Try F# - A New Wave of Education and Research

The 2013 release of Try F# demonstrates the power of F# to solve real-world analytical programming and information-rich problems by providing a web experience to help you learn the F# language, create programs, and share information—quickly and easily. Learn how students at University College London are using Try F# to develop solutions to real-world problems for the financial industry. And hear how Try F# helps undergraduates and graduate students alike learn F# and develop F# programs that use big data at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

• Learn: Easily learn the fundamentals and tap into the power of F# programming.
• Create: Start coding within Try F#, which enables you to write F# code in your browser and save your program to the cloud.
• Share: Share your code with others via Twitter or Facebook, or simply send them a link to your Try F# script file. 

Microsoft Is Talking About the Future, a Lot

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press Perceptive Pixel’s screens look like the offspring of an iPad and a television set.

There are technology companies that won’t say anything about the futuristic inventions they’re tinkering with in their labs — Apple, for instance.

Then there are the companies that won’t stop talking about them. Think Google and its driverless cars and Google Glass.

Microsoft is firmly in the latter camp. The company says it has the largest research organization of its kind and is a prolific publisher of academic-style papers, which it shares openly. For years it has operated a home of the future in a building on its campus where it invites visitors for a glimpse of how technology could reshape kitchens, living rooms and bedrooms years from now.

Earlier this week, it held an annual event for a small group of journalists inside its home of the future, recently remodeled to include more examples of what workplaces of the future might look like. One technology
Microsoft returned to again and again in its demonstrations was jumbo-size touchscreens, which are based on designs by Perceptive Pixel, a company Microsoft acquired last year. Perceptive Pixel’s screens, which look like the offspring of an iPad and a television set, are most familiar to people who have watched election night coverage on networks like CNN, where on-air commentators have for years manipulated electoral maps using the technology.

Microsoft believes the technology will have a big impact on offices, where they will replace whiteboards, allow for more immersive video conferences and transform the way presentations are delivered. Microsoft showed one research project that used the displays in which a presenter could revamp charts and bar graphs on the fly with different data by using a stylus to sketch little codes on the screen.

“It changes the way meetings work,” said Rick Rashid, Microsoft’s chief research officer.

The company is using the technology widely in-house now, a process known in the tech industry as “dogfooding.” Its chief executive, Steve Ballmer, has a giant touch-screen in his office, as do a number of other senior executives. Some meeting spaces at Microsoft are being redesigned to be more open so they can accommodate the giant screens, which can be bigger than 80 inches.

“It won’t be unreasonable to think of all walls being touch-enabled,” said Kurt Delbene, president of the Office division at Microsoft, who said Microsoft would bring the cost of the devices down “substantially” from the tens of thousands of dollars that bigger ones cost today.

Microsoft talks a lot more than Apple does about projects like giant touchscreens partly because it thinks it can spark wider interest and investment in categories that will come back to benefit the company, as a major provider of software and services for computers. Apple, in contrast, says almost nothing about the technologies it is working on until shortly before they can be purchased as products in a store, the better to maximize sales.

It’s also worth mentioning that Microsoft far outspends Apple on research and development, devoting nearly $10 billion, or close to 13 percent of revenue, in its most recent fiscal year (the vast majority of this figure stems from development costs, rather than pure research). Last year Apple spent $3.4 billion, or 2 percent of its revenue, on research and development.

Apple appears to have gotten a lot more out of a far smaller investment than Microsoft has. But whatever their research investments, it’s tough to overstate how Apple has out-executed Microsoft over the past five years in creating compelling mobile products like tablets and smartphones. Microsoft was in both categories long before its rival, but fumbled its leads there.

Mr. Rashid said Microsoft’s hefty investments in research, especially basic technology research that may not yield products for years or ever, are essential for its future. He said the technology industry was littered with companies that didn’t invest enough in long-term research, only to run into trouble when technology trends shifted.

“It gives you the ability to survive if things go wrong,” he said.

How to Decide Whether to Invest in an Online Training Program

Webinars, interactive training, videos, coaching—the internet is filled with training programs. With so many opportunities out there (and at so many different costs), it can be difficult to know what to choose. In this post, long-time freelancer Laura Spencer shares her tips for deciding whether to invest in a program.

