e-Learning world

17th Edition First Amendment sales soar!

2012-01-05T11:01:00.000Z

The Trades e-Academy has seen a significant increase in 17th Edition First Amendment sales since December 2011. The increase in sales came ahead of the call for all practicing electricians to act in accordance with the changes outlined in the first amendment to the 17th edition, designated BS7671:2008 (2011), on 1st January 2012.

Sales of the First Amendment online course, developed in partnership with the NICEIC, continue to increase daily and the Trades e-Academy stress that it is not too late if you haven’t completed the course already.

The changes result from the improvement of equipment that could cause problems due to overvoltage in systems.

Purchase the online course today for just £49.50! This gives you access to approximately 2 hours worth of training material which you can complete in convenient stages and revisit at any time. Upon completion of the course, you may print a Virtual College certificate.

Please note that learners wishing to take the First Amendment course must have completed and passed the 17th Edition.

Those who haven’t completed the 17th Edition course can purchase the full 17th Edition incorporating Amendment no.1 by clicking here.

Synchronising your events using Doodle

2011-07-14T15:51:00.003+01:00

Ever had that problem where you need to arrange a meeting with your team but find it difficult to pick a date as everyone's calendars are jam packed with a variety of dates and times?

In comes our hero to the rescue Doodle! You can even use this tool without registering. Simply go to this site: http://www.doodle.com and you can schedule an event on the fly. Put all the dates into the calendar provided then create the event and they give you a link to send to all the event participants. They then go to the site and highlight any date they are free; the tool then shows which dates where everyone is free! So easy to use - give it a go!

Say Goodbye to PowerPoint and Hello Prezi

2011-03-03T16:46:00.002Z

Prezi is a presentation tool. “So, I’ve got PowerPoint, why would I want to learn how to use another” I hear you cry.

Well, read on you’re in for a treat. Prezi is to PowerPoint what an iPad is to a traditional home PC. They do similar things but one makes it look and feel cool as hell.

PowerPoint is essentially a throw back to when presentations were produced and shown on individual slides that were shown one after the other. Prezi throws of the shackles of a technology that we all stopped using 20 years ago and is essentially one GIANT piece of paper that you can zoom around to your hearts content.

Anyway enough of me trying to explain what it’s all about, I’ll let a Prezi take over;

http://prezi.com/hgjm18z36h75/why-should-you-move-beyond-slides/

Now you’ve seen it you may think sure that’s cool, but what’s that got do with training. Well I think Prezi could be the ace up your sleeve in the battle to keep people engaged during training. Prezi is so versatile that with a bit of thought, it can put the wow factor into even the driest subject. One again I’ll hand you over to Prezi to explain:

http://prezi.com/rfsnedhqmhqa/thoughts-on-using-prezi-as-a-teaching-tool/

If you’re a little nervous that these look so good, it must be complicated, don’t be. There are actually a lot fewer options than in PowerPoint and there’s some great Prezis about how to make great Prezis, including this one;

http://prezi.com/recyyolzxm3e/how-to-create-a-great-prezi/

So what are you waiting for? Get over to www.prezi.com and have a go, you may as well it’s FREE!

Bob's Blog!

2010-06-30T15:04:00.003+01:00

Click on the link below to check out 'Bob's Blog' by our very own Bob Gomersall!

Bob's Blog

Bob is Chairman of Virtual College and developed it from conception. He is also Chairman of Multimedia Sector Innovation Board, Yorkshire and Humber which is responsible for the Regional Innovation Strategy for the Multimedia Sector.

"The future is definately with those businesses that are prepared to be innovative and move quickly on their feet, if you can't find somebody else to do it, you do it yourself."

Raptivity

2010-06-09T09:18:00.003+01:00

Raptivity is a programme which allows you to create rapid e-learning modules.

To download a free trial click here

The Raptivity Software is available to buy in a vast range of packages with different add ons available. See here for pricing.

The cheapest package available comes in at $395 and this contains only 12 interactions (with the option to purchase add on packs later on)

The trial version that I tested also has just 12 interactions which is a fair amount to experiment with.

I set about creating a short e-learning module on 'blogs' with interactive segments and quizzes. Unfortunately my trial has now expired and I have failed to export all of the slides I made in the correct format so the only one I can show you is below (anyone in the office can come have a look at the other ones if they like!)

Click here to download the PowerPoint

Now I personally have never created an e-learning module before although I have seen different softwares that are on offer and have tried different types of e-learning courses. I found Raptivity rather confusing to use, for computer novices I would say it is a complete non starter!

It has a very clinical interface with far too many complicated looking functions involving numbers (most of which don't really need to be altered, I would put them in an 'advanced' category if at all)

As far as useability is concerned I would rate Raptivity pretty low unless you are already quite coherent with coding and design.

The options available were fairly limited on the trial version, it seems that to get some of the fantastic interactive segments that are demonstrated on the website you have to spend a fair amount of money.

The templates I had access to were pretty standard. You could change the look and feel of them but not particularly easily, for example to change the background colour on my slides I had to go through each one individually and colour pick my selection for each one.

The potential is definately there to create some fantastic looking slides but I you would have to be very confident with using software like this and have a knack for online design in order to make anything look vaguely good!

The different slide templates I had access to included several types of quizzes, these had a good range of answer types and marking systems but weren't very easy to set up.

The information slides like the one in my example again have the potential to be quite engaging but the difficulty of performing simple processes such as changing the font size and colour make it a hard task to get the look and feel that you would like.

I think Raptivity has a lot of potential, from looking at the interactive slide templates available with the more expensive packages on the website, there are some really engaging ideas. However I think it needs to rethink the interactivity of the software itself. As someone who is fairly confident with new software and adapting to new technologies, I found using the software tricky, frustrating and confusing. It is definately not suitable for people with novice IT skills.

If you are confident with IT and design then I would say that it might be worth your while downloading the free trial, it is quite interesting and the results are good after a lot of perceverence. Be warned though you will recieve a lot of pushy phone calls from the Raptivity team in the days following your sign up!!

So all in all mixed reviews, potentially a fantastic rapid e-learning tool, I thing Raptivity need to pay as much attention to the creators interaction with their product as they do to the learners.

Twitter for PowerPoint!

2010-05-25T16:50:00.005+01:00

I found this fantastic website which offers free tools to embed flash twitter tools into your PowerPoint presentation that give you real time twitter feeds in an array of interesting ways allowing you to get your audience to vote, share their comments, and generally interact with you via twitter! So what better way to explain myself than through a presentation!

Click Here to Download Presentation

The flash parts will only work on PowerPoint 2003-2007. If you are having problems then check this website for troubleshooting tips. You will need ActiveX and will also need to enable Macros and ActiveX in your PowerPoint Trust Centre Options.

To enable the 'AutoTweet' function you will need to download the 'AutoTweet' add-in for PowerPoint from here.

Yudu - Online Magazine Publisher

2010-05-17T16:16:00.005+01:00

I've always been impressed by online magazine formats and while working on the new Housing e-Academy magazine I decided to see how it was done. Within seconds of googling I found myself on www.yudu.com, a site offering free online magazine publishing and hosting. I set up a free account in minutes and was ready to start publishing!

The free package is more than ample to get started publishing your own work. The interface is extremely clear. Simply upload the document or photo you want to use ( I used PDF files joined using the PDF join website). You then add a title, a description and tags to your work and hit 'publish'.

Publishing/uploading can take about 15-20 minutes depending on the file size and number of pages involved. Once uploaded the content has to be processed. They send you an email when this is done (five minutes tops), et voila! Your magazine is ready to view. You can embed it into websites or email links to easily share your new publication.

Yudu couldn't be simpler and the results are good quality. The free package is great to try out and gives you a good range of options.

Yudu Plus and Yudu Pro packages start from £99 per year and allow you many more options which I am dying to try out including:
(Yudu Plus)
- Ability to add audio, video and flash
- Sell your publications online
- Flexible publishing options
- Remove advertising
(Yudu Pro)
- Own branding options
- Customize page '0'
- Fully accessible text only version (for viewers without flash)
- Exportable stats
- Digital rights management system
- Bespoke feature development
- Email collection facility
- Catalogue digital order form

Yudu is a fantastic free online tool and has a wide range of uses. I am thinking about using it for the following: in house magazine, online user guides, flyer/information packs, booklets, course catalogue, photo slideshow, handout packs from events, newsletters and i'm sure many more things in the future!

To view my Yudu's so far click on the links below...

Hou-Zine magazine (Work in Progress)

Click to launch the full edition in a new window
Digital Publishing with YUDU

Top ten tips for e-learning info pack

Click to launch the full edition in a new window
Online Publishing from YUDU

Learner User Guide

Click to launch the full edition in a new window
Online Publishing from YUDU

LiveCycle Designer

2010-05-11T16:15:00.000+01:00

Adobe LiveCycle Designer

part of

Adobe Acrobat Professional 9

I downloaded the trial version of Adobe Acrobat Professional 9 in order to try out Adobe LiveCycle Designer to create an interactive online form. I had filled one in previously and had wondered how it was done as it looked extremely professional and was very easy to fill in.

On opening LiveCycle you can either create a blank form from scratch or select a template from the Wizard. There are a range of templates from purchase order forms and customer satisfaction surveys to HR forms such as personal leave request forms. Part of the wizard asks you for your company details and logo so it automatically personalises the template in seconds which is really handy.

I however decided to brave it and start my form from scratch. There is a handy dotted grid on the on screen form which makes it really easy to make sure everything is lined up and central. After putting my title in a text box I started to experiment with the different tools available.

There is a great range of interactive tools such as a check box, drop down selection list, numeric fields, table forms and text fields. These are all great ways to make the form more interactive and interesting for the user and are fully formed so all you have to do is change the text in the question box.

In the custom tool section you can choose from more specialist items such as a countries drop down list (with all countries filled in for you!!)

All buttons are simply dragged from the right hand menu and dropped where you want them on your form. You can resize them easily to the size and shape you like.

When you have finished the form you can add an ‘email submit’ button which is linked to your email address so that when the form filler clicks it, it will send their response to you. There is also a ‘print form’ button so that the form filler can print a copy for their records.

