Cram Sessions

eLearning: Providing Learner Feedback

2010-05-10T14:56:00.002-04:00

Real life situations in elearning can make some of the best learning opportunities, but the impact of that learning lies in the feedback.

There is real value in investigating the idea I've noted above. When dealing with learners in a WBT, CBT and elearning forum, feedback in a self-paced course can make or break a learners on-the-job application of the content. I'm in the midst of a very intensive Customer Service training program. The goal is to provide new Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) with the skills they need to be able to function as a first line support system for customers. There are many different modules included in this learning, each touching on a different software application required in the day-to-day operations of the Service Department. As well, there are modules which contain content necessary to be an effective communicator, telephone answerer, anger diffuser, and over-all customer mind reader.

One of the areas I've been struggling with (aside from the sheer volume of content) is the opportunity to challenge the learner in knowledge check, scenario based learning, chapter quizzes, and final assessments and choose appropriate feedback based on the choices or answers provided.

The Goal – Natural Feedback

I've found what works best for this particular course, is to provide feedback to my learner which is NATURAL. For me, the term "natural feedback" means: any feedback which would be given to me on the job given that same situation. This is not your candy coated "Great Job! You chose the correct answer" or "I'm sorry, that is not correct". By natural feedback I mean that is sounds as if someone is speaking to me naturally and providing me the opportunity to truly learn from my mistake. What was the business or even personal implication of the choice I just made? Telling me I got it right doesn't help me reflect on WHY it was right and telling me to try again doesn't help me understand the effect of the choice I just made.

Tips to Providing Great Natural Feedback

Here are a few tips to help you provide feedback to your learners:

Provide Effect of a decision or action (different than the outcome ) – The unhappy client tells 5 prospects about the service you just provided
Demonstrate Reactions – expand on the client frowning – why are they frowning, what exactly did they object to and WHY to make this more personal
Explain (or show) Physical/verbal and non-verbal responses – does the client's face go red? Does an employee overhearing the conversation cringe, does someone else point and laugh? These to the initial event can add depth and an air of reality to the situation
Discuss Results – The 5 prospects refuse to do business with your company and don't hesitate to tell the sales professional you are the reason
Define the Consequences – The Customer Service Department has to work harder to regain its reputation, the sales person loses the sale, the company loses the capital
Identify the Impacts – You lose your job, the company loses business and could potentially go bankrupt
Reflect on the outcomes or results of the choice – ask the tough questions for learners to self-evaluate: what would you have done better, what could you have done differently?

Feedback should not always be negative. Correct answers should recap the positive aspects of the answer and demonstrate why it was the best answer. Follow through with the positive impact of the correct choice for example, did you just get a bonus, a raise, or did you make it to the coveted corner office? These details add impact to the correct answer.

If you offer an answer that is "almost correct" or works but is not the "Best Answer", provide feedback on what worked and then what doesn't about the selected answer.

Feedback, when given, should provide valuable information to help the learner develop, but keep it real!

PowerPoint 2010: Empowering Rapid eLearning

2010-05-08T21:51:00.006-04:00

I've been an avid PowerPoint user, enthusiast, trainer and "evangelist" for many years.

I remember when I discovered the power of manipulating the clip art gallery and still feel the awe I felt when I discovered how to ungroup those clip objects so that I could manipulate the colours and even change the shapes slightly. That was PowerPoint 97 – and I immediately fell in love with the great things PowerPoint had to offer.

As I developed my skills, I shared my enthusiasm with countless students both on the corporate training front and at the post secondary level when I taught at Conestoga College. While the majority of those I taught were there to learn how to create presentations for sales, I always found a way to share how wonderful PowerPoint was as a tool for educating. (After all isn't a sales presentation a way to educate potential buyers?)

Now is no different. Now I have some really wonderful tools to share with you, when you create your next educational PowerPoint!

Screen Shot Tool/Photo Album

From the insert menu there are a few tools which have definitely made me a happy PowerPoint camper! If I had to create rapid eLearning with a budget, these tools would be top of my list. The Screenshot tool, when used in conjunction with other open applications, minimizes the PowerPoint window, places a semi-transparent screen over the desktop window so that you can click and drag to create a screen clip the size and shape you want – and it uses the windows clipboard to immediately copy and paste the screenshot into the open PowerPoint presentation.

I have found this to be very helpful when creating software training and simulations. And it's a much more thrifty use of investment dollars over spending money on screen clipping software. It's also a lot faster and easier than using the old "print screen" button and then cropping the image to suit.

The Photo Album is also very helpful for eLearning. The original purpose of the Photo Album tool is to create a presentation from the images. I use this tool to organize my images and insert them into my elearning. Having my images in one place makes it faster to put my learning together making it truly "rapid".

New Picture Tools

For people like me, these new picture tools are amazing, and quick! No longer do we need to use a third-party imaging program such as Adobe's Photoshop to edit images. Now we can use the new tools to remove background from images (helpful if you only want one part of an image, a person rather than the whole image). The Corrections tool lets you sharpen of soften an image and make image corrections. The Color tool provides an opportunity to quickly re-colour a selected image, and adding artistic effects is just plain FUN!

Here is an image in its original state and then using the "Light Screen" effect. Cool right? And it took three clicks.

Select the image
Select Artistic Effects
Select the effect you want.

There are loads of other great features of PowerPoint 2010 and I'm sure I will find a way to discuss them all, but for now, I'm going to continue to play with these features to help me quickly create elearning courses and add interest to my course images!

Translation Blues

2008-10-14T15:37:00.001-04:00

It's complicated enough having to design, develop and implement e-learning solutions but when your company requires that all documentation and training be translated into the "other" official language your job just got a lot more challenging.

My workplace uses Lectora to create our e-learning SCORM packages that integrate with our LMS. Now, I'm not a programmer, I am an instructional designer, which makes me very aware that there is likely a technically more savvy way of doing this – but I don't yet know what it is.

I worked with an E-Learning course vendor over the last 9 months and they were able to use some type of scripting to extract the text from a module, the problem however is that they wanted the translators to use WORDPAD (not Word, or WordPerfect, or OpenOffice) because any "real" word processor would cause formatting issues and cause their developers more man hours-so for the inconvenience we did as they asked, but I have paid the price with one translator who will now no longer work with us because the project was, in their words "HELL".

My big problem was that with the exception of some Office 2007 Word SmartArt that I used, I created everything in Lectora. All the text is in Lectora text box objects. If you are not familiar with Lectora, think of creating a PowerPoint presentation. You may use text box objects and graphics and layer them to create the look you want. Each box is an independent object and each box would need to be translated and then put back where it belongs.

When you create text in Lectora, there is not an easy way to export that text or, for that matter, to IMPORT the translated text into the correct location.

For those of you that know me, you know I like to cheat when it comes to working with computer applications. I'm always looking for shortcuts and I've had to do a fair amount of tweaking to my process, so here is what currently works for me.

Create all content in Lectora the way that it needs to be and have it all set up appropriately
Use two monitors: have word on one monitor and Lectora open on the other
In Word, use Heading Level 1 to type the first Lectora Page name (or page number)
For that page, copy and paste the text from Lectora to Word – do not copy the objects, just the text
If there are other items that need to be translated such as the SmartArt graphics, I leave those in the document (or copy from my initial word document where I created them)
Save the file and send for translation asking the translator to only translate text that is not assigned Heading Level 1
When I receive the translation, the Word document headings make it easy to see what pages the content to be replaced goes on to (I also use the Heading Level 1 style to add notes to other things such as objects, or placement that I don't need the translator to work on)
Always have someone check out the translation before publishing the course

I'm sure this process will continue to evolve for me as I become more familiar with Lectora, or develop programming skills, or find another E-learning tool to assist me, but for now, I'm happy and my translators are as well! If you have some tips on helping to make translation processes successful or streamlined, please leave us a comment and let us know your tips!

Procrastination: Synonymous with Summer?

2008-07-22T11:34:00.001-04:00

If you are like me, some or all of the following conditions may be true at this very moment:

You are very busy getting courses ready for a demanding audience
You look outside every 20 minutes and long to be out of doors
Your list of things to do grows, while you list of accomplishments does not
You close your eyes and relax by remembering the wonderful weekend you had at the cottage, camping, gardening etc.(and open them 20 minutes later with slobber on your chin and eye sleeps left over from your trance)
You open your email to send important messages to your boss, but when you see the sun outside your cubicle you decide to email your friend for lunch instead
You have the best intentions of getting everything done, but you don't have enough hours to do them
Your desk is a disaster area waiting for the next big storm to clean it up…could be October before that happens
You walk to the mail room to drop off packages and check your inbox and on the way you stop at reception to stare at the visitors, you hit the lunch room to fill up your coffee/tea/water (again), and since you don't want to be rude, you say hello to everyone you pass along the way and get details on everyone else's holidays
You keep putting off until tomorrow what you didn't have time for today – and that list grows and grows AND GROWS
Fire – did someone say Fire – you deal with constant interruptions, misplaced priorities and something I like to call the Summer Sizzle

So let's start with the fun stuff: Summer Sizzle. Yes, the Summer Sizzle is what occurs when other people want to look as though they have accomplished all their goals while on the golf course. They dish their work to everyone else and turn up the heat until you produce the results they should have worked hard for while you your buns sizzle trying to keep everyone and their brother happy (often this means you are also trying to keep your job).

Even with events like the Summer Sizzle, I can't help but feel that I just can't say no to those people holding me over the fire. My desire to make others happy often gets in the way of my common sense.

I have found that these things generally happen only over the summer. I want to do ALL kinds of work, get loads accomplished. I don't feel depressed because the sun is shining and it's hotter than a sauna in here, the air is on the fritz again and I'll be right back because I have to find a fan to help move the air around.

Yup – it's summer and who wants to be in the office working away on eLearning projects, planning, having meetings, doing design work? Not me, I want to be outside, in the sun (or rain as it happens to be today). I want to be walking down the street, playing with my dog, enjoying a BBQ, and reading a trashy romance. I want to be anywhere but where I am right now. It's sure hard to beat the "I'm in the office all summer" summertime blues.

To lift the spirits, and because I truly like to share, I'm going to share a couple of things that help me deal with the procrastination associated with working during the summer.

Create a to do list that encourages items to be completed
- I work with the hardest item and make time commitments – I will work for 20 minutes on this item before I go for coffee
- I don't list too many things…if I listed everything I had to do, well that's just too much. I try to keep my list to 8 – 10 items I can accomplish in the day
- At the end of the day/week/month celebrate your successes and accomplishments
Be accountable to someone besides yourself
- When I have to let someone know how I spent my day, even if it is just a friend, it makes me realize that I can't daydream the hours away
Bring your lunch to work and walk around the block, trail, down the road so that you can enjoy the weather, get some fresh air, and soak up that vitamin D
Ensure you take your breaks – but not too many
- I find when I don't take my breaks away from my desk, I don't feel as relaxed as I could/should
- I also find if I don't take my breaks, I want to get up and wander around the office looking for an escape
Don't work evenings or weekends unless it is part of your schedule or work agreement
- If I take work home with me *few exceptions occur where I have to work in the evenings or weekends* I get the time back by leaving early on a Friday afternoon. I have to enjoy my time away from the office and feel like I not only accomplish my work tasks but my personal goals as well.

So – I hope your summer isn't filled with the kind of procrastination and longing that occupies my every waking, sun-filled second. Get out there – enjoy the summer, but make sure you earned it!

As The Saying Goes

2008-06-16T13:15:00.001-04:00

Is it really true, that old adage: "Those who can, do; those who can't, teach"?