The Online Training Dilemma

There are so many training programs available online that I could spend all day every day doing nothing but training. But that wouldn't be a wise use of my time. Also, since many of the programs have a hefty price tag, purchasing too many of them can hurt my pocketbook. The thing is, an online training program can be good without being right for you. You need to figure out what type of program you should invest in.

6 Ways to Evaluate a Training Program

Who is providing the training? When it comes to online education, it's especially important to consider the source. Is the training being offered by a well-known and respected expert in your field, or is it being offered by someone you have never heard of? Do your research or you could wind up wasting your money.

What do the reviewers say? Even a respected expert can sometimes come up with a course that isn't worth your time. That's why I always check to see what others are saying. Yes, I know that not all online reviews can be trusted. But if the review is from a reputable site, I definitely pay attention.

Do I have the time? The best training in the world won't do you any good if you don't take advantage of it. To get the most from it, you need to make sure that you actually have time in your schedule. Just purchasing it won't be of any help.

Do I have the money? Some online courses can be quite pricey—sometimes as much as a college course. When this happens, I have to ask myself whether I would be better off just attending a class at a local college.

How will this training benefit my business? If the training is for your freelancing business, then it should help you to grow your business in some way. Will the training help you develop a marketable skill? Will it connect you with project leads? Know what you expect to gain.

What other benefits come with the training? Many online courses come with added perks, which can include newsletters, online forums, and sometimes even private job boards with work opportunities you wouldn't find elsewhere.

Is Free Worth It?

A growing number of courses are being offered for free, but don't be deceived. Free isn't always what it seems. There are a number of excellent free training courses out there. For example, I recently completed Google's free Power Search training. I expect this to benefit me because, as a writer, I rely on the search engines to help me research. But other free training courses are little more than an extended sales pitch for something more. And even if free training doesn't cost anything, it does take your time.

Make Online Training Work for You

Here are some steps you can take to get the most from online education:

• Schedule specific time. If you're not sure how much time would be needed, ask.
• Know what you expect to gain. You're more likely to get something from the training if you have a goal
• Participate. Do the homework. Interact with others taking the course and with the instructor if the opportunity presents itself.
• Take advantage of the extras. If your course includes extras like forums or job boards, use them.
• Apply what you learn. Make an effort to use the training within a week or so of taking it. If you don't apply it, you're likely to forget it.

ON24 Survey: Training, HR Execs Reveal Trends in Virtual Learning

SOURCE: ON24

More Than 90% Plan to Increase Use of Virtual Training in 2013

ON24, Inc., the global leader in webcasting and virtual event solutions, today announced the findings of its survey of over 3,000 registrants of the Virtual Learning Edge, the first ever virtual conference dedicated to virtual learning. ON24 conducts research evaluating virtual training perceptions and adoption on an ongoing basis, and this most recent survey revealed what HR and training professionals think about virtual training, as well as their use of it in 2012 and plans for the future.

The survey found that fully 9 in 10 (91%) HR and training professionals plan to increase the use of virtual training at their companies in 2013, and 1 in 3 (33%) even said they would be increasing use by more than 25%. ON24's market research also indicates that 74% of learning professionals are considering virtual learning environments in the next 6 to12 months and that 72% are considering training webinars.

The survey also found that 64% believe that customer/product training is the application best suited for a virtual environment, followed by:

• New Hire Onboarding - 62%
• Administrative Topics - 57%
• Sales Training - 48%
• IT Training - 41%

The primary virtual training benefits noted were reduced travel time (83%), more convenient (83%), more cost effective (79%), easier to involve company experts (52%), higher participation rates (43%) and more consistent training (38%).


"Our market research shows that the biggest training challenge facing learning professionals is training an increasingly dispersed workforce," explained Tom Masotto, ON24 Vice President of Product Management.

"Our research also indicates that over 82% of learning professionals want to offer more engaging training materials. The need to train global workforces and desire for more engaging training are driving interest in virtual learning environments."


When asked which characteristics matter most in a virtual trainer, the respondents' top answer was effective user of quizzes, polls and social media (88%), followed by:

• Facilitation skills - 83%
• Voice inflection - 74%
• Good with technology - 69%
• Topic matter expertise - 60%
• Funny - 50%

"These results show the incredible potential of virtual learning in a broad range of industries," said Masotto. "ON24's virtual learning environments are redefining how corporate training is being delivered, allowing companies to provide exceptional end user experiences, enhancing retention and improving learning outcomes."