Below is my finished form ready to distribute.

Once you have finished your form and you are happy with it you can distribute it. You can either distribute it automatically to a mailing list you supply or you can simply save it as a PDF and attach it to an email manually (or print and send it but that takes away the interactive element!)

When the person who has received your form clicks to submit it they will be asked for their name and email address so that you can tell who has responded. There is an option to have responses collected in your inbox or alternatively you can collect them in the ‘responses’ file.

The responses file is created automatically when you distribute your form and has several elements to it. From the responses file you can:

- Check for new responses

- Filter responses to different criteria

- Export info into a spreadsheet file

- Archive responses

- Add new responses

This is a handy way to keep track of all your responses and allows you to collate the information received appropriately.

I found this software really easy to use, if you can use Microsoft Office programs or Photoshop you won’t have any issues using it. It took the same amount of time (if not less) to create the form than it would on Microsoft Word and there is none of the spacing and alignment issues you can have with creating forms in this way.

The form I created was a feedback questionnaire about our new user guides which I emailed to our members. We had a better response than normal which I think must be at least partly due to the interactive element. The interactive PDF forms don’t feel like a hassle to fill in so people are more likely to give it a go and the ‘email submit’ button means they don’t even have to bother saving it or attaching it to an email! As mentioned there is no need to delete previous information or change spacing in tables etc. You can simply click or type in the appropriate box and the form stays the same size and shape!

The finished form looks extremely professional and I definitely think that it is a program worth looking into if you need to create forms or questionnaires at any time.

Mindjet

2010-04-26T09:43:00.008+01:00

Mindjet Free Trial - www.mindjet.com

What is Mindjet?

"Put away that whiteboard. We have a more productive way to brainstorm. Mindjet uses a free-form visual format that mirrors the way your brain processes information, so it's easy and intuitive to use. But it’s way more than just gathering and capturing ideas: Mindjet helps you turn brilliant ideas into new products, projects, campaigns and presentations. You can even email a link to your mapped ideas, post it on your blog or share it with your Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter networks." - from www.mindjet.com

I personally have always preferred lists as an organisational tool to mind-maps despite the proven benefits of mind-maps as a form of idea generation and recording. Mainly due to running out of space on whiteboards and the scribbly handwriting and erratic line formations that can come from the traditional hand-drawn mind map. So I was interested in using a program that could do this for me on my desktop whilst also eliminating the smell of white board markers.

I downloaded the Mindjet 30 day free trial to have a go. The program opened much like any Microsoft Office program and was easily navigatable for anyone familiar with these sorts of programmes. I decided to do the start up tutorial which takes you step by step through the process of a weekly status meeting for a widget factory. It introduced all of the basic applications available including:

Headings - Main title and main headings including an administative section where you can input the names of attendees at the meeting and the date of the meeting. It also has an Agenda heading which acts as the basis for the meeting.

Subheadings - Subheadings are easily added by pressing 'insert' to move on a level or 'enter' to add another subheading on the same level. These shortcut keys are great as once you get used to them it is very quick to type as the meeting goes on and get everything in the right order first time. All the bubbles snap to fit the amount of text entered which makes everything look neat, professional and easy to follow.

If you do decide to move a sub-heading or any bubble you can simply click, drag and drop to wherever on the page you want it to be. This usability is fantastic and cuts out the unecessary lines scribbled onto a hand drawn mind map when mistakes or changes are made. There is also a red 'relationship' line that can be put onto two or more tasks or points that are inherently linked.

Tasks - Tasks can be added to a subheading eg. 'Part Shortage' (see screen grab) has been delegated to Deby to sort out so you simply click on the task bar, type in the tasker(s) name and you can also set a start and due date onto the task. At the end of the meeting/mind map these tasks including any additional information can be exported to Outlook which is a brilliant tool.

Symbols and Indicators - There are a whole host of different symbols you can use which can be given their own definition eg. Green and Red flags can be used on tasks that need to be halted or continued or similarly you could use them for Positive or Negative feedback, whatever is appropriate to your style of meeting/project. There are also symbols to signify how far along a task is e.g. 1/4 or 1/2 way to completion.

This was as much as was covered in the initial tutorial which gives you enough information to get a detailed mind-map underway however there are many more features available to explore.

There are templates available for different purposes e.g simple meeting, marketing strategy, event planning etc. These are good quick start tools and are still adaptable to your exact purpose.

Below is the tutorial mindmap I produced. (Click for larger version)

I branched out on my own with mindjet and used it from a blank template in our weekly team meeting. I thought it might end up too complicated to use at the pace of the meeting and also perhaps unnecessary for a meeting of only 3 people but I was actually surprised at how useful it was. Instead of having to jot down notes we could all rely on the mind map as a minute taker and task allocator and it made us confirm all these points, for example defining a due date which may otherwise have been skimmed over to get to the next point on the agenda. I found the task allocator very useful and exported my tasks straight to outlook after the meeting. The mindmap can be saved as PDF, word document or image so is easily shareable even if you don't have the program yourself. Below is a copy of our weekly team meeting map. (Click to see large)

As a novice i'm not sure I would be confident using mindjet in a large brainstorming meeting, but with weekly practice in team meetings and a bit more exploration I think it would be a valuable organisational tool. Obviously when hooked up to a projector it could still be used as the focal point of the meeting but without the dodgy scribbles!

Once you know where all the features are and what the shortcuts are it is very simple to use. It's clear and colourful with good icon indicators and is adaptable to any sort of meeting or project. The share-ability of the finished mind-map is great and the printed copies are very clear.

I recommend this program, it may not be to everyone or every organisation but I think it definately has a place on my desktop and I'm looking forward to exploring the features in more depth and using it at a larger scale meeting or brain storming session.
Try the 30 day free trial at www.mindjet.com

Video Arts - New Distribution Methods

2010-04-14T09:47:00.002+01:00

Video Arts - New Distribution Methods
http://www.videoarts.com/
Many people will already be aware of Video Arts and their light hearted approach to training videos.
For those who aren’t so familiar here is their history taken from their website.
‘Video Arts was established in 1972 by a small group of television professionals, including John Cleese, who pioneered the use of humour in training. We continue to make our own programmes, as well as distributing the best of the rest. Our reputation for innovation continues to grow as we bring new technologies to the learning market.’
‘We produce and distribute high quality digital learning to help you put across your learning messages in an entertaining and memorable way. We’ve been famous for intelligent, entertaining and straight-talking training for over 30 years. We’ve gone from 16mm films to video, DVD, CDROM and now online streaming video.
We’ve delivered learning content to customers in over 50 countries since 1972.’

Video Arts have recently set up new ways of distributing their films via online streaming so that trainers can get instant access to relevant learning materials. This digitized format allows trainers to integrate them with Word or PowerPoint presentations.
Businesses can either use a ‘pay as you go’ model:
How it works
We provide over 1,000 video clips on a ‘little magic box’ (that’s a small roaming drive about the size of an iPhone). You can unlock any of these clips as you need them, using ‘credits’ bought in advance – exactly like a pay-as-you-go mobile phone.
You can preview the videos online any time (using a special preview version). Which means you can show it to external or internal clients in advance, and use it to present your business case.
Just £10 unlocks a video clip for 24 hours
When you’re ready, use your credits to unlock the high-quality versions for your sessions. Your roaming drive plugs straight into your PC or laptop, so you won’t need an internet connection. And you can drop clips into PowerPoint, Word or Excel as easily as clip art.

The full package:
For an annual subscription of £350, you can rent the external drive, pre-loaded with all 1,000 video clips, and get much more besides:
A simple toolkit to help you find the perfect video clips for your trainingOver 350 files of training materials, including a course leader’s guide, presentation slides, workbooks and certificatesOur expert help and advice on which resources will best meet your needsTechnical support£10 unlocks an individual chapter for 24 hours. When you subscribe you buy a minimum of £300 of credit (that's 30 clips). Then you simply buy as much or as little credit as you want to use, whenever you want to use it.
Or a digital library licence scheme:
Digital rentals are a low-cost way to get your hands on a relevant piece of video for a specific learning opportunity: whether that’s a management meeting, an email message or a formal training event.
Want more than one title?
Then an Enterprise Licence for our Digital Library is probably the best solution for you. Search, preview, customise and deliver as much video learning as you need from the most extensive library of its kind in the world. Click here for more information.Rent online for £199 a week
Browse our A-Z list of video. Programmes available as digital rentals have a icon next to them.Click on the title you want and select the digital rental option.Select the date you want your rental to start and complete your order.Your digital rental will be available from the date you specified at My Video Arts You can access the rental as many times as you like during the rental period simple by logging on to My Video Arts
There are some free sample clips available on the website to take a look at featuring well known British actors. The films are light-hearted and engaging but also informative and I think that they are the perfect way to brighten up a training session. Although not especially cheap, for a company with such a long and consistent history in the training sector the content is probably worth the price if used effectively. The different payment options they have set up means that the films are accessible to even the smallest business with prices from as low as £10 for a 24 hr package.

I think the new digitized distribution format is a fantastic idea and makes these high quality films available to a wider audience and makes them easier to use in different formats such as group emails and PowerPoint presentations. I highly recommend checking their website even if it’s just to watch Mark Heap shout at a board room as only he can!

Free e-learning authoring software that works!

2010-03-19T15:06:00.004Z

Udutu is a free web server based authoring tool that enables you to create courses with up to 50 screens free of charge. The software contains templates, allows you to upload your own content such as powerpoints, PDFs etc and amend previously created courses. Best of all it's aimed at subject experts and so you really don't have to be a techie to be able to use it. Registration is very quick and there are a number of video user guides to have a look at before you start. Mind you, saying that, it's so easy to use and intuitive that you could probably just dive straight in.

The tool has three main tabs; workspace (where you create your content), library (where your uploaded media is saved) and administration (where you can change your course or add learners). Within the workspace tab you have a number of screen types available therefore giving you a choice about the type of content / interactivity you'd like to include. If you went for a basic screen to start you would have a simple image and text (although you do have around 9 different types of basic screen...), an advanced screen gives the opportunity for rollover text amongst other options, you have 16 different types of assessment screens available including 'what's wrong with this image' therefore giving loads of choice. You can also include interactive schenarios, a glossary of terms and import powerpoints. All screens are shown as an image and explanation in the menu so that you have some idea of what you are choosing before you choose it!