Deep in thought this morning at my desk I was reevaluating my current work/life balance and wondering if, in fact this was true.

As an instructor, I cared very much that the content provided to my students was meaningful, timely and valuable. I tried to relate it with the real world and give as much opportunity for group discussion as could be allotted to our tight course timeline.

I facilitated many successful sales, telesales and customer relationship management courses over my many years of instructing. I read many books, listened to audio tapes and knew what to do in any given situation.

What I couldn't do was put everything I knew, had learned and successfully instructed, into practice. I was not a very good sales person, but I knew what made a good salesperson great and could share that information with others.

Many of the individuals in my training sessions have had very successful careers in sales and I've had many of them remain in contact with me. I received an email not long ago from someone in one of those sessions thanking me for the time I took to share my knowledge, my pain, my ideas, feedback and wisdom and for being frank when I told her at the end of the three days that she really wasn't cut out for sales and strongly suggested she think about other career opportunities. She (like me) knew what had to be done but just couldn't do it…so guess what?

She is now teaching sales management for a large multinational – taking many of the same approaches I did with her and mentoring new sales professionals in her company.

We talked for an hour about how we could take all those great exercises we did in class and translate them to an E-Learning environment, and it's got me thinking about it more and more…

Maybe, just maybe, that saying really is true. I can't so I'll help someone else do.

New E-Learning Network

2008-06-10T12:58:00.002-04:00

For those that know me well, you know I have a passion for community, sharing, education and people!

I am pleased to let you know that I've been working very hard to bring all those things together via a FREE community for e-learning professionals from ALL areas of e-learning and instructional design including, content generation, testing, storyboards, graphics, animations, programs used, databases, and will bring you, my fellow e-learning pros, a new blog complete with some of my best friends in the e-learning spere, best practices, cheap solutions (I'm all about the pocketbook fitness challenge) and some networking and free online presentations and support from some of the biggest names out there – like Microsoft, Articulate (thanks Tom!!!) Trivantis, just to name a few. And to the ITPRO community of Greater Toronto – thank you for letting us piggy-back as a Special Interest Group!

My goal for this community is to create a place where e-learning pros can meet and greet, learn new skills, network and find people with expertise that perhaps you don't possess but need for a project, a place for free learning and sharing of ideas, best practices, and solutions as well as a place to engage yourself and your peers in a little friendly competition from time to time.

I invite you to visit the blog and if you are interested in posting an article please let me know – my contact info is in the May post…The online community will go live before the end of June (I hope) www.etrainnetwork.com – currently there is a placeholder there until my good friend Dominic at Rebel Networks gets me up and running. (thanks Dom for supporting the e-learning community). We already have our first item up on the blog-poll – asking about your dedication to Mobile Learning…so get heard and put your vote in.

It is also important for you to understand that while I had the idea for this community I couldn't do it without the great support of Microsoft Canada, Shannon, Jenn, Sheri and Ian, who being in Scotland truly makes this a GLOBAL community for e-learning professionals.

Thank you and I hope you find it as fun and enjoyable to participate as I have had putting it all together.

Discovering Camtasia Studio’s SmartFocus

2008-06-10T12:42:00.002-04:00

It's been a number of years since I used Camtasia Studio 3 to create a cool recording of a virtual classroom learning session.

I was concerned that perhaps I had forgotten how to use it or maybe there were so many features they added since 2001 that maybe, just maybe I'd not be able to use it and I'd look a fool for having said, "ooooh – Camtasia Studio ROCKS".

The reality is, it does still rock, only this time, it rocks WAY MORE!

The one cool feature I found that I just love, especially since one of the projects I'm working on is a project to demo a new area of a company "portal", I needed to find a way to zoom in to areas on the screen capture so that I could show a close-up of the screen options.

SmartFocus is a new tool in Camtasia Studio that does just that. While you mouse is resting in an area on the screen, SmartFocus adds code to the record to zoom in to an area, then when the mouse is moved, it zooms back out. The cool thing is that you can edit the SmartFocus points if you want some but not all of the preselected, Camtasia assigned focus points. Unfortunately I was not able to attain permission from my company to use the item I created for this session, but maybe if I can find some time in my busy schedule I'll post the example.

I highly recommend that you try it! You get a 30 day trial – no restrictions on use like some programs. (My new big beef these days are those companies that let you try their stuff but you can't save what you spent hours working on!!!! It makes me not want to purchase their products for the frustration. But I do understand it is a business preservation act so … enough said! J)

Lectora Vegas Conference – April 30 – May 1

2008-05-09T15:08:00.001-04:00

I was lucky enough to be given permission to attend the Lectora Conference held in Las Vegas April 30 and May 1, 2008.

For those that do not know, Lectora is a leading software application used to develop e-learning modules and works with almost any LMS or direct to web publishing. Lectora is a product of Trivantis and I have to give huge Kudos to Traci Connor who was a major reason this conference was, in my opinion, a huge success!

The two conference days were jam packed with educational seminars and break-out sessions designed to provide all levels of e-learning professionals, from newbie to the most savvy of designers, with something valuable to take home.

While many of the sessions were really good, there are two that stand out for me and left me with that "wow" feeling I was looking for.

Presentation 1

Title: Turning Heads Not Pages
Presented
by: Brian Doegen and Gareth Harris
Company: PriceWaterhouseCoopers

Why did I like this presentation?

Sorry guys – I didn't like the presentation based on the presentation skills however Brian, if you read this – you are the funniest thing when you roll your eyes! What I really liked about this was that the guys talked with the audience (not to us) and the information was really grounded. The major point of the presentation was that e-learning needs to grab the attention of the learner, and not just be like a book you read on the screen. The major required element for the training Brian and Gareth offer for PriceWaterhouseCoopers is in telling a story to engage the learner and keep them "inside" the training.

The examples shown of some of the low, medium and high tech (and high budget) modules included a fantastic "choose your own adventure" theme which allowed you, the learner, to step into what it would be like to be a mobile professional, with interactive audio, hot-spot elements to assist you in understanding tools you would use in your day to day life, and the ability to make choices and experience the repercussions without suffering the scars associated with on the job failures. It's all part of the real learning process and provides real world experience without the negativity.

Presentation 2

Title: Graphic Design for eLearning
Presented by: Diane Elkins
Company: Elkins, Alcorn, Ward & Partners

Shannon, another conference participant and I had serious reservations at the beginning of the presentation. For those that have been using PowerPoint and WordArt since way back in the day – oh say 1995 – then you will understand when I say that the screen she first showed looked like it was created by someone who had just learned the background colour formatting tools and the WordArt tools. As instructors, Shannon and I both recognized the childish and unprofessional message this title slide showed, but of course we were set at ease right away when Diane vocalized exactly what we were both thinking! ICK!

I will try to recreate a similar screen to what Diane used as the opener!

The take-away from this session was an excellent little tip sheet on thinking about the visual appeal and to minimize the clutter. Yes, I am paraphrasing, but I truly believe that when you use a couple of the recommended tips, like her first, and I do believe the most powerful tip:
"Just because you can't, doesn't mean you should."

That just screams don't clutter the page, keep is simple, sweetie! Just because you know how to use WordArt doesn't mean you should really use it. After instructing PowerPoint and Word for as many years as I have, one of the fun things we learn is how to use the tool – then I burst the bubble of fun and always tell the class that WordArt has special applications…and nothing is special enough to warrant using it! (of course I do still have some fun with text once in a while, but I tend to keep that simple too.

Diane was an excellent speaker, and her tips on creating top notch visually pleasing courseware were excellent – she showed everything from using the new PowerPoint 2007 SmartArt (which I love) to working with graphics in Photoshop! It was an amazing and very informative session.

The next Lectora User Conference is next year in San Diego – I plan to be there…not just for what you learn in the sessions, but also for the valuable networking opportunities, ideas generated and relationships formed.

Putting the I back in I.T.

2008-04-08T13:15:00.001-04:00

Once upon a time, when I was a network, computer and software consultant for an insurance database program, I realized that the Information Technology profession was lacking something. At the time I didn't really know what IT was, but I knew that I could find IT and do something with IT.

That's exactly what I did.

For me, what was missing was the "I" in IT: INFORMATION. I found that when other consultants or resident tech staff were working on issues and problems, they were very secretive, almost like you had to have a special membership card to be involved in any discussion about computers, the internet, networking and all other things IT related. Many of my customers were paying very large bills to these IT professionals to create excellent, stable work environments, to upgrade hardware/software and to keep things running on a daily basis, but almost every customer was unable to provide me with any information on the projects occurring in their own front yards!

I was quite taken aback by that. For me, while I appreciate business owners recognizing when they do not have the expertise to work on something that they hand it over to someone who does, but what I don't get is how they blindly give their whole IT Infrastructure over to someone else and then feel as though they are at the mercy of the IT guy or gal to do what needs to be done. The business owner seldom takes it upon themselves to become knowledgeable about what is happening with a project or where the project stands.

I wanted to give information – not knowledge – to my clients, and therefore kept them informed of all types of things I was working on, when I had issues, when something was delayed and why, so that not only did I feel I was accountable to someone for the work I was charging for, but so that my client could also recognize the value I was bringing to their organization.

It didn't take much to create an email message at the end of a session or if I was in the office for the day to provide updates on the half day and at end of day.

A side benefit of this was that my clients generally left me alone to do what I did best. They didn't hover and ask me questions, they didn't pester (unless the server was down for maintenance and they needed their email YESTERDAY because they just might get an email telling them they hit the big-client jackpot!) they had faith that if I had a problem I would solve it or go to them and let them know. I gave INFORMATION to my clients and in return, I got more respect and more business.

So, let's put the "I" back in IT and start giving our customer's a little more information. Let them know that what you are doing is important and that they are valued. It doesn't matter if you are an independent or a corporate IT staffer…it never hurts to share information…you just need to know when to draw the line.

Launch of IT PRO TORONTO A “Virtual” Success

2008-03-20T11:58:00.001-04:00

After a few bumps in the road (we are really sorry – the location is Nexient - 30 Eglinton Ave. West – the tall glass building in the plaza with the Emerald Chinese Restaurant – 2^nd floor!!!!) the launch of the IT PRO Toronto group was a success. I suggest parking in the back, behind Tim Horton's and enter the building from the double glass doors.

Mitch Garvis, esteemed President of IT PRO Toronto provided an entertaining overview of Virtualization. Some really great goodies (AKA SWAG) was had by some very lucky folks…and our room sponsor, Nexient Learning offered up some discounts to professional development courses they have coming out for the new family or server products! As our inaugural meeting we were very pleased with the participation from the local IT Pro community. We had lots of excellent discussion during the presentation and it continued afterward with a coffee talk at the Second Cup across the road. I unfortunately couldn't stay for the chat, but hope to be able to next time!

And speaking of next time…our next meeting is April 15 with a wonderful discussion on Unified Communications.

Please register online for the event…we look forward to seeing you then!

Effective Training is like an Effective Meeting

2008-03-04T11:05:00.001-05:00

We've all read articles or listened to experts discuss how to have effective meetings…and as trainers, many of us have been inundated with materials on facilitating effective training sessions. There are many parallels that can be drawn between tips for effective meeting management and tips for effective training delivery.

I came across an About.com 3-part article titled Effective Meetings Produce Results: Tips for Meeting Management and it made me aware that these same tips and guidelines apply to the delivery of effective training – no matter what the content. I have pulled the main tips from the first part of the article and discuss how they apply to training.

