A tour of our Digital Media Classroom (DMC)

September 2, 2010

Allie

Towson University’s Extended Education and Online Learning (EEOL) unit has been utilizing the DMC  to assist partners and clients for over three years.  With multiple locations and portable equipment, the DMC creates a training environment without location barriers.  We’ve helped clients save travel funds by being able to broadcast to employees around the state and save time by only having to record a training program one time and re-use it without losing the interaction experience with the instructor.

My two favorite DMC features are the ability to live broadcast a training to anywhere in the world and simultanteously record the instructor and participants for archiving for later use AND the remote control feature that puts the course pace in the hands of the user.   Check out the video below to learn more about how your organization could benefit from using Towson University’s Digital Media Classrooms!

Leave a Comment » | Education, IT, Lifelong Learning, Training | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by Allie Pyzik

COMING SOON: The Osher Preview Don’t miss it!

July 15, 2010

Allie

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with the Jackie Gratz the Director of the Osher Lifelong Learning Center (OLLI), to hear a little bit about their upcoming course Preview featuring all of their Fall 2010 course offerings.

I had lots of questions about the upcoming event, but I think Jackie summed it up best with, “the Preview is great fun and very informative!”

Who is invited to attend the Preview? All Osher members, guests, people who have seen Osher flyers or other publicity in community newspapers; directors of partnership programs at retirement communities as well as some of their  residents; some of DECO, EEOL, and TU staff.  There is always an open invitation to those over 50 years of age.

How many people you are expecting? We generally have 180 – 190.

OLLI Director Jackie Gratz checking in with the volunteers

Where and When is the Preview being held? The Preview will be held in the Merrick Lecture Hall at Goucher College, 10 a.m. – 12 n. on July 29th.

Which classes are being previewed? All classes in the fall 2010 catalog except those classes that are filled already or classes of instructors who could not attend.  OLLI will be offering classes in the areas of Music, Art History, Jazz, Dance, Film, Literature, Poetry, Natural Sciences, History, and Book Clubs.  About 25 (either four or eight week courses) will be previewed.

Will the instructors be present? Yes, instructors will give three minute presentations of their classes.  According to Jackie, the general public really enjoys the opportunity to meet the instructors before registering for their particular course.

Jackie concluded by saying that the Preview is also a social event with refreshments served and lots of socializing before and after.  Sounds like a great way to spend a morning!

OLLI members gearing up for the preview

2 Comments | Community Outreach, Education, Events, Lifelong Learning | Permalink
Posted by Allie Pyzik

Towson University Regional Cisco Academy: Changing Lives, Communities, Countries

June 17, 2010

Allie

What is a Cisco Academy and what purpose does it serve?
If you’re not necessarily the computer savvy type you may be asking yourself these questions. The Towson Regional Cisco Academy supports local academies in several Maryland counties, Washington DC and Baltimore City.  As a Regional, Towson helps facilitate the process of starting and maintaining a Cisco Academy program, advising administrators and instructors, and providing training and assessment tools.  This summer, for 2 consecutive weeks, both new and experienced Cisco instructors will develop lessons using the new IT Essentials 4.1 curriculum, as well as participate in a workshop aimed at embedding skills needed for success on certification tests in Academy instruction.

What is the importance of a Cisco Regional Academy?
Jobs! Jobs! Jobs! Organizations around the world are experiencing a shortage of qualified candidates to fill a growing number of networking positions in virtually every industry.  The Cisco Academy is an innovative global education initiative that delivers information and IT skills to help meet this growing demand while improving career and educational opportunities for students around the world.


Why is it vital to the State of Maryland that Towson is a Regional Cisco Academy?
The Maryland State Department of Education recognizes Cisco Academy programs as a crucial part of the IT skills pathway in Maryland schools.  Students can pursue a Network Engineer Pathway leading to CCENT and/or CCNA certification, or a Computer and Network Support Pathway leading to A+ and/or CCENT certification.  From these high school pathways, students can extend their learning into fields like information security and wireless, and pursue two- and four-year college programs to advanced degrees.


