e-Learning Blog
Lectora User Conference Showcase: Jane Peller & Barry Shaeffer
Session Information:
Developing Pedagogically Sound Interactive Modules with Snap! by Lectora and
Snap! Empower
Thursday May 24th
1:30-2:45 p.m.
Learning how to create interesting, informative and pedagogically sound modules can be overwhelming when you don’t think through a production. Join Jane Peller and Barry Shaeffer as they examine sample modules and teach you how to use appropriate features in Snap! by Lectora rapid e-Learning software and Snap! Empower Flash interactions builder.
Experience & Expertise
Jane Peller is a professor of social work with over 32 years of experience in teaching and consulting as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She has published two books, numerous articles and is an international presenter on the topic of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy. During the past several years she has used Lectora to develop modules for online education in social work. Additionally, Jane presented at last year’s Lectora User Conference and received one of the highest presenter satisfaction ratings from attendees.
Barry Shaeffer is a undergraduate social work student at Northeastern Illinois University. Barry completed an independent study to develop educational modules in Snap! by Lectora this past year and has taken his new found talent to community health agencies.
"My name is Barry Shaeffer and I am an undergraduate social work student at Northeastern Illinois University. Last year, Professor Peller asked me to take an independent study course with her to build learning modules for the online Introduction to Social Work course she was teaching. I was apprehensive at first, as I have always enjoyed telling stories through writing, but have never considered myself all that technologically savvy.
Snap! by Lectora makes the technological component of creating online modules pretty easy. The challenge was making them interesting, informative and pedagogically sound. Through a lot of trial and error and through research into best practices, Jane and I have formulated a model for creating learning modules that incorporates all these aspects, resulting in an effective and engaging learning experience. I have taken the skills I have developed this year and am now working at a non-profit agency on a project to take their services directory online and make it interactive for users. Through the evolution of my work with Jane, I learned that creating online learning really is just another way of telling a story, except instead of just using words, I could use a variety of media to paint the picture I want people to see. Join us and we’ll share with you the steps to take to tell the story that you want to tell."
Why You Should Attend
This session will examine sample modules built for use in higher education and for community health programs. Attendees will learn how to choose appropriate rapid e-Learning tools that reinforce Bloom’s levels of learning pairing it with desired learning outcomes and desired user experience. The presenters will dive into specific uses of Snap! by Lectora and Snap! Empower. Participants will also walk through a series of questions and steps to help make sound decisions in the module building, and learn to layer other free software and social media to create interactive environments.
The annual Lectora User Conference, held May 22 – 24, is quickly approaching. Check out the full conference schedule, and learn more about the jam-packed agenda on the Lectora User Conference website. The first 500 attendees to register will receive a complimentaryLectora User Conference Appreciation Pack, filled with more than $800 worth of e-Learning goodies – so register today. We hope you’ll join us in Chicago!
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Molly Horn is a Content Evangelist at Trivantis Corporation. She graduated from University of Cincinnati with a degree in Communication and focus in Public Relations. |
e-Learning Blog
How to Put Snap! by Lectora Content into Lectora in Less Than 4 Minutes
For you Snap! by Lectora® superstars looking to take your rapid e-Learning content to the next level, look no further than Lectora® e-Learning authoring software - the robust and powerful authoring tool capable of taking your PowerPoint to Flash content to new heights.
Of course, Snap! by Lectora has practically everything you need to create an engaging course or presentation, but many e-Learning developers use multiple tools to create interactive e-Learning content, including Lectora. The trick to exciting, engaging – but easy – rapid e-Learning course creation is to play to your tools’ strengths.
Perhaps you created a full course in Snap! by Lectora that you’d like to add in-depth interactivity to in Lectora. Lucky for you, both Snap! by Lectora and Lectora come fully equipped to quickly and easily drop your Snap! by Lectora content right into Lectora. This way, you can leverage the rapid e-Learning power of Snap! by Lectora with all of the robust functionality of Lectora.
Watch this short video to see how you can import a custom Snap! by Lectora course or presentation into Lectora in less than four minutes:
Why Use Snap! by Lectora and Lectora together?
Reason #1: Your subject matter experts or Instructional Designers that are more comfortable using PowerPoint can develop in Snap! by Lectora and then hand it over to the Lectora developers to take it to the next level.
Reason #2: Let’s say you’re a die-hard Lectora fan but want to use Snap! by Lectora to create dynamic quizzes and tests quickly and easily. You can create the bulk of your e-Learning course in Lectora, and quickly create a matching or drag and drop assessment in Snap! by Lectora and drop it right in!
