fbpx
Home Blog Page 1445

How Lauren turned a hobby into a successful IT career

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
How Lauren turned a hobby into a successful IT career

My name is Lauren Parker and I am an IT Specialist at Sage Software in Oregon. When I began college a few years ago, I thought I wanted to be a mechanical engineer. After two very difficult terms, despite my best grades being in engineering courses, I discovered that mechanical engineering wasn’t really what I wanted to do and dropped out of school to move home. My very first job was working in a manufacturing facility for a well-known sports brand. When I saw what the engineers did day in and day out, I was sure that this field wasn’t for me.

I had always been interested in IT and was the go-to IT person amongst my family and friends. However, I  had never viewed the field of IT as an option for a long term career. I knew I wanted to work with computers, but I wasn’t sure how. When my mom showed me the Google IT Support Professional Certificate, I was interested, but I didn’t realize just what I could do in IT and how many companies needed it. Upon taking the program, I realized that IT, which I had previously volunteered in and done for family and friends, could be my career. Needless to say, this changed the course of most everything in my life.  Instead of being a hobby that I learned bits and pieces of, it became a skill set I could use in the field. I was able to explore more of what the field actually was, as well as put myself out there as a possible candidate for a new position.  This course helped me with all of those goals, many of which in ways I would never have imagined.

After completing this program, I interviewed with Sage Services in Oregon for the position of Technical Support Analyst. My manager specifically asked about the Google IT Support program in my interview. The certificate helped me make a positive impression and show I was competent. I got the job, and I love it! There isn’t a single person on my team that I don’t love working with, and I am incredibly passionate about the work. I help accountants and IT people install, migrate, and troubleshoot systems issues over the phone. I also was just trained additionally to assist with data issues within the Accounts Payable module. 

I love the feeling of a tricky case being completed, and knowing that I’m helping small businesses succeed.

The company is amazing, and I couldn’t be happier with how this turned out. The certificate improved my hireability and helped me decide that this was the career path that I was interested in.

I am working with an enrollment counselor to begin my Bachelor’s in IT at Western Governors University as soon as I complete my A+ certification. I will be receiving credit towards my degree from this as well as from the Google IT Support Professional Certificate. 

I wouldn’t have gone after this job or degree at all without the Google IT Support Professional Certificate.

My advice to other students taking the course would be to dive all in and be curious. IT is fascinating and always changing, and you can really learn a lot just by being curious. It can be frustrating to try and learn what you need to, and it’s easy to get upset and give up. However, it’s just as easy to find something inspiring about the tech field. Focus on that, and learning about this subject becomes much easier.  At my previous job, I worked twelve-hour shifts, and would be physically exhausted at the end of the day. I worked on the course during my lunches and breaks. Since I loved the subject matter, despite being exhausted, I still felt like it was a break to work on the course. I completed it in just over two weeks. Had I looked at it as another chore or had I not been as determined to complete it as I was, it would have taken me much longer and not been something that I enjoyed as much as I did.

Furthermore, put yourself out there. Even if you don’t see results right away, it never hurts to keep making a name for yourself. You never know. I’m still getting emails about dozens of opportunities that found me from applications from over a year ago!

 

Meet Abu KS – a Contract Publisher based in India

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
Meet Abu KS – a Contract Publisher based in India

 

Experts from all over the world apply to publish courses with Alison. In order to meet this high level of demand, Alison employs Contract Publishers who transform expertise and knowledge into high quality courses. Last year, Alison invited 100 Graduates worldwide to train to become Contract Publishers. Abu is one of our Alison Graduates who went on to become an Alison Contractor.

 

 

Abu, tell us a bit about your background before Alison

I hail from Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu, India. I did my undergrad in Physical Education and I then moved on to complete my master’s degree in Library and Information Science from Alagappa University. I then pursued my PhD in the same discipline from Bharathidasan University. I worked as a librarian at Murugappa Polytechnic College, Chennai for nearly four years. At present, I am working as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Library and Information Sciences, Central University of Punjab, India. I am also a qualified umpire for the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association.

How did you discover Alison, and what was your experience as a learner?

