HP's Small & Medium Business Online Learning Centre

Paul Synnott wrote in ecademy.com about a ".. great little gem ..." HP's Small & Medium Business Online Learning Centre. The HP Centre offers a wide arrary of free online courses. Once you register, the lessons are posted each Monday and Thursday.

The instructors are subject-matter experts who enjoy teaching and interacting with students. Among them are award-winning authors, technology leaders, and professionals. Once on the site, you can click on the instructor's name in the available sessions box on the Course Overview page to learn more him or her.

During a course session, you can use the message board to get help from your instructor or converse with other students about the topics covered in the course.

Knowledge@Wharton - Apr 20 to May 3

Cisco and Knowledge@Wharton have teamed up to explore digital rights management (DRM) and potential solutions to the problems content producers and distributors (movie studios, record labels, game producers, etc.) are facing as they try to develop business models that match consumer preferences for using content in new ways. If you are interested in this area take the time to complete their survey. The survey sponsors say all information will be kept confidential and will be used only for this study. All who take part in this study by filling out a complete survey will receive a free copy of the results document.

A New U. - Online Training for Journalists

News University (NewsU) is a project of The Poynter Institute for Media Studies funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. NewsU is committed to providing interactive, inexpensive courses that appeal to journalists at all levels of experience and in all types of media. The portal just opened for business and offers an innovative approach to helping journalists enhance their skills.

NewsU is part of the Knight Foundation's $10 million newsroom training initiative aimed at increasing both existing training and industry investment in professional development. Here are six key investments made in 2003 and 2004:

1. NewsTrain, traveling training for middle managers by APME and RTNDA.
2. The Learning Newsroom, a newspaper project of API and ASNE.
3. A 'Traveling Curriculum' standard-setting seminars for print and broadcast by Committee of Concerned Journalists will reach 4,200 journalists.
4.Traveling Campus, a perpetual skills and topic training program offered by the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association.
5. NewsU

Gen X + Gen Y = Time-to-Use-the-Imagination-for-American-TV-Networks

Go to my other blog World Live Web where I wrote a review of Merrill Brown's article on the shift in news habits of the 18-34 year old set. The front page piece in the MIT Tech Review mirrors Brown's research that the former watches and listens to media in new and varied ways such as over the internet.

Writes Stu Hutson in the Tech Review, "... In response to this ever increasing demand for Internet-delivered programming, content providers are beginning to offer dedicated Web channels. MTV announced last week that it will launch a free webcast -- similar to ones already run by Disney and MSN -- that allows viewers to play its original programming along with the music videos. The reason: people have complained that programming and hard-to-find videos have virtually disappeared from the network..."

Hutson goes on to describe new programming including telecommunications giant SBC's "IPTV" which would provide on-demand programming through a dedicated network of its own servers. Hutson said SBC is experiencing difficulties from content providers, who are leery of the possibility that the service might cut into other forms of revenue and wrote "... by the time SBC unveils its IPTV service near the end of the year, it will look and feel more like a cable provider than an Internet service. This is also true for the planned IPTV services from Verizon and BellSouth."

In the end, those who make money, will make more money.

Right Mr. Brown?

Playshop: an open-access laboratory

Playshop describes itself as a " ... an open-access laboratory which encourages the free flow of ideas. It presents projects, workshops, seminars, art installations and a web site that collectively question or challenge the role of technology and propose alternatives to the cultural social and economic systems we live in. Playshop is where the energy of art production, education, curatorial practice and social interaction fuse to create a vital public space and an environment of exchange.

Organized by Futurefarmers, Playshop is an extension of their studio practice. Through their Artist in Residency program, Futurefarmers have collaborated with a wide range of talents since 1995 to explore the relationship of concept and creative process in the development of work in new media. Futurefarmers artists and friends; Amy Franceschini, Michael Swaine, Elmar Trefz, Stijn Schiffeleers and Richard Mortimer will be on hand in the Playshop several days a week to host a series of projects and workshops. The projects include: the Fingerprint Maze, a physical interface turns individual fingerprints into a 3D maze to wander through on screen; Community Connectivity, a workshop which presents instructions for building one's own wireless antennae; Botanical Gameboy, an installation of custom Nintendo gameboys powered by a network of lemon trees; and an interactive installation centered on the video game paradigm created by the student collective Artech.

Phone Mail: British University Debuts Text Messaging to Students

University lecturers are sending students revision tips, timetables, appointment times and coursework feedback using mobile phone texting said a report today on BBC.com. This initiative at Britain's Wolverhampton University is costing some £4.5m but university officials say the investment will be a cost savings over paper notices.

