September 1st, 2011 by Robin Green

If hurricane Irene taught us anything, it’s that preparation is key when it comes to dealing with potential disasters. Knowing what to do in a disaster, natural or otherwise, is knowledge we all should have.

How Can We Get Prepared?

If you want to learn the basics of Disaster Management, it can be achieved online with 15 to 40 credit hours of coursework. You can complete this within 6 to 12 months. You’ll obtain an online disaster management diploma that will document your skills in meeting the needs of those affected by disasters, disaster preparedness, public safety and hazard mitigation.

Disaster Management Can Be a Viable Career Option

Those looking to pursue a career in disaster management will need an undergraduate degree to obtain the skills necessary to seek employment at the local level, or perhaps even a more high-profile job with a federal agency like FEMA. Typical coursework will include introduction to emergency management, disasters and psychology and hazard mitigation in disaster management.

Other potential industries for disaster management specialists include hospitals, power generation and distribution companies, natural resource extraction companies, and community organizations like food banks and housing programs.

Employment of individuals with disaster management training is expected to rise by approximately 13 percent over the next decade. With climate becoming more and more unpredictable, it is important that we all do our part to understand what it means to be prepared for the worst.

E-Learning is the Best Option

There are many accredited e-learning programs that offer disaster management training. Whether you are personally interested in obtaining this knowledge, or are part of a corporation that wants to improve its skills when it comes to being prepared, there are options that can be pursued individually, or via an LMS platform. The worst may never happen, but common sense dictates that we know what to do if it does.

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Coggno.com provides a robust Learning Management System platform for users all over the world.

June 8th, 2011 by Robin Green

Online learning isn’t just for college students, but adults seeking to learn the universal business language of software skills.

If you’re in the job market, you’ve probably seen many ads that read something like “Computer skills are a must” or “The ideal candidate for this position is computer savvy.” You might be expected to use database software, or Microsoft programs like Outlook, Excel, or Access. Desktop online learning offers the most needed skills in the job market today.

What kind of learner are you?

If you are a learner who gets more out of watching and hearing than reading a textbook to learn a computer skill, you might want to check out online learning for desktop skills. Content providers like Kallience offer self-study training videos both online and on cd, for business software skills including Microsoft Excel, Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Access, and Quickbooks. For designers there are also courses in Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Flash, Illustrator, and others.

What does online learning offer that face-to-face classroom doesn’t?

My experience in a face-to-face web design course wasn’t all negative. I met a couple of interesting classmates and enjoyed the cookies and even the coffee that the institute offered during the break. However, there were many downsides. Two students didn’t complete the course because they felt bad about raising their hands and pausing the activity or the teacher’s instruction so often. I myself raised my hand quite a bit to interrupt and ask questions, but soon stopped as I sensed it was wearing on the other students’ pacience.

The fact is, in a classroom full of students, learning is never done on your own terms. There are things you miss because the teacher must move on. There are concepts you didn’t understand and in a face-to-face classroom, there’s no returning to a previous lecture or activity. What’s lost is lost, and the class will continue on whether or not you’re sick or unable to make the class for whatever reason.

After finishing the course, I wished I had taken it online, where I can still experience learning in a dynamic way with e-learning tools like video, audio and podcast features. However, if I need to stop to make tea or go for a jog, the class waits for me to return.

What are the most essential business software skills?

Start with Microsoft software. Many learning management systems and other content providers offer great courses that are affordable as well. For example, featured Coggno content provider Kalliance has created a series of e-learning courses making it easy and enjoyable to master the most complicated Microsoft software applications in a cost effective, timely and efficient way.

While there are many software programs out there that can perform all the same tasks, the Microsoft bundle of software applications are still the most widely used and expected of job-seekers.

Do some research and find the best fit for your schedule. Talk with students who have already taken the course to see how they felt about the quality and effectiveness. Check out Microsoft software online learning programs and others in Coggno’s marketplace.