My PhD topic was concerned with e-learning for library and information science students. I needed to create an e-learning platform to deliver my course content to the target audience and to be able to assess their performance, as well as the effectiveness of the course. I started looking for existing e-learning initiatives across the globe. This is where I came to know about Alison. I fell in love with the interface and started using it to enhance my knowledge on certain topics and skills. As a learner, the interface is well designed and easy to use, the content is specific and the use of multimedia is enriching. As a whole, I would rate this platform highly.

Why did you pursue the chance to become an Alison Contractor?

As mentioned, my PhD topic was related to e-learning and I am a great fan of open access resources because not many people can afford the cost of accessing scholarly content. Hence, when I received the email regarding the chance to become an Alison contractor, I liked the idea and thought I would give it a try. I thought that, if I get selected, I can contribute something beneficial to learners across the globe. This is the least I can do as researcher, teacher and lifelong learner. 

How did you find the remote Contractor training?

To be honest, I thoroughly enjoyed each and every phase of the training. The training was so well planned, starting from the basics of e-learning, an overview of the publishing tool and finally designing a test course that meets the standards of Alison. I enjoyed all the phases and took it one at a time. In the end, I learned a lot about different aspects of e-learning and course designing. 

 

What was the first course you published on Alison?

My first course published on Alison was the Diploma in Effective Writing Skills. I followed the instructions given to me and formatted the contents according to the requirements of Alison.  I have to thank Kieran [Alison’s Instructional Designer] here because this was my first course and whenever I had a query, he was so friendly and would guide me accordingly. This made me feel relaxed and helped me to focus on the course. When the course appeared on the Alison website, I was filled with joy. It came out very well and has a good number of learners enrolled in it.

How has your decision to work for Alison affected your career path?

It has been a dream come true for me. As a researcher and teacher myself, it was a god-send as I learned about e-learning in-depth – the principles to follow while creating e-content and how to use different media to make the course livelier. In this pandemic, most teachers have to resort to the use of online platforms. With the knowledge and experience I gained and am still gaining from Alison, I relish designing online content and online teaching now.

What’s the best part of working as an Alison Contractor?

I have a doctorate in the field of library and information sciences, but I have designed courses on thermodynamics, service marketing and so on. While designing a course outside my discipline, I learn about these concepts. Alison has exposed me to different domains of knowledge and as a library professional, I love that. For me, this is the best part and I’m looking forward to working in more diverse disciplines. 

If you could publish course that would teach the world, or yourself, anything, what would it be?

As a teacher, researcher and library professional, I see different types of learners with diverse information needs. In this digital era, anyone can access information with the help of the internet and most users just rely on Google and Wikipedia. This can result in plagiarism among students and researchers as they lack the knowledge in crediting the owner of the original source. Hence, these are the course I would like to bring into the world: Information Literacy Skills in the Digital Era (The ability to identify, locate, use, and evaluate information); Academic Writing and Search Strategies (The differences between assignments, term papers and research papers. How to search the internet, various types of searching techniques, how to ensure the information is authentic and so on); Plagiarism and Publication Ethics. (Concepts of plagiarism, types of plagiarism, need for referencing and citing, tips to avoid plagiarism and ethical practices of research.)

Commuting, and Confronting History, on a Remote Canadian Railway

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
Commuting, and Confronting History, on a Remote Canadian Railway

At the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, with travel restrictions in place worldwide, we launched a new series — The World Through a Lens — in which photojournalists help transport you, virtually, to some of our planet’s most beautiful and intriguing places. This week, Chloë Ellingson shares a collection of photos from a remote railway in Canada.

In 2015, as I drove through my hometown, Toronto, a radio documentary came on the air describing a remote railway, the Tshiuetin line, that runs through rural Quebec.

Named after the Innu word for “wind of the north,” Tshiuetin is the first railway in North America owned and operated by First Nations people. Its southern terminus, I would soon learn, is about 15 hours east of Toronto by car.

