Learn Online Successfully

Learning Programming

2009-03-05T11:32:00.003-06:00

There are all sorts of places you can use programming skills in working with the computer. If you use Office, learning VBA allows you automate tasks that you do regularly in Word, Excel or Access. If you build websites, learning programming allows you to add JavaScript to your web pages or you can create web applications using server-side languages like PHP or ASP. Looking for a new career? Companies are hiring programmers with experience in C++, C# and Java.

If you want to add programming skills to your resume, start by taking a look at our Programming Introduction course. This course teaches you programming using JavaScript and a web browser, tools you have handy! You will learn the programming process and how to speak and start to think like a programmer. Impress your friends by being able to use words like polymorphism and exception handling in conversation!

After you have the basics of programming down, depending on what you want to do with it you may be interested in these training paths:

If you are using Office and want to learn Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) check out:
VBA Programming - learn to edit macros and create them from scratch. You can create dialog boxes to prompt the user for information.

For those who want to to add programming to their web design skils check out these courses:
JavaScript Introduction - JavaScript is used to create menus, rollover and other interactive features on web pages. This course will take you through the basics of working with JavaScript and into creating full featured JavaScript applications.
Building Interactive Web Sites with CSS, DHTML and Ajax - Once you are familiar with JavaScript, learn to use JavaScript to add Ajax functionality to your web pages. Ajax allows you to communicate with the server without having to resubmit a web page. This can make your sites faster and more user-friendly.

For those who want to add data-driven web pages to their web sites check out these courses:
ASP.NET using Visual Basic .Net - Learn the basics of creating ASP.NET web pages. You will learn to display information from a database and create forms that will store the data in the database.
PHP Web Programming - PHP is one of the most popular web programming languages. In this course you will learn to work with PHP to accept form data and store it into a database or customize the user's experience on your site.

If you want to learn programming, we offer paths in many different languages. Check out these introductory courses:
C# Introduction
C++ Introduction
Java Introduction
Visual Basic .NET Introduction

If you are already a programmer we offer Advanced level classes in all our programming languages.

Learning Web Design

2009-02-12T14:49:00.004-06:00

Do you have an interest in learning web design? Maybe you have a blog or MySpace page and want to dress it up a bit, or maybe you have an idea for an online venture and want to build a web presence. If you want to do more on the web, a basic knowledge of web design can help you. But where do you start?

At some point you will really want to learn HTML - the language of the web. Even if you use tools like Dreamweaver or create all your text using online editors like the ones found in Blogger or MySpace, they will allow you to view the HTML code behind your content. Understanding this code can allow you to fix problems or do things the online editors may not have buttons for. We have two HTML courses. The HTML Jumpstart will give you a good quick introduction to HTML. The HTML/XHTML Introduction goes more deeply into creating web pages with HTML. This is a good place to start if you plan to make a career out of web design.

In addition to HTML you will want to learn Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) - the language of web page formatting. Understanding CSS is the secret to getting your web pages to look the way you want. We offer two CSS courses. The Cool Web Pages with CSS and Layers will give you a quick introduction to basic CSS formatting. If you plan to use tools like Dreamweaver, this course will help you to understand the CSS formatting Dreamweaver uses better. The Designing Web Sites with CSS will go through CSS more thoroughly and give you a good understanding of how to do some of the cool stuff you see.

At some point you will want to decide on a web design tool. There are a few available and they all do similar things. The big thing these web design tools offer is the ability to manage web sites. If you are just creating web pages, knowledge of HTML and CSS and a basic HTML editor will be all you need. We offer classes in these web design tools:

Adobe Dreamweaver
Microsoft Expression Web
Adobe GoLive

These tools provide a GUI interface and buttons for formatting similar to what you would find in a word processor. They can be used to build basic web sites and manage your sites through templates and file management.

This will get you started with learning web design, but it is just a starting point. We discuss in a future post paths you can take from here to expand on your web design knowledge.

What are all these windows doing open?

2008-11-08T18:58:00.002-06:00

When you first access your classroom you might be overwhelmed by all the windows on the screen. While most of them are helpful, they may just clutter up the screen and keep you from focusing on what you want to focus on. No problem! We can hide any of the windows we don't need and even simplify the view of the class so that we just see the lesson we are working on.

To hide the windows along the left and right sides of the screen, click on the box with the - in the upper right corner of the window you want to close. For example, if you don't use the Administration box, click on the box to the right of the Word Administration in the title bar. The window will collapse and only display the title and the box with the +. Click on the box with the + to expand the window again.

Your settings will be saved for that course. You will have to set the way you want for each course you are in.

While you cannot close and open the windows in the center part of the screen, you can collapse the list of Lessons so you only see the one you want to work on. To do that click on the box with the - to the right of the lesson you want to be displayed. All other Lesson windows will be hidden.

