Corporate Training By Zack Academy - Habitat X Regional Conference San Francisco

This Habitat X Trainers Conference will be hosted by Skyline College in San Bruno, California on December 10-14, 2012.

Skyline College is ten miles south of San Francisco and within sight of the Pacific Ocean. Skyline College boasts an idyllic campus, with facilities that are an ideal fit for a Habitat X Conference. We'll take full advantage of the campus by hosting our group sessions in comfortable, open, and bright meeting rooms that boast all the amenities to support the process of learning and collaboration. When we break into small groups each day, we'll utilize the new Solar and Building Science Learning Center and other dedicated training labs for show-and-tell that lends relevance to our learning. You won't find a better facility in which to learn about your industry, work with your colleagues, and relax.

Core Conference: December 10-13

The Core Conference includes four days of highly focused training and in-depth collaboration, beginning Monday December 10th, 2012 at 1:00 pm and continuing through Thursday December 13th at 4:00 pm. All sessions and workshops are held at Skyline College.

The Conference includes lunch and snacks each day, a hosted reception Monday night, and a catered dinner provided on Wednesday night. The registration is capped at 25 people; large enough to create a collaborative environment, and small enough that we can be responsive to everyone's skills and interests.

Our Opening Session on Monday will include a dialogue with Ann Edminster on the opportunities for a shift in perspective in the home performance industry - and exactly how that shift can be encouraged at all levels within an organization. We'll follow this thread throughout the week.

On Tuesday, we'll hear from Tiger Adolf of the Building Performance Institute on a range of subjects that revolve around certification, training, and quality control. Plus she'll bring us an update on the HVAC is the Heart of Home Performance initiative that BPI is supporting. Come prepared to engage in some honest and open inquiry into the future of the home performance industry.

On Wednesday, we'll open a dialogue from staff from  Laney College  on how they've integrated their programs in housing, energy efficiency, and renewables directly into local industry. We'll also hear from Conrad Asper of Efficiency First, formerly CBPCA, on the state of home performance industry in the region, and the most likely avenues for successful contracting firms in the future. Bring your questions.

On Thursday, we'll hear from Bill Spohn via remote hook-up. Bill has perhaps the clearest grasp of the tough technical topics of anyone in the North American HVAC field. And we'll show you just how potent these remote collaborations can be.

The early-bird cost of core conference is $895 until November 25th, with registration increasing to $995 after that. Discounts of an additional 15% are available at any time for RESNET and BPI certified professionals (enter coupon code 934815AD542A at checkout).

Everyone says that attending a Habitat X Conference has improved the way they approach their work! And that they'll be sure to attend the next Habitat X event. 

• Access to the password-protected Conference Resources Center.
• Attendance at all Trainers Conference sessions and workshops.
• Snacks, beverages, and lunch all four days.
• Hosted reception on Monday night at Edgefield.
• Hosted dinner at Edgefield on Wednesday night.
• Printed and digital copies of all materials used in the workshops, including autographed copies of Residential Energy.
• Sixteen CE credits for BPI and other professional organizations.

The focus of the 2012 San Francisco Habitat X Conference is education, with an agenda that's directed towards trainers, program managers, and customer service representatives who serve the housing industry.

The Core Conference includes four days of highly focused training and in-depth collaboration, with lunch and snacks provided each day, a hosted reception Monday night, and a catered dinner provided on Wednesday night. The registration is capped at 25 people; large enough to create a collaborative environment, and small enough that we can be responsive to everyone's skills and interests.

We've built three themes into this agenda:

• Language and Communication
• Learning Management
• Personal Skill Development

Syllabus

Monday December 10

• 1:00 - 3:00: Opening Session: Building the Framework. This the planning and brainstorming forum in which we'll lay the groundwork for the entire conference. We'll work in a roundtable format that’s managed to provide an optimum amount of information about one another, and our expectations for the event, in an efficient and timely manner. And our guest speaker Ann Edminster will give us a peek at her soon-to-be-published article Learning to Create Award-Winning Home Performance Projects.

   

  The Group Workshop, where we fine tune the agenda every morning.

• 3:15 - 4:30: Principles of Learning, a group workshop. In this workshop we'll explore the use of the Blended Learning Matrix, a curriculum design tool used to choose learning venues and optimize delivery methods. This basic process of assembling educational elements is a core skill for all educators, and one that we'll return to throughout the week.  As with every session this week, we'll provide a take-home template in both printed and digital forms so you can adapt this tool for your own work.