Reason #3: Take advantage of the ease and flexibility of Snap! by Lectora and PowerPoint to create standalone Flash animations for your e-Learning projects and pop them right into your Lectora Title as a SWF file. Watch Diane Elkins’ podcast showing how to put Snap! by Lectora Flash animations into your Lectora Title: Integrate Snap! by Lectora Content into Lectora.
These are just a few reasons, but don't stop at these! Let Snap! by Lectora and Lectora join forces to combine the time-saving rapid e-Learning creation capabilities of Snap! by Lectora with the robust, highly detailed possibilities of Lectora for mega engaging and inspiring e-Learning courses.
If you haven’t tried Lectora Inspire, download your 30-day free e-Learning software trial today to see the power of Lectora in action!
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Use Snap! Empower Project Map to Easily Chart Your Flash Content
Snap! EmpowerTM, the $99 Flash interactions builder, comes with more than just a sweet price point. Not only is Snap! Empower incredibly intuitive and easy to use, it’s also jam-packed with tools and resources to create brilliant Flash masterpieces. Snap! Empower helps you stay organized throughout the entire course development process with the easy to use Project Map.
Using the Project Map can help you easily create and visualize your Flash animations and courses. Pages are the slides, or building blocks, that come together to create your Flash content and courses. Located at the bottom of the Snap! Empower window, the Project Map displays all of your pages in chronological order, from left to right. Visualizing your course has never been simpler - the Project Map lets you see where your content is going – whether it’s linear, or more intricate.
Even complex courses are simplified when you use the Project Map. If you’re creating a conditional or decision-based interactivity, take advantage of the branching feature. If you want non-linear navigation, simply drag the subsequent page to the corner of the originating page where the decision is asked. With one simple action you’ve created a branch in your Snap! Empower content–all mapped out for you and easy to see.
You can easily rearrange the order of your pages by clicking and dragging your selected page to a new spot on the Project Map. Page elements themselves are easily customizable by right-clicking on the page and using the Page Editor resource. Learn more about the Page Editor in the Build Content with the Page Editor tutorial video.
Chart your course and stay organized to create fluid and logical presentations that don’t torture your learners. Check out the “Stay Organized with the Project Map” video and other useful Snap! Empower video resources on the Snap! Empower Video Tutorials website. Still wondering about Snap! Empower? Download your FREE 30-day trial of this fantastic Flash software to start creating fabulous Flash animation.
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Stephanie Johnson is the Marketing Assistant at Trivantis Corporation. She is a graduate of Michigan State University, with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Communication and History.
e-Learning Blog
Defining Snap! by Lectora & Snap! Empower for Rapid e-Learning
With the recent release of Snap! EmpowerTM Flash interactions builder, you may be asking “What is Snap! Empower?,” “What is Snap! by Lectora,?” or “What is the difference between Snap! by Lectora and Snap! Empower?.” To answer some of these questions, let’s take a very basic look inside both Snap! by Lectora® and Snap! Empower including what each tool is, what each tool does and how they can work together for you as an e-Learning developer, your rapid e-Learning content and your learners.
Snap! by Lectora and Snap! Empower are two different tools for rapid e-Learning that work independently, but are very compatible with one another to produce very powerful results. Both Snap! by Lectora and Snap! Empower cost $99 each. You do not have to purchase one product to use the other and each delivers valuable capabilities for e-Learning including interactive e-Learning course development and Flash creation.
Snap! by Lectora
What is Snap! by Lectora?
Snap! by Lectora is a $99 PowerPoint plug-in used to create rapid e-Learning courses quickly and easily. You must have PowerPoint installed before you download Snap! by Lectora. Once you download, you will then have an additional Snap! by Lectora ribbon added to the existing PowerPoint toolbar to gain access to all of the PowerPoint to Flash enhancements like quizzes, YouTube videos, audio and video narration and more.
What does Snap! by Lectora do?
Snap! by Lectora provides you with the tools to turn a basic course in PowerPoint into a very highly interactive and engaging rapid e-Learning course. Because Snap! by Lectora is rapid e-Learning software, it provides options to publish content to an LMS (learning management system), CD, to the Web, Snap! Live and Lectora® e-Learning authoring software. Once published, learners can view and interact with the content created in Snap! by Lectora and track results if uploaded to an LMS.
Take a look at some of the ways that you can create a well rounded, interactive and effective e-Learning course in Snap! by Lectora:
- The red box includes the intuitive icons you can use to add audio and video narration, insert quizzes and surveys, embed YouTube videos and Web windows and add Snap! Empower Flash content and other Flash files with the click of a button.
