Welcome to the September issue of "K-News," the e-Learning newsletter from Element K®, intended for our customers and other friends! K-News provides a monthly update of our latest e-Learning product releases. But it goes beyond that, variously including partner spotlights, dates of upcoming Element K webinars and conferences, highlights from Element K Blog, and more. This month includes many exciting updates, plus a focus on a new CompTIA® exam.

 

Learning News You Can Use:

• Introducing: CompTIA® Strata™ Fundamentals
• Tough Economy Creates Strong Need for Learning
• Voting is Open for the 2009 Best of Elearning! Awards Program
• What's New at Element K Blog

Partner Spotlight

• Fifty Lessons

Upcoming Element K Events

• Webinar, September 23:
  Developing Successful Corporate Learning Programs with vLabs
  
• Conference, October 19-23:
  CSTD and IFTDO World Conference and Trade Show 2009

Product Updates

• E-Learning Courses
• Fifty Lessons Videos
• GetAbstract Book Summaries
• Web 2.0 Offerings
• Did You Know?

Introducing: CompTIA® Strata™ Fundamentals

What is CompTIA Strata Fundamentals?
CompTIA® Strata™ Fundamentals presents another vendor-neutral offering from CompTIA covering basic IT terminology and technology. There are several exams offered by CompTIA (in the UK and globally) which are positioned as prerequisites to CompTIA A+ or for professionals or home users who may need basic IT knowledge. It is important to note that CompTIA Strata is not a certification; it is only offered as an exam.

Why take CompTIA Strata Fundamentals?
The CompTIA Strata Fundamentals of IT Technology exam is unique with CompTIA as it can address several audiences:

• Students or career changers: Exposure to basic IT technology to see if this is an area one might want to pursue as a career.
• Students or career changers: A prerequisite to CompTIA A+.
• Professionals: Exposure to basic IT knowledge to assist in their job responsibilities and possibly cut IT costs (from a support standpoint).
• All: an introduction to Green IT.

It is a perfect beginning for anyone—student, professional or home user, wanting to gain basic foundational knowledge about personal computers and the skills required to work with them. Whether you use this acquired knowledge to further your education or advance your career, it will help you to work more efficiently with personal computers and be more aware of the impact of technology on our environment.

Element K Has You Covered!
When we learned that CompTIA was introducing a new exam called "Strata," we realized that this would be important for many of our customers. So at Element K we marshalled our development forces in order to be the first to market with our first Strata title. And because we use a single-source development strategy, we are able to offer it in both e-Learning and print courseware modalities.

Element K is pleased to offer our first Strata course, CompTIA® Strata™ Fundamentals: IT Technology, which prepares students for the CompTIA Strata Fundamentals: Fundamentals of IT Technology exam (the only Strata exam offered globally at this time.)

Element K's CompTIA® Strata™ Fundamentals: IT Technology title is written to prepare the student for the Fundamentals of IT Technology exam, which is offered globally. CompTIA states the following on their website: "The IT Technology exam covers technology basics, including the characteristics and functions of laptops, desktops and smart phones. Individuals must be able to understand the functions of internal and external storage devices, such as CDs, DVDs, USBs, and hard drives. The exam also covers Green IT, and individuals will have to know how to use and dispose of equipment in an environmentally friendly way."

Additional CompTIA Certifications
CompTIA certifications validate foundation-level knowledge within a specific IT support function, including support technicians, networking professionals, and security professionals. CompTIA's globally recognized, vendor-neutral certification programs are designed as human resource standards for guiding practitioners in the IT industry.

Element K offers various training to support the achievement of CompTIA credentials, such as:

• A+ Certification
• Convergence+ Certification
• Linux+ Certification
• Network+ Certification
• Project+ Certification
• Security+ Certification
• Server+ Certification
• CompTIA PDI+
• CompTIA RFID+

As with our ability to come to market quickly with our first Strata e-Learning and print courseware, Element K is proud to provide timely learning solutions that stay current with the latest versions of the above certification areas.

 

Contact your Element K Account Executive or Learning Consultant to learn more about this new Strata course, as well as other CompTIA certification areas.