TIPS:

Plan
Make sure there is a NEED
Ensure appropriate participation
Distribute (prior to) and Review (after)

Plan

For some trainers, their job is information centric, meaning they lecture and provide information and then test the knowledge of the material presented. Other trainers prefer courses that are learner centric – everything they do in the session is designed to allow the learner to get the most practical application of the lessons or skills being delivered – which they may not get by reading, digesting and regurgitating loads of material.

Whether learner centric or information centric sessions are your speciality it is important to PLAN. Planning provides the trainer with a guide for topics, material, examples and exercises that may be included in the session to help assist the learners in understanding concepts.

Notice I said "Guide"? Just like a good meeting, a guide (agenda) allows you to stay on track but still allow a bit of flexibility to include attendee's comments, concerns, discussion and ideas outside of the major focus (utilizing our classroom management tools to keep as much control as possible).

Need

Most trainers understand that if there is no need, there is no training session. Effective meetings are held only when there is a requirement to do so…if there is no new information to share with a group, why take time out of each person's day to meet? Prior to any meetings there should be a needs assessment done – can the information be shared via memo or email or is there really a need to meet?

Trainers know that a needs analysis is a crucial component to any successful training session. If there is no need for the education, there is no need for a training session. Defining the need also helps determine the direction the session will take and will thereby directly impact the PLAN.

Appropriate Participation

There is nothing worse than attending a meeting that has nothing to do with you, your job, your department, your clients etc. I have gotten into the habit of clarifying with meeting callers to determine if, in fact I am truly required at the meeting, what is the impact if I am not at the meeting, is my input required etc.

I would not, for instance, expect to be called into a sales manager's meeting unless there is a need for training advice or discussion on sales training. If I am expected to participate in a meeting but have only one or two things to discuss, I try to request that any portion of the meeting pertaining to me, training or my department, be scheduled at the beginning of the agenda so that I can get on with other things.

How do trainers ensure appropriate participation? By reviewing the Needs Analysis and performing Skills Assessments. Do we want an Excel expert to participate in a basic Excel class unless we want them to be bored and leave the session telling everyone else what a waste of time it was?

By ensuring the proper team members participate in appropriate sessions, we are better able to guide the success of our learners. Yes, a skills assessment takes time, your time as the trainer and the valuable time of the staff members, but failure to ensure the correct audience is in the correct session will result in a much lower ROTI (return on training investment) and we don't want that now do we?

Distribute and Review

It's a great idea for meeting facilitators to send out the agenda in advance of the meeting. It shows the following:

Planning
Need for meeting
Appropriate people involved

Notice those are the first three items on our list?

Once a needs assessment is completed, a course outline (agenda) will be created to assist with the planning phase of the training session. With this course outline distributed in advance, we can ensure that expectations for the session are clearly defined and provide us with a measure for the success of our training session. This is also a great opportunity to get the participants actively involved in learning prior to the session. If you assign case studies that must be read prior to the session, distributing the study with the course outline helps the trainer be more effective because there is now only a need to quickly review the case study prior to inviting discussion.

The same applies in a meeting. I prefer to have all the information to read prior to the meeting so that I can formulate my questions and facilitate a more efficient meeting by addressing those questions/concerns if I have all the information before. This also results in fewer meetings. Why you ask? Well – let's say we have a meeting to discuss something new. At the meeting we are given 25 pages of documentation on a new tool. It wouldn't be a good use of the meeting time to read through the materials and try to come up with questions so we'd end up having another meeting to discuss our questions/concerns/comments after we have had a chance to review. Doesn't it make sense to provide the information first and have only ONE meeting to discuss the content? Sure it does…unless of course you like attending meetings.

Meeting Minutes as take-a-ways or course handouts like manuals, cheat sheets, tips and tricks are excellent reminders of what was covered in the training session and are fantastic tools for post session/meeting refreshers.

I have, for quite some time, thought of my training sessions as meetings to ensure I run my training as efficiently as possible while still keeping the end goal of student success in mind. I plan for each and every training session no matter how many times I have instructed that session. I ensure there is a need and assess the people who will be attending. Finally, I follow up with post lesson materials, reviews and testing so that I am better able to assess the success of the training session.

It is my belief that my success as a trainer is attributed to using the above skills to effectively manage my "meetings".

3 Tips to Make E-Learning ‘Stick’

2008-03-03T14:07:00.002-05:00

As adults, trying to learn something new whether it is upgrading our skills for our current job, or building our skills to take a step on to something new, we need to make what we learn stick.

I envy my daughter – she really is a sponge. I wish I had appreciated the ability I had to learn new concepts when I was young. Instead, as I get older and spend many hours of my own personal time upgrading skills, learning something new and developing materials for people just like me, I have found three tips that help me.

You know this already – we've seen it as part of the "green" initiatives in our communities.

Reduce
Reuse
Recycle

How can this help?

1. Reduce

As adults, we are easily distracted by things going on around us. How many times have I been reading a book and found I've read the same paragraph 5 times because the phone rings, the dog wants out, dinner needs to be made, a child wants a snack or can't find something they had ten minutes before.

If I reduce the amount of distractions around me, I'm more able to immerse myself in the task. I turn off the television, or find a quiet corner of the house in which to work, I have a little sticky note that says DO NOT DISTURB or MOM IS STUDYING and place it on the closed door.

I also give my family a little notice when I need quiet time…"I need 25 minutes to do what needs to be done. Please look after the dog, and answer the phone on the first ring. Thanks." I will also detail what I will be doing more so I have a measure when I am finished, that way, when I leave my quiet space and get back to real-life, I can tell my family my accomplishments. "I got those 30 pages read. Thanks for letting me have that time."

2. Reuse

You probably wonder where the "reuse" comes into play. I have old papers that I don't need anymore. I've folded them in half and cut the papers to create little notepads. I then use these little notepads to make my study notes. I also use sticky notes and place sticky notes on each page with statements that sum up the main idea or thoughts on a page or list out the main points I need to remember.

I REUSE these papers to help me pull all the information together – if I have two or three days between study opportunities, I will REUSE the sticky notes and papers to refresh my memory on what I tackled in the previous two or three sessions. This way, I am setting a long term reminder in my little noggin by re-reading the items on the sticky notes and committing to memory some of the terms and concepts.

3. Recycle

In my experience, if I am able to take what I've learned and translate it so that I am able to tell someone else what I learned and they UNDERSTAND – I have successfully recycled my information for someone else's use. It can be anything from an email to a friend or colleague, a blog entry, a short story, a telephone conversation – anything that allows you to retell in your own words that which you have just learned.

My daughter and I have quite grownup discussions about technology, the future of technology and careers. Much of that has to do with me translating what I'm learning and attempting to recycle that information. It can be as simple as "hey, did you know that when an adult learns something new, they have to share the information with their kids?" That leaves the door open for my girl to look at me with that my mom is so weird but I'll listen anyway because somewhere in that lame attempt to talk to me she is likely going to say something that will make me laugh look and inevitably I do.

As an instructor to adults, I continue to recommend that every night (or whenever possible) find a quiet place (or a noisy one if that is what works for you) to reduce the amount of unacceptable distractions, review your notes from the previous chapters and begin to create reusable notes for the next section of content. The next day, or the next class session, I would ask the adult learners to share what they are learning – in their own words.

Being able to collect your thoughts and ideas, work with a way of repeating the information and being able to translate and share the information with someone else are keys to the success of the 2008 adult learner.

Give it a try.

When is Writing Hardest For ME?

2008-03-03T08:49:00.001-05:00

I've mentioned before how much I love to write.

Writing is a wonderful release for me, an escape from the everyday, ordinary plain old life I lead.

It gives me the freedom to express what my mind is thinking without too much fear of backlash. I sometimes use my writing as a sounding board, preparing my words for a tough situation or helping me develop ideas for a presentation or talk. Writing let's me be funny or serious, silly or factual, depending on the topic.

I find it pretty easy to write blog entries. If I could just get around the time constraints, I'm sure I would have many, MANY more entries to share, but there are only 24 hours in a day, and I like to find some time to be with my family, eat, sleep, play and yes, even work.

I don't have a problem writing about something:

I'm excited about
passionate about
looking forward to
waiting impatiently for
anxious over
I want to share with others

I do have a slight issue today. Of course I'm writing and I'm writing about something interesting to me…but it isn't what I'm supposed to be writing.

My boss popped by and asked me to write something for the next issue of our corporate newsletter. I was so excited – Hoooray! I get to write something for work, I get to write something meaningful that at least 2000 other people will read, and if I'm lucky be excited about, and I get paid for doing it…

Trouble is I can't seem to concentrate on what I'm supposed to be writing about. The topic is something near and dear to my heart – education in the workplace. And I get to write about the great technologies we are working with and what e-Learning is as well as how it will affect the workforce and what great topics we'll offer as training modules.

For me, it seems, writing is the hardest when I'm given a topic and asked to write about it rather than have a topic in my noggin begging to be let lose…

I do believe that all this writing today has given me a brainwave for the article so I can meet my Wednesday deadline.

Solution??? Pretend it's a blog entry.

Heroes Do Happen Here

2008-02-28T13:09:00.001-05:00

I was so excited to be involved in the Heroes Happen Here event that took place February 27, 2008 at the Direct Energy Building in downtown Toronto.

Microsoft puts on a great event – and this particular launch of the Server 2008 products was no different.

I volunteered at the event in the User Group area. It was the official launch not only of Windows Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008 and SQL Server 2008, but also the debut of the new IT Pro Toronto community group! This event was my third time connecting with the IT Pro community in the User Group area, and I would do it again without hesitating.

Joining me at the booth were Russell – who I spent the majority of the day with, and Simone and Dom. Russell and I were so busy speaking to both the IT Pro and Developer attendees that we didn't have a chance to attend the breakout sessions we wanted, but I've been assured that I will have access to the content at some time down the road! It's a good thing too because I know I missed some fantastic discussions.

The first meeting for the Hip New user group is Tuesday March 18 – from 6pm to 9pm. You can get details (eventually) at www.itprotoronto.ca. The topic is Virtualization.

To those who stopped to chat with us we appreciate your time, and we really do want to see you out at the IT Pro event in March. If you were not able to attend the event, I will post links to the content when I receive them.

ABOUT THE COMMUNITY

I am a real advocate for the IT Pro community, and I was very excited to be involved in a discussion on Tuesday night at a community event prior to the launch focusing on the future of the IT Pro's career. I was honoured to be asked to facilitate one of the many discussion corners.

My group had an open floor discussion on why IT Pros are leaving their careers, what needs to be done to assist IT Pros in retaining their careers, and what we can do to help the future IT Pros decide on a course of action and career in IT and actually go for it!

There was lots of chatter about potential changes to the education system, how technology focused companies could donate their technologies to educational facilities like colleges and universities so that students can learn on what is new and upcoming rather than what is old, outdated and soon to be put to rest. Other conversation focused on the need for sponsorship, cooperative opportunities and mentoring not only for the new kids on the block, but also for those fossils that have for one reason or another been pigeonholed into working with a technology that eventually will not be of value to either them or their employers.

In all my years (4) of working with IT Professionals in a group environment, I have NEVER seen so much communication and discussion – which continued even after the breakout sessions were over! It was wonderful.

Now I'm off to type up my notes on the event and pass them along to the TechNet team to share the ideas and comments generated during the sessions.

When the tour comes to your community – get involved – have your say – get heard!

Time for a New Phone!

2008-02-22T15:06:00.001-05:00

Can you sense the excitement? It's time to look at a new phone.

