LearnKey Blog
Newest Employee of the Month all about the team!
Like any other company we continue to try and get better at what we do. That could not be more evident than what has transpired over the past ninety (90) days on our LearnKey Veteran Services Team (LKVS). During this period we required everyone to “be all in” on what was good for our students. It required several team members to stop what they were doing and do what is good for the team, even if it required their other priorities to be put on the back burner.
Kelly Woods, an Adviser on the LKVS team and this month’s BLS/LearnKey employee of the month demonstrated our core values by not only jumping in to help fix the problem, but took on a leadership role working with other team members on building a better process, assisted with finding good team members, and recommended a “team approach” for handling students with “a can do attitude” the entire time.
He demonstrated the value of his team members by trusting them and working on solutions vs. pointing fingers. At a time when frustrations were high he made it very easy for team members to work with him on finding the best solutions that were the best for the team.
Kelly has a way about him that makes it easy for people to feel comfortable with him and he relates to people – a true gift, not only in friendship, but leadership and business as well. A perfect example is what one of his peers, Kim Johnson, had to say when she nominated him. “At a time when I needed leadership support while making drastic changes to teams and processes Kelly supported me the entire way and I am so appreciative of that”.
Here’s a way for you to get to know Kelly a bit on the personal side through a fun Q&A:
How many siblings do you have? 4 sisters and 3 brothers, I am 7th out of the 8
What is your favorite movie? The Ultimate Gift
What is your favorite band? Alabama
What is your favorite vacation spot? Kolob Mountain
What was your high school’s mascot? Ram
What is the weirdest combination of foods you have eaten? I don’t eat weird combinations
What is/was the name of your favorite pet? Buddy
What was your first car? 1976 Toyota Corolla
If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be? Jerusalem
Would you rather sky dive, bungee jump, zip line, or parasail? Zip line
What is the funniest saying you have heard working here? There is a cat on the heater vent
If you could eat dinner with anyone from the past, present, or future, who would it be and why? My little sister Tiffany who passed away suddenly last year. I would like to make sure that she really knew I loved her.
Please join me in congratulating Kelly on this achievement and his contributions to our company!
New Course Release – Computer Foundations 2014
What’s my favorite part about our Computer Foundations 2014 course? It’s stunning. I have to give credit, applause, high-five, two thumbs up to our design team. I know that I speak for everyone in the company when I say that this course looks fantastic. This course has more than its looks going for it. This course is perfect for anyone who is wanting to learn the basics and is full of helpful facts and tips about computing.
This course covers the basic foundations of using a computer, while ensuring that the content is easy to understand and follow. Students will learn how to choose the appropriate programs to complete important and useful tasks. By the end of this course students will feel comfortable using the technology presented and be confident in their skills and knowledge.
Our hope is that through our courseware we may continually provide learners with the guidance, preparation, and skills they need to succeed. For more information and additional LearnKey products visit our website.
Updated LearnKey Veteran Services Website
If you’ve been paying attention, you may have noticed that our LearnKey Veteran Services website (www.veterans.learnkey.com) has been updated since yesterday. This is more than a mere update; it is a redesign of the existing website. The goal of this new design was two-fold:
- Adjust the colors of the LKVS website to be more universal to all branches of the military
- Bring the design of the LKVS website into harmony with the recently updated LearnKey.com design
I believe we have accomplished our goal. We used the stylesheet from the new LearnKey website design, but changed the colors so as to set the LKVS site apart from the regular LearnKey website. We also moved away from the camouflage design we were using in the old design, deciding instead on a red, white, and blue color scheme to suggest the American flag.
Two new features of the redesigned LearnKey Veteran Services site are the new Student Resource Center page and the Live Chat option. The live chat option allows students the option of chatting with a VR&E counselor to get answers to time-sensitive questions, while the Student Resource Center provides information on resources available to LKVS students and advisors. This page will be updated from time to time as more resources become available.
Remembering September 11th
For many people, the mere mention of a specific date can often bring a tide of memories and emotions rising to the surface. For those living in the United States of America, September 11th is one of those dates. Today marks the thirteenth year since all America watched in horror as the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center collapsed, killing nearly 3000 people and plunging the world into the “War on Terror.”
Though I was nowhere near ground zero, I have written several times over the years about my experiences in the aftermath of the attacks. I was living in California at the time, 2500 miles away from New York City, but the aftershocks of the attacks could be felt in the local community for months afterwards. For those Americans of Middle Eastern descent the fallout lasted much longer, and many American troops continue to suffer the effects of the attacks.