- The green box indicates the places where you can create branching scenarios to create non-linear courses and customize navigation, controls and views to create a comprehensive and customized learning experience for your learners.
- The blue box indicates the Preview and Publish tools used to preview and set publishing options when your Snap! by Lectora course is complete.
Snap! Empower
What is Snap! Empower?
Snap! Empower is a $99 standalone Flash interactions builder that makes it easy to create highly sophisticated and interactive Flash content. Snap! Empower does not require the use of any other program to function and does not require Flash programming knowledge.
What does Snap! Empower do?
Snap! Empower users can either make Flash animations entirely from scratch or quickly customize from one of hundreds of existing templates. Snap! Empower provides very robust capabilities for highly professional and customized Flash content for advanced Flash creators yet also includes many templates and tools to make the creation of Flash animations easy for beginners or for those who need to do so quickly. Create games, assessments, photo cubes, dynamic maps and virtually any interactive element you can dream up. Design from scratch or use one of the many templates – the choice is yours!
Use the Snap! Empower library as your one stop shop to access all of your digital needs and resources for creating fantastic Flash content:
- Find a collection of dozens of pre-built Flash animations and hundreds of templates that you can quickly customize for your e-Learning content.
- The library also hosts all of your existing images, videos, audio, Flash files and Projects as well as the dozens of Components pre-loaded in Snap! Empower
You can also instantly publish your Snap! Empower Flash animations to social media to share your Flash creations with the world in one click.
What do Snap! by Lectora and Snap! Empower do Together?
Snap! by Lectora and Snap! Empower provide equally powerful capabilities for e-Learning and Flash content creation separately, but deliver extraordinary interactive rapid e-Learning content together.
Full Roundtripping with Snap! by Lectora and Snap! Empower
Snap! by Lectora allows you to quickly insert Flash content with the click of a button from the Snap! by Lectora ribbon, but, why not add your own Flash content? Once you create your custom Flash games, animated charts and graphs or any other number of interactive content you design in Snap! Empower, you can instantly drop it into your Snap! by Lectora course.
With Snap! by Lectora and Snap! Empower together, you experience full roundtripping capabilities, enabling you to open and create Snap! Empower Flash animations with the click of a button in Snap! by Lectora and instantly insert them into your Snap! by Lectora courses.
*In addition to putting Snap! Empower content into a Snap! by Lectora course, you can also easily insert it in your Lectora® course as well.
Top 5 Takeaways:
- Snap! by Lectora works within PowerPoint, while Snap! Empower is a standalone tool.
- Snap! Empower creates highly interactive Flash content while Snap! by Lectora creates an entire interactive self-paced rapid e-Learning course.
- You can choose to use Snap! by Lectora and Snap! Empower independently or put your Snap! Empower content into your Snap! by Lectora course for a powerfully interactive experience.
- Snap! by Lectora is $99.
- Snap! Empower is $99.
Since there is MUCH more to both Snap! by Lectora and Snap! Empower than just the basics included here, please visit these helpful resources for more information:
Snap! by Lectora:
The “Help” tab from the Snap! by Lectora toolbar
Snap! Empower:
The “Help” drop-down menu from within Snap! Empower
Tips, Tricks & Questions:
Download your free 30-day trial of both Snap! by Lectora and Snap! Empower today to experience the power of truly powerful rapid e-Learning Flash content creation at its best.
Questions? Post them here and let’s discuss!
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Molly Horn is a Content Evangelist at Trivantis Corporation. She graduated from University of Cincinnati with a degree in Communication and focus in Public Relations. |
e-Learning Blog
Early Bird Discount for 2012 Lectora User Conference Expires Soon!
Time is running out to receive early bird pricing on the 2012 Lectora User Conference! When you register today, you’ll receive the discounted price of $495 and will have the opportunity to network with hundreds of fellow Lectora® users at this one-of-a-kind e-Learning event. The 2012 Lectora User Conference takes place on May 22 – 24 in the heart of Chicago at the world-famous Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile.
The much-anticipated 2012 Lectora User Conference features an exciting agenda packed with dozens of valuable breakout sessions, workshops and presentations that are sure to improve your e-Learning expertise. In addition, you’ll meet Trivantis team members and work with hundreds of Lectora users and e-Learning professionals from around the world. You’ll also get to experience all the excitement that downtown Chicago has to offer. And, this low price even includes the cost of breakfast and lunch on the days of the event.
Sign up today and receive the early bird price of $495 before it expires on December 31, 2011. Also, don’t forget to submit your proposal to present at the conference and gain recognition in the e-Learning community. For more information about the 2012 Lectora User Conference, including registration details and hotel reservation information, please visit: 2012 Lectora User Conference.