My Blackberry has suffered many abuses. I've dropped it OVER and OVER again from varying heights. I've spilled yogurt on it, and it fell into my peanut butter toast and it's been subjected to hand sanitizer to stop the spread of my (and other people's) cold viruses.

It has served me well and I love it, the problem is, the keys stick when I type messages, and I swear it is having a mental health day today because it has reset itself FOUR – yes F-O-U-R times.

The reset process is a long and frustrating one, because all you see on the screen is a rotating hourglass. Oh Joy! There it goes again – and no my problems are not related to any RIM outages! It is hardware related.

And of course, I want to lower my bills from the horrific $90.00 a month to something a little more manageable – since I am no longer using the device for it's original intended purpose (work) I think I should look at reducing my data plan while I'm at it (currently unlimited no longer offered by my carrier).

So I have the happy task of researching and testing phones.

My friend Connie has a new phone. She's had it for almost a week now and I'm not really sure if she loves it or not, but it certainly is a lovely little Windows Mobile 6 device (complete with pocket office!!!!). Her phone is the HTC Touch. It is a touch screen and has all the cool features a phone should have without being classed as a SmartPhone.

Did you know that as soon as a device is classed as a SmartPhone, telecom companies can charge an increased fee for data services (mostly because of the push email feature)?

I recently found out that my friend Barnaby Jeans also has one and he likes it.

My problem is I am so used to the QWERTY keypad setup on my blackberry, I'm not sure I want to go back to the touch pad, use a steno to draw my letters like I did when I owned my palm pilot (which by the way people stopped using only a couple months after I bought mine!).

So I'm also looking at the HTC Touch 6800. It has a slide out keypad in the QWERTY style – but because it does, it is classed as a SmartPhone and therefore is automatically going to cost me a minimum of $25 a month for data plus my phone pack.

I'll keep you posted on my new phone adventures.

Microsoft’s Goal – Interoperability

2008-02-22T13:44:00.001-05:00

I just read a press release regarding the impending changes to Microsoft's technology and business practices as it relates to developers, partners, customers and competitors.

"Specifically, Microsoft is implementing four new interoperability principles and corresponding actions across its high-volume business products: (1) ensuring open connections; (2) promoting data portability; (3) enhancing support for industry standards; and (4) fostering more open engagement with customers and the industry, including open source communities."

This stems from the European judgement passed in September 2007.

Take a look at the Microsoft Interoperability Site.

New IT Pro Group Meet and Greet at HHH Launch

2008-02-21T09:25:00.002-05:00

It's official!

I will be assisting with the newly "reformed" IT Pro group getting together for the Mississauga-Toronto (GTA) users.

My first official duty will be to meet and greet and spread the word about the Toronto IT Pro group and encourage people to sign up for the monthly meeting announcements.

Our first venue is the Heroes Happen Here event in Toronto on Wednesday February 27, 2008. We will be wearing our community shirts so please feel free to introduce yourself and chat with me, Mitch Garvis and many of the other people volunteering their time and expertise to assist in getting the IT Pro group up and running smoothly.

We look forward to seeing you at the event.

It’s Spring When…

2008-02-20T09:52:00.001-05:00

It is a sure sign of spring when the crocuses bloom…and my crocus is a lovely deep purple.

Spring? You ask, checking the calendar no doubt to confirm that it is in fact still February.

Crocuses blooming? You ponder as you look outside and realize the ground is still frozen and covered in snow.

That's right – I always know it is getting close to the spring season because fundraising for all my favourite charities begins in spring…ok well they begin in February, but it makes me feel as though spring is not far away.

The beauty of seeing something wonderful growing in a sunny window on the coldest day in February makes me feel as though there really is light at the end of this very weird-weather-tunnel as known as "winter". I feel a sense of anticipation and hope that the snow will soon stop, the dirt and grime of winter washed away in the spring showers.

This all leads me to a brief discussion of my favourite charities.

I am currently registered as a walker and team member of Hutch's Heroes. This is the second year that we are participating in the MS Super Cities Walk, a world wide fund raiser for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada. (If you would like to donate to this walk we would appreciate it. You can check out my pledge page, see a story about how MS is affecting my life and access a link to my team site from here. For my friends and family that have joined our team and have supported us – we THANK YOU!)

I also support the CNIB with their fundraising of crocuses, and I always buy daffodils and donate to the Canadian Cancer Society and the Weekend to End Breast Cancer as well as the JDRF- Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund.

All of these events happen in and around the same time – the end of winter through spring.

I watched the first of my CNIB crocus bulbs flower today – it truly is an amazing sight to watch it grow and I feel as though every hour I can look up and see it has grown a little more, spread it's petals a little wider and the purple colour becomes just a little more rich.

I'm also filled with a small sense of satisfaction that I have done even a little (my crocus plants cost me $10.00 – not a lot really I gave up two lattes to help fund research for the visually impaired – really I don't need the lattes anyway!)

So with thoughts turning to spring, I hope you will think about supporting a cause or charity that affects you or someone you know. It's a big scary world, but we really can make a difference!

When Templates Will Do

2008-02-19T08:02:00.001-05:00

I have a need for something very specific for a project I am working on. I've been trying to figure out how to create the "form" I need, determine which program would be best suited to my need and then decide exactly what I need to put into my selected document to capture the maximum amount of information in the most efficient way but also so that I am able to use the captured information EASILY at a later date.

Am I really asking too much of myself…to be able to analyze my needs and create that form?

I didn't think so until I actually sat down to do the work.

It was then that I realized I want too much – and when I want, I feel that sense of need and then of course, not unlike most people who feel a strong need, I bordered on a sense of entitlement. The item I had in mind had to have a breakdown for the Phases of the projected I am working on. It also needed to be a bit of a project manager where I could keep track of estimated completion dates, tasks and assignments. To top it all off, it had to be one page and have a yearly calendar on it. AND I just HAD to have all the features I was looking for without using Microsoft Project.

While I admit to being a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my forms, documents and template, I also recognize that I do, upon occasion, lack motivation to do things for myself when there is no immediate sense of gratification. (read that as "I won't get as much out of it as the hours I put in" just in case you needed a Jac translation)

I decided that instead of putting in a lot of work for this I'd check out the templates and see what I could come up with to use for this particular problem.

Well – wasn't I surprised to find that in Microsoft Word 2007 (go figure!) there is a fantastic template that completely met my needs – the Event Schedule Planner included all the elements I wanted with the exception of the task list. Taking a look at the screen shot (my first try here with this so I hope it turns out ok) I replaced the Project Phase section on the right (not colourful fields) and added the task list there. So now I have everything I need!

And it was as easy as a template. I spent less than three minutes looking for the template and another five or so minutes changing it to suite my needs. That was a huge savings in my eyes and actually made me more productive at work because I "cheated" and used an existing template to make my life a whole lot easier.

The good thing is that templates are available for so many more things than they used to be – and so many more people are sharing templates they create with the world at the Microsoft Office online site. Give it a try and see if you can save time – or if you have a great template, maybe you can help out another user and save them time.

The Passion to Blog

2008-02-16T22:08:00.000-05:00

I love to blog.

I love to share my thoughts, ideas, feelings, tips and tricks with others – and I love to do it in writing.

I love to write. I enjoy it and hope that some of my readers enjoy it too.

Because of my passion for blogging, education and technology, I often come across items of interest that I believe would be great to share with others.

Last spring I purchased a book called Blog Schmog by Robert (Bob) Bly, a copy writer I enjoy reading when I have the time. His book is and excellent foray into the realm of blogging from a corporate perspective…do we really need a blog? In reading much of his stuff…I often wonder if he's so down on blogs, why does he have one, but I love his style and he really does have many thought-provoking things to say about all things writing, not just "blogging."

On another note: I'm going to try something new.

I'm evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they're letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.

It covers:

The best blogging techniques.
How to get traffic to your blog.
How to turn your blog into money.

I'll let you know what I think once I've had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it's still free.

Follow the Leader

2008-02-12T22:00:00.000-05:00

I have great admiration and respect for my friend and colleague Don Spencer who has a wonderful Blog that I highly recommend.

Because of a visit to his blog, I felt a little like I just MUST keep up with the Joneses…in this case Don.

He uses a tool called Snap Shots to put little pop up windows of screen shots associated with links he puts into his blogs. I thought this was just so cool – I had to do it to.

Here is an excerpt from the Snap Shots site that on what they are and how they work.

Remember – this is only a cool tool I thought might be handy to give my readers an idea of what a site looks like before deciding to follow my links. You may choose to use Snap Shots or not – below are the very user friendly instructions on working with Snap Shots on my site and any other site that uses this neat little tool.

Introducing Snap Shots from Snap.com

I just installed a nice little tool on this site called Snap Shots that enhances links with visual previews of the destination site, interactive excerpts of Wikipedia articles, MySpace profiles, IMDb profiles and Amazon products, display inline videos, RSS, MP3s, photos, stock charts and more.

Sometimes Snap Shots bring you the information you need, without your having to leave the site, while other times it lets you "look ahead," before deciding if you want to follow a link or not.

Should you decide this is not for you, just click the Options icon in the upper right corner of the Snap Shot and opt-out.

Study Groups Do Work!

2008-02-08T10:38:00.001-05:00

I know that I wrote about the WWITPRO study groups previously, but I wanted to let you know that getting together, getting focused and sharing with others really can work to help successfully pass Microsoft certification exams.

I heard from Steve P., one of the participants of the MCDST study group that not only did he pass the first 70-271 exam last fall after the study group finished, but he also just passed the 70-272 exam.

Here is an excerpt from his email:

"A little preparation which included the excellent study group experience and all members of the group can do it. (pass)"

Steve also asked that I pass along a link to some excellent preparation materials from the Microsoft website.

He suggests taking the FREE Clinic 2263: Exam Preparation for the MCDST Certification and highly recommends the second shot offer that allows you some insurance just in case you don't successfully pass the first time.

Congratulations Steve! You are now a MCDST! I'm glad you participated and look forward to hearing how everyone else made out!

Movin' on Over

2008-02-08T08:37:00.000-05:00

Those that visit will notice that I am starting to merge over the information from my Smarttechconsulting.com/blog site - with the closing of that chapter in my life, I wanted to retain the blogs and posts, and have them all in one location.

For ease of use I also decided to Close down my tipsfromatechchick blog...so I'll merge those over as well.

Enjoy catching up and discovering new things with me as I continue my journey of cramming as much education and information into my little brain!

Cheers all!

