Two Words

Two words. Ancestry Academy. Let me tell you about it from an insider’s perspective.

Ancestry Academy, which launches today (16 April 2015), is a growing learning center described as a place to experience a “self-paced video learning environment.” The academy presently offers fifteen courses, some free and some fee-based. The offerings will grow monthly. The bottom line? After a sneak peek at the courses, and a stint in the studio as an instructor, I’m pretty excited!

I participated in the academy in its incubation stage, and I’m not going to fib. It was a blast. The polished videos that you see represent many recorded and unrecorded hours of work, thought, effort, dabs of makeup, and bouts of exhaustion, all under the direction of Laura Prescott.

Ancestry Academy, you ask?

Ancestry Academy offers online learning on topics of genealogical interest. From military records to Native American research, the academy promises a variety of coverage. I previewed several courses, taking sneak peeks at classes on military pension application files, Native American research, pre-1850 census records, Family Tree Maker, DNA, big city research, and Ohio research. I learned something in each preview. As a life-long learner, I find the academy concept promising.

A limited set of courses are free of charge. Others will be available for a fee, and three price structures presently show on the site. Options include a monthly or an annual Ancestry Academy plan, or a 6-month combined plan with access to Ancestry, Ancestry Academy, Newspapers.com, and Fold3.

I explored viewing options when previewing sessions. Closed captioning worked well. The course handouts location wasn’t readily obvious to me. (Handouts are accessed through the “Show Resources” book icon, which is in the upper right corner of the course outline area.)

Each course consists of a number of lessons. View lessons in chronological order, or skip around and view them in any order. A full-screen option allows a better look at the visuals presented. Lessons can be paused, backed up and reviewed for clarification, or watched multiple times. Quizzes reinforce material learned.

I’m proud to say that the Exploring Military Pension Application Files course was written and presented by yours truly.

There is education happening. It is yours for the taking. And that, my friend, is valuable. Take a peek. http://ancestryacademy.com/

See the Ancestry blog for additional details.