 

Tough Economy Creates Strong Need for Learning

A recent ASTD blog posting describes a new ASTD/i4cp report "Learning in Tough Economic Times: How Corporate Learning is Meeting the Challenges." Some of the findings were:

• While 40% of respondents said the economy had forced them to reduce learning resources to a high or very high degree, extensive cuts to learning programs or content was the exception not the rule.
• 67.2% indicated they are looking for ways to be more efficient and effective on tighter budgets, while 37.9% said their firms emphasized learning to a greater extent in this economic downturn.
• Slightly more than 25% said the learning function’s ability to meet organizational learning needs has suffered in the current economic downturn to a high or very high degree.
• Just over 50% have restricted travel to a high or very high degree, and around the same percent have cut investments in conferences, seminars, and workshops to a high or very high degree.
• Newer, less expensive methods to deliver learning such as e-learning and other online options, are gaining popularity in the down economy.
• Learning departments will cut "nice to haves" and use less classroom training to accomplish their goals.

As summarized in the blog posting, "The report also notes best practices being used for learning in a down economy, with three themes emerging: involving subject matter experts in the learning process; leveraging technology better; and raising awareness of cost issues. Two specific best practices include crafting learning around smaller chuncks of content by honing focus and presentation times, and staying the course realizing learning will bring benefits in employee engagement, retention, and overall organizational strength."

 

Contact your Element K Account Executive or Learning Consultant to learn more about how Element K's many learning solutions can help you achieve your organization's learning and development goals.

 

Voting is Open for the 2009 Best of Elearning! Awards Program

Elearning! Magazine is now taking nominations for its 2009 Best of Elearning! Awards program. In the past, Element K has won for IT Content, and is now being considered for several content and platform categories. Please follow this link if you would like to participate. Ballots are accepted through September 30.

 

What's New at Element K Blog

At Element K Blog, we provide commentary and insights on the Learning and Development industry. This includes reports on industry conferences, pointers to the best industry resource sites, and much more. A recently started series is our "Learning and Development Roundup," where we point you to key resources and opinions from the past four to six weeks.

Here is what you'll find at Element K Blog recently:

• Learning and Development Roundup (Vol. 5) - Includes links to items from Elliott Masie, Marcia Connor, Tony Bingham, key articles from Chief Learning Officer magazine and T+D magazine, and more!
• Results from Masie's Survey on Learning Systems - Highlights from a recent survey on learning systems by Elliott Masie.
• Update on Twitter for Learning Professionals - An update to an earlier posting, including an extensive list of key L&D experts to follow on Twitter.
• Everyone is Talking About Social Media - Comments on several of the latest articles about the hot phenomenon of social learning.
• Conference Report: SALT's Interactive Technologies Conference - A report about the recent conference held in the Washington DC area by the Society for Applied Learning Technology.
• Learning and Development Roundup (Vol. 4) - Includes links to items from ASTD Learning Circuits, Elliott Masie, Bob Mosher, Clive Shepherd, Jane Hart, Karl Kapp, and more!

We hope you'll check out Element K Blog, come back regularly, and add us to your RSS reader. Also, if you use Twitter you can follow us there at our account "Element_K".

 

Fifty Lessons

As we noted in the August edition of K-News, Element K has expanded its partnership with Fifty Lessons to now include over 900 videos of their powerful stories from hundreds of the world's most respected and successful business leaders.

This extensive video library for Fifty Lessons covers key business topics. These outstanding videos have long been available via a "complete" library offering, but as of August we are now offering 10 separate smaller libraries, organized by topic area:

• Change Management: Change Shouldn't Hurt (34 Topics)
  We all know that change is inevitable. The companies that harness positive change win, and so do their people. This collection will give you personal stories and practical advice from business leaders who have successfully embraced transformation.
• Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (50 Topics)
  Corporate responsibility and sustainability are no longer issues CEOs simply refer to in passing. They are at the heart of every company's strategy. To understand your CEO's mission, your people have to understand corporate responsibility and sustainability.
• Entrepreneurship: Unleashing Your Inner Entrepreneur (52 Topics)
  All companies are founded with passion and vision. But as they grow from entrepreneurial roots, sometimes bureaucracy, politics, and apathy can stifle fresh thinking. This collection is a critical resource for any company looking to re-energize its workforce and add to its bottom line.
• Execution: Executing The Game Plan (42 Topics)
  Visions are a dime a dozen. What separates great companies is the ability to not only have a vision but to clearly communicate the mission, set a viable strategy, and execute to plan. This collection shows you how some of the world's best business leaders have mastered these skills.
• Human Resources: HR's Bottom Line Impact (38 Topics)
  This collection gives HR its rightful seat at the boardroom table. As told by some the world's leading CEOs and HR professionals, these stories lay out real-world people issues and give you an unparalleled resource for managing all aspects of the HR function.
• Innovation: Innovation or Die (53 Topics)
  Many companies recognize the need to innovate for survival but simply don't know how to do it. This collection brings together the world's leading business innovators to explain how they have transformed their companies and entire industries.
• Leadership: Winning Leadership (42 Topics)
  Just because your job title says you're a leader, that doesn't mean you're leading. This collection first defines what good leadership is, and then exposes you to some of the best leadership practices ever.
• Prospering in Tough Times (51 Topics)
  We are living through extraordinary times. Very few of your people have faced down a genuine economic crisis. To thrive in the current climate, they need the hard-won lessons of proven leaders who have been there before and come out on top.
• Sales: It's All About Sales (50 Topics)
  Sales is the lifeblood of every organization – now more so than ever before. This unparalleled resource will give your sales team a true competitive edge.
• Talent Management: Unleashing Talent (52 Topics)
  Hiring the smartest people isn't enough. You need to put them in the right roles, motivate them (and not simply with money), give them the tools to succeed, then turn them loose and watch them thrive.

 

Contact your Element K Account Executive or Learning Consultant for more information about the Fifty Lessons offerings.

 

Webinar, Wednesday, September 23, 2 PM EST:
Developing Successful Corporate Learning Programs with vLabs

Your learners need hands-on IT experience to master key concepts, but maintaining live production environments creates sizable equipment expenses, and requires a dedicated staff for maintenance.

In today's economy, virtual labs (vLabs) offer the perfect solution to proprietary and off-the-shelf training needs. vLabs enable learners to apply their knowledge in a real environment, anytime and anywhere, without risk to expensive equipment or maintenance costs. This live webinar will show you how you can provide the same critical learning opportunities—and dramatically assist employees with certification and skills training—with virtual labs from Element K.

With this interactive webinar, you will:

• Learn how to profitably deliver proprietary and off-the-shelf application-based training to a global community.
• Ensure your learners will achieve mastery on various technologies (hands on assessment).
• Reduce capital expenditure.
• Gain free access to a special vLabs trial package after the event.

Register now! All registrants will recieve a complimentary vLab white paper; and all attendees will enjoy access to a free vLab trial.

Presenters

• Ameet Bhattacharya, Manager of vLabs, Element K
• Matt Russell, Technical Trainer with Verizon Business
• Bob Besley, Senior Learning Consultant, Element K

Conference, October 19-23:
CSTD and IFTDO World Conference and Trade Show 2009

Location: Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. For more information, visit the CSTD conference page.

For more information about conferences that Element K will be participating in, see the Element K Events page.

For more information about our webinars, see the Element K Webinars page.

 

E-Learning Courses
Element K's award-winning e-Learning content includes robust multimedia content, software simulations, business simulations, quizzes, assessments, and more. And our massive libraries continue to grow each month! The latest e-Learning course additions in the following general areas include:

Business Skills

• Basho Sales Training: Generating Interest Through Sales Calls
• Basho Sales Training: Closing a Sales Call
• Basho Sales Training: Bargaining With Clients
• Basho Sales Training: Conducting a Sales Meeting
• Basho Sales Training: Prospecting
• Collaboration Skills
• Customer Service 1: Customer Care
• Customer Service 2: Making a Difference With Customers
• Customer Service 3: Customer Relationship Management
• Customer Service 4: Positive Outcomes
• Customer Service 5: Increasing Sales via Service
• Leadership Skills: Build a Winning Team
• Leadership Skills: Lead with Confidence
• Leadership Skills: Position Yourself to Lead
• Managing the Generation Mix
• Women in Leadership: Overcoming Common Leadership Challenges