You'll know you are in this collapsed view by the pair of boxes to the right of the Lesson title. The top one has a + and the bottom one is empty. Click on the boxes and you will see all available lessons again.

From the collapsed view you can use the navigation bar at the bottom of the screen that says "Jump to...". Click on the Lesson you want to view from the drop down list and it will be displayed as the active lesson. The list will only show the Lessons that have been made available to you.

The settings for collapsing the lessons will be saved so the next time you return to the class the Lessons will display as you left them. And like the collapsed windows, the collapsed lessons will have to be set for each course you are in.

Hopefully, the classroom windows are a little clearer for you and you can focus better on your course without the distracting opened windows.

Updating and Upgrading

2008-09-16T09:03:00.000-06:00

It's that time again! New software versions are appearing all around us. Microsoft, Adobe and others are releasing new version of their applications and we are updating our classes to support the new versions.

Acrobat - Adobe has released version 9 of Adobe Acrobat this summer. We are ready to help you upgrade your Acrobat skills or introduce you to the ins and outs of Acrobat version 9.

VBA - The release of Office 2007 saw a big change in the Microsoft Office suite of tools. Although the underlying Visual Basic language has not changed all that much, many of the interfaces have. Our VBA Programming class now supports 2007 as well as earlier versions.

Visual Basic - Version 2008 of Visual Basic has been released. Our Visual Basic Introduction and Visual Basic Advanced courses are both now upgraded for the latest versions.

C# - Microsoft C# 2008 is now available. Our C# Introduction and C# Advanced courses are both upgraded to include the last versions.

ASP.NET - Whether you are using ASP.NET with Visual Basic or C#, ASP.NET 3.5 is now available and our ASP.NET with C# and ASP.NET with Visual Basic are both upgraded to include the latest versions.

May I have a transfer?

2008-07-17T10:04:00.005-06:00

One of the ways to determine if learning has been successful is if a student can leave the classroom environment and be able to apply what they have learned to their own work. In the world of learning this is called transfer.

My father taught college for many years. He was a successful and well-liked professor. After he had been teaching for a number of years he took a consulting job in his field. He found out that what he had been teaching all those years did not transfer to the real world. For college that's almost par for the course - for the rest of us - that's a HUGE problem.

One of the aspects we have taken into consideration when designing our courses was to ensure that what the students learn in our classes transfers back to the environment in which they will be using it. Not only do we try to present examples that reflect real applications of what is being taught but we also allow students to work on their own projects for Assignments. Students can then see for themselves how what they are learning applies to them and their situation.

Students are given a whole set of tools they can use to work through any challenge they may face. Many methods of presentation of a topic, many examples of how the knowledge can be applied and many types of assessment of knowledge help ensure that a student can apply what they are learning to a variety of situations. And if the resources that are available don't meet the student's needs then the instructor is there to share his or her own experiences and to help the students find additional resources.

Use ALL of your Resources

2008-07-03T18:11:00.002-06:00

One of the advantages of learning online is the wealth of resources available to you. In the classroom you have the teacher and maybe the book, if it's a good one. If your teacher allows you to talk in class you may also have your fellow students as a resource. And certainly NONE of those is available to you when it comes time to show what you have learned.

When you learn online you have a great variety of resources. I have found from my own experience that my learning is enriched the more resources I make use of.

Book - For most of the classes the main source of content is the book. The teacher here do a great job of choosing books that serve you well in class and serve as a great reference after the class.

Content - The content can frequently provide a different point of view from the book or a better explanation than what the book offers. I really appreciate the different approach or explanation and I always find a learn a thing or two I missed in the book.

Resources - The online resources provide great tips and further explanation of the topics. I sometimes spend the largest time in working through a lesson just reading all the resources and other links I find.

Classmates - It seems like each of has a different application for the course material. I love looking through the Assignments and reading the discussions posted by my classmates. I like hearing the different points of view and seeing all the ways the content can be applied. I am even grateful when a classmate asks a question that I was puzzling over myself. And it's great when a classmate answers a question I have posted. This is one learning environment where it is allowed - and encouraged - to talk to your classmates!

Yourself - I think in learning online you discover that your greatest resource is your own resourcefulness! Since you cannot usually get an instantaneous response, learning to use the other resources and doing your own research on the topic can be the greatest boost to your understanding of the topic. The class will end, but if you learn to rely on yourself to learn, answer questions and solve problems you have a valuable resource for life.

Teacher - Last - and definitely LEAST is your teacher. LEAST you ask? Yes, least. If you look at the online learning environment you find that the teacher is usually the least available resource you have. Yes, you can ask your teacher just about anything and get an answer but the answer may take a while and it may not be the answer you need if you did not do a good job in asking your question.