Once you are happy with your course you can choose to 'publish & host', which has a fee. This means that you are given a URL to send to learners so that they can access content. Alternatively you can choose to 'extract', which is free. If you do this the course is saved as a ZIP file for use as you see fit. Be warned - if you choose 'extract' each page will appear with a watermark, although this can be removed by deleting from each screen individually. Your ZIP file is also very likely to be HUGE! All content is SCORM compliant.

Overall I was really impressed with Udutu. Very easy to use and loads of useful and engaging interaction. AND IT'S FREE!!!! Why not take a look for yourself and let me know how you get on http://www.udutu.com/

2010-03-09T15:40:00.006Z

SurveyMonkey

When I first heard of an online system at TAROE’s event that could capture employer’s feedback, customer thoughts, cope with event planning and scheduling training and research sessions I thought it sounded great – then I heard it was called SurveyMonkey and didn’t know whether to continue to be impressed or laugh at the name given to this system! On returning to the office, I definitely wanted to find out more so checked it out.

SurveyMonkey is a free tool for creating online surveys. From my first impressions, it seemed easy to use - no dummies guide is required at all. I found it really easy to design my own style of questions and make my survey.

I tested it with a couple of my colleagues and it seems to work just fine, and all I emailed them was the link to the survey and explained what it was for.
SurveyMonkey did not allow them to try and do the survey more than once we can ensure that by not allowing the same person to input the same or different data multiple times, the results will be an accurate representation of the people and the results were easily accessible from the website. The only downside to it is that you are quite limited in a few of its tools and if you want to download your results or pull a report from the website then it asks you to upgrade to PRO or UNLIMITED membership which ranges from $200 a year working out at $16.67 a month or pay monthly at a $19.95 rate. At the moment the free version allows you to store 100 responses whereas the Professional at $19.95 allows you 1,000 responses.

From my point of view, it is a really good way of collecting survey responses as it saves you time from collecting them all and then inputting all the results. I know you can’t pull reports from the system without upgrading but there is no stopping you from looking at the results on their website, copying them and you doing your own graphs and reports. It still saves you a lot of time from putting it all together.

On the free version you are really limited and have to choose from one of their themes and would have to upgrade to be able to create your own theme so that it matches your brand – however again for a free package it’s worth considering how vital the theme and branding really is to you. It is also good as an address book as it can hold up to 100 names and contact details. I think it is a great tool for events and training sessions which have under 100 delegates, and I would always advise to try the free version first and then see whether it is suitable for you before considering to pay. If not, you can always take a look at upgrading at a later date.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/

Screenr - amazing free software from Articulate

2010-02-11T13:36:00.003Z

Screenr - I was only introduced to this software yesterday and I'm already in LOVE! I received a Tweet from Articulate (the power of social networking) about a webinar they are hosting which contained a link to Screenr. Screenr is a web based recorder which means that you can create screencasts with nothing to download and share them immediately through Twitter. The software is very easy to use (as long as you have a head set and microphone) and you have up to 5 minutes for your screencast.

Key steps in using Screenr: -

1) Go to http://screenr.com/

2) Watch the one minute demo

3) Click on create your own screencast

4) Resize the template to meet your needs.

5) Press the red button and after the countdown reaches 'GO' start talking and clicking.

You can pause at any point but beware - when you press the red button to start again there is no count down. You can also keep trying until you are happy with your screencast. Once happy simply type your message and publish to Twitter for the world to view.

View my first attempt at http://screenr.com/hHx and let me know what you think.

Have fun!!!!

Dimdim - free web conferencing

2010-01-20T16:06:00.002Z

Dimdim is an internet based service that allows anybody to share their desktop, show slides or documents and communicate using audio and public or private messages. Unlike other open source software you don't need to worry about downloads and the package can even be customised if you are willing to upgrade and therefore pay for access.

The lowest level package is free for up to 20 participants to meet without limiting the number of times they can meet and also gives access to features that aren't even available in some paid for web conferencing tools such as video etc.

Dimdim is as easy to use as http://www.gotomeeting.com/ but without the annual charge, although they are obviously hoping you will get so enthralled that you will upgrade to Dimdim Pro which does have a monthly charge. Sign up is really quick without the hundreds of personal details that you usually have to give in order to get something for free (you know, name, age, address, favourite colour, favourite holiday destination etc etc)

Why don't you take a look? If nothing else you can make a decision as to whether web conferencing is for you without having to pay for the privilege.

http://www.dimdim.com/

Amazing presentations and no death by PowerPoint

2010-01-09T20:14:00.003Z

http://www.prezi.com/ is described as 'the zooming presentation editor'. Intrigued - so was I. The idea behind Prezi is that a 'normal' presentation (as in one created in PowerPoint') is linear and therefore your presentation can only go in one direction, following your own trail of thought rather than that of your audience. The idea of Prezi is that in order to make a presentation more interesting you have to be able to match the presentation to the direction of your audiences trail of thought - and that is often not linear.

I'm probably not describing this very well! Try this - imagine that instead of looking at a PowerPoint presentation you are instead asking your audience to look at a poster which shows a picture of what you are talking about. The audience can ask for further information on which ever area sparks there interest when they notice it rather than having to wait for you to get there - 50 slides later! Prezi is designed to replicate this idea.

You design your presentation as a mind map with pictures, text and routes showing the connections between ideas. You can set the presentation to follow a specific route or simply zoom in to areas as you talk about them or as your audience asks questions. This enables you to present the ideas that are of most interest to your audience and therefore your presentation becomes more natural and less dull.

Prezi is pretty easy to use and there are a number of online videos taking you through the basic steps of how to design an amazing presentation. There are three options when thinking of purchasing, each bringing various advantages. The lowest option is free to use! I suggest you go and have a play and make up your own mind as to what you think, however I predict that the next time you are asked to do a presentation on the new accounting system or whatever other interesting subject you can offer your first thought will be 'fab, I get to try Prezi' rather than 'how many PowerPoint slides before my audience is snoring...'

GIMP vs Photoshop Elements

2010-01-04T10:30:00.002Z

When I was asked to try out GIMP (the GNU Image Manipulation Program) as an alternative to Photoshop Elements, I've got to admit I was really looking forward to it. GIMP is free software which is available from http://www.gimp.org/.

The plus points; It's FREE! GIMP has a lot of similar features and tools to Elements such as a full suite of painting tools including brush, pencil, airbrush, clone, layers and channels. It's FREE! It also has some really good features that are available in full Photoshop package but not via Elements such as the healing brush tool, which allowed me to fix photos in a way Elements does not. It's FREE! GIMP supports the reading and writing of Adobe file formats including .psd and .pdf and Paint Shop Pro .psp and many more also, did I mention, it's FREE!

The minus points; GIMP's interface is confusing and it takes a long time to work out where everything is. The programme is not as powerful or capable as Elements and can't be compared to the full Photoshop package.

In conclusion... GIMP is a great starting point for beginners who are looking for free software to design small projects and as a free alternative for people who are very used to Photoshop and can therefore transfer their knowledge however I think I'm going to stick with Elements!

Posted on behalf of Deby Walker.

InLiving Progression - taking learning one step further

2009-12-14T13:27:00.004Z

I wrote about InLiving in my last post - a fantastic training tool where young people learn life skills through play. InLiving Progression takes this idea one step further. During the game the learner is told that certain skills may be helpful for their characters chosen career options (think barman and basic food hygiene). This helps to plant the seed that training may help you to get a job. At the end of the game the learner is congratulated for completing the game and given a prize - the opportunity to complete the courses that have been referred to during the game.

The learner is sent a web address via text. They go to the web page and complete a short form. Once complete the learner is allocated an individual user name and password (sent by text) which means that they can access their own training record. Their record has automatically been populated with the e-learning courses that their character has previously been asked to complete. Upon completion of each course the learner can print off a CPD accredited certificate for their CV.

As the training courses are internet based the learner can dip in and out around other commitments and complete their training at a pace to suit their individual style. They can also refresh their understanding whenever necessary. Perfect for those with busy lives!

Learning vs playing – is there a difference?

2009-12-03T11:46:00.003Z

InLiving is a mobile phone game that has been developed as an up-to-date, accessible and engaging way to help young people think about the challenges of independent living. This interactive game tackles many of the problems associated with the realities and responsibilities of running a home for the first time. It can be compared to 'The Sims', but with a focus on learning.

Young people access the game by sending a text to a specified number. They then receive a text containing the download so that they can save the application to their phone. The game remains on their phone indefinitely - or until they get bored and delete it in favour of something else!

This game is a brilliant training tool - and pretty addictive! Users can choose what their character looks like and work through a variety of everyday tasks, making decisions on behalf of their character and (hopefully) learning from their mistakes. The beauty of the game is that you don't realise that you are completing a training course, you are simply playing a game.

The game was designed for young social housing tenants but the principle has now been applied to a variety of areas including freshers - I'm sure that students appreciate being reminded to eat properly and bathe from time to time...

'InLiving' from those clever bods at http://www.creativenorth.co.uk/

Small, slick & powerful - the Cranberry SC20

2009-11-27T08:41:00.003Z

Small, slick and powerful – have you heard of it? The Cranberry SC20 Smart Client was designed to offer an alternative to the desktop PC. Not only does it allow you to run full desktop applications but it is also better for the environment.

Known for their low maintenance, ease of use and flexibility of applications the Cranberry allows complete control, management and administration. Unlike the PC it can be delivered to you without any preparation and is only managed and maintain by you making it much easier to control who has access to operations.

Cranberry Smart Client allows you to perform the same business functions of a PC; you can browse the internet, run applications such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint without any noticeable difference. However, they are limited in functionality which will have a knock on effect on the instalation of digital cameras, scanners CD / DVD writers, memory sticks etc etc.

It's also good for your carbon footprint as all its components are recyclable therefore cutting the energy consumption AND it's quiet - no moving parts and a silent running system all add to the already impressive list of benefits.

