Biz Buzz

LearnTrends 2009 Free Online Corporate Learning Conference

Sign up for this free online conference called LearnTrends. All the Hot Dogs of corporate learning will be there, including me.

Time's Running Out

The September 22 deadline for submitting a person to be recognized in ASTD's annual awards for individuals who impact our profession ASTD is nearing. According to their site, the awards also provide organizations with an opportunity to showcase best practices and results achieved through learning and performance. Awards Application Deadline is September 22, 2009. Check it out.

Bersin Predicts Top 10 Training Trends

Matt Buttell reports some shocking news on suicides in corporate America in his article in HR Management's webiste

Some disturbing news has rocked Corporate America this week with the release of the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries report. It shows that, while there has been a decline in number of workplace fatalities over the past year, there has also been a double-digit jump in the number of suicides occurring in the workplace.

The figures are quite shocking, suggesting workplace suicide has climbed by 28 percent between 2007 and 2008 - that's up by 55 deaths, from 196 to 251.

Netbooks the New PeeChee?

Remember when you kept all your class notes in a PeeChee?

Now you and your contract training clients will be keeping them in a netbook. Check out Samsung's new np-n120. Both Consumer Reports and C-Net give it and a few others good ratings, but the Samsung model's secret is a nearly-full sized keyboard--great for helping keep ergonomically related hand problems at bay for all your sales trips to clients in other states. It's got a 1024 by 600 display. Sharp. I got one at midnight last night at Amazon.com. Wi-Fi. Bluetooth 2.0. Actual battery life. Why go home?

Do You Read the Daily Beast?

"Read this, skip that." If you like that kind of confidence in a branding statement, you'll like the Daily Beast, by Gen Xer Kathleen Kingsbury.

I liked her recent article on the 10 Most Popular Classes in America, where she said,

From an English class devoted to Harry Potter to an econ course taught by a blackjack dealer, The Daily Beast's Kathleen Kingsbury picks out the most in-demand college classes in the country. Plus, view our gallery of celebrity professors—including Spike Lee, Bobby Flay, and Eliot Spitzer.

You can tell a lot about a generation by which of their college classes are hardest to get into. The 1960s saw Kennedy inspired legions of poli-sci majors, the Cold War spurred a rise in Soviet studies and more recently, the Internet boom led to a wealth of new html courses.

By this yardstick, here's what one could say about the youth of today: they're hyper-curious, geeky, adventurous foodies who love TV and want to visit countries they're not supposed to go to.

You know you can use this in your Contract Training department, but do you know how?

A simpler FASFA - it's about time

From the Chronicle of Higher Education,

Obama-administration officials today urged states to change their college-savings plans so more people would be encouraged to use them.

The officials called for changes in those plans, commonly called Section 529 plans, as part of a meeting of the White House Task Force on Middle Class Families that was held at Syracuse University. The meeting focused on how to make college more accessible and affordable for lower- and middle-class families.

Administration officials also today released a study that provided new analysis of President Obama's plan to simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as the Fafsa, and a report that examined barriers to higher education.

You Asked for It

You got it. Here's a checklist for writing course descriptions.

Download Checklist for Writing Course Descriptions1

Free Webinars for LERN members

Yes. Free is a good price. Look on the LERN site. Got an idea for a webinar? E-mail me at kingtamang@lern.org

Metanomics -- 3D Virtual Worlds for Training

Interested in the growing use of virtual 3D training for business and in universities and other learning institutions? Go to Metanomic's home page and have a look at what Queens University and others are doing. This will be big. Very big.

Another Gap

Among the slew of Woodstock turns 40 articles, was one on "a gentler generation gap" in the PewResearchCenter's website. It's worth a read.

They say,

Forty years after the Woodstock music festival glorified and exacerbated the generational fractures in American life, the public today says there are big differences between younger and older adults in their values, use of technology, work ethic, and respect and tolerance for others.

But, the gap is not causing conflict, say most individuals and families.

Does this mean training on the generational gap will dwindl? I don't think so.