Compliance

• Drug- and Alcohol-Free Workplace (Third Edition)
• Hazardous Waste Management (Third Edition)
• Wastewater and Storm Water Management (Third Edition)
• Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plan (Third Edition)

Office Productivity

• Apple Safari v 4.0: Introduction

Design and Media

• Adobe® Flash® CS4: Level 2 (Macintosh)
• Adobe® Flash® CS4: Level 3
• Adobe® Illustrator® CS4: Level 2 (Macintosh)
• Adobe® Photoshop® Elements 7

IT Professional

• CompTIA® Strata™ Fundamentals: IT Technology
• Developing Applications with Adobe AIR and Flex
• Firewall: A Network Security Measure
• Introduction to Software Life Cycle Models

Localized Courses

• Construir relaciones sólidas con los clientes (Segunda Edición) (Español)
• Delegar (Segunda Edición) (Incluye Simulación) (Español)
• Practical Leadership (Vietnamese)
• Scoping Your Internet Project (Vietnamese)

 

Contact your Element K Account Executive or Learning Consultant to learn more about our various libraries of e-Learning courses.

 

Fifty Lessons
Through our partnership with Fifty Lessons, Element K is able to provide over 900 videos of powerful stories from hundreds of the world's most respected and successful business leaders. The latest Fifty Lessons additions to the complete library include:

• Authentic Communication Based on Good Science
• Avoid Interfering
• Building a Values Based Organization
• Companies Valuing Open Communication
• Creative Thinking Under Siege
• Developing Economies Call for Decisive Change
• Dynamic Business Models
• Engaging the NGO Community in Launching 'Plan A'
• Figuring Out What Consumers Really Want
• Getting Senior Management to Extend the Boundaries of Accountability
• Growing Strong Sales Managers
• How to Create a Sustainable Brand
• Intelligent Customer Service
• Leading by Example
• Lessons from Mother Teresa
• Making the Most of Networking
• New Markets Demand Reinvented Business Models
• Nurturing Talent to Succeed in the Business World
• Our Mission in Sustainability
• Passion for Sustainability
• Raising the Bar of Accountability
• Reviving AIESEC
• Take a Harder Look at Your Market Segments
• The Importance of Listening
• The Importance of Storytelling to Help Bring About Sustained Change
• The Machine That Changed the World
• The Success and Limitations of Campaigning
• The Woman's Place is in the Board Room
• Understand the Differences When Doing Business Abroad

Contact your Element K Account Executive or Learning Consultant to learn more about the Fifty Lessons products.

 

getAbstract
One of our most innovative partners, getAbstract, provides book summaries of the latest and most important books in business. Most of us don't have time to read every interesting book that comes along, but with getAbstract, you don't have to. Access book summaries in a variety of formats, including PDFs or as audio content for your iPhone, iPod, BlackBerry, or other MP3 player. The latest getAbstract additions include:

