Training your brain in lockdown

University of Melbourne has put together some excellent advice for keeping alert and active during lockdown: how to train your brain during lockdown so you cope with the new set of circumstances and continue to thrive. The information is set out clearly.

You do need brain exercises, social contact and a way of staying solutions oriented. As I wrote the other day, technology is helping us significantly to create avenues for ourselves and others so we can keep moving in a positive direction no matter what the challenges.

We have been mastering web conferencing. We have been getting better at visual communication. Our reluctance to video call has been abandoned because it is hard not actually seeing anyone so it’s good to see them on video calls. We are all wearing our at home wear and our longer hair. We are more concerned we can see and talk to someone than we are about that picture in the background. It is making us real. Some people are getting together on web conferencing apps to do amazing things like the French orchestra who made Bolero for us all. Researchers can work together globally. People can use their languages skills to translate information so it can be quickly circulated. We are not perfect but we are rising to the challenges. Apps are being developed which will help us, 3D printers which were idle have been put to good use to make masks and face protection.

Training our brains is vital. We need to get through this and we can do it by sharing our knowledge. Technology lets us do that from home. Who would have thought we’d run the world from the settee? Big shout out to the teachers, students and parents running school from home and for @EduTweetOz and others for letting us know the successes of this . We are all pioneers.

Making videos on your phone

The world is making big demands in terms of technology. One of those demands is we help each other navigate the things we need to be able to do because we are staying at home, in quarantine, working from home or in isolation because we want to stay safe and keep others safe. When it comes to technology we cannot know everything, we can’t do everything and we can’t feel bad because we don’t know. I have been helping others who contact me achieve their learning aims in terms of technology. Others have helped me. We are all fantastic when we hold hands across the ether.

One of the things people are needing to do is make videos . They need to for work purposes and they need to because it is a way of helping or entertaining others. These videos keep us productive , focused and sane. It is a weird world out there. I am sharing this video by Think Media because it is a four part series which goes through all the basics and allows you to understand how to use your phone better for videos. Tips from this will help you get better value out of a mobile device which you always have. Not everyone has video and sound equipment. Most people have a smartphone. They can cost a lot. Learn to get the best value out of them. By the end of these four videos you will feel much better and more confident in making videos. Take a tip from Think Media and just relax and enjoy what you are doing.

What to do in self isolation

Most of the world is self isolating or in lockdown because we don’t want the coronavirus to spread. We are keeping ourselves safe and others safe. For an introvert that is not a problem. They no longer have to make up excuses not to see people and do things. For most it is a shock. The routine of work and school provide a structure and often overload to the day. Clubs, sport, social groups fill in the time. We are now having to recreate a life without much external stimulus and without scaffolding.

It means for many they are confronted with their lack of technology skills because someone could always help. Now they are not there or you can’t reach them easily. If that is the case then learning something to do with technology each day will help. YouTube, Udemy and web searches will all help. Tina Yong , in the video , suggests MasterClass but that has a paid monthly or annual subscription. You may or may not be able to afford it. Look for the free options. People like Tina Yong are starting to put up videos of how to manage being at home in isolation or quarantine. Some are not helpful, others give some sound and practical ideas. More will appear online and more things will be available online. This is a chance to improve what is offered online, to contribute and also to consume for your own purposes. Connectivity means we can quickly circulate ideas and we are. We can structure them more now as people are starting to understand what this all means. Lifelong learning is how we shall do this.

Aust Federal Govt apps for COVID-19

Yesterday the Australian Federal Government announced its new digital apps support so we can manage the COVID-19. Part of that is a notifications capability on WhatsApp. Bear in mind WhatsApp is now owned by Facebook. The video shows you how to download the app and use its features. I had it on my phone and sent the government a message early this morning. So far, no response. The instructions for doing that are here on Canberra Times.

The other thing you can do is download the Coronavirus Australia app from Apple or for Android. I got it from the PlayStore last night but there seem to be issues so get it directly from the government site. It did not show up in Google Play when I searched for it to give a link on this blog. Hopefully that is fixed soon. It seems to be there now. Gizmodo seems to be onto keeping us informed about how to get the Android version of the app.

Technology helping with COVID-19

It was always going to come. We live in the age of technology. COVID-19 is now forcing us to find new and better uses for all this equipment we have been playing with. There are even ways to use computers to help find a cure for COVID-19.  The video explains a lot about how the world is rallying and using what we have around us by way of devices to help solve real problems.

A lot of people are already working online. More and more will do that. We have to shift ourselves into online workplaces, neighbourhoods and social events. We are going to learn we can build a virtual society and economy. Web conferences will be the go and parliaments ought to be running online. This keeps people safe but it keeps the organisational structures in place. They should not be abandoned.

There are already some good articles being published about how technology and COVID-19 are changing us and our world. There are articles about how technology is being utilised to fight against this virus.

All of this is sudden and baffling but we have each other…online. We need to ensure everyone can be connected so they can get the help and information they need. It has to be a priority that people can access and use devices to connect. Our world is moving online for as long as it takes. There will be adventures, frustrations, failures and muddles but there will be a lot of success and a lot of heart. We can do this. We have been rehearsing for quite some time now.