e-Learning Blog
Must Haves for Rapid e-Learning Development
Today, rapid e-Learning software gives designers the opportunity to create out of this world e-Learning courses while using multiple types of media. This may sound like a time-consuming task, but there are some quick and easy ways to use numerous tools, save time and create engaging presentations all at once. Here are a few must have tips and tools to consider when creating your rapid e-Learning masterpiece:
Infographics
Information overload is a common trend in e-Learning. Sharing too much information can cause learners to become overwhelmed causing them to miss essential content they need to know. Using visuals to convey critical information helps learners connect with this information, and focus on key points. Infographics are a fantastic tool to implement in to your e-Learning to share all the information you need to communicate while focusing on key points in a visual way.
Customized Texts and Images
Bring activity to your content while sharing visuals that grabs your audience’s attention by integrating customized text and images to jazz up your courses. Flash animation is just one way to bring your presentation to life, and is a quick and easy way to add instant interaction with your learners and get them engaged quickly. Customizing your texts and graphics lets your presentation shine and become more than just words on a screen. It gives it personality and helps create a connection with your audience.
Audio
Authoring tools today make it super simple to use multimedia in a variety of ways. Your courses can not only include animated text and images, but you can also use music, videos and even narration to give your content that extra eye and ear appeal to your learners. Adding sound to your presentation can enhance the interactivity and effectiveness to your content. Whether it is background music or a sound played when someone answers the question correctly, these small add-ons can zest up your presentation quickly.
Social Media
Create even more engagement with learners by offering them access to share with others through social media outlets. This gives learners the opportunity to share key learning with one another by posting and answering questions, providing insight and communicating additional resources. There are many social media outlets that you can use to help increase the interactivity between learners. Whether it is a special hashtag created on Twitter or a group on Facebook or LinkedIn, each outlet has advantages to keep your learners interacting and interested.
All of these must haves are just a few great ways that you can add a spark and interaction to your presentations. Use these tools and tips as a springboard for your organization to consider when looking for that something extra in your rapid e-Learning courses. To make your presentation the most effective, make sure you utilize each element with your brand in mind and use meaningful content to share with your audience. Think about each of these ideas and how it can effectively fit into your e-Learning presentation.
Interested in adding more spark to your presentations? Download a free 30-day trial of Snap! by Lectora rapid e-Learning software and Snap! Empower Flash interactions builder today!
e-Learning Blog
eLearning Radio’s Rick Nielsen Shares Tips for Snap! Empower
If you want more great tips for Snap! Empower, you’re in the right place! This easy-to-use tool is so powerful, that your possibilities for interactive Flash animations are seemingly limitless. Because there are so many capabilities, it’s great to have an expert with lots of Snap! Empower experience “show us how it’s done.”
After his great tips for using the Snap! Empower templates, Rick Nielsen, eLearning Radio, is back again with another great podcast that demonstrates how to create an interactive flow chart in Snap! Empower. Using numerous tools, Nielsen shows us how quickly and easily you can create – not just flow charts – but any type of Flash interactions – using his handy tricks.
Watch Nielsen’s tutorial below for a firsthand demonstration of how to create an interactive flow chart in Snap! Empower:
Nielsen also includes some great time-saving tips as he quickly creates his flow chart. Try these techniques to shave valuable time off your rapid e-Learning projects!
7 Time-Saving Tips for Snap! Empower:
- Easily drag-and-drop and resize Elements just using your cursor.
- Copy Elements to create multiple objects of the same shape, size and properties.
- Name Elements for a simple way to organize, find and work with all your elements.
- Quickly move a group of elements by drawing a box around the group with your cursor, select the group and move them to the desired location.
- Create one single element or object from multiple by drawing a box around the elements with your cursor, right click Grouping, and select Group.
- Perfectly align objects by drawing a box around the objects with your cursor, right click, and select Left, Center, Right, Top, Middle or Bottom.
- Save a Page to reuse the in the future by right-clicking on the Page, select Save Page to Library and then name however you choose. (You can now find it in the Snap! Empower Library.)
