New Interactive Flash Templates for eLearning!
July 7, 2010
We’d like to announce our latest interactive Flash template set: iStyle.
Have you ever wanted to have a library of pre-made Flash interactions and activities? Templates that look great and could be easily integrated with your eLearning authoring software? (i.e. Articulate, Captivate, Unison, Lectora, etc.) Do you also want the source files so you can edit anything that you’d like? Now you can! The eLearning Flash templates are easy to edit, look amazing, and provide the source files.
How to use the templates:
1. Purchase and download the Flash source files.
2. Open the Flash file and copy/paste your text into the movie clips. (or change anything…you have the source file and can edit every part of the interaction).
3. Publish the .swf file.
4. Insert the .swf file into your authoring tool.
Using Video in eLearning
March 31, 2010
Video is really taking off in the eLearning world and can add to the effectiveness of content. However, when using video there are many things to think about.
Typical steps to get video into an online course:
- Script the video on paper
- Record (sound and audio)
- Edit
- Compress/Render
- Insert into eLearning authoring tool
- Place on server
- Open up access to the learners
Each one of the steps above takes various technical skills.
A big challenge when using video is to keep a high-level of quality but not have the files size too big. There are various techniques that help when compressing and deploying video. Flash .swf and .flv (Flash Video) is a great way to overcome these issues.
I found an article that focuses on compression, security, and deployment and could help you deploy your eLearning videos.
The article below addresses a scenario where a company needs to train 1500 employees using a 30 minute video. They are worried about security and the quality of their video. They will also have many employees accessing the video at the same time. Limited bandwidth is a worry.
Article: “Deploying Online Courses with Video Content” (Syberworks)
Use Flash? Check out these Flash interactions and eLearning game activities.
PowerPoint – The King of eLearning Tools?
February 26, 2010
Is PowerPoint the most widely used tool for eLearning development? Should it be?
It seems that everywhere I go in the eLearning world I run into PowerPoint. Most of the new authoring tools either use PPT as their backbone or offer the ability to import slides. Interface creation, navigation buttons, LMS tracking, and testing abilities are then typically added to the PPT functionality.
I “grew-up” in eLearning world using Director/Authorware and then moving into Flash/HTML (PPT was “off-limits”). In the past few years I’ve started using Articulate and Captivate to do the heavy lifting and using Flash more for specific parts of the overall course. Using these new tools meant that I had to start using PPT.
At first I was very anti-PPT, however I have changed my tune a bit in the past few years. I have come to appreciate that with some good thought and instructional design you can use most any tool to a decent level of effectiveness. I’ve seen terrible Flash and Lectora courses even thought they were created in amazing (expensive) tools. Then on the flip-side, I’ve seen some very creative content built with free tools.
Seems cliché but maybe it’s not about the tool. Good instructional design skills can be applied anywhere.
Here are a few reasons why PPT seems to be so widely used in eLearning:
1. Classroom training is often converted to an online format. Every classroom course has a PPT and it’s usually the first thing that someone thinks about when they want to put the course online. Unfortunately too often the PPT is simply thrown online without having truly turned it into effective eLearning.
2. Everyone has PPT. It’s probably already on every training person’s computer.
3. Everyone knows how to use it (and if they don’t it’s pretty easy to learn.)
4. You can quickly create content and there are tons of layouts, backgrounds, and color themes.
5. And last but not least, Microsoft already owns the world so why not conform?
What do you think? What has been your experience with PPT as a development tool? What is it missing? Do you think Microsoft will add features and turn it into a more robust eLearning development tool? Good article from Rapid eL Blog.
eLearning flash activities, games, cutout people, and PowerPoint backgrounds for your online courses.
Portfolio: Intranet Walkthrough Course
January 15, 2010
The company did a total redo of their intranet site and wanted to introduce it to their employees. It’s designed to give a short general overview and then let them choose parts to explore.
Portfolio: Flash Cabinet Website
January 12, 2010
We recently had the privilege of partnering with M2Results, a brand-based marketing design group, to develop this stellar website. They came to us to assist them with brainstorming the sites functionality as well as developing the Flash content. It was an exciting opportunity and the site has been a great success.
Portfolio: Spy Challenge
January 7, 2010
This Flash Spy Challenge is one our eLearning template games. We just wanted to take a moment and highlight it as one of our new products that we developed in 2009. If you’re familiar with our flash templates, you know that pretty much every element in the template is customizable (we give you the Flash source file).
Check out our e learning template site to learn more about this Flash game and others.
We think it turned out quite nice. Play the game
Portfolio: Flash Golf Game
January 6, 2010
This Flash golf game is one our eLearning template games. We just wanted to take a moment and highlight it as one of our new products that we developed in 2009. If you’re familiar with our flash templates, you know that pretty much every element in the template is customizable (we give you the Flash source file). Check out our e learning template site to learn more about this Flash game and others.
We think it turned out quite nice. Play the game
Portfolio: Ninja Challenge
January 5, 2010
This Flash Ninja game is a customization of one our eLearning template games. The client ordered our ShootOut Challenge Flash game and had us shake it up a bit. This was a lot of fun to do and created a pretty unique elearning game. If you’re familiar with our flash templates, you know that pretty much every element in the template is customizable (we give you the Flash source file).
Check out our e learning template site to learn more about this Flash game and others.
Portfolio: Millionaire Game
January 4, 2010
This Flash Millionaire game is a customization of one our eLearning template games. The client was great to work with and we had a lot of fun developing this Flash game for them. We changed the colors, added an instructions page, and incorporated sounds. If you’re familiar with our flash templates, you know that pretty much every element in the template is customizable (we give you the Flash source file). Check out our e learning template site to learn more about this Flash game and others.
We think it turned out quite nice. Play the game
Portfolio: Pet Jeopardy (like) Game
December 31, 2009
This Jeopardy (like) game was developed for one of our “hairiest” clients of the year. Petomundo.com was great to work with and we had a lot of fun developing this Flash game for them. The game was a customization of one of our eLearning templates. We added Randomization to the questions, changed the game characters to dogs, and wrapped the game up with a custom dog house frame.
Go ahead and give the game a whirl. Play the game
