RSS
 

Archive for the ‘AWCA Notes’ Category

Update on All Things AWCA

08 Nov

Project Status

Where to begin. This year has been filled with so many projects and things coming to fruition that sometimes it seems like a mish-mash. It has taken a lot of prioritization to keep it going, and now it is time to fill you in on a few things.

New Website

First up is a new website. Based in WordPress in order to take full advantage of a true content management system, I have been working with professional designer Shawn Hesketh of LeftLane Designs. AWCAOnline has never really looked or operated the way I wanted or as it needed to, so with Shawn’s expertise of capturing what I have always envisioned, the new site is created and I am populating it.

Admittedly I am quite excited for you to see it. Every time I access the admin page to go to work (which is daily), I really wish it was there right now for you. However, a bit of patience goes a long way. Very soon you will see the latest release, as well as having some new materials to train with.

Along the way, Shawn has also re-designed the AWCA logo. Using the current one as a foundation, the new one really captures the spirit of Wing Chun plus our location, Phoenix. You really need to check out his work. You will not be sorry.

New Weblog

With the new website, you will also see a new weblog. The current look will go away and you will see the weblog looking the same as the new website itself. I wanted both to emulate each other and Shawn’s expertise made that happen. When everything is ready, the weblog here will be archived and then copied over to the new one so that nothing is left out (after all, we don’t want to suddenly lose 4 years of postings, right?)

I have also decided that in order to streamline the entire AWCA eMedia offerings, I will be discontinuing the AWCA Notes newsletter and moving everything right here.

There is a lot to be said for having a newsletter, but let’s face it: I am far too busy to keep it all going by myself. The eBooks, our Distance Learning Program, our YouTube channel’s monthly videos, updating all media with a standard template… it will be a while until everything is finished up. It is a lot to work on for just one person so in order to maintain everything and keep it moving, I will be creating a special section on our new weblog that includes all back-issues of the newsletter.

I will also be posting the free eBooks that you would get if you signed up for our previous newsletter, and beginning in January 2012, I will be posting the monthly issue directly to the weblog. Having one location for everything will most definitely make it easier not only for myself, but also for you.

New Distance Learning Program Methodology

This one is still being developed so rather than release some of our “secrets” to everyone, suffice it to say that a brand new delivery method is being developed and will make everything else look like grade school. When completed, it will become as close to a full online university as I can realistically make it.

Got your attention with that one, eh? Good! Because when all is said and done, the AWCA is once again leading the way for providing real-world training resources using tomorrow’s technology.

Volume 4: Biu-Tze

Now then. On to Volume 4.

Work continues and I have finished sections 1 and 2 completely. Section 3 is about 1/3 done with photos and videos, and then it is on to finishing up the testing sections for each area. To be honest I would probably leave out the testing for now so that I could get it to you sooner and then put them back in with a later revision. However, the Progress graphics would then be off and the entire project would be sub-par.

Therefore, give me a bit more to finish it up. The new website has taken some of that priority away because quite frankly, it was a paid project that needs completing. The sooner it is finished up, the sooner it can be migrated over and made available. At that point I can put full-time work into finishing up Volume 4 and moving on to Volume 5.

Volume 5: Muk-Yan-Chong

Volume 5′s manuscripts are completed for all eight sections, and now I am working on putting the storyboard scripts together for the lengthy photo and video shoots that will be needed. Volume 5 will not come out until Volume 4 is made available, and since I do not have an ETA for releasing Volume 4 just yet, naturally there is no ETA for Volume 5, either.

Volumes 1-3 eBook Training Series

All three volumes of our current ETS series have been moved to a brand new template in order to match Volumes 4 and 5. I wish you could see it right now because you will be very happy with the standard look across the board, not to mention the load time. The entire series was re-reviewed by various colleagues in the distance learning education field and with their suggestions, the whole scope of the eBooks was re-worked.

For example, the Table of Contents is now a direct portal to every page. In addition to standard navigation and buttons, the TOC is a great tool. Accessible from every page and logically numbered, the entire scope meets with all aspects of the updated 2011 Adult Learning Theory principles and guidelines.