Here a Blog, There a Blog

2008-02-07T15:13:00.000-05:00

I’ve been blogging for a number of years now, on various topics, for various reasons. I’ve used a number of different blog-ware and I have to admit that while I’ve been very happily using Microsoft Office Word 2007 since the Beta release, the one feature I didn’t use until just last week was the Blog feature.
When I instructed the Micro Applications Computer Business Applications (MACBA) certificate course at Conestoga College, the one thing I added to the introduction to technology and Internet sections was the ability to learn how to blog. We talked about what blogs were, how blogs have helped and hindered people and how businesses can use blogs to support and grow their customer base. Then all the students in my class started to blog. I had them blog every day even if there wasn't anything for them to say. (some loved it, others - not so much, but it's ok. It was a new experience and they all jumped right in!)
Last fall was the first inception of the new Office 2007 into our curriculum and I was very excited to be able to show the fantastic tools Office now allows. One feature I didn’t have enough time to discuss was the ability to use Microsoft Office Word 2007 to create blog entries with the Blog template and to have the entry uploaded automatically to the blog of your choosing!
Imagine how pleased I was that when I tried this feature, not only did I save myself time (I usually type my entries in Word and then paste them into Blogger), but everything was so easy! I didn’t even have to log in to Blogger to do any copy and paste.
So I’ve been wracking my brain trying to figure out what I can write about (since I type 102 words a minute) to fill a couple hours of my day – I figured why not write about something that really made me happy, saved me time and allows me the ease of use of tools I am already familiar with.
So how does it work?
I created a “blog” entry using the Blog template. The first time I accessed this template, I was prompted to fill in some details about my blog location, user name and password. I’m A-OK with putting that information into my system so I have no second thoughts about the security.
Once I entered in my details, I typed up my entry, choose Publish from the Blog Post Tab, Blog ribbon and I got a funky little information bar that told me the item had been posted to my blog and listed the time and date as well!
In just a few minutes I had my entry done, proofed and posted – and it only took the click of a button! I’m so glad this is so easy to use, yet one more reason I LOVE Microsoft Office 2007!!! Why doesn’t everyone just go out and get a copy?
If you are a student, and you have a valid email address to your institution such as your college or university, you can actually purchase Office 2007 Ultimate edition (which kicks major butt if I do say so myself!!!) for less then $100 Canadian. Check it out at http://www.theultimatesteal.ca/. This link takes you to a site that lets you, as a student, purchase the ULTIMATE –that means EVERYTHING in the Office suite including GROOVE – I SOOOO want to use Groove in a corporate environment! Check it out – you won’t be disappointed!

Exit Interviews and Training

2008-02-04T15:34:00.001-05:00

Did you ever think that there could possibly be a co-relation between a client exit interview and training?

I can remember the last job I left that had an exit interview. The big question they asked was, why are you leaving…and all I could say was that when an employee knows more than their manager, does the manager's work and gets less than half the pay, it's time to move on and find employment with a company that values employees and recognizes the value those employees bring to the table. It only took two other employees and three weeks for the company to realize they were losing good workers because of one bad one.

Do we ask our clients the same thing when they decide to leave us to go to the competition? Good companies, companies that really value their clients will ask on a regular basis, what have we done right and what needs improvement.

Just like in sales, as trainers we can't get stuck in a rut and make assumptions that the material we are coving suits our client's needs. Does the training I'm developing meet the goal the company set when they made the decision to hire a corporate trainer? To find out I use an exit interview. In my case, the exit interview is the after class evaluation form. You know that silly form we take for granted when we ask all class participants to jot down their opinions on if we were prepared, if we were knowledgeable, if the room was too hot or too cold and if the class participants were bored to tears or do they really, truly, believe that the material covered in the session is going to help them do their job better.

Most times, I don't take much notice of the general responses unless there is one that was especially positive or negative. I do try to focus on the grouping of questions around the employee's perception of how the training session will help them do their job. If someone indicates, the material covered will not help with their job then I have to find out why. (If there are especially negative comments I ALWAYS address them – even if I don't want to. Never leave the negative comments untouched. You may find that the comment was made because the employee was grumpy, sick, tired, dealing with challenging personal issues, worried about work etc. and that it really isn't a reflection of you or your training.)

When I follow up after an evaluation I ask some tough questions.

Why did the employee:

Feel that the session won't help them
Choose this session – what research did they do into the course content
Waste their time coming to a session that wasn't for them
Take the spot away from someone else who would have benefited from the training
Waste company money to be in the training session

Speaking with the individuals who fill out the form helps me understand if my marketing materials need to be changed, if a different message needs to be included in the course offerings to the staff. In some cases it is just that we need to let the managers know who the training is designed for and when managers understand that each session is customized to a group within the organization, they better understand the need for their staff to attend the correct session thereby ensuring the employees receive instruction appropriate to their position and that they learn something they need to know.

Sometimes as trainers we are just lucky and the people attending our sessions REALLY want to be there (not often – but when that happens it sure makes our job all the more worthwhile doesn't it?).

So – exit interviews aren't just for those employees moving on to bigger and better things, or clients leaving for the competition. They are also a key factor in improving our own material and performance and getting the company a great return on the training investment.

SBS Study Group Success

2008-01-28T09:41:00.000-05:00

Congatulations to those who have passed the 70-282 exam as a result of the study group run by the WWITPRO IT Pro user group!

Our latest success is Peter Piluk, incoming President of WWITPRO. Peter passed his exam in January.

Congatulations Peter and good luck in your new position with WWITPRO.

Interesting Observations in eLearning Reading

2008-01-24T23:25:00.000-05:00

I mentioned in a previous post I am reading a book called Understanding by Design by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe.

An interesting item that I will quote here is the concept that most teachers think more about the process of teaching when preparing lessons then about the process of learning.

Wiggins states: "Too many teachers focus on the teaching and not the learning. They spend most of their time thinking, first, about what they will do, what material they will use, and what they will ask students to do rather than first considering what the learner will need in order to accomplish the learning goals."

I admit to having been one of "those" teachers, especially with the last course I taught at the local community college. We only had a short period of time in which to provide instruction and cover the material for various computer software applications, which did not leave any time to actually THINK about learning goals, let alone to adopt the course around the learning goals.

Wiggins goes on in this brief intro to discuss the following: "Answering the "why?" and "so what?" questions that older students always ask (or want to), and doing so in concrete terms as the focus of curriculum planning, is thus the essence of understanding by design."

This calls to mind one of the students in the aforementioned course. I have great admiration for this woman because she always wanted to know the "why" and "how come" of what we were learning. It not only challenged me to try to anticipate and address her questions before she even asked, but made me think about the material in a whole different way.

Now that I'm beginning to see the difference, I'm going to continue reading, learning, absorbing and discussing…. An no, I'm still not an expert!

What Makes an Expert - Expert?

2008-01-22T21:59:00.000-05:00

I was listening to the “afternoon guy” on my local all news radio station one day back in October 2007.

He had a guest speaker on his show (can’t remember his name but he’s written a whole bunch of books on a whole bunch of topics) and the guest speaker was trying to encourage reading.

One thing he said during the interview was “read 5 books on a subject and you become an expert”. I thought that was quite amazing...as I’ve read WAY more than 5 books on technology and I’m no expert. I’ve read hundreds of mystery books, but I’m no mystery expert, and I’ve read tons of books on Italian cooking (and my lasagne still needs work)....but his comment really made me think.

I believe it could be possible to become a self-proclaimed expert after reading 5 books about a subject, however, I firmly believe the books have to be the “RIGHT” kind of books. Not just any book will do. And let’s not forgot the need to be able to apply what you read in a real-world environment...aka experience.

I also believe it to be important to read books that tackle the same topic but from many different viewpoints. As an example, let’s say you want to become an expert on giving presentations. Reading one book is not going to make you an expert. For that matter, reading FIVE books is not going to make you an expert.... ensuring that the five books you do read to become an expert on giving presentations tackles presentations from different avenues, the experience giving presentations, failing, learning from your mistakes, correcting those mistakes and trying again just might get you close to the expert status the speaker was discussing.

For example: read a book on PowerPoint (or any other presentation software). It won’t make you an expert with PowerPoint, but it will point you in the direction of understanding how PowerPoint or other presentation software assists a presenter or public speaker.

Another excellent book choice might be a book covering the “how to be” aspect...such as one of my personal favourites and a book I found to be very helpful in assisting me on my journey through public speaking, a book entitled “How to become a Motivational Speaker”. Do you see how different being a motivational speaker is to being a public speaker for a local charity, or giving sales presentations? No? Well then, read a book. While most presentations are designed to spur on action, such as a sales person giving a spiel about their latest and greatest product, or a local celebrity speaking about a charity near and dear to their heart, being a motivational speaker requires much more than just a name and the ability to be comfortable selling something to an audience. Give that some thought and perhaps you will understand what I mean.

Next you may want to cover the speech aspect – you’ve covered the software (tools) and background (sales/motivation) now is a great time to look at how to structure your “talk”. There are so many excellent books out there on how to write a speech or how to speak in public, that choosing one or two should not be a hard choice. That’s three...

How about reading about the design of a presentation? Not just the “this is PowerPoint and this is how you use it” but a book that actually discusses how the design of a visual presentation stimulates viewers so that you can get the best results with the least effort.

Now on to topic 5: Maybe you suffer from the fear of speaking in public because (like most people) you don’t want to look like an idiot when the wrong words come out – so you look at the library or your local Chpaters/Indigo store and while you sip on that Venti-skinny-half-calf-caramel latte, you find a few good resources for dealing with public speaking jitters and pick one.
Don’t sweat it! Take a deep breath, imagine the audience wearing polka-dot pajamas and don’t forget to apply every SINGLE tip those books you read provided for you. No Stress!
...are you feeling like an expert yet?

I didn’t think so – to be honest, neither am I, even having read ALL of those books and many more on presentations it all boils down to how well I am able to apply what I learned in the books to my real-life super secret identity as a public speaker. After years of practice writing, preparing and presenting, I am a public speaker – but do I consider myself to be an expert? Absolutely not. Why? Because I believe I still need more practice, more opportunity to learn and grow and develop skills that will allow me to be the very best presenter possible.

Look at it this way......I want to be an expert race car driver, but reading the
history of NASCAR, a bunch of bios on drivers and manuals about how a race car
works is not going to make ME an expert out on the oval.

That, my friends, requires EXPERIENCE – and I’m afraid you can’t learn that in a book.

Going back to my point about reading books from different viewpoints: reading 5 books on a topic that all focus on one viewpoint or opinion and not reading opposing books is not going to make you an expert, it is going to make you opinionated without the ability to see the big picture and argue your opinion in an educated way. What do I mean? Well if you read only books on how to create a presentation for a sales environment, and don’t read books about writing presentations, giving presentations to other audiences, or dealing with difficult public speaking situations, then all you will know how to do is create a sales presentation that someone else will give and most likely get credit for. If you want to be an expert on that, you still need to be able to argue for or against design principles, which you will learn in books and in practice using the software to design the presentations. I think it's called being well-rounded. And that aides in the professional persona we portray to those around us.

Now I'm off to attempt to apply this five book theory to Instructional Design.

I’ve started on my first two books – Understanding by Design by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe and Mastering the Instructional Design Process by Rothwell and Kazanas. I will keep you posted on my progress toward my goal of being an “Expert”.

PowerPoint Me in the Right Direction

2008-01-21T20:32:00.000-05:00

Recently I've had a few changes occur in my professional life. The most major was making the choice to leave behind a wonderful position at Conestoga College, and take on a new challenge as the E-Learning Trainer (read that as – we need someone to administer and design web based learning modules, plus since you know Office you can train our staff) for a major transportation company.

We had our employee conference not that long ago, and as a new employee it was very enlightening for me.

For one thing I got to meet all the key players in the company, and for another, I got to spend a weekend with some really fun people getting to know my work colleagues.

I have to admit how surprised I was to find that the company has not standardized the following:

Servers
Desktop and laptop operating systems (we have everything from Win 98 to Vista)
Office Applications (again – everything from Office 98 to Office 2007 – which I practically demanded and was glad they acquiesced to my request – Does that sound piratty? Arrrr)

Many key staff members gave presentations on some of our new initiatives, going green, sales, service, training etc. And I admit to being just a little concerned when the presentations were missing key corporate branding opportunities.

What is a corporate brand you ask?

A corporate brand is the "theme" used in every day communications – everything from trucks and labels to letterhead, using a logo and a colour scheme to reinforce the company name. I'm sure that almost everyone knows the Nike logo because it is everywhere – it is consistent and it never changes (except the size and maybe colour depending what it is on). My point is, every presentation given missed the opportunity to enforce pride in our company by using a customized PowerPoint template for the presentations.

