Dashcourses' Blog

IT Training Lessons From the Olympics

Greg Ferro wrote a great article this week on the Ethereal Mind blog that compares the Olympics and IT training. Every IT manager should read it.

Click Here to read it

Object Oriented Programming in Visual Basic Training Course

Dashcourses wil be holding an online Object Oriented Programming in Visual Basic Training Course Sep 8-12, 2008.

Course Description<

Students who take this course will gain an understanding of the .NET architecture and gain a working knowledge of the Visual Basic programming language.  They will also learn how to build object-oriented applications using Visual Basic; learn how to implement Windows desktop applications using Windows Forms, including programs that interact with databases; and finally, gain a working knowledge of local type inference, object initializers, anonymous types, extension methods, lambda expression, LINQ, and other new features in Visual Basic 2008.

Course Outline

Module 1: .NET: What You Need to Know

• .NET Executables and the CLR
• A .NET Testbed for Visual Basic Programming
• Visual Studio 2008

Module 2: Fundamentals of Visual Basic Programming

• Program Structure
• Namespaces
• Data Types
• Variables
• Conversions
• Operators and Expressions
• Console I/O

Module 3: Control Structures

• If Statement
• Select Case Statement
• Do/Loop Statement
• For/Next Statement
• Exit and Continue

Module 4: Procedures

• Subroutines
• Functions
• Pass-by-value vs. Pass-by-reference
• Access modifiers
• Overloading
• Optional Parameters

Module 5: Advanced Data Types

• Arrays
• Enumerations
• Structures

Module 6: Exception Handling

• Error Detection
• Exception Handling

Module 7: Object-Oriented Programming

• Object-Oriented Concepts
• Defining Classes
• Methods and Properties
• Shared Data and Methods
• Constructors

Module 8: Inheritance

• Inheritance
• Controlling Base Class Construction
• Access Control
• Polymorphism
• Events
• Abstract and Not Inheritable Classes
• Type Conversion in Inheritance

Module 9: Interfaces and Collections

• Interface Fundamentals
• Programming with Interfaces
• Using Interfaces at Runtime
• Resolving Ambiguities
• Collections
• Generic Types
• Type-Safe Collections

Module 10:Introduction to Windows Forms

• Creating Windows Applications using Visual Studio 2008
• Partial Classes
• Handling Events
• Common Controls

Module 11: Windows Forms Controls

• Buttons, Labels and Textboxes
• Radio Buttons and Group Boxes
• Check Boxes
• List Boxes and Combo Boxes
• Timer Control
• Flexible Event Handling

Module 12: User Interface Features

• Dialog Boxes
• Menus

Module 13: Database Programming

• ADO.NET
• .NET Data Providers
• Using Data Readers
• Using Data Sets
• .NET 2.0 Data Binding

Module 14: New Features in Visual Basic 2008

• Local Type Inference
• Object Initializers
• Array Initializers
• Anonymous Types
• Partial Methods
• Extension Methods
• Lambda Expressions
• Query Keywords

Electronic File Supplement 1: Using Visual Studio 2008

• Versions of Visual Studio
• Overview of Visual Studio 2008
• Creating a Console Application
• Project Configurations
• Debugging
• Multiple-Project Solutions

This course will be conducted using Dashcourses’ new Virtual Learning Environment classroom. We designed this industry-leading facility to provide you with a training environment that is not only economical, it is as effective and interactive as having a real live instructor standing right next to you.

Date: Sep 8- 12
Location: Your computer
More Information and to Register: http://www.dashcourses.com/public-courses.html

eLearning is NOT Virtual Classroom Training

In recent conversations, I've noticed that most people don't understand the distinction between eLearning and our Virtual Classroom Environment.

eLearning is typically self-paced using canned 'modules'. Often times the module is concluded by a an online quiz or exam. With eLearning, you - the student - are basically you are on your own.

Dashcourses' Virtual Classroom Environment is a completely different world. You are interacting in real time with a real live instructor. The instructor is talking to you, answering your questions, and giving you feedback. You can ask your questions and get immediate answers. It literally is just like having the instructor standing at your side.

Dashcourses' Virtual Classroom Environment Makes High-Quality Training Affordable for International Firms

IT departments in the far corners of the globe have always faced a significant training challenge. The high cost of international airfare meant that the travel costs almost always exceeded the cost of the training itself.

The other alternative has always been to fly the instructor in for on-site training. The drawback of this meant that the classroom was not usually equipped optimally for the training.

The availability of high-speed internet and Dashcourses' new Virtual Classroom Environment has changed all that.

