Drop.io

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.

Learning Agents Part 5: Get Your Own (Using Photos)

For small shops, part of the difficulty of creating learning agents is developing media. I prefer using still images (photos and illustrations — more on those tomorrow) rather than animations and video.

Stock image from iStockphoto. Or Fotolia.

Stock image from iStockphoto. Or Fotolia.

Some IDs take their own pictures for greater authenticity, sometimes using coworkers. Some avoid this because of the possibility that it will distract learners (and the possibility that someone will leave — or change appearance — and create rework).

If you prefer stock, here are a few sites where you can get suitable images:

1) istockphoto.com, bigstockphoto.com, and fotolia.com have decent collections, often searchable by model so that you can judge whether all poses you need are available. Lots of their images can be found on any of these sites.

2) narratorfiles.com has larger collections of images, more focused on training purposes.

Do you use stock images or take your own? Why? Favorite sources?

Stay tuned: Get Your Own (Using Illustrations)

For small shops, part of the difficulty of creating learning agents is developing media. I prefer using still images (photos and illustrations — more on those tomorrow) rather than animations and video.

Some IDs take their own pictures for greater authenticity, sometimes using coworkers. Some avoid this because of the possibility that it will distract learners (and the possibility that someone will leave — or change appearance — and create rework).

If you prefer stock, here are a few sites where you can get suitable images:

1) istockphoto.com, bigstockphoto.com, and fotolia.com have decent collections, often searchable by model so that you can judge whether all poses you need are available. Lots of their images can be found on any of these sites.

2) narratorfiles.com has larger collections of images, more focused on training purposes.

Do you use stock images or take your own? Why? Favorite sources?



Alice and Kev

What an interesting blog idea! Start at the beginning — it’s only about 25 posts right now.

alice and kev

Alice and Kev in their park home

aliceandkev.wordpress.com

It seems to me sometimes that the instructional design community has decided that elearning is good for knowledge transfer, but not for changing attitudes and behaviors. Why is this? If books and movies and theater can affect our emotions, and therefore affect our attitudes and behaviors, why can’t elearning?

When I play World of Warcraft, I feel something not only for my fellow human players, but for my pets — who are merely collections of ones and zeroes, nowhere near as interactive as Sims — and when I read Alice and Kev, I feel something for the Sims that connects me to the rest of the human experience. Why do people think elearning can’t do the same?

GenerateData.com

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

Data type options on generatedata.com

Enjoy!