Before you ask your teacher for help, spend some time with your other resources:

Check the Content and Resources for the lesson.
Check the Questions and Comments for the lesson to see if a classmate asked the same question.
Use your favorite search engine to research the topic.
Post your question to the Question and Comments for the lesson and see if a classmate will answer. Even if the teacher answers you have left a resource for a classmate who may have the same question.

And the real joy is all of those resources are at your disposal to help with all the activities you complete for a lesson!

Customizing Your Settings

2008-05-21T14:38:00.003-06:00

When you first created your account at the classroom you filled in some information that was used to create your account. You can view and edit that information (and more!) through your profile.

After you log into the classroom, you will see your name in the very top right corner. Click on that and it takes you to the information that your classmates can see about you. Across the top of the profile are a series of tabs. Click on the tab which says "Edit Profile".

On the next screen you will see the form for editing the profile. The fields in red are required but any of the fields you can chose to enter or not.

Here are some of the fields you may be most interested in:

Email display - choose who you want to be able to see your email address. This can help to maintain your privacy.
Email activated - disable your email address and you will not receive any email from our system.
Email format - choose whether to receive email in HTML or plain text format.
Email digest - choose whether to receive emails as messages are posted in the classroom or just a summary once a day.
Forum auto-subscribe - turn this on to automatically subscribe to a forum whenever you post a message.
Forum tracking - turn this on to have any unread posts in your classroom highlighted for you.
Font Size - Choose the font size you want to use as the base font for the site.

One of the options allows you to upload an image that will display when you post messages or assignments in the classroom. You can upload a photo or an image that you want to represent you. Click on the browse button and select the image you want to upload. Once it is uploaded the system will size it to fit the image area.

If you want your instructor or classmates to be able to contact you beyond the classroom, fill your web page or contact information in the Optional section.

When you have changed all the options you want, click on the Update profile button. Your changes will be saved and will take affect immediately.

We do respect your privacy and will not share any of your personal information with anyone. But do be aware that when you click on your name and view your profile that information is viewable by anyone who has an account on our classroom.

The Power of Seven

2008-05-16T06:55:00.004-06:00

When I first started doing training, the company I worked for put us through a train-the-trainer session. One of the things from that session that has stuck with me for the last 20 years was the fact that it takes the average person seeing, hearing and doing something seven times for them to learn it.

Now, understanding averages as I do, I realized that for those, like me, who catch on after one or two times, there were those who took 12 or 13 times before they caught on. I always kid, when I have a student who apologizes for taking so long to catch onto something, that they are my balancer and together we average to 7. Without them, I'd skew the average.

This is one of the reasons that our instructional strategy works so well. By working through the various activities of the course you are increasing the number of times you are exposed to the content. You have a chance to improve how well you learn the materials with each exposure.

The first opportunity to learn is the demo. This shows you what can be done. It also gives you an idea of where the lesson is headed.
Next you read through the content in the book. If there are examples in the book work through those as well
Read through the online content and examples.
Spend some time going through the online resources.
Try it out on your own with the Practice.
Spend some time discussing the topic with your classmates and you have.
Apply what you have learned to your own project with the Assignment.

Still don't feel like you got it? Try these suggestions:

Take a look at your classmates' projects in the Assignments
Review more of the online resources
Search for new resources.
Ask your teacher for additional examples

If you still need more, go back through it all again!

Are you like me and catch on pretty quickly? Then use the learning opportunities to dig a little deeper into the subject.

Investigate some of the areas of the topic that may not have been covered in the course content.
Help your classmates that are your average balancers by posting examples you have created or found in your own research.
Help your instructor answer questions from other students. They may encounter problems you had not.

Each exposure to the course content you have gives you a chance to learn something new! Take advantage of all these learning opportunities and you are sure to come away learning something new!

Spring into New Classes!

2008-05-01T09:44:00.005-06:00

Like the plants and flowers in Spring, our course list is growing! We have new classes in web design, personal development and business skills.

The following courses are now available for enrollment!

Adobe InDesign - Need to create professional-looking documents and Word just won't do it? Adobe InDesign allows you to design and produce stunning documents on your desktop printer or using a professional printer. Or convert your documents to PDF format or publish them on a website. This class will walk you through setting up the InDesign workspace, adding text and graphics to your document, creating layouts with frames and applying formatting with styles.

Right on the Money- Personal and Practical Personal Finance - Today's ever changing financial situations require that solid and practical personal financial planning should be available to each person with income and responsibilities. This class is designed to provide that basic personal financial planning. The class provides a curriculum with the plans and procedures that will help anyone identify, understand and accomplish their financial goals. We cover basic personal financial planning, asset and credit management, savings/investment and retirement planning.

Don't see a course you want on our list of courses? Let me know! We are always looking for new course ideas.