Models are available from 40GB had disk to 250GB, but be warned - you have to decide what you need before you pay your money as your Cranberry cannot be upgraded.

Flip video - 'a masterstroke of simplicity'

2009-11-16T15:12:00.003Z

Used by both celebrities and mere mortals alike the Flip camera has been described as 'the darling of videobloggers', 'a masterstroke of simplicity' and 'an A list item'. We decided to buy one as a training aid so that learners could be assessed on their presentation skills without the need for extensive national travel by our facilitators. To be honest we weren't expecting much from the Flip camera. It was only £75 and, using the old adage 'you get what you pay for', we thought that both sound and picture quality would be quite poor, that the batteries would last seconds rather than hours and that it would take us weeks to learn how to use it. However I am happy to report that we have been proven wrong on all counts! The Flip camera is very easy to use, so easy in fact that we have now sent one out to a number of customers who are all busily sending back their films. Picture quality is good (although shaky hand syndrome can be a problem) and sound is very good as long as background noice isn't too loud. Videos can be downloaded to your computer in seconds with the software installing itself. Extremely useful for giving learners immediate feedback on presentation and training skills or simply filming your colleagues for your own entertainment!

Minimise web addresses instantly

2009-11-06T16:23:00.002Z

Most people probably know about this already - I have already explained my techno phobe history - and I admit this is nothing to do with e-learning but it is VERY useful for social networking and marketing using hyper links. I have just started using Twitter and LinkedIn (I know, I know!!) but found that I was using my full character count up with a useful web address therefore making it very difficult for anyone to understand why I found the web page in question so interesting! A clever Techie at work showed me how to use http://tinyurl.com/. All you do is copy the full link into the field and click on 'make tiny'. Once you have your tiny version you can use it as you would any hyper link and you'll have enough characters left over to make your point. GENIUS! There are a number of these sites available so why not go and explore (searching under small URL) to find the one you like best. You're welcome!

E>nable

2009-11-03T15:22:00.002Z

Now I know that I'm bound to sing about the benefits of a Learning Management System (LMS) designed by my own employer but honestly this system is fab! It's intuitive in its use and can do so many things that my intro presentations are now taking over an hour. The system can handle both online and offline learning as well as managing the appraisal process and also enabling - E>nable... get it? - the learner to request training following existing approval routes but without the paper. The system can even be branded to match your look and feel so learners need not know that it has been provided by an external organisation. Everything is Internet based and you can dip in and out of courses while E>nable monitors your progress. As an administrator there are a variety of reports, all of which can be exported to Excel therefore helping with your Board reports. Often HR systems neglect the training team and instead concentrate on Payroll and absence - E>nable turns the table and has been designed specifically to help manage the training function. AND it's getting better all the time as E>nable is developed using feedback from our customers, all 250,000 of them!

Professional e-learning content at the click of a button (ish)!

2009-04-08T16:00:00.003+01:00

The beauty of a training management system is that you can upload your own content as well as using courses created by the professionals. This enables you to communicate your message to the masses quickly and cheaply. However, you don't want your learners to dismiss your 'home made' content purely because it isn't as interactive as commercial offerings! Step forward 'Articulate'.

Articulate is an American software package that enables you to turn a PowerPoint presentation into an e-learning course. You can use the templates provided to create interactive screens as well as adding voice over and video clips. The website offers a huge number of online tutorials to help you on your way and the kind people at Articulate will even send you a weekly training bite giving hints and tips on how to make your course even more effective. You can check your progress through previews then, once satisfied with the quality of your product, publish the course. You can even 'try before you buy' with a free 2 week trial. Upon purchase you receive 2 licenses - therefore making it even more cost effective. There are a number of packages available. I recommend the 'Studio' package as this gives access to basic content, quizes & assessments and interactive templates.

Articulate does take a bit of getting used to but practice definately makes perfect and I'm sure you will be very surprised at your expertise in creating accessible e-learning content. Have a look http://www.articulate.com/

Who wants to be a millionaire?

2009-02-06T16:26:00.003Z

That probably isn't the best title for this post as it's slightly misleading! I'm not offering readers cash, instead I'd like to tell you about Promethean Activote.

This handy egg shaped voting devise enables instant audience participation. All you need do is write some multiple choice questions using the PowerPoint template and ask your audience to tell you the answer using their eggs. The best way to think of it is 'ask the audience' on the well known quiz show 'who wants to be a millionaire' (hence my title!) Your learners have 20 seconds to choose their answer from the options you have given. The system pulls all the reponses together into a graph and you have instant audience feedback. The system is easy to use and a lot of fun. For more information visit http://www.prometheanworld.com/server.php?show=nav.15999

Need to send Large Files?

2009-01-30T15:26:00.005Z

Now I know this doesn't really have much to do with e-learning but it is a piece of useful technology that I tell all my clients about and it's free!

If you've ever tried to send anything via email larger than a couple of Mb, you may have problems. This can be due to a number of reasons, mainly because either your email client or the receiver's email client could be set at a limit to ease the transfer of data into the internal networks, but also because of the way email works, you may get delivery issues. Email works by splitting your message into tiny packets of data with a header that ties them all together and reorganises them at the other end. When you send huge files say a PowerPoint presentation of say 50Mb, the chances for missing or corrupted packets, or slow delivery increases.

So enter this great piece of software that makes this process easy. Yousendit.com You have to register, but then it allows you to send files up to 100Mb. Of course if you need to password protect ("encrypt") the files, you may have to pay for a subscription, but if it's regular files the free service is so handy. Here's how it works. You browse to your file and upload it to Yousendit's server. You tell them what email address to send it to and they simply email your recipient to let them know the link to the file that they need to pick up within 7 days. The recipient then clicks on the link at their end and wait whilst the file downloads from Yousendit's server. Simple! Tell your friends!

Virtual Meetings for Technophobes

2009-01-15T15:39:00.005Z

I have never been described as IT literate by those who know me. In the last 3 years I have gone through 4 computers - the experts have never been able to diagnose the problem, it seems that the computers would just rather not work with me. It's not that I am scared of technology - in fact it's quite the opposite - I think I expect too much. I also have a nasty habit of pressing buttons for no reason other than to see what happens. This often results in a program freeze, which I hastily attempt to solve by pressing yet more buttons therefore making the situation worse.

I'm sure that you would suggest that a person of my disposition should not attempt an online meeting with a prospective customer, however I agreed to step up to the mark. It was described as the 'perfect learning opportunity' by my colleagues, who quickly showed me the basics of an 'easy to use' internet based meeting package and left me to it. I was worried, but my fears were unfounded. http://www.gotomeeting.com/ is simple in its design and layout therefore enabling the meeting host (in this case me) look like the professional they hope to one day be. You can use the package to run a conference call but for one-to-one meetings this service is not necessary. Meetings are set up through outlook and each party is given a link and a meeting code that they can use to log in when ready. The package enables meeting participants to view the hosts pc screen from the comfort of their own seats. The host can then pass control of the mouse to those wishing to try things for themselves. http://www.gotomeeting.com/ is perfect for demonstrating the useability of any IT package.

Is this the sign of things to come?

2007-05-01T15:23:00.000+01:00

Just had this passed to me by Richard in our office. It seems there have been some successes on early prototypes of games that can be controlled by brainwaves. This is really cool and one could imagine all the different uses for such a technology, not just for gaming, but for accessibility issues and training scenarios. I can see it now, lifelike simulations that pick up thought patterns and decision making directly from your brain waves...there'll be no room for cheating though!
See the full story here

Free online videos tutorials and how - tos

2007-04-23T15:21:00.000+01:00

As you know e-learning can take many forms and a really popular and emerging format for collaborative learning is the online video. There are many sites where you can upload and view videos, but I've found this new site where the videos are all about sharing learning and how to do stuff. All of the videos are free and anyone can contribute by uploading their videos. There are musicians with videos of how to play a song; chefs with videos of their recipes, media buffs that show you how to use Photoshop to enhance your photos; videos on how to set up a wireless network etc. In fact there are many categories, so, if you are a visual learner and are wanting to learn something new, why not see if it is featured on this site? And if it isn't yet featured, when you do learn how to do whatever it is, why not make your own video and share your knowledge with other people on the planet. (you can also put a link to your company website, so its actually a good way of getting yourself "out there") The link is: http://www.sutree.com/
Right I'm off to learn how to airbrush all the wrinkles from my photos - neat!

How great is this? Part II

2007-04-03T12:39:00.000+01:00

Rich in our office found this on YouTube...talk about interactive!
If you want to know more about how this project was developed, click here

Ask the Audience

2007-02-23T14:05:00.000Z

How many times have you sat in a classroom and been too embarrassed to ask a question, or even answer one for that matter, for fear of getting it wrong? How do teachers know which learners understand and which don't? The latest classroom technology involves learners using voting units to capture feedback onto an interactive whiteboard in the form of graphs - a bit like "Who wants to be a millionaire" What the system also can do however is capture individual learner responses which are private for the teacher alone to review and store. I am currently involved in a pilot with some young learners using this technology and we are going to monitor the effectiveness of the solution. If anyone has any innovative ways of using this system that we can try I would be keen to hear them. Again, a case study will be compiled and disseminated later on this year. It's not just for the classroom either, it can be a powerful tool in meetings and seminars.
Web links: voting units
Interactive whiteboards

Video Diary Booths

2007-02-23T13:32:00.000Z

I've just been asked to help a company engage young people using innovative technology. These learners are building apprentices and someone came up with the excellent idea of creating a "Big Brother" style diary room where learners could state their views and thoughts and these would be captured and used to engage others involved in similar courses. Coupled with using iPods to playback the videos this could be a very useful approach. I did a bit of research and there are some companies out there that have booths that you can hire from around £300 a day. This often includes the editing and upload to a website or production of resulting films on a DVD (apparently theres a big market for these at weddings) You can also purchase your own for a whopping 10K. However, being a small company who wanted a mobile solution that could be carried even to their learning sites abroad, we decided to think outside the box and came up with a tent structure which can be customised and set up in many different ways. You can even buy soundproofing material on a roll....so a true Blue Peter solution. But who said that you have to be high end to achieve the results you are after. I will be doing a detailed case study and charting the distance travelled so I will update you soon. Until then, check out these web links:
http://www.thevideobooth.co.uk/
http://www.video-booth.com/
http://i-vox.co.uk/?gclid=CL2Gr4vij4oCFQzBXgodZRZKhA
If you want to know more about our custom solution get in touch with me.