Canada was built by rail. The country’s early railway system was a vital tool for economic growth, but it also abetted Canada’s colonial mission. In addition to carrying goods and services, trains in Canada disseminated disease among the Indigenous communities on whose land this country was built. And while the country’s railroads offered the possibility of expansion to some, for others they were harbingers of forced relocation.

Tshiuetin has a different history. The company operates on the 360-mile line between Sept-Îles, a city on the northern shore of the Saint Lawrence River, and Schefferville, a remote town on the verge of the tundra in Quebec. (Tshiuetin owns 132.5 miles of that track — the stretch between Schefferville and Emeril Junction in Labrador — and manages passenger services for the entire line.)

Schefferville was built by the Iron Ore Company of Canada to facilitate mining in the 1950s. After the closure of the area’s I.O.C. mines in the 1980s, the company had no use for the northern portion of its railway. Since 2005, it has been run by the three First Nations that it connects: Uashat Mak Mani-utenam, Kawawachikamach and Matimekush-Lac John. With a mandated 85 percent Indigenous work force, Tshiuetin is now a symbol of reclamation and defiance for those it serves.

Andy-Greg Jérôme, an Innu employee who joined Tshiuetin in 2012 at the age of 22, said the company gave him leadership experience. “Best thing I did in my life,” he said of his job. “I am proud to work for a local company. I hope that in the future we can have more employees who come from the three communities.”

The combined population of Schefferville and Matimekush-Lac John is around 800, and the Tshiuetin line plays a central role in the community. The passenger train normally completes its round-trip journey twice a week, with its estimated arrival times announced on the local Schefferville radio. (Since the town lies outside the country’s provincial road network, a costly plane trip is the only alternative way in or out.)

During the coronavirus pandemic, the frequency of trips has been limited, and restrictions have been placed on passengers’ reasons for travel.

On any given trip on the Tshiuetin train, most passengers are regulars. Some are heading to hunting grounds — like Stéphane Lessard, whom I met en route to his friend’s cabin, which he has been frequenting for 17 years.

Others are residents of Kawawachikamach or Matimekush-Lac John, near Schefferville, traveling south to appointments, or to shop in Sept-Îles, where goods are less expensive than they are up north.

Passengers might also be setting off on a holiday, with Sept-Îles as a point of departure — like Elayna Vollant-Einish and her family, whom I saw several times on the train, including after a celebratory trip to Québec City to mark her brother Shane’s high school graduation.

On my many trips aboard the Tshiuetin train, I have met passengers like Gary Einish and Cynthia Pien, traveling with young children and equipped for the long day ahead. They bring whatever comforts they need to transform their seats into their own temporary living rooms.

There aren’t exactly formal stops between Schefferville and Sept-Îles; the only passengers who board or depart en route are either railway workers or those who have been at their hunting cabins, and who catch the train at the sides of the tracks. Along the route, the train becomes a sea of patterned sheets and blankets; passengers know the surrounding seats will likely be theirs for the duration of the journey.

“I feel like Kawawachikamach wouldn’t be where it is today without the train,” says Shane Vollant-Einish. “It’s the lifeblood, the main artery for here.”

Shane will soon set off on a cross-country trip to study in British Columbia, on Canada’s West Coast. “The train won’t be as important for me as it used to be. Instead of waiting every Thursday for fresh fruits and vegetables, they’ll be available readily, and instead of waiting over two weeks for mail, it’ll be next day,” he said.

“I guess the train will symbolize how willing we are to live in ancestral lands and walk on the same hills and ice covered lakes as our forefathers did,” he added. “The train always will mean home for me.”

Chloë Ellingson is a documentary photographer who lives in Toronto. You can follow her work on Instagram and Twitter.

The future for education technology in schools: reflections on the Westminster Education Forum policy conference

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
The future for education technology in schools: reflections on the Westminster Education Forum policy conference

Author: Isabel Drury, Partnership Manager

According to UNESCO, more than 1.5 billion students and 63 million primary and secondary teachers have been affected by the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. Meanwhile in the UK, the Office for the Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecast that the education sector would be the hardest hit sector by the coronavirus crisis, leaving the sector worse off than even transport or hospitality. 