Have a skill you'd like to share? We are always looking for new course developers and teachers!

Show up Prepared for Class

2008-02-21T14:05:00.010-06:00

I have heard from many people that one of the greatest advantages of learning online is the ability to learn in your pajamas, or underwear or whatever you decide is the most comfortable. And it seems like students seem to equate the lack of need to dress for class with the lack of need to show up prepared for class.

If anything you should make an effort to be very prepared for the first day of class!

And what should you bring with you to class? While you may think back to your days in school and think pencils, papers and books, you'd only be partially right.

Here's my list of things you should have ready the first day of class:

Your learning tools: This means besides pencils, papers and books you will need to make sure you have a computer, connection to the internet and any software or other tools that the syllabus for your course suggest you have. If you have any questions about what is needed, ask your instructor!
Time: Even though you are learning online and can learn anytime, day or night, you will be more successful if you schedule time on your calendar for attending class. Setting aside this time and letting those in your life know you will be attending class at that time will help you stay on top of the work and not fall behind.
A backup plan: We all know how reliable computers can be - in a moment of crisis they are the weakest link in the chain. So, don't count on your regular computeror your regular internet connection. Have a backup plan, someplace you can go to complete your course work or at least let your instructor know what is going on. Most libraries offer internet access for free. The coffee shop around the corner from me has a computer I can use for free. Look for options so you will know what to do when the worst happens.
Curiosity: When you learn online you don't have to learn just what the teacher tells you to learn. You can learn about any aspect of the topic of the class that interests you or that you find useful to you. And the expertise you acquire on those topics can be brought back to the class and shared with your classmates so they get to see an aspect of the topic they might never have otherwise.

You've heard me say many times before that you get out of an online class what you put into it. Being prepared for your class when it starts is definitely a way to start putting the best into your online learning experience from the very beginning.

I know I saw that somewhere! Finding Lost Posts

2008-02-19T13:46:00.004-06:00

If you are in a class that has been very active in the discussion boards you may find yourself in the situation of trying to find the post you want to respond to or one that contains a link that you wanted to explore. Instead of searching through all the posts, you can use these tools:

Forum Search: On the left side of the classroom, just below the Activities block is the Forum Search block. Type in a word or phrase that might be found in the post you are looking for and click on the Search button. This will search all the posts in the class and return a list of the discussions with the matching text highlighted.

If this does not help or returns too many posts, you can use the Advanced Search link in the Forum Search block. This will bring you to a form that includes other search options, like exact phrase, date range, author name and more.

Profiles: You can view a list of posts by any person in your class, including your own. Click on the Participants link in the People block on the top left side of the main classroom screen. You will then see a list of participants in the class. Click on any name in the list to view more information about that person. Just above their information is two tabs. The second one says "Forum Posts". Click on that to see a list of posts by that person sorted with the most recent appearing first.

Hopefully these tips will help you to locate the missing information you need quickly.

Now, if finding stuff on my desk were so easy!

Your Assignment Is...

2008-02-09T17:38:00.000-06:00

We all know the experience of learning something new by following the steps someone has written for us. It typically works perfectly and looks beautiful or work just like we'd want when we are done. When we try to do something a little different than the instructions we were given, things do not always work as expected.

That's kind of the idea behind the Assignment part of each lesson. With the Practice you are doing work that has an expected result. When you do the Assignment you get to try what you have learned on your own. This is how you really learn and make the class content your own.

And things don't always turn out right the first time!

The good news is your instructor is just a post away! Post a message to the Questions and Comments board or post your project as it is to the Assignments area and tell your instructor what problems you are having and what you are trying to accomplish. Your instructor will help by pointing you in the right direction, find the problem or offer advice on how you can improve your work.

This is the part of the class our instructors like the most - helping you to use your new skills in a way that will benefit you!

And once your Assignment is posted, you get a chance to see the work your classmates turned in. This allows you to see many different ways to apply what you have learned to real-world solutions. Chances are a classmate will try something you had not thought of and you have a chance to learn something new. And of course your classmates will also have the chance to learn from your work.

With the feedback you give your classmates you can offer encouragement, advice or congratulations on a job well-done. And they will do the same for you.

Learning Linux: New Classes Added

2008-02-01T16:46:00.000-06:00

We are expanding our course offerings all over the place, but the biggest growth has been in our Linux courses. We started offering a few basic courses last year:

This year we have added quite a few and have more in the works!

Overview of Linux Shells - People who have used Linux any length of time will agree that the secret to the power of Linux is in learning to use the Shells. The Bash Shell is probably the most popular of the Linux shells but people who moved from Unix to Linux all have their reasons for loving C Shell and others. This course will give you a good overview of the shells and the basic commands for working with the command prompt in Linux. Want to just learn BASH, check out: Using the BASH Shell.