What courses are being offered this summer at Towson’s Regional Cisco Academy?
There are 2 courses that are being offered over the 2 week period at Towson; Instructional practices that Support Cisco Academy Student Certification Success and IT Essentials new instructor training.  The IT Essentials is comprised of practical experience and instructional design to prepare instructors to teach the IT Essentials: PC Hardware and Software v4.1 curriculum. Training includes theory and hands-on labs and simulations designed for participants to master the course content, which aligns with new CompTIA A+ certification exams.

1 Comment | Community Outreach, Education, Training, Uncategorized | Permalink
Posted by Allie Pyzik

Towson University to host the 2010 Oracle Summer Academy July 12th-16th

May 20, 2010

Allie

From July 12th - 16th over 70 teachers from the around the US will be coming to Towson to take part in the Oracle Academy at Towson University. The academy will provide teachers with world class training and professional development opportunities.

The Oracle Academy is a cutting edge program that provides global education institutions with industry-leading software, curriculum, support, and certification resources that faculty can integrate into their classrooms. As a result, these teachers can then assist their students in gaining hands on experience with the latest technologies and develop skills that will help them excel in the 21st century workplace while developing their technical, analytical, and business skills.

Currently, Oracle Academy Instructors’ Institutes are in Romania, Egypt, Czech-Republic, China and USA. In the U.S., Towson University is one of 4 sites for the Oracle Academy.  Other locations are in Virginia, North Carolina, and Illinois.  The results of these academies is far reaching, and in total the Oracle Academy supports  over 850,000 students in 91 countries through their instruction.

The Oracle Academy has 3 specific areas of instruction:

  • Introduction to Computer Science
  • Advanced Computer Science
  • Enterprise Business Application

The teachers enrolled in the Oracle Academy at Towson University not only receive valuable instruction and skills, but also get to live like College Students for a few days by staying in our dormitories.

Leave a Comment » | Education, Events, IT, News, Training | Permalink
Posted by Allie Pyzik

The WHEN and WHERE of Traffic Safety Events

April 13, 2010

Allie

When Aaron Guy joined EEOL as a graduate assistant several years ago he has no idea that he’d end up being the lead on an exciting and extensive project with the State Highway Administration in Maryland (SHA).   I recently sat down with Aaron to learn more about this innovative project.

TU’s partnership on this project with SHA began in 2007.  The overall goal of this project is to create an online data resource center for all traffic and safety related agencies in Maryland to house all of their information under one roof. In collaboration with SHA staff, Aaron has created just that.

Aaron Guy

The Problem:

With all of the extensive data on traffic safety out there, not all of the data was housed on the same site making it extremely difficult for those working for the several traffic agencies throughout the state to obtain the information needed to do their jobs proficiently

The Solution:

With guidance from SHA staff, Aaron created the Safety and Transportation Knowledge Online (STKO).. Aaron said, “one of the toughest aspects of this project was trying to coordinate all of the different pieces of information from different point people and furthermore assembling the information in a cohesive manner.”  Generally speaking, the purpose of STKO is to keep information on traffic safety related incidents throughout the state organized. Through an extensive process Aaron, along with fellow co worker William Thompson, began by reacquiring old and underused traffic safety domain names and redirected them to STKO. Therefore, instead of having several different people overseeing the organization of so much data, Aaron has become the main website facilitator.  The tradeoff-no more waiting on a webmaster to make tedious changes and updates. All changes and updates now flow through Aaron.

STKO, a step further:

In addition to the collection of data Aaron spoke a great deal about the ability of STKO to accept data requests for information on traffic related issues.  Individuals can request very specific, tailored information on traffic incidents. The information is then sorted and organized on the back end of STKO and the information is then stored for the traffic officers to utilize.  Ideally if accidents are occurring on the same roads and STKO has this data we would hope that the roads would be improved so that accidents do not occur-this is just a real life example. On the whole, STKO allows traffic officers to do their jobs better.

Long-term Partnership with SHA:

Since 2007, EEOL has been awarded 2 other subsequent grants with SHA to continue building and enhancing STKO. The first phase, the reorganization of data, is now complete. The main goal of the upcoming years grant will be a turnover process. Aaron will assist in making manuals for the safety training coordinators as well as content mangers on how to use the site. Aaron said that in reality his role will become strictly to offer help and maintenance when needed.

