FCEFLA

FRIENDS OF CONTINUING EDUCATION

FOR REGISTERED FLORIDA LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS
27 July 2010

Memo to existing and potential continuing ed providers for Florida's landscape architects

Re: A sea change in mass education is under way, including what's called workplace continuing ed

Three epic, societal mega trends are in full swing that will forever change the way "we go to school", namely:
• the electronic miracle of the internet has now perfected two way or interactive communication to the point that the
instructional quality and efficiency of 24/7, automated electronic (virtual) classrooms far exceeds any technique ever
created for educating human beings in mass.
• a soaring demand to continually update skill sets based on a work place needs that is far,far different from what
workers of the past have needed to meet expectations and needs of employers in both the public and private
sectors.
• continuing education of the workforce is as caught up in this massive societal shift as any other form of electronic
based learning, be it for pleasure or professional advancement.

With these realities in mind, it is mandatory that maximum resources be directed to making the automated electronic
classroom the predominant method for creating informed, competitive, and productive human beings for the 21st century and
beyond. This is not to say that traditional education formats should be abandoned, quite the contrary actually.
Traditional physical classrooms, seminars at conventions, office visits by product representatives, power point slide
presentations at group events, etc should be expanded as well but remembering that a virtual internet classroom typically
processing say 2000 students with maximum efficiency is by far and away the mass educational choice of the future.

Workplace continuing education clearly seems to also be strongly trending in several distinct ways namely:
• consolidation into identifiable groups e.g. individual product/service information setup, group product
information formats, legal- administrative specialties and institutional courses that deal with new concepts of LEED
certification, design trends, ecology, etc
• cost shifting in the product/service related areas from the consumer to the provider. This is coming about
largely due to consumers reminding providers that they represent a huge no cost sales and installation service to
the provider. e.g. It is the consumer (designer) who incorporates the product into their plan, instructs the end user
via specifications on how to install it and in many cases provides supervision of installation, ALL at the consumer's
expense. Providers now acknowledge this high powered zero cost sales force and by far and large are providing
course material free of charge to the consumer (AEC Daily, Ron Blank Assoc. etc)
• national one stop exam centers. some ce consumer groups are in the early stages of creating exam centers
unique to their specialty on a national basis (health care, law enforcement, mechanical trades, etc). In all likely
hood this is the model of choice for all continuing education in the US and one that FCEFLA is strongly advocating
for registered landscape architects in the US. One clear goal we have is to get the FBOLA to join a national ce
exchange(NXCE) for landscape architects as soon as it is established.
• direct credit from provider to licensing board. Many now believe that they're huge inefficiencies in workplace
con ed due to two stop processing instead of one stop (direct credit) processing. Trades don't seem to have this
problem but many professions require that an AIA,ASCE,ASLA,ASID,ISA,etc have to "approve" a course and
require an expensive membership fee to access the "approved" courses that the provider has already had a state
licensing board approve for use. This problem is getting a lot of attention in recent years because so many
designers have had to abandon professional affiliation due to horrendous cost pressures caused by a major
economic downturn unlike any other since the great depression of the 1930's.
The working group at FCEFLA has created a blog that will hopefully create a robust dialogue on this most important topic for
all designers who require workplace continuing education. You can find it at http://fcefla2.blogspot.com/ (fcefla--Friends
of Continuing Education for Florida registered Landscape Architects). Please vet your views on any topic related to con ed
and let's get this reform process moving ahead. If you would like to originate posts on the blog then drop me your email with
a one line request for posting rights, then you can originate information as well as comment on other posts. Thanks for your
time and patience

Regards

Kent McCoy
Interim Chairman, FCEFLA
email: fcefla@usa.com
blog at http//www.fcefla@blogspot.com
cell 850 247 9073

cc
Governor Charlie Crist
Charlie Liem, Interim Secretary FDBPR
Maureen Olson, Deputy Secretary for Professional Regulation FDBPR
Juanita Chastin, Executive Director FBOLA
38 approved providers for FBOLA
selected non approved providers--AEC Daily,GreenCE.com, Invisible Structures, USGBC, Autodesk
laces--asla
flasla
ncarb-aia
asce continuing ed
asid education center
NFPPG NORTH FLORIDA PRODUCT PROMOTION GROUP
delivering the hard sell for your construction products/services to designers/spec writers/wholesalers and the retail trade
at trade shows--corporate environments--media outlets--networking circuits
services include:
▪ exhibit design-delivery-setup and management--internet hookups--backlit screens/projection/ custom neon
▪ catering expos-trade shows--private showings
▪ product brochures--samples--cd's--product videos