Using SSH - the Secure Shell - Even if you are not running Linux on your desktop, if you are hosting a website on a Linux or Unix server you may have SSH access to your web server. If so, find out what kinds of things you can do from the shell to make managing your website easier. The great thing about SSH is that all your work is encrypted so no one can see your server passwords or server information.

Using the Emacs Editor - back before there were fancy word processors and graphical applications and mice to help us create documents, there was the Emacs editor. You could accomplish anything from complex searches and replaces to copy and pastes with the press of a combination of buttons. While you still may never completely give up your mouse, this course will have you pressing [ESC][META][ALT][CTRL][SHIFT] all over Emacs! Not up to the challenge of Emacs? Try Using the Vi Editor instead!

Look for Linux application courses on OpenOffice and GIMP coming soon!

The Proactive Student Learns!

2008-01-31T17:09:00.000-06:00

Online learning is not for the passive person. If you expect to sit there and have everything handed to you, you will never survive in online learning. Being proactive starts the day you sign up for your class and does not stop until your certificate is in hand.

When you sign up for your course you should get an email in the first 24 hours letting you know your registration has been received and with directions on where to find what book you need, if any, and where to go to create your account for the classroom. If you don't receive it, check your spam folders. The reality of email is that it does not always make it as expected. Once you do receive an email, be sure to add the email address to your list of contacts so the email will come through next time without any problems.

If it's getting close to the first day of class and you still have not heard anything contact someone! You can find contact information on the About Us page. The classroom manager posts a message each Monday in the Classroom asking you to contact them if you have not heard from your instructor. Also, if you view the information about your course in the classroom you will see your instructor's name and can send him or her a message through the classroom letting them know you are waiting to hear from them. Chances are they are trying to contact you as well and will be glad to hear from you.

Once class starts, use the Question and Comments section of the class to post any questions or concerns you have. If you don't feel comfortable posting your question or concern there, send your instructor a message or an email. If you don't get a response, try another option. Like I said before, email does not always make it as expected. If you post a message to the classroom letting your instructor know you have a problem, they are sure to see the message there. Sometimes it is the best way to communicate because messages posted there won't disappear into the ether.

The instructors are there to help you in any way they can, but they have to know you need help before they can help. Stay in touch with your instructor. They really do want to see you succeed at your learning goals.

If you run into problems with what you are learning in class, after you post a question to the classroom, don't sit and wait for the answer. Use the resources posted in the class or use your favorite search engine to do your own research. You'd be surprised at how easy it may be to find the answer posted on a discussion board or blog somewhere. If you do find an answer, let your instructor know. You might even want to post a link to the resource so one of your classmates who might have the same question can benefit from your research.

There's an old saying that you get out of it what you put in it. It applies well to online learning, too.

What's New?

2008-01-24T16:53:00.000-06:00

Happy Near Year!

One of my resolutions is to better about blogging and to work with the others to make sure this blog gets updated regularly. Hopefully we can get it going so there is a new post a week.

I'll get it rolling by letting you know what's new in the classroom!

It seems like since our upgrade last year the classroom has been painfully slow. We moved to a better server, installed a new copy of the classroom software and then moved everything over from the old server. While there was nothing to pack and no heavy boxes to lift, the move was slow and tedious, nonetheless.

The new server definitely seems faster! You may have noticed the new look. I like the picture at the top of the home page. Look for it to change every month!

We've added some new features to the classroom, too.

From the main screen you can click on the link for the Classes Starting annoucement and go right to the class. Once you have an account you can then use PayPal to pay for the course and be enrolled immediately.
Once you are in the class notes will show next to the quiz, discussion, practice and assignment letting you know when each activity is complete.
The classes have a new layout. We've labeled all the activities so you know which one goes with which lesson. Honestly, there were times I got lost, too!

If you can think of anything else we can do to make your life as a student at the Interactive Online Classroom more enjoyable, please let us know!

Help! I can only upload one file!

2007-06-12T18:55:00.000-06:00

For the Practice, Assignments and Discussions, you will notice that you can only upload one file. That becomes a major problem in the programming and web design courses where most projects consist of many files - and no one wants to have to upload all the files for a project one file at a time.

The easiest solution is to zip the files into one file and upload that. For web design as well as programming classes, that will also preserve the directory structure which can be important to your project operating correctly when your instructor views it.

You may want to create a folder just for your class files. If you have different projects during the class, create a separate folder for each project. This will help you to keep things straight while you are working. I usually create folders on my desktop. It's easier for me to find things that way.

If you are using Windows the easiest way to zip the files is to right click on the directory. Choose Send To > Compressed Folder. This will create a zip file with the same name as the folder.

If you are using a Mac, Control-click on the folder and choose Create Archive.