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Coggno.com provides world-class training.

June 1st, 2011 by Robin Green

Online learning, or distance education, is growing not only among full-time college students, but is increasingly used by adults working full-time jobs who like its flexibility and cost-effectiveness.

Even though the economy is supposedly back on its feet, many are still without employment or, not much better off, in a position that isn’t ideal only because they believe it will be too difficult to find a better one. Are you one of these people? If so, consider doing what many of us do: gain new skills via online learning.

The great thing about online learning is that you can fit it into your daily schedule without interfering with the job you have now. You can keep your job and gain new skills while weighing your options for the future. That way, when the market really does pick up again, as it’s bound to eventually, you are more marketable to land the position you’d really like to work in.

How do you start online learning?

The first step is to do research on online learning programs, whether they be provided by academic or corporate instititions. To guide you through your options, use a targeted online search engine. Take notes, weighing pros and cons of the courses you find.

Weigh the factors

While doing research, make a list or a google spreadsheet to organize your findings. Be sure to include factors that are important to you, such as the level of knowledge on the topic that you’re expected to already have, the course length, instructor involvement, and cost.

Relevance to your career goals

How relevant the course is to your professional goals is a huge consideration in choosing an e-learning course. You might decide to enroll in an online certification course or an LMS training program. Remember, obtaining new skills or refreshing old ones is the first step on your way to better opportunities. Take advantage of the flexibility if e-learning to gain the skills and certification that will propel you where you would really like to be.

Tech-Savvy courses

One great option for people trying to get back into the game of the job market is an online course that increases skill level in a software or other tech-related skill that can help you reach your professional goals. Courses in eco/clean technology, programming, and software are all highly compatible with the online education format.

Software knowledge in programs such as Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Word and Excel are a good start, but why not pick up a course in Powerpoint or Dreamweaver? The more fleshed out you can prove your computer skills to be, the better your chances at hiring time.

Of course, when job-searching, having pursued any online course shows that you are a self-disciplined and self-motivated person.

Coggno is one learning management system (LMS) with a simple interface and a variety of professional skill-building online courses. Enter Coggno’s marketplace and discover LMS online courses for developing and/or obtaining highly marketable professional skills.

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Coggno.com offers high quality e-learning courses.

May 26th, 2011 by Robin Green

If you’re a teacher considering creating an e-learning course, put together a list of helpful resources and guidelines for creating an effective online learning experience. People choose e-learning courses for many reasons, including accessibility and flexibility. The cost effectiveness of online learning is another huge plus for many students. Learning can happen any time, anywhere, whether it’s squeezed in between work and dinner, or even on the treadmill at the gym. Creating quality online courses that motivates students and interacts with them is key to success.

The Teacher’s Role

In the same way that a teacher conducts a traditional in-person classroom, the teacher must also be the leader in an elearning course. Even though you are not accessible face-to-face, many students would expect you to be in contact should any questions arise. Online teachers must find creative ways to encourage student participation, a sense of group unity, and interaction between students and also between the teacher and the students. The accessibility of the teacher can significantly affect the online learning experience and what students get out of an online class.

Student Interaction

Ultimately, teacher participation is only as effective as student participation. For the system to work, the online class must be arranged in such a way that it requires the active involvement of the student as well. Students in an elearning environment must be responsible for reading and completing the assignments, investigating more deeply into the information if required, participating in online forums and posting well-developed and thoughtful answers, and engaging with peers. Posting answers on forums should be an interactive experience, meaning that students should read, reflect on, and respond to the posts of other students. Only in this way do students contribute to the online discussion in a meaningful way, and recreate the peer learning experience that face-to-face classrooms offer.