The text messages are being sent in bulk to first-year undergraduates and contain up to 160 characters. Hopefully the mobile messages will save time for those students living off-campus who would otherwise have to travel in to check notice boards.

Knowledge@Wharton - April 6 to April 13

This week's Knowledge@Wharton reports on microcredit, an innovative financial tool that provides very small business loans to poor people. Developed more than (30) years ago by the Grameen Bank and the appropriate technology movement - - microcredit - - the authors contend, has moved well beyond its infancy stage and is now an adolescent. The advice in the article "Microcredit Is Becoming Profitable, Which Means New Players and New Problems" is that microcredit lenders and program managers should move away from non-profit donors and become an established part of the global capital structure.

An example of its success is the interest that large commercial financial institutions, including Citigroup and Deutsche Bank, are now showing in microfinance, which could increase access to credit for the poor. At the same time, challenges remain in attracting private capital, lowering costs and interest rates, and developing regulation.

"DNA Day" Webcast Broadcast on April 25th

A new component of DNA Day will be a webcast broadcast on April 25th. Two webcasts featuring genetic researchers from the NHGRI will be produced. Accompanying the webcast will be a chatroom so that students may communicate live with the individuals featured in the webcast and other NHGRI researchers. The chat room will be open from 8am to 4pm to accommodate different class times throughout the day. Read about the details for the chatroom.

Although the chatroom will be open only on April 25th, the link to the webcast will continue to be posted on the NHGRI website for viewing after DNA Day."National DNA Day," teachers and students across the nation will join in the popular annual celebration of the genome, using educational tools.

National DNA Day commemorates the completion of the Human Genome Project in April 2003 and the deion of DNA's double helix in April 1953.

Teachers can find a Mentor to visit their classroom through the Mentor Network (www.ashg.org), sponsored by the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG), the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), the Genetic Alliance, the Genetic Society of America (GSA), and the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC). These diverse organizations offer speakers ranging from genetic researchers, clinical professionals, genetic advocates, to consumers to share their experiences and insights into the rapidly developing field of genetics.

To arrange for a speaker from the Mentor Network, visit http://www.ashg.org/genetics/ashg/educ/003.shtml.

How to Win Friends and Influence People

Balance Learning, a provider of comprehensive blended learning solutions for strategic corporate training, today announced the availability of "Influencing Skills," a comprehensive blended learning curriculum designed to help professionals work more effectively with individuals and groups and incorporate influencing skills in their leadership styles. The program addresses a wide variety of topics including:

*** how influencing can be used to achieve positive outcomes
*** the use of influencing tactics
*** building trust and rapport
*** developing effective communication skills

The "Influencing Skills" demo offers a look at the training program which features on-line courses, workshop instruction, and on-the-job activities that help professionals understand the benefits of influencing over other action-altering approaches. In addition there are courses on how to use influencing in groups and meetings and how to plan for positive outcomes. Because it is based on a blended learning foundation, the program can be tailored to an organization's unique needs by combining off-the-shelf components with internal learning resources.

"All highly successful leaders are skilled influencers. And like any other skill, influencing has to be learned and practiced," said Chris Horseman, president and CEO of Balance Learning. "This program helps managers and other employees who work with direct reports, teams, and customers use influencing skills to obtain positive, predictable outcomes and enhance personal and team relationships."

For more information call 888-935-1002.

SkillSoft, PC

SkillSoft, PC a leading provider of content resources and complementary technologies for integrated enterprise learning, announced that more than 700 business and IT courses are compliant with the requirements of the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) for meeting continuing professional education (CPE) requirements. The 700-plus SkillSoft courses approved for CPE cover a wide range of topics, including communication skills, consulting skills, project management, auditing, regulatory requirements, and desktop applications such as the Microsoft Office suite and Crystal Reports.

SkillSoft will also be conducting a free webinar, "Professional Education Focus: Understanding NASBA Course Requirements," on Thursday, May 19, at 2PM. The webinar is designed to help training managers purchasing "NASBA-compliant" courses for learner populations understand the detailed instructional design and development standards associated with current CPE requirements.

Register for the webinar.

MIT's Technology Review

Technology Review: MIT’s Magazine of Innovation is about what’s coming next in those areas of technology where change matters most -- IT, biotechnology, nanotechnology, energy and transportation. The award-winning magazine offers in-depth coverage that’s credible, authoritative, and universally respected.

The publishers are offering two free trial issues. Do the math: 2 free + 10 more issues (12 in all) for a special rate of $28.00, a 53% savings off the single copy rate. Paid subscribers are entitled to UNLIMITED access to Technologyreview.com which includes a daily weblog, 7 years of magazine and Web archives, interactive animation, the chance to win great prizes playing Innovation Futures and much more.

Cancel the offer if you are not satisfied with the free issues.