Posts from — May 2008

One of my original purposes for starting this blog was to help people to find resources to help obtain IT certifications. In this article, I would like to highlight one such resource.

Train Signal is a company that creates and sell IT Training videos. They have over 38 titles covering Microsoft, Cisco, CompTIA, and VMWare. Train Signal provided me with a review copy of SharePoint Server 2007, one of their latest titles. Also included was Intro to Windows Server 2008, a promotional video which contains training an some basic topics of the new operating system as well as an introduction to their upcoming Windows Server 2008 titles.

The first thing that impressed me was the bio of the instructor, Benjamin "Coach" Culbertson. Coach Culbertson has the usual credentials that you see in instructor bios. What stood out to me was that he served a two year tour of duty as an inner city high school teacher where he motivated at-risk students to achieve excellence. As an instructor, myself, I realized that this guy has to be good to be able to impact students the way he did!

For the SharePoint title ($199.95), there are 22 videos, each running approximately a half hour each, on two CD’s (10+ hours of training). The videos cover both Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS 2007). When you insert the CD, a flash based menu runs showing you the video titles. When you click on one of the title, your web browser opens with the video embedded in a web page.

As I watched the videos I was not disappointed. Mr. Culbertson’s style is very easy going and informal. To setup each video and to illustrate concepts, Mr. Culbertson starts out with slides created in Microsoft One Note. (Frankly, I think Microsoft ought to thank Mr. Culbertson for demonstrating how useful One Note can be ) The rest of the video is demonstrations of the actual software in use. When it comes to installation and configuration, you are shown each field and get an explanation of what the settings actually do. The training will prepare you to take the associated certification tests, but also prepares you to actually be able to support the products in a real world situation.

Another feature that I liked is that the videos are all linked to a business scenario. For the SharePoint video, you are an employee of Verde Petra Publishing. The company wants to move away from using email as a collaboration tool. You have been charged by the CIO to implement Windows SharePoint Services. If that trial is successful, then you will implement Microsoft Office SharePoint Server.

A video on how to setup your own lab is also included. This is great if you want to duplicate some of the training on your own. Also, all of the instructor’s slides are included in a PDF file, which you can also print out and use to take notes, if you wish.

The included Intro to Windows Server 2008 contains some good training to help familiarize you with the new operating system. Although I am not doing a full review of this title, I was impressed with a feature that I hope will make it into all of the titles in the future. Not only were the videos for Windows Media Player included, but also formats for MP3 players and iPods. This makes the training more portable for users to review the material.

If I had to point out any negatives, it would be the interface. The flash menu is OK and it does give you a good overview of the contents of the CD. I would prefer an overview of the whole course as opposed to just the contents of the CD. When you click on a video to play, a bare web page opens with only an embedded video player. There is nothing on the page to allow you to switch videos or even just go to the next video. Although the interface was not as good as I would have liked, I find this to be a minor point, since the training itself, is excellent quality. The interface included with the Intro to Windows Server 2008 title is somewhat improved. Although you have to run a setup file, the new viewer is more useful. The video now pops up in its own custom viewer. On the left are bookmarks for some of the important parts of the video. There is an icon for viewing in full screen, but it did not seem to work on my system. Also, there is still no way to advance to the next video from the viewer.

Overall, I found this title to be a great value. The trainer and the training are both great quality. The training you will find in these videos are as good as the best training that you will find in any instructor led class. The video format is flexible - you can watch it when you have the time (even during your lunch hour) and review a portion as many times as you want. You also do not have to be "Out of the Office" for a week.

If you want to check out samples of training videos from Train Signal, go to TrainSignalTraining.com. To purchase videos, go to TrainSignal.com. Train Signal will also be at Tech Ed 2008 IT Pro, June 10-13. I have been told that they will be making an important announcement at Tech Ed. If you stop by Train Signal’s booth, tell them you read about them at ITCertPro.com!