Despite these bleak statistics, I was inspired to hear of the innovation, dedication, and optimism of the speakers at last week’s Westminster Education Forum, which examined ‘The future for education technology in England – EdTech strategy implementation, supporting teachers, and learning from the experience of the COVID-19 crisis.’

During the conference, a range of speakers across school, higher education and EdTech settings shared what they had learned from the rapid pivot to online teaching during lockdown, and their hopes for the future. Across a morning of rich presentations, three key themes emerged:

High-quality online learning can be produced at speed

We heard some excellent examples of how EdTech has been used to support home learning in the midst of school closures in the UK. Ian Bauckham, for example, spoke about the establishment of the Oak National Academy, a collective response from teachers to address the ongoing challenges posed by coronavirus. Oak Academy was launched in April and has already amassed 14 million online lessons, from early years all the way up to Year 10, and will provide ongoing support into the next academic year for teachers and school leaders. 

Another example of innovation came from Helen Foulkes, Head of Education at the BBC, who shared her experiences of setting up Bitesize Daily in only 5 weeks. Bitesize Daily offers a range of content including 30 daily lessons on iPlayer for years 1-10, weekly podcasts and parent toolkits. This Bitesize Daily content was designed for pupils to be able to access easily without their parents or carer, after the BBC found that in 2 in 5 households, children were working in a household where adults continued to work from home.

In both examples, teachers provided feedback that it was necessary to have more advanced notice of the content, so that this could be factored into lesson plans.

Schools need support in deciding which EdTech solutions are right for their setting 

Alongside the recent surge in interest in EdTech, there was much debate across the forum about the need for evidence and evaluation of the growing number of EdTech platforms and providers. 

Professor Cathy Lewin, who co-authored an evidence review of ‘Using Digital Technology to Improve Learning’ at Manchester Metropolitan University, shared some insights from her research into the efficacy of online learning. One interesting finding was the importance of teacher presence in remote learning for effective learning outcomes, which was reinforced with anecdotal evidence from the Oak Academy that this visual presence of the teacher was particularly important for younger learners, even if the pupil had never met the teacher in a classroom setting before.

The forum also heard from Dan Sandhu, Chief Executive at Sparx, about the newly formed EdTech Evidence Group (EEG). The EEG seeks to provide schools with advice about factors to consider when investing in EdTech, as well as to provide an evidence-based approach to EdTech. This was complemented by a presentation by Toby Baker about NESTA’s EdTech Testbed, which offers schools and colleges a toolkit to test and evaluate EdTech resources, developed in partnership with the Department for Education. 

EdTech has a role to play in narrowing educational attainment

Lord David Willetts, chair of the forum, challenged the sector to consider how EdTech could be used to support school or college leavers this summer. In the context of a widening attainment gap, Lord Willetts emphasised the urgent need to provide support to young people on the cusp of leaving education for an uncertain jobs market, for example by providing a few months’ more educational support online. 

Indeed, we heard of the real challenges schools face in supporting pupils to study at home. Emma Darcy, Director of Technology for Learning at Denbigh High School, highlighted that many children did not have access to their own laptop or desktop in order to learn from home.

There was also much discussion about how school settings could change for the better as a result of the recent upheaval. Tony Cann CBE, founder of Learning by Questions, presented a vision of a future where teacher time is not spent marking work, but instead is freed up for quality student interaction and support. 

Overall, while there were significant challenges for schools and parents in adjusting to remote teaching, the forum provided much optimism for the future of EdTech as a force for good. Overwhelmingly, there was a sense of recognition that a national fall-back plan was needed to support long periods of blended learning, and the past three months are a great testament to what can be achieved in a short space of time to support teachers, parents and students alike.

