Tag Archives: Development

The Wish Book, All Grown Up

Posted on by Judy Unrein
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chemistrysetWhen I was little, the day the Sears Wish Book arrived at our house was one of the best of the year. Second only to Christmas, even… My sister and I would eagerly page through the book for weeks, picking out what we were going to ask Santa for.

It’s with somewhat less anticipation that I make my yearly requests for new software, but the shopping researching is still fun.

I know I’m not going to get everything I ask for (particularly not the Deluxe Chemistry Set), and yes, it will all be tied to the company’s business needs blah ROI blah etc increasing productivity blah etc. But having said that, I’m wondering…

What was on your software wish list this year?

Sometimes It’s “Its”

Posted on by Judy Unrein
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apostropheApparently, I need to renew my P.O.E.M. membership, because I didn’t know it was National Punctuation Day yesterday until I saw something about it on Facebook (and by then it was too late at night to post again).

But it gives me the opportunity to rant about an error that I see every single day now: the confusion between “it’s” and “its” (and general bad application of apostrophes in written communication of all kinds).

I feel it’s relevant to us as IDs because our writing needs to be nearly impeccable, and I don’t know many of us who have the benefit of a copyeditor. But I’m also pleading to you as learning professionals: does anyone know of a catchy way to teach the difference between “it’s” and “its” — or do you have a shorthand that you use to remember it?

Free Today – QuizCreator 3.0

Posted on by Judy Unrein
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I’ve never used this software, but Free is one of my favorite words, so I’m going to try it out. It looks like this offer is available until 2 AM Central, 9/11/09.

QC_box_120

You have to download and install it before the offer expires, but according to my reading, you will then have a fully-functioning copy of this software. Here are the limitations, from the enclosed README:

1) No free technical support
2) No free upgrades to future versions
3) Strictly non-commercial usage

Read more and download here, then come back and tell me what you think of it!

Camtasia for Mac is Here!

Posted on by Judy Unrein
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I spent some time tooling around with the newly released Camtasia for Mac this evening, so here’s a quick follow up on my August 9 post.

Techsmith did release a comparison chart between Camtasia Studio (for PC) and Camtasia for Mac, and indeed, the Mac version does have fewer features. But it does a great job, it’s fairly intuitive to use, and I like how it integrates existing Mac functionality (such as font selection).

Most disappointing to me is that there is no closed captioning capability at this point. I’m sure Techsmith is going to bring it up to speed, but of course, no one knows when.

I’m thinking about doing a more complete comparison of the new Camtasia for Mac with other Mac screencasting tools… which ones would you like to see compared?

It’s Official: I’m Not Going to be a Flash Developer When I Grow Up

Posted on by Judy Unrein
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I’m baaack!

My summer semester ended yesterday and it inspired the title of this post. I did a credible job (I hope), but studying Flash coding further has reinforced my belief that if you’re going to use advanced tools, you’re so much better off with an expert developer. After all, you wouldn’t want someone who only dabbles in ID to design the course, would you? (Please say no.)

Honestly, I think I have the brainpower to do the coding, I find a certain amount enjoyable, and I think it’s very beneficial for the designer to understand the basics of the development work. But…

1) I’m never going to be as efficient as a dedicated Flash developer, and…

2) Coding all my own designs might make me lazy about their level of interactivity. And that would be bad.