PARTIAL SUMMARY OF 2010 EVENTS-updated weekly

city date event contact--more info

pensacola 2010
28 july custom home builders 850-476-3294
5 aug remodelers of pensacola kelly@hbawf.com
17 aug hospitality afterhours 850-434-1234 bwilliams@visitpensacola.com
(networking-weekly)
19 aug business after hours 850-438-4081 nwebb@pensacolachamb.com
(networking--weekly)
20-22 aug home products expo home builders assoc of west fla
http://www.westfloridabuilders.com/
27 aug greeters(networking-weekly) http://www.pensacolachamber.com/Events/Events.html
850-438-4081 awebb@pensacolachamber.com
panama city 20aug buildersexpo home builders assoc of panama city
http://www.baycountyhomebuilders.org/
06 aug pc beach chamber event http://www.pcbeach.org/events/events-chamber.php
7-30pm weekly networking
bill husfelt--bay med center expansion
19 aug poker tournament--ebro's http://www.pcbeach.org/events/events-chamber.php
5-8pm-- ph 850 235 1159 for res
tallahassee 28 jul holly cpa --tax credits remodelers council of tba tallahassee builders assoc
25 aug legacy cabinet-selling up http://www.tallahasseeremodelers.com/
22sept express printing-marketing

12 aug mr rooter-epa desgn standards green building council

9 sep capelonto-desgn for pest control http://www.tallahasseegreenbuilding.com/
14 oct tall utilities-plan for gas utililities
11 nov parksite- future of solar roofs
9 dec jenkinks bricks--new brick types
3 aug leading edge weekly lunch meeting http://www.leadingedgenetworking.org/ (calender-details)
ongoing 12-1pm beef obradys
networking
25 aug tallahassee entrepreneurs network http://www.elizabethbarbour.com/classes/TEN/live-events
ongoing 5-7pm brokow mcdougal house
networking 329 n. meridan st
contact burt60@mail.com for more information
FCEFLA NEWS

PRODUCT PROMOTION-MARKETING AND SALES FOR THE INTERNET AGE

Willy Loman would roll over in his grave, God bless him where ever he is
Clearly the Internet is providing a whole new way of bringing products to market that promise to vastly improve how
merchandise and services are presented to mass markets on an individual basis. Willy Loman, the old drummer of yore, who
died with his product suitcase in hand and his slide projector strapped to his back as he was knocking on yet one more door,
is passing into history as sales forces the world over seize on a mind boggling new tool to get the message out and get the
sales moving a lot faster. It's called II or Interactive Internet.

Several techniques of II have been highly successful in product presentation:

• one on one interactive widescreen conversations allow a very up close and personal sales presentation superior in
many ways to actually being there not to mention avoiding bad breath, cheap shaving lotion, expensive travel and
bad food
• much larger audiences eg convention seminars where groups of 1500-2000 are common with the option of having
the actual product on display in one two or 30 sites at one time as the webcast is presented--a Q&A typically follows
a presentation

Go to Meeting-$50/mo--a site where one on one intimate contact enables product examination, questions, demos, etc.
http://www.gotomeeting.com/fec/images/pdf/GoToTraining_1080group_How_to_Market_Training.pdf

PGI--interactive meeting software--$40/mo

http://pgibettermeetings.com/web-conference/online-
meeting.php?source_code=C28356_BU13383_CL4228_052010&campaign+DG10C053&cid=40415&browser_tzo=240

IBM LOTUS LIVE INTERACTIVE--2 way wide screen conferences or small or large group--ideal way to demo product
https://www.lotuslive.com/en/campaigns/sesimple.php

Web X--$60/mo--demo your product on your phone screen

http://www.webex.com/