The classroom environment is hosted on a Dashcourses server farm that allows students to connect to it through their corporate firewalls. Once inside this virtual classroom, students are then able to talk to the instructor, watch the instructor, and connect to Dashcourses' computers which are pre-loaded with the requisite software.

For example, if it is a Java development class, all the Java development software is already pre-installed and pre-configured on a a PC in the Dashcourses virtual classroom. The student does not need to install java development software on his own PC.

The important aspect of this is security: even though the student is going through his own PC to connect to ours, no one has visibility into his PC

The student hears the instructor, sees the instructor, and talks to the instructor. When it's time to do the exercises, the student clicks a button and presto, he/she is on a computer in the virtual classroom dedicated to him/her.

The instructor can watch students work just as if he is standing there right at the student's side.

Second Life

Second Life holds some interesting promise for training. I've seen a few companies use it for IT training, most notably Cisco. I think that right now it requires too much student investment in time to get up and running in SL to be practical. It's something to keep an eye on though.

Advanced Java Programming Course Starts Monday August 11,2008

This course teaches students how to develop Enterprise Java Components and Applications using Eclipse Integrated Development Environment. It also teaches how to build and deploy a Web based Enterprise Java Application in a Java EE Server. Students will learn the Java SE/Java EE Architecture and Java EE Technologies and how are they implemented in Vendor Java EE Server (IBM WebSphere Application Server and BEA WebLogic Server). Students will learn how to develop java applications, web components (Servlets, JSP, JSF and Web Services) and Enterprise Java Bean Components. The hands-on development includes configuring the deployment descriptors of web, ejb, web services modules and enterprise application. This course also teaches how to build an end-to-end enterprise application using components and deployment configurations

You Will Learn How To:

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

• Understand the Architecture of Java SE and Java EE Platforms
• Integrate Java EE Server in Eclipse Servers for Testing Java applications
• Use Eclipse IDE to develop Java applications and Java EE applications
• Use Eclipse Java, Java EE, Web and Debug Perspectives and Wizards
• Develop Web Applications with Servlets, JSP pages and use JSF framework
• Understand the Architecture of Web Services – SOAP, WSDL and UDDI
• Develop Web Services applications using XML and Java API for XML
• Develop EJB applications and EJB based Web Services
• Configure Deployment Descriptors of Web and EJB modules
• Use Deployment Descriptors to integrate Web and EJB modules
• Build an end-to-end Web Enterprise Java Application and Deploy
• Gain a solid foundation to prepare for Sun and IBM Certification Examination

Course Prerequisites

Working Knowledge of Core (Basic) Java Programming and Platform.

Who Should Attend?

• Java Programmers
• Enterprise/Web Application Delevopers
• Enterprise Application
• Architects
• Systems/Application Analysts

J2EE 1.4/ Java EE 5.0 Architecture

• Web Client-Server Overview
• J2EE Architecture
• J2EE Component Technologies
• J2EE Modules
• J2EE Applications
• J2EE Deployment Descriptors
• J2EE Services
• J2EE Communication Technologies
• J2EE Connectors and Back-end Integration

IBM Rational Application Developer (RAD)

• IBM WebSphere Application Server
• IBM Rational Application Developer (RAD)
• Perspectives, Views and Editors
• Java Perspective
• Debug Perspective
• Web Perspective
• J2EE Perspective
• Java/J2ee Applications Development
• Server Administration

Servlets Development and Configuration

• Servlets and Web Servers
• The Servlet API
• Servlet Life-cycle
• Servlets and Multi threading
• HTTP Servlets Development
• HTTP Servlets methods
• Servlet Initialization Parameters
• Getting Input Parameters from user
• Http Session State
• Cookies
• URL Rewriting
• Configuring Servlets

Java Server Pages (JSP) Development

• JSP Basic Tags
• JSP Implicit Objects
• JSP Compilation
• JSP Lifecycle
• JSP Advanced Tags
• Java beans and JSP
• JSP Custom Tags
• Configuring JSP
• Configuring Custom JSP tags
• Tag Library Descriptor

J2EE Web Application/Web Module Development

• What is a J2EE Web Application?
• Web Application Directory Organization
• Web Application Deployment Descriptors
• Configuring a Web Application properties
• Configuring Servlet properties
• Configuring Java Server Page properties
• Configuring Security, Resources and EJB References

JNDI Service

• What is JNDI?
• JNDI API
• The javax.naming package
• Context and JNDI Environment Properties
• JNDI Name binding in Server Environment
• Steps to connect to JNDI and perform a JNDI Lookup
• JNDI Application Development

