There is something to be said for what I read recently. Presentation deadlines can be one way to force the writing. Well, with an upcoming symposium at which I will present, a 500 to 750 word summary is required. It has been tough getting it done, as it had me revisiting the literature review and constantly making revisions. I thought it was never going to be complete, and it is standing in the way of me getting the literature review to a point at which I can submit a draft. However, it is now ready! I’m going to get a bit of input before sending it to the symposium coordinator in a few hours, but relief has already set in. Now, with the rest of the available hours today, I will keep writing the more demanding lit review chapter.

Advice? Yes, write often and write for others to read. It should make it much easier to write the thesis in the long-run.

Canadian Society for Training and Development, Edmonton Symposium, May 30 to June 1, 2012

Athabasca University, Research in Distance Education Symposium (RIDES-12), June 7 to 9, 2012

International Institute for Qualitative Research, Thinking Qualitatively Workshop Series, June 18 to 22, 2012

I almost hate to admit to plans for the next two, as I am feeling guilty about these time commitments as I write this post. However, there are two events pertaining to my role as a life insurance broker and my professional memberships. This week I will be at:

PPI Solutions Roadshow, a professional development day sponsored by PPI Solutions, the managing general agency that processes my life and health insurance business, May 15, 2012

Advocis, The Financial Advisors Association of Canada, Update 2012, a professional development day, May 17, 2012

Accessing professional development

This PD fell into the category of being of interest rather than mandatory skills or to obtain a specified number of hours, as required for professional membership and designations. However, I think I learned a number of lessons that will help my development as a researcher. One lesson is that I should be writing for my thesis prior to doing other activities such as writing a blog post!

P.S. I acknowledge the fact that one of my friends has been telling me to do the writing first for 6 months, as she reminded me. Okay, I’m listening to you now!

You Are A Writer (So Start Acting Like One)

Author: Jeff Goins

Having recently started receiving newsletter/blog updates from Jeff, I became aware of an invite to review his upcoming ebook by the above title. My approach to reading it may differ from others. The book is directed at those who wish to write and publish articles and books, but it also addresses other publications, such as blogs. There are similarities to my activities. My goal is to complete a thesis, a major form of writing. Along the way, I blog and hope to publish general and journal articles. Yes, I am a writer and can learn from the experience of others from outside the scholarly realm. I wanted to take a break from my other reading and writing to become inspired by this publication.

At about 100 pages, with a lot of white space and easy to read, it doesn’t take long to get through the book. The first part was quite general, calling the reader to action, to write, as “you are a writer.” There was an emphasis on writing with passion and with the right attitude. That means not writing because you have to but because you want to. Later in the book, Jeff provides tips, approaches, and lessons for successful writing. This includes the need for tools that he presents as a platform, brand, and trust. These resonate with me, as the doctoral journey can involve developing a community (which he also writes about) during what can often be a very individual, and perhaps isolating experience. Jeff talks about building a “tribe” that will help promote your work. I see many examples of that in the academic and general community with which I am associated. Much of this is attributed to social media, and Jeff certainly talks about how it can be used.

Interestingly, he refers to social media as a distraction and indicates he has “little to show” for his time on it. However, there is a little conflict. The same tools identified as distractions are those that can help build community. Since he also mentions examples of social media as platforms for writing, he may be trying to distinguish the ones that are of less interaction from the highly interactive Facebook and Twitter, as examples. But, he later gets back to Facebook and Twitter in relation to tribes, channels, and networks, so the message has to be to use the tools in the right way. Find a few tools that do work and use them, and don’t get sidetracked by extensive time on those that do not directly address your goals!

As an insurance broker, I remember being taught that to get to the big policy cases you need to write a lot of smaller applications. Jeff is saying something similar in his book, being that you need to write daily to develop and grow as a writer. Where have I heard that before? That is a message given to doctoral students, to write each day! As the title directs, “You Are A Writer (So Start Acting Like One).”

It is difficult to put myself in the shoes of others, but I suggest that the book will provide inspiration to those with aspirations to write. For those already writing, it will provide reinforcement and likely present one or more ideas. We always learn something. For me, it is a reminder that I need to write more frequently and to keep my tribes, channels, and networks in mind. While interesting to know how many actually read what I write here, I was reminded that I am really writing because of the passion and desire to take on the writing challenge and produce something. As Jeff points out, we need to get on with it and not worry about how others will respond.

You know, it was a challenge writing this, but it is done. I think I can conclude I was inspired by the book, or I would not have written this. Thanks, Jeff.

This is the Advocis Advisors’ Conference in Edmonton, Canada. Advocis is The Financial Advisors Association of Canada. Insurance and financial advisors come together for a day of educational sessions and networking. Our first session, ’52 ways to wreck your retirement and rescue it’ with Tina Di Vito. She is dynamic and speaking on am emotional subject. It is not (overly) technical, so this helps to grab the attention of most.

