March, 2011

Okay, so maybe it’s silly, but I got excited when I was hand-delivered my very own copy of the brand new shiny MOS 2010 Study Guide today. Fresh off the press, this latest MOS Study Guide was authored by two Office gurus, Joan Lambert and Joyce Cox. I’ve already put my name on it, because seriously, in our offices, these books grow legs and wander fast. If you are planning to take a MOS 2010 exam on Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Outlook, this is the book for you. Check out this blog post for an excerpt about Excel formulas and functions… an area that regularly causes me headaches. Happy reading!

Born to Learn readers are great at staying up to date on new training and certification announcements through the blog, and probably through the MCP or MCT Flash as well. We've recently introduced an additional option: do a deeper dive on these topics by signing up for the Microsoft Learning mailing list. Sign up to get occasional, single-topic emails highlighting specific learning resources and find out how you can take advantage of the latest special offers. Emails will cover topics such as charting your career at the Career Portal, free e-book downloads, Career Factor developments, and more. Join the mailing list today and get the full story on the resources we offer to help you make the most of your Microsoft technology.

Exam 70-595: TS: Developing Business Process and Integration Solutions by Using Microsoft BizTalk Server 2010 is now available in Prometric testing centers. Candidates for this exam typically work as a BizTalk developer in an organization that has a need to integrate multiple disparate systems, applications, and data as well as the need to automate business processes by using BizTalk Server. Candidates should have a solid understanding of fundamental BizTalk concepts around the core messaging engine and building business processes using orchestrations. Candidates will have some exposure to larger-scale multi-server solutions and deployment/management familiarity. This core knowledge is required for BizTalk 2006 R2, 2009, and 2010. In addition...

Online tutorials are an interactive Web-based learning setting ideal for students who require maximum flexibility in their learning environment.  Students learn by using a rich system of guided, hands-on exercises and self-assessment questions.  The FAST University online library subscription complements our instructor-led (ILT) courses and is recommended as follow-on to all ILT courses. FAST University Online Library Subscription (OLS) – unlimited access 24/7 to over 50+ online eLearning courses, covering Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010 for Internet Sites (FSIS), FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint and SharePoint Server 2010 .  New online courses are added each month to the online library subscription.  Purchase of...

(Editor's Note: Lutz Ziob, General Manager of Microsoft Learning, was invited to attend the inaugural graduation of the NetHope Academy in Haiti. He spent some time in Port-au-Prince in mid-March and we asked him to write about his experience) ­ Smiling faces, beaming with pride, hope, and a true sense of accomplishment - each and every one of them. I am looking into the glowing faces of the 39 Haitian students graduating today from the NetHope Academy in Port-au-Prince. I was invited to attend their graduation ceremony on March 18 th , 2011 at the well maintained Ritz Kinam II hotel - which almost let me forget that I am in Haiti, a country deeply scarred and traumatized from the devastating earthquake that hit...

Hi All, For those who received an e-mail from me yesterday regarding the 71-599 Beta, my hugest apologies. I sent out the wrong promo code. Check your mail as the correct promo code was just sent a few minutes ago. And do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected] with any questions/concerns/etc. you may have.

Eddie thanks the people who helped him get hired, Kevin regroups for a second shot at Microsoft Certification, and Rabeb meets a a role model. Catch up on Career Factor for these stories and more. Bojan – The Aspiring Microsoft Certified Master, UK Goal: Take the MCM course and pass the Exchange 2010 MCM exam This week: It's official--Bojan is a Microsoft Certified Master in Exchange 2010! Catch up on his path to certification on his blog , and learn more about the training experience on his video page . Kevin – The Student, Texas Goal: Find a post-college job as an IT Professional This week: Kevin’s first attempt at a certification exam didn’t go well , but he’s...

In case you missed our Live Meeting for Managers on Virtual Training, you can now view the recording on demand. Moving to the Cloud Tynan Fischer introduces the various remote training options that are available and shares some of the best practices for planning and executing a successful remote training initiative. Virtual training helps organizations leverage technology and smart planning to reduce cost and increase training efficiency and effectiveness. Watch Now . Visit the IT Manager Portal for the full schedule of upcoming Live Meetings for Managers, to download meeting materials, and to view previous meetings on demand.

Last week, Erika Cravens posted a blog describing some forthcoming changes to the transcripts and certificates. She noted that the addition of the certificate number is specifically required to maintain the ISO 17024 accreditation that we hold for three of our certifications (Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Administrator; Windows Server 2008 Server Administrator; MCSA Security Specialization), and one commenter asked that we provide more information about the changes required by ISO 17024. I thought I'd take a slightly broader approach to this topic and talk about what is required to earn and maintain accreditation in general because we actually have several. First, the requirements for accreditation vary based on the accrediting body...