Last month's Virtual Learning Edge attracted more than 1,100 attendees, including HR and training professionals from enterprises such as Boeing, HSBC Bank, UPS, AT&T, Bank of America, Hewlett Packard, Morgan Stanley and Accenture. With webcast views totaling 2,066, participants stayed an average of over two hours, downloaded 3,396 documents and participated in 333 1-to-1 chats. Virtual Learning Edge participants learned about online training solutions and technologies which enable companies to re-engage with their employees through social, mobile and personalized learning solutions.


The survey was fielded among a broad range of industries, including Banking/Finance/Insurance (19%), Technology (17%) and Healthcare, Government and Education (each approximately 10%). Respondents represented companies of all sizes, with slightly more than half (62%) coming from companies with more than 1,000 employees.

About ON24, Inc.
ON24, the virtual communications platform for the global enterprise, provides interactive, impactful cloud-based solutions that drive outstanding results. ON24 offers a broad and innovative product portfolio, including webcasting, virtual events and virtual environments, accessible from any device and supported by robust reporting and analytics. Applications for the ON24 platform include demand generation, partner enablement, training, product launches, company town hall meetings and user conferences. More than 700 organizations, including IBM, CA Technologies, Merck, Unilever, JPMorgan Chase, Deloitte, Credit Suisse, Ernst & Young, Amazon and New York Life, rely on ON24. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices throughout the world. For more information, visit http://www.ON24.com.

Emergn Launches Industry-First Work-Based Learning Program to Address Agile-Lean Skills Gap

Emergn, a global services consultancy, today announced that it has launched Value Flow Quality (VFQ) Education, a work-based learning program to help practitioners achieve immediate business results through the application of skills in practice. VFQ helps practitioners meet the challenges of delivering IT-based projects, products and services today by focusing on a critical analysis of solutions that can then be implemented in day-to-day work.

VFQ was built and influenced by a community of practitioners, business leaders and IT executives from global enterprises whose collective experience helps users address and resolve challenges in their existing workload. In the process, users will develop the skills they need for continued success within ever-more demanding marketplaces. Unlike existing courses on the market, this approach challenges the ‘status quo’ of traditional Agile and Lean training through delivering this training – not just in a classroom – but in the workplace. Instead of focusing on a series of ‘how-to’ instructions, this course explores the thinking and principles behind the most popular methodologies.

The program is designed to help IT departments and business leaders who rely on technology to put in place smarter, more effective work practices to facilitate change, generate significant return on investment, and inspire innovation throughout the organization.

VFQ is tailored to a practitioner’s individual needs and responsibilities within an organization. The modular course structure allows VFQ to be accessed in several ways, including various learning pathways and qualifications for specific roles or methodologies, or a monthly subscription that provides access to all VFQ sessions. VFQ also qualifies practitioners by measuring how well they understand current principles and can apply them to their specific context through a series of extended workplace assignments.

“Companies today are challenged with maintaining the right balance of skills and competency within their own teams as well as balancing the investment of external expertise,” said Alex Adamopoulos, Chief Executive Officer of Emergn. “Our goal in creating and launching this unique education program is to help companies lower the total cost of transformation by giving people and their respective teams the tools they need to immediately work more effectively and meet current challenges.”

“New methods of working, such as Agile, Scrum and Kanban, have been sweeping the IT industry for years, and were designed to avoid the kind of monumental over-budget, behind-schedule blunders that often characterize large IT projects,” said Paul Dolman-Darrall, Executive Vice President for Strategy at Emergn. “The problem isn’t in the underlying methodology but rather in the training that exists around such ‘transformation’ processes, which often relies on a list of ‘practices’ to be rigidly followed, rather than a real understanding of why they work, and how to make them work. Our goal is to provide an environment that encourages ‘learning by doing’ to combine the best critical thinking about Agile and Lean practices with the latest advances in education delivery.”

About Emergn

Emergn is a global professional services consultancy that blends agile and lean principles to optimise the way organizations develop and deliver solutions across the enterprise. By offering a unique blend of agile and lean methodologies, Emergn operates as a thought leader in helping enterprises solve their complex organisational and IT business problems. As the leader in providing enterprise-wide enablement, Emergn has secured a strong benchmark of revenue and forecasted growth, and has earned an impressive list of partners, including British Airways, Maersk, UK Public Sector, Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom, Standard Life, Thomson Reuters, and British Telecom.

