September 30th, 2009 by Robin Green

At a time when companies are making strategic moves to stay ahead of the game, many are redefining and redesigning their training needs and methods. Training is increasingly being delivered online, and for many companies e-learning platforms like Coggno’s learning management system might be the answer. So what makes Coggno unique?

Its easy-to-use and innovative course creation tools combined with a simple and efficient pay-per-use model make it the ideal spot for many leading e-learning providers to create, showcase, and deliver their training courses. SilkWeb Consulting and Development LLC is one example of many top e-learning providers whose courseware is hosted on Coggno’s marketplace.

Recently SilkWeb Consulting and Development LLC has released several new courses, all aiding companies in their fulfillment of training and compliance needs, and all available through the Coggno marketplace.

SilkWeb’s new courses cover several topics of increasing importance in the business world today: Team Dynamics, Project Management, Business Writing, Creating a Professional Resume, Writing Reports, Motivation in the Workplace, and Communication in the Workplace.

As more organizations grow beyond their home locations to reach across state and national lines, the strength of both inter-office and international team dynamics is crucial. Successful teams and collaborative groups within an organization can determine whether or not an organization is destined to grow and compete. For this reason, organizations that encourage and/or require collaboration between employees would benefit from teamwork training such as SilkWeb’s Team Dynamics, a course that covers the  stages of group development, communication, and conflict.

While most managers will claim to understand that motivation of staff is a critical element of managerial duties, many do not actually practice effective motivation, and are in fact clueless as to what kinds of strategies, techniques, and theories factor in. What kinds of motivation strategies actually work? This course Motivation in the Workplace reviews several popular motivational theories and methods for managerial success.

Another course, Project Management, helps organizations remain competitive and relevant in a time of perpetual change. It reviews project management processes, project and team cycles, and evaluation and improvement techniques. The objective of this program is to orient both staff and managers to the functions and tools needed for successful management.

Business Writing is a SilkWeb course that is also designed for both managers and staff, and which reviews styles, tones, bias, strategies, and uses of technology in business communication. And Creating a Professional Resume teaches users how to write a powerful and effective resume, based on one’s professional skills and abilities. The course Writing Reports trains users in the development of formal reports in the business environment.

Finally, Communication in the Workplace focuses on the role and different types of communication in the workplace, including communication strategies and tone, to improve the effectiveness of participant communication. Communication training can help both managers and staff become better communicators, and achieve organizational goals together.

Successful compliance and management training is proven to save organizations a significant amount of time and money. And when companies adopt e-learning solutions through a pay-per-use LMS such as Coggno, the costs of training itself are significantly less than those of commercial LMS licenses and traditional training methods. For this reason and others, more organizations are finding online training solutions to meet compliance and management training objectives.

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Coggno.com provides world-class online training.

September 23rd, 2009 by Robin Green

Despite (or as many argue, due to) a rampant lack of funding in school districts across the country, more and more schools are finding ways to incorporate online tools like learning management systems into the classroom. They are doing so in innovative ways that tap into many different resources, technological and otherwise. The blended learning strategy requires just that–a blend of both face-to-face and virtual instruction, a smart blend of new and traditional teaching techniques, and simple resourcefulness.

The implementation of online tools should never be haphazard, forced without educators’ understanding and/or desire for it, or done for novelty’s sake, as a shiny new toy for a school. Nor should it be, in my opinion, a last resort.

Which is why I admit to feeling a little dismayed when last week, Anthony Salcito, the vice president of Worldwide Public Sector Education at Microsoft, wrote a blog post entitled: H1N1 Virus Forces Academic Institutions to Think More Aggressively About Online Learning.

“The H1N1 pandemic highlights the need for institutions to think more holistically about blended learning environments,” Salcito wrote, “…that these online and distance learning solutions are valuable not only when you have to respond to classroom outages or school closures, but also creates an opportunity to connect and share information between a student and teacher beyond the classroom all the time.”

While this is all well and good, when did online learning become a last-resort method, something provoked by tragedy and absolute necessity? Honestly, does it take a pandemic for online tools like learning management systems to be embraced by educators who haven’t begun to use them yet? And if so, in what ways are these tools being deployed–as a last resort, or in a comprehensive way that honors the principles of blended learning?