If you are using X Windows, right-click on the folder and choose Create Archive.

Once the zip file is created you can upload your project all in one file and you are set!

Practice Makes Perfect!

2007-05-26T16:50:00.000-06:00

Your Mom, band director, baseball coach and teachers all told you, "Practice makes perfect!" as a way to get you to practice what you have learned. And as much as we hate to admit it, they were right. The more we practiced on our own the better we were when it came time to show what we knew - whether on the field, in the performance hall or in the classroom.

The Practices in each Lesson of your course have the same goal. They provide a way for you try out what was covered in the lesson on your own. Most practices in our courses are designed to be a problem for you to solve with the skills you have learned or are a description of a project you are to complete to apply what you have learned. In most cases there is only one answer or the steps you need to follow are fairly well spelled out for you in the course materials.

But don't feel like you are on your own or you have to produce perfect work on the first try. Your instructor will be glad to give you feedback on what you have done or offer suggestions on where to head next. The practice is set up so you can turn in the work more than once, so keep working until you get it right!

And once your Practice is perfect - move onto the show - your Assignment! Show off just what you know - but more on that next time.

Yes, You are teaching yourself - with your instructor's help

2007-05-25T12:15:00.000-06:00

One of my classmate posted a comment the other day that it felt like with all the work he was having to do in the class he was teaching himself. He longed for a brick and mortar classroom where he could passively sit and listen while the teacher explained and demonstrated the content and he absorbed it like a sponge.

Had he been within arm's reach I would have slapped him upside the head!

That's not learning - not real learning. Sure, you may be able to memorize the content and pass a test, but once you are out of school there are no more tests. You are "tested" by being able to apply what you have learned in a classroom to what you are doing in the real world.

And this is where learning online with Lifetime to Learn beats learning anywhere else, as far as I am concerned.

This student may be one who can learn by listening and watching, but I have found that I have difficulty really using the content until I can work through examples and try it out on my own. And aren't we taking these courses to be able to use what we are learning? I know I am. I don't have time to waste on learning just for learning.

I want to be able to DO something not just KNOW it!

Now, I am not one who can sit and read a book and understand and apply what I have just read. I am more of a hands-on learner. I usually start working with the Assignment and then go back and read the book when I get stuck. Then I use the online resources to fill in gaps the book may have. I don't like quizzes but I have found that I have missed subtle points that the quiz points out.

By the time I finish working through all the activities I feel like I know and can use what I have learned. I am ready to face the real world armed with practical knowledge.

So? Do we really need the teacher? Definitely! My teachers are always a source of help, insight and practical advice. But the teachers are not there to make me learn, force me to learn or pour knowledge into my head. They are there to assist me to learn on my own.

And they all do a great job!

Keeping up with the Joneses: New classes galore!

2007-04-29T09:19:00.000-06:00

Sometimes in the world of software training and support we feel like it is a constant struggle to keep up with the Joneses - in this case the new software releases. Just about the time we get caught up the software vendors release new versions. And since most of them carry more than one product, they tend to release new versions of all their software in one fell swoop.

It's a good thing I enjoy learning new things! This job NEVER gets boring!

So with no further ado, let me introduce our new classes to help you better keep up with what's new in the world of software!

Windows Vista Upgrade - Get up to speed on the new features of Windows Vista. This will give you a good overview of how to navigate in Windows Vista, configure it and how to use the new tools. Look for a course that covers the administrative side of Vista soon.

Microsoft Office 2007 Upgrade - Learn the new features of Office 2007 and get comfortable with the new interface. Whether you are new to Office or an experience Office user this course will have you zipping around Office 2007 in no-time. Look for updates to our regular courses soon.

Microsoft SQL Server 2005 - This course has been updated for SQL Server 2005. This course is good for developers who will be using SQL Server for developing client-server or web-based applications. Look for courses on SQL Server Administration.

Java SE 6 - This course has been updated for Java SE 6. This is good anyone who wants to learn the basics of programming in Java.

Adobe Acrobat 8 - This course has been update for Acrobat 8. Look for updates to all the Adobe products for version CS3.

Help! Where to turn when it's not working right

2007-04-12T17:09:00.000-06:00

The classroom application runs on a computer - and we all know how reliable computers can be! ;-) So, yes, at some point something in the classroom is not going to work just as it should. Who should you turn to for help?

If you are working in your class and the quiz, content or other part of the class is not appearing as it should, check first with your instructor. It may be something the instructor can fix. If your instructor cannot fix it, he or she will contact me and I or one of my staff will get it fixed as soon as possible.

If you are not currently enrolled in a class and you have technical questions about the classroom, check the Technical Assistance area. As soon as you confirm your account you are automatically added to both the Technical Assistance and Student Lounge areas of the classroom. Technical Assistance should show up on your list of courses on the right side of the screen.

