LearnKey Blog
20 Dying Technologies
These days, It seems like there are new advances in technology every day – and then the next day there is another one making the one before it obsolete. Bloomberg Businessweek recently came up with a list of 20 dying technologies and some were very surprising. Read the list below and let me know what you think. Are these technologies really going to die? How long will it take for them to become completely obsolete?
Combustion engines
Oil spills, rising gas prices, pollution – all reasons for a push for new, cleaner technology. There have been a lot of options that have been played with as replacements for combustion engines. One of these taking off will require the infrastructure to support the idea – think charging stations instead of gas stations!
Free Online Tools for the Classroom!
There are so many free tools available that foster collaboration in the 21st Century classroom and it can be overwhelming to figure out how to utilize them. I thought it might be fun to list some ideas on how to use online tools to engage students and create a successful classroom. These tools are a new way to engage students and make the classroom more interactive. If you have any ideas to add or if you use these tools for different classroom projects, let us know we would love to hear your ideas!
- Create a modern day pen pals program where students can correspond to students in another classroom across the country or across the globe through Skype. A modern twist on a classic classroom activity.
- Exchange lesson plans and ideas on a social network. This one is for the teachers; there are many social networking sites that are geared toward you specifically. These sites offer ideas and support from your fellow educators.
- Start a classroom blog on blogspot.com where students projects are featured and they can find important classroom information. This offers a sense of community to your classroom outside the classrooms walls.
- Create a classroom Wiki where students post research and reference materials for the whole class to use. This can be a great tool and also help teach students important lessons about researching.
- Have a poetry contest using twitter. Hold a poetry contest on Twitter where students have to use 140 characters or less.
- Have students work together to collaborate on a video project and post them on YouTube. This can be rewarding for students and you as the educator as well.
Most in Demand IT Certifications for 2011
The Robert Half Technology Salary Guide 2011 has found the most in demand job titles, skill sets, and certifications for the coming year. If you are looking to change careers or add to your skill set you need to read this to make sure you are looking at career paths that are in demand.
There will be high demand for application developers, .NET developers, systems administrators, database administrators and desktop support professionals.
In demand skill sets for the coming year include; programming , business mindset, technological proficiency, security, networking, infrastructure support, and electronic medical records.
Certifications in demand- Cisco certifications (Cisco Certified Network Associate), Linux (Red Hat Certified Engineer), Microsoft certifications (Microsoft Certified Applications Developer, Microsoft Certified IT Professional, Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, and Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist), Project Management Professional (PMP), and Security certifications (Certified Information Systems Security Professional, Check Point Certified Security Administrator, and Check Point Certified Security Expert).
Check out the training LearnKey has available to help you get certified!
Top Tech Questions at Your Holiday Gathering
If you are the go to tech person in your family, you might be dreading the upcoming holiday gatherings because you will undoubtedly be cornered by a few of your family members about their technology questions. I recently read an article “How to survive Holiday Family Tech Support”, that is a survival guide for the tech questions you will be asked at your family gatherings.
The questions you will get will most likely be very vague, and without more information you will not be able to give good answers. Here are a few of the common problems you will encounter:
Continue reading “Top Tech Questions at Your Holiday Gathering”
Happy Holidays!
I want to thank everyone for reading our blog in 2010, it has been fun working on the blog and reading all of your comments. We are working hard to make sure we provide interesting posts for you to read and we hope it has been useful.
If you have any suggestions or ideas on what you would like to read about on our blog in 2011 please let us know and we will do everything we can to make it happen.
Happy Holidays to everyone may you have a safe and joyous Holiday Season!
How to Delegate
I came across an interesting article “The Right Way to Delegate Your Next Big Project” by Mike Michalowicz about delegation and I wanted to share with you some of the tips to make you a successful delegator.
Delegation is something we all have to do whether it is at home or at work and well we don’t always do it successfully. For example I often delegate household chores to my husband, but often times I find myself frustrated with the outcome or taking over completely because I have a hard time letting go of control.
We struggle with delegation because it means letting go of something we will still be held responsible for, but if done right delegation can mean accomplishing a lot more and giving each project the time and effort it requires. Here are the tips-
Champion
Find one person you trust to assign the project to. Make sure this project will be the only big project on their plate. Let your champion have room to make decisions related to this project.
Reward
Offer a reward. This will provide additional motivation and incentive to make the project a success.
Publicize
Make it public that you are assigning this task to your champion. This shows your support for your champion and the project, lets other people know who to turn to, and motivates because everyone will know who is responsible if project fails. Always point people back to your champion.
Do you have any personal examples of how you delegate? What about when a lack of delegation resulted in a project not going as planned? Tell us your stories in the comments!
CCSP Now CCNP?
In mid October, Cisco announced that the CCSP certification would be evolving into the CCNP Security certification. After April 2011 CCSP exams will no longer be available and CCSP certifications will not be given after October 2011. All CCSP certifications will be valid and recognized for a 3 year active period until 2014. This has caused quite a bit of confusion for all of the folks who are in the middle of getting this certification or who already have a CCSP certification. In response CISCO has created the CCSP Exam Certification Tool to help you figure it all out.
The tool allows you to select the CCSP exams and shows you the required exams and the elective exams along with the last day they will be available. This will help you map everything out and plan ahead for your certification making the process smooth.
Do you have any questions about the upcoming Cisco certification changes? Let us know in the comments, and we’ll do our best to answer them!
Project Based Learning Gains Momentum
Although you might still recall feelings of dread when you were told that you had to work together with a group of peers on a project for a class assignment, they are the projects you remember the most. In the fourth grade I worked with a group of my classmates on a book report and although I dreaded the task before, I had a lot of fun completing the assignment and I still remember exactly what it was about. This leads me to believe in the idea of project based learning for students.
Top 10 Reasons to Get Certified
IT certifications have many benefits. From the obvious to the not-so-obvious, we came up with a list of the top 10 benefits of having a certification.
- More money
- Advantage
Of course this is the number one reason – getting a certification can lead to a pay raise in your current position, a promotion, or being hired for a different position that pays more.
Getting a certification can be the competitive edge needed to overcome the competition for the same position. The point of a certification is to prove to everyone that you know your stuff. From an employer’s perspective, they see potential employees touting their qualities and abilities all day. Would you rather hire someone who only says they can do the job, or someone who took a test to prove it?
Do You Know Your Company Security Policy?
IT Security is a big issue these days, and it doesn’t surprise me that a large number of employees have not been trained on their company’s policy, and those that have been trained have not received current training. Many companies inform or train employees on their security policy when they are hired, but what about the ones that have been with the company for 10+ years? It is important to have recurring trainings to keep employees up to date on this issue. Up-to-date training is important because it will keep employees abreast of current policy and also help prevent confusion on the policy.
Internet Security Policies are more important now than they ever have been, because they are intended to safeguard data and IT Security as well as sustaining employee productivity. There are new threats every day, and apart from the security software on your computer, the best line of defense is practicing safe computer usage.
Are you aware of your company’s policy? How well do you know the policy? How were you told about the policy and do you have regular trainings about the policy?