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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Learning Solutions Magazine just published an article I wrote on HTML5’s potential for elearning/mlearning.
Enjoy! And here’s the permalink (requires free subscription to the magazine).
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.
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?
We’re all tweeting and posting about Google Sidewiki today, thanks to Jane. (No sarcasm intended… thank you, Jane!)
If you haven’t seen it in action yet:
I always feel like the Joker whenever Google announces something new… Where do they get those wonderful toys?? But I then I remember they’re mostly free for me to use, for good or evil, as I see fit.
In the case of Sidewiki, I could see using this to enhance a company’s intranet/process documentation. I know of a couple departments that are considering moving to a wiki, replacing RoboHelp or another EPSS. Sidewiki would eliminate the need to rebuild the system… but I’m thinking it’s not going to work on some/most intranets, due to either technical or formal limitations.
Did any other uses of this app spring to mind when you saw it?
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!
I’ve had a lot of storyboarding inspiration lately…
1) Notebook, purchased at Muji
2) Pretty amazing example, seen at MoMA:
Storyboard for The Civil Wars: A Tree Is Best Measured When It Is Down, an opera by Robert Wilson. (Photo by Scott Unrein)
3) Video on storyboarding, posted on MinuteBio
I’ve been reflecting on how much these notions of storyboarding really relate to e-learning. Most of the e-learning storyboards I’ve seen focus much less on the visual design than these do, and much more on which words need to appear on screen and which words should be spoken.
I generally do the kind of storyboard that just communicates which words the developer needs to put on which screen, but only in “development”, after the interaction itself has been designed through a prototype. That way Word or PowerPoint or whichever tool I’m using doesn’t force me down a completely linear path; the tool has to accommodate the interaction I’ve designed.
I get asked fairly often whether there is a “book or something” on Lectora, particularly from people just starting out with the software. And until now, the pickings have been slim.
Thankfully, Diane Elkins and Desirée Ward, two very talented instructional designers*, have recently released E-Learning Uncovered: Lectora Version 9 (also on Amazon).
The book does an excellent job of teaching the software and the underlying concepts, such as inheritance, SCORM and AICC publishing, and how and when to use variables. It includes useful references, such as a guide the elements in the new Flash Media Library (with further examples on their website). And this is all in less than 250 pages.
The book is ideal for beginner to intermediate users, but power users could pick up some good tips, too. Download a free chapter and check out more resources on their website.
* Full disclosure: I’ve worked with them in the past and most likely will again in the future.
I decided to recommend Drop.io to help you get files from here/you to there/them, but waited to try Dropbox first and compare for you.
The quick and dirty*: Dropbox has a larger free storage capacity (though Drop.io welcomes multiple accounts) and all around, Dropbox works extremely well; it’s iDisk-like but better. After testing though, I’ve decided to stick with Drop.io.
Drop.io works better for me at work than Dropbox (something to do with the firewall or proxy) and Drop.io doesn’t require any installs. (Neither does Dropbox technically, but Dropbox’s web interface is nowhere near as slick as Drop.io’s… see video.) So for those in a heavily regulated IT environment, Drop.io rocks. And bonus points for the name.
Drop.io also has approximately one bajillion ways to get files to your “drop”. My two favorites (neither of which Dropbox offers), in real time:
* 140 words is way too few for a thorough review, so I’m just explaining my own reasoning. Both sites have excellent overview/tutorial screencasts if you would like to learn more.
For me, one of the most time-consuming parts of creating training courses — especially those involving screencasts and screenshots — is staging.
For example, if I’m creating a course on Filemaker or Access, it’s obviously better if I have lots of data to use in demonstrations and practice files. If I try to make it up myself, the names end up being either John Smith or Tahloolah Firecracker. And it takes all day to come up with those gems.
Thankfully, I found generatedata.com recently. It generates names, dates, all sorts of data… and it’s all instant, online, and free. (There’s also a paid version if you need additional functionality.)
Data type options on generatedata.com
Enjoy!