Category Research insights
Related to BBC, FutureLearn, Edtech, online learning, Westminster Education Forum, Isabel Drury, Oak National Academy, Helen Foulkes, Dan Sandhu, Sparx, Lord David Willetts

EdTechX Summit: Second Wave

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
EdTechX Summit: Second Wave

Author: Holly Shiflett PhD, Head of Partnerships 

I was thrilled to again this year have an opportunity to again attend EdTechXEurope. Last year I shared time with Ed Tech experts in London, but this year I joined remotely from warm and sunny, San Diego, where I live. Experts from all across the world joined me from their living rooms for a time of sharing experiences and observations. The conference was organized around 3 very appropriate themes:

  • Lessons Learned – Covering the immediate effects of the COVID-19 outbreak – highlighting actions taken and lessons learned
  • Second Wave – Understanding how COVID-19 will affect education and work for the next 6-18 months and how the industry can prepare
  • Beyond COVID-19 – Looking ahead to see what future trends will arise due to the outbreak

The first blog on Lessons Learned was posted previously.  This second post in a series of 3 will focus on the Second Wave.

While the Lessons Learned track was focused on the short  term and current experiences moving online, the Second Wave has universities brushing off the dust and ramping up for more. In the Second Wave it is clear that universities are bracing for a loss of revenue that has historically been generated by international students. These students are now no longer able to participate on campus and universities are needing to be creative. In Australia they created a campaign to promote a collaboration of Australian universities that invites global learners to learn “WITH” Australia rather than “IN” Australia.  This was an initiative that FutureLearn supported with our Australian partners and others.  Universities are discovering how to make maximum use of the online content by reusing digital materials for different audiences. For example, dual purpose online content, for example microcredentials on FutureLearn for a global audience (use #1) and also for use on campus as for-credit courses (use #2).  This provides reach to a global audience and a local one simultaneously to provide new revenue streams and also maximize online development efforts.  

Simon Nelson, our CEO at FutureLearn, cited access and work being done to support displaced students through FutureLearn Campus and FutureLearn for Schools, in his keynote. FutureLearn has provided access and outreach in a number of ways, in alignment with our mission. Access is a key focus as many of the jobs lost from COVID and lost through future automation are jobs where education is not required, suggested Coursera’s CEO, Jeff Maggioncalda in his keynote. These workers may need education to reskill for new types of employment as jobs that require education seem to be less at risk. A recent blog from Linkedin highlighted the top soft skills that people will need in the future – creativity, persuasion, collaboration, adaptability and emotional intelligence – and many of these can and are being developed through real responses to COVID19 and the need to face an uncertain future.  FutureLearn and others have a number of soft skills courses online. 

Already, as the Second Wave is cresting, content is starting to evolve to address not just traditional higher ed outcomes but the employment skills gap. Tomorrow’s content will be more job relevant as learning moves from a fixed space and time, to lifelong learning and learning at work. David Blake of Learn In, highlighted in his session the shift to lifelong learning and the universal ROI of continually developing skills.  “Any individual who prioritizes their professional development will be at a premium” he suggests, “as skills carry an ever greater value.” This is supported by the fact that in the next 2 years – by 2022 – 42% of core skills required to perform existing jobs are expected to change (World Economic Forum).  A shocking statistic but certainly the new reality.

Keep an eye out for post 3 of 3 Beyond COVID19

Category Research insights

Events July / August

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
  • We look forward to welcoming our partners to our virtual Partners’ Forum on 21-22 July. Sessions include Combatting Covid in an ANZ Context, What’s coming up in Microcredentials & Degrees? and Insights: What do learners want? Invitations that include the details, timings and sign up links have been emailed to our partners.
  • On 6 August 4-5:30pm AEST, Justin Cooke, Chief Content & Partnerships Officer, FutureLearn is talking on a panel, Forging a new future for TNE: Where to from COVID-19? at the IEAA Transnational Education Virtual Forum 2020.

June 2020 recordings:

The post Events July / August appeared first on FutureLearn.

Meet Perica Stojkovski, our Macedonian language translator!

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
Meet Perica Stojkovski, our Macedonian language translator!

To help the world combat the Covid-19 pandemic, Alison launched the course Coronavirus – What you need to know. In order to make sure that no one was excluded from accessing possibly life-saving information, Alison committed to translating the course into as many languages as possible. To achieve this ambitious goal, Alison reached out to its community of Learners, seeking volunteers willing to use their language skills to help translate the course and spread important information on coronavirus. Perica Stojkovski translated the course into Macedonian and played his part in spreading free learning that has helped save lives.

