Tell me what you thought of blogging in this course and would you do it again? What benefits did you receive?

Doris

This will become more of an opinion article. It is my intention to present the importance of this program in the meetings industry. Accreditation should be reputable, and help advance the industry education globally. MPI wants to ensure other certification programs are delivered by educators that meet expectations. This will ensure a high level of quality instruction. I will look at other factors as to whether certification is important and who wants it. I plan to present some challenges of the future, and moving into the new frontier. Lastly looking to online education and if is a viable tool.

Energize Your Training: Creative Techniques to Engage Your Learners

Trainers are always looking for new and more effective ways to gain and hold the attention of their learners—and this book is chock-full of proven tips and strategies from master trainer Robert W. Lucas. This book provides hundreds of quick ideas that will get participants engaged and primed for learning from uncovering learner needs to creating stimulating environments to managing time and groups to using powerful learning aids and more. This comprehensive resource provides concepts and solutions for every aspect of training delivery, covering environmental features such as the organization of the room; learner characteristics such as learning modalities, multiple intelligences, and generational and cultural differences; facilitation techniques that enable readers to energize and manage their classrooms; and learning aids that range from the basic to the technologically advanced. 

This could be something for the future resource book shelf. The cost is List Price: $32.95
Member Price: $27.95 through ASTD.

Doris

            I have always perceived teachers to be mentors in some capacity and I selected this book to find out the full range of what being a mentor means. I feel that working in the field of adult education I will possibly lend myself in this capacity in the future. Knowing what the mentors role entails provides me the framework to guide others with the satisfaction that I am doing my best.

            The first chapter is more of a discovery chapter asking learners what is worth leanring in their lives. Why they want to learn, and what do they want to lean. It looks at what is effective teaching and the student-teacher relationship. The author does his own search as to his meaning as a teacher, as a mentor, and as a human being.

            The second chapter describes the transformation journey of each of the adult learners. A look at what the mentor’s role is as a guide along the journey. Examples are presented through mythic tales while trying to make sense of life’s changes along the journey. An exploration of developmental theory is given with the various stages individuals go through.

            The next chapter follows conversations with different adult learners and each is compared with a major current theory of adult development. These theories are used and presented as maps in order to understand the educational journey these adults undertake. The first theory discussed is the Levinson’s Developmental Periods. It divides men’s lives into four major areas. It is like a stairway through time, from childhood to early adulthood, middle adulthood to late adulthood and what transitions take place at each period.

            Robert Kegan is the theorist who’s model is described as a upward-spiraling helix. There are six stages which he prefers to call balances. Each stage evolves into the next stage.

            The next theory is provided by William Perry which he calls a journey. His model is called a basic map of the journey, a nine position continuum. Each position describes a journey an individual goes through.

            The rest of the chapters follow several teachers and their adult learners on their respective journeys. It all begins with the teacher as a person of authority, to becoming more of an equal, one as a friend. It takes each of them through the ups and downs. Some of the students will need a push to get from one stage to the next. Some of the changes occur through confrontation. From this there are now new forms of truth while trying to construct reality from it all. This is an evolution the students go through as well as the student-mentor relationship.

            Presented is a case study that looks at what hinders and what helps personal growth of the adult learner. There are comparisons of what is affected by environments, the pitfalls in the mentoring relationship, a look at the limitations and dangers of mentoring, and a final look by the author as to why mentors matter.

            I would recommend this book as a good resource. As the preface mentioned, it is a book that you can go back and reread several times and still learn something new to apply. The book offers many good points while on the road of mentorship. What I understood from the book were the ways mentors took more of a back seat and listened, while asking questions to help students sort things out. All the time letting the students decide their next move.

            A good look at how students fit into particular developmental theories is helpful along their journey. It is a way to gauge where learners may fit during their journey. As an adult educator mentoring will always be a roll and knowing what the expectations are makes these challenges easier.