What a world of a difference it makes when you get a look inside others’ techniques, tips and processes for creating great Flash content. The best way to shave development times is to explore Snap! Empower and practice these great tips and others in your own rapid e-Learning courses. You’ll create one-of-a kind, interactive and engaging Flash animations in no time!
For more great Snap! Empower how-to videos, please visit: Tutorials for Flash.
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10 Tips to Create Bite-Size Rapid e-Learning
To not only grab your learners’ attention and keep them focused, is crucial for successful PowerPoint to Flash courses. Online learners typically complete courses in bite-size pieces and in multiple chunks of time. To really engage learners every step of the way, structure the content in a way that adapts to their learning styles and the way they retain information. Just as the learning material itself is very important, so too is the way that it is structured.
Breaking down an e-Learning course into “bite-size chunks,” or sections, makes it much easier to digest, easier to understand and easier to remember. According to George Miller’s Information Processing Theory, also known as “chunking,” short-term memory and the attention span are limited to processing and retaining information in chunks or sections.
Janet Symmons, B. Ed, offers advice for chunking in her blog, “E-learning Curriculum Design – Learning Chunks” that support this theory:
“Good curriculum designers create an outline of the topic and then break the topic into bricks. These bricks consist of many learning chunks. Each learning chunk must have reinforced a specific point and each learning chunk should build on previous learning chunks.”
Splitting up sections into bite-size pieces creates structure and eliminates monotony. Symmons suggests ending each chunk with a variety of interactive components to continuously engage learners. If learners apply the knowledge they are presented through activities such as videos, group discussions, quizzes, etc., they are not only more engaged, but more likely to retain the information long-term.
Below are 10 ideas to help deliver your rapid e-Learning courses in bite-size chunks that will draw learners in and keep them interested:
- Videos – YouTube videos and videos created by companies and organizations provide a clear view into your learning material and set a scene for understanding that goes beyond just text and images. With Snap! by Lectora®, you can instantly add a YouTube video with the click of a button.
- Podcasts and Screencasts – These video and audio recordings are great tools to demonstrate detailed processes such as navigating a new software or technological platform.
- Group discussions – Nothing beats an opportunity to post questions, provide answers and share knowledge with peers and experts. This human interaction creates a real-life atmosphere to engage learners in the content and help them learn material along the way.
- Games – Toss in a little fun along the way for your learners. A little friendly competition can really liven up an online course. Check out the Snap! Empower™ games for a very quick way to create fun, simple games for your learners: Snap! Empower Flash games.
- Quizzes – Of course quizzes and tests assess learner understanding, but they also encourage them to find the correct answers if they do not know them by digging deeper into the materials. Chose from a variety of dynamic quizzes in both Snap! by Lectora and Snap! Empower.
- Infographics– The rise of the infographic gives us a very cool way to display data, detailed processes and complex information in a fun, unique way.
- Outside resources – Provide links to outside resources like scholarly articles, blogs, forums and organization resources to provide more in-depth information for those who would like to expand their knowledge on a topic. In Snap! by Lectora, you can either include a link, or simply attach any information you want to include right in the course.
- Questions for exploration – Pose questions to motivate learners to explore outside resources to discover the correct answer to your question and maybe find some extra helpful information along the way.
- Real-world examples – Include links to content that contain real, accurate examples of the concepts conveyed in your material for a great way to link information to things that are familiar to learners.
- Avatars – These virtual characters are a great way to interact with your learners. You can incorporate avatars in many ways, including as a “voice” to your learners, directing them to some of the ideas in the previous tips.
In addition to these tips, keep in mind that it is still critical to design an instructionally sound course aligned with your overall goals and objectives. Outline the plan for your overall structure before you begin and use bullets and numbering to keep things clear and simple - you’ll have a successful rapid e-Learning course in no time!
Do you have fantastic chunking tips or successful examples of your own? Share them with us in the comments below!