 

Perica, tell us a bit about yourself and your background.

My name is Perica Stojkovski and I am from Skopje, North Macedonia. I’m 54 years old. I’m the  father of two daughters, Tea, 17 years old, and Mila, 19 years old. I have a BSc in Chemical Technology and a Licence in Waste Management. I also have a Licence as a court translator in English.

How did you learn that Alison was looking for translators for its coronavirus course?

After earning my Alison Diploma in Work Place Health & Safety, Alison was in contact with me and they have offered me a volunteer job translating the coronavirus course into Macedonian.

What was your experience of Alison before volunteering to translate? Had you studied with Alison before?

I was searching the web for a suitable online course, and I chose Alison. Alison’s online courses have an outstanding user-friendly platform, so I was happy to learn with them. I warmly recommend people who want to learn skills online to try Alison.

Why did you offer to translate our coronavirus course? 

Alison has got a professional and warm approach to their students, so I could not skip this offer. In the hard times of coronavirus, I had a lot of time and wanted to make a small contribution for people to learn more about coronavirus, so they could be aware and protect themselves and their communities.  

Why is it important that everyone has access to important information on coronavirus?

Coronavirus is highly virulent and mortal. Everyone should learn more and be aware of it. Educated people can easily protect themselves from coronavirus.

 

Tell us a little about your method when translating.

Working with internationals between 2002 and 2007, providing both written and oral translations, helped me to gain huge experience in this job. At the time, web translations were not available so I was mostly using my knowledge of English, and dictionaries for words in specific areas of expertise. Today, the internet offers a variety of translating apps but afterwards, the text must be cross-checked again. 

Why is free learning so important and why is it important to translate it into many languages?

Free learning is easy to find, there are a vast amount of topics and it’s free of charge. We are around 200 nations on Earth. The more you translate, the more people can learn.

Have you been learning through Alison during the pandemic? How has the lockdown been for you?

I did the coronavirus translation for Alison during the lockdown. Here in my country, the lockdown started in February, with many days of total police curfew. In the beginning it seemed to be easy and promising but later it became more depressing for many of us. 

What would you say to people who might be interested in translating for Alison?  

It is an outstanding feeling when you know that your translation will reach many people all around the world. And it can also be a nice freelance job for many people.

If you’d like to play your part in overcoming the coronavirus pandemic by helping Alison give people access to the information necessary to keep themselves and their loved ones safe, please get in touch.

Meet Andy Ho, our Chinese language translator!

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
Meet Andy Ho, our Chinese language translator!

To help the world combat the Covid-19 pandemic, Alison launched the course Coronavirus – What you need to know. In order to make sure that no one was excluded from accessing possibly life-saving information, Alison committed to translating the course into as many languages as possible. To achieve this ambitious goal, Alison reached out to its community of Learners, seeking volunteers willing to use their language skills to help translate the course and spread important information on coronavirus. Andy Ho translated the course into Chinese and played his part in spreading free learning that has helped save lives.

 

Andy, tell us a bit about yourself and your background.

My name is Andy Ho and I am from Singapore. I have been working in the Information Technology sector since 1998, and have had the privilege of working in various IT sectors both locally and overseas, including healthcare, media, higher education and most recently, the government sector. I am happily married to my beautiful wife Zoe Michele, and have been blessed with two wonderful kids, Michaela and Alexander.

How did you learn that Alison was looking for translators for its coronavirus course?

I have been an Alison user since 2017 and am subscribed to all newsletters. On 4 February 2020, the CEO & Founder, Mike Feerick, personally sent a newsletter to loyal Alison subscribers, with the subject title, “BREAKING – Coronavirus: Causes, Latest Known Symptoms, and Prevention”. This was in response to the international health threat of the coronavirus. Alison stepped up to the challenge of creating a short certificate course for users to study for free. The very next day, the Alison Team followed up with an email titled “Coronavirus: We need your help to make people aware, Andy!”. My parents, the late Mr Ho Sook Niou and Madam Helen, always taught me the values of being selfless and doing things for the greater good. I contacted the Alison team and offered my full assistance. 