Social Bookmarking - eh?

2006-12-12T16:16:00.000Z

OK so you may have heard of this already. However, although I have heard it "bandied about" as they say in Yorkshire, I've never really understood what it meant....its a bit like the term WEB 2.0 everyone seems to talk about it but no-one admits to not really knowing what it means....watch this space for that one. So social bookmarking and Del.icio.us let us explore what it can do for us at elearn2work.

Social bookmarking is a way of sharing knowledge and information that could be useful for everyone who likes the things we like. The idea is that you use del.icio.us to bookmark pages of interest to you, then you "tag" them, ie give them key word descriptions that allow other people to find them. The beauty is that del.icio.us stores your bookmarks for you so that you can access them anywhere. This becomes really useful when you have a group of like-minded people, a bit like us at el2w, that are all interested in the same sort of info. Lets get down to the nitty gritty: We are all interested in all things elearning right? So we log into http://del.icio.us/elearn2work using the login: elearn2work and password: el2wsa then we can set our browser up with the del.icio.us button(they show you how when you first log in) Now any time you come across an article, journal or site to do with the project or elearning you can click the del.icio.us button and it will be saved. Pretty soon we should have a pool of elearning links and bookmarks.
Why not set up a del.icio.us account for your organisation? Get your staff to add any bookmarks that are pertinent to your area of interest...a great tool for informal learning and collaboration.
To make things easy I have put a link to del.icio.us in the side bar.

PebblePad e-portfolio tool

2006-12-12T13:35:00.000Z

Went to a demonstration of this tool at the Educa online conference in Berlin last week.

I was very impressed with this tool; particularly useful for capturing informal learning by the learner. pebblePad is a learner-centred fully portable e-portfolio tool for life that is very easy to set up and use.
Once an account is created, any number of assets such as achievements, targets, experiences can be logged by the user. The learner can create a web page with links to particular achievements and experiences. Anything that is recorded or uploaded into pebblePad can be shared with named people. These people can be given different levels of access to the assets within the e-portfolio.
Coming soon is a new interface that will appeal more to younger learners and get them engaged in learning how to organise their lives online.

If you attended the online educa conference in Berlin this year, view and contribute to the webfolio created in pebblepad

Coming Soon The Elearn2work Framework tool

2006-11-01T14:21:00.000Z

Sorry I haven't posted all week but we've been beavering away at putting together a kind of audit tool for all you small businesses out there to use. The plan is that it will contain some diagnostics to assess your requirements and then give you a number of options for content development, delivery methodolgy and delivery hardware. There will be reviews, case studies and step by step instructions to help you make the best choice for your business. I'll post the link to it as soon as it is completed, but just thought I'd give you something to look forward to. :-)

The Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC)

2006-10-20T10:54:00.000+01:00

At the conference, I got the chance to have a play with a number of devices and I was really impressed with this:

Microsoft have got together with a number of partners to bring you their latest baby sometimes referred to as the Origami or Q1 UMPC. It has a 7" screen which can be attached to an equally small but usable keyboard; it can be used as a wireless tablet PC with its touch screen and stylus (what really amazed me was that you can scribble onto the screen and it renders it digitally and even formats it for you) ; It even has a text type interface that you can thumb type in much the same way as you do when texting. You can access the web, watch movies, flash e-learning modules, listen to music, access email, download news feeds, make free calls using voice over IP, prepare presentations and do pretty much anything that your laptop/pda/iPod/Desktop PC can do! It even has GPS and bluetooth. Will it kill off the ipod? I don't think so, its not exactly pocket size, but it does fit nicely into a brief case or handbag and is so versatile, if I was going to buy a new PC for myself, this would be my choice at around £799.00.
The main thing that struck me was, how useful would this be for the small business? Compact, versatile and full of features, something that your staff could take home on an evening to do their training perhaps. Let me know what you think.

Handheld Learning 2006

2006-10-19T09:10:00.000+01:00

Just returned from the Handheld learning conference 2006 in London. The conference was generally aimed at schools, but there was still a lot to be learned from the many vendors of handheld devices and even some of the pilot applications in schools.
Over the next few weeks I will be showcasing some of the items and applications I tried out and also putting some useful links up here...just need some time to wade through all of the papers that I collected.

How great is this?

2006-10-05T14:47:00.000+01:00

Paul in our office sent me this You tube video which I thought was amazing. Not sure where it would be used in the scope of this project but thought it would entertain you all in the absence of any other posts.

You can find out more by reading this article:

Interactive text messaging revisited

2006-09-27T14:27:00.000+01:00

The long awaited meeting with Mark Cody of 02 took place this week. I was hoping to find some new and innovative way of closing the loop on training courses that were delivered outside the bounds of a Learning Management System. As we have been looking at new ways of delivering content ie such as via an iPod, how could we be sure that the material had been watched and understood? Inside a Learning Management System, you would be given a test which would capture and store your results.

Using Interactive messaging you can send messages and quizzes to anyone who owns a mobile. They can be asked a number of multiple choice questions and their answers could be easily texted back directly into a database. Excellent for uses in compliance training to register the fact that they have received and understood the message.

This technology could also be used for reminders, snap surveys and opinion polls as well as marketing and customer service uses. Anyone who has called the AA after breaking down will know that while you wait in your car they send you a text containing the name, company and registration number of the vehicle that will come to your rescue, together with the estimated time of arrival. A really good tool for enhancing the customer experience methinks.

We are currently looking at setting up a pilot to explore its uses in e-learning; so if you are based in Yorkshire and Humberside and employ under 50 people, contact us we may be able to help you

PSP - exciting new developments

2006-09-22T14:37:00.000+01:00

Ok so I know that I've harped on about the joys of iPods and podcasting when used for training. I haven't really touched on the use of other gaming consoles like the nintendo DS and PSP. Well, I haven't really looked into the DS yet, but I have it on good authority that it could be used as a training device, I just need to figure out how you get stuff onto it. The PSP however, I have had considerable success with. I have managed to load training videos onto it, powerpoint presentations and I have accessed web pages and pocasts from it. It also has a larger screen that the iPod, and small speakers. Plus you can pick them up for a very reasonable £130! You do need to convert any video into the relevant mp4 format (there are different mp4 formats for different devices) but this is not difficult to do. But what has got my mind racing is this:

This little eyeToy camera is coming soon as an add-on for the PSP together with VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol - basically allows you to make voice calls over the web - heard of Skype?) Imagine if you can access the web, you can use Skype or an instant messaging service to talk in real time with your tutor and actually see them too! How cool is that?

3D TV on the horizon

2006-09-22T14:35:00.000+01:00

Was reading an article on http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/5356176.stm which states that 3D TV could be with us pretty soon. How does that relate to e-learning you may ask. Well I know it seems pretty pie in the sky at the moment, but imagine the possibilities particularly for real-life training simulations. Imagine hospital staff being shown by 3D images how to lift a patient correctly or administer drugs to the correct area of the body. Or a machinist being shown how to clean down a machine safely. There are many applications where 2D just isnt rich enough and where face to face was really the only way forward.

At the meeting I went to at the Learning Light, the speaker demonstrated a handheld device that when pointed at a piece of paper on the table, it showed a screen with a 3d man walking across it and by walking around the piece of paper, you could see the man from all the different angles. It was very clever and I couldn't help thinking that one day soon, in much the same way as my kids marvel at stories of my first telly, my grandchildren will listen in awe as I tell them that I held one of the first devices that conveyed holographic images.

PSP additions

2006-09-22T14:12:00.000+01:00

Ok so I know that I've harped on about the joys of iPods and podcasting when used for training. I haven't really touched on the use of other gaming consoles like the nintendo DS and PSP. Well, I haven't really looked into the DS yet, but I have it on good authority that it could be used as a training device, I just need to figure out how you get stuff onto it. The PSP however, I have had considerable success with. (special thanks to Bomski in our office who has been invaluable when I needed help with video creations and conversion) I have managed to load training videos onto it, powerpoint presentations and I have accessed web pages and pocasts from it. It also has a larger screen that the iPod, and small speakers. Plus you can pick them up for a very reasonable £130! You do need to convert any video into the relevant mp4 format (there are different mp4 formats for different devices) but this is not difficult to do. But what has got my mind racing is this:

This little eyeToy camera is coming soon as an add-on for the PSP together with VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol - basically allows you to make voice calls over the web - heard of Skype?) Imagine if you can access the web, you can use Skype or an instant messaging service to talk in real time with your tutor and actually see them too! How cool is that?

3D TV on the horizon?

2006-09-22T14:01:00.000+01:00

Was reading an article on bbc.co.uk which states that 3D TV could be with us pretty soon. How does that relate to e-learning you may ask. Well I know it seems pretty pie in the sky at the moment, but imagine the possibilities particularly for real-life training simulations. Imagine hospital staff being shown by 3D images how to lift a patient correctly or administer drugs to the correct area of the body. Or a machinist being shown how to clean down a machine safely. There are many applications where 2D just isnt rich enough and where face to face was really the only way forward.

At the meeting I went to at the Learning Light, the speaker demonstrated a handheld device that when pointed at a piece of paper on the table, it showed a screen with a 3d man walking across it and by walking around the piece of paper, you could see the man from all the different angles. It was very clever and I couldn't help thinking that one day soon, in much the same way as my kids marvel at stories of my first telly, my grandchildren will listen in awe as I tell them that I held one of the first devices that conveyed holographic images.

X-men or e-learning?

2006-09-14T12:20:00.000+01:00

We had a meeting with some of our UK and transnational partners and took the opportunity to show them some of the new technologies that we are currently researching. Pictured below is Rod Knox CEO of Virtual College, wearing the latest in video and 3D Glasses.

We were able to project e-learning modules from an iPod into these and are looking into developing some training simulations to run in them.

Also below is Me (Abby Dacres) with Lukasz Arendt one of elearn2work's transnational partners, Theresa Williams, Project Manager UK & transnational and Dan Jordan Senior Technical Developer Virtual College.