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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
Use eLearning Brothers’ Super Cool Flash Games for Snap! Empower
This week’s Friday Finds features two cool guys who really know how to add style and professionalism to rapid e-Learning content. The eLearning Brothers, well known for their creative graphic skills and Flash expertise, cook up some very impressive Flash templates for rapid e-Learning for both Snap! by Lectora and Snap! Empower. Want to know the greatest part? The eLearning Brothers designed four Flash games that are already included in Snap! Empower - FREE - now that’s a find!
Simply launch Snap! Empower Flash interactions builder (download a free 30-day trial if you haven’t already), pull up the Library, click Components and choose one of four awesome games:
Beaker Challenge: Correctly answer questions in this game and watch as a beaker becomes fuller and fuller of a mysterious liquid!
Raceway: Be a speed racer by correctly answering questions in this game and watch as your speedometer goes faster and faster, reaching 100 mph to win the game!
Explorer: Take a trip around the world as you travel to a new destination by answering a set of 10 questions correctly. See how long it takes you to cross the globe!
Runner: Are you a tortoise or a hare? Find out with the time-based Runner game and answer each question correctly to see how quickly you can make it through this 10-question race!
Once you’ve selected your Flash game, simply customize your questions, answers and feedback, and you’re finished! You’ve just created one cool Snap! Empower Flash game in a snap.
The eLearning Brothers sure know how to make Flash fun! Check out the video below to learn how you can use the eLearning Brothers' Explorer game to make one great Flash game super-fast in Snap! Empower and engage learners in no time:
These Flash templates are rapid e-Learning at its best and perfect for Just-in-Time training and ever-changing organizational needs. The eLearning Brothers templates get you up and running quickly yet allow you full control over every detail to create customized games that perfectly complement your project. These interactive games will surely grab learner attention and keep them engaged.
Want more eLearning Brothers templates for your Snap! Empower and Snap! by Lectora rapid e-Learning and Flash creations? Check out all of the fantastic Flash templates the eLearning Brothers created to make your rapid e-Learning content wow your audiences:
People Cutouts
Access tons of models, each with an individual pose, and transpose the people cutouts into your Snap! Empower presentation for a personal touch.
Access tons of models, each with an individual pose, and transpose the people cutouts into your Snap! Empower presentation for a personal touch.
PowerPoint Templates
Whether you’re working on a short deadline, or you just want to maximize your time, use existing eLearning Brothers templates to quickly create your course in Snap! Empower.
Whether you’re working on a short deadline, or you just want to maximize your time, use existing eLearning Brothers templates to quickly create your course in Snap! Empower.
Flash Games
Insert easy to use flash e-Learning templates into your Snap! Empower presentation. You can reuse these templates over and over in your future Snap! Empower presentations.
Insert easy to use flash e-Learning templates into your Snap! Empower presentation. You can reuse these templates over and over in your future Snap! Empower presentations.
Flash Interactions
Tailor flash e-Learning quizzes and templates to fit your Snap! Empower presentation. There are many template options, leading to seemingly endless combinations for you to use in future presentations.
Tailor flash e-Learning quizzes and templates to fit your Snap! Empower presentation. There are many template options, leading to seemingly endless combinations for you to use in future presentations.
Flash Quizzes
Create meaningful e-Learning quizzes for your Snap! Empower presentation in a snap with the easy to use flash templates.
Create meaningful e-Learning quizzes for your Snap! Empower presentation in a snap with the easy to use flash templates.
Interactive Builders
Make your e-Learning engaging, and insert interactions into your Snap! Empower presentation.
Make your e-Learning engaging, and insert interactions into your Snap! Empower presentation.
Stay on the lookout for additional Flash templates from the eLearning Brothers because more are on the way!
Want to make a full-featured rapid e-Learning course with quizzes, video narration and all of the e-Learning excitement you could ever need? Instantly import your Snap! Empower content directly into Snap! by Lectora for a powerful way to jump-start your rapid e-Learning and Flash creations.
Download your free 30-day trial of Snap! Empower and Snap! by Lectora today.
This week’s Friday Fan knows where to find the most easy-to-use, most powerful and most affordable Flash builder:@kstedford Sue Tedford: Cool product at VERY low price. Welcome to Snap! Empower: disq.us/41p1xm
Thanks Sue! What do YOU think about Snap! Empower? Let us know - Post a comment or Tweet it to share it with the world!
