e-Learning Blog
3 Quick Tips for Customizing Your Snap! by Lectora Table of Contents
Snap! by Lectora rapid e-Learning software makes it easy to quickly customize your rapid e‑Learning courses and presentations using the Slide Explorer. The Slide Explorer is the organizational “hub” for your Snap! by Lectora® course or PowerPoint to Flash creations. This is where you can customize your table of contents, rename and reorganize slides and indicate navigation and branching for your content.
Within the Slide Explorer, you’ll find customization options for the Snap! by Lectora table of contents. The table of contents displays the structure of all your slides and how they relate to one another within your course to give learners a better overall picture of the content as they progress through the course.
These simple steps included in the tips below make it easy to customize your table of contents for your learners. Change the slide title, slide level and hide slides from the table of contents – all within the Snap! by Lectora Slide Explorer. *These tips are only necessary to apply if you choose to display your table of contents upon publishing.
1. Re-name Your Slides: Provide your learners with more detail about the course with short, descriptive slide titles aside from “Slide 1,” “Slide 2,” etc. You can name by topic, chapter title, goal, objective or any number of ideas.
-
How to Change the Slide title: Find the slide in the TOC Slide Title column within the Slide Explorer. Once you click on a slide title, you can then edit it to display what you choose.
2. Define the Overall Course Structure: You can change the slide level in the table of contents to indicate where a particular slide fits in the overall structure of your course. This is useful when you want to organize your slide by unit, then by chapter, then by section and so on, for each part of your course.
-
How to Change the Slide Level: In the Slide Explorer, find the slide you would like to change, then, click the left or right arrows within the TOC Slide Level column to set the slide’s level.
3. Decide What Is Visible to Learners: Since each slide is included in the table of contents by default, you can choose to hide a slide from the learner’s view. You may want to hide a slide if you don’t want a learner to know the location of quizzes in the course, for example.
-
How to Hide Slides from the Table of Contents: To do this, simply locate the slide in the TOC Slide Title column in the Slide Explorer and check the “Hide in TOC” box.
Note - you do not have to display the table of contents if you do not want to; it is a matter of preference. If you want to display the table of contents to your learners, make sure that when you publish, you check the box next to “Info Pane” in Advanced settings so your TOC is visible.
The simplest customizations to your Snap! by Lectora courses can make a big difference your learners’ experiences. As course creators, you may know and understand the structure of your course, but for a learner who is new to the material, a table of contents can provide a great guide to the course.
Haven’t tried Snap! by Lectora? Download your free 30-day trial today to transform your PowerPoint presentations into interactive, exciting Flash experiences.
Follow
Connect
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.
Like uson Facebook
e-Learning Blog
Add Interactivity to Snap! Empower Projects with Components
Take your rapid e-Learning presentations to the next level by leveraging the power of Components within Snap! EmpowerTM Flash interactions builder to add super-charged interactivity to your projects. As a pre-programmed element, Components are the building blocks of engaging content creation and provide the capabilities for each page. Build on and modify existing Components to create your own, customized Templates in Snap! Empower that you can use again and again to jazz up rapid e-Learning presentations.
To access Components, open up the Library tab on the right-hand side of the screen within Snap! Empower and select Components (the puzzle piece shaped icon). Snap! Empower Components are wide ranging in their abilities, and the Library includes a multitude of components that you can use to add exciting features to your presentations, such as an RSS feed, navigation options, shapes, and more. Just select the desired component, and drag it to the Page Editor – it’s that easy! For more great Component tips, check out the short tutorial below:
Once Components are added to the Page Editor, they become Page Elements that you can easily edit and customize to fit your needs. To modify Page Elements simply double click on the object or open up the Properties tab to begin modifying. You can customize the size, time, opacity, colors and more for a Page Element in the Properties tab. Check out the Manage Project Properties and Page Elements to Maximize Snap! Empower Rapid e-Learning Software blog post for more tips on modifying Page Elements.
Components are easy to use, and work seamlessly with each other to ensure excitement and bring your rapid e-Learning to life. Try out the inspiring features of Snap! Empower and Snap! by Lectora® rapid e-Learning software for yourself with a free 30-day trial and get started creating fantastic Flash animation today.
 |
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
Manage Project Properties and Page Elements to Maximize Snap! Empower Rapid e-Learning Software
Creating fun and engaging content is a snap with Snap! Empower™. The Flash interactions builder makes it super simple to produce high-quality, professional presentations quickly – but wouldn’t it be great to speed up the entire design process even more? We’re highlighting fantastic tips to help you get the most out of Snap! Empower Flash software – read on to learn how you can manage the project properties and adjust the page elements to make Snap! Empower really work for you while maximizing the effectiveness of your next project.