United States President George W. Bush proclaimed September 11, 2002, as Patriot Day. Each year since 2009, President Barack Obama has proclaimed the day Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance. In honor of all those killed in the attacks, and in the many battles which have been fought since, we fly our flags at half-mast. Take a moment out of your busy day today to remember those killed on September 11th or visit with a Veteran and thank them for their service.
Two beams of light represent the former Twin Towers of the World Trade Center during the 2004 memorial of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Newest EOM problem solver, master of Rubik’s cube and trivia!
It’s safe to say our Better Learning Systems & LearnKey employees of the month are great at doing more than just one thing and this month’s recipient is no different. We are congratulating Bill Wilhelm from our Cedar City office. Bill has been with LearnKey Cedar City for over a year and a half and in that time he has become one of our most valued employees and built a reputation for being a master of everything he touches.
Take for example needing help with the right combinations of a code fix for a demo file? Or how about fixing OnlineExpert.com to pause correctly? Better yet, what about secrets of a Rubik’s cube? Bill to the rescue, says his leadership team. Probably one of the greatest qualities of Bill’s contributions is he does his job with a very easy-going attitude which makes him a great team player.
Get to know Bill a bit more through some fun Q&A:
1. How many siblings do you have?
One sister, younger
2. What is your favorite movie?
Bandits. It features a Suburban like mine as the bank robbers’ getaway car (see question 8).
3. What is your favorite band?
Bloc Party
4. What is your favorite vacation spot?
I absolutely love being on the water at Lake Powell.
5. What was your high school’s mascot?
Falcons. Beware our astounding ability to plummet toward the earth really, really fast combined with incredible visual acuity! *
* (The FDA has not verified the falcon-like capabilities of all high school students. Your specific animal-based traits may vary.)
6. What is the weirdest combination of foods you have eaten?
Once, on a whim, I requested a deep fried peanut butter and jelly sandwich with onion gravy on top. My co-worker actually made the thing, and I did try a bite. It was every bit as nasty as your imagination can make it.
7. What is/was the name of your favorite pet?
Dewey, he was a miniature dachshund with a great temperament.
8. What was is your first car?
1970 Chevrolet Suburban. I still have it and drive it regularly.
9. If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be?
My wife and I would like to go on vacation to Thailand together some day.
10. Would you rather sky dive, bungee jump, zip line, or parasail?
Why not all four? I’d be up for any/all of them.
11. What is the funniest saying you have heard while working here?
There are too many Chris-ims to pick from, but a good recent one was “Sincerity is so hard when you don’t mean it!”
12. If you could eat dinner with anyone from the past, present, or future, who would it be and why?
I could over analyze the hypothetical ramifications of this question for weeks. Instead I’ll say Nikola Tesla. We’d have ever so much fun pontificating on his plans and apparatuses which are now lost to history while enjoying a specially prepared entrée of legume and fruit paste, surrounded by baked dough slices and briefly submerged in hot fat!
We are very fortunate to have Bill as part of the BLS/LearnKey family and value his contributions. He exemplifies our core values through making it easy for team members to work with him, providing problem solving skills that are of great value, and building trust with his leadership team.
Thank you Bill and congratulations!
New Course Release – InDesign CC
Another great course released. All summer we have been releasing our new Adobe CC courses. I am excited to add InDesign CC to our list of Adobe CC courses: Illustrator CC, Dreamweaver CC, Photoshop CC, and Premiere Pro CC.
If you want to become a publishing professional in today’s workforce, it is important to have a working knowledge of Adobe InDesign. Our new InDesign CC course is taught by LearnKey expert Linda Dickeson, and will provide you with the skills you need to create layouts for both screen and print. This new course will teach you how to use some of the newest features of InDesign CC such as: Simplified Hyperlinks, Sync Settings, EPUB enhancements, and so much more!
Our hope is that through our courseware we may continually provide learners with the guidance, preparation, and skills they need to succeed. For more information and additional LearnKey products visit our website.
New Course Release – Illustrator CC
I am excited to announce the release of LearnKey’s news Adobe CC course. Illustrator CC joins Dreamweaver CC, Photoshop CC, and Premiere Pro CC as our newest course. This course is perfect for students who are interested in a career as a web or graphic design professional.
LearnKey’s new Illustrator CC course provides a visual and intuitive interface for users to learn about the graphic editing capabilities of Illustrator CC. Join LearnKey expert Lee Wiley as he teaches you to effectively use the new Illustrator CC software. Learn about the new features in Illustrator CC such as: Live Shapes, Windows GPU acceleration, Typekit missing fonts workflow, and much more!
