Certiblog

U.S. Gov Shares Thoughts on Internet Safety

A new brochure issued Dec. 15 by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) can help give educators some insight into the mind of the Feds when it comes to Internet safety regulations. Entitled "Net Cetera: Chatting with Kids About Being Online," the brochure gives parents (or parental figures) tips on talking to teens about cyberbullying, sexting, and privacy issues.

Why is this applicable to educators? While written to parents, the booklet was unveiled at a Washington D.C. middle school a few days ago. Certainly, the ideas presented in it help give educators some indication as to the Internet safety programs that will be required with future E-Rate funding.

Also, it might be interesting to compare how the Fed's suggestions for Internet safety compare with the test objectives of Certiport IC³ Global Standard 3. The updated certification, with Internet safety additions, was released earlier this year.

Tech Issue Buster: RAM

After a prolonged hiatus, Tech Issue Busteris back to outline the top customer service issues facing Certiport Testing Centers. Last time, we tackled the ins and outs of administrative rights for installing/un-installing software.

This time, we're hitting—in Maverick speak—"the need for speed:" RAM. The RAM requirement for computer systems used to administer MCAS or Microsoft Office 2007 certification exams is 1 GB. Every other exam needs 256 MB or above for peak performance.

These requirements are largely dictated by the Office 2007 software leveraged in the exams, says Josh Sommer, Certiport customer service support liaison.

"If you don't have the 1 GB Microsoft requires, [the exam] will throw up an error message," he said. "It will not run. You cannot proceed until you have a gig put in."

The problem was ... more of a problem a year ago or so when most centers were making the leap to Office 2007 without the hardware to do it properly, Sommer said. That's changing with continuing advancements in the speed of the typical CPU. Today, practically every testing center can avoid the RAM "Danger Zone" (sorry, couldn't resist) with their next system upgrade.

Certification Looks Even Better in a Recovering Economy

This should probably go under the "I guess we already knew that" category; nonetheless, I always enjoy confirming what I thought I knew. (Does that mean I'm insecure?)

In CertMag's annual "Certification Salary Survey," 20 percent of the publication's survey respondents had passed their first certification in 2009 (up from 17 percent last year and 12 percent in 2007). Even more interesting, 37 percent added a second certification this year and 18 percent added more.

Seems like a pretty popular way to help yourself stand out.

Our own studies confirmed that,too. I love symmetry.

You Want Competition, I Mean 'Real' Competition?

No, this ins't a plug for a professional sports league. Those folks can keep their multi-million dollar salaries and outrageous endorsement contracts. That's right. I'm talking about the spine of society, the people that move the wheels of the system ... or innovate a new system entirely.

They might not run the world tomorrow, but maybe they'll be running their own business or running for office. They certainly learned how to compete and how to work as a team somewhere. Maybe, like the kids at Eastern High School in Louisville, Kentucky, they learned how to do both by competing in IC³ World Cup.

The teachers at Eastern (above) have helped inspire the students to compete against each other and against other schools around the world in IC³ World Cup. And it paid off. Last year, Eastern won the IC³ Cup against a host of teams from the U.S. and from other countries.

Read more about them here.

Workers that Stayed Hurt by Lingering Recession

Two studies released earlier this month say that employees are growing discontent and restless in the wake of a global recession that may be improving ... but not quick enough. Firms Right Management and Finnegan Mackenzie got responses from hundreds of executives and rank-and-file workers alike who indicated their companies' belt-tightening has them feeling neglected.

Some are starting to look elsewhere for work.

“Employees are clearly expressing their pent-up frustration with how they have been treated through the downturn,” Douglas Matthews, president of Right Management, said in a statement. “While employers may have taken the necessary steps to streamline operations to remain viable, it appears many employees may have felt neglected in the process. The result is a disengaged and disgruntled workforce.”

For companies that have gotten away from employee training programs during the recession, it might be time to take a look at cost-effective ways to support your employees' career goals. Certification is a proven option to build skills and loyalty.