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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
The ADDIE Model for Rapid e-Learning Development
Rapid e-Learning development should be just that – rapid. There are endless detailed instructional design theories, models and resources to guide the e-Learning development process, but, unless you have already performed extensive research, who has time when limited by time constraints, deadlines and much needed just-in-time training? Although the most effective Snap! by Lectora rapid e-Learning courses involve a well thought-out strategy, that does not mean that the planning process itself can’t be rapid too.
You can use the basic methods in the following ADDIE model below for a general guideline to Snap! by Lectora rapid e-Learning course and training development. Supported by the ASTD (American Society for Training and Development), the ADDIE model stands for Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation. While there are dozens of variations of this model, you can tweak and customize it to fit your own rapid e-Learning goals and objectives, and prepare to create extremely exciting and engaging PowerPoint to Flash content - something Snap! by Lectora does impeccably.
The ADDIE model consists of 5 steps or phases as outlined by Learning-Theories.com:
ANALYSIS
This is where you “step back” and take a look at all aspects of your upcoming Snap! by Lectora e-Learning project. Identify the problem or opportunity that your course will address, outline your goals and objectives, identify the needs of the audience, their existing knowledge and skill level. You also want to consider the learning environment, technical abilities and constraints, delivery methods and channels and any other relevant learning factors that impact the way you design your course or training. Also, keep in mind the amount of time you have to create, implement and evaluate in your overall process.
DESIGN
After you have identified all of the components in the analysis phase, you can now take those elements and fit them into the design and structure of your Snap! by Lectora course. Parallel the plans for your content with the designs you envision. Design a course that equally meets the learning goals for your strategy as well as visually stimulates and engages with interactivity.
Snap! by Lectora TIPS:
- Customize your player skins, presenter options, company information and logo, learner feedback and more.
- Engage with embedded YouTube videos, Flash content and web windows
- Create Interactivity with customizable quizzes and surveys: Choose from 7 quiz question types and 8 survey question types. You can even export your Snap! by Lectora content directly to your LMS to track and report results.
DEVELOPMENT
This is simply the actual process of creating all of the content and designs you decided and outlined in the Analysis and Design phases. To stay on pace, create a daily or even hourly task schedule to guarantee that you will complete your project according to your allotted time frame. Snap! by Lectora was made for everyone - not just computer and e-Learning gurus so you'll be a rapid e-Learning pro in no time. The easy-to-use wizards in Snap! by Lectora make adding engaging and interactive components to your courses as simple as one click of a button.
IMPLEMENTATION
When or how do you intend to deliver your training to your learners? Lucky for you, Snap! by Lectora content publishes in record speeds. Also, have many options such as the ability to upload your courses to a Learning Management System (LMS), post them to the Web, Snap! Live and the leading social media sites. How you deliver your e-Learning courses is based on all of the analysis performed in the first phase. Both the learner and the developer gain from the implementation phase; the learner gains the knowledge in the course and the developer pays close attention to which e-Learning tactics and methods impact learning, understanding and retention.
Snap! by Lectora TIPS:
- Publish your Snap! by Lectora content to:
- The Web to make your e-Learning content viewably by anyone
- Snap! Live to host your content free and renewable every 30 days
- CD to keep your e-Learning courses private and delivered only to those you choose
- CourseMill or any other LMS to track and report learner results
- The leading social media sites to create instant social interactivity
EVALUATION
The evaluation process is what you make of it – keep in mind, you can continuously improve to develop the most effective content for your learners. One strategy is to evaluate using a combination of self-evaluation and learner evaluation. Identify all of the things you want to gage as a rapid e-Learning developer and identify the questions you would like to pose from learners concerning the effectiveness, engagement, ease of use, etc. and evaluate from both perspectives to create a well-rounded understanding of the effectiveness of your e-Learning course.
A well-planned strategy does not have to take a lot of time and should not hold you back from unleashing your creative and effective e-Learning development skills. Who says you have to go by the books? The Snap! by Lectora Team certainly believes in thinking outside of the box. Tailor the ADDIE model however you choose and mold it into the perfect development plan for all of your engaging, effective rapid e-Learning courses and training!
