PATHWAYS: The Day After

Yes, it's over ... and we're feeling just a little drained. It should be illegal to use your brain on Sundays, anyway; so it's been a struggle to communicate more than ... four words at a ... time.

Sunny, Scott, Amy, Anita, and I boarded the Disney Magical Express en route to the Orlando Airport only to hear Disney Muzak like "Whistle While You Work." Let's just say our group was a little grumpy (sleep deprivation does that to you, scientists say). We asked the bus driver to turn the music down.

I guess there are people that suffer worse fates. Take the bus driver, for instance: He stoically announced he had listened to the same Disney soundtrack since February 2005 (some dates are worth remembering ... others are just burned into our psyche). Now that's perseverance.

Hi-ho!

- Doug

The Crescendo

As we have been preparing for Pathways '07, I've noticed that David Saedi has referred to the Gala event as "The Crescendo" so I felt that that would be the most appropriate title of my blog entry today.

My brain is somewhat foggy because I didn't get to bed until after 1 am and for some reason I wasn't able to sleep in. However...

The Gala was fantastic. It was so exciting to see the Microsoft Office student participants on stage and see the suspense as the winners were announced.

We had some great speakers from our own staff, Julia Fallon and President Shirley. I also loved seeing the Champions of Digital Literacy get on stage as they got their awards.

Here are some photos from last night.

Mariylnn King- Johnson (CDL), First Lady Mrs. Shirley and Ernest Franklin Jr (CDL).

Our friends from New Zealand, Graham Duncan and Judy Speight (CDL) with David.

Mohammed "Mo" Bakar (CDL), Rodrigo Castro (CDL), Edgardo Vargas (IC3 World Cup Winner) with David and the Costa Rica crew.

Me with Rodrigo Castro (CDL), Mohammed Bakar (CDL) and Pris Hagebusch (CDL).

All the Champions of Digital Literacy on stage.

Table P6 with Mona Bickham (IEAB), Julia Fallon (IEAB), Edgardo Vargas (IC3 World Cup Winner) and the Vergos' (IC3 World Cup Winner).

I think that we all had a great time. Today I fly back to Utah. I'm looking forward to the dry weather and not wearing high heels anymore.

- Sunny

Lights, Camera ... It's Showtime!

I love mixing common phrases.

The PATHWAYS 2007 event was a smorgasbord of cultural and digital goodness. Here are some of the highlights (in images ... hey, it's late ... brain shutting off):

The student winners of the Worldwide Competition were in a partying mood after the announcement of the World Champions. And party they did.

Marie Taylor was radiant in her evening gown.

Heather Lampo receives her award as a Champion of Digital Literacy from Certiport EVP of the Americas Lee Peters and from Certiport VP of Corporate Development Michelle Scott.

The ever-radiant Ms. Julia Fallon eloquently introduces the Champions of Digital Literacy.

This is a behind-the-scenes shot of one of the support staff working the visual presentation of the gala. After this shot, I think I actually heard him mutter, "I should take a picture of you where you work." Sure. Ever been to American Fork, Utah?

Dashing Drew was dressed in his MC best.

President Joe Shirley, Jr. was the keynote speaker for the Gala event.

Julie Allen looks on in her black evening dress. She actually handed me a Tic-Tac during the night's proceedings. From where, I know not.

The dazzling and exuberant Kiwi Judith Speate makes her way to the stage to accept her award as a Champion of Digital Literacy. I'm also happy to report that no members of the audience (or animals) were harmed during the making of these presentations ... so all in all, we did a pretty bang-up job.

- Doug

Production Time Again

I always forget how massive the preparation for the PATHWAYS Gala event is ... until I'm knee deep in it, that is. This year is no different. We have a team furiously working to make this year's event a spectacular one.

Marie is busy making final edits and additions to her speech tonight.

David is in the midst of practicing his address.

Drew is overseeing the preparations.

And John Pilmer and I are posting the world's flags in the hall. Yes, I always get the glamorous jobs ... the ones that make me stop and think, "Why are there so many countries in the world, anyway?" (You only think about these things when you have to do something like post 128 flags.) I have new rule I think nations should adopt: You can only have a new or different country when a large body of water separates you and another piece of land. Let's pare countries down to something say ... like 10. Is that do-able before next PATHWAYS?

- Doug

Day Two

Day two of Pathways has just ended (at least for me--I think that there are still several Pathwayers that are out and about).

This morning I got to meet most of the Champions of Digital Literacy in person. I was amazed at how quickly this group bonded. Although they were all from different countries and backgrounds within 15 minutes they were all talking and laughing like they were long lost friends.

The IEAB joined several sessions with the rest of the Pathways group as they attended a presentation by Microsoft and Adobe. In the afternoon Frances Bradburn presented on a pilot program that North Carolina is currently running to help encourage schools and teachers to integrate technology in the classroom. The results have been phenomenal and I really believe that they are on to something. They're providing the tools, training and encouraging collaboration and that's making all the difference on how the teachers are using technology to teach math, science, reading, etc. I look forward to the updates that she'll be providing us on her project.