Jessica is Manager of Global Marketing for Trivantis with 8+ years of e-Learning and writing expertise. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Journalism from the University of Cincinnati.e-Learning Blog
4 Ways to Create Your Own Rapid e-Learning Fonts for FREE
Create completely custom fonts to add pizazz to your rapid e-Learning content and Flash animations. Design unique fonts for free to use right in your Snap! by Lectora and Snap! Empower creations, sure to demand attention.
This week’s Friday Find comes from Jacob Gube at Mashable Tech in his extremely helpful and much appreciated article, “7 Free Tools for Creating Your Own Fonts.” Check out the easiest-to-use picks for free font creation software from Gube’s recommendations:
FontstructTM. Use this free and simple online editor to build, share and download fonts.
FontForge. This free, downloadable software enables you to design a font from scratch or modify and customize an already existing font.
BitFontMaker0.1. This very simple free bitmat online font tool creates fonts pixel by pixel with a very geometric look.
Type light. Design, edit and convert fonts with this free and fully functional software.Make your PowerPoint to Flash content unique; Design a custom and amazing font and use it on your Snap! by Lectora or Snap! Empower content for one stellar Snap! creation!
This Friday Fan is excited to share one great Snap! by Lectora experience:@MAZIOCREATE: SNAP! by Lectora came through for me. First eLearning resource ready to roll off the disc burner. #eduMazioCreate
Thanks @MAZIOCREATE – keep sharing your thoughts and us posted on your Snap! by Lectora creations!
Download a 30-day free e-Learning software trial of Snap! by Lectora and Snap! Empower to experience the most powerful, coolest, rapid e-Learning and Flash creation tools.
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Molly Horn is a Content Evangelist at Trivantis Corporation. She graduated from University of Cincinnati with a degree in Communication and focus in Public Relations. |
e-Learning Blog
1-Click Publish to Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook
Snap! Empower™ Flash interactions builder enables anyone to create full-featured Flash animations quickly, easily and affordably. Although this is revolutionary in and of itself, Snap! Empower takes things one step further with another major feature: the ability to share rapid e-Learning content with the world with just a click of the mouse. Capable of publishing content straight to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and SnapChannel.com, Snap! Empower gives you yet another reason to be addicted to your favorite social media sites.
One-click social media publishing options make Snap! Empower the only content-creation tool that allows users to send content directly from their desktop application to their favorite social media outlets. To publish content, simply select the social network of your choice, enter additional comments and press the share button. In moments, your video content is posted for everyone to see!
Check out all the useful, fun benefits of this feature:
- Easily share content with friends, family and co-workers through the social media sites you already use on a daily basis, including Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, YouTube and SnapChannel.com.
- Publish a wide variety of content, including interactive Flash files and creative videos.
- Promote social learning by sharing informative, educational e-Learning content with others over the web.
When sharing rapid e-Learning content with the world is just one click away, the possibilities are endless. Start creating and sharing today with a free 30-day trial of Snap! Empower.
Joanna Von Luehrte is the Social Media Specialist at Trivantis Corporation. She is a graduate of Xavier University with a B.A. in Advertising. In her spare time, she enjoys long-distance running, pastel drawing and trying new foods.
e-Learning Blog
Announcing the 2012 Lectora User Conference in Chicago
Reserve your spot to attend the 2012 Lectora User Conference on May 22-24 at the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile. Located in the heart of Chicago, this world-class hotel hosts the ideal location for all of the innovative e-Learning that takes place at the Lectora User Conference.
Why Attend?
- In its eighth year, the Lectora User conference boasts e-Learning industry gurus and professionals from around the world that join to share e-Learning insights, tips and successful experiences with the Lectora line of e-Learning authoring tools, CourseMill learning management system (LMS), and now, Snap! by Lectora rapid e-Learning software and Snap! Empower Flash interactions builder.
- The Lectora User Conference hosts a fantastic opportunity to see how others create great e-Learning content, network with other e-Learning professionals and learn some really cool ways to create awesome Snap! by Lectora and Snap! Empower creations. During the two days at the conference, you’ll have a blast as you get to meet, learn from and chat with other users and product developers as well as sit in on expert breakout sessions, workshops and presentations.
- Be the first to hear exclusive product and industry announcements like the big surprise release of Snap! by Lectora® at the 2011 Lectora User Conference where all attendees heard the news first and received free licenses of Snap! by Lectora.