JDBC Service

• JDBC Overview
• JDBC Drivers
• DataSource and Connection Pools
• Configuring Data Source
• Configuring Connection Pools
• JDBC Application Development

Struts based Web Application Development

• Model-View-Controller Architecture
• What is Struts?
• Model-View-Controller 2 Architecture
• The Model: System State and Business Logic JavaBeans
• The View: JSP Pages and Presentation Components
• The Controller: ActionServlet, Action and ActionMapping
• A Struts based Web Application Control Flow
• Developing Action classes
• The Struts JSP Tags
• The Struts Form beans
• The Struts Configuration file
• Configuring Web Application Deployment Descriptors
• How to develop Struts based web application using RAD?
• The Struts API

Enterprise Java Beans (EJB) Overview

• What is EJB?
• EJB Specifications
• EJB Roles
• EJB Architecture
• EJB Servers
• EJB Containers
• Enterprise Beans
• Session Beans
• Entity Beans
• Message Driven Beans
• Home and Remote Interfaces
• LocalHome and Local Interfaces
• Session Bean Class
• Entity Bean Class
• Message Driven Bean Class
• Generating EJB Container (Wrapper) Classes
• EJB Deployment Descriptors
• The ejb-jar.xml
• WebSphere specific DD files (WebSphere Extensions)
• Packaging and Deploying beans
• Client – EJB Interaction

Web Services in J2EE Application

• What is a Web Service?
• Web Service Interoperability (WS-I)
• Web services – document style
• Web services – RPC style
• W3C Standards - SOAP, WSDL and UDDI
• Web services Examples
• Web Services End Points
• Service End Point Interface (SEI)
• Service End Points in a Web Application
• Service End Points in n EJB Application
• Web Services Deployment Descriptors
• Developing a Web Service Application

This course will be conducted using Dashcourses’ new Virtual Learning Environment classroom. We designed this industry-leading facility to provide you with a training environment that is not only economical, it is as effective and interactive as having a real live instructor standing right next to you.

Date/Time: August 11-15, 2008
Location: Your computer
More Information and to Register: http://www.dashcourses.com/public-courses.html

Training is Crossing The Chasm

In Crossing The Chasm Geoffrey Moore brilliantly described the problems of companies attempting to bring game-changing high-technology products to market.

Geoffrey described a huge chasm in the adoption curve between the Early Adopters and the Early Majority.

Early Adopters are looking for a change agent. By being the first to adopt a new technology in their industry, the Early Adopters expect to get a jump on the competition. Disruption and paradigm shifts are not just ok, they are welcome.

In contrast, the Early Majority want to buy a productivity improvement for existing operations. They want the technology to enhance existing operations without disrupting them.

High-quality online IT training is crossing the chasm today and the economy is providing the bridge.

Of course, HR and management have always been all for lowering the cost of training. Staff however have been reluctant to adopt online training because of it's early history of poor quality. Even though the quality problem has been solved by solutions like Dashcourses' Virtual Classroom Environment, the old stereotype lives on.

The early adopters have quickly realized that the Virtual Classroom Environment provides them with a business advantage: while everyone else is cutting training, they can still provide it. The result is that they will have better-trained staff than the competition. It also means they can attract higher-quality staff from their competitors.

Will the Early Majority follow suit? It depends upon the length and depth of the current economic conditions. I'll bet the Early Majority is trying to wait it out, hoping things will get back to normal so they can take that training class in San Diego. Fat Chance.

Caught between atrophying skills and an economic downturn, we expect most will give online training another look.

We understand that the old stereotypes die hard though, so we are offering a way for you to try modern, high-fidelity online training cost -free: http://www.dashcourses.com/contests/dashconnect.html

The Paradigm Shift, or Who Killed Training?

Everyone needs training, but training budgets are being slashed.

Everyone likes off-site traiing because it gets them out of the office, but companies have freezes on unnecessary travel.

If something doesn't change, high-quality training will simply disappear.

The good news is that we are seeing the beginning of a paradigm shift: Technology is making it possible to deliver high-quality, high-fidelity training at a lower cost and without travel.

Dashcourses' Virtual Classroom Environment is just such an innovative solution. Don't believe me? Come try it for free: http://www.dashcourses.com/contests/dashconnect.html

Don't Let A Tight Budget Keep You From Getting Trained

I know management is cutting your training budget, but people still need to be trained, don't they?

The beauty of our Virtual Classroom Environment is that you can get trained at a lower cost without giving up the fidelity of classroom environment. You still have the interactivity with the instructor and still have the hands-on experience.

Don't believe me? Then try one of our free Test-Drive courses: http://www.dashcourses.com/contests/dashconnect.html