DACS General Meeting
April 2013
Meeting Review:
Laura Nute of Lynda.com©

By Annette van Ommeren

You know the feeling..  Stress and frustration set in as you try to learn new software and the deadline is looming.
But wait.. There’s help!
Log onto Lynda.com® and find clarity, answers, and relief in the multitude of online teaching courses - one of which is sure to save the day. How does this “online learning” really work, and is this for YOU?

At the April general meeting DACS welcomed Laura Nute, the North East representative for Lynda.com® ®.  She treated us to a comprehensive presentation about the organization, including a short history, a demonstration of the web interface, and comments about the future direction of the company.

With over 2.5 million subscribers and an inventory of over 94,000 teaching videos, Lynda.com® ® has become a leader in the online learning environment.  The high quality of the teaching videos, the accessibility and the ease-of-use attract members such as individuals, businesses of all sizes, schools, universities, and governments.

Laura gave us a glimpse into the company’s beginnings. Lynda Weinman, co-owner and founder started as a book publisher in 1995. She saw a need for teaching tools in the early days of digital Desktop Publishing and web development, and her colorful and easy-to-understand software instruction books were hugely popular. The company followed up by expanding into a ‘bricks and mortar’ training facility offering live classroom courses. However, after 9/11 and the “.com” bust in the early 2000s, the demand for classroom education slowed and people resorted to self-study at home.  With the ever growing trend of online video use, new technology and wider availability of broadband, Lynda believed online-video courses to be the most effective way to reach her students. The Lynda.com® website has expanded ever since, and offers several subscription plans giving access to every conceivable software or technique title, with the entire library accessible under a single subscription.

We were treated to a tour around the Lynda.com® website interface. Laura explained how courses are organized, and how they can be found – by subject, software name or author. At the request of an audience member, she entered a search term to find where this might be covered in a course. The results highlighted the search words found in the text transcripts of a course video best matching that specific search term.

She also showed us several useful options, such as creating bookmarks, sharing playlists, editing video player preferences, submitting feedback, and the ability to send a question. One can even download a nice printable Certificate testifying all videos in a given course have been viewed!

Courses can be watched and reviewed anytime, anywhere with a broadband connection, including on mobile devices. (m.Lynda.com®) An iOS App is also available. There are no tests required, no exams, no pressure or stress! Not only do the videos show hands-on techniques with software simulation, but word-by-word text transcripts are available, as well as downloadable exercise files used in the course. (Access to the exercise files usually requires premium membership.)  Presenting the information in multiple forms (visual/audio/text) allows the user to absorb and understand the content in the most effective way.

New courses are added almost daily, and subscribing to the newsletter alerts one to the latest offerings. As soon as major software updates are released to the public, chances are Lynda.com® already has a course ready for viewing. However, Laura assured us that Lynda also keeps quite a few legacy courses available - if those older software versions might still be in use. (Even as far back as Photoshop 6, released in 2002!)

Laura also played one of their “The Creative Spark” videos. These beautifully produced short documentaries are meant to inspire and ignite our own creative spark. They give us a glimpse into the minds and processes of a few of the over 300 teachers, all experts in their respective fields.

Laura wrapped things up by telling us that Lynda.com® recently acquired www.video2brain.com, a European online learning organization with many similarities to Lynda.com®. This will allow Lynda.com® to branch out into the European and worldwide market, with courses offered in different languages such as German, French and Spanish.

There are other large online education organizations on the internet, but what sets Lynda.com® apart is the emphasis on making learning fun, intuitive and accessible. The amount of information available on the website – for less than $1/day – is quite staggering.  Take a look at all the course offerings (http://www.Lynda.com® /software/all), view a couple of the free videos offered on each course, and sign up for a 7-day trial* (www.Lynda.com® /trial/plans) to start enjoying the benefits of Lynda.com® .
*Remember to actually cancel the membership if you do not wish to continue.

Many thanks to Laura, her engaging and informative presentation gave us a thorough understanding of the benefits of Lynda.com® and online learning.