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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
Customize Rapid e-Learning for Multiple Languages and Audiences
The latest rapid e-Learning features and updates for Snap! by Lectora 1.1 include many great additions to make your PowerPoint Presentations and e-Learning courses tailored to fit your content including the ability to customize your Published Strings. Now, you can customize and organize standard messages and feedback in your quizzes and surveys and save those customizations as different String Sets with the new Snap! by Lectora 1.1 update.
What is a String Set?
Each String Set refers to the standard messages or options that your learner automatically sees when they progress through a quiz or survey. These include feedback messages indicating whether their answer is correct or incorrect, Next buttons, OK buttons and dozens of other messages and options. “Published Strings” simply refer to those that you choose to publish if you have created customized String Sets.
How do I create a String Set?
Open the Presenter Options (Under “Options” on the Snap! by Lectora toolbar). Choose the Publish Strings tab, click the Add button, create a name, Click OK to save the new Strings Set and then change the Value to display whatever you would like your learners to see. You can now quickly access these saved, named messages to easily create and customize your quizzes and surveys in Snap! by Lectora.
The Description fields are simply descriptions of the message type that your learner will see. The Value fields are the actual messages that are generated by default. This Value section is where you can customize your Value, or message, to be whatever you want. You can change none, a few or all of the messages. If you do nothing with your Publish Strings, your learners simply see the automated default messages generated from Snap! by Lectora.
What are the benefits of making String Sets?
1. Save Time
While you already have the ability to create and customize messages on a quiz-by-quiz, answer-by-answer basis, you can now pre-create feedback messages and options and then quickly select the String Sets you would like to use for each quiz.
2. Easily Publish in Different Languages
If you create presentations, courses and training in multiple languages, you can create a String Set for each language. For example, you may create a German set of strings, a French set of strings, and so on so that when you create a course or presentation in those languages, all you have to do is choose which String Set you would like to use when you make a quiz or survey. This way, you can quickly and easily meet the needs of all audience members, no matter what language they speak.
3. Create Branching in Your Course
If you have created Branching in your rapid e-Learning course or presentation, your standardized messages can be tailored to fit the structure of your course. For example, if they do not pass a quiz and your branching navigates them back to the beginning of the quiz upon failing, you can indicate that in your String Set by saying, “Click OK to take this quiz again.” Or, maybe you branch your learners back to a certain slide that contains the information they answered incorrectly – you can indicate that as well in your Strings Set so your learners understand the navigation you created for them. Your customized message could say, “Click the Go Back Button to learn more."
4. Add Your Personal Touch
Depending on your audience, you reserve the right to be fun and maybe even quirky when you give a quiz. You can entertain and even create further engagement if you tailor these standard messages to your audience. You can throw in a “Right On!” for a correct answer to add a little excitement for your learners. If you would like to be more formal, you can add “Please” and “Thank You” to messages to sound more polite. If nothing else, you can simply make your messages sound more like you, rather than computer-generated messages. Use your own words and create a more personal tone for online learning.
TIP: Always make sure that the messages in your Strings Set are consistent. For example, if you say to click the “Next” button, check that your button Value is actually “Next” in that section and not "Continue" or something else.
Havent tried the latest rapid e-Learning features and updates? Download your free 30-day trial and customize your PowerPoint to Flash presentations like never before.
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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
Tailor Your Rapid e-Learning Content in Snap! by Lectora
Exploring the Slide Explorer
Snap! by Lectora rapid e-Learning software enables you to have total control over every aspect of your presentation or training course, from the most general settings to the tiniest details. That’s where the Slide Explorer comes in – it’s your one-stop shop for specifying detailed timing and navigation components in your presentation. With the help of the Slide Explorer located in the Snap! by Lectora ribbon in PowerPoint, you have the ability to customize and tailor your PowerPoint to Flash content to create the perfect timing and navigation experience for your audience.
