Talking to Emilie Elmore Kintner of the Boulder History Museum (@bohistmuseum) revitalized my thoughts around technology, education and how we learn. Emilie talked about some of her ideas around educating young students in Colorado on artifacts and stories contained within the museum. Although a heavy dosing of martini clouds some of my recollections of the discussion it definitely made me think.

Has education through technology become a commodity, almost making our attention disordered society become bored with information as it is delivered today?

Think about how accessible information has become. Last night I wanted to know more about the muscles in the human body. So I found the google earth equivalent of the human body and was able to learn more about the sciatic nerve (http://www.zygotebody.com/). And this year marks the 100th anniversary of the Titanic and I wanted to know more about where the wreck is located, how far down, what is down there etc. I watched the remarkable journey of explorer and movie maker, James Cameron, as he explores the deep ocean. I find pictures, videos and 3D renderings of the Titanic on the National Geographic website (http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/titanic/).

Port Bow Titanic - National Geographic

This information, this gold mine, and this unbelievable event available free, online, accessible to me, even here on a Sunday at my home with the click of a button. Now this post isn’t about the Titanic but about how technology needs to be realigned, shifted if you will, with information and education.

Consider the polar opposites today when it comes to people and their perception of technology.

The Blasphomy Brian:

• How pitaful is our society
• No human to human socializing
• No real world gathering, witnessing or touch
• Primative exploration and research skills vanished
• Technology makes me sad because it has changed our natural behaviors

The Privileged Brian:

• Without technology I would know nothing
• The availability has created awareness
• Details, stories and data so I can make informed decisions in the future
• Compilation of resources so I can validate my understanding from different perspectives

We’ve been on polar opposites when it comes to learning. Is it time to find a way for a hybrid approach? Part technology for awareness and information, part real world for appreciation and the gravity of history and how it has shaped our lives? I think so.

These thoughts change the way I am in the classroom

When delivering any education one of the best comparisons I can make is how I see today and proof of how it was in the past. Showing my listeners physical objects brings back the natural instinct of us, as humans. Seeing, touching, smelling and asking questions are still very valid ways to learn, rather than watching through services like YouTube.

For example teaching myself how to install a trailor hitch was interesting. The only thing I’ve ever known how to do is change the windshield wiper fluid in my car. Yet here I am, I have the need to install a hitch. So I do what any 30 year old would these days and I hit up YouTube (http://youtu.be/22mvXaxUG1w). Sure it helps and gets started but that’s only 50% (let’s say) of the information I need. I need the information, in fact a little more, delivered in person. How was a hitch installed on my neighbours vehicle? Where were the bolts? What size, material, and positioning? Seeing something in RL (Real Life) provides education that is very difficult to achieve through videos, website etc.

As I’ve thought about technology and education as a commodity it has become more apparent that what I’m really talking about is exploration. Not only our ability but more so our necessity as humans to explore, feel, touch and smell history.

I’m just an educator from Cooya Beach, QLD Australia but I am human. I know how I like to teach and I know how I like to receive information. What I have found is that stories and in person artifacts (if possible) are the best way to educate. Context is king and students need this to make informed and innovative decisions in their professional careers. Technology helps provide half of the context but history through stories and artifacts helps provide the remaining half.

In other words:

• Software developers, put thought into how you provide context of the information you deliver.
• Teachers, put thought into how you can leverage technology to create awareness but don’t forget the natural core needs of learning
• Learners, be open to learning in multiple ways. Videos and websites are not the only way to learn. Asking questions is one of the most important ways and you can’t do that just by watching and reading. You need to explore!

A long time ago (1999) in a galaxy far far away (Australia) I was enjoying one of the best times of my life. Here are a few samples of videos of my Student Lodge (http://www.studentlodge.com.au) which was our on campus accomodation at James Cook University.
 

Unfortunately I was one of the unlucky bastards that couldn’t manage both great times and good college grades. Yes that’s right, my name is Brian Norman Lockwood and I don’t have a degree. Not an undergrad, not an associate… nothin.