If you’ve earned a Microsoft Certification, you may have initially prepared by reviewing an exam preparation guide . These guides provide an overview of the focus of an exam, what certification(s) it counts towards, and candidates’ level of expertise, along with the skills measured and suggested preparation materials. To help IT professionals and developers further prepare to take an exam, we’ve recently introduced exam coaching sessions. Taught by Microsoft Certified Trainers (MCT), these sessions elaborate on what you can expect on an exam along with tips for how to prepare. Browse exam coaching sessions for: Exchanger Server SharePoint Server SQL Server .NET Framework Windows Server...

On Friday afternoon I heard about AppMkr and how easy it now was to create an app. I gave it a try and all of a sudden I found myself getting into that old 'garage project' state of mind. Exciting stuff! Yes, this was easy, and it was fun, and it was something I could do. So on Saturday morning I created an App called 'Born to Learn Reader' which is out NOW on Droid and you can get it here . It is a basic but handy reader that enables you read Born to Learn on the go. I added loads of tabs so it's really easy to keep track of our news, our events, our Career Factor show, offers and I even threw in some other great blogs. Yes, I added advertising; a man can dream and my dream is that this app makes some money. If it does...

If you’re a frequent reader of this blog, you’re probably well aware of NetHope . Microsoft has been a long-time supporter (our team in particular), helping to restore communication and IT infrastructure following disasters and helping to build capacity in developing countries. Most recently, we supported the NetHope Academy program in Haiti (more on recent developments there in a near-future post). As you might expect, NetHope sprung immediately into action following the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and as always, they can really use the help and support of those of us in the IT community. Here’s an excerpt from a newsletter I just received… if you can help, I know it’ll make a difference. “Teams in the field are telling us that communications...

We are currently gathering information for exams 70-243 and 70-242. These exams cover System Center Configuration Manager 2012 and System Center Operations Manager 2012. If you are a System Center subject matter expert, we would like to get your input. The questions will be about experience, primary use, and tasks that the qualified candidate should be able to perform. We have two online surveys available: System Center Configuration Manager: http://microsoftlearning.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_d1gDjZPYJv1SHyI System Center Operations Manager: http://microsoftlearning.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_50gGKfVbKaMqjLS Thanks!

Our friends at GITCA (The Global IT Community Association) are running a 24 hour virtual event focusing on cloud computing. Anyone can present at this virtual event and they are soliciting speakers! From what I've been told, speakers can speak about any topic they would like (cloud related of course). Speakers need to provide their contact information, address, profile, and session abstract this week. Career Factor cast member Neil Simon will be among those presenting at this very cool event. Check it out and if you are interested see the information below: On April 19 th GITCA will run a 24 hour round-the-world virtual event focusing on Cloud Computing. The speakers will be available via twitter to answer your questions. Please visit...

Please reference the updated post here for information - http://borntolearn.mslearn.net/btl/b/weblog/archive/2011/05/24/updates-to-the-transcript-and-certificate-updates-need-your-feedback.aspx Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be updating our certification transcripts and certificates, and you’ll probably notice some small but in some cases significant changes. For the full scoop and a sneak peek at the new look, keep reading! Changes to Transcripts Based on customer feedback, we’re consolidating the certifications on your transcripts, uniquely identifying each of them, and adding an inactive date where appropriate. I’ll explain in detail, but first let’s do a before-and-after comparison: ...

In a recent InformationWeek article “ Go Rogue with Enterprise Search ”, Michael Healey laments “Enterprise search is one of the most powerful but underused technologies available to IT.” He goes on to articulate why this is the case. “What's getting in the way are internal politics, understaffing, and an unwillingness on IT's part to tackle the bigger requirements that could truly change how employees find information across a company. Too often, enterprise search technology ends up pigeonholed in a single department or used on a single data set--a big but underutilized investment.” Considering that only about 10% of the companies have deployed what has been called full enterprise search, one can understand the lack of compelling business...

Microsoft has developed a special series of webcasts to help managers of IT professionals and developers get the most out of training and certification opportunities and optimize team performance. Virtual Training - How to Ready your IT Staff Anywhere/Anytime through Remote Training Wednesday, March 23, 2011 at 8:00am PST ( What time is this in my region? ) Are you facing challenges getting your staff the skills and training they need? Travel budgets slashed? Tough to find reliably running classes in the subjects you need? Have a geographically distributed workforce and need to train them in a consistent and unified way? Unable to take key resources away from the office to train them on essential skills? In this...