Think of the Slide Explorer located in Snap! by Lectora as the main control station for your entire rapid e-Learning course. Easily manage the Table of Contents, switch between slide presenters and even let your viewers navigate through your presentation on their own – all in a snap! Whether simple or complex, the Slide Explorer is your go-to spot when making timing and navigation changes in your presentation.
It’s time to explore the six main areas of the Slide Explorer. You can watch the Use the Slide Explorer video below for a firsthand demonstration and follow along with the guidelines below as your cheat sheet to learn about all of the amazing features that the Snap! by Lectora Slide Explorer has to offer.
6 Components of the Slide Explorer:
1.Table of Contents Slide Level
Specify how the Table of Contents (TOC) will appear within the presentation by adjusting the hierarchy and making sure it’s organized in the order you want it to appear. Simply click the arrows next to the slides listed in the TOC to move them up or down.
2. Table of Contents Slide Title
Easily modify your slide titles and determine whether or not they will appear in the TOC by selecting/deselecting “Hide in TOC.” Depending on your content, the option to display or not display the TOC is important. For example. You may not want to include your TOC in a creative marketing pitch that you’ve designed in a Flash masterpiece that plays more like a show. On the other hand, perhaps you have an e-Learning course with multiple sections and chapters. Displaying the TOC in this situation allows learners to have a better understanding of the information structure.
3. Presenter
Specify the presenter for each slide and choose whether or not to display the presenter name and picture. The presenter options are based on the presenters you’ve added via the presentation options. Once specified, the presenter’s information will be show up on the slide as he or she presents. This feature can clarify a switch between presenters and add credibility if their credentials are displayed – or this can allow you to remove all presenters from you course or training material.
4. Navigation
Your presentation will run automatically from slide to slide by default unless you adjust the settings in the Navigation section of the Slide Explorer. Override these setting by specifying your own timing, or select the “Manual” navigation option, only allowing your audience to progress forward by selecting the player controls. This function allows you complete control and is ideal for when you would like to decide how your audience will experience your content.
5. Branching
Create non-linear presentations with the branching options offered in this section of the Slide Explorer. Click the edit button to select the slides that viewers will be directed to when navigating forward and backward within your presentation. While you can branch your learners based on any number of criteria, this is especially helpful when giving a quiz within your presentation because you can branch viewers based on their quiz performance.
6. Narrations
Manage audio and video narrations directly from the Slide Explorer. Preview narrations by clicking the “Play” button, or remove the narration from the presentation entirely. This is where your Slide Explorer “control station” comes in handy because you have an organized perspective of how your narrations, content and other media interact with one another.
Now that you’re equipped with your step-by-step Slide Explorer guide, customizing your Snap! by Lectora rapid e-Learning content will be easier than ever. To watch more helpful demonstrations, visit the Snap! by Lectora video tutorials.
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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
The Rapid e-Learning Wrap-up: the Latest Blogs, Tips, Videos & More
Check out the latest and greatest from Snap! by Lectora and the rapid e-Learning community from August. We want to offer you with a line-up of the best resources so you can save more time for creative and exciting development with Snap! by Lectora.
THE LATEST RELEASES FROM SNAP! BY LECTORA
Snap! by Lectora Version 1.1 released August 2nd with brand new, exciting features for your PowerPoint to Flash presentations and courses. With a dozen new features including branching, .FLV support, additional customization options and more, you can wow and engage your audiences in exciting, new ways. Visit here to see the full list of features: Snap! by Lectora Version 1.1.
FAVORITES FROM THE RAPID E-LEARNING ROUND-UP
Learn outside of the box ways to provide textual information in visually appealing ways.
Check out the “need-to-knows” for getting started in rapid e-Learning
Friday Finds: This blog series, offered every Friday, is packed with free resources and sure to offer something valuable for every rapid e-Learning developer. Here are some of the highlights from the latest Friday Finds:
- Free Resources for Presentations - Featuring creative ways to display test such as stock photo callouts, mind maps text converter and clip-art.
- Free Templates to Save Design Time for PowerPoint Presentations - Highlighting sites that offer PowerPoint templates to save time and give a boost to rapid e-Learning development.
