Need a Free PowerPoint Course Template? Come And Get It!

I created this gray themed template in PowerPoint some time ago, and stumbled across it while cleaning up my archives recently. I used this to create two e-learning courses and my clients were happy as clams. (exactly how happy is a clam anyway?). (click here to download the template)

It has a neutral gray glossy theme. I was teaching myself how to make glossy effects in Photoshop and as a result created this. If you're interested I have a post available on how to create a glossy effect in Photoshop, so feel free to check it out.

I created it for use in Articulate, however it should work just fine in any PowerPoint to e-learning program (i.e. Snap!). Enjoy, and as always feel free to add comments and let me know what you think.

A Must-Have Tip to Save You BooKoos of Time!

Is that how you spell BooKoos? Or is it BuKus? Anyway, in today's environment where everybody unrealistically wants everything yesterday, time saving tips sometimes prove invaluable. I can't remember exactly where I picked up this little gem, otherwise I would give appropriate credit, but it combines two very cool things at once. The first being the use of the 'Format Painter' option in PowerPoint, and the second being the very cool stuff you can find at Microsoft Office Online.

I use this 'Format Painter' technique all the time and get a lot of inspiration from the stuff on Microsoft Office Online, so if you're not already familiar with this information I hope you find it useful. Check out the SCREENR I recorded for the low-down.

Free PowerPoint Course Template

In my continuing effort to aid in your course development endeavors, I give to you a FREE blue/green themed PowerPoint template.

I wouldn't call this a branching scenario course template, but rather a flexible Menu driven template. The way it's set up here the user makes a selection from a Menu page and is then taken to the appropriate page based on what they chose from the menu. It's non-linear allowing the user to choose whatever menu option they wish, in whatever order they wish. The template includes the raw PowerPoint images for easy editing.

I recently utilized this template to create a course covering several reporting options allowed by a system. It was determined that most users would only need the procedures for one or two reports and rather than forcing them to view all of the reporting procedures, this format allowed them to choose a single report and view only that related information.

Even if you don't have a need for this menu-driven navigation you can just ditch the menu page and you should find it useful and save some development time by using the template and the included text boxes, images and clipart.

• To see the template in action Click Here.

• To download the template Click Here. (ZIP file including both the PowerPoint pptx and Articulate ppta file.)

Please excuse any Go Daddy banners you encounter as you view the example. I manage this blog on my own dime and in an effort to save some money I use the free Go Daddy hosting service, which unfortunately forces those banners on you.

Enjoy, and if you happen to use the template drop me a line and let me know how it worked for you.

An Early Christmas Present From TipGuy.

In the spirit of the holiday gift giving season I thought it appropriate to provide you with a free early holiday gift. As I develop e-Learning I tend to amass (is that the right word?) a collection of images, some purchased, but some I created myself in either PowerPoint or PhotoShop. I can't share the purchased one's due to obvious copyright restrictions, however I can share some of my own creations.



Just a sample, there's more on the attachment.



Just click the link below to download a PowerPoint where I have attached several images for your e-Learning usage pleasure. Some are pretty elementary and some more complex, but perhaps you can find something you can use and save yourself a little development time.

DOWNLOAD THE IMAGES POWERPOINT.

In addition to the images, following are some additional resources I sometimes use in my development efforts, so perhaps you might find a use for these too. If you're at all curious about the various tools I use to develop e-Learning you can check out this previous post listing my arsenal of tools.

• Don't have PhotoShop or the know-how to create your own images, check out this Glassy Button Wizard, which makes it a snap to create your own custom glassy buttons.

• Need a Caricature Headshot, check out this interesting little head maker. I don't remember how or when I stumbled across this one, but I've used it a few times when I needed the same character with several different expressions. As an FYI I usually open my final product in PhotoShop and add a little color.

• You might already be aware of ffiles.com as a Flash Resource Site, but it's a great site loaded with a ton of free user-contributed Flash files. I love this site and use it quite frequently to not only snag great Flash menus and such, but also sometimes as a source to get inspiration and ideas. You'll need to have Flash if you plan on editing any of the files.

• If you're not familiar with iStockPhoto, you should be. Not only does it contain a ton of great stock images, but it surprisingly has some pretty cool Flash stuff available too. From a Flash perspective I've primarily used the menus and image gallery stuff. You will need to have Flash if you plan on editing anything. The catch here is that it's not free, you purchase credits and then use these credits to buy stuff. The images and Flash stuff is somewhat fairly priced and if your company will pay for it then I definitely recommend looking into it.

Enjoy the goodies and a very happy holiday season to everybody!

Ideas to Spice Up Those Title Pages!

Who couldn't use some fresh ideas for their elearning title pages? You only get one chance to make that first impression, so why spoil it with static images and text on your title page?

I got these three ideas you're about to see while watching TV commercials. Come to think of it, I get a lot of ideas from the various presentation styles and effects used in everyday commercials so be on the lookout as you're watching TV.

Before covering the examples, let me explain that these examples are primarily for those using a PowerPoint rapid elearning tool. If you're a flash developer then you could easily create much more complex effects than you're about to see, however my goal here was to spice up those title pages using nothing but the tools and animation options provided within PowerPoint.

Click the image below to see the examples in action with narrated explanations. Don't ask me why, but even though I had my appropriate microphone peripherals in my bag, I used nothing but my built-in laptop microphone for this narration. I like to handcuff myself sometimes to see what I can do with limited resources. It could be better of course, but all things considered the sound is surprisingly not too bad.

If you're one of those people who like to get their hands dirty and disect things (No worries, I am too) the actual PowerPoint file(s) are available by clicking here. Download away!

Check out my previous post titled "Inspiration is everywhere, just look around" for additional ideas similar to these.

Free Articulate iPad Course..Come And Get It!

I know what you're thinking out there my Articulate peeps! You're short on time and ideas and not only could use some inspiration, but also something pre-built to give you a head-start on your development efforts. Well, look no further, I have your solution.

With this post I offer you (FREE of charge) a pre-built Articulate iPad course for your development pleasure. It includes graphics, animations and syncing all built in, Now all you have to do is open it up, add your content, tinker with your additions then kick back and take all the credit as your peers, manager and stake-holders marvel at your accomplishments.

The iPad was built completely using the shape tools available right in PowerPoint, and the people graphics are standard clipart so if you use them rest-easy when it comes to any copyright worries.

If you use this course leave a comment below or shoot me an email and let me know how it worked for you. ENJOY!

Free e-Learning PowerPoint

Hello e-Learning peeps! In my random browsing I've run across a few sites that offer free e-learning PowerPoint templates for those that use a product like Articulate Presenter to develop e-Learning. Many of the sites charge for these and in some cases it's upward of $100.

I decided to take a crack at this and would like to offer this PowerPoint for FREE. I had Articulate users in mind when I developed it, but it should work with any PowerPoint to e-Learning tool you utilize. Please note that it is void of animation and navigation, so you'll have to insert that yourself. This PowerPoint is designed to kick-start the layout design of your e-Learning course. Included in the PowerPoint are various text effects, call-out boxes and more.

You can easily change the layout, color or any aspect of the template in the slide master or on the individual slides. I used an orange & gray theme in this template but you can easily change the colors to match your organizations brand.

As an added convenience, all images in this PowerPoint are pulled from Clip Art (Some I slightly modified) but they are royalty free and can be used at will.

CLICK HERE to download the PowerPoint, and please leave a comment or shoot me an email and let me know if this was useful, or a complete waste of time.  ENJOY!