First Entry

Hello to all. I apologize for not posting sooner. It has been rather hectic. I wanted to test this out to make sure I could post. Eric

Just checking in.......finally!

This is Lee Chavarria from STRATCOM. Just checking in to see if I could access the blog. I'm a first time "blogger". .......later........

Not really a blogger

Hello all,

I am a Network Engineer working in VA. I have been in the IT field for about 15 years serving in different areas. This is the first time that I am concentrating on strengthening my networking path. Besides the common network certs, I plan on utilizing this Security+ as a stepping stone to furthering my career. Hopefully I am able to continue on and gain my CISSP after this course.

Hello, My name is Scott Lewis. I'm one of the Nebraska gang. Just testing to see if I can reply to the blog.

New to Blogging

Hello All,

I'm very new to the blogging world, but I've been working in the IT area for several years. My primary area is Logistics, but I'm excited about getting this certification. I think will serve to open others doors up for me.

Thanks

Hello,

I am just checking to make sure this post works from my location.

Michael

Blog check

Hello, I checking into the blob page.

Has anyone used the Comptia iPod apps for. Sec + test prep?
I dl'd them yesterday, there is a flash card practice app and a pre-test app, just wondered if the are helpful...

Greg Mullins

Hi Bob "Van" Vander Wielen, working with six other enrollee's so not sure if I'll be blogging to much. Looking forward to completing this course

Time-Savers: Skill Gap Analysis

Most educational and training methods are timeless... exploration, coaching, collaboration and questioning. Though e-learning may be a new medium to many in this group - utilizing it to impart knowledge has a few sweet benefits aside from the realities of cost savings, and qualified instruction.

It maybe that I have been around long enough to see its birth and growth but I like to think of e-learning as enabling-learning and not the silly - electronic "e" - which seems really dusty and archaic as a descriptor for the power of the online medium.

The e-learning materials we will be using to prepare for this certification can be best utilized once one recognizes a major benefit of self-directed study - skill gap analysis.

Skill Gap Analysis can probably best be summarized as the exercise of base-lining your current state against your goal. This process is made infinitely easier with two standard e-learning resources called the pre-test(current level of subject knowledge) and the post-test (goal).
Because information in an e-learning course is "highly refined" - meaning that the development team (the subject matter experts) have already gone through the effort to organize or "chunked out" into a competency and then into topic areas and then into the concepts and facts - the learner is able to trust that a pre-test will give them a realistic baseline for their current state of understand of that topic; thus enabling the learner to move through a course more swiftly or more carefully depending on their familiarity with the topic being taught. The on-line courseware offered in our program even color codes (green or white) your results to make finding your "gaps" easier - so the computer does the "analysis" piece for you.

The time savings one can realize with this method are incredible. Instead of sitting through a traditional lecture class where the instructor HAS to assume that the participants have little to no background knowledge - the self-directed learner can select the correct pieces of their puzzle to match what one already knows with the "new concept" or "new fact" - spending more time "studying" new material and less time "reviewing" already acquired knowledge.

So with that, I hope to encourage you to utilize the pre-test and post-test included in the courseware to customize your learning to FIT you.

Getting out and getting your feet wet...

Hello all and welcome! I will be sending more information about our preparation program shortly. I will be blogging about our efforts to build a community of practice and also posting summaries of our Conversations over Coffee session to this site.

So a little more about me... I am a Senior Program Manager for SkillSoft, during my tenure with SkillSoft I have had the opportunity to work with IT outsourcing industry leaders on large global training initiatives. I have several other hats in my closet... I am a programmer, I am a teacher, I am a new station wagon driver (I said a sad goodbye to my sporty sports car! over the weekend) I was a founding member & CTO for a education industry start-up that will turn 10 next September and I was a even a cheerleader in HS (long story... I had to sign up after I broke my toes and was benched for the lacrosse season.)


I am excited to meet and build a relationships with each of our new Security+ participants and also to grow my network of gurus or as the training minds prefer my network of subject matter experts.