Chris and Julie have inquired about how I am doing in my NGS course, so I'm providing an update.
I just finished assignment 1, where I had to fill out a 4-generation chart.
Today, I'm working on assignment 2, which is a family group sheet and footnotes. I have to do it by hand, because I haven't figured out my new Family Tree Maker software enough to cite properly within the program.
I've never filled out a family group sheet before. I've just been too busy on the hunt because it's funner than compiling documentation.
The subjects for my family group sheet are my great-great grandparents William Woodberry Williamson, Sarah Brigance/Brigham and their four kids. I have a lot of documentation on them, so I will get a good lesson in citations.
When I am done, I have to send assignments 1 and 2 to NGS for grading and feedback. I also make a point to read all the suggested readings before I move on to the next lesson.
The biggest challenge has been scheduling time to do my work. It's not like college where someone tells you when an assignment is due. I have to make my own deadlines. I'd like to do one assignment every 2 weeks, but that timeline is flexible in case some tasks are harder than others.
So far, I am not lost in the subject matter. I don't recommend taking this course as an absolute beginner who has never opened a book because the introductory lesson isn't as detailed as uber first-timers might need. If you have a basic familiarity with genealogy, you'll do fine. Of course, I've only done one assignment so talk to me halfway through the course and see how I feel about it then.
Source citations are a week point for me. I use FTM 2005 and it just doesn't cut it for a proper citation. I type out the complete citation in the "citation text" box, which is a real pain in the neck. I wish I'd learned to do it right before my file was huge. I'll never get them all fixed.
ReplyDelete