What was your experience of Alison before volunteering to translate? Had you studied with Alison before?

I have been a registered user of Alison since 2017. To date I have completed courses ranging from food safety to six sigma, from music theory to the current coronavirus course. When I joined the higher education sector, I was looking for opportunities to enrich myself in all areas. I realized the importance of lifelong learning, and with a rapidly changing world, it’s extremely important that we keep up to date with current trends.

Why did you offer to translate our coronavirus course?

I saw the early struggles faced by Chinese-speaking countries where the citizens were struggling to access information, as much information was available in English only. Citizens were dying rapidly because of the lack of critical information in their own native language. The experience of working in multinational companies made me realise that even though the world’s countries have progressed significantly in terms of technology, critical life-saving information with regards to healthcare is still severely lacking, especially in many citizens’ native languages. I believed that I could make a significant difference by saving lives.

Why is it important that everyone has access to important information on coronavirus?

The more information citizens have with regards to the coronavirus, the better equipped they will be to protect themselves and their love ones. In Singapore, it was evident: foreign workers were really experiencing the impact of COVID-19 as a huge number of them had no access to information in their native language.

 

Tell us a little about your method when translating.

I used the Excel master template provided by Alison, that split up the course into various sections. A Google Translation was also provided for our reference. Having a deep understanding of the Chinese language, I was well aware that not all Google translations would be accurate (including the characters being used). For each section that required translation, I copied the text onto Word, checked the Google translation and read it out loud to see how it sounded. I downloaded a Chinese software called NJStar, which allowed me to input Chinese characters via pinyin. After making my edits, I checked the full structure to ensure minimal loss in translation.

Why is free learning so important and why is it important to translate it into many languages?

Free learning is important because there are millions of citizens in the world who are struggling to make ends meet, and can’t afford to pay to learn a skill or a life-saving course. Similarly there are millions of citizens who, because of a lack of education opportunities, continue to only speak their native language and hence are unable to obtain valuable life-saving information that is not available in their own language. 

Have you been learning through Alison during the pandemic? How has the lockdown been for you?

I have benefited greatly from learning through Alison pre-pandemic, as well as during the pandemic. COVID-19 is the challenge of our generation, however, it provided accelerated opportunities for home-based learning and reskilling. What was previously unavailable, now became available through online learning.

What would you say to people who might be interested in translating for Alison?

You can make a difference! What may seem insignificant to some, becomes extremely beneficial (and in many ways a life saver) to others. Always be open to differences in opinions, and take that leap of faith!

If you’d like to play your part in overcoming the coronavirus pandemic by helping Alison give people access to the information necessary to keep themselves and their loved ones safe, please get in touch.

Meet Tariqur Rehman, our Pashto translator!

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
Meet Tariqur Rehman, our Pashto translator!

To help the world combat the Covid-19 pandemic, Alison launched the course Coronavirus – What you need to know. In order to make sure that no one was excluded from accessing possibly life-saving information, Alison committed to translating the course into as many languages as possible. To achieve this ambitious goal, Alison reached out to its community of Learners, seeking volunteers willing to use their language skills to help translate the course and spread important information on coronavirus. Tariqur Rehman translated the course into Pashto and played his part in spreading free learning that has helped save lives.

 

Tariqur, tell us a bit about yourself and your background.

My name is Tariqur Rehman and I’m from Pakistan. I did my master’s in Microbiology and Immunology with a Project on Virology. My primary language is Pashto.

How did you learn that Alison was looking for translators for its coronavirus course?

When the coronavirus epidemic began in Wuhan, China, I realised that it would spread to the whole world. So I decided to learn more about this new virus by searching online. I found that Alison was already providing education to people about this virus for free in one language, English, and that they wanted to translate this course into many languages around the globe. I offered my services for free translation and took part in translating this course into our language, Pashto.

What was your experience of Alison before volunteering to translate? Had you studied with Alison before?

I created an account on Alison 5 or 6 years ago as I saw that Alison provides an opportunity to learn any subject in any field. I have previously taken a course on the ebola virus.