Ok so it does look a little unconventional, but the elearning experience is pretty cool. I can't see your average person sitting on a train with their ipod just yet, but a lot of businesses do employ youngsters and what better way to engage them?..these glasses can be used with gaming consoles as well as computers and many hand held devices. Perhaps they could be loaned out on the proviso that the training be completed. The learner could then be tested via a Learning Management System to close the loop on the training experience. You saw it here first!

X-Men or elearning?

2006-09-14T11:39:00.000+01:00

We had a meeting with some of our UK and transnational partners and took the opportunity to show them some of the new technologies that we are currently researching. Pictured below is Rod Knox CEO of Virtual College, wearing the latest in video and 3D Glasses.

We were able to project e-learning modules from an iPod into these and are looking into developing some training simulations to run in them.

Also below is Me (Abby Dacres) with Lukasz Arendt one of elearn2work's transnational partners, Theresa Williams, Project Manager UK & transnational and Dan Jordan Senior Technical Developer Virtual College.

Ok so it does look a little unconventional, but the elearning experience is pretty cool. I can't see your average person sitting on a train with their ipod just yet, but a lot of businesses do employ youngsters and what better way to engage them..these glasses can be used with gaming consoles as well as computers and many hand held devices. Perhaps they could be loaned out on the proviso that the training be completed. The learner could then be tested via a Learning Management System to close the loop on the training experience. You saw it here first!

Learning light event

2006-09-12T16:16:00.000+01:00

Attended a talk by Ron Edwards - Ambient Performance at the Learning light event last night. The talk was around using new technologies to deliver learning. There was a lot of buzz around using iPods and PSPs, I am pleased to say. There were a lot of devices and software solutions that I hadn't considered,such as online gaming, so I will be looking into those. Also some of the stuff we had been doing surrounding the use of GeoVid was new to the speaker and other experts in the room; so I felt quite proud that we too, were at the cutting edge when developing new ways of delivering content. Much information was shared, which is what these meetings are all about so I felt that it was a great success. Ron Edwards has an excellent blog; I have placed a link to it in the side bar. Go check it out and keep yourself in the elearning "know".

Learning Light Event

2006-09-12T15:52:00.000+01:00

Attended a talk by Ron Edwards - Ambient Performance at the Learning light event last night. The talk was around using new technologies to deliver learning. There was a lot of buzz around using iPods and PSPs, I am pleased to say. There were a lot of devices and software solutions that I hadn't considered,such a sonline gaming, so I will be looking into those. Also some of the stuff we had been doing surrounding the use of GeoVid was new to the speaker and other experts in the room; so I felt quite proud that we too, were at the cutting edge when developing new ways of delivering content. Much information was shared, which is what these meetings are all about so I felt that it was a great success. Ron Edwards has an excellent blog; I have placed a link to it in the side bar. Go check it out and keep yourself in the elearning "know".

More training onto ipod

2006-09-06T11:35:00.000+01:00

Had a problem a week or so ago where I wasn't able to get our Flash training modules onto iPod or PSP because of the way that they were created. Well I did a bit of lateral thinking and came up with using some screen capture software to run through the training module. All I had to do then was convert the resulting avi movie to MP4 and I was able to load into iTunes and the PSP software (cant remember what they call it)and subsequently onto the iPod and PSP. The quality was fine except that the mike on my laptop picked up sound from me moving my hands over the keyboard. Perhaps I can set it up so that it only records the audio from the training material and not external input. (Although how useful would that be? being able to narrate whilst you show someone how to access software or use the internet...you could develop a training video very quickly and cheaply for people to play later.
OOh sorry I forgot to tell you the software I used: Snagit8 and ImToo both are available for a free trial download...give it a go and see what you can do!

More training onto iPod

2006-09-04T10:37:00.000+01:00

Another use for RSS?

2006-08-31T10:09:00.000+01:00

Sorry to digress again but I got an email from a marketing guy I had spoken to on a forum weeks ago about RSS. He sent me a report that detailed how RSS worked (which I now didn't really need, but I thought I'd give it a read in case there was some aspect that I hadn't grasped.) There was one aspect which I hadn't considered as I was concentrating on using RSS from an elearning point of view, but you could actually use it in terms of e-marketing. As a project, we produce newsletters on a monthly or bi-monthly basis, we save up stories news and events to send out one newsletter which may or may not be fully read. If we get our end readers to subscribe to our RSS feed, we can update them daily on the latest project developments, whether that be news, podcasts, videos, product reviews etc. Worth thinking about more strategically perhaps. Click here to download the document(you need to give your name and email then a link to the document is sent to you - if you don't want to do this let me know and I'll get a copy to you)

Delivery hardware - the handheld Sony reader

2006-08-31T10:07:00.000+01:00

When I first looked at this I have to say that I wasn't convinced. People like books, why would they want to carry around yet another mobile device? But then my boss pointed out that it could be a really useful device for field engineers to carry service manuals or perhaps to download training documents to be read later. So I thought I would investigate as this sounded like a really good application of this emerging technology.

I visited the Sony site to see if I could get a handle on the features. The main thing I noticed was there was nothing on there that really told you how you would get training material onto the reader. This would need to be straightforward for people to adopt it for use in their businesses. It seems that you can download books, but you have to do it through the sony connect store using some software that is provided with the reader. (sounds a bit like the ipod and iTunes...just try getting anything that isn't bought from the apple iTunes store onto your iPod and you will have to trawl various forums to find out how to do it because Apple don't make it easy for you.) Also, although it does say that the reader stores pdf's blog entries etc...These need to be converted into the correct format by the accompanying software. Without buying one and trying it out, its going to be hard to assess how much of a faff this is going to be. I'll see if I can do that...and report back.

Another use for RSS?

2006-08-31T09:47:00.000+01:00

Delivery hardware - the handheld Sony reader

2006-08-30T16:26:00.000+01:00

iPod and beyond

2006-08-23T18:46:00.000+01:00

Sorry there was no posting yesterday, I got bogged down with putting all the abstract stuff that I've come across into some sort of formal format. I tried to develop some sort of descision tree format as there is so much that you can do around elearning and an ipod. I must confess that this morning I did get sidetracked. My boss asked me to investigate how ipod can be used with projectors. I did find that you can connect an ipod to most projectors with an A/V cable, and to a telly....but I also found this after entering the bowels of geekdom: the early days of the ipod mini projector Of course its not n the market yet, but computer nerds all over the world are finding lots of wierd and wonderful ways to use the iPod...is this the sign of things to come?

iPod and beyond

2006-08-23T10:46:00.000+01:00

ipod continued

2006-08-21T20:02:00.000+01:00

After investigating the possibility of getting Flash elearning modules onto ipod, I discovered that it really isnt that simple - not impossible - but a bit fiddly. This is Bomski's (our boy wonder) explanation: "most of the conversion tools that turn flash into video.... need a linear timeline (no stopframes)most of our content is held in a containing movieclip in a single frame" I asked him for a simple explanation and it seems that Flash is like a videotape and the animations are made up of single frames; if our content was spread over many different frames, we could export it to video easily, as it stands, all our animations are held in one frame, so we would have to hack it and spread it across many frames, in order to get it into an acceptable state for conversion.

Maybe this idea should be shelved for a later date, as the beauty of our modules is that they are very interactive and this feature would be lost even if I did manage to convert them to mp4 format. Perhaps we could offer the same courses, but done in a different format using perhaps some of the animations from the flash modules but embedding them into powerpoint before converting to video. The possibility is there for later if anyone wants to trial it anyway.
update:click here to see how I overcame this

ipod continued

2006-08-21T12:02:00.000+01:00

from powerpoint to ipod

2006-08-21T07:26:00.000+01:00

Managed to get a powerpoint presentation into video format and onto an ipod, the quality is fantastic and I think that this could prove to be a really useful tool for training. Now I'm going to create a vodcast which will involve me setting up an RSS feed so that itunes can access it. This will mean that any employees who have an ipod (or even when they dont they can still download itunes and view on their PC) can subscribe to a series of video casts whether they be powerpoint or instructional videos. I am also going to look at converting Flash in the same way too as many of our modules are in this format.

Oh i also tried out youTube for uploading a video version of a powerpoint presentation:

from powerpoint to ipod

2006-08-20T23:26:00.000+01:00

Camtasia

2006-08-19T06:55:00.000+01:00

Today I am going to download a trial version of Camtasia. This software allows you to capture screen movements and so is excellent for creating tutorials. You can even add video and audio to give it that complete learning experience. Once I've done this, I'm going to load the finished product onto a video ipod to see if it would be a feasible tool for the small business to use for training. I'm also going to use some free software to turn an ordinary powerPoint presentations into a video format and in turn make that available to download onto mobile devices such as a video ipod.

OK step one: I used a trial version of this really great software Presentation_to_Video_Converter to turn a powerpoint presentation into a video format. It really was very simple to do. You simply open up your presentation in this software set up how you want it to play and when you are ready, press start. As it was capturing the presentation it makes a transition through the screens and you can record a voice over or add sounds. Once finished, you can upload it to the web via google's new video upload program. This is a beta version and you can use others such as uTube. I'm not sure as yet whether the whole world can see it if they wish, I shall have to have a look into that. Here is the finished product: I think it shows how you could easily put together a presentation and post it to the web for people to watch wherever and whenever they needed. Great for the small business on a budget!

OK, so its not the best quality, but I didnt really tweak the settings, in fact I'm not sure I even selected the right format in the software. You can improve the quality by taking note of google's quality parameters

Camtasia

2006-08-18T10:51:00.000+01:00

Pod Training

2006-08-17T21:58:00.000+01:00

You've heard me mention Vodcasting earlier; that is, creating a video podcast to be downloaded and watched later from any device that can run it, namely ipods or some mobile computers and phones. This is not just a thing of the future and we should perhaps be thinking in terms of the demographics of our workforce and the fact that many of the younger employees are already fully au fait with this technology. Pod training could be the next big thing; it has many possibilities and advantages. See this page for more insight

There are now a number of technologies available as free downloads that convert your powerpoint presentations, flash content and other elearning formats into movie files. From this you can then convert them to MP4 format to run on video ipods. your users can subscribe via the itunes software that can be downloaded from Apple and they can download your vodcasts straight to their ipod video. Alternatively, users can download the video format direct from your server to their pcs or wap capable mobiles.Ineed to look into this a lot deeper, I would like to set one up and try it on a video ipod.

