays where more in depth topics are discussed by one of Myrt's "Cousins". There are also study groups to join in her community as well. There is a Beginning Genealogy class and a Genealogy and the Law class in progress. Information on each of these learning opportunities can be found in Dear Myrtle's community. The great thing about these Hangouts is that they are recorded and are available to watch anytime on Dear Myrtle's youtube channel. I love being part of the community and will participate as often as I can.

Speaking of Youtube, there are many wonderful genealogy videos to take advantage of. When I am trying to find information on a specific subject, I will often search for video tutorial.
   
There are so many more ways to learn on line! Both Ancestry and FamilySearch have classes recorded on their sites. The Family History Library offers classes that can be viewed online.


 Are you on Twitter? The fastest, most entertaining and educational hour is #Genchat hosted by Jen Baldwin of Ancestral Journeys. It's jam packed with information as Jen asks questions pertaining to our subject for the night and we all answer and learn from each other. It's really quite fun and I try not to miss it!

  Didn't get to go to Rootstech 2015 or want to view classes again or see ones you missed? They are now online for free! I will be watching them for the next several months.
  
There are also fee based online classes as well. Our friend Thomas MacEntee hosts several Boot Camps via his Hack Genealogy Page on differing subjects. These are very well done. If you are not able to attend live, you can still purchase the recordings and handouts. I just bought the Scrivener Class presented by Liza Alzo and am looking forward to completing it.

 Another online, downloadable class I am interested in taking is How to Become an Awesome Newspaper Researcher by Kenneth Marks of The Ancestor Hunt Blog.

 There are many online genealogy classes from Universities and Institutes. These are on my bucket list to take in the future. Today, I begin an 18 month journey with ProGen, an online based study group for the book Professional Genealogy.
  
With  Webinar Wednesdays, Monday's With Myrt, Boot Camps with Thomas,  #Genchat on Fridays, ProGen for the next 18months, plus all the other wonderful educational things I add as need or interest arises, will there be time to research? Ah, there's always time to research.....

Are we kin? Please contact me. Together we can find our people.
Thanks for stopping by!



2 comments:

  1. +Cheri,

    Thanks for the mention of +DearMYRTLE and +CousinRuss.

    It fun and we try.

    Russ

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My pleasure, Russ! Y'all have taught me so much! Thanks for reading my post!

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