At lunch I had the pleasure of awarding the IC3 World Cup winners their trophies. Our winning regional teams were Costa Rica, Taiwan and Greece. Here's a photo of me with Edgardo Vargas from Costa Rica.

Later that evening the IEAB, IC3 Cup winners and the Champions of Digital Literacy headed out to Pleasure Island for dinner at Portobello Yatch. We had a fantastic time as we all got time to bond and get to know each other. Here are some pictures of the group.

Before we headed back to the hotel we had to make a stop at the Disney store and get some souvenirs for our families. The store was right next to the Lego store. Mohammed Abu Bakar and Amy Hamblin joined me for the shopping spree. Here they are in front of the Lego dragon.

One more day left. I'm looking forward to the Gala event.

-Sunny

p.s. The lady at the front desk finally told me to "have a magical day".

Students Prep and Champion People

The Worldwide Competition is now going full boar. Students---like this one brushing up before hitting the lab---seem to have their game faces on. If I were a betting man, (which I'm not; you have to understand: The most I've ponied up in poker games are M&Ms), it would be all too easy to put my money on Singapore. They've dominated the Competition with some surprising frequency, winning last year and two years before that.

But the word on the street is that there are no clear-cut favorites this year because the test seems to be quite challenging for most of the students.

On another topic: The Champions of Digital Literacy (CDLs) this year are just outstanding people. In the short amount of time I've spent with them already, they have astounded me with their kindness and spirit. One of them, Rodrigo Castro Palma (below, left) from my madre tierra Costa Rica, was also named as the winner of the IC³ Cup. !Eso, Tico!

- Doug

Channel Track Kicks Off Pathways 2007

Hello Certiport Friends,

The "Partner Track" here at Pathways got started this morning with introductions of new team members. Jim Holm, Certiport's Executive VP of Business Development, pointed out that when he began working at the company 4 years ago, the channel team consisted of two people. Including the channel team's most recent additions (myself as Director of Channel Operations, and Jeff Randall as the EMEA Channel Manager) the Certiport channel organization is now 10 people strong.

The focus of today's partner meetings was a discussion of Best Practices used by Certiport partners from all over the globe. Six Certiport solution providers gave presentations discussing significant project wins, the processes used to secure the win, and the business impact of the win. Since the presentations covered opportunities in Mexico, Ireland, Libya, Japan, Malaysia, and South Korea, we were reminded of Certiport products' global appeal while being taught the continued importance of corporate flexibility, rapid response to market changes, and building strategic relationships in order to meet future business challenges.

During our dinner at the fantastic "Indiana Jones Experience," our annual partner performance awards were presented and the winners of the partner marketing competition were announced. ETC, our distributor in Mexico, won the marketing competition, with OCI (Japan) placing second, and Elite IT (Taiwan), In Touch (Australia), and Infotest (Greece) all tying for third place. Other award winners this evening are as follows:

Customer Service Award: ETC
Partner Preparedness Award: OCI
Most MOS Master Certifications Produced Award: Elite IT
Most Global Exams Taken Award: YBM Sisa.com

After dinner, we were allowed to stay in the park and enjoy a couple rides including the "Tower of Terror", and the "Rock 'n Roll Rollercoaster." It was a great way to end a great day.

Posted by:
Allen Logue
Director of Channel Operations

Indiana Jones and the Temple of PATHWAYS

Certiport and its guests starred in MGM's reproduction of "Raiders of the Lost Ark." (Actually, some of Certiport and its guests starred ... others of us sat back and laughed.) In fact, some of us learned for the first time that Lee Peters is quite light on his feet, and Jeff Randall can go zero to spastic in 1.2 seconds.

And then there's Sunny and my mildly ridiculous attempt to photograph each other at the same time (Here's Sunny ... see me below):

Indy, on the other hand, was stud he always has been. Not only did he kick the trash out of the bad guys; he also had time to hang out with the babes afterwards.

Some guys have all the luck.

- Doug

Day 1

Today was the official first day of the conference. At breakfast it was so great to see the friends that I hadn't seen in some time. I'm looking forward to spending more time with them as the conference progresses.

I met with the IEAB for pretty much the entire day. Julia Fallon, one of our IEAB members presented a session on "Reaching and Teaching the Digital Native". The information that she presented was fascinating. She introduced us to a new term called "Millenials" which in essence describes the "Digital Native" who is anyone that was born after 1980. We discussed how do we should embrace the technology tools that are at our hands and leverage them as teaching tools. The message that Julia left with us was that we all need to be co-learners and learn these tools with the students. This was an exciting topic and I definitely look forward to the white paper that we will produce out of this discussion.

In the afternoon we delved right into the IC3 2005 standards. We reviewed the objectives and discussed what may be considered no longer relevant and what new and emerging technology and skills do we need to look at to incorporate into the new standard. It was fascinating to hear the group's feedback. I think that most of the updates will happen within Living Online based on our discussion. We did discuss in some detail whether or not incorporating social responsibility (e.g. what's appropriate to post on a blog or your MySpace page) should be considered as a part of digital literacy. There were some interesting observations regarding this topic.