Emergn is based in Boston, New York, London and Dublin.

Benefits of Hand-On Training

Hands-on training means you get to use your hands and bodies to perform tasks. This training aims to make conditions as realistic as possible, but should not be confused with online training designed for practice using a software program. Although using a mouse and keyboard while interacting with a computer screen involves your hands, it doesn't offer immersion in an authentic setting. An exception is training on the job with a trainer, such as being coached while completing a sales transaction on the sales floor.

Practice

The biggest benefit of hands-on training is the opportunity for repeated practice. It doesn't matter how much natural talent a worker has, he can still improve in a skill by practicing. Training programs are more beneficial when they provide many opportunities for practicing a skill. The ultimate test is when a worker returns to his job and whether he feels confident to perform a skill learned in training.

Prevention

In some workplaces, it's necessary to provide hands-on training that approximates real work conditions while avoiding the risks associated with a novice employee's mistakes. An example is when a trainer sets up a workstation with similar equipment and procedures, but an employee can learn to perform a skill at her own pace without impeding the work tasks of co-workers or creating unsafe conditions for everyone in the workplace.

Self-Critique and Peer Review

Some jobs, such as financial advisor and customer service representative, hinge on the transaction with the client. It is helpful to offer hands-on training in a similar environment so that learners can role-play what they would say to clients in different scenarios. This training, if recorded or observed, is quite useful. If an employee's training performance is recorded, he can critique himself and get feedback from peers also watching the recording. If a trainer observes his performance, she can offer expert feedback. A learner can improve rapidly over a few days by implementing feedback from himself and others.

Learning Styles and Application

Trainers also recognize that people have different learning styles. Auditory and visual learners may learn better in a classroom or by watching an expert trainer perform a task. Kinesthetic learners do better when they can move around and perform activities. Hands-on training can meet the needs of these the styles because there are chances to watch and listen as well as performance tasks. When performance is required, learners can apply a skill.

Experiential Education and Practices - Course Modules

Click

Registration Form

Scaling Education Innovation, the Mooresville Summer Connection 2012

Innovation is alive and well in education. You don’t have to look far to find teachers using technology to personalize teaching and learning in their classrooms. There are also many outstanding examples of schools of distinction that have integrated technology into curriculum and instruction. However, there are precious few examples of school districts that are systemically employing technology as a foundational strategy to improve student achievement. That’s why the Mooresville Graded School District (MGSD) stands out as a shining example of 21^st century education and why their recently concluded Summer Connection 2012 institute is so important.

A vision of “every child, every day”, digital resources and a culture of caring are keys to the success of the Mooresville Digital Conversion. However, reform does not happen without leadership. Mooresville is fortunate to be led by one of the most innovative educators in American education today. Listen as Dr. Mark Edwards, Superintendent of the MGSD describes the impetus and impact of Mooresville Digital Conversion.

MGSD ranks 100 out of 115 North Carolina school districts in funding yet ranks 2nd in student achievement and its graduation rate is also the 2^nd highest in the state. Can these results be replicated in other districts? Is there a way to scale the Mooresville model? That’s where Summer Connection comes in.

Each year, MGSD organizes Summer Connection, a three day institute to share lessons about how to successfully implement a 1:1 laptop program and transition to a digital teaching and learning environment. This year over 400 participants from 16 States and 37 school districts traveled to Mooresville to learn all aspects of the Mooresville Digital Conversion model.
There were separate tracks for central office/administrative staff, school level administrative staff, secondary teachers, elementary teachers and technicians. Sessions covered the full range of topics to deploy and integrate technology across the curriculum, personalize learning and impact student engagement and achievement.

Attendees received tips, tricks and templates. More importantly, they received hope and inspiration. Summer Connection participants were inspired by a clear vision of what is possible in education and a conviction that they too could successfully travel the path towards a Digital Conversion and realize a vision of “every child, every day”.

Check out Tom Vander Ark’s blog for a nice recap of Summer Connection 2012. It’s not too early to make plans and reserve a slot for your district at Summer Connection 2013. For a more detailed overview of the Mooresville Digital Conversion, you can watch this replay of Dr. Edwards’ and Dr. Scott Smith’s session at ISTE 2012.