When I coordinated the continuing education program at the University of West Florida back in the late 1970s and early 1980s, this type of instruction was seen as a very hands-on reality. A small sampling of the classes I offered might include:

•Basic Photography

•Beginning Guitar

•Oriental Cooking

•Yoga

And of course…Disco Dancing!

You might be able to guess which of my classes almost always had the most students during that era, but I will drop the hint that a whole lot of people were putting up their “boogie shoes.”

These classes pre-dated the convenience of the Internet era and, at first glance, it may seem that “going online” might not have fit into the overall picture. However, I can say in no uncertain terms that I would have LOVED being able to offer my continuing education students an online instructional component back in the day. It would have been an ideal situation to combine well-conceived, well-structured online instruction with the obvious hands-on instruction required for a class like Disco Dancing. Heck, even I might have been able to pick up the steps!

Well, this is the 21st century, and School Training Solutions (STS) is way ahead of the curve when it comes to providing the best in online training to go with that necessary hands-on experience. Well-conceived and well-structured, indeed!

One of the best examples of this is the comprehensive online bus driver certification course offered by STS. This course is organized to meet state mandated in-service training requirements for school bus operators and also meets the professional development training needs of transportation specialists serving school districts.

Drivers taking this course move through step-by-step, self-directed online instruction that is light years ahead of the old classroom approach in its speed and flexibility, but they also slip behind the wheel of a school bus for their required hours or hands-on training. A win-win blended learning experience!

Translating this to my 1970s reality, it would be like offering a disco dancing class that showed you those legendary dance steps online while you marked out your moves in the living room. By the time you got to the studio, you’d be ready to show your instructor (the one with the wide collars, bell bottoms and gold chains) that John Travolta had nothing on you. Ah, nostalgia!

More and more school districts are signing on with STS as word has gotten out about the bus driver certification course and many other STS online training options.

In this fast-paced information age, staying ahead of the curve is all part of “stayin’ alive.”

Andrew Metzger

Guest blogger

School Training Solutions

As you prepare to equip your students with the appropriate knowledge and skills, what training do you need to make sure you are ready for the upcoming year?

School Training Solutions (STS) offers online professional development courses to meet your yearly training requirements and ensure you are armed with the tools needed for a successful school year.

A few of our most popular courses include:

• Stress Management
• Time Management
• Sexual Harassment Awareness
• Conflict Resolution for Adults
• Medical Emergency Awareness
• Bloodborne Pathogens
• Identifying and Reporting Child Abuse

Every 51 minutes someone is killed in a drunk-driving crash. Over the Labor Day weekend those fatalities increase to 1 in every 34 minutes. Drunk driving is one of the deadliest and most often committed crimes, yet it is preventable. In a nationwide effort to end drunk driving and save lives, police will be aggressively targeting drunk drivers from August 15 through September 1, as part of the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign. This campaign aims to increase public awareness and provide highly visible enforcement, in order to decrease the number of drunk drivers on the road. School Training Solutions (STS) urges you to spread the message, and take some simple steps to prevent a tragedy. Plan ahead and designate a sober driver.

For more information, visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website at www.nhtsa.gov.

School’s starting back up, and that means so are the buses. As you prepare to safely transport our children to and from school each day, what training do you need to make sure you are ready for the upcoming year?

The National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) offers online certification courses as part of the professional development series, to meet your yearly training requirements and ensure you are armed with the tools needed for a successful school year.

To view the entire catalog or obtain more information, visit click here.

Almost every revolutionary trend that ripples through the modern world—especially those with a technological basis—gets its initial toehold among the younger members of society. Online education provides an excellent example.

High school and college-age students have been on the e-learning bandwagon for well over a decade now. To the vast majority of teens and 20-somethings, there is nothing odd or somehow inferior about taking a course online. Web-based education is seen as being every bit as valid as classroom education. In fact, it is often viewed as the more effective, more desirable method.

One of my tasks in working for Smart Horizons—the parent company for School Training Solutions (STS)—has involved interviewing both students and educators about their experiences with STS and another great Smart Horizons program called Career Online High School. One comment I’ve heard more consistently than any other focuses around how much better it was to take classes online where a person can move at their own pace in their own space without the distractions and inconveniences associated with most classroom experiences.

Many students with whom I’ve spoken had all but given up on their educational and/or training goals until they finally got out of traditional classroom settings and got online.

Now for that trend I’ve spotted among friends, acquaintances and colleagues.

A few years ago, many members of the “older generation” (middle-aged and beyond) were not prone to see online coursework as a valid form of education. They had grown up in classrooms, so to speak, and there was just no way taking classes online could possibly substitute for sitting at your desk during the specified time interval with a teacher standing in front of you. In fact, during my 11 years as an administrator at Pensacola State College (PSC), I have frequently heard such sentiments spoken by members of the PSC faculty.

Then, and it seemed to happen almost overnight, I stopped getting these vibes from the over-40 crowd. I call this the “trickle-up” effect. Often, those of us who have passed a certain age are hauling around a lot more psychological baggage than youngsters who tend to be a sponge for all things new and innovative. That baggage can be quite a barrier, but it is one well worth tossing aside!

Now, more and more, I hear people who are well into their professional careers talking excitedly about how e-learning opportunities can either enhance their current employment situations or serve as a catalyst to launch them in entirely new directions.

And yes, members of the PSC faculty seem to have reached a point of complete acceptance of online classes as a vital component of 21st-century learning.

I might add that STS is a great place to start!

Andrew Metzger
Guest blogger
School Training Solutions