This morning, I received a message from a friend saying: "Twenty-five years ago, we conducted research together on collaborative learning through new media. Today, these new methods must be implemented overnight.” He told me that his children now received their school assignments on four different platforms and parents needed to be involved in assisting teachers. “We need to pass the material on to the children and ‘pedagogically monitor’ their learning.”
This new online learning process still sounds a bit bumpy and improvised to me. But we have no time to lose: The coronavirus crisis has changed our lives abruptly and without warning.
I'm writing this from my home office. All day long, I have been switching from one online meeting to the next. I am chatting with colleagues on messenger, I open databases on our remote server, and surf the internet for information. While at home, I am part of several work groups, I coordinate my tasks with colleagues, and I can access the company server. We’re still in transition, but the new approach already works pretty well.
But how would we have handled this crisis 15 or 20 years ago, when the new media were still in their infancy and communication technologies and broadband internet were nowhere near the level we enjoy today? It would have been difficult to stay at home, yet get the work done efficiently – work that requires communication and cooperation.
The coronavirus has pushed us past our boundaries. Many of us still have to get used to our new working environment; the virus requires us to apply new work methods. This will have a huge – and perhaps even lasting – effect on our work environment. Likewise, sectors that have maintained their non-virtual approach and required the physical presence of those engaged in it, have now been pushed to adopt new media and technologies. Just think of the education sector, that particular area that my friend and I investigated 25 years ago.
While many of us fear a drastic decline in income, the pandemic also provides us the time and opportunity to engage in further education: Eight years ago, tekom developed the online platform TCTrainNet together with tcworld GmbH. It offers participants the opportunity to receive a formal qualification as a technical writer and be certified by tekom. The online program is available to students in all countries, including those that don’t offer any particular training programs in technical communication.
Since then, more than 400 students from all over the world have participated in our convenient and efficient online training. They have enjoyed training in technical communication in a flexible and remote environment, from home or their office. Each participant is part of a virtual group of fellow students, supported and supervised by a trainer online. TCTrainNet offers education just like any classroom training – only virtual.
As uncertain and challenging they appear, these extraordinary times also offer a special opportunity to us: They give us the chance to engage in further training and extend our horizon. This will help you get back to work with new and up-to-date knowledge after the coronavirus crisis subsides. TCTrainNet is here to support people from all over the world in this process. To help you advance your career in these trying times TCTrainNet offers a special 20% discount for the tekom-certified advanced training to become a technical writer.
Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures: Make the most of it and get your knowledge up-to-date!
To find out more visit www.technical-writing-training-and-certification.com.