If you are unable to access the classroom or you are getting an error of some kind, make a note of the error email me at ClassroomManager@interactiveonlineclassroom.com. I will get right on it since chances are no one else will be able to access the classroom at that time either.

We will periodically schedule upgrades and maintenance to the classroom system. If we can, we will post an announcement on the main classroom screen letting you know when it is scheduled. During the time the classroom is down for maintenance you will receive a message alerting you that the classroom is down when you log in. This message should also let you know when you can expect the classroom to be up again. We do try to keep these to a minimum, keep them short and schedule them during low traffic times for the classroom.

Hopefully you will find that your time at Interactive Online Classroom is trouble-free, but if you do encounter problems, let us know and we will do all we can to get things running smoothly once again.

Quiz: Not just a test of what you know!

2007-04-10T18:42:00.000-06:00

How many of you think that a quiz is a way to test what you have learned? Well, maybe in school it was, but in the IDEA Solutions instructional strategy a quiz is a learning tool just like the practice, discussions and demonstrations.

First, you can take the quiz as many times as you want. Didn't make the score you wanted on the firs try? Then try again! and again, and again... There is no penalty. The classroom only records your highest score.

Need help concentrating on the important points while you are reading the book, online materials or resources? Then print the quiz and look for the answers as you are reading.

Not all the quiz answers will come from the resources. Some questions may require you to play with the application you are learning or try things out to see what happens. Consider the quiz a road map to the important points covered in each lesson.

The quiz will typically appeal to Active, Sensing, Verbal and Sequential learners, but the others can definitely approach the quiz in a way that works for them. Active learners learn by doing. Using the quiz to help you explore the topics for the lesson make this more of a "doing" activity than a "thinking" activity. Reflective learners may want to use the quiz a a final checkup to make sure they did learn what the course developer thought was important.

Sensing students like facts and the quiz definitely is about facts, not opinions or possibilities. Intuitive learners should be careful to read the questions before finding an answer since some questions may be asking which of the choices are NOT correct or are non-examples.

Verbal learners get more out of words so they may feel more comfortable taking the quiz than their Visual counterparts. But since you can use any resource to answer the questions, using diagrams, viewing the application or other visual activities may be used to find the answers to the questions.

Sequential learners are good at the details and many of the quiz questions will involve knowing the detailed information about a topic. Global learners can use the quiz to help themselves pick out the details that they might have missed.

Hopefully this will help those of you with test anxiety to approach the quiz with less fear and to see that it really is just another way to learn!

Asking Questions: Getting the answers you need quickly

2007-04-06T12:31:00.000-06:00

I can pretty much guarantee that at some point during your online learning experience you are going to have a question you need answered. And if you are like me, you will have about a dozen questions a week! One key to learning online successfully is not being afraid to ask questions. And to ensure you get the answer you want quickly, I have a few tips.

First, ask good questions - and by this I don't mean that you shouldn't ask silly questions. As the instructors remind me every time I start a question with, "This may be a silly question...", there are no silly questions. What I mean is to ask questions that will get you the answer you need in the least amount of time.

For example, "I'm having problems. Can anyone help me?" Is not a good question. Your question will be most likely answered with, "What problems are you having?" If it took an hour to get that response and another hour for you to respond, and then another hour to get another response then you have waited three hours you didn't need to wait for a response to a question.

To ask good questions, give the people who are going to try to answer you as much information as you can. Too much information about the problem you are having is a whole lot better than not enough. Describe what you were doing when you encountered the problem. Describe the results. Give any error messages. Tell them what else you tried. If you were following an example in the book or on a web site give the page or URL so they can try it to. If you have a file where they can see the problem, upload the file. The more information they have the more likely it will be that they can answer your question on the first try.

Second, post the question to the right place. I don't know if you have as much problem with email as I have, but my good email seems to go to spam and my spam to my inbox. Your email to your instructor may meet with the same fate and she will never see your question. If you post your message in the classroom your instructor will see it the next time she logs in. And if your instructor is like most of mine, she will be subscribed to the Question and Comments discussions so the questions are emailed to her and she can respond to you as soon as possible.

Notice that there is a Questions and Comments forum in each lesson. If you have questions about the project for Lesson 3, post your question in the Questions forum for Lesson 3. Also, you may want to check to make sure your classmates have not already asked the same question. It really will be a silly question if you are the second person to ask the same question!

Finally, take a break. Once your question is posted, move on. Find something else to do while your question is doing the work of waiting for an answer for you. Just like a watched pot never boils, a watched question does not get answered - or at least it seems like it takes a lot longer. I have found that if I am struggling with how to make something work, just taking a break for a while allows me to come back with a fresh perspective and I find the answer to my own question. If no one has answered my question then I will post what I found so no one will spend time trying to answer a question I don't need answered any more.

