PowerPoints: e-Learning Tools Better Articulated August 13, 2007

So I woke up this morning, excited to see the replies to my last post, and…nothing. Not one. Is everyone actually so tied to PowerPoint that no other method deserves mention? I asked my ISD co-worker today. He responded by showing me his way cool-(oops, that is a little too colloquial, isn’t it?)-he responded by showing me his wicked cool CBT/WBT course developed with PowerPoint and Articulate, including Articulate Engage. I was amazed. If it were not for researching and reviewing Articulate, I would have thought that the course had been developed in Flash. Informative, interactive, and engaging, my coworker made the course Section 508 compliant using tools in the system that appear much easer than if he had used Flash.

Articulate Engage and its sister products give the instructional designer the power to develop his/her own Flash objects such as buttons with mouse-over animation, easy animations, quizzes, and a web-friendly Flash presenter. I found a lot more interactivity and ease of use than with Breeze (that coming from a Breeze fan, pun not intended).

Be aware, though, that the robust character of Articulate comes with a learning curve, but a manageable one. Start with a ready-made presentation, download the Articulate demo versions, and go to town playing with the features.

Capturing new ideas August 6, 2007

Have you ever had creativity envy when you looked at someone else’s work?  I have.  In fact, if you’re reading this, I’ve probably envied your work at one time or another.  And if you’re not reading this, then I have probably still envied your work, but you’ll never know that, and your ego, hopefully, remains in check.

Anyway, I just picked up a book called “How to Get Ideas” by Jack Foster.  Not intended for any particular industry or profession, Foster concentrates on the mental process of creating/capturing/finding new ideas, seeing the world in new ways, and opening up the mind to allow creativity to flow.

The book is divided into two parts – the first part is on conditioning the mind, and the second part explains the five steps to generating new ideas.  In each chapter, Foster lists annecdotes, activities, and ideas.  Many chapters were a little too heavy on annecdotes, and lost my attention after the first few.  Also, as a personal growth, skill-building book, the script was text-heavy and needed activities for the reader to do.

Nevertheless, I recommend this book to anyone wanting to increase their creativity quotient. 

Beating the Lunch-Time Lull June 30, 2007

You know that thing about training, where everything is going along just fine, you break for lunch, and then the inevitable happens (cue shreak from “Psycho”): siesta time. 

I just went to a training class where I learned the cure for the 1:30 nap: milk and cookies.  Okay, well, milk is not necessary, but it goes so well with cookies that I had to suggest it.  In my class, we reconvened after lunch, and had about 30 minutes of training time before a 10-15 minute break.  It’s just enough time to digest food before getting drowsy. 

Waiting for us at the back of the class was a stack of cookies and brownies, sodas, and coffee.  It was great.  The walking helped digest the food, and the sugar helped keep us going. 

You wouldn’t believe the number of students in the class, all of them trainers, who commented on the geniousness of a cookie break.

Now, I need a brownie.