Our hope is that through our courseware we may continually provide learners with the guidance, preparation, and skills they need to succeed.
New Course Release – Dreamweaver CC
It’s been a busy summer at LearnKey. We are excited to announce that we have released another Adobe CC course. Joining our Photoshop CC and Premiere Pro CC courses is Dreamweaver CC. This course will prepare students for the Dreamweaver ACA exam with online video courseware, hundreds of practice test questions with our pre/post tests, and labs and demos that will help students practice and learn the skills presented during the video training.
Our new Dreamweaver CC course provides an intuitive and visual interface for users to learn about the website creating and editing capabilities of Dreamweaver CC. Join LearnKey expert Chad Chelius as he teaches you how to effectively use the new Dreamweaver software. He will also teach you the new tools and features found in Dreamweaver CC such as: enhanced fluid grid layout, CSS designer panel, and more!
Our hope is that through our courseware we may continually provide learners with the guidance, preparation, and skills they need to succeed.
Exam Prep with Tom Carpenter
Exams can be a stressful experience, but that doesn’t mean you have to go in unprepared. LearnKey and Tom Carpenter, president of SysEdCo and frequent LearnKey author, have teamed up to create a short course to help test takers understand two things:
- How to pick the most important parts of an exam, and
- How to learn the material and retain information.
Exam Prep with Tom Carpenter, created on the LearnCast platform, is broken into eight sections covering three main topics: preparation techniques, tips for retaining information, and best practices for taking exams. In this course, you will learn how to best prepare and take a technical exam leading to success.
Whether you are taking an exam for a class or preparing for industry certification, this course can provide you with tricks for retaining important information and give you valuable insights into the different ways people learn. Topics include Overcoming Limits, Strategic Preparation, and Dealing with Stress.
Exam Prep with Tom Carpenter can be purchased through the new LearnKey app, now available in the iTunes app store.
Newest Employee of the month leverages what we do!
Not only is Aaron Colborn the newest addition to our LearnKey film and edit team in Salt Lake City, he is also this month’s recipient of our Better Learning Systems Employee of the Month award. Several qualities resonate to the top of what impressed us most about his accomplishments and their alignment to our core values around ease, value, and trust
In just five (5) short months he has become certified in Adobe’s Photoshop CS6 and Illustrator CS6. He is extremely easy to work with, values his co-workers, and has won over the trust of the entire leadership team. Here’s what his manager had to say during his nomination:
“As you can see Aaron is a very goal-oriented employee by taking advantage of what we do, which is produce certification training. He set his sights on these certifications early on and passed them in a very short amount of time. He is a work horse. I can always count on Aaron to meet or beat extremely strict deadlines while maintaining a high quality product. Aaron brings more than 10 years of experience of editing and shooting to our team. His experience allows him to help others on his team who are looking to add that pop or creative flair to the project. We are thrilled to have Aaron on our team!”
Take a moment to ready more about Aaron and his life outside of LearnKey:
1. How many siblings do you have?
I have one older brother who is much smarter than me, but not nearly as handsome. And I smell better.
2. What is your favorite movie?
Anyone who knows me knows that is probably the hardest question that I can be asked. But if I had to narrow it down to one it would be Pulp Fiction, with Boogie Nights as a close second.
3. What is your favorite band?
Again, a tough one, but probably either Radiohead or Pink Floyd.
4. What is your favorite vacation spot?
Anywhere with a beach and booze.
5. What was your high school’s mascot?
A grizzly bear. RAWR! Scaaaarrryyyy!!!
6. What is the weirdest combination of foods you have eaten?
Fried fish eyes. They explode like Gushers (the candy) when you bite down.
7. What is/was the name of your favorite pet?
Bender was the best and weirdest cat I have ever had. He passed away 3 years ago. 🙁
8. What was your first car?
A 1973 Dodge Dart. It was more power than a 17 year old should have.
9. If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be?
Argentina
10. Would you rather sky dive, bungee jump, zip line, or parasail?
I want to skydive into your heart.
11. What is the funniest saying you have heard working here?
“I’m all teeth and boogers.” – Liz McEuen
12. If you could eat dinner with anyone from the past, present, or future, who would it be and why?
I would have dinner with Stanley Kubrick — at Chuck-A-Rama because their mashed potatoes are delicious!!!
Please join me in congratulating Aaron and congratulations on your Adobe certifications and believing in what we do!