So, why is it CE that everyone loves? I suggest that a good percentage of the attendees require CE credit for their Advocis membership, designations as a Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Certified Health Insurance Specialist (CHS), and other possible purposes. Today is worth 6 credits (toward 30 annual required for Advocis membership or as a CLU). CE credits like that received today are not difficult to get. So long as you are in each session, awake or asleep, paying attention or not, the credits add up. There is no worry of studying and writing a test, and (most likely) there are no requirements to actively participate. Breakfast and lunch are included, and it is a great networking opportunity. And the price is quite reasonable! Of course, there are always some (who may not have even chosen to attend) that prefer the free credits that are typically accumulated one session at a time, over a period of time.

We are into session 2. It is with Andrew McLaughlin of Turning Point Law in Sherwood Park, speaking about “Wiils and Succession Act: Updating succession laws. There have been changes to legislation, resulting in the new Wills and Succession Act that was proclaimed on February 1, 2012. We are getting a little more technical in nature, but this information is new and important to know. A large group remained in this room for the session, while others are in two other breakout rooms.

How is your retirement plan? Are your will, power of attorney, and personal directives up to date?

Now the Research in Distance Education Symposium, the theme will be Teaching and Learning in a Wired World. In the past, we had the pleasure of associating with other students and alumni from across the country. I look forward to meeting many new people this year, June 7 to 9, 2012.

From my records, I attended 1998 (Banff), 1999 (Edmonton), 2002 (Banff), 2004 (Banff), 2005 (Edmonton), 2006 (Edmonton), and 2008 (Edmonton).

Will you be attending RIDES-12? Coincidentally, as I was about to publish this, an alumnus just asked me when we will have an alumni reunion in Banff. Well, this is not Banff, this year, but it is a good opportunity to get together.

And later in the day, what a difference…

I am a member of the Alberta St. George of England Society in Edmonton, Canada, where we celebrate Guy Fawkes, the pantomime, Heritage Days, and much more. It is quite an active group. Well, it was obvious that I should submit an article after my recent trip to England, and I am pleased to see it in the April edition of the newsletter.

I am uploading a copy of the newsletter here for a few reasons rather than linking to it. First, it has been distributed but is not yet on the web. Second, we are getting a new website and I am not sure what it might do to the URL. Third, links to the individual newsletters are not working for many using a Mac. This issue should be resolved with the new site.

April Newsletter, Alberta St. George of England Society

My photos from England and Paris.

Alberta St. George of England Society

Last year, I genuinely tried to attend sessions around the clock according to my interests . This year, that changed, particularly due to my habit of rising early. I started attending the first hours of the Australian sessions at 17:00 (09:00 the next day, their time). With a usual relatively early night going to bed, I allowed myself to waken for the UK sessions and joined at about 02:30 my time on Wednesday. It was 09:30 in the UK, and they had been underway for an hour and a half. At 09:00 my time, the hand-off took place from the UK to Canada, and I continued until the switch to Australia at 17:00.

For the Day 2 rotation, I decided to not attend the Australian sessions due to other commitments and another early night. Allowing myself to wake up naturally again on Thursday morning, I joined the UK a few hours after it started and continued through the North American portion until the end at 17:00.

One of the difficulties with an online conference over an extended period is that there are other distractions around us. I am fortunate to work from home and scheduled the time to be available, but it is difficult to block everything out. Full attention lacks at times. When I had to go out and drive a few times, it was audio only with mobile internet and the laptop on the back seat.

It is nice to be able to attend sessions from the three continents, but some choices must be made. For me, I lost out of most of the Australian time. I wonder how others attended and how much cross-over there was to attend sessions in the other continents. I observed some cross-over and wonder how the stats could be captured.

The sessions were recorded and will be made available online in the near future. Again, congratulations on a successful conference to the organisers, presenters, participants, and sponsors.

This will be the second for me, and I only missed the 2010 conference due to my work at the Olympics at the time. It is presented this year by three educational institutions, two of with which I am affiliated. The University of Leicester’s Beyond Distance Research Alliance in the UK is where I am registered for my PhD. Athabasca University in Canada is where I took my undergraduate and graduate studies. And, we have the Australian Digital Futures Institute.

This online conference, runs for 48 hours over three continents from March 27 to 30, 2012. Registration is free for the first time this year. I encourage you to join for as little or as much as you wish. Be sure to plan your schedule according to the one or more time zones that work for you. I’m about to do that now, hoping to attend much of it along with enough sleep to keep me going.

You may wish to read Professor Terry Anderson’s blog post about this global conference.