Journal: One+, by Meeting Professional International (MPI)

Focus: Connecting you to the global meeting and event community

Issue: The Best Advice I Ever Got, May 2010

Current topic: “Become a volunteer. It will make you a better leader”

Current topic: “2010 WEC Sneak Peak-Performance Matters”

How to subscribe: Members of MPI receive One+ as a membership benefit, paid for by membership dues. Nonmembers may subscribe to the publication for $99 annually. Contact online at www.mpioneplus.org or email at editor@mpiweb.org

Publication dissemination: Journals are printed or can be viewed online at www.mpioneplus.org and are available in PDF format.

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Journal: Scientific American Mind

Focus: Behavior, brain science and insights

Issue: The Science of Perception, Special Edition, May 2010

Current topic: “The Neuroscience of Illusion”

Current topic: “The Eyes Have It”

How to subscribe: Subscriptions can be done online at www.scientificamerican.com/subs/JOF4MMAA

A business reply card can be found in the journal. The card can be filled out and mailed, no postage necessary.

The rate for subscription is $19.95 for six issues.

Publication dissemination: Journals are available in printed format and there is unlimited online access for institutions from desktops at schools, campus or workplace. Libraries can provide site license access from Nature Publishing Group.

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Journal: Adult Education Quarterly, published in association with American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE)

Focus: A journal of research and theory

Issue: May 2010, volume 60, No. 3

Current Topic: “Measuring the Importance of Precursor Steps to Transformative Learning”

Current Topic: “Inspiration From Home: Understanding Family as Key to Adult Women’s Self-Investment”

How to subscribe: Individual subscription, print only is $90, institutional subscription, print only $316, and there are various institutional types of subscriptions. SAGE journals offer online subscriptions journals@sagepub.com or 1-800-818-7243. Society members have access as a membership benefit through AAACE. There is a pay-per-view as a short-term access. SAGE allows free access to journal content, issues, or volumes for a limited time. There is not a full range of articles online without a subscription. I was able to access the full range of articles through the CSU library, ebscohost.

Publication dissemination: The journal is available in print, online and school libraries if they have a subscription.

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Journal: International Journal of Lifelong Education

Focus: The journal provides a forum for debate on the principles and practice of lifelong, adult, continuing, recurrent and initial education and learning, whether in formal, institutional or informal settings. Common themes include social purpose in lifelong education, sociological, and policy and political studies of lifelong education. Research into lifelong learning needs to focus on the relationships between schooling, later learning, active citizenship and personal fulfillment, as well as the relationship between schooling, employability and economic development.

Issue: Nov/Dec 2008, Vol. 27 Issue 6

Current Topic: “Lifelong learning for all? Policies, barriers and practical reality for a socially excluded group”

Current Topic: “The alchemy of learning and work: negotiating learner knowledge in a global society”

How to subscribe: Individual print only (6 issues per year), $216. Institutional online is $1069. Institutional print and online is $1125. There is not a full range of articles online without subscription. I was able to access the full range of article through the CSU library, ebscohost.

Publication dissemination: The journal is available in print, online and school libraries if they have a subscription.

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Journal: Chronicle of Higher Education

Focus: The number one source for news, commentary, jobs, banking, finance & insurance, education, political & political science

Issue: June 2010, Vol. 56 Issue 37

Current Topic: “American Colleges Look to Private Sector for Global Recruiting” (cover story)

Current Topic: “Empathic Education: The Transformation of Learning in an Interconnected World”

How to subscribe: 6 months, 21 issues, $45, digital edition $40, 1 year, 42 issues, $82.50, digital edition $72.50, 2 years, 84 issues, $140, digital edition $125. The print and digital options include complete access to the web site. There is not a full range of articles online without a subscription. I was able to access the full range of article through the CSU library, ebscohost.

Publication dissemination: The journal is available in print, online and school libraries if they have a subscription.

Meeting Professional International Rocky Mountain Chapter (MPIRMC)

The first regional chapter to join Meeting Professionals International (MPI) was the Rocky Mountain Chapter. As a member of Meeting Professional International Rocky Mountain Chapter (MPIRMC) you are automatically a member of the international organization MPI. I have been a member of MPIRMC since 1992 starting as a student member. I try to attend at least six monthly meetings per year. I have attended eight out of 10 annual regional conferences, various educational development trainings, and two national conferences throughout my membership.