Manage Project Properties
Take advantage of the Properties tab to customize a variety of settings for your project, including:
- Tailor the presentation page size to fit your specific needs, or choose from common preset dimensions
- Adjust playback options, including Auto Start and Loop Project options
- Save time and choose a background image or color to apply universally to the project
- Add music from an existing folder that will play no matter what page the learner is on
You can access the project properties quickly by clicking on the View menu and selecting Project Properties or by opening the Properties tab and clicking in the empty area of the Project Map. It’s that easy! Check out the video below to learn more about putting Project Properties to work for you.
Adjust Page Elements
Once you drag components onto the Page Editor, they become Page Elements that you can easily modify to suit your individual needs. Customizing Page Elements is super easy, just click on the Page Elements tab to see every element included on the page. Once you have the Page Elements tab open, you can set a variety of options, including:
- Multiple sorting options, including alphabetical or chronological order
- Lock or unlock certain aspects of a project by clicking on the padlock icon
- Show and hide elements on the Page Editor by clicking on the eye icon
- Easily edit the text, shapes and more of specific elements by clicking on the horizontal bar to expand
- Apply the lock/unlock, show/hide, expand/collapse settings to the entire list by selecting the “All” checkbox at the top of the tab
Taking advantage of the Project Properties and Page Elements tabs are just two ways that you can customize your next Flash animation masterpiece. Snap! Empower gives you the control to individualize your next rapid e-Learning project by making it a breeze to change settings. Check out more incredibly informative tutorials for Flash videos to really get to know the astounding capabilities of $99 Snap! Empower.
Haven’t had a chance to try out the dynamic duo of Snap! Empower or Snap! by Lectora® rapid e-Learning software yet? Give them a spin with your free 30-day trial – you’ll be amazed by the quality and professionalism produced for a $99 investment!
|
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
Ramp up Rapid e-Learning with Free People Cutout Images
Pump up your rapid e-Learning content with today’s FREE Friday Find and add Free People Cutout Images, from eLearning Brothers, to your next project! Cutouts are a great addition to PowerPoint presentations because they are so versatile. You can use cutouts to:
- Add a personal touch
Liven up your presentation and captivate your audience by using cutouts to add a personal touch to your courses
- Illustrate a point
Use cutouts to emphasize important takeaways, facts and other points to maximize the effectiveness of your presentation
- Draw attention to the content
Insert cutouts into rapid e-Learning presentations to highlight and compliment the content of your course by selecting cutouts that embody the professional backgrounds of your audience or the aims of the course
People cutouts are another fantastic way to really boost your rapid e-Learning courses and add pizzazz to hold learner attention and increase engagement. Just download and go to receive access to this fabulous freebie for your Snap! by Lectora PowerPoint presentations and your Snap! Empower Flash animation projects.
If you haven’t yet taken advantage of the jaw-dropping capabilities of $99 Snap! by Lectora or Snap! Empower download a free 30-day trial today and prepare to be blown away by the capabilities of this dynamic duo.
"Like" us
on Facebook
Follow uson Twitter
Connect with uson LinkedIn
Stephanie Johnson is a 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
Add Interaction with Snap! Empower Flash Animations, Effects and Transitions
Blow your audience away with your next Snap! EmpowerTM Flash interactions builder presentation. With Snap! Empower, rapid e-Learning developers can create quality course content in a snap by easily dressing up presentations with animations, effects and transitions. Say good-bye to boring, and hello to eye-catching, interactive presentations.
Build high-quality and impressive presentations quickly with Snap! Empower. One fantastic way to add a healthy dose of interactivity to your next presentation is to take advantage of all of the incredibly easy-to-use animations, effects and transitions loaded into Snap! Empower software. In a few simple steps, you can take your content to new levels. Here’s how:
Add Animations to Page Elements
- To create page elements that animate onto the screen, first select one or more elements on the Page Editor
- Go to the Properties tab to set timing controls for your animation. Select the Time In tab, and enter in the time that you’d like your animation to appear
- Pick the perfect effect and set the duration period and direction, if necessary
- To have page elements that animate off of the screen, just go to the Time Off tab in the Properties and set the desired exit time
- After setting the exit time, you’ll be able to choose effects and adjust animation options
- Preview your new animation by selecting the Pages button in the toolbar
Add Animated Transitions to Projects with Multiple Pages
- Select the desired page in the Project map, then open the Properties tab
- In the Properties tab, check the option to “Auto Advance” the page and set the time duration. Then, apply your desired transitions from the Transition from this Page drop down menu in Properties
- To preview, select the page and the page that follows and hit the Pages button in the toolbar to see your work in action
Add Animated Motions to Pages and Page Elements
- Use existing Flash animations by navigating to the Flash SWF section of the Library and drag the desired file onto the page
- Or, use the animation motion XML Component to add advanced effects
- Select the desired page element that you want the motion path applied to, and then choose from a list of pre-set paths in the Components tab
- Drag the selected path into the page and size it appropriately. To preview the animated motions, click on the Pages button in the toolbar
Check out the short and sweet video below for more in-depth and detailed instructions:
Adding animations and transitions is just one easy way that you can liven up your content and add customization to Flash templates. To take advantage of all of the amazing capabilities of Snap! Empower, view the handy tutorials for Flash videos here to learn how you can leverage the power of Snap! Empower.
