Jun 03, 2020


Corvid 19 has affected us all in one way or another. The staff at Connections Adult Learning have been adjusting to working from home, having many meetings over Zoom, and communicating with learners and one another over Google Chat.

 

They have also been considering how life will be different even when places like their learning centres in Sharbot Lake and Northbrook reopen. Clearly, for their workshops, it will mean smaller classes to maintain social distancing. They also realize that, with Covid 19 still circulating, a number of you may not feel comfortable coming out to learn, even to a small group setting. But, they feel that shouldn’t mean you lose the opportunity to learn something new or to improve your skills. Therefore, they have been working hard developing a number of online classes to offer now, while they are still closed due to government restrictions, and later, in addition to their regular in-house workshops.

 

Online classes, for those unfamiliar with the term, are simply courses or workshops that are taken over the internet. These courses can be live/synchronous meaning they take place in real time with an instructor providing teaching over the internet. Learners and the instructor can see one another through cameras and talk back-and-forth just as if they were in a classroom. Online courses can also be asynchronous meaning learners access the course online at times suitable to them. In these courses, the instructor may teach the content through a variety of means such as their own pre-recorded videos, online videos (Youtube, etc.), reading materials and activities.

 

There are certainly many online courses out there to choose from, so why might you consider taking an online course through Connections Adult Learning? Besides supporting your local organization, they provide that “connection” to a real person. That is something you often will not get with an online course found on the internet. Even with Connections’ asynchronous courses, they include an online meeting time once a week for individual learners or multiple participants can come and discuss the subject, share challenges and find solutions. As well, by simply emailing or phoning you can access their instructors. There is even the option of going into one of their sites and talking directly to the instructor, with distancing of course.

 

FREE courses are another reason to consider Connections Adult Learning. There is no charge for their training, as they are an Employment Ontario program funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario and through the Canada-Ontario Job Fund Agreement.

 

“Certainly,” says Jim Tysick, one of Connections’ instructors, “we will continue to offer on-site training, both one-to-one and in small group workshops. We realize that online courses aren’t for everyone. Not everyone has the computer skills needed to participate or the internet access. But for some, online classes provide another opportunity to pursue their learning goals in a changing world.”

 

Connections Adult Learning is currently running online classes in Quickbooks and Planting a Garden. They are starting to take registrations for Digital Scrapbooking, Excel Basics, and Improve your Reading while Studying for the G1 Licence Test. These three courses should start rolling out one at a time starting in late June.

 

For more information, look at Connections Adult Learning’s website or Facebook page or call one of their centres Northbrook 613-336-0691 or Sharbot Lake 613-279-2499.

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