One presentation was orange, another blue with so much text I thought I was reading a book in the ocean, and yet another was green.

Lacking the standardized colour scheme and templates was something I think the company should have addressed prior to this meeting. But to my amazement, I WAS THE ONLY ONE THAT NOTICED!

Now, being new, that's one thing, but as a trainer I am a born observer. I have to be able to observe, read and respond before someone even knows they have a question formed in their brain. My observation skills were working overtime, and I actually left one presentation with a headache.

So upon returning to the office the following Monday, I called upon my trusty Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 and I created the same template in both the new POTX format and the old POT format so that all employees, regardless of their Microsoft Office version, could use these templates to go forth and take over the world!

Ok – not quite…but one day….

Las Vegas, We Have Lift Off

2008-01-21T12:27:00.000-05:00

The good news - let me see if I can sing it loud.... LLLLAAAAAAAAAAAAA

I received the approval for the Lectora User conference in Vegas - and am getting ready to pass all my information on to someone else to do the registering and paying and flight booking etc. etc.

This is very exciting and I am really looking forward to the learning opportunity and most important, the networking with other users.

Many of us may never have considered the value in networking at conferences like this because we may actually be in competition for jobs, clients, or just to keep one up on Jones over there...but me, I see this as a real opportunity to make some solid contacts of both designers and trainers already using a product so that if/when I get stuck and need help, I will have built a foundation upon which to call.

That's right - networking at this conference should net me contacts all over North America. I see it as a huge pool swimming with opportunity and I'm going fishing!

Look for me if you go!

She's Electric - I mean Lectora

2008-01-16T17:30:00.000-05:00

Today I was introduced to the software I will use to create web based learning modules.

It's Lectora by Trivantis.

I've only had a little look and done just a little more research online, but overall it seems like this will be a fairly easy to use web based course creation tool and I'm really looking forward to what it has to offer from both the design and usability scopes.

As well it will be great to finally discover what learning management system we're going to use and how to administer it, but really Jac...slow down. Take it one step at a time. Stop rushing, things will come.

As my good friend Colleen tells me, I should really adopt Slow Movement. I perused Carl Honore's blog and was smiling at the article about email where he discusses how some companies are banning the use of email during personal time....now if only I could get my mind to shut off as easily as my Blackberry....

But I digress...

I am really looking foward to working with Lectora. One thing that really peaked my interst about it was the fact that they have a user conference coming up in April and the conference could include THREE days of training and the two days of the conference.

I requested to go (already - I know I've hardly been here 48 hours and already I'm asking to go to a conference) and hope to hear some positive news soon. For now....I'm back to see what Lectora is going to offer me and the learners here at my company.

Tough Decisions

2008-01-16T09:43:00.000-05:00

It's not often we are faced with really tough decisions, although many of us like to think that we do it on a daily basis.

I've had to face some really REALLY tough decisions the last two months.

The hardest decision I ever made was the decision to give up a private business I've worked hard at and been successful with for 7 years, to return to the corporate world.

The next hardest decision - seriously, has been the decision I made to step down as President of the Waterloo-Wellington IT Professionals user group.

And the last really hard decision I've made lately is one to move out of the region I've lived all my life and move to the GTA.

Many of you know that my spouse was recently disagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, and it's been a tough year for us, and with all the medical appointments and other things, sometimes we have to put our loved ones first - and for a change, I put my family before my love of my IT community.

Giving my notice to the executive members of WWITPRO was a tear jerking moment for me.

But - while I say it was the hardest decision, it really was hard, it was easy just too because I know I will always choose to put my family first....I just didn't want to feel forced to actually DO the resigning.

I am certain that WWITPRO will continue to thrive in our very high-tech community. And I wish much success to the incoming President, Peter Piluk.

Something Old - Something New

2008-01-14T21:48:00.000-05:00

Isn't that the familiar saying - you know the one used for brides?

I feel a little like a bride today. All the mixed emotions playing tricks on your mind...most brides can relate with feelings like: am I good enough? will we be happy? will this last? When will the honeymoon begin - then again, when will it end?

Those are many of the same questions I've asked myself today since I started my new job at 9 this morning.

Am I good enough to do this job? Did they choose the right person? Will they regret their decision?

Will we be happy? Will they be happy with me, will I be happy working here?
Will this last? Will it last long enough for me to collect my first paycheck - or last years of seeming bliss?
When will the honeymoon begin? I know I've been here only one day, but I wonder, where is that euphoria I'm supposed to feel about starting a new position - especially one that I really REALLY wanted (like this one)?
Once the honeymoon starts, when will it end? Will I become dissatisfied, or find that e-learning really isn't what I wanted it to be?

I was certainly feeling insecure as I rode up in the elevator, but as I was taken from department to department and introduced to all the staff, managers and partners, it became clear that they really want me here. They (all the staff) are looking forward to having a trainer on staff and they are anxious to be able to learn new things (HOOORAY!).

Now I'm feeling optimistic about my role here and I'm anxious to leave my mark!

Just to celebrate, I wore:

something old --- dress pants
something new --- sexy new black shoes
something borrowed--- my daughters lipgloss (though technically I didn't ASK and I don't plan to give it back)
something blue --- my new blue blouse which looks stunning with my dress pants and sexy black shoes

May this be the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

Just Because....

2008-01-10T12:32:00.000-05:00

I was a trainer - doesn't mean I am an Instructional Designer. I have flaws, and this is one of them.

Over the last 12 years I've been instructing for major companies, government agencies, and retraining people who have been injured and need to be placed in new jobs.

In the not too distant past I created course curriculum for my clients and provided instruction on that material. When I didn't have time or the expertise I purchased manuals from one of two suppliers...and the materials happened to be the same manuals used by the local college for their one-day professional development workshops.

I expect I have a lot to learn about the psychology and science behind learning in order to make me the best I can be at my job.

It's time to buckle down - and now that I've admitted I lack some skills I feel may be required to do my new job, I'm off to upgrade and better myself!

I LOVE EDUCATION!

What the New Year Holds

2008-01-04T14:21:00.000-05:00

Aahh - as the slurs of Hpe Nw Flear (also known as "Happy New Year") begin to slip away from my memory banks, looking back brings a sudden tear of joy mixed with apprehension to my eye as one chapter in my life closes and another opens.

It's an exciting beginning, 2008 is, after a seemingly disastrous 2007, I seem to be getting back to the point that I am now able to grow again and learn instead of "just" helping other people learn.

That's right! I'm transitioning from being a trainer to a role that will challenge me as I learn all about Instructional Design for adult e-learners. (Although some of my time will still be spent in front of a truly appreciative audience while I expound the virtues of various Microsoft Office productivity tools - thank goodness at least, that I know how to do that....)

While I embrace this new challenge, I realize I have my work cut out for me. Not only do I have to learn the ways of the company I am working for, but I also need to learn new software so that I can eventually publish e-learning courses, AND I have to work on building my skills in instructional design and technical writing.

My hope is that what I learn along the way I will be able to share through this new forum.

I'm looking forward to successfully completing my first few weeks at my new position and wish i could run through the open door into the sunshine and rainbows that I perceive to be on the other side.

Why Do I Format Last?

2007-12-22T10:58:00.000-05:00

Someone was watching me work the other day. I was preparing a Word document of instructions on completing a form. It wasn't a very challenging form, but there were many different features that needed to be discussed in depth with some hints and short-cuts that also needed to be addressed.

The format of the actual document was paragraphs, with some bulleted lists and a numbered list.

I could tell by the toe tapping that they had something they wanted to say every time I hit the enter key to add an item to my list of instructions. You see, I was ensuring that all of the content was in the document before I formatted it and it was driving the person crazy.

After I was all finished the text portion, which took me almost no time at all because I do type very quickly, I then was able to use predefined Styles I had created from another document and apply a consistent look and feel to the document. Did I mention that it was VERY quick to apply the styles? In total it took me 8 minutes to enter the text (7.5 minutes) and apply formatting (.5 of a minute).

When I finished the document and saved it, I sent the attachment to the people who needed it, including the person watching over my shoulder…. It took a couple of minutes before she asked me the big question.

Why don't you format as you type?

That, my friend, is very simple to answer.

When I get a question like that, in class or in the workplace, even at home, I always ask people what is the most important thing IN the document. (notice I don't say "about" the document)

Of course the most important things IN the document are my words.

Picture this: it is 2 pm on Friday afternoon. You are asked by your boss to create a document that pulls in 30 comparison figures for a client into a Word doc and you have to have it ready in ten minutes when the client shows up. If it takes you ten minutes to get the data and enter it into the doc, then you are all good – you have the important meat and potatoes that your boss needs for the meeting. He didn't specify he needed it all pretty.

If however you take your time entering in the data and formatting it at the same time, you may find that you get lost, take too much time trying to make something look good that when the ten minutes is up all you have are the first 5 of 30 numbers your boss needed. (Jac shrugs her shoulders) pretty is great, but the data is what is really important.

In reality all you've done is make yourself look silly and worse, made your boss look bad – and we NEVER want to make our boss look bad. EVER.

It isn't that I am unable to format as I type. I know all my keyboard shortcuts, and could format as I type without taking my hand off the keyboard. For me, it's a personal preference, the habit of ensuring the important pieces are down…then I can use AutoFormat features (Office 95-2003) or the great new preview features of 2007 to make the document look the way I think they should be – quickly – as long as I have the time.

I LOVE my Mouse

2007-12-15T11:56:00.000-05:00

I do – really – I LOVE my mouse.

It isn't the "Eeek" kind of mouse, running across the floor being chased by Sylvester, it's a beautiful round grey mouse that fits perfectly in the palm of my hand.

(Picture courtesy of the following website: Microsoft.com (click here to access the direct link)

I used it extensively when I was training at the College…mainly because it was a wonderful tool that had everything I needed and allowed me the flexibility to move around the classroom and use the laser pointer, the PowerPoint tools and well – overall it was just wonderful!

I highly recommend this mouse, which retails for just over $100.00. I am in the midst of getting another one for my job, instead of using the Presenter Mouse I own, and forgetting to bring it back and forth I am getting one for the new training room I'm getting!

Can you sense my excitement???

Goal Setting Time Again

2007-12-01T13:33:00.000-05:00

Every year my husband has to create his goals for the year to come.

He doesn't get a raise based on it.

He doesn't get evaluated (not really anyway) on it.

He doesn't even have to follow up during the year on it…. At least not as long as he puts in new and unique goals from the year before.

I always know when it is time for him to set his goals, because he huffs and puffs his way to his computer, he huffs and puffs as he tries to find the file, and he huffs and puffs when he realizes how FEW of the past goals he actually achieved.

Then, when he's done huffing and puffing and questioning why he didn't get these things accomplished and he's finished moping and feeling sorry for himself he turns on the hockey game and has a nap.

And he wonders why he didn't meet his goals.

To me, the question is always the same, why are you setting goals if you have no intention of meeting them?

His answer: "Because my boss wants them".

A couple of years ago I had a fantastic calendar. I only found it one year, and I really wanted another one – the calendar was a goal setting calendar – and every month there were some prompts for you to fill in goals based on the monthly theme. Some months there were personal goals, health goals, family goals – and of course business goals. I loved this tool. It had little flower stickers for you to put on the calendar when you met a goal and it really helped to get me organized.

Top that off with the ability to let me see where I was wasting my time, and it really helped me cut out some of the tasks I didn't really need to do or maybe didn't need to put on the calendar. (I also had a chance to see that I didn't spend nearly enough time on ME.)