To instill the next generation of Americans with 21st century skills and the ability to thrive in an increasingly tech-savvy and collaborative world, the integration of online tools must cater to the uniqueness of each student. The trend has to move away from bulk-produced, one-size-fits-all instruction and toward more customized teaching strategies. And first, they need to be embraced by educators themselves.

Most educators understand that every student is unique and has something special to offer. Using learning management systems to track student progress and deliver curriculum can save educators a great amount of time. And accordingly, the means to efficiently provide each student with learning systems that work for them.

Online tools provide the opportunity for students to obtain a tailored education that caters to their unique learning styles, skills, abilities and interests. Using smart and structured blended learning, students can be engaged in a variety of instructional modes, including teacher-led instruction, one-on-one tutoring, self-paced and independent learning, collaborative projects and virtual tutors.

People both in and outside the learning management system community should stop thinking of online tools as simply fulfilling a need (caused by swine flu, lack of funding, etc.), but as offering new and exciting possibilities, and transforming the way students are being educated in our country.

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Coggno.com is a leading provider of world-class LMS platforms.

September 16th, 2009 by Robin Green

Successful compliance and management training has the power to save organizations a significant amount of time and money. And when organizations adopt e-learning solutions through a pay-per-use LMS such as Coggno, the costs of training itself are significantly less than those of commercial LMS licenses and traditional training methods. For this reason and others, more organizations are finding online training solutions to meet compliance and management training needs.

Now, you may be thinking that a pay-per-use LMS sounds like a good idea, but you also wonder, how does it work?

If you are a first time courseware developer, you may be unfamiliar with the process of course creation, payment, and other nitty gritty. This blog entry will be devoted to those processes.

To create your training, compliance, or other content for placement on the Coggno Marketplace, first you’ll need to become a Coggno member. Doing so is easy; simply register as a Course Creator (Author) by logging onto the https://www.coggno.com/account/signup, review the terms of use, and voilà! You’re ready to begin migrating or creating content on Coggno.com.

As a content creator, how does payment work? You’ll be paid every time an organization or individual purchases a license to use the learning content you’ve authored. You’ll be paid for each license, or seat, that is purchased.

But how much? That depends on you. You can charge whatever you like, whatever price you deem appropriate. Prices range from $10 to $450 per license, according to what you decide to charge, and the standard in your field. Of course, it’s important to keep in mind your audience. Is the content geared toward an audience of individuals or corporations, which are inclined to purchase multiple licenses?

Another option is to consider creating course content of varying lengths, and charging accordingly. Learners may be interested in trying out a course at a lower price point before investing in a more substantial one at a higher price point. Using the volume discounting options available in the pricing interface, you are also able to syndicate any of your content, sharing a percentage of your revenue with the web publishers on whose website your content is advertised.

Payments arrive on time twice per month, in the form of a check. You can check your balance anytime, under the accounting tab on your account. Your personal information will be kept confidential, and will be used solely for the purpose of transferring your funds to you.

So what’s the catch? Coggno retains $5 or 10% (whichever is greater) of the sales you make on your content. And if you sequence a number of courses in a package of courses, the minimum is 10% or $10. However, using Coggno’s LMS tools and publishing your content is free. Until you make a sale, the small percentage of the sale that Coggno retains doesn’t exist. In other words, until you make money on your content, Coggno doesn’t either.

Do you need special technical skills? No. The Coggno creation format is easy to navigate and self-explanatory. However, if you do run into trouble along the way, Coggno’s customer service representatives are available online to help you out.

Check out the Coggno Marketplace, an open resource connecting organizations that need e-learning and assessment content with the authors of that content. With more organizations taking advantage of e-learning modules for compliance and other training needs, the time is right to try your hand at course content creation.

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Coggno.com offers high-quality online education world-wide.

September 9th, 2009 by Robin Green

It’s the natural law that many organizations considering a learning management system to deliver training are still digesting and trying to overcome as the recession worsens: Tough times = tough clients.

But for companies seeking an edge in the competitive market created by the recession, online training can help tremendously with everything from cutting costs to training employees to be more professional and efficient.

Training program developers are using all the available on e-learning platforms like Coggno–and an increasing number of these tools are applications offered by e-learning platforms.

Applications exchange partnerships help courseware creation toolkit providers help organizations create more feature-rich and low-cost training. On Coggno’s LMS, Blueberry Software screen capture software is one such app that now integrates seamlessly with the Coggno learning management system.