In short, the eBooks are completely new from the ground up and are now the way I wanted them to be. They are being updated in tandem with Volume 4 because when I get tired of doing the same thing on one, I move to the other in order to keep work going forward.

______________________________________________________________________________

As you can see, there is a lot going on and work continues. It will always continue until everything is finished up. Previous customers will always receive notice when an eBook they purchased is updated and ready for download, so no worries there. You will not be left in the dark!

For others, check back here weekly for a new update as to where I am with everything. It is all coming to fruition so it is an exciting time at the AWCA!

 
No Comments

Posted in AWCA Notes, AWCAOnline, eBooks and eMedia, General

 

What’s Up With the Weblog?

24 Aug

New Addition

As mentioned previously, I am working through a new script that will secure a part of our AWCA Weblog in order to serve as a repository for our study guides, training videos, etc. I currently have a secured area on the primary AWCAOnline website but have opted to move out of HTML and into a WordPress-formatted website, including the add-ons for our members-only area.

The preliminaries are very exciting and I must say that having a professional site built to my specifications is a real pleasure to work with. I have always created AWCAOnline myself and it did the job pretty well. But admittedly, I needed to step up a bit to today’s growing media trends in order to meet the needs of not only what our customers want, but also what myself and my students/staff need for their training.

As you know, we have students all over the world, and while our training camps bring us all together, not everyone has that opportunity. Therefore, the new site incorporates a true classroom section that includes streaming video, video archives, step-by-step assistance, and the most complete and up-to-date virtual classroom environment currently available today.

A lot of work (as well as money) has gone into this project, and the beginning phase of testing has just completed. The site works very well with multiple connections and in multiple countries, and now it is a matter of securing the weblog so that I can continue writing articles for the general public yet also keep a portion secured solely for my students and staff.

Admittedly, you have seen nothing like what you are going to, and I do not mind telling you that if it was me? I would definitely be joining the AWCA DLP to take advantage of what is coming. It is that good! I know, not very humble, but I am very excited to be pioneering a great deal of this media and in a way that I know will bring more robust and effective training to all WC/VT/WT practitioners around the world.

Stay tuned for what is coming and more news as I reach a closer release date.

 
No Comments

Posted in AWCA Notes, Distance Learning Program, eBooks and eMedia, Video Training

 

AWCA Notes

19 Aug

What Happened to the Newsletter?

As many of you know, I have been so busy with all of our projects lately and working to finish up Volume 4: Biu-Tze that our newsletter, AWCA Notes, has not been published for over a year. That is a disappointment, too, because I truly love writing and producing it.

So before we go on, let me say that I have no plans of dropping it. Instead, I will be making it available again starting January 2011. The big question is how it is going to be delivered.

What started out as a simple text-only newsletter eventually grew into a full-featured HTML format with photos and videos. Delivery was a simple sign-up process and then evolved into downloading a newsletter reader (which prevents email services from flagging it as spam and keeping you from missing the issues). I sure do love the newsletter reader for a variety of reasons, but to be honest, I need to consolidate the various programs I use and simplify things so that delivery is consistent and uninterrupted.

After going through the programs and realizing what needed to be done, I have decided to drop the newsletter reader and return to email delivery. While we will have to take our chances with the email services, it really boils down to ensuring the management of content. I thought about moving the newsletter here to our weblog, but I believe that certain areas need to remain exclusive to those that sign up for the newsletter and want to take that extra step in their training.

Our eBook customers also know that delivery of usernames and passwords is a manual process, so I have been working to automate that. As luck would have it, the program being used to automatically deliver access information includes a full-featured newsletter delivery system, so this program will be used to manage both. Not only will everyone be able to receive their access information immediately after purchase, but they will also have a double opt-in function to sign up for AWCA Notes and begin receiving their monthly issues via the same service.

For the moment, you can still download and check out AWCA Notes via the newsletter reader. The issues stop at 2009 and beginning January 2011, the newsletter reader will be replaced with a sign-up section to begin receiving the newsletter via email.

I am hoping that this move will greatly increase productivity and that the email services will be kind to us. Keep your fingers crossed that they will, and look for the newsletter being available again in January. It will be a great feeling to begin producing it again!

 

 
No Comments

Posted in AWCA Notes

 
« Older Entries