5:00 - 7:00: Hosted reception. After working together for the first afternoon, we'll move three miles down the hill to Pacifica for a hosted reception. The venue isMoonraker, a highly rated establishment that looks out over the Pacific Ocean. Casual attire. Dinner afterwards and on your own, with good options nearby in all price ranges.

Tuesday December 11

• 8:30 - 9:30: Daily Review, a group session. We’ll review our work from the day before, and study additional principles of adult learning. You'll also have the opportunity to stand and deliver a three-minute "flash presentation". This exercise is said to give even seasoned presenters a new-found confidence to think and speak on their feet.
• 10:00 - 11:30: Better Communication Skills, with Chris Dorsi and J West. We'll practice both written and spoken communication skills that emphasize succinct and technically accurate language. This session leverages the principles established in the Federal Plain Language Guidelines,with a focus that bridges grammar and composition. These exercises are guaranteed to make you a more critical reader and speaker of all types of writing. You'll never hear language the same again!

11:30 - 12:30: Catered lunch on campus. 

• 12:30 - 2:00: Better Training Tools, with Ben Cichowski and Bruce Greenstein. We'll visit the Solar and Building Science Learning Center, where we'll delve into strategies and means for facilitating learning in the classroom with technological tools. The emphasis will be on adapting simple, commonly available equipment and processes that accelerate learning without requiring large expenditures or advanced training.

• 2:30 - 4:00: Group meeting. This is a panel discussion and Q&A with Tiger Adolf of the Building Performance Institute and Conrad Asper of Efficiency First California, formerly CBPCA. We'll get the lowdown on some of the most important initiatives taking place in the North American home performance industry.
• 4:10 - 4:30: Group session. Wrap up and debrief.

Wednesday December 12

• 8:30 - 9:30: Daily review, a group session.  We’ll review our work from the day before, and learn about additional ways to improve your communication skills. Presentation and Q&A by staff from  Laney College.

   

  The Skyline Learning Center, a fabulous training lab that we'll use every day when learning about technical topics.

• 10:00 - 11:30: Better Images, with Ben Cichowski. In this session, Ben will lead an exploration of both still photography and video for technical training, drawing upon his expertise as a host of Weatherization TV. We’ll analyze both media with eye towards light, color, and scene -- and learn how to control these to maximize content. We’ll show you the best practices to use when you need high production values, but we’ll also learn about fast-and-easy shoots that bring the cost and ease of video down so any organization can afford this most powerful medium.

11:30 - 12:30: Catered lunch on campus. 

• 12:30 - 2:00: Excellent Instructional Design, with J West. In this session, you'll learn about the process of designing valid and effective course materials. By using examples from your own work, we'll show you how to accurately implement each step of the instructional design process: analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation.

• 2:30 - 4:00: Making Continuing Ed Relevant, with Bruce Greenstein and Chris Dorsi. In these session we’ll focus on continuing education for professionals and technicians in the housing industry. We'll focus both on the additional skills needed to move recipients of industry certifications toward true job-readiness, and on life-long professional advancement.
• 4:10 - 4:30: Group session. Wrap up and debrief.

 6:00 - 8:00: Hosted dinner. The venue is Barolo, a top-notch Italian restaurant in nearby Pacifica. Casual attire. We have a limited number of extra seats available -- contact us if you'd like to bring a guest.

Thursday December 13

• 8:30 - 9:30: Daily review, a group session.  We’ll review our work from the day before. We’ll learn how the management of both meetings and online classrooms can be optimized with web-based meeting and training tools. We'll then moderate a discussion via remote hookup with Bill Spohn of TruTech Tools on Teaching Science to Non-Scientists.
• 10:00 - 11:30: Polishing Your Skills, with Chris Dorsi. We'll take this time learn more about the skills of public speaking, group moderation, and classroom management. We'll show you how to develop a personal continuing education plan that's easily implemented, tuned to your interests, and sustainable over the course of your career.

11:30 - 12:30: Catered lunch on campus.

• 12:30 - 2:00: Flash Presentations, in small groups. We'll each make a short "flash presentation" to these groups. We'll record your presentation to video, and you'll receive private web access to the recording after the conference. These presentations are often one of the most educational and entertaining parts of the entire conference!
• 2:30 - 4:30: Wrap Up Session.  We'll evaluate the week's work through summary exercises and discussion. We’ll develop follow-on plans to provide additional support and information for everyone. We'll identify opportunities for future collaboration and cross-education.Wrap up and debrief. Adjourn.