September / October 2013

Training magazine taps 2013 Training Top 125 winners and Top 10 Hall of Famers to provide their learning and development best practices in each issue. Here, we look at onboarding games and simulations and social learning strategies.

In this fourth installment of the Skills Gap series, we look at how technology can help bridge skill gaps, available technologies and how to choose the right ones for your organization, and how to determine the training budget for these technologies.

>>Westinghouse Digital introduced a new lineup of digital LED-based whiteboards consisting of four models, ranging in size from 55-inch high-definition units through an 84-inch 4k (Ultra-HD) model. The digital whiteboards feature the proprietary CVT Touch 6 Point Infrared Touch System, which provides interactive control and detects touch points quickly and accurately.

By Ken Comée, CEO, Badgeville To nurture top performers,leaders need to borrow from the many user experiences and shifts in employee motivation that social media culture has surfaced. Some tips:

>>Regionally Accredited Online Schools (http://www.accreditedonlinecolleges.org/ ) is a new online resource that ranks each university throughout the nation by size, degrees offered, tuition costs, admission, graduation, and retention rates.

>> FirstNet Learning andWorkplace Answers (WPA) formed a new partnership to exchange online training course catalogs and deliver new compliance training courses to their respective customers. WPA is a human resource online training company specializing in training programs that address employment law and workplace compliance needs. FirstNet Learning delivers online training solutions in the areas of health and safety, human capital management, defensive driving, and business skills.

By Bruce Tulgan How does anyone learn faster than the accelerating obsolescence curve nowadays? “Just in time,” of course, fueled by the latest and greatest technology:

Development DimensionsInternational, Inc. (DDI) recently surveyed 181 HR executives to learn more about how they were using social media for leadership development. The survey revealed that about one-half of responding organizations are not yet using social media as part of their leadership development initiatives. And those who are utilizing tools aren’t using them in a blended manner.

By Jason W. Womack, MEd, MA We’re about to start the fourth quarter of 2013, and I need to ask: Are the goals you set at the beginning of the year on track for success?  The other day I was on the phone with one of my mentors and he told me, "You need to build more pauses in your life."

By Whitney Cook, Account Manager, Inward Strategic Consulting (http://www.inwardconsulting.com) Top companies all over the worldare adopting gamification into their core business strategies in order to drive engagement for employees, customers, and partners. But there are some unexpected pitfalls. Here are the Top 5 to watch out for