Here are some photos from today's working sessions:

Jon Haber, Julia Fallon and Lynedon Van Ness

Julia Fallon working her stuff

We ended the night at MGM Studios where they did an Indiana Jones show for us and even incorporated the show while we were eating dinner. I thought that it was a very creative way keep us entertained and while we ate. I certainly did not pay attention to how much I was actually eating so now in my hotel room I'm feeling slightly too full.

Susan Sambol and I right before the show

Doug Anderson taking a picture of me as I am taking one of him at the same time (this will seem dumb if he does not post the picture of me taking one of him)

-Sunny

And We're Off ...

PATHWAYS was kicked off with its usual style and pizazz today (well ... no fireworks this time, but the large screen was still very much large and imposing). Master of ceremonies Drew Williams (below) provided partners, students, instructors, and other invited guests with a formal welcome and a 150-year-old Chinese coin, which will double as the ticket to the Indiana Jones show at MGM Studios tonight.

Drew - Ceremoniously Master of PATHWAYS ... kinda like Lord of the Rings.

Chinese Entrance Coin - Old Indy is getting rather lazy in his old age. These days we just give him the artifacts ... who wants to spend time digging it up?

The folks at Disney have been gang-busters. They're so on the ball. The service and the spreads have been great. If you've ever wondered, "What kind of a Mickey Mouse operation is this?" Well, you should know, Mickey runs a pretty tight ship.

- Doug

Finally---Orlando!

Thank goodness I'm finally here. There is nothing like travelling to make you feel completely exhausted for really not doing anything.

I forget how green and lush Orlando is. And there are bodies of water everywhere. I'm afraid I might inadvertently step in one without a life preserver. Also, palm trees seem to spontaneously grow like weeds everywhere.



These two just grew outside the front door of my hotel room overnight. I think there is a whole Disney gardening crew that just spends all day weeding these things.

Have a Magical Day!

Today we arrived in Orlando as Pathways begins tomorrow. The event is being held at the Disney Contemporary Hotel--the same place where Pathways was held in 2005. The one thing that I remember is that every employee there told me to "have a magical day". It was quite comical the first time I heard that because who really says that to people?

As I checked in, I waited for those magical words to be spoken to me as I departed the check in desk but all I got was "you can take a left to get to the elevators". I'll have to admit, I was slightly disappointed.

I'm looking forward to seeing our partners and friends tomorrow. We have a lot of great content that I'll be covering with the International Education Advisory Board. I'll keep you posted!

-Sunny

Plant Your Seed of PATHWAYS

As I'm packing some items in my cube, my mind is wandering a bit. The PATHWAYS Conference typically uses a lot of symbolism. This year's theme "Transforming Lives Amid Global Change," will use the symbol of a seedling (such as could be placed in the below pot) blossoming into something much greater.

I actually have this symbol playing out in my own cube!



The little plant is full of potential while the larger one has realized its dreams (ignore the construction going on in the background). My co-worker Faith (whose plants these are) said she even noticed something sprouting from the top of the larger plant. Yes, it's bearing fruit (or flowers or something ... I'm not a plant guy).

Is there a lesson to be learned here? Maybe we all are like the little plant trying to grow up to become more like the big plant (although I'm pretty sure the this little plant won't grow up to be like the large one. Wait ... hmm ... yup, I'm sure now).

- Doug

New Blog & Travel-sized Toiletries

This is the kick-off entry to the new PATHWAYS Blog. Before, during, and after Certiport's international conference in Orlando, Florida, we'll keep you up to date on the latest goings-on (I love using that phrase ... heh, heh ... goings-on).

In fact, I'll get a little help reporting PATHWAYS from the following folks:

• Sunny Washington - reporting on the International Educational Advisory Board (IEAB) track
• Allen Logue - reporting on the Partners track
• Anita Osbourne - reporting on the Instructors track
• Denece Mikolash - reporting on the Student Competition track
• Doug Anderson - I'll be making general entries from time to time

Now that we are T-minus two days and counting until PATHWAYS begins, I've already started on my list of stuff to bring along. One of the recent carry-on travel restrictions includes bans on certain quantities of gels, liquids, and aerosol devices. This doesn't bode well for the world of toiletries.

I actually learned this the hard way a month ago when I flew for the first time in a year. Airport security took my bottle of moisturizer. It was a small bottle and only had a few days worth of moisturizer, anyway ... but still: Couldn't they just gauge the amount of the contents before tossing it? Another colleague on the same trip had a similar problem with a bottle of hair gel. His dilemma became much more obvious throughout the conference when his hair began to resemble Albert Einstein's during his unkempt later years. Yeah, it wasn't pretty.

OK ... and I'll admit it: I'm a germaphobe. And because of I can't take my trusty bottle of Germ-X with me to the airport (a god-send for parents, germaphobes, and parents who are germaphobes), I may be left languish in the germ-ridden merry-go-round we call the airport.

(I guess I could always buy a new, travel-sized version of Germ-X. Hmm ... now my inner cheapskate is battling it out with the germaphobe.)

- Doug