Share Your Expertise
Do YOU have tips and tricks you would like to share with other Snap! by Lectora and Snap! Empower users? The 2012 Lectora User Conference just released the Call for Proposals highlighting fantastic uses of Snap! by Lectora, Snap! Empower, Lectora and CourseMill to present to your fellow e-Learning industry professionals. In addition, for each presentation chosen, the winner will receive one FREE registration for the 2012 Lectora User Conference! To submit your proposal, please visit: 2012 Lectora User Conference.
Special Pricing
Take advantage of the $495 early bird special to get a deal on all of the excitement at the 2012 Lectora User Conference!
To register and to learn more, please visit: 2012 Lectora User Conference.
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Molly Horn is a Content Evangelist at Trivantis Corporation. She graduated from University of Cincinnati with a degree in Communication and focus in Public Relations. |
e-Learning Blog
Top Free Textures for Graphics in Rapid e-Learning
Creating one-of-a-kind content can be a challenge for even the most creative of e-Learning and Flash developers. Lucky for all of us, NaldzGraphics.net scoured the the web for great graphic stock textures and created a fantastic list for us to take advantage of in our Snap! by Lectora and Snap! Empower content:
Urban Dirty: As the name suggests, choose from tons of urban-inspired textures for a very cool effect.
Free Textures.org: Select from more than a dozen categories for a variety of textures to use in your rapid e-Learning content.
Texturez.com: With 20 categories, it’s easy to find what you need. Texturez.com provides unique, sleek and professional-looking images.
Grunge Textures: Browse these textures to add a hip, modern look and feel to your rapid e-Learning content.
Texture King: Select from high quality and very professional textures for a unique touch in your creations.
2Textured: Take advantage of a wide selection of categories and sub-categories to find a range of textures for all of your needs.
Amazing Textures: Choose from a selection hosting one of the “biggest and most popular dedicated online texture libraries in the world,” according to Amazing Textures.
Free 3Ds Textures: Simply type in what you are searching for or choose among Metal, Paper, Gold, Fabric, Wood, Wall, Grunge, Overlay, Glass, Stone, Vintage, Water, Rocks, Dirt, Leaves and Rust categories.
These free texture images will add a unique and impressive pop to your Snap! by Lectora and Snap! Empower creations. Do you have other great textures you would like to add to our Friday Finds? Post them below and share with us!
This week’s Friday Fan knows how to work the Snap! Empower Refer-A-Friend program and share a good deal with her e-Learning friends:@cre8iveii: Check out NEW Snap! Empower – create Flash animations. It’s $99 but you can get 20% off with this link! Refer-A-Friend.Trivantis.com/a/clk/4Lz1G
Thanks @cre9iveii - An extra 20% off of an already low $99 price for Snap! Empower is a steal!
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Molly Horn is a Content Evangelist at Trivantis Corporation. She graduated from University of Cincinnati with a degree in Communication and focus in Public Relations. |
e-Learning Blog
Publish Your Flash Content to Any Mobile Device with Snap! Empower
Instantly deliver your dynamic Flash animations to mobile devices with one click in Snap! Empower. Deploy your animated images, charts, photo cubes and whatever you dream up to virtually any smartphone and tablet to entertain, educate and excite on-the-go.
Quick and Easy Publish to Mobile:
Follow these simple steps to put your exciting content in the hands of your learners, friends and colleagues:
1. Create an awesome Snap! Empower creation
2. Click Publish as a Mobile Device Video
3. Select a few custom settings …and you’re finished!
Simply create your content, click Publish from the toolbar and select Publish as a Mobile Device Video. From there, you can choose the device or screen resolution for your mobile content. You can even indicate a custom resolution. You can also set your preferred audio quality and include transitions in between pages.
In order to be fully supported by all devices, Snap! Empower will publish your content to a file form compatible on the mobile device you select. To be clear for those unfamiliar with Flash and HTML5, Snap! Empower enables you to make exciting Flash animations and once you publish to a mobile device, it is converted to a compatible file type and is no longer considered Flash.
Other Ways to Publish Your Snap! Empower Content:
In addition to the option to publish as a video for mobile devices, you can also publish as:
- SWF
- AVI
- FLV
- MP4
- OGG
Publish to Social Media
Now this is really cool: Not only can you publish your cool Snap! Empower content to mobile devices, but you can also publish directly to the leading social media sites. With one click, instantly post on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and SnapChannel.com to share with the world and wow your audience.
All these capabilities and only $99 for the latest and most powerful Flash software.
For a free 30-day trial, visit: Snap! Empower Free Trial.
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Molly Horn is a Content Evangelist at Trivantis Corporation. She graduated from University of Cincinnati with a degree in Communication and focus in Public Relations. |
