Mae’n ddrwg geni Aran. I did not join the on line boot camp because I did not understand what it entailed. Jeantyw
I’m not sure either. Must have missed an email or something. Is there a post which explains it all?
I have to confess this “online Bootcamp” thing has passed me by as well. It’s been popping up on the forum -which is excellent!- but I have no idea what it it is.
Let me join the group of those confused…
My explanation of the basic premise (and I’ve not tried it yet, so maybe I’m miles off) is that it’s a chance to commit to five or ten days of concerted effort to learn more Welsh, doing (normal) lessons each day, together with a challenge from Aran that you receive via email. It sounds great for people (like me) who’re better with setting themselves a time-based challenge (SMART, for those of you who like your project management acronyms), rather than the more nebulous ‘I’m going to learn Welsh!’, and who want additional challenges beyond the lessons. Aran has said he thinks it’ll work best for early stage learners, that mid-stage learners should get a great deal from it too, and that people who’ve already finished all the material are probably not the target audience.
I’ll copy Aran’s mail about it here:
So, the kids are back at school, holidays are over, it’s time for some R&R (I gather people without children call it ‘work’!).
Which means: it’s Online Bootcamp time!
You have 2 options: the 5 day run or the 10 day run.
(If you’d like to do them one day a week - hold your horses! Step away from the mouse, and close this email now! I’ll have something ready for you next week…:-))
Now, let’s be UTTERLY clear about what they involve, and what they don’t involve.
We can’t offer meetups and chat as part of the process - yet. To be honest, I just haven’t figured out how to do it - I’m sure we could use Google Hangouts, or Skype, but I can’t see how to get the timing to work for everyone. I’m going to keep thinking about this, though, and try to crack it - even if it means we have to do some extra coding and build a tool ourselves.
So what you’ll get now:
a reminder to do one new session each day for the length of the Bootcamp, with detailed daily explanations about the right approach to take, and how to make sure you get the best possible results and don’t waste any time.
a daily challenge which will keep you on your toes and build a set of habits and to> ols that will make using your Welsh (and understanding other people who speak Welsh) something that happens more often and more naturally for you. Warning: some of them might be a bit scary! But you’ll feel like a victorious gladiator when you complete them…
daily responses and cries of encouragement to your ‘how it went’ comments on the forum (including any problems or hiccups), and a personal response from me on your Graduation Day post (I’ll try and respond to everything else you put on the forum, but experience has taught me that sometimes I run out of time!).
How much time will it take?
I think you should set aside an hour a day. If you can do more, that’ll be great, but an hour will be enough for it to be genuinely valuable.
If you can’t commit an hour a day for 5 days (or 10 days) then please don’t do this - it’s not a good fit for you.
How much is it?
I’ve ummed and ahhed about this - I want it to be cheap and accessible, but I want it to feel serious, too, so that you’re inspired to give it your best effort.
In the end, I’ve gone for £15 for the 5 day version, and £19 for the 10 day version (because obviously I think you’ll get more benefits to your Welsh by doing the 10 day version!).
And of course this is all pretty experimental - so please rest absolutely assured that if you get to the end of the Bootcamp and you’re not happy with how it went, just let me know and I’ll refund you immediately, without any questions or hard feelings - I’ll just be grateful to you for having helped test it.
[If you’re desperate to do this but there’s no way you can afford it, drop me a line, let me know why it’s impossible and why you want to do it, and I’ll see if we can open up a few scholarship entries.]
When will it start?
You’ll get a confirmation email as soon as you pay, and then the first official Bootcamp Day will be the day after that…
Good luck, and happy mini-sort-of-Bootcamping!
5 day Welsh Bootcamp:https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=P563A69NBV2QQ
10 day Welsh Bootcamp:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=L8T9AMDTB78AN
I’m really looking forward to hearing what you think of it!
Cheers,
Aran>
Thank you, I was going to join the list of people who’d missed the email, there’s just too much going on at start of sept.
For those who missed this online bootcamp, will there be another one or could it be done any time??
S’mae Charlotte,
You can do the online bootcamps anytime you wish, just follow the links above to sign up. They are well worth doing!
Hwyl,
Stu
We’re going to work them into the website over the next few weeks, for people who didn’t get/read the email - probably need a different name for them, since they’re not really all that much like a Bootcamp, really. Bobsled run? Something else fast and frightening?! Any good ideas?
SSiW 10 Day Tiger Chase?