Pod Training

2006-08-17T13:58:00.000+01:00

Storyboard software

2006-08-17T01:09:00.000+01:00

Meeting this morning and all the inevitable catch-ups after meant that didn't get started until around 1.30 today...then got bogged down with trying to hunt down some news stories for the portal. Never mind, I did get some time to look at some story board software.

I'm not entirely certain whether anyone creating elearning content would ever want or need to go to the expense of using storyboarding software, but if you can stretch to around £150.00, it really does bring your ideas to life. You can create scenes and scenarios, customise characters and basically do a mock-up of how you want the module to play out. It would possibly be more useful to someone planning some roleplay scenarios, but I could see a use for it in content creation. There's something about holding a pencil in your hand though, that gets the imagination flowing...perhaps I'm getting old. I'll post the links to the software once i have a few to compare...watch this space

Avatars

2006-08-16T21:34:00.000+01:00

Today I'm going to look at avatars. An avatar is basically a graphical representation of a user (usually) and is meant to make the computer environment a more friendly place. Software such as Site Pal can be used to customise a virtual person that sits on your site or program and basically says what you want it to. It can be used to guide, greet and generally help a user along. Simon in our office has already customised a trial version of a virtual "Abby" which even has my voice on it...spooky, but I think you'll agree that it could be quite an effective support tool. Plus if the user does have to call in for help, they will have a voice that they recognise on the end of the phone. I'll put the link on here later today so that you can have a look at it.

You can even use an avatar to provide support via a mobile device; have a look at this demo of codebaby: www.codebaby.com You can also view a macromedia breeze presentation of a case study of a company called Fountain Tire who used avatars in their elearning; click here to access the case study This presentation is really interesting as it also talks about the strategy of setting up elearning content, an LMS and talks about operational issues that the company faced. Check out one of the courses they created:fountain tire elearning demo using avatars from codebaby

Storyboard software

2006-08-16T17:09:00.000+01:00

Avatars

2006-08-16T01:34:00.000+01:00

SWICKIs

2006-08-15T22:01:00.000+01:00

Well I'd heard of WIKIs BLIKIs TWIKIs but now SWICKI. I've been looking at this free tool this afternoon and it seems pretty good...it is in Beta stage so there may be a few issues still need ironing out, one of them being making it idiot proof for people like me!! I set one up, embedded it on the left sidebar as you can see, but it wasnt returning any results...I had only told it to search for images it seems, when I went back to alter it, it refused to let me...so a support alert has been sent to the kind people at Eurekstar to see if they can surmise what went wrong. I don't think it was anything I did. Update: they did fix the problem, but for some reason the formatting is now doing strange things, so I have removed it until I can get it sorted...shouldn't take too long.

Anyways, this is how they are supposed to work. You create a kind of search facility that "learns" from your users and builds up a kind of "buzz cloud" as they call it of ideas and search themes. So not only can you perform more focussed searches, but you can find out what everyone else in your "community (area of interest)" is searching for or interested in. Once it gets going it provides you with top ten search lists and the like. I would imagine that it does rely on being heavily used for it to be most effective. But how cool would it be as a tool on your intranet site, set up to do focussed searches for any stuff relating to your area of business..a really effective way at keeping staff informed...You can even set up tag lines that will appear as search criteria which you could direct to your products and services and news stories....

As with most things that I have researched, really getting to grips with them does take time, and I shall no doubt have to return to this at some time. For the moment, my mission is to find out what is out there...

Nuvvo LMS

2006-08-15T20:03:00.000+01:00

Logged on an tested this free LMS. Very simple to register. They provide a number of free courses which is a good way of getting you to try it out and use it and also shows you what you can do with the system. Once I received the email with my password I was able to log in and try out my training. There are some very good features such as a blog and calendar, also one really good feature is under your list of courses that you are assigned to, is a list of further courses that you may be interested in or could enroll on together with details such as cost etc....perhaps these are some features we could look at incorporating on ours too. I found another blog posting from a well respected learning professional whose blog I sometimes read; Clive Shepherd's blog entry re: Nuvvo

Speaking of picking up ideas and tips for features, perhaps we should be wary of infringement of copyright laws. Apparently Blackboard have claimed a very broad range of features as their own and original ideas and as such, anyone using said features could be sued for infringement...click here to see what they are claiming See also the news story on bbc.co.uk

SWICKIs

2006-08-15T14:01:00.000+01:00

Well I'd heard of WIKIs BLIKIs TWIKIs but now SWICKI. I've been looking at this free tool this afternoon and it seems pretty good...it is in Beta stage so there may be a few issues still need ironing out, one of them being making it idiot proof for people like me!! I set one up, embedded it on the right as you can see, but it wasnt returning any results...I had only told it to search for images it seems, when I went back to alter it, it refused to let me...so a support alert has been sent to the kind people at Eurekstar to see if they can surmise what went wrong. I don't think it was anything I did.

Anyways, this is how they are supposed to work. You create a kind of search facility that "learns" from your users and builds up a kind of "buzz cloud" as they call it of ideas and search themes. So not only can you perform more focussed searches, but you can find out what everyone else in your "community (area of interest)" is searching for or interested in. Once it gets going it provides you with top ten search lists and the like. I would imagine that it does rely on being heavily used for it to be most effective. But how cool would it be as a tool on your intranet site, set up to do focussed searches for any stuff relating to your area of business..a really effective way at keeping staff informed...You can even set up tag lines that will appear as search criteria which you could direct to your products and services and news stories....

As with most things that I have researched, really getting to grips with them does take time, and I shall no doubt have to return to this at some time. For the moment, my mission is to find out what is out there...

Nuvvo LMS

2006-08-15T12:03:00.000+01:00

Logged on an tested this free LMS. Very simple to register. They provide a number of free courses which is a good way of getting you to try it out and use it and also shows you what you can do with the system. Once I received the email with my password I was able to log in and try out my training. There are some very good features such as a blog and calendar, also one really good feature is under your list of courses that you are assigned to, is a list of further courses that you may be interested in or could enroll on together with details such as cost etc....perhaps these are some features we could look at incorporating on ours too.

Speaking of picking up ideas and tips for features, perhaps we should be wary of infringement of copyright laws. Apparently Blackboard have claimed a very broad range of features as their own and original ideas and as such, anyone using said features could be sued for infringement...click here to see what they are claiming See also the news story on bbc.co.uk

Toolbook - authoring software

2006-08-14T23:05:00.000+01:00

Well Rod, my boss, gave me a list of tools to have a look at...usually I try them out by creating a tutorial, but having downloaded this software and tried a few tutorials, it bore a very strong resemblance to the Lectora tool I tested last week; So to save time and effort, I shan't bother to spend time creating a tutorial. Instead have a look at a sample of what you can achieve with this software by clicking here

It is also important to note that Toolbook can also be launched and progress tracked by slotting it into TotalLMS the Learning Management System also from SumTotal.

Forio Broadcast simulation software

2006-08-14T18:55:00.000+01:00

Had a look this morning at some business simulation software that you can broadcast over the web. All good stuff but not really appropriate for this project since it is typically geared toward medium- and long-term strategic and operational issues facing large organizations. Basically you create a model by putting data and equations relating to your scenario, into excel and other areas of the software. Once this is done, this builds the various scenarios and outcomes of different business decisions. You then build a web interface or front end that presents your users with the training module. The idea is that they will be taken through a simulation with a series of problems and decisions which they have to negotiate their way through...as they do so graphs change and they can see the result of their actions. Very impressive if you have to go through say major change management and want to train your managers to steer their staff painlessly through it. Not really for the small business. Have a look here though at a standard simulation: http://www.forio.com

Toolbook - authoring software

2006-08-14T15:05:00.000+01:00

Forio Broadcast simulation software

2006-08-14T10:55:00.000+01:00

Web Casting and conferencing

2006-08-12T07:33:00.000+01:00

Macromedia Breeze...how exciting! I have had the pleasure of attending an online seminar on accessibility, using Macromedia Breeze and I have to say it blew me away.
There I was sat in a virtual classroom with my fellow students; some in Japan, Australia, USA, one guy was even accessing from a laptop on a beach in Fiji..how cool is that? I was even able to pass notes back and forth to my fellow students, talk to the teacher, ask him questions even whilst he continued to speak (he has an assistant who fields questions) The teacher was able to operate a screen show, draw on the board to illustrate points and even take files from the students to show what they had done...WOW! imagine the uses, the only downside is the price...getting one out of Macromedia was like pulling teeth at the time as it was a fairly new product. I'm off to see what I can get out of them now, a year down the line....

Web Casting and conferencing

2006-08-11T11:33:00.000+01:00

Done it again!

2006-08-11T06:44:00.000+01:00

In my usual inimitable style I have got sidetracked once again! Well not really, it is kind of associated with podcasting in that you post an audio file for anyone who subscribes to listen to. OK business uses: The manager is at a conference and wants to report his initial thoughts to his blog...he may not have time to get to a computer before his next seminar. He can simply call a number (he will have already set up his audio blog - very easy setup btw) and record his thoughts. It will immediately appear as a play icon like the one I made earlier below:

The call is free if you are in the states but outside a long distance charge applies. I have written to blogger to see if this service can be done locally in the UK...watch this space...right back to pod web and broadcasting...again!

Podcast at last

2006-08-10T21:00:00.000+01:00

Here's my first attempt at creating a podcast:

powered by ODEO
If you want to see further episodes of this podcast, go to odeo.com If you want to subscribe to this or any other podcast (and there are millions)just sign up for an account. You can then click on browse at the menu list at the top, then at the right hand side there is a box called browse podcasts, either click on your interest area or click on more tags if you want to search for something more specific such as my podcast; then in bottom right hand corner is a search box where you search for something more specific, type in abby's first podcast for example and you wil be presented with the podcast and a pink button that says "subscribe" just click there and you will be notified every time a new podcast is created in that series; via your "audio inbox" which you access when you log in to odeo.com. This is great for use in training. Imagine having a training course and a link a podcast of your tutor's voice giving you some reassuring tips and guidelines.

