A Funny Thing Happened At The Lectora User Conference!

A funny thing happened at the 2012 Lectora user Conference. I found my new e-learning development software, and it's not Lectora!

So there I was at the 2012 Lectora user Conference, visiting all the exhibitors, which were new at this conference, and I stumble upon the good folks at 'E-Learning Uncovered', a totally unbiased vendor who writes how-to books on e-learning development software. During my conversation I candidly asked them their opinion on the new Lectora 11 that was being announced at the conference compared to the new Articulate Storyline product I had heard so much about.

Without droning on with all the details, the E-Learning Uncovered reps advised me that they were waiting with baited breath for the Lectora 11 feature announcement taking place later in the conference. If Lectora could pull a rabbit out of the hat and incorporate a timeline and audio syncing ability, in addition to some sort of screen capturing tool, they just might be included in the conversation with Articulate's new Storyline tool, which they heralded as a "Do-It-All Game Changer"!

So there I am, sitting at the much anticipated Lectora 11 presentation listening to all the new features, waiting and hoping for mention of a timeline, syncing, screen capture, something, but it never came. Now I like the folks at Lectora and they really do put on one heck of a conference, but all that really doesn't help me once I get home, and I was extremely disappointed that none of the features I was hoping for were announced.

When I arrived back home I immediately downloaded the Articulate Storyline trial and just as quickly fell in love with it. PowerPoint feel, easy to use, syncing, audio recording tools, timeline, screen recording,variables, layering, and more. Pretty much anything and everything you could ask for!

Like most times when I attend a conference of this nature I am required to give a presentation to the entire team regarding what I learned at the conference (gotta justify the investment right?), and you should have seen the look on everyone's faces when my Lectora User Conference presentation concludes with recommending we invest in Articulate Storyline as our new primary e-learning development tool. I'm glad to report that by bosses listened, and I am now the proud owner of a Storyline license, as is my development colleague.

Storyline has it all people, so if you're looking for a single stand-alone tool for all your e-learning development needs, there's not a better one out there than Articulate Storyline. Take this new kick-butt Storyline tool and package it up with the absolutely unrivaled support and forum's Tom Kuhlmann and team has put together, and you have a top-notch head of the class solution set!

By the way, I still have Lectora, but I use it only as a wrapper these days for things I develop in Captivate (Which I may not be using for very much longer either once I master the Storyline screen capturing tool).

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.

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!

Creating a Rollover ToolTip in Articulate

For those that use Articulate Presenter you know it's not the easiest thing in the world to create rollover (mouse over) actions, in fact it's pretty much impossible unless you use an external source like Flash. Now it may seem odd to have an e-Learning blog pimp another e-Learning resource but I'm a big believer in not reinventing the wheel, and part of my goal with this site is to turn you on to e-Learning resources.

OK, on with the information. I was browing around the web (like I do on occasion) and stumbled across elearningEnhanced.com. This site provides a bunch of really kick-ass stuff, some free and some for nominal fees. While browsing around the site I found this Articulate Widget that makes it easy to create audio and/or text rollover tooltips in articulate presenter. The widget does cost $20 but that's pretty cheap for what you get here and if you work for a company (as opposed to yourself) I don't imagine it would be a problem getting approval for $20.

There's also a couple of nice Screenr videos that explain how to use it. Go check it out, and while you're there be sure to check out the free stuff elearningEnhanced.com has to offer.

Create a "Roll" Effect in Articulate!

This video will show you how to create a "Roll" effect using Articulate Presenter and PowerPoint. There's definitely room for improvement here so leave a comment if you can find a way to improve this effect.

Inspiration is Everywhere, Just Look Around!

I look everywhere for inspiration, TV, Movies, Billboards, Magazines, etc. Here are two ideas I got from TV commercials the other night that would work great for your title page. These are very easy to create and provide much more impact than just a static image.

Articulate, I didn't know I could do that!

If you're like me you subscribe to a few e-learning blogs, mailing lists etc. and are exposed to the good, the bad and sometimes the ugly. In my recent web surfing expedition I uncovered a really cool post at 'The eLearning Coach' titled : "10 Best Articulate Presenter Tricks & Tips" that I thought was very interesting. Things like replacing the side-panel with an image, adding custom Flash files as a Player Tab, Creating nifty Zoom & Pan effects, and more. Check it out, I learned a thing or two in this post. By the way I really dig the Screenr videos, I'm gonna have to jump into that arena sometime soon. I think the firewalls and proxies at my work block it though so I may have to do some convincing. Just thought I would share that last nugget cause' I know you were sitting there wishing I would share some irrelevant personal issues with you.

My Arsenal of e-Learning Tools.

I'm always curious what other developers have in their 'tools' portfolio so in the spirit of not being selfish, here is my e-Learning arsenal of tools.

Lectora - Up until recently this was my primary development tool. A simple-as-pie WYSIWYG editor that makes it a snap to do the basics (Mouse-over, show & hides, etc.). It has a built-in assessment/quiz tool but with the exception of the Multiple Choice and True/False it sorta bites. Image import is as easy and drag-and-drop and you can import flash files, videos, etc. The biggest compliment to Lectora is it's ease of use. I like it as the primary tool that I embed content into. Also a nice tool for building websites.

Articulate - I have most of the suite of Articulate products (Presenter, Engage, QuizMaker) and after some trepidation at first, I have really warmed up to this PowerPoint to e-Learning tool. If anything it has forced me to improve my PowerPoint skills three-fold. Although it lacks some of the most basic of e-Learning functionality like having a button change color on mouse-over, or easily doing show & hides on one page, it makes up for it's deficiencies in other avenues. Unleash the beast, learn PowerPoint and make some cool stuff with this bad-boy. Two words; Animations and Annotations!

Adobe Captivate - My tool of choice for system simulations. Open an application, click record and your output is a very cool simulation. Think of it as a screen recording tool on steroids. You can even create stand-alone courses in Captivate, although I've never done this because I'm not comfortable with the SCORM output or incorporation into my LMS. I usually take my Captivate output and embed it into Lectora or Articulate. Both Lectora and Artciulate make SCORM/LMS publishing very easy.

Adobe Flash - Although I have used this tool less when the newer version forced you to learn Actionscript, I still like it to create simple text and image animations, plus I like to snag free flash animations (there's a ton of them out there) and then manipulate them to my liking.

Adobe Photoshop - The industry standard for image creation and manipulation. I use it to create buttons, text, and edit images I might purchase from a service like iStock Photo. Although I have recently been able to create some very cool things in PowerPoint using Clipart, I still rely on Photoshop for the heavy lifting.

Audacity - This is a free audio editing software and I just love it for recording and editing audio. A must have for your portfolio, especially considering it's free.