Originally intended for small business marketing/branding, this article is no less relevant for small elearning shops looking to deliver video-based training.
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If you’re interested in learning more about what HTML5 can do, you should definitely check out the demos Apple just released. (I shared some demos in my article on HTML5 and elearning but these are… let’s say… better curated than most collections.)
Now, Apple did choose to put up a browser sniffer directing you to download Safari if you don’t happen to be using Safari when you visit. I personally think Safari’s worth using for the anti-aliasing alone, but if you just want a casual glance, go to the developer section instead… The demos are easier to get to and most of them work just fine on Firefox.
And authoring tool vendors, please visit the developer section for the code. I would love for someone to make it easy for me to make really pretty HTML stuff. Just sayin’.
3 AM Update: I have no idea why I’m up this late, but I went back to the demos and the site has changed; now there are browser sniffers on each demo in the developer section, in addition to the one blocking the main section. And in all cases, they don’t just warn you that the demos won’t work… they prevent you from seeing the demos unless you’re using Safari. Way to show that HTML5 is a web standard, Apple.
The hospital I’ve been visiting lately has a great HIPAA job aid for its nurses and doctors: All of the public computers (such as at nurses’ stations) have screensavers with animations and text reminding them how to stay HIPAA compliant.
What a neat way to meet your learners literally where they are, at the moment they need the information. (Clearly, if a patient like me can see these screens, this is a major potential point of failure for privacy regulations!) I’m sure they do regular compliance training, but this seems like a useful year-round reminder, even if it blends into the background over time.
(And the cynic in me gets the last word: Good way to CYA, too.)
In their April 2010 newsletter, Trivantis announced that they are releasing free templates for developing iPad-delivered courses.
Why in the world would they do that?
Because they can.
More thoughts on the future of elearning delivery… and the technology behind it… very, very soon.
Must get done with spring semester first.
Jealous! (Did you know that orange was the color symbolizing jealousy in Shakespeare's day?)
I enjoyed peeking in to the #ls2010 backchannel today! And I realized that yesterday I didn’t even mention anything that wasn’t a concurrent session… lots of stuff going on in the ID Zone sounded really cool, too, but I’m way too tired from my week to make this post any bigger than it’s already shaping up to be. I’m kind of glad I didn’t have to decide what to actually go to. Here are my picks for tomorrow…
The Top 10 Must-Do’s for Developing Successful e-Learning Programs – Having spent the last 3 years building an elearning initiative from the ground up, I have to wonder what I missed. There must be something.
Giving Voice to Your e-Learning - Okay, selfish choice. Since I do a little voiceover work on the side, mainly for elearning, I might figure out a few things about how to market my services in this session. 
Designing Continuous Learning: Leveraging the Power of a Learning Continuum – Again with the movement away from learning “events”…
McGyver e-Learning: Creating e-Learning with Open-source and Common Tools – Even if you weren’t a proponent of open-source tech (which I am, don’t get me wrong), who could resist something called “McGyver e-Learning”?
The Evolving LMS/LCMS: Their Role in the World of Learning 2.0 and Social Learning – While I’ve heard of several LMS/LCMSs that support social learning, the ones I have the most experience with definitely don’t fall into that category. It would be nice to get more education there.
Rapid Deployment Leveraging Social Networks and Google Wave – Or maybe it would be better to see some concrete tools and examples along the same lines…
Case Study: Converting a Live Workshp to e-Learning – This just sounds good. Lots of us grapple with converting ILT to elearning and the decisions that must be made in that design process; I’m always interested to see how others do it.
Visual Design Essentials: Practical Techniques for Designing Better Online Courses – I had to reread this description before I “got it” that when the writer says “design” he means “visual design”, and that made me chafe a little (that confusion being something that bosses and clients often fall victim to, as well). Having said that, visual design is important and it’s always something I’m up for learning more about… particularly when it relates directly to what I do.
“Don’t Make Me Think”: Creating Effective e-Learning with User Testing – I reread Steve Krug’s book recently because I hope to step up some of our user testing at work; this session would be relevant. And I like that they’re recognizing how relevant web design/development is to elearning design/development…
New Applications for Mobile Games and Simulations – mLearning has never been a huge interest for me, but I’m currently doing some research on HTML5 and therefore wish I could peek into just about every mlearning session I hear about…
When Worlds Collide: Social Media and the Learning Organization – Again, interested in how social media and collaborative tools can affect learning.
Don’t be shy! Tell me what I missed… even if it’s not listed above.
Edit: I have to say (as if there are people out there who are going to get offended) — there are a few sessions that sound really cool, but I might have caught the same speaker doing what sounds like a similar topic at prior conferences. So I pretty much didn’t list those here. No offense! And from the tweets coming in about Michael Allen’s session, I might be wrong about that anyway. Again, wish I were there…
My husband sent this video to me this week: a recording of Carnegie Mellon professor, author, and former Imagineer Jesse Schell talking about the future, game design, Facebook, and lots more at DICE 2010. There are several ID implications here, but one that speaks to me most initially is about motivation.
As a trainer, I often fell for the idea that if I was giving out prizes, trainees would only value them if they were “valuable”. But in fact, mere measurement does change behavior, and the oddest things can motivate us: achievements in WoW (most of which give nothing), virtual prizes (like clipart of a car that I saw one webinar presenter give out this past week), or simply seeing a full row of green checkmarks because we got 100% on a quiz.
There’s lots of stuff to discuss here. Watch. Tell me what you think.
(Alternately, view in parts on YouTube…)
When 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?
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.
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!
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?
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.
FINALLY! TechSmith announced a couple of days ago that they will soon release Camtasia for Mac. I’m really looking forward to it; I think their products are generally great and I’ve received superb customer service from the company.
Screenshot of the to-come Camtasia for Mac, by TechSmith
I’m curious whether the Mac version will be as full-featured as the Windows one, though… even after the introductory price of $99 expires, a new license for the Mac version will be just $149, compared to $299 for the Windows version.
If the release doesn’t come with a Windows-to-Mac version comparison, I’ll post my own here as soon as I can… and I’ll post thoughts here regardless!
My mind has been on authoring technology lately. Specifically, how do I work around this tool’s shortcomings, or bend this one to my will?
These problems need attention, but it seemed like a good time to balance things out with a little Choose Your Own Adventure.
Choose Your Own Adventure #22, Tattoo of Death!
CYOA, if you’re not familiar, is a series of young-adult adventure books that allow the user learner reader to make decisions for the main character by turning to different pages in the book. Each decision may lead to success… a new decision… or certain death. They’re incredibly engrossing, and they made many a long, childhood car ride bearable for my sister and me.
I use them to illustrate the concept of branching in an ID class I teach; they’re also a great reminder that creating interactivity requires creativity… not necessarily fancy technology.
Thanks @sahana2802, for twittering this story; the full report is worth a read, too. The gist: Open-source software (OSS) is gaining wider acceptance now, mainly due to economic challenges.
At work, I use Firefox, Audacity, and FreeMind, but still battle OSS objections, particularly when recommending software that would affect many users (*cough* Moodle).
From my perspective, I can’t see how Moodle has a less certain future than NameBrand LMS, which is part of a suite that was bought by another company, which has its own LMS and isn’t so interested in supporting NameBrand any more. Just sayin’.
At your company – or among your clients – has OSS reached a point where you can compare features without having to discuss open-source philosophy? Is OSS, in fact, preferred? At my company, the answers are no, but I’m optimistic — and hopefully rightly so.