Student Responsibilities

When putting together your list of helpful resources and guidelines for an elearning course, one aspect that you’ll need to put thought into is the kinds of assignments you will include, the frequency of assignments, and the features of each of them. Unlike what the common belief of people who have never had an online learning experience, elearning isn’t easy, and can be more engaging, challenging, and rewarding than face-to-face classrooms. Why? Unlike in a traditional classroom where oftentimes students can get away with minimal participation, and other students seem to consistently hold the microphone, online interaction is a requirement in e-learning. Therefore, more thought and preparation are necessary. Furthermore, online learning requires a kind of self-directed effort that traditional classrooms don’t; the willingness to complete learning assignments on one’s own time requires a self-discipline that ultimately helps the learner on a long-term basis.

Elearning Course Delivery

There are many options for creating an online course. One is through a learning management system (LMS) like Coggno, which provides course creators with simple tools and an online marketplace for create and delivering their courses. If you’re thinking of rolling out with an e-learning course, take a tour of Coggno’s LMS and marketplace. Or, sign up for a free account and have your e-learning content ready for distribution in a matter of minutes.

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Coggno.com provides high-quality online educational services.

December 2nd, 2010 by Robin Green

Why all this audio training craze? (See previous post.) Last week, due to my own personal discovery of online tools (which are available to anyone seeking knowledge or the means of providing it), I was able to complete a book that would have otherwise taken me about two weeks.

That’s if I worked for about 2 or 3 hours a day, in the traditional sit-at-your-desk-and-read style. However, with my audiobook of Don Quixote, I completed the task in just 4 days. LMS online training courses could benefit from this kind of methodology.

Book I of Cervantes’ masterpiece is about 500 pages, or 18 hours of audiobook. Instead of spending each night reading the old text, I took advantage of my 45-minute bike commutes downtown every morning and afternoon. I listened to the audiobook while I cooked, while I cleaned my apartment, while I bought groceries.

My daily chores and commutes suddenly became interesting and relevant to my life, and they seemed to go by faster. In just four days, I had read the whole Book I, without making any changes in my daily schedule.

Podcasts and audiobooks are a pedagogical tool not used widely enough in today’s education system, from youth to adult learning. With LMS platforms for employee training, podcasts are extremely easy–and fun–to create.

Every employee, no matter what their daily routines are, can surely find at least an hour or two daily that is “sunk” time, or time when they are not doing much other than skimming the newspaper in the subway, driving, or exercising. Everyone has gap spaces in their schedule while are perfect times for LMS online training homework.

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Coggno.com provides high-quality e-learning education.

September 23rd, 2010 by Robin Green

When an employee begins a new job, it’s critical to start off on the right foot. Employee turnover is a wasteful, costly phenomenon that happens to too many organizations. It isn’t necessarily true that you’re hiring “bad employees”, but that once they are hired, the motivation element in the workplace may be lacking.

How can you ensure that the employee you have hired fulfills the expectations and the work that you have for him/her? The answer is in the first few weeks of an employee’s new term–during training.

Dynamic and effective training ensures that employees understand their tasks, gives them the practice and theory they will need to do their job with excellence, and creates a greater sense of team spirit in the workplace. In fact, there is a growing trend to nurture the team spirit and true engagement aspects of training.

With a learning management system (LMS) online training that treats training as a game and the participant as a motivated and interested learner, (which everyone is at the onset of a new job) Using an LMS, you can create dynamic, face-to-face training that has a game-like element, which engages and teaches at the same time.

In fact, the beginning of a new position isn’t the only time to implement an LMS online training course. If you have staff who are not living up to their potential and/or your standards, it might be a good time to introduce an online course. You can make the LMS online course dynamic and fun, and allow employees to complete some activities and lessons independently, while working with coworkers on other activities.

Coggno is now offering a free trial for performance review training creators on its learning management system. Create an online course for free, whether it be for internal use, for inclusion in Coggno’s E-learning Marketplace, or for outside syndication on hundreds of websites.

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Coggno.com offers a range of world-class LMS platforms.

August 19th, 2010 by Robin Green

Are you in the process of implementing change in your company? Change management training could save you a massive amount of time, money, and hassle. A Learning Management System (LMS) is the most effective and prevalent method of providing change management training to your management team.

