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The TrainingZONE LearningWIRE - Issue 43
7 April 1999
https://www.trainingzone.co.uk
The Learning Community
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Copyright (C) 1999 Sift plc. All rights reserved.
This material is distributed free to trainers, learners, managers and
coaches. It may be reproduced in any medium for non-commercial purposes as
long as attribution is given.
From the Editor
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This week, in response to suggestions from users and a welcome contact with
ECLO - the European Consortium for the Learning Organisation - we have
launched a new forum in the Discussion Area devoted to the theory and
practice of learning organisations. It's an opportunity to share ideas,
post questions, spread good practice and engage with others around this
fast-moving issue. You can join in at
http://emily.sift.co.uk:8000/~9
The Easter break has produced no let up in Internet postings and news.
This week's issue presents a digest of around half the site postings from
the last few days. Do please check the main site to find the rest. You'll
find that each story now shows links to other recent postings around the
same issue as a way of helping you to find related material. Also in this
issue, is our review of Internet Explorer 5.
Tim Pickles,
Editor, LearningWIRE and TrainingZONE
mailto:tpickles@trainingzone.co.uk
ADVERTISEMENT
/------------------------------------------------------------
European Consortium for the Learning Organisation
6th Annual Conference
19 - 21 May 1999, Glasgow
------------------------------------------------------------/
LearningWire currently reaches 1,150 organisations every week.
Put your message before this focused audience of people engaged
in training, learning and development
https://www.trainingzone.co.uk/help/advertise.html
Thought for the Week
====================
Recent contributions to this new feature have tended to be more ironic:-
"The trouble with words is that you don't know where they've been"
- Dennis Potter
"If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence of ever trying"
- thanks to Garry Platt for this one.
Do you have a pithy or thought-provoking quote to offer?
Internet Monitor
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Training impact measurement kit
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The American Society for Training and Development have announced the launch
(in April) of a new measurement kit which it is claimed will, for the first
time, enable companies to assess the impact and value which training
creates within the organisation for the company's overall balance sheet.
At least part of the measurement kit will be available free. Sounds
interesting: we'll report further as details are released.
http://www.astd.org/virtual_community
Further help for trainers
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The ASTD has also published their 1999 Buyers Guide containing details of
more than 500 companies and consultants supplying services to the training
market.
http://astd.org/bg
Elsewhere, Training Net, another US-based site has launched a Request for
Information (RFI) service which enables users to post queries to their
website, have the query matched to several likely companies in their
directory, and receive a selection of responses within 24 hours (it is
claimed).
http://www.trainingnet.com
Alternatively, you could try one of our own Topic Experts if you had a
similar query and wanted a personal answer:
https://www.trainingzone.co.uk/topic_experts.html
Strategies to create a culture of lifelong learning at work
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This is the fourth and final paper by Nigel Hemmington in the virtual
conference which has been running throughout March on the MCB website.
Another well-researched, comprehensive yet accessable contribution to the
debate on promoting workplace based continuous professional development.
It's not too late to join in the online discussion as a delegate at the
conference.
https://www.trainingzone.co.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=3569&d=1
Approaches to learning theories
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For a different look at learning theories, take a look at this website
which is drawn from the world of dog training. OK, so pets are not the
same as humans, but the basic premise of learning theory seems to translate
very well. If you discount the graphics, all the underlying material is
extremely relevant to anyone working the develop learning amongst staff.
https://www.trainingzone.co.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=3498&d=1
Government expenditure plans for education and training
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Comprehensive spending plans for all aspects of education and training
during the three financial years 1999 - 2002 have now been published and
are available for download in Adobe Acrobat format from
http://www.dfee.gov.uk/depreport/
Ad-Valorem Performance Solutions
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Details of the sofware company's products aimed at the training and
development market and including demonstrations are available on their
website. Products are aimed at tracking training, online testing, test
marking and training management.
http://www.ad-valorem.co.uk
Recent training-related news
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University for Industry publishes Development Plan
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As we enter the new financial year, further practical details of the UfI
are emerging. This new approach to skills and wider learning is due to
have its first intake of adult learners later this year. The Development
Plan is available for download with sections aimed at learners and
employers, and another aimed at potential partner organisations.
https://www.trainingzone.co.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=3571&d=1
TEC delivered training
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For all the latest statistics on the delivery of all government training
programmes by TEC's throughout England and Wales, an update has been
released on the DfEE website.