In addition to the data organization and convenience that the site has been able to offer traffic safety officers, STKO also houses several other vital aspects of traffic safety in Maryland. The site offers a link to the SHA’s several hundred acronyms, a traffic safety awareness calendar, SHA meeting agendas and notes and a Work Zone Law Enforcement Training course online manual.

Leave a Comment » | IT | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Allie Pyzik

Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Approved Training

March 11, 2010

Allie

As the unemployment rate across the state continues to rise, more and more individuals are looking for training opportunities that may increase their likelihood of gaining employment in this tough economy. Through our WIA Approved courses, (EEOL) is providing the Maryland workforce with additional job training opportunities through our online and in classroom training programs.

We have begun by identifying online courses that will provide Marylanders, like you, with BRAC-related job training as well as training for the present employment needs around the state as a result of the stimulus package. Currently, over 20 of our online courses are approved under the federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA) which states, “The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) provides increased flexibility for state and local officials to establish broad-based labor market systems using federal job training funds for adults, dislocated workers and youth.”

Interested? Think you might be eligible? Where to begin?

There are a few steps you need to follow in order to determine if you are eligible for funding.

  • First, contact your Local Workforce Investment Board (LWIB) to receive employment counseling and determine your eligibility for WIA funding.
  • Secondly, determine which course interests you most and determine if that course has a path that will lead to gaining valuable employment-a key step in the process! Typically, counselors will want to see a return on their investment. So, do your research and if you can be confident that once you’ve completed your training you will have increased your chances in gaining employment then you’re headed in the right direction.

Our certification courses are offered in, but not limited to, Human Resources Development, Information Technology, Project Management, Medical Billing, Coding, and Transcription, HVAC, Microsoft Office and Video Game Development. For a complete listing of our WIA approved courses visit: http://wwwnew.towson.edu/outreach/eeol/wia.asp.

There has never been a better time
to take advantage of state approved funding for training!

Leave a Comment » | Community Outreach, Education, Small Business Development, TU Faculty & Staff, Training | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Allie Pyzik

The Opportunities are going to be huge—GREEN TRAINING

February 1, 2010

Allie

To meet the growing demand from workforce, Towson’s Extended Education and Online Learning (EEOL) is launching and expanding online green job training.  Courses are non credit certification training programs that can be completed in as little as 50 clock hours.  In this market, in this day in age, it’s all about jobs. And green jobs are plentiful.

An article from MSNBC from May 2009 stated that there are millions of well-paying green jobs that do not require a four year degree.  As the economy settles and rebounds, there will continue to be a strong demand for green-collar workers in the greenhouse gas emissions and alternative energy fields.

Worried about the money to afford these training programs?

The Federal Stimulus packages and the Department of Labor have set aside dollars to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency. It will also create thousands of jobs rehabbing government buildings and public housing to make them more energy efficient. In turn, several thousand new jobs will be necessary. In addition, our courses are WIA approved and can be applied for at any of the Maryland One Stop Career Centers throughout out the state:

Who benefits from GREEN training programs?

  • Career changers, displaced workers looking to train for a new green-collar jobs
  • Construction workers in the field who need to learn weatherization skills
  • Architects & Engineers
  • Contractors looking to expand their services to include Green Building or Solar Electric or Solar Water
  • Consultants looking to provide services that include energy auditing
  • Home inspectors looking to expand their services to include weatherization or home energy audits.
  • Real estate professionals looking to learn more about sustainable building.
  • Human Resources and purchasing professionals that want to implement sustainable and green purchasing techniques to reduce energy consumption.

For more information on our online GREEN training visit our online green course schedule!

Become GREEN Certified in any of the below program areas:

  • Certified Indoor Environmentalist (CIE)
  • Certified Microbial Investigator (CMI)
  • Certified Indoor Air Quality Manager
  • Weatherization Energy Auditor
  • Building/Home Energy Analyst (HERS)
  • Solar Hot Water Heating
  • Photovoltaic System Design & Installation
  • Green Building Sales Professional
  • Green Building Technical Professional
  • LEED Certification NC v2.2 Prep
  • Green Purchasing Fundamentals
  • Sustainability 101
  • Carbon Strategies
  • Certified Sustainability Professional
  • Green Supply Chain Professional
  • Senior Certified Sustainability Professional

All courses and programs are WIA  approved.

1 Comment | Education, Training | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Allie Pyzik