What I did know though was computers and computer networks. I even had experience in this relatively remote area of Australia. Quite honestly I needed something to redeem myself because not only had I let myself down but my parents as well. I found there was a certification called Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer that could possibly help you to land a job. With nothing to lose I bought the MS Press books, studied and passed 7 exams in two and a half months. So in the year 2001 I obtained my MCSE in NT4.0.

So in 2002 I took the courses I did pass at JCU, combined them to form my Certificate in Science and did what anyone at the age of 20 and an MCSE would do… I moved to AMERICA!

After a few short months I landed my first job. In fact, I ended up receiving the job over 4 other candidates who had their college undergrads. I asked my new employer what made them choose me? Why the person with no degree over those with degrees? Their response was “You had real world experience managing networks at schools in Australia and you can back it up with a 7 exam MCSE. We need someone who can hit the ground running”.

So in 2002 the statement became “my name is Brian Lockwood, I have my MCSE and I am a Network Engineer“!

That was all the motivation I needed! From there I then landed a job with Keane, Inc. a consulting company based out of Massachusetts where I managed roughly 80 internal workstations and 3-5 servers.

In 2004 the statement became “my name is Brian Lockwood, I have plenty of real world experience, I have my MCSE, and I am the internal IT Coordinator at one of the largest consulting companies in the country“!

Wow this feels great! Coming from a small beach in north Queensland Australia (Where the rainforest meets the sea) these opportunities don’t really come around that often. Unfortunately working for a consulting company means that at some point you need to become a consultant. This meant that I had to choose [Become a Developer Consultant] [Become a Network Engineer Consultant]. I had done some programming in Logo, Javascript, and Quake C with my friend Zann St Pierre and I enjoyed it but did I remember anything from my failed college days? I did pass my programming courses in C++ and Actionscript? … With some inspiration from  my good friend Steve Ballmer.

Developer it is!

In 2006 the statement became “my name is Brian Lockwood, I have real world experience as a Network Engineer, I programmed in college, I built web pages for people in Australia, Japan and now the U.S, and I am a .NET developer for Keane, Inc“.

The problem is that I’m a hack. I need proof that I know my shit. Then it is decided, it worked last time so it’s gotta work again,  I am going to study and obtain my Microsoft Certified Professional Developer! So I did. I was a .NET consultant for 2 years and took a class at Benchmark Learning to catch up on this new technology, at the time, called AJAX. I’ve always been really good at communicating technology to people so curiosity got the best of me and I landed a job with Benchmark Learning as the .NET Educator. With this I also received my Microsoft Certified Trainer title as well.

In 2009 the statement became “my name is Brian Lockwood, I have real world experience as a Network Engineer, I programmed in college, I built web pages for people in Australia, Japan and now the U.S. I am a .NET developer, trainer and this year I was recognized as one of the top 10 educators in the world by my franchiser of 240 centers around the world“.

After receiving accolades for courseware development, training, innovation and career advancement I was nominated and accepted to the Microsoft Certified Trainer Advisory Council where my job is to contribute ideas that help shape the future of training.

Sitting here Sunday morning on April 29th I feel privileged to train people on Microsoft technologies. Not only am I good at communicating technology, concepts and ideas to people but I truly believe in certification. I truly believe that for as large as Microsoft is, and for all those that “don’t believe”, Microsoft provides millions of people with opportunities every day. Get certified. I was a failure, but now I’m not.

Benchmark Learning has even built its very own free career advancement tool: http://www.careergenius.com

“Opportunities come around 3-4 times a week” – My great friend Rusty Blondin.

The need for cloud computing skills has been pushing the market for months. Solution providers are seeking cloud-ready employees to bring their businesses to the next level. The cloud computing market is evolving at such a pace that while the number of job postings is skyrocketing, the talent isn’t there to fill the positions.

