A good book. Traits of a good technology class part one

This is the first article in a multi-part series about the Traits of a good Technology class.

One of the questions I get asked all the time is What makes a good class? Is it the trainer? Is it the book? Is it the students?

We’ve all been to class. Some of you may remember looking at the clock in grammar school, counting down the minutes until the day was over. Others may have fond memories of listening to a Professor lecture to 1000 students in a gigantic college lecture hall. Still others are taught at home at the kitchen table, learning science through every day experiments.

What’s related? The objective of knowledge transfer. The idea of transferring knowledge from the teacher to the student. Some modes of learning are more effective for some students than others. Yet, there are still some standard commonalities.

As a facilitator, teacher, trainer, attendee of 100’s, if not 1000’s of classes. I have identified some common traits that all Good Technology Training classes have.  The first of the Traits is:  good books.

Image: 'Belinha has more than good looks' www.flickr.com/photos/65768710@N00/2200198472

Image: 'Belinha has more than good looks' www.flickr.com/photos/65768710@N00/2200198472


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Sparse-ness Where are you?

While teaching web classes, I often get the question about my own website and business:

So Scott, you’re an Internet Technology Trainer and Expert, What’s your website?  Where can I check out your portfolio?

I always respond with there is an old French proverb:

Les cordonniers sont les plus mal chaussés.

The cobbler’s children go barefoot.

In other words, the web consultants’ portfolio is always empty.  Why is that?

Then I think to myself, when do I have the time to update my own websites?

I tend to focus my time either on my family, on research and development, or on my client work. That leaves very little time for my own site.

In addition, my own public websites (currently):  scott.stawarz.com, consultchicago.com, and octavity.com, have always been used as experiments. I throw different iterations up, I try different items.  I take the site down, wipe it clean, try a different approach. Many times, the experiments don’t even make it into the public record.

As I stated in my first post, I have decided to eat my own dog food. The first time I heard the eat my own dog food phrase was at a Microsoft Solutions Framework Certify the Trainer (MSF) event.  The Microsoft Master MSF trainer, said in order to certify you as an MSF trainer, we want you to eat your own dog food. It was a great experience, and since that time, I have tried to follow the dog food edict ever since.

Although, as Yoda would say,

Try not… Do or Do not… There is no Try

I have basically been not doing. Stay tuned:  next time, I will talk  What are the steps for coming up with a Portfolio, business site, or blog?

The Journey Begins. – Eat your own Dog Food!

Welcome to octāvity.

This site is a work in progress place for me to write, test, experiment, and show my wares.  Of course, its a place for my clients, customers, and prospects to learn about my services.  Add to that A place for the occasional reader, avid fan, or passerby to learn something new or different about Technology. The look will be changed and content will be added, but I’m not about to let getting settled into a new office and new webhost get in the way of starting.  I’ll clean the about page up, and I’ll post some certification materials soon.  Classes I teach, etc.  In the meantime, sit back, read, learn, enjoy, and come back often.

As for a quick why of octāvity, I give lots of advice as a trainer and consultant.  It’s time I eat my own dog food.