First, I'd like to apologise for not updating my blog for just over a month now. It's been a very busy time for me with work and lecturing a course (which is what this blog post is about). I plan to continue updating my blog at least once a week from now on regardless of how busy my life gets. 

Well, as I've already indicated, I've been lecturing on a topic of Windows Forms Development in .Net 2.0 at the UTS (University of Technology Sydney) for just over a month. This is something that I've never done before....lecturing in front of 25+ students and all of whom I see as my peers. It was and still is a daunting task to get up in front of this class and talk.

The first night was quite a buzz but it wasn't like that for the entire night. At the start of the session I was so nervous that I was having difficulty talking due to my mouth being so dry. After about 30 mins. I began to realise that the people I was talking to were actually listening to me and that I was 'meant' to be there for them to listen to. It was the revalation that I needed for me to start to relax.

Yes, after that first 30 minutes of stressfully forcing out my words I began to relax. I can tell you that the first 30 minutes felt like hours and looking directly at the faces listening to me wasn't helping. Eventually I noticed that some of those faces were nodding, some had puzzled looks about them and others were just listening....just listening. It was then that I understood that I was simply talking and passing on knowledge to others prepared to listen. I began to look at each of those faces as individuals instead of as a crowd. What I mean is that each face I saw was to me a single person that I was having a conversation with (a one-on-one chat with a co-worker). I started directing my words to just a couple of people and that really helped me to focus and relax. As the night progessed I expanded my horizons by including many more faces into the conversation. By the end of the night the students were asking some really great questions and it was a great feeling to be asked those questions and even better to be able to answer them. I was on a high by the end of the night and was really looking forward to next week's session (could this be my True Calling?). To date I have lectured only 6 classes and each time I have had some initial jitters but nothing like the first night. I have found each subsequent class easier to do and each experience has been unique and enjoyable.

Each session has required me to do A LOT of study and research into what the lecture is going to be about. It's not that I don't know anything about the topic itself but more of a refresher and surprisingly, during these periods of study, I too learn a great deal more. Researching a topic, especially one that you already know quite well, can be very eye-opening as more and more people write their experiences up on the web.

The course has so far covered topics including ClickOnce, Security, Threading, Better Forms Design, ADO, Inheritance, Classes and DataBinding. There are actually two parts to this course so that not only Windows Forms is covered but also Web Forms. Windows Forms is covered by myself and Web Forms is covered by a fellow work colleague. I'll be attending the Web Forms lectures to assist in the practical lab when students need a hand. It'll also give me an opportunity to brush up on my Web Forms development skills

In addition to the Windows Forms lectures I'll be assisting with other lectures or filling in for someone when required. So far, I've only had to cover for one other lecture about SQL Server 2005 Full Text Searching.

I hope that what I've written here helps you to overcome your own fears about standing up in front of a group of people (it that's what you're here for). I can tell you that I plan to continue lecturing whenever the opportunities present themselves.

Until next time....