- Add High Quality Photos to Striking PowerPoint Presentations - Stock photo sites that offer free photos and images to save both time and money making professional-looking courses.
- Make PowerPoint Presentations Graphically Appealing with Free Icons - Find endless free icons with the valuable sites listed to add creative ways to list text or represent ideas with these free images.
TOP TIPS FOR RAPID E-LEARNING
Watch a firsthand demonstration to learn how to create non-linear courses by utilizing the branching functionality in Snap! by Lectora.
Watch a tutorial to learn how to customize your Snap! by Lectora presentations including presenter options, color, viewer controls quiz and survey customization and more.
“So You Want to Create Rapid e-Learning in Snap! by Lectora” four part blog series by James Anderson
Learn various rapid e-Learning techniques for Snap! by Lectora including Thiagi’s Four-Door e-Learning instructional design model, advanced Slide Explorer and branching tips and more from James Anderson, rapid e-Learning pro.
A SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR FAN FAVORITES IN SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter:
@Infomatiks: I've just tried out 'Snap' and I'm impressed by the product. You've got a winner here ! [I like] the integrated quiz feature for instant module assessment. I also like the Web Window - excellent value against Articulate.
@Ben_Chapman: Snap by Lectora - next level Powerpoint e-Learning integration at a fraction of the cost! http://lnkd.in/HNgMBE
@johnheapleeds & @Juice_e_learn: The makers of Snap! by Lectora are making rapid e-Learning even easier with the “Friday Finds” series on the Rapid e-Learning Round-up blog.
@Capz: Checking out #Snap! by #lectora. So far I really like some features. Fast processing. Nice integration of assets, like YouTube.
@marcellorinaldi: Interesting new features! :-) Worth trying.
Linkedin:
Amy Gerrard: My verdict on [Snap! by Lectora] is 'Excellent' and a must for all those whom need to enter the online learning sector at a lower price level.
Gary Wise: For basic rapid development I'm now using SNAP by Lectora for a fraction of the price...and if more sizzle is required my developers drop it seamlessly into Lectora for the heavy lifting.
Pam Clyburn-Lee: I just loaded Snap! today and find it extremely simple... The new updates are a welcome addition.
Daniel Looper, Jr.: I am purchasing it this morning and have requested several of my associates to do the same. It's a very useful and great addition to my Lectora app toolbox.
Carole Emard: Great update. Specially the ability to add feedback in multiple languages.
What do YOU think? Leave us a comment, participate in our e-Learning Forum, check out our rapid e-Learning LinkedIn group, comment on our Snap! by Lectora Facebook page or Tweet to us at @Lectora! Join the conversation - we love hearing from our friends in rapid e-Learning and look forward to hearing from you.
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 Create Snap! by Lectora Flash Elements & Integrate into Lectora
Leverage the rapid e-Learning power of Snap! by Lectora to create exciting Flash animations. Watch Diane Elkins create custom animations in Snap! by Lectora. If you don't already know Diane Elkins, she’s quite the rapid e-Learning expert well known for her instructional design skills and whose tips are highly sought after. She is the owner of Artisan E-Learning, specializes in rapid e-Learning development and contributes to the E-Learning Uncovered books and blogs.
According to Elkins, Snap! by Lectora allows you to create stand-alone rapid e-Learning courses and publish your PowerPoint to Flash. Creating animations in PowerPoint enables you to leverage the flexible timing options of Snap! by Lectora and to create individual Flash elements to put in your Lectora courses. If you are not one of the thousands already familiar with Lectora, it's a full-featured eLearning authoring tool to create robust eLearning content.
Elkins says that putting together Flash animations in PowerPoint gives you many effects to choose from and is a quick set-up. PowerPoint also lets you create special motion paths to get the effects you want.
Read the instructions below and follow along with Diane’s podcast to learn how to create inspiring custom animations in Snap! by Lectora:
Here’s how it’s done:
Set up Dimensions
The first thing you want to do is set up the PowerPoint presentation to be the right size. Make a box in Lectora that is the end size you want and write down your measurements. Lectora measures in pixels but PowerPoint measures in inches. So, divide each number in Lectora by 72 pixels per inch. Then, in PowerPoint, go to Page Setup and enter the dimensions in inches.