Course creators who use BB FlashBack 2.6 to make screen recordings can now integrate the recordings with their curriculum, using Coggno’s simple course creation tools, and then deliver training through Coggno’s LMS. The combination of Coggno’s tools and Blueberry 2.6 offers a more versatile and multimedia learning experience for trainees.

As an e-learning course creator, BB FlashBack allows you to record everything you see on your PC screen. It also records your commentary, PC sounds and webcam as picture-in-picture video to give your course content a personal touch. You are able to make a personal appearance in your own course, providing demos and tutorials to students. With BB FlashBack’s user-friendly design and quick, automated recording steps, users are able to transform course content into a richer, more dynamic experience and give courses a more professional touch.

Using BB FlashBack, you have total control over what students view, so there’s no need to rely on stock simulations or outdated demo in a training program. You yourself create, edit and apply it to your e-learning course. And employing Coggno’s LMS which includes a text editor, SCORM publisher, question banking, video tool, audio tool and podcast producer, and assessment and quiz tools, organizations are able to provide feature rich training cost effectively.

BB’s Webcam Recording allows for the user to create his or her own webcam video. Sound recording allows users to read a commentary at the same time as the screen is being recorded, using a microphone, microphone headset or other inexpensive hardware. Movies are able to be saved as Flash, QuickTime (H264), Windows Media Video (WMV), AVI, or EXE. You can easily add text, sound, images, and ‘zoom & pan’ effects. Also, you are able to edit multi track audio and video, side by side.

BB records high frame rate, high quality movies without affecting PC performance–even on lower powered PCs. BB users have successfully recorded large animations with which other screen recorders experienced problems. And BB’s powerful annotation, editing and effects features allow Coggno’s course creators to frame and fashion movies exactly as they want them.

Tough times don’t simply mean tough customers and clients. Tough times are a chance for organizations to renew and improve their training, sales, and other procedures to stay in the race and move ahead.

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Coggno.com offers premier online courses.

September 2nd, 2009 by Robin Green

Regardless of circumstances within a company, learning management systems are often the best way to cost-effectively meet training objectives. But at a time when potential and existing clients are buttoning up their wallets because of economic difficulty, sales skills are particularly critical for organizations striving to stay competitive. In times like these, it’s especially important that sales representatives are able to cancel out any economy or budget objections before they arise.

For that reason, more and more organizations are finding better tools to create and deliver sales training to their employees. Such programs often include training in sales management, sales skills, and telemarketing skills programs.

They may be workshops and seminars on how to prospect and sell effectively, build solid customer relationships, master cold calls and closing sales, create effective sales teams, set performance goals and expectations, and prevent sales resistance are increasingly taking place online. Online tools allow workshop leaders and trainers to discuss and demonstrate sales principles in an efficient and simple way. Not to mention at a fraction of what traditional training methods once cost organizations.

The interactive nature of learning management system-delivered training is another huge benefit. Learners can contribute to discussions started by workshop leaders, role-playing and receiving coaching on telemarketing processes and skills. Because learners are given the self-paced convenience inherent to online learning, such online interactions are often a effective means of practicing skills than in-person ones.

Using online sales training platforms like  Coggno, companies are finding they are able to increase a company’s sales, productivity, and profits. And another phenomenon occurs as well. Online training is often able to enhance the professional and personal self-confidence of participants, as well as the degree of professionalism in a company’s selling processes.

Online courses can range from more involved programs to quicker workshops, the latter able to be completed in 30 or 40 minutes, making them very easy to work into learners’ schedules.

Online training is far-reaching. Sales training for a company’s sales professionals and managers can be organized and delivered internationally, linking a company’s learning management system to its various human resources departments and ERP systems, to perform multi-locational, cost-effective and efficient training.  An LMS serves an important role in keeping track of tasks, goals, and learners’ training activities and achievements.

Let’s look at the trend in service and sales teams today. Anymore, companies are often made up of a network of team members–whether they are many or just a handful–to meet all organizational goals and sales objectives. Service teams, for instance, are increasingly linked internationally.

Service teams support either customers or the internal organization, or both. And LMSs like Coggno are demonstrating that if sales and customer service can be effective across great distances, so can sales training itself.

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Coggno.com offers a wide variety of world-class LMS platforms.