Download your free 30-day trial of Snap! Empower Flash software and Snap! by Lectora® rapid e-Learning software today to discover how easily developers can transform no-nonsense PowerPoint presentations into spectacular Flash masterpieces.
"Like" us
on Facebook
Follow uson Twitter
Connect with uson LinkedIn
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
Free Social Media Icons for Rapid e-Learning
These days, the inclusion of ubiquitous social media icons are expected on practically everything. From websites to handouts, you can bet that you’ll see at least one icon representing someone’s staked out space in the social sphere. With the rapid e-Learning realm becoming increasingly social, why not spice up your PowerPoint presentations with the inclusion of your company’s social networks (including blogs, Twitter, Facebook and others)?
In today’s free Friday Find, we’re featuring three resources to help you move away from cookie-cutter social network icons, and easily add a dose of personalization to your next PowerPoint to Flash presentation. Personalized social network icons are:
- Eye catching
Common social media icons can be just that – common. Command and direct learners’ attention to your company’s social media websites by inserting icons that stand above typical social media icons. - Embody your brand
Select a set of social media icons that represent your company to reinforce overall branding. Build parallels between your brand and the content of each site by incorporating fresh and fun icons into your presentation. - Complement your design theme
After dedicating time and focus to building a fantastic rapid e-Learning course, you’ll likely want to choose elements that complement, not conflict with your overall design theme. Using custom social media icons can ensure that your presentation is devoid of contrasting design elements.
To get you started, here are three free social media icon resources, courtesy of Naldz Graphics:
30 Sets of Free Twitter Icons
A compilation of icon sets devoted to Twitter. Themes range from the easily recognizable to those that are more creative.
44 Must Have Social Media Icons packs
Spanning all types of social media, these icon packs are perfect for organizations with any number or social media properties. Whether you need icons for YouTube, Flickr or Facebook, you’re sure to find an icon set that suits your presentation.
Free Social Media Icons
An additional collection of attention-drawing social media icons that are flexible enough to fit into any course design.
Adding unique social media icons to your presentation is a quick and simple way to customize your content and take your rapid e-Learning PowerPoint presentations from ordinary to extraordinary.
Social media icons are a breeze to add to $99 Snap! by Lectora® rapid e-Learning software and Snap! EmpowerTM Flash interactions builder. See for yourself, and download a free 30-day trial of each today!
"Like" us
on Facebook
Follow uson Twitter
Connect with uson LinkedIn
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
Save Time with Free Storyboard Resources for Rapid e-Learning
The beauty of Snap! by Lectora® rapid e-Learning software and Snap! EmpowerTM Flash interactions builder is that they are two great tools that allow you to develop rapid e-Learning content and Flash animation in a pinch. Kick off your rapid e-Learning development with today’s Friday Find, featuring two free storyboarding tools to help you develop your fabulous content even more quickly. Storyboards provide an overall outline for your course – identify the text, visual and audio elements, branching and more for every step of your rapid e-Learning development process. Here are two easy-to-use, free storyboarding tools that can help you get started:
- Dabbleboard
Dabbleboard is an online whiteboard that you can use to quickly visualize your ideas with shapes and text. Once you’re finished, share your storyboards with any colleague, to work together collaboratively. You also have the option to make your storyboard private or public.
- LucidChart
Map out your entire rapid e-Learning project and content details using LucidChart to create a handy flowchart. A free account lets you collaborate with two additional colleagues so that you can maximize brainstorming effectiveness and accelerate the content approval procedure.
Ensure smooth sailing with your rapid e-learning content development process and take a few minutes to storyboard your ideas. Setting aside a few moments to storyboard and plan out your presentations before creating content can save you headaches. A little patience can pay off in the long run, and will help you save time by avoiding annoying backtracking.