Change management skills are critical for any company undergoing changes, small or large. Company changes may include processes, policies, or environment. Without strong change management, whatever initiative you you are implementing is likelier to fail. Employees won’t accept the change and and the desired results will either not happen or take ten times longer than they should to occur.

An LMS course in change management can train managers to manage and implement change, which includes educating and guiding employees during the transition period. A good LMS course will teach managers that the first tenet of change management is selling the idea of change to employees.

In order to manage and implement change, some basic marketing skills should be learned.

An LMS course will teach managers to educate all employees who will be affected by the initiative in a way that creates a desire for the change. The towel initiative of hotels across the globe is a good example of this strategy.

The signs in hotel bathrooms provide a short description of a problem (water scarcity) and a way to help mitigate it. The signs ask guests to save water by throwing the dirty towels in the bathtub, and leaving the rest untouched. The effect is that the guests feel a desire to respond positively to the iniative. Everyone wins; the hotel saves money and the guest leaves knowing that they have taken an environmentally friendly action. In the same way, managers must learn how to sell the idea of change to employees by first educating and then explaining the end objectives and ultimate rewards that employees can look forward to.

It’s a well-known fact that human beings are resistant to change. We resist all kinds of change, but obviously the kinds of negative change that affect us directly or indirectly are the most fought against. The way a manager handles change and educates employees about it can make or break the initiative. People still may not like the change but at least they will understand it and why it is happening, and perhaps be able to deal with it in a more constructive way. Furthermore, even though the short-term situation may seem difficult, the end result which benefits the company should also benefit them in some way.

Coggno is now offering a free trial for management training program creators on its learning management system. Create an online course for free, whether it be for internal use, for inclusion in Coggno’s E-learning Marketplace, or for outside syndication on hundreds of websites.

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Coggno.com is a provider of world-class online training.

August 13th, 2010 by Robin Green

“ I walked into the conference room,  there were 8 team members sitting there waiting for me. I didn’t know who knew what, who was supposed to be doing what, and worst of all, hardly knew their names”.

When managing a team, particularly a team that is new to you one critical factor is evaluating their capabilities. Often, when taking over a group or a project, there is not much data or documentation that tells you about the capabilities of its members, and this can lead to serious problems when you begin to try and delegate responsibilities in an effective manner.

Often the previous manager, team lead, or director, was quickly moved, and left little or no notes pertaining t team members. So its left to you, the team lead to sort out how to effectively transfer knowledge, who has what strengths, and how to best capitalize on them.  Getting the soft skills evaluated can be easier; a group session by an intuitive manager can lead to some significant insights about his or her team. You can quickly become familiar with personalities and communication styles.  It’s the hard skills, the operational, or technical, performance abilities that are difficult to evaluate. This can be particularly critical when a group has been together for a long period of time.  Often team members will compensate for one and others strengths and weaknesses leading to a scrum of activity that makes it particularly difficult to evaluate who is doing, and responsible for what exactly.

An excellent way to avoid situations, and quickly and transparently asses and measure what everyone knows and what their strengths are is to deploy a pre meeting assessment on a hosted Learning Management System like Coggno.com .  By using an online learning platform, you can quickly and easily upload and deploy the quiz or test, and because you are not present while they are completing it, you don’t have the awkwardness inherent in an instructor lead evaluation, your audience won’t  feel judged. The evaluations also go a long o set a sense of inherent expectations, and project a measure of management discipline that you may be seeking when taking on a new team.

Using the Learning Management System at www.Coggno.com is a great cost effective way to facilitate this. The tools are intuitive and easy to use, there is no set-up fee, and best of all, the per-use system make it extremely cost effective.

The evaluations you create will go a long way to setting up a sense of inherent expectations, and project a measure of management discipline that you will be seeking when taking on a new team.

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Coggno.com provides world-class online education.