In the past 20 years, Microsoft Certifications have been THE tool to address the skills gap. To be relevant, certifications need to continue to be the tool needed and recognized in the market.

That’s why Microsoft has reinvented its certification program—to certify a deeper set of skills that are mapped to the Cloud and to real-world business contexts. Rather than testing only on a component of a technology, IT Professionals and Developers are now tested on more advanced skills and a deeper understanding of the technology.

New Certifications Are Available Now

Private Cloud and SQL lead the Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) reinvention

We’ve posted a lot more information about the reinvented program and the first new certifications: Private Cloud MCSE, Database MCSE & Business Intelligence MCSE:

Microsoft Certification overview page: http://aka.ms/MSCerts

Microsoft Certification overview video: http://aka.ms/MSCertsVideo

MCSE information page: http://aka.ms/MCSE

MCSE video on YouTube: http://aka.ms/MCSEvideo

MCSE Private Cloud: http://aka.ms/MCSEpvcloud

MCSE Data Platform: http://aka.ms/MCSEDP

MCSE Business Intelligence: http://aka.ms/MCSEBI

Take advantage of a new 2-for-1 exam offer from Prometric:

Prometric 2-for-1 offer: http://aka.ms/Prometric241

Education Available

Benchmark Learning provides innovative education on cutting-edge topics for IT, ITIL®, Developer, Business Analysis, Project Management and Business Professionals.

99.27% of students surveyed would recommend Benchmark Learning

Additional learning resources:

Many of these valuable resources are free. To name a few:

• Understanding Microsoft Virtualization Solutions (eBook)
• Introduction to SQL Server 2012 (eBook)
• Microsoft® Office 365: Connect and Collaborate Anywhere, Anytime (eBook)
• Introducing Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008 R2 (learning snack)
• SQL Server 2012: Cloud on Your Terms (learning snack)
• Introduction to Microsoft Windows Azure Platform (learning snack)

Microsoft’s cloud-based technologies are relevant to specific job roles. Start here: http://www.gomct.com?99be

What I love about TechFuse is that it’s not just another user group gathering or free developer event. The quality is amplified, the location (Minneapolis Convention Center) is gonna rock my face off and speakers from all around the world. It makes it well worth the investment. Not only that, but Benchmark Learning will be chipping in three 50% off vouchers for attendees of both days.

Below is a listing of the sessions I will be attending:

Other session details can be found here: http://www.benchmarklearning.com/Event/TechFuse/allsessions.aspx

See you there

Brian Lockwood, Microsoft Certified Trainer, demonstrates how to use Powershell to administer an Office 365 account by creating and removing users.

Resources

Use Windows Powershell to manage Office 365: http://onlinehelp.microsoft.com/en-us/office365-enterprises/hh124998.aspx

Windows Powershell cmdlets for Office 365: http://onlinehelp.microsoft.com/en-us/office365-enterprises/hh125002.aspx

Download demo sample: BenchmarkLearning

Note: You will need to create a Student table with ID, FirstName and LastName in order for this demo to work.

1. Introducing C# and the .NET Framework
2. Using C# Programming Constructs
3. Declaring and Calling Methods
4. Handling Exceptions
5. Creating New Types
6. Inheritance
7. Using Collections
8. Creating ASP.NET Web Forms applications
9. Adding Functionality to ASP.NET Web Forms
10. Implementing Master Pages and User Controls
11. Validating User Input
12. Managing Data with Entity Framework and LINQ
13. Creating AJAX enabled Web Applications
14. Consuming WCF Services
15. Managing State in Web Applications
16. Configuring and Deploying Web Applications
17. Securing ASP.NET using Microsoft Membership Provider

All in all, it was a great week. Any week dedicated to building and learning web application development is fun.