Why did you offer to translate our coronavirus course?

Everyone has the right to get information about the coronavirus in order to be able to understand it and to protect themselves from infection. I wanted to help educate local people.

Tell us a little about your method when translating.

I used Google Translate to translate the course but Google is not 100% correct so I used my own skills to correct the translation, as I have studied my language. 

 

Why is free learning so important and why is it important to translate it into many languages?

Nowadays almost everyone has access to the internet. Everyone wants to learn and to gain knowledge, and free learning will provide this opportunity. Translating knowledge into many languages will be the best way to spread understanding. Even if you learn many languages, you will think and better understand in your own language.

Have you been learning through Alison during the pandemic? How has the lockdown been for you?

I have learned about the coronavirus on Alison during the lockdown, but it has been a hard time for me.

What would you say to people who might be interested in translating for Alison?

I have had a good experience translating this course for Alison. I would like to say that translating a topic provides you with the best opportunity of understanding it. 

If you’d like to play your part in overcoming the coronavirus pandemic by helping Alison give people access to the information necessary to keep themselves and their loved ones safe, please get in touch.

Meet Bryar Ghafoor, our Kurdish language translator!

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0
Meet Bryar Ghafoor, our Kurdish language translator!

To help the world combat the Covid-19 pandemic, Alison launched the course Coronavirus – What you need to know. In order to make sure that no one was excluded from accessing possibly life-saving information, Alison committed to translating the course into as many languages as possible. To achieve this ambitious goal, Alison reached out to its community of Learners, seeking volunteers willing to use their language skills to help translate the course and spread important information on coronavirus. Bryar Ghafoor translated the course into Kurdish and played his part in spreading free learning that has helped save lives.

 

Bryar, tell us a bit about yourself and your background.

I’m Bryar Ghafoor. I’m 21 year old and I’m from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. I’m studying at the College of Nursing in the University of Sulaymaniyah. Alongside being a nurse, I spend my time developing my knowledge in different areas of IT like programming and website and application development. 

How did you learn that Alison was looking for translators for its coronavirus course?

I was actually searching for free online courses and I found Alison through Google. I took the Physical Examination course because it related to my profession and then when the coronavirus course came up, I joined and completed the course. I realised it needed volunteers for translating so I volunteered for the coronavirus course translation into Kurdish with a group in college. 

Why did you offer to translate our coronavirus course?

One of the motivations behind my volunteering is my Islamic background. Allah motivates us to do good work in His cause and He will reward us. “But whatever thing you spend [in His cause] – He will compensate it; and He is the best of providers.” (Quran 34:39) What does good work look like? Must many people read what you have translated? The course may protect many people but “whoever saves one – it is as if he had saved mankind entirely.” (Quran 5:32) Another motivation is protecting my family, friends and all human beings – it’s a big achievement.

Why is it important that everyone has access to important information on coronavirus?

This information is very important as it’s related to human lives. We always need new developments to make human life better. We are sharing information with the public to give them an idea about protection methods and how the virus is transferred from one person to another. This will decrease the virus infection rate and mortality rate. Basically it’s saving a lot of lives. 

 

Tell us a little about your method when translating.

Our team of nine students from college decided to translate this course and we worked as a team to translate it into Kurdish. 

Why is free learning so important and why is it important to translate it into many languages?

Not everyone can access paid courses. Especially for something like coronavirus, which is related to human lives, information should be public and free. Translating into many languages gives access to the many people who don’t speak English. 

Have you been learning through Alison during the pandemic? How has the lockdown been for you?

I spent my time learning new skills and Alison has been a good source to start. The coronavirus course itself gave me more knowledge about this virus and also increased my translating skills.

What would you say to people who might be interested in translating for Alison?

If you think your translation will be useful then why not start now? Go ahead.

If you’d like to play your part in overcoming the coronavirus pandemic by helping Alison give people access to the information necessary to keep themselves and their loved ones safe, please get in touch.

1...1,4441,4451,446...1,701Page 1,445 of 1,701

Recent Posts