New Year, New Offerings
DIRECTIONS – Dawn Brehm
Now let’s move onward to more new ideas and innovations.
We’ve all recently turned the calendar page to a bright, shiny new year, 2021, and it’s going to be a big one. As you may already know, it’s our 50th anniversary year (see my Winter 2021 issue column). A golden celebration like that usually comes once in a lifetime, and we’re going to celebrate accordingly.
The anniversary is just one reason that we, like you, were happy to turn the page on 2020. It was a unique, unprecedented kind of year in our experiences, and it required everyone to pull together. I am proud of the innovations that the LTEN team and members executed when called on.
However, looking back is only good if we are learning. Well, we learned, so now let’s move onward to more new ideas and innovations. LTEN has some things planned for this year that you’ll want to be involved with.
The LTEN Excellence Awards
Applications are now available at www.l-ten.org/awards, and you’re invited to stand up and be recognized. Plans are in the works for a unique recognition ceremony for our winners. We’re going to reveal those plans a little later, but now’s the time to start your submissions.
The Excellence Awards this year are expected to bring strong contenders, as your efforts to produce and execute training in 2020 have been nothing short of heroic. The work you did deserves to be recognized, and the Excellence Awards are a great way to share with and learn from fellow LTEN members.
Onboarding Assistance
The LTEN team and the LTEN Board of Directors have redesigned the LTEN onboarding offerings into a new pathway to support your efforts to develop yourself and your staff. The new pathway lays out a milestone-by-milestone map, with LTEN resources along the way to support your onboarding. To get started, simply send the new hire to www.l-ten.org/onboard/ and share a fully laid out development plan. The pathway leaves room for the addition of company provided material.
Inclusive Learning
Another innovation to tell you about is the addition of a new microlearning module to the LTEN eLearning Lounge. Adding to the previous 14 modules is Creating Inclusive Learning Experiences, a unique look at how facilitators can maximize the learning experience for everyone in the classroom. Be sure to check out this module as you are making your development plans for 2021. You can visit the eLearning Lounge at www.l-ten.org/elearning/.
Finally, we have one more new way to support you this year – by helping you find that perfect partner. To support your need to find the best supplier partners, we’ve launched a new series of Partner Preview programs, taking place most Wednesdays.
On Wednesdays, when available, our supplier partners will take control of the LTEN Zoom platform and share with you what they have to offer. This live discussion will substitute for the face-to-face meeting you traditionally had with our supplier partners, and keep you involved and engaged with the tools and solutions that you may need.
Conclusion
Innovation is a necessity in our changed world, but let’s not forget the basics. Some of the tried-and-true LTEN events are still here, including certificate programs, mixers, webinars, awards and conferences, just with a virtual twist. Be sure to take part in those programs and opportunities.
LTEN is built on a proud history of 50 years of serving our members with innovative and timely offerings. Count on 2021 to be another great year, as we start our second half-century!
Dawn Brehm is executive director of LTEN. Email Dawn at dbrehm@L-TEN.org.