Here are the files we created throughout the week for my students to reference, use, and experiment with: NonProfit

Remember that other resources include:

• More HTML5, CSS3, Javascript, .NET, WCF courses at Benchmark Learning
• http://www.smashingmagazine.com – Design Inspiration
• http://www.spoon.net – Testing your web applications
• http://www.dontfeartheinternet.com – Understanding web basics
• http://channel9.msdn.com – Microsoft videos from events
• more were given out during class…

Thanks again and feel free to contact me in the near future.

Quick summary from my previous post: “Powershell is a scripting language that is deeply engrained in windows operating systems. It is a programming language for powerful automation, it can be used to interrogate and manipulate windows operating systems in a robust and scalable way.”

All Microsoft products have or will have a Powershell layer that will allow IT professionals to automate those Microsoft products. As a developer I need to make sure my applications have this abstraction layer as well. I should not rely on or require administrators to interact with my application GUI to execute some functionality. They need to be able to automate not only the capabilities of my application but potentially some of the business logic as well.

Building a snapin for an application that manages courses at Benchmark Learning.

Objectives:

• Add a powershell abstraction layer for an application that manages courses
• Create a custom powershell snapin
• Add the custom snapin (aligning to framework version) to powershell
• Call the cmdlet’s for my application from within powershell

Adding a powershell abstraction layer

Most tiered applications leverage the downward stream of calls to lower layers. In this project I decided to add a class library in Visual Studio to provide my powershell abstraction. See code here:

In order to derive my custom commandlet from the framework using System.Management.Automation dll and namespace needed to be added to the project. This dll was found in the powershell reference assemblies folder: [C:\Program Files (x86)\Reference Assemblies\Microsoft\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0]. From here it is required to override the ProcessRecord method as it is called by powershell when the commandlet is used.

In the example above, I wanted to give my administrator the ability to find course information by supplying a name parameter of the course. By annotating the Name property with the Parameter attribute it provides the meta data needed for powershell to understand its use. If the property was not annotated with this attribute the property would be encapsulated within the object itself.

In addition to the name parameter the actual data used will be returned as a collection of custom educator objects. The definition of the educator class contains a firstname and lastname, as see here:

By using WriteObject the results of my commandlet can be returned to Powershell. In this scenario I’m returning the collection of educators to Powershell. Although returning a string is straight forward and easy, I have decided to return a collection of educators so we can use powershell commands such as Get-Member, Format-Table, Format-List etc.

Create a custom powershell snapin

The next step is to create a custom powershell snapin that will allow powershell to leverage the commandlet created earlier. Below is what was required to do so. It is required to override the description, name, vendor and cmdlets properties.

Two notes about the custom snapin.

1. It is possible to add multiple commandlets in one snapin by using the cmdlets collection property.
2. In order to register the assembly to the system we need the RunInstaller attribute defined in the custom snapin

Start off by deriving the custom snapin from the CustomPSSnapIn class found in the  System.Management.Automation namespace. Define the values for the vendor, description, and name. In addition to this, it is possible to add an xml file reference that describes the help documentation for the commandlets defined within the snapin (this has not been done in this example). When adding the commandlet to the cmdlet collection provide the command name such as Get-Course in the constructor of the CmdletConfigurationEntry object.

Add the custom snapin to powershell

Before adding the snapin to powershell the assembly needs to be registered to the system. To do this, in the console window navigate to your framework version folder for example: [C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319] and run the installutil executable.

Note: Make sure it run successfully. It will generate a log file for review if necessary to troubleshoot the installation.

Once the assembly is registered in the system Powershell needs to know it can use it. This is where the custom snap in can be built into the user profile of Powershell or for one time use only (as seen in this sample). To make sure the assembly is registered, open powershell, and use the Get-PSSnapIn -Registered command in powershell. The commandlet should be listed:

Note: In the configuration used for this sample, Powershell by default, knew to use the 2.0 version of the .NET framework however the application/commandlet is a 4.0 version commandlet. In order for Powershell to recognize the latest version of the framework to use with the custom snapin the following step needed to be completed:

Navigate to [C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0] and there should be a Powershell.exe.config file. If there is not, create one.