Here are some simple tips to assist in Setting and Achieving Goals

Create simple goals that have a probable end. Open ended goals that have no end are very difficult to achieve. For example: improve my driving…does that mean parallel parking, not following too closely, not driving too quickly…
If we create a more manageable and measurable goal it is easier to meet and stroke off the list.
- Practice parallel parking twice a week for three weeks þ and be able to parallel park my car on the first attempt.
  My mom always said practice makes perfect. If I practice the task I won't get rust and I will improve. It is now measurable as well because we specify ONE attempt (not the ten like on Canada's Worst Driver).
Keep your goals in sight. If, like my husband, you make a list of goals and then don't follow up on them you will never achieve them. Although they are in the very back recesses of his mind, he doesn't visit them more than once per year.
- Place your goals on a sheet of paper (sticky notes work too) and keep them on your bulletin board or in your day timer. Keeping the goals in view helps you see what you wanted to achieve so that you are able to analyze why you are or are not achieving them.
Create 3 lists for goals…Short Term, Middle Term and Long Term. Short term goals are things that you would like to achieve in the next 3 months. Middle term goals are goals that can be achieved in the next 6-9 months and long term goals are those that may take up to or over a year to accomplish.
Measure your success. Put happy faces, stickers or other items on the goals you have met. Seeing your successes in small manageable chunks makes it much easier to finish tasks that may have been on your list for quite some time.
Revisit your goals on a regular basis. Your life changes all the time. You make decisions that affect other things in your life. If you get a new job doing something in a completely different field, then the goal to learn the new software at work isn't required anymore so take it off your list.
- Edit the list of goals to ensure they are still appropriate for you. You may want to change the way your success is measured, you might want to add or delete goals.
Don't be discouraged if a goal you think is a short term goal takes longer to achieve. If goals were easy to attain we wouldn't need them. Some goals may take longer to achieve then others…try to be OK with that!

The more you see the goals, and work with them the more attention you pay to getting those goals off your list of things to do!

Microsoft Sponsors 2 more Study Groups!

2007-11-15T10:38:00.000-05:00

I am pleased to announce that Microsoft Canada has provided study materials for two more study groups - both for Windows 2003 server.

Once the dates and locations for study groups have been arranged details will be available at the WWITPRO website.

Community Gets "In the Know"

2007-10-18T09:54:00.000-04:00

thank you to all the WWITPRO community members, supporters, sponsors and players out there!

We had an overwhelming success at our WWITPRO in the Know event we held Wednesday October 17, 2007.

there were over 75 members of our community out to this fantastic event! I had such a good time (setting aside my Rick Claus-like technical difficulties) and presented Home Server to an enthusiastic group of people.

We had a special visit from two groups of women involved in IT courses at Conestoga College!

Peter and Don gave excellent presentations and of course - Ruth gave us some enlightening information as well! I had so much fun and met so many people! What a great time!

The executive committee has agreed that this needs to be a semi-annual event - so we'll be putting together another event in the very near future.

Community Means…Giving

2007-10-01T08:35:00.000-04:00

I was having dinner with a friend not long ago and we were discussing our communities. I happened to mention that my family is considering a BIG move from our lovely City of Waterloo to a much larger, busier community just west of Toronto.

We were discussing community and how we enjoyed different aspects of the communities we grow up in, how things have changed from the 70's when no one locked their doors, kids could run and play outside without the fear of child predators, and neighbours watched out for neighbours. Those were the good old days, now we discussed the fears we have as parents, the growing crime rates (which really aren't growing – they are staying the same, it just seems like they are growing because there are more people living here so there is more crime…we accept that).

One area we started to discuss in great detail was the changes to the professional communities we have belonged to over the last ten to twelve years. I have been a member of the Society for Technical Communicators, The Computer Trainers Network, DigitalEve, various Women in Networking groups, and my most favourite and passionate is the IT PRO community of WWITPRO.

We admitted that one of the reasons we both started to look at professional organizations like the STC and CTN was to assist in networking. Networking is huge business (and I don't mean the COMPUTER NETWORKING!!!) but what I really wanted was not only a place to network and meet people, but a place that I could learn and grow professionally.

Many of the groups, I felt, were all focused on people looking for the ME ME ME – I'm not like that. Yes, I really want to get better at what I do and I really want to learn new things and have new experiences, but I don't want to be in a battle for attention at a community event, and I certainly don't expect people to pay me because I give them some tips on how to use Microsoft Office more effectively. Many of the networking events I'd been to in the past were all about getting things out for you and not helping other's achieve what they came for. I often left these meetings feeling deflated or frustrated and many times I felt I had wasted my time AND my money (if the event wasn't a free event).

That is why I felt so honoured when Ruth Morton, then of a fantastic consulting firm Agora Inc., now a Microsoft TechNet Canada Team Member, asked me if I was interested in being involved in a new IT focused professional group geared to educating and networking for IT Pros in our area! That was back at the end of 2005 and since then I have been an executive member and am not the president of the group, hoping to make my mark on the community by showing others in the area that it is A-OK to give your time, energy and knowledge to others without expectation.

In the long run, I believe I will learn the most from my participation with this group. I have so many ideas on helping to rebuild the good name that IT Pros beginning with Certifications. We've already created several Microsoft Server and Operating System study groups and have helped 7 of the participants to pass different Microsoft certification exams. I myself and working towards completing a couple of certifications – and knowing the value of certifications AND experience, I feel that offering a place to help an IT Pro or even a FUTURE IT Pro on their way to successfully completing an examination is one way to not only build our IT Pro community but make it strong.

So – what community means to me: building strong community members willing to give as well as receive!

Getting in the Know

2007-09-01T09:50:00.000-04:00

Waterloo Wellington IT Professionals announces a fantastic new event!

Get in the Know with the WWITPRO in the Know event coming soon!

check back for details - www.wwitpro.com

Presently we have the following lined up:

Ruth Morton, Microsoft
Don Spencer and Peter Piluk - Executive WWITPRO Members (Don is Co-Founder)
Yours Truly, President, WWITPRO

we'll look at some new stuff, some fun stuff and just all around have a great time.

The venue will be the Holiday Inn, Cambridge and the event will begin at 7! We hope to make this the single most successful IT Pro event in Cambridge.

Study Group Success

2007-07-01T09:40:00.000-04:00

We have had our first MCDST study group Success!

Congratulations to Tim Jackson who passed the 70-272 exam!

Study Groups work - if you are intersted in participating we will work on the next session in the next month or so. www.wwitpro.com

MVP Visits WWITPRO Study Group

2007-06-01T09:36:00.000-04:00

We are so pleased to have Mitch Garvis, Microsoft MVP and Small Business Specialist, offer to assist the WWITPRO group by offering to instruct a three day session to assist some of our WWITPRO members in preparing for the Microsoft 70-282 Exam.

Thanks Mitch for your contribution to our IT Pro community!

Excel-erate Your Spreadsheets

2007-05-24T10:03:00.000-04:00

I am so excited.

I know you can't tell - but I am doing the Happy Dance around my office (and it's not a pretty sight so it's a good thing I'm alone!).

While prepping course content to deliver a custom session on Microsoft Office Excel 2007, I came across the feature I think I like the most.

DATA BARS!!!

I am a visual person. I like to see what numbers are and compare them with a visual representation so charts and graphs and other graphics are excellent for me.

This feature allows us to very quickly see the difference using a tiny embedded chart displayed RIGHT IN THE CELL!!!!

Now when I have a value in a cell, I use the Data Bars feature from the Conditional Formatting Drop Down in the Styles Ribbon of the Home tab! (Wow-that's a breath!!!)

I love, love, LOVE this feature.

Give it a try and see what I mean!

Vista Dilemma – I think not!

2007-02-10T08:43:00.000-05:00

I must report that I've had no problem at all with my installation of windows VISTA - what I have had problems with was my display on my laptop....

not because my laptop video card sucks, but more because it was defective.

I was not able to use the 3-D flip feature of the new windows vista and everything on my screen that was supposed to be white was actually very tiny blue and white stripes...

I sent my laptop in to be repaired (under warranty thank goodness) and now all is right in the world of my vista install!!!

Hoooray -

Office 2007 – Early Adopter That’s ME

2007-02-05T08:45:00.000-05:00

I cannot tell you enough times how happy I am to be involved with the review and creation of various Office 2007 courseware materials. I am really looking forward to the release of the Office 2007 courses and the new Office 2007 MOS exams!

As an early adopter of Office 2007, I have found myself falling more and more "in-like" with this product every day!

You know that as with all good changes, a few old stand-bys have to leave...that's the case with the new Office 2007. Yes, I love it! Yes, it's great to work with! Yes, there is a learning curve associated with using and implementing this product in the workplace! So - Don't Be Fooled!

Take some time to play before you really get into the swing with the Office 2007.

Why? well - it seems that Office 2007 is closely tied into SharePoint. (SharePoint is a fantastic tool free with Windows Server 2003 that allows you to collaborate more effectively with your teams) Some of the great features I really liked about Office 2003 like Reviewing and Tracking Changes, or the Compare and Merge features are gone within the program itself, but are alive and well if you are using SharePoint or SharePoint Portal.

The good thing is - in my organization, we use SharePoint - the bad thing is, some people who edit and review documentation for our organization don't use it - so we lose that nifty feature.

But you know - the good things far outweigh the bad...I love the new drawing features, the graphics are easier to work with and while the new "Ribbons" took a bit of getting used to, I am able to do everything I used to do only MUCH QUICKER and I find I'm much more effective in my communications as well.

Give it a try and see for yourself.

MCDST Study Group Open For Registration

2007-02-02T09:38:00.000-05:00

I am pleased to announce that Microsoft Canada has agreed to provide some study materials and resources for members of the Waterloo Wellington IT Professionals.

Our next scheduled session will be for those wishing to group study, prepare and discuss the MCDST exam 70-271 - Windows XP.

I have many interested so please let me know if you are intersted in attending: Jacqueline@wwitpro.com

Small Business Server 2003 Study Group (70-282)

2006-11-04T08:46:00.000-05:00

WWITPRO is proud to provide a new venue for assisting those interested in passing the Microsoft Small Business Specialist Exam 70-282.

We've started an in person study group and it is very exciting!

Check out the WWITPRO website for information.

Office 12 – Biting the Bullet

2006-06-26T08:47:00.000-04:00

You may recall I mentioned in a post quite some time ago that I was really excited about the future of the Microsoft Office suite of products.

I'd seen a webcast and it was all wonderful and made me excited to be in the computer industry.

I have had access to the Office 2007 (formerly Office12) beta download and Windows Vista some time ago, but the idea behind the beta software residing on my laptop that I use on a daily basis didn't put my heart rate to a resting state.

This evening I attended the June WWITPRO meeting and met up with a Technet Advisor Barnaby Jeans. We always have excellent discussions and tonight was no exception. He mentioned how much he really likes the Office 2007 Outlook, and me being the email lover that I am thought, "Well if Barnaby is working with it, this release must be good." So I installed the Office 2007 Beta 2 cd for only Office (there were four cd's in the pack - I have yet to install them all - give me time) and got to work on it right away.

The install was really quick. It allowed me to keep my existing install of Office 2003 (with the exception of Outlook - which is obvious we shouldn't run two versions of a mail client) and it retained all of my settings. A seemless upgrade from Outlook 2003 to 2007 and my Exchange profile and all pop accounts worked great. My mailbox retained all of the email, appointments, tasks etc as I had in 2003 and WOW - can you say SLICK.