Want another tip about asking questions? A good, thought-provoking question is a great way to stimulate a discussion and a good discussion makes it easy to meet your participation requirement each week.

For a Better You

2007-04-04T18:48:00.000-06:00

I know it's a little past the New Year and by now some, if not all, of your New Year's resolutions have been forgotten. But why only turn over a new leaf once a year - why not at the first of every month - or on your birthday!?

My birthday is just a week away so I will be making some new year resolutions of my own this week. Why don't you join me!

We have some classes which can help you work towards some of your goals.

Envisioning Your Desired Future: Take a look back at where you have been, where you are now and where you want to be. By looking at your complete path you are better able to figure out a future that works for you.

Brain Boosters: I definitely need this one as I find myself constantly forgetting names, dates and whatever I was just about to say. Learn some techniques to keep your brain limber no matter how many candles are on your cake!

Dealing Positively with Conflict: Conflict can be a good thing! Not that we want to go around starting fights all the time but dealing with conflict constructively can help us to solve problems and build stronger working relationships.

Personality Types Among Us: One of my resolutions is to build a stronger relationship with the people I care about. One way to work towards that is to try to better understand who they are. By learning about your own personality and the personality characteristics of those around you, you can learn new ways to communicate and to appreciate the unique qualities of your friends, family and coworkers.

Positive Parenting: As my kids grow I face a new set of challenges in relating to them and parenting them. In this course we take a look at the positive discipline approach to parenting. This is also a good course for anyone who works with kids.

Don't find a course here that matches your goals? Let us know!

Getting answers to your questions ASAP

2007-04-02T08:55:00.000-06:00

While we all know that when learning online there is a delay between when we post a question or an assignment, the delay when waiting for a response to a question can be maddening especially when it means we cannot complete work that we need to get done. We'd like to get our answers right away - the sooner the better - but we don't want to have to log into the classroom every few minutes to see if the answer is waiting.

Instead you can have the answers delivered to you!

When you post a message to any forum, at the bottom of the form, just above the Post to Forum and attachments options is the Subscription option. You can choose to have copies of posts to this forum sent to you by email. You will generally receive the email 15 - 30 minutes after the message is posted.

The delay gives the author time to edit the post. The system will send the email after the editing time has passed.

If after you have your answer you no longer want to receive copies of the messages posted to that forum, return to the classroom and click on the Forums link in the Activities block. On the next screen you will see a list of all the Discussion in the class. The last column lets you know if you are subscribed or not. To unsubscribe, click on the Yes for any forums you are subscribed to.

You will not be able to unsubscribe to the News forum.

By default your account settings are set up so that anytime you post to a forum you are automatically subscribed unless you change the subscription option. You can change the default setting by editing your profile.

To edit your profile:

Click on your name at the top right of the classroom screen.
Click on the Edit Profile tab.
Scroll down to the Forum auto-subscribe option
Set it to No, don't automatically subscribe me to forums.
Click on Update Profile

You may also want to check the Email digest type option and make sure it is set to No digest so you will receive copies of messages as they are posted.

You can also unsubscribe by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the emails you receive from the classroom.

Because of problems with sending and receiving email we encourage our students to post their questions in the classroom if possible. This guarantees that the teacher (or a classmate that knows the answer) will see it the next time he or she logs in. Each classroom and each lesson has a forum for questions and comments. Frequently our instructors subscribe to these discussions so they can be alerted when students post questions or concerns.

It may not get you a response as fast as sending an email to the instructor, but if someone else knows the answer or has the same question, it can make it easier on everyone!

Let's Talk! Getting the most out of the discussion

2007-03-27T18:21:00.000-06:00

If you are the type of student who went to class just to be able to catch up on the news and you organized study groups so you and your classmates could talk over what was going on in class, then the discussion activities are for you!

Our course designers have posted questions they hope will launch discussions about the topics covered in the lessons or in the class.

If world events get worked into the discussion somehow, that's cool, too!

Most of the discussion questions ask about how you would apply what is being learned or your opinion on a topic. There are no right or wrong answers. It's a chance for you to reflect on how what you have learned applies to you. It makes the learning more personal.

Participating in the discussions also gives you a chance to share what you know or your own experiences with the subject matter. If you have an example from your own life, share it with your classmates. Sometimes an example you share may be just the thing a classmate needs to make the lesson content really click.

The instructors at Lifetime to Learn have been taught ways to help encourage discussion since we consider this a valuable way to learn. One technique that you can use is to end each post with a question. This will give others a chance to reflect and to participate and can open up new areas of discussion that may serve as a launching point for deeper learning and understanding.

What other value do you think discussions can bring to an online class?