Contents of Powershell.exe.config:

<?xml version=”1.0″?>
<configuration>
<startup useLegacyV2RuntimeActivationPolicy=”true”>
<supportedRuntime version=”v4.0.30319″/>
<supportedRuntime version=”v2.0.50727″/>
</startup>
</configuration>

Call the commandlet

Within powershell add the custom snap in via the name (as seen in the results of Get-PSSnapin -Registered). Use the command Add-PSSnapIn GetCourse and then use powershell to call the custom commandlet. In this scenario it is possible to use the -Name parameter of the course as well as piping the results into a formatted table.

Get-Help is available on the custom commandlet. The details of Get-Help will depend on the detail provided by the developer in the attributes of the commandlet.

Summary

Creating a custom powershell commandlet required some work but now this abstraction layer can be used by powershell to call into the business logic of the application. I would consider this internal integration with powershell with my .NET application. Remember that we can also use powershell to automate the installation and configuration of the custom applications as well.

Every day clients discuss their interest in attaining a Visual Studio certification in what they already know or what they are interested in learning. The steps on how to go about this varies, depending on your background. I make it a point to go over several steps that are the same, no matter what, with all clients I speak with about this process. Some benefits to consider on certification include:

• showing your employer you are willing to continue your education and improve your IT career by getting Microsoft certification
• to help bolster your resume and get you into better-paid positions
• proving to yourself that you do know what you specialize in at work each and every day
• and the list goes on

The Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) or Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD) designation can put you in the top-tier of candidates for jobs in the programming world. Get the certification you need by following these steps.

1. Choose the certification exam(s) you would like to take based on the knowledge and skills you already have or are learning (Visual Studio version and specialty area – such as Visual Studio 2008 ASP.NET focus). Microsoft offers several designations giving you a wide range of options. The path to MCPD is a combination of 1 or several MCTS’s, allowing you to get a base certification now and expand it later. View all path options here: http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/certification/cert-vstudio.aspx

2. Once you’ve chosen your path, work with me on identifying your strengths and gaps via our CareerBooster assessment process. This assessment lets you know where you are in terms of your knowledge of the .NET Framework and area of specialty that you will be tested on. Use this information to help determine the best path for your MCTS designation and any education or self-study you will need to focus on prior to heading to the test center. http://cb.benchmarklearning.com/common/CB_Intro.aspx?sid=1

3. Based on your assessment scores, you and I will determine what makes sense for next steps, which may include a plan of self-study materials, instructor led training and practice test preparation. Microsoft offers self-paced training kits, including book, CD’s with labs and practice exams, though several of my clients see a lot of value in the structure of a classroom for areas where their knowledge may be a little light.

4. You and I will discuss a timeline for the completion of your desired certification. This deadline may coincide with graduating from college, changing jobs or it may be a deadline you create to help yourself along. This timeline should include time to study, take practice exams and prepare for the real thing. I then put together a customized plan just for you taking all factors into consideration.

5. Once you are ready, we move forward with your plan of action and of course we stay connected to ensure you are accomplishing your goals based on your timeline and/or adjusting your plan as needed along the way.

6. Another important strategy I mention to candidates I work with on certification is the difference between learning and testing. It’s important to separate these tasks in two as follows: when learning/educating yourself on a topic, immerse yourself into the learning aspect of it via self-study, classroom, whitepapers, forums, etc. Learn as much about all areas that you will be tested on eventually when ready. When you are ready to prepare for testing, it’s important to incorporate practice testing and examining the scores by category and then working your way backwards to the education tools where needed. Once you are getting an overall score on your practice test of 85-95%, you are ready for the real deal.

Now that you have all these steps in front of you, the only thing left is to give me a call so we can get started on YOUR personalized plan of action!

Hope to hear from you soon!

Lisa Seery, Developer Technology Specialist
p: 952.896.6869 | e: lseery@benchmarklearning.com