• B2B Brand Management by Philip Kotler and Waldemar Pfoertsch
• Bids, Tenders & Proposals: Winning Business Through Best Practice by Harold Lewis
• Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal by Ayn Rand, Nathaniel Branden, Alan Greenspan and Robert Hessen
• Free: The Future of a Radical Price by Chris Anderson
• Going Lean: How the Best Companies Apply Lean Manufacturing Principles to Shatter Uncertainty, Drive Innovation, and Maximize Profits by Stephen A. Ruffa
• Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of the Unconscious by Gerd Gigerenzer
• High Wire: The Precarious Financial Lives of American Families by Peter Gosselin
• House of Cards: A Tale of Hubris and Wretched Excess on Wall Street by William D. Cohan
• In Spite of the Gods: The Rise of Modern India by Edward Luce
• Influencing: Skills and Techniques for Business Success by Fiona Elsa Dent and Mike Brent
• Jacked Up: The Inside Story of How Jack Welch Talked GE into Becoming the World's Greatest Company by Bill Lane
• Landing Page Optimization: The Definitive Guide to Testing and Tuning for Conversions by Tim Ash
• Managing Project Delivery: Maintaining Control and Achieving Success by Trish Melton
• Managing Sales Leads: Turning Cold Prospects into Hot Customers by James Obermayer
• Managing Your Mind: The Mental Fitness Guide by Gillian Butler and Tony Hope
• More Than a Minute: How to Be an Effective Leader and Manager in Today's Changing World by Holly G. Green
• Organized Uncertainty: Designing a World of Risk Management by Michael Power
• Over a Barrel: The Costs of U.S. Foreign Oil Dependence by John S. Duffield
• Plight of the Fortune Tellers: Why We Need to Manage Financial Risk Differently by Riccardo Rebonato
• Sales Promotion: How to Create, Implement and Integrate Campaigns That Really Work by Roddy Mullin and Julian Cummins
• Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day by Dave Evans
• Sun Tzu's Art of War: The Modern Chinese Interpretation by Tao Hanzhang
• The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence by Josh Waitzkin
• The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt by T.J. Stiles
• The Leader's Companion: Insights on Leadership Through the Ages by J. Thomas Wren
• The McKinsey Engagement: Insider Secrets to the Tools and Techniques Used by the World’s Top Consulting by Paul Friga
• The Millionaire Maker's Guide to Creating a Cash Machine for Life by Loral Langemeier
• The Owner's Manual for the Brain: Everyday Applications from Mind-Brain Research by Pierce J. Howard
• The Social Media Bible: Tactics, Tools & Strategies for Business Success by Lon Safko and David K. Brake
• The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature by Steven Pinker
• The Three Laws of Performance: Rewriting the Future of Your Organization and Your Life by Steve Zaffron and Dave Logan
• The Truth About Being a Leader: ... And Nothing But the Truth by Dr. Karen Otazo
• The Ultimate Depression Survival Guide: Protect Your Savings, Boost Your Income and Grow Wealthy Even in the Worst of Times by Martin D. Weiss
• The West Point Way of Leadership by Larry Donnithorne
• Too Big to Fail: The Hazards of Bank Bailouts by Gary H. Stern and Ron J. Feldman
• Transient Caretakers: Making Life on Earth Sustainable by Mervyn King and Teodorina Lessidrenska
• Turning Silver into Gold: How to Profit in the New Boomer Marketplace by Dr. Mary S. Furlong
• When I Say No, I Feel Guilty by Manuel J. Smith
• Why Women Mean Business: Understanding the Emergence of our next Economic Revolution by Avivah Wittenberg-Cox and Alison Maitland

Contact your Element K Account Executive or Learning Consultant to learn more about the getAbstract products.

 

Web 2.0 Offerings
For many months, Element K has provided a variety of blogs and discussion forums on a range of topics, for our Learning Products customers who are using our KnowledgeHub LMS. In addition to these, Element K has now launched its first wikis. A wiki is a collection of webpages that are editable, and that allow people to update information easily and collaborate in creating a knowledge repository. Element K's first wikis have many pages of content from Element K (called "seeding" the wiki), but they are open to users of the platform to update and create additional content. These first five wikis are on the following topics:

• Microsoft Office Excel 2007
• Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007
• Microsoft Office Word 2007
• Microsoft Windows Vista
• Project Management

We anticipate adding more wikis in the future, and would appreciate feedback on the usefulness of these resources and your desired topic areas.

Contact your Element K Account Executive or Learning Consultant to learn more about the collaborative Web 2.0 offerings on our KnowledgeHub LMS platform.

 

Did You Know?
Many of Element K's courses are accredited for continuing education purposes. For instance, Element K is recognized by NASBA's National Registry of Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Sponsors, and offers CPE credits to CPAs intending to maintain or develop their licenses. Improve your transcript and further your accreditation from entities such as the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET®), the Project Management Institute (PMI®), or the University of Phoenix. Contact your Element K Account Executive or Learning Consultant to learn more about the accreditation of our courses.

 

For more information on Element K:
http://www.elementk.com or call 1-800-434-3466.
Element K, 500 Canal View Blvd., Rochester, NY 14623

Copyright 2009 Element K Corporation. All rights reserved. Element K and the Element K logo are trademarks of Element K Corporation. Products or other names may be trademarks of their respective proprietors who may not be affiliated with Element K. Element K is part of NIIT, a global talent development corporation operating in 32 countries.