Podcast at last

2006-08-10T13:00:00.000+01:00

Done it again!

2006-08-10T10:44:00.000+01:00

Mobile Blogging interrupts play

2006-08-08T22:40:00.000+01:00

Just helping out a colleague this afternoon and I got to thinking about mobile blogging. She wanted to develop a team blog as a customer first initiative, where any member of staff could post good news stories from our customers. Problem is a lot of our staff who could get some good stuff together actually work off site...so mobile blogging...they can send photos and text straight through to the blog in the same way that site bound staff are doing.

Then I got to thinking, what a great way of collecting evidence for NVQs and online portfolios...this needs delving into as I would imagine there are many possibilities for use in virtual college that we haven't yet explored.

Only trouble is I need to focus on one topic area, in my excitement I am flitting from one idea to another...as the ideas spark off new ideas I'm getting easily distracted and could end up with not much to show for my efforts other than a load of abstract ideas...Note to self: write ideas down and get back to job in hand...so podcasts - where were we?

RSS comes before pod

2006-08-08T19:06:00.000+01:00

So suppose you are a university lecturer and you decide that you are going to record all your lectures by video or audio. You may then post your podcasts on your site. How are you going to get your podcasts to everyone who needs to hear or see them? Well, you need an RSS feed.(as mentioned yesterday some code in a file that describes the content of your website so that people out there can "subscribe" or register an interest in it.)

Using a free desktop or web based aggregator(software for registering your interest and subscribing to a list of feeds in your interest area)Your students will subscribe to your RSS feed. They will then be notified everytime you upload something to your site and will be able to download the latest lectures to their computers.

RSS can have lots of uses from pulling in traffic to your site, to sending automated newsletters. This is a whole topic in itself which I will cover in detail in layman's terms and post back here later - for now I need to dip into pod, web and broadcasting.

Mobile Blogging interrupts play

2006-08-08T14:40:00.000+01:00

RSS comes before pod

2006-08-08T11:06:00.000+01:00

Podcasts Broadcasts Webcasts

2006-08-07T19:44:00.000+01:00

Well Friday went badly, spent the morning researching e-portfolios for the capturing informal learning thing. Then my lap top bust...turns out it was just the cable, but much time wasted trying to get it fixed. So a short hours day and no update to Friday's blog!

Never mind, today started better. I have spent most of the morning testing some programs that need uploading - yawn! but someone's gotta do it and I'm too much of a control freak to let anyone else do it :-).

Right back to the real job in hand...just about to start looking at how casting whether it be web pod or broad (hmm perhaps there's more ways of casting out there too...)can work for e-learning. Let you know more later.

Found out that before you understand podcasting etc, you need to understand RSS (really simple syndication - or rich site summary whichever you prefer) Basically it is a distributable "What's new" for your site. You really need one if you are going to be podcasting or blogging and want your audience to be notified any time you add something to your site. See tomorrow's entry for more detail...

Podcasts Broadcasts Webcasts

2006-08-07T11:44:00.000+01:00

Looking at tools for capturing informal learning

2006-08-03T20:10:00.000+01:00

Much of what we learn is informal, both at home in our private lives and on the job. I went to a very good lecture by Donald Clark about this subject, really hoping to find some ways of capturing this type of learning and recording it so that the learner could get some recognition for it. It was obvious after Donald's talk, it hit me...of course! you can't formalise informal learning, it loses its value if you do. However, we all live in the real world and this is an area that companies are all looking to get into...you see it every day e-portfolios, blogs etc. I have to agree with my boss, perhaps the theorists are missing a big piece of the puzzle; and, if we can find that piece maybe we will be able to offer something that is useful for both managers and employees alike without formalising the process too much. My boss has some pretty good ideas as to how this could work...it is my task of the day to hunt down some tool that could help us achieve this. Who knows perhaps the answer is right under our nose!

Looking at tools for capturing informal learning

2006-08-03T12:10:00.000+01:00

Using Lectora continued

2006-08-02T20:24:00.000+01:00

I think last night's post was a bit optomistic...I did plan to return to the computer and continue creating the Lectora module that I had started, but events conspired against me together with this morning being taken up with various admin tasks. However, on checking my emails, I found that the kind man at Trivantis (makers of Lectora) had sent me a quickstart document grrr could have done with this yesterday. So if this quickstart guide is any good, my progress this afternoon should be swifter.

Update: Here it is - I didn't do anything too fancy..it took me too long to just do this basic package...I will endeavour to add another advanced module if I have time later: Click here to view a basic guide to Lectora Publisher

Using Lectora continued

2006-08-02T12:24:00.000+01:00

Using Lectora Publishing Tool

2006-08-01T22:35:00.000+01:00

Fired by the relative ease it took to set up a PowerPoint Producer e-learning module, I decided to do a similar thing for learning how to use Lectora. I have to say that it has not been as easy to use as I first thought. Perhaps, like anything in life, the more features it has, the more wading through the manual you have to do. I'm sure that it will seem easier once I have got to the other side. For the sake of my sanity and the time constraints that this research is offering me, I am going to put together a very simple package using Lectora and maybe return at a later date, once we have a candidate for a case study that we can trial it on. The products of my efforts will be posted here later this evening.

Using Lectora Publishing Tool

2006-08-01T14:35:00.000+01:00

Interactive Messaging Services continued

2006-07-31T20:28:00.000+01:00

Have been speaking to O2 this morning.

Basically the package they can offer is fully customisable and covers, among other things:
Follow up texts and reminders
Weekly tips and memory aids
Quizzes and feeback questionairres (max of 4 questions)
They can also set it up so that when a customer presses a button it opens your WAP site on their phone.
The charges seem reasonable all that remains now is to find a company that we can pilot it on and do a case study.

We could also use the same system for SMS marketing so perhaps we could attribute some of the costs there...

Hopefully will be talking to some of O2's competitors to see if the prices that I have been quoted are competitive....watch this space!

Orange don't offer this service.
Update 3.8.06 still not got a reply from any of O2's competitors.

Interactive Messaging Services continued

2006-07-31T12:28:00.000+01:00

Have been speaking to O2 this morning.

Basically the package they can offer is fully customisable and covers, among other things:
Follow up texts and reminders(we can already do this from RMS)
Weekly tips and memory aids (we can already do this from RMS)
Quizzes and feeback questionairres (max of 4 questions)
They can also set it up so that when a customer presses a button it opens your WAP site on their phone.
The charges seem reasonable all that remains now is to find a company that we can pilot it on and do a case study.

We could also use the same system for SMS marketing so perhaps we could attribute some of the costs there...

Hopefully will be talking to some of O2's competitors to see if the prices that I have been quoted are competitive....watch this space!

Orange don't offer this service.
Update 3.8.06 still not got a reply from any of O2's competitors.

Wowed at the WOW academy

2006-07-28T17:52:00.000+01:00

A Bmedia event held at the WOW academy last night. I went along hoping to do some networking and hoping I could get some ideas or make some contacts for future projects.

There was a good turnout, mainly people from media companies, dealing with video and DVD production both for online and regular marketing streams. I spoke to a young man from a fledgling company born out of the Think Business incubation unit at Bradford University. They were specialising in video production but also animation. The girl shown in the photo was kitted out with the lastest technology used for CGI and animation...similar to the type used in the making of King Kong Movie. As she moved around, the software captured her movements and projected them to the animated model on the screen.

We were also given a talk and a 3D film show by the Innovations Manager Hashim Hashim - so good they named him twice! The end of the film turned the cameras on the audience and we all saw ourselves in glorious 3D! Awesome (although I have to say I did feel a little nauseous after the clip from an alien invasion where the audience were flying in a space craft at warp factor infinity!)

I have to say, though, the best part for me was the 3D printer that they had there. Imagine being able to design something in 3D on the computer, then to send it to print only to have a perfect plastic model come out of the tray! fantastic! Wonder if they do 3D photocopiers...could have some fun with that at the office Christmas party.

I'm not sure that any of the technologies I saw could be used in e-learning due to the high production costs, but certainly we could consider using DVDs or online video streaming to add a bit of va va voom to training courses.

If you want more information about the WOW academy visit the WOW academy website or tel:01274 433343.

Wowed at the WOW academy!

2006-07-28T09:52:00.000+01:00

Interactive messaging services

2006-07-27T23:06:00.000+01:00

Only doing a half day today so this will be continued tomorrow. Today's topic covers the use of the Mobile Telephone as a medium for push and pull campaigns not necessarily for marketing purposes in our case - although I'm sure we will find a use for it there- no, this is more for capturing feedback, doing polls and maybe even quizzes. The scenario may be to send a text once a student has completed their course telling them about another course...or maybe asking them to press 1 if it was good 2, for OK, 3 for don't know etc. Perhaps it could be used to close the loop for standards compliance training...they respond to say they have read the training and fully understand...perhaps they can be asked a question or two to test them.

Anyway, emails have been sent to the big Mobile Phone companies...lets see who is the best eh?

For an explanation on what 02 offer in the way of these services, click here

Interactive Messaging Services

2006-07-27T15:06:00.000+01:00

Research project underway!

2006-07-27T02:55:00.000+01:00

Hopefully this blogspot will detail my findings of my research into software and hardware for e-learning
Today's lesson: Microsoft Producer used in conjunction with word to give a truly media rich feel without the high cost and a degree in geekdom that you need for other tools - in fact its free with every copy of Microsoft 2003!
View my very crude novice attempts here. Now I know its not as it should be but I wanted to show a no nonsense newbie approach to new software hoping that as I learn how to use it I can teach it real-time.

I should've included a section on how to publish and upload these files to a server once finished, as that will be a bit tricky for the web novice, but I'm not gonna change it at this stage, as I think its approachable and naive and possibly a little less intimidating and hey, I've got no make-up on either!! shock horror! Watch this space for the new improved version...

Let me know what you think.

Research project underway!

2006-07-26T18:55:00.000+01:00