Recently we’ve been getting more and more great feedback from our customers. We love to get feedback because it helps us develop better products and services for you, our customers.

Some customers have had trouble recently using our printable tests and answer guides. Currently, they are in XPS format which is an open and trustworthy format most useful for Microsoft Office 2007 users. Internet Explorer can view XPS documents, and there is even a free XPS Viewer software. Despite those viewing options, some of our customers don’t want to download additional software and are having trouble using the XPS files. To help those customers out, we have spent the time to upgrade our documents to PDF.

Now, all the tests, answer guides, and certificates for our EHS and MSHA DVD courses are available in PDF format. We have also added a name and date field for the tests. The new documents will be available online soon, but if you need them now, feel free to send us an email or give us a call and we can get them to you right away.

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I’ve just returned from a completely disconnected vacation outside of Moyie Springs, ID. I had no cell phone reception, no internet, and no email – it was a wonderful break but I’m back and realizing that I’ve missed a couple of blog posts. I’ll be back on top of things and posting regularly again from here out.

Upcoming events include launching our Pay-Per-View training, launching our reseller programs, launching our commercial web-based training platform, additions of new courses to our library, and updates to some of our courses such as Asbestos Awareness.

Thanks for staying tuned in!

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Representatives of Convergence Training recently visited an pulp and paper-making facility facility in Southern California to install the Convergence Server Learning Management System and Scout, the mobile training device from Convergence.

Installation of the Convergence Server LMS was quick and seamless, with most all processes completed within one day. With the Learning Management System installed on the company’s network, Convergence representatives trained the personnel at the pulp and paper-making facility to use the new system. The personnel from the facility, including members of the Training, Human Relations, and Information Technology departments, quickly grasped the concepts, aided by the intuitive design and interface of Convergence Server.

In follow-up discussions, the training staff at the facility has informed Convergence that the system is performing well under test conditions, that they are pleased with the power and ease-of-use that Convergence Server offers to them and their employees, and reports that they will convert the management and delivery of their training materials to Convergence Server in the near future.

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We’ve been working hard to create some nice visuals for our upcoming evaporator training modules. We put together a few of the concepts to get a preview and I wanted to post a video showing what we’ve got so far. Keep in mind, it will continue to be revised and improved, and the final course will combine the base models with camera movements, animations, text and professional audio to accurately describe the function and behavior of evaporator internals. Check out the preview below:

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We’ve just finished another Contractor Training project that includes over an hour of produced audio/video training. We saw some benefit to switching from compressed videos to native flash animations, so we made the switch!

Unlike our site-specific training and retail course library, Contractor Training solutions present training across the internet where file sizes make a major difference in performance. Because of this, we decided to produce all of our Contractor Training in native flash animations going forward.

Here are the benefits to using native flash format:

Smaller file size
Because compressed videos must render every frame, pixel by pixel, the file sizes increase with more animation.

Better animation capability
Because native flash animations are vector-based, they can be animated, scaled, and moved without increasing file size.

Changes are mostly transparent to viewers
The interface is the same, but the training material is delivered quicker (with less buffering) and is a higher quality.

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We’ve added some additional links on the details pages of our courses in the integrated catalog in Convergence Training Viewer. The links will show up when the course can be purchased in other formats. Most of our CBT titles are currently available in DVD format, and soon they will be available online via pay-per-view. You don’t need to perform any updates to get this feature, it will be available when CTV connects to the catalog.

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Convergence Training will soon be offering our course library in a new format – Online via pay-per-view. Customers will be able to purchase any number of views to our courses. After purchasing, we will generate tickets redeemable for course views. Simply login, enter your ticket, and take your training.

The benefits for our online courses:
– Take training anywhere internet access is available
– Only pay for the training you need
– Quickly and easily get training without complicated/expensive systems or setup
– Priced economically for today’s competitive economy

If you are interested in piloting our pay-per-view program, contact us today (info@thinkconvergence.com, 1.888.634.7346).

To see the topics currently offered in our environmental, health, safety, and msha libraries, visit our online store here.

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I’ve uploaded several samples to YouTube from one of our recent training modules – Compress Gas Cylinder Safety. The full module includes over 23 minutes of training covering subjects such as a basic description of gas cylinders, how they are used, potential hazards, and best practices for storage, transport and use of compressed gas cylinders. This module is also now included in our Online Catalog featured in Convergence Training Viewer.

This course is combined with Compressed Air Fundamentals and offered as our Compressed Air package. These individual courses can be purchased starting at $39 for the computer-based version, or $49 for the DVD version. The combo-package is only $69 for the computer-based version, and $79 for the DVD version. To purchase, visit our online store and search for “compressed”.

To view the latest samples, you can view my channel here: http://www.youtube.com/kdellavalle

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What would you do if you were managing a brand-new facility with a complicated production process and needed to get new hires, many of whom have never before worked in your industry, trained as quickly as possible?

For one paper-industry facility, the answer was simple: Install the Convergence Server Learning Management System (LMS) and have a team of Convergence’s training experts create a curriculum of training materials that cover all aspects of your highly mechanized production process.

Convergence training experts recently visited a paper-industry facility in the northeastern United States to install the Convergence Server Learning Management System (LMS) and train key personnel in the plant’s Training, Human Relations, and Information Technology departments how to use the system. Installation was quick and easy, with most processes completed in less than a day. Training sessions were held the next day, with personnel at the facility quickly grasping the functions of the powerful Convergence Server LMS due to its simple design and intuitive interface.

Another team of training experts from Convergence visited the facility to document and learn their production procedures and policies. In short order, the Convergence team designed a training curriculum which was quickly approved by the training department at the facility. Convergence then began writing and storyboarding the training modules, which will incorporate text, audio, impressive 3-D animations, still photographs, and custom graphics.

Update: The storyboards have been approved and Convergence’s team of 3-D animators are preparing the modules today; they will be released to the facility soon, once complete.

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We would like to welcome two new designers to the Convergence Training team, Caleb Tilton and Michael Reese.

Caleb and Michael bring unique design, animation, and 3d skills to our creative team and will help us continue to meet our project deadlines and business goals. Caleb is currently working on a custom visitor/vendor/contractor training course and Michael is helping us with a site-specific paper machine training project.

Check out their professional portfolios below:

Caleb Tilton – http://www.calebtilton.com (not currently online)

and

Michael Reese – http://www.mikereese3d.com

To view a short bio for Caleb, Michael, and the entire Convergence Training team, visit the “About Us” section on our website.

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Today we posted some samples of our upcoming Compressed Gas Cylinder Safety training course to YouTube. If you haven’t visited our channel before, it’s a great place see lots of samples of our training courses, demo projects, and other special projects that we take on from time to time.

Visit us on YouTube here:
http://www.youtube.com/kdellavalle

You may also notice that Compressed Gas Cylinder Safety will now appear in the Online Catalog inside of our Training Viewer. It is currently under final review and should be available to download, try and purchase very soon.

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This is an article that I was a part of writing that was published on the Paper360.org site. I posted the full article on my personal blog, and to minimize duplicate content, below you’ll find links and info on the full article.

Teaser:
Surgeons, dentists, airlines, and the US military are all using 3D models and animations to train their next generation of workers. Will pulp and paper producers be the next industry to leverage this new technology to gain a competitive advantage?

Click here to view the full article.

Click here to download this article in PDF format.

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