The interface is clean. There are still many menu and toolbar features in Outlook that you don't get in Word/Excel/PowerPoint or Publisher, but what a wonderful tool.

I've yet to dive deep into it, but the look and feel makes me happy I took the plunge. You can find a download of the beta software at the the Microsoft Office site.

I highly recommend taking a look at the future of office productivity software.

Microsoft Technet IT Manager’s Blog - Canada

2006-06-19T08:48:00.000-04:00

As a member of the executive committee for Waterloo-Wellington IT Professions (WWITPRO) I met some wonderful TechNet Advisors with Microsoft Canada.

I was asked to prepare an article on training designed for IT Managers, so you will find my post in the Canadian IT Managers Blog.

Also, you will find another article I wrote on getting my Blackberry mobile device synchronizing with the new Office 2007 Beta.

Piracy Doesn’t Pay – Unless You are Jack Sparrow

2006-02-06T08:49:00.000-05:00

Well it might in the short term, but big tech business is out to change that - starting with Microsoft Canada.

That's right! Microsoft Canada and Symantec join forces to protect end users from illegally installed software by taking 6 resellers to court over the case of illegally loading Microsoft and Symantec software onto PC's for sale.

And the verdict is: GUILTY
http://www.microsoft.com/canada/media/releases/2006_02_01.mspx

60 days in jail and a fine in excess of $100,000 was sentencing. This is an interesting look at just one of the 6 cases going on in the court system since late last fall.

When Things Go Wrong…

2006-02-01T08:50:00.000-05:00

As they often do, things may go wrong when you are presenting information to an audience.

I doubt there is anyone out there that can say everything has always gone 100% as planned, and if they can say that, I'd love to have even a tiny piece of their golden horseshoe!

The thing about disasters is, they can't be planned for and that's why it is a disaster...but a few little tricks can help you get over small hurdles that COULD become potential disasters.

If you are presenting a speech:

have cue cards, you may never need them, but just in case, they are great to help you through - if not cue cards, a piece of paper with your main points will help jog your memory.

If you are using electronic equipment:

remember to check it prior to your presentation
carry a spare lightbulb
carry a spare extension cord
have a paper copy of your presentation in the event the equipment fails

General Tips:

if something does go wrong, don't stop to fiddle with it for more than ONE MINUTE
appologize once and keep it brief example: "I'm sorry for the interruption, it's only momentary, let's continue."
thank your audience for thier patience when malfunction is rectified
if possible and time permits have a quick break - say something like "this is a great opportunity to network and stretch - please give yourself a five minute break and we'll jump right back into this"
Keep Calm

The biggest tip I can give you is to keep calm and don't sweat it, one day you may even laugh about it - like on the way home or when you share your day with a loved one. Things sometimes happen that are beyond our control, how you deal with them is what will set you apart from other presenters.

Waterloo-Wellington IT Professionals Group

2006-01-10T08:51:00.000-05:00

There's a new user group dedicated to IT Pros using Windows server technology!

We don't have to drive to Toronto anymore - Microsoft is going to come to us.

Check out the upcoming meetings for Waterloo Wellington IT Professional User group - we hope to see you out at a meeting soon.

Email Pitfalls – The Addict Speaks Out

2005-10-19T08:53:00.000-04:00

I am an email addict. There - I've said it.

I love email. I love it so much, I seldom find myself going more than a few minutes without clicking that "send and receive" button just to see if there is anything new that my automatic download didn't catch 2 minutes ago.

The problem is, my like and dislike of email are close to the same thing...instant communication.

What I love about email:

Email is a tool to allow instant communication of ideas, request and deliver information and collaborate with others on projects, community organizations or even to chat with family and friends who don't live next door!

What I don't love about email:

Because email is a tool for allowing instant communication, there is the expectation that email will be read and responded to immediately. In many cases, this can cause undue stress and strain on an average information worker's daily rituals. Because others expect us to respond immediately, we feel we just HAVE to reply as soon as the email magically appears in our inbox causing us to spend time and energy on things that may not be quite so important as things like, say "Customer Service".

I'm learning to make better use of my email application of choice so that SPAM and Junk messages get into a junk folder and I deal with them on a weekly basis (unless I find the time to sift through that folder in the evenings...but really I have much better things to do with my time.

With the increase in cool and effective instant communication tools, I am finding other ways to amuse myself...while I no longer click the send and receive button every two minutes, I do find other ways to work with those around me so that when I need a quick answer or input from someone and they are available, I use Instant Messages instead.

Using MSN Messenger and Yahoo Messenger allow me to keep my email clutter free while I assist others in doing the same thing. I keep copies of my conversations (especially those work related messages) for future reference just like I archive my email, but most importantly, I find I'm saving time for all the really important things in life - like BLOGGING.

Well - It's been a whole ten minutes without email or messaging so I really feel I need to get my fix...oh yeah, that and my coffee cup is empty - go figure!

Windows Vista and Office 12

2005-10-07T08:55:00.000-04:00

At a PDC Convention earlier this year, it was announced that Microsoft had finally settled on a name for the new version of Windows due for release in fall 2006.

Windows Vista is a robust OS with so many excellent features, bells and whistles, the I thought I would share some of that information here with you.

On a webcast located on the Microsoft.com website, you can see a VERY lengthy address by Bill Gates, with presentations by Chris Capossela (Corporate VP) on the new version of Windows and the New Office12 due for release at the same time.

While the two little videos show you quick clips of Windows Vista and Office12, it is an excellent idea to take a peek at the actually three hour video (I stopped watching after Chris' presentation on Office 12) because you get to be a voyeur into the future of personal and business computing. Chris shows neat new additions to the windows capabilities like thumbnail taskbar items, 3-D window scrolling, and drag and drop document editing which allows you to edit documents from a thumbnail without ever opening the document. The old windows explorer search has been replaced with a more powerful search engine that scans your entire PC for items meeting your criteria.

As you can tell, I'm just a little excited about this - but what gets me even more excited is the new Office 12!

Instead of chatter away about it, I'll just let you watch the video...
Click here to view Bill Gate's and Chris Capossela's information.

I'm really looking forward to the changes in both the operating system and the Office Suite and I know that some of you will appreciate the changes coming our way next year!

Presenting New Ideas to an “Old” Audience

2005-10-02T08:58:00.000-04:00

Who was it that said "Change is good"?

I know my mother said it to me when I was young, and I say it to my clients from time to time.

While it may be a cliché, change really can be good - the hard part about change is selling it. This can be exceptionally challenging when dealing with a more mature crowd. Many older workers, those baby boomers nearing retirement age, are not interested in learning to use a computer or work with new software packages that benefit their work environment. (This is a generalization, no disrespect is meant.)

It becomes increasingly important for the workplace to sell the idea of acceptance of large scale change within the workplace. One of the largest changes I've seen within the insurance industry is the move from DOS based applications to the Windows platform.

Struggles included learning to use a mouse, new terminology and constant system changes and upgrades. Gone are the days when a computer lasted ten years and the application didn't change. Now we have regular updates, program enhancements and new operating systems emerging even more quickly then some people can learn the current setup!

How do you sell the idea that change is good?

A couple of tips I've picked up along the way include:

demonstrate how this will help (usually saying that a child or grandchild is learning the same skills is enough to raise more than a few eyebrows and coax older computer users to attempt a new task
demonstrate what's in it for "me" - showing how and why a newly implemented program is necessary is a great way to make the learner feel involved in the anticipated success of the roll-out
speak on their level. Never use techno-babble unless you are speaking with another techno-expert. Simplifying your language and the ideas you are presenting will ease the transition and the learner will feel more comfortable because they can understand what you are saying. Comprehension of the ideas is a important as using the tools.
finally, treat other users the way you would like to be treated. Show respect and the same will be yours in return, show understanding and patience and your users will also be understanding and patient.

What adult learners need most is positive reinforcement, feedback and support for the technology changes they face in the workplace and at home.

Public Speaking Tips

2005-04-12T08:56:00.000-04:00

Recently I had the pleasure of attending a number of professional functions featuring both professional and highly regarded business people as keynote speakers.

It amazes me still how wonderful, enlightening and motivating some speakers are, and also how lacking in presentation others can be - no matter whom the audience, how much they are being paid to speak or what the "warmth" of the room is like.

Here are a couple of the tidbits I found that PROFESSIONAL speakers, motivators and trainers do that they really shouldn't! I know - I'm guilty of a couple on occasion myself!

Jiggle change in their pockets - Please empty your pockets of all change, and keep your arms in a comfortable posture either in front of you or behind you.
Speak clearly - and in some cases slowly. It's hard to provide your audience with the full effect of a joke when they can't hear you for your marble-mouth! Speak up! That's why you are standing in front; because everyone wants to HEAR what you have to say.
NEVER turn your back on your audience (unless it is part of your act) Turning your back on your audience can be misinterpreted for disrespect. Show respect to your audience and keep facing them
Avoid leaning for long periods of time on the podium - this can be used effectively as an emphasis prop, but when you spend the entire hour leaning on a podium, you look lazy, and de-motivating.

Well...that's a good start - I'm sure there are many other items that can be added here so check back for updates and other tips on public speaking, presentations and training.

The Three R’s of Learning

2005-03-10T08:57:00.000-05:00

As adult learners, we decide whether to accept information presented to us based on three things:

RELEVANCY
RELATIONSHIP
RESPONSIBILITY

We require that the training we receive be relevant to our work or personal life. If it is not relevant and cannot be used, then it is considered to be a waste of precious time.

Adult learners require that lines be drawn to demonstrate the relationship between what we are learning and what we "DO" and how that relationship will meet our needs.

Finally, as long as we can prove that the relationship between what we need to know and what we already know is valid and is presented in a timely and relevant manner, then we will accept the responsibility to learn that material.

Of course there are many other factors that affect adult learners, these three R's are simply an example of how educators can work to ease the information transition.

Dealing with Off Topic Questions

2005-02-17T08:56:00.000-05:00

As a public speaker and trainer you will likely have faced the difficult task of answering questions that may be either outside of the scope of the seminar/course you are instructing.

An effective way to deal with questions that may be outside of the area you are presenting is to do the following:

Thank the participant for their question. Let them know that it is an excellent question.
Acknowledge that the question is one that others may have as well, but in order to stay on topic ...
Suggest that you get together at a break or after the session to discuss this question in more detail.

I would say something like this:

"Thanks Mark. That is an excellent question about communication. Unfortunately due to time and topic constraints for this session, I am not able to address that question - why don't we get together after the session and discuss it in more detail?"

I have had great success with this method - I wish you luck incorporating this method of dealing with off-topic or difficult question in your presentation.

Posture IS Important

2005-02-15T08:57:00.000-05:00

Remember back to the days when your parents or grand parents would holler at you and tell you to stand up straight...

Here is a practice exercise:

Next time you are standing up, make note of your posture. How you stand, how you hold your head, how your arms rest and the positioning of your feet. If possible, ask someone to take a picture of you standing naturally.

Just as timing is important for a joke or punchline, good posture is important and effective for demonstrating a point.

For instance, when you have something you want to convey as confidential, an excellent technique I have used is to lean into the crowd, lower your upper body position hunching over a bit as if you were telling a child a secret - then when the information has been passed, standing very straight with shoulders back is an excellent way to communicate that something very important is going to be demonstrated.

How you stand, and how you move when you speak can be signals to the audience that you have something important to tell them. Posture can also be an effective tool for reigning in a boisterous class.

As you rehearse your presentation, rehearse effective posture and stance to help with the impact of your words.