This week’s Friday Fan knows that Snap! Empower is not only fun, it’s great for professional development. Thanks for the shout out, Mark!
msimon14Mark Simon
Fun + Professional Growth = Playing with #Snap #Empower for a couple hours
Here’s something you don’t have to practice your patience for – Snap! by Lectora and Snap! Empower 30-day free e-Learning software trials. Download this dynamic duo today to instantly start creating fantastic PowerPoint presentations and Flash animations.
"Like" us
on Facebook
Follow uson Twitter
Connect with uson LinkedIn
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
Individualize Rapid e-Learning Templates with Customized Text and Images
We’ve highlighted the benefits of taking advantage of Snap! EmpowerTM Flash interactions builder Flash templates to build neat, customizable Flash animation, saving you precious development time. Now, add some zest to your templates or individual projects by including customized text and images to shake up your content in a snap! Here’s how:
Adding text
1. Select the Text icon in the toolbar to type directly into a text box on the Page Editor, or in the Page Elements tab. You can also copy and paste text right from your document into Snap! Empower.
2. Edit the size of the text box by dragging the corners of the box in the Page Editor, or enter dimensions for precise width and height in the Properties tab.
3. The Properties tab gives you tons of control to customize the appearance of your text. Use the Properties tab to change font type, text size, style, alignment and color. Select what text you want to edit by highlighting the desired text and adjusting the format in the Properties tab.
4. Add all kinds of font types by clicking on the File menu in the toolbar and select Import Font to easily tailor your project. Once you import a font, it will always be an option in the font list on the Properties tab for future projects. You’ll also have peace of mind, because the font is embedded in the project, so you won’t have to worry if users have the same fonts on their computers.
Adding Images
1. Import any JPG, PNG, BITMAP, GIF or layered PSD files directly to Snap! Empower by opening the Library and selecting Images. Now, you can browse images by entering keywords or using the paging buttons at the bottom. You can preview each image by double clicking on the image.
2. Once you find the perfect image, click and drag it to the page or to your Project Map. You can drag the image around and use the transform handles to edit for picture perfect placement. You can edit the border color, weight and opacity and fine tune the image size, position and timing in the Properties tab. If you’re not happy with the new size of your image, simply click the “revert to original size” button.
3. Your image options are endless – not only do you have access to a full library, but it’s also super easy to add your own images. Just click on an image from your desktop or folder and drag it into the Page Editor.
Incorporating custom images and text are a quick and powerful way to pump up your PowerPoint presentations and Flash templates. Put a unique spin on one of the hundreds of Flash templates included with Snap! Empower and watch as your rapid e-Learning content takes on a life of its own. Learn more about all of the Snap! Empower features by watching these short tutorials for Flash videos, located under the resources tab on the Rapid e-Learning website.
$99 Snap! Empower and Snap! by Lectora® e-Learning software for PowerPoint presentations breaks the price barrier and proves that rapid e-Learning software doesn’t need a high price tag to fulfill high expectations. Download your free 30-day trial and start creating fantastic Flash masterpieces today!
"Like" us
on Facebook
Follow uson Twitter
Connect with uson LinkedIn
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
Let e-Learners See Clearly with Free Data Visualization Tools
In today’s Friday Find, we’re excited to share three more totally free data visualization tools with you, to take otherwise boring statistics to fantastic figures. We’ve mentioned in the past how important appealing visuals and infographics are when creating rapid e-Learning content, for both practical and aesthetic reasons. Data visualization energizes course content and presents data in a way that is easy for learners to understand. Check out the free resources below to really make your data stick:
- Dipity
Use Dipity to create interactive and engaging timelines filled with important information. Timelines are a great tool to make sense of data by laying it out in a chronological order. - Tweet Spectrum
Tweet Spectrum is a fun way to incorporate social media into your presentation. This tool let’s you enter in two keywords, and creates a spectrum comparing what people on Twitter are saying about your keywords. - Many Eyes
Use Many Eyes to create in-depth data visualizations. Upload the data, select what type of visualization you’d like to use (like a data tree or tag cloud), and then customize what your visualization will look like.
Spend some time exploring these free data visualization tools and play around on them to discover all of their great capabilities. Not only are visual representations important for visual learners, but including data visualization is a great way to add some spice to your rapid e-learning PowerPoint to Flash presentations. For even more data visualization resources, check out the Stop the Snore over Statistics - Use Cool Infographics and Show, Don’t Tell Information With Free Resources for Presentations posts on the Rapid e-Learning Round-Up blog.
Don’t have your hands on Snap! by Lectora® e-Learning software for PowerPoint presentations or Snap! EmpowerTM Flash interactions builder yet? Download your free 30-day trial and add this dynamic duo to your e-learning toolbox today!
"Like" us
on Facebook
Follow uson Twitter
Connect with uson LinkedIn
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.