Last week Kevin prepared for his first certification attempt, while Caroline passed her exam with flying colors on the second try. Neil got to coding, and Simon just tried to stay awake while working hard in a new time zone. Read on for these recent stories and more from Career Factor. Bojan – The Aspiring MCM, UK Goal: Take the MCM course and pass the Exchange 2010 MCM exam This week: Catch up with Bojan’s story in his new introductory video . More videos from his 3-week Microsoft Certified Master training on the Microsoft campus will be posted in the coming weeks. Kevin – The Student, Texas Goal: Find a post-college job as an IT Professional This week: Kevin geared up for...

If you’re getting ready to take a Microsoft Certification exam for Windows Server 2008, but feel you could use a little extra help, consider watching a free exam coaching sessions. These Live Meetings are taught by Microsoft Certified Trainers (MCT) and include an overview of what you can expect to find on an exam. Exam Coaching Sessions are available for: Exam 70-640 : TS: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuring; and Exam 70-642 : TS: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, Configuring Exam 70-646 : PRO: Windows Server 2008, Server Administrator; and Exam 70-647 : PRO: Windows Server 2008, Enterprise Administrator Exam 70-659 and Exam 70-403 : Windows Server 2008 Virtualization

A couple of notes from the MIX team: UX Lightning Strikes MIX11 (April 12 – 14) We’ve lined up 12 design and UX experts to present in a new, lightning fast format. Speakers present for 10 minutes in one of three categories – Inspiring, Crafty, and Mind Bending. Slides are auto-timed and the pace is unrelenting! The result is more focused topics, more UX content and more fun than you’ve ever experienced before in a conference session. Learn more about UX Lightning sessions Internet Explorer Chief Joins MIX11 Keynote Lineup Windows Internet Explorer Corporate Vice President, Dean Hachamovitch, will join Joe Belfiore (Windows Phone) and Scott Guthrie (.NET developer platform) to keynote this year’s event...

You probably have noticed our scrolling banner on the home page along with a tab marked Training Spotlight . I hope you've all had the opportunity to explore this but if you haven't, I wanted to give you a quick rundown of this campaign. Training Spotlight highlights one course each month which we will feature on the Training Spotlight page . We've then gone to our Partners and asked them if they would be willing to provide discounts or other benefits to you the customer for this course this month. We also have various courseware authors and partners blog about the featured course to give you a better idea of the course. You can see those posts on the Training Spotlight page as well. For this month, we had Eamonn Kelly, Product...

FAST University offers both self-directed learning (SDL – on-demand) and self-paced eLearning (online) as individual tutorials or part of our online library subscription.  The FAST University online library subscription complements our instructor-led (ILT) courses and is recommended as a follow-on to our ILT courses.  They are not meant to replace our ILT courses. FAST SEARCH: Enterprise Search Training Self-d irected Learning (On-Demand): Recorded Courses with Hosted Lab Servers – Self-directed Learning is offered in an interactive web-based learning environment where students learn by doing, using a rich system of guided, hands-on exercises and self-assessment questions. Recorded Virtual Courses with Hosted Lab Servers Self-paced...

Last week, several members of the ACE team, as well as a few from PMG & BOCC, participated in the 2011 ATP Conference. The Innovations in Testing conference focuses on innovative technology and best practices in the areas of certification/licensure, clinical, education, industrial/organizational and international testing. From networking to innovative ideas, this conference allows industry peers to discuss and learn about new and innovative testing ideas and issues. This year, MSL submitted 10 proposals; 7 of those proposals were accepted. Six members of the certification development team, one member of PMG and one member of the BOCC team presented on topics related to customer communities, innovative approaches to ensuring...

What would you do if you had to travel halfway around the world on a few hours' notice? Are you ready to put your Word skills to the Expert test? Read on for these topics and more from some of the Career Factor participants. Eddie – The Do-It-Yourself IT Pro, California Goal: Transition back into the IT industry, obtain TS and PRO level certifications This week: Eddie has started his new IT job and is adjusting as quickly as possible to the full-time schedule. He’s about to get back into the certification flow and looking ahead to mentoring for his MCTS exam. Caroline – The Office Competition Contender, Canada Goal: Compete at the 2011 Certiport Worldwide Competition on Office This...

We’ll be opening registration for the following beta exam soon: 70-599 Designing and Developing Windows Phone 7 Applications As with every beta exam, seats are limited. We’ll be using our MSL SME database to recruit for the first round of beta participants. For your best chance of participating, create a SME profile by filling out the survey on the MSL SME site on Microsoft Connect. (See this post for more information.) If you have already created your SME profile, make sure that you update it to reflect your interest in taking a beta exam and your experience with Windows Phone 7. A few days before registration opens, we’ll send a notification to qualified SMEs through Connect. The notification will include...