Create Custom Animations
Next, create your animations. Diane demonstrates two examples; her first on one slide with multiple timed animations and the next as a series of multiple slides. Even multiple slides in Snap! by Lectora publish as a single .swf file.
Watch the Podcast to see how Diane builds her custom animations in Snap! by Lectora:
Here are the “Cliffs Notes” behind how Diane sets up her interactions: The first slide has the instructions. The next slide has all of her images, each with custom motion paths at different angles, speeds and delays. Then, each image is hyperlinked to its corresponding feedback slide. There is a corresponding sound for the correct and incorrect answers. For incorrect answer selections, Diane creates another custom motion path and sound. Check out how well she executes her animations and take note because Diane is a pro!
*For a multi-slide animation, make sure to go to the Slide Explorer and check your properties. For her particular example, Diane only wants the first slide to advance automatically, so she changes the others to advance manually.
Publish
Once your animations are set up, it’s time to publish. Select Publish from the Snap! by Lectora ribbon. For a free-standing animation, indicate “No Controls” from the Player Style drop-down menu.
Integrate into Lectora
Find the .swf file generated by Snap! by Lectora (it will tell you exactly where your file was placed after it publishes) and place it in your Lectora title like any other Flash file. Click on Animation Properties, select “From File” from the Import drop-down menu and select your animation. This new Flash animation will only take up one page in your Lectora title (even if it was on multiple pages in Snap! by Lectora).
You can easily utilze the rapid e-Learning power of Snap! by Lectora to create impressive and engaging eLearning courses full of Flash content.
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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
Showcase Your Flash Skills with Interactive Animations
No more boring PowerPoint presentations for your learners! Make Snap! by Lectora presentations come to life with impressive Flash animations. Create Flash motion graphics with your preferred creation tool, then add it into your course. Designers can use motion graphics to tap into learners’ imaginations, and encourage them to interact with the eLearning material. Excite your audience with your rapid eLearning creation skills, and preview your material with just a few clicks. Sit back, relax and watch your presentation become a showstopper.
To insert a Flash SWF:
1. Select the slide within PowerPoint where you want the animation to appear.
2. Click Flash on the Snap! by Lectora menu ribbon.
3. Navigate and select the SWF Flash file you want to import.
4. The animations will not run natively within PowerPoint, but once you’ve published your presentation, you will be able to view your motion graphic.
To preview your Flash animations in Snap! by Lectora, use the convenient special preview mode to get a sneak peek of how the final, published version will appear.
To preview your content:
1. Select preview from the Snap! by Lectora menu ribbon.
2. A preview is automatically generated, which displays the current slide as it will appear in the published presentation.
3. The slides and player settings show you the selection of slides that are included in the preview, along with the player used for the presentation The player is the framework of the presentation that provides the presenter pane, the info pane and the controls accessible to the viewer. Several different player types are available.
4. The advanced settings show you the various features that can be included in the player, along with quality settings for audio, video and images in the published presentation. The default quality settings reflect the recommended settings for presentations that will be accessed online.
5. Anytime you modify the settings, click the “refresh preview” button so you can see your changes.
6. Furthermore, if you want to see the presentation at its actual size, click the “actual height” button.
7. When you’re done, click the “done” button to close the preview window.
You’ll be surprised at all you’ve accomplished once you’ve added Flash animations and previewed your work. And trust us, your learners will thank you.
Check out the Insert a Flash Animation and Preview Your Content Snap! by Lectora Guided Tours to see the steps in action. View all of the Snap! by Lectora Guided Tours to learn more, or stay tuned for upcoming blogs featuring step-by-step instructions.
Share your presentation for free on Snap! Live or SnapChannel.com and let the world enjoy and interact with your creation.
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Heather Thomas is the Social Media Lead at Trivantis Corporation. She is a senior public relations student at Kent State University and is interested in corporate PR and social media. She enjoys traveling, reading and writing. |
