Judy and I recorded our sixth show last weekend, and I think it’s our best yet. We talk about our wish list features for the next great elearning authoring tool. We rant about the flood of PowerPoint to Flash conversion tools, and we drink blonde ales.
It’s going well, and we’re having a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy it as much as we are!
My weekend plans are to add a beer list, a beer recommendation form and a show topic request form to the Emergent Radio site. (And, yes, in that order.)
So. Go forth and be enlightened by Episode #6.
Judy Unrein and I started a podcast a few months ago. We drink great beer and talk about learning, software, technology, and whatever else we can think of. It’s informal. Crack open a cold one (nothing cheap now, make it something worthwhile) and join us!
In episode three, we discuss elearning development on a Mac, ZebraZapps and Articulate Storyline.
What is this Next button you speak of? I don’t think I’ve built a course in over a year that had one. Think outside the navigation woes. DESIGN the flow of instruction and you’ll be amazed at how awful you relied on that button.
- Kevin Thorn (@LearnNuggets)
Great quote from Kevin on the use of the Next button in elearning. Think outside the box, people. There’s more out there than “click next to continue.”
This CPR course won the Gold Medal in the Articulate Guru Awards. I’m not sure why. It goes against everything Ruth Clark (and others) teaches about cognitive load. Either they didn’t get very many entries, or the judges only cared about how many Articulate features the course used.
Check out this slide:
In addition, there are four – I repeat, FOUR – different kinds of audio going on at the same time. WTF!
- Background music
- Background audio from emergency calls (looped)
- Video audio (sirens)
- Narration
All that content is competing for attention from your brain, which means very little of it is going to stick.
I understand if the judges gave the award only for “effective use of product features.” However, the rules page has the second bullet as “Effectiveness of course content to transfer knowledge,” which this course clearly lacks.
Anyhow, this is just a reminder to make sure your content, and how you present that content, whether in a course, or in a website, or in classroom training, is useful, concise and is not there just so you can say you used every tool in your toolbox.
Frank Nguyen – Five Things Your Authoring Tool Will Do By 2013
Looking Back…a history of learning tools
Right now, we’re in Rapid eLearning Era.
- PPT to Flash, etc.
- Giving anyone tools to share content.
- Articulate, Captivate, Raptivity, etc.
Before Rapid eLearning, it was the WBT era.
- Online page-turners. We’re all guilty!
- Dreamweaver (Coursebuilder, yikes!), Flash, Notepad
Before WBT, was CBT era.
- Similar to WBT
- Page-turner, delivered via CD
- Authorware, Toolbook
** CBT and WBT were basically identical, delivery medium was just different (CD vs. Web)
Before CBT, was Green Screen era.
- Mainframes.
- Software training
- Sandbox for learner developed by programmers.
Where are we going now?
1: Personalization
Authoring:
- Tools will adapt to developer’s skill level and provide incremental levels of support.
- They will look at your past and adapt to your current needs.
Learner:
- Allow learners to filter out the info they don’t need, and allow them to reference the info they do need. (search)
- System (LMS, ITMS) will adapt to learner, assigning content automatically based on competencies, job function, etc. (User Profile)
- Prescriptive learning: without a robust profile, pre-assessments are time-consuming, and fairly unsuccessful. Accuracy of prescription is based on quality and depth of pre-assessment.
2: Interface
- We’re in the midst of an interface revolution (iPhone, Wii, etc.) – referenced Minority Report.
- Interface with tools via webcam and hand gestures – very cool. I wonder what this will mean for the learner. Physical interactions?
3: Tools and Integration
- Most people in the room use four or more tools – crazy. Hope the vendors are paying attention!
- Balance of control and speed when integrating tools.
My 2 Cents: Personally, I’d rather have 6 tools that each do one or two things very well, and aren’t bulky, than having one tool that is only decent at audio editing, only marginal at graphics, etc. (see Articulate). For some, all-in-one tools will work for basic rapid development, but are not perfect for everyone. I see two fields. The all-in-ones, and the smaller apps that do one thing really well.
4: What about content development
- Most people think they do some things well, but others not so well.
- Plug for Ruth Clark – very valid one. eLearning and the Science of Instruction…READ IT!
5: Reuse
- Definitely need to do this.
- eLearning Mashups
- Reusable content items
- Comments from SMEs, Users, Stakeholders – capture it all. (like Captivate 4)
- Distribute across multiple mediums – online, mobile, etc.
**Faster, Better, Cheaper. – We’ve gotten faster and cheaper, but not necessarily better.
My notes:
- Frank is a wonderful presenter. Very good with the crowd, just enough humor, but really good content.
- I love this industry and being part of its growth.