The MPIRMC mission statement “will make our members successful by building human connections to:

• Knowledge and ideas – create professional development pathways and resources that enable members to evolve their careers toward positions of strategic understanding and influence.
• Relationships – increase awareness and influence about the value of meetings with senior decision-making executives at corporations, associations and organizations.
• Marketplaces – identify trends and deliver innovative solutions to ensure MPIRMC is the premier regional marketplace for both suppliers and planners” (2010, May).

 The monthly meetings cost $40 to attend and incorporate educational sessions on current topics, leadership, legal issues and many more. There are other monthly educational training events. These training sessions are from a few hours to all day programs. For professional certification there is a Certified Meetings Profession (CMP) study group with biannual testing. I obtained my CMP five years ago and I am up for renewal at the end of this year. Another certification is the MPI Global Certification in Meeting Management (CMM).

There are various publications offered including a monthly newsletter sent by email and posted on the MPIRMC website. From MPI there are the Meetings Professional and Convene magazines. The MPI bookstore offers many publications dealing with the industry.

For students to join the regional chapter there are scholarship opportunities and guidelines to follow. Student annual membership is $150 and includes monthly meetings, networking events, and educational programs. A regular membership cost is $325.

American Society for Training and Development (ASTD)

American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) is a national and international organization with over 100 countries. I am very interested in learning about this organization and possibly becoming a member. It is considered the world’s largest association dedicated to workplace learning and performance professionals, and to link learning and performance to individual and organizational results. ASTD is “at the forefront in

• Providing resources for learning and performance professionals, educators, and students─research, analysis, benchmarking, online information, books, and other publications.
• Brings professionals together in conferences, workshops, and online.
• Offers professional development opportunities for learning practitioners, from a Job Bank and Career Center, to certificate programs and the only credential offered in the field: the Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP).
• Serves as the voice of the profession to the media and to public policy makers in the United States, and collaborates with other associations, organizations, and educational institutions to advance the profession.
• Recognizes excellence and sets the standard for best practices in learning and performance” (2010, June).

The mission is “Through exceptional learning and performance, we create a world that works better” (2010, June).

Professional development opportunities are numerous at locations across the country, online programs, virtual conferences, and webcasts. It takes traditional instructional design and introduces fresh new approaches using today’s technology and keeping various learning approaches in mind for successful outcomes. This makes content timely, relevant, interactive with convenient access needed to maintain a competitive advantage in today’s workplace.

There are many resources such as a job bank, salary calculator, career webcasts, career coaching, and career articles. An ASTD knowledge center provides publication resources as the T&D Magazine, newsletters, books, research reports, articles archives, virtual catalogue, webcasts, videos, and podcasts. An online library with the world’s leading collection of management, human resource, and training-specific journals.

Another benefit is in the learn and connect section that includes a member center, career center, learning communities, discussion boards, content to go, reading lists, training industry FAQ, social networking and more.

The opportunities to become a member for one year or two years are available. There are student rates, senior rates, international e-memberships, groups of five or more, chapter, academic partner, and public sector. As a student member for $59 you receive the T&D Magazine, career resources, ASTD link and The Buzz (e-newsletter), discounts (books, conferences and training), ASTD online library, and networking opportunities. To qualify a student must take a minimum of 12 hours per year at an accredited college or university. A 12-month individual membership is $199, and a 24-month individual membership is $349.

It is true from my experience the more parents are involved in their kids’ lives, the better the results usually are. I was very involved while both my kids were in elementary school. Once they reached middle school they didn’t want me to be so involved. It was because they didn’t want me to find out what they were up to. Both of my kids turned out great and both are teachers now.

The SF Bay area schools are trying to require parents to volunteer at least 30 hrs per year or face a slap on the wrist. With today working schedules and many travel I can’t see how this is really feasible. Some parent wouldn’t care if they received a slap on the wrist. Another solution to look as is making schools smaller. I doubt this because of budgets and all the recent budget cuts all schools are going through right now.

As far as peer pressure that would not happen unless the parent already volunteers. Then the pressure is on to do more volunteering.