https://www.trainingzone.co.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=3525&d=1
Government expenditure plans for education and training
-------------------------------------------------------
Comprehensive spending plans for all aspects of education and training
during the three financial years 1999 - 2002 have now been published and
are available for download in Adobe Acrobat format from
http://www.dfee.gov.uk/depreport/
Feature articles on learning organisations
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The 25 March issue of IPD's People Management magazine has a couple of
feature articles about the practice of learning organisations. Feature
articles are not made available on the live website until the following
issue is published, but you should be able to find them in the archive
after 8 April at
http://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk
Meanwhile the contents digest of the current issue is available
https://www.trainingzone.co.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=3501&d=1
Adult learners - demonstration outreach projects
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Details have now been published of 12 DfEE funded projects running in
1997/8 to promote adult learning within disadvantaged communities. The
final report is aimed at promoting best practice - relevant to the social
inclusion agenda - whilst there are six supporting briefing papers which
provide practical tips to others engaged in similar work.
https://www.trainingzone.co.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=3572&d=1
Review of Internet Explorer 5
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Lots of reasons for downloading IE 5
- It loads faster
- It draws pages faster
- Better "auto complete" features
- Explorer Bars
Of course, all new browsers promise to load faster, pull graphics quicker,
etc. The point is that Netscape's version 5 browser, despite being
promised soon, is not yet available.
The expanded "auto-complete" is very useful. With IE 5 it doesn't
just auto-complete when you're entering Internet addresses (URLs)
but also does the same when you're completing forms (Word of course does
this also) you may use regularly. So if there are places that you
go on a regular basis and type something in a form, for example a search
you regularly complete, then IE5 will remember it.
Finally, the "Explorer Bars" feature is a way of getting web surfers to
"stay with you". Already some sites have developed their own bars that
you can download. For example Alta Vista.
http://www.altavista.com/av/avie5/avtools.html
You can see what is available at:
http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/IE/WebAccess/default.asp
The download is available at:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/default.htm
Editor's note: For Mac users, several of these features are available in
the recently released IE 4.5 for the Mac, available free from
http://www.microsoft.com/mac/ie
To save download times, you can pick up copies of both versions on the
cover disks of several current computer magazines.
More free Internet access
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Freeserve is continuing to make the opposition sit up and take
notice. Now its major competitors appear to have decided that if
you can't beat 'em, join 'em is the way to go. Virgin Net, BT's
LineOne and Tesco will soon all be offering free services, and last
week The Sun joined the fray with its CurrantBun service. BT has
already seen the wisdom of this in its ClickFree service and
Mirror newspapers are to launch Mirror Online later this month.
Even Arsenal football club is trying to join the fray by offering
free Internet access via its website.
http://www.freeserve.co.uk/
http://www.virgin.net/
http://www.lineone.net/
http://www.tesco.net/
http://www.currantbun.com
http://www.btclickfree.com/
http://www.arsenal.co.uk/
Meanwhile, at least one service provider offering free Internet access was
also advertising a freephone 0800 number for connections during weekends in
March - making unlimited Internet access totally free.
http://www.x-stream.com/
We're getting closer to the US experience of free access all the time.
Recent postings from the PressZone
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InfoSource brings computer technology to Snowdonia
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News of how computer-based technology from this company is being used to
transform employment options and generate new opportunities.
https://www.trainingzone.co.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=3568&d=1
Training Pages reaches new heights
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Training Pages - the free directory and search facility for training
courses related to IT and business technology - now has more than 200
companies posting over 2,500 course details at their site.
https://www.trainingzone.co.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=3527&d=1
For details of how to promote your Press Releases by posting them direct to
our PressZone, and securing a reference in each week's issue of
LearningWire, see
https://www.trainingzone.co.uk/help/advertise.html
Getting involved with TrainingZone
==================================
Don't forget that TrainingZone has a comprehensive directory of every UK
registered company. You can find out details of actual and potential
clients, check out their directors and find out about their business and
turnover BEFORE pitching for business.
https://www.trainingzone.co.uk/icc
About Sift
==========
Sift plc is a leading developer of online communities. Based in Bristol,
Sift has also developed AccountingWEB for the accounting sector,
BusinessZONE (for the SME market), and TravelMole for the travel industry.
At the 1997 Online Information Exhibition at Olympia,
AccountingWEB was voted European Information Product of the
Year (and also runner up as Internet Product of 1997).
http://www.sift.co.uk
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Editor: Tim Pickles mailto:tpickles@trainingzone.co.uk
Sift plc., The Mill House, Redcliff Backs, Bristol BS1 6LY
Tel:+44 (0)117 915 9600 Fax:+44 (0)117 915 9630
https://www.trainingzone.co.uk
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