RKCS Learning Solutions

It’s an excellent thing when companies actually listen to their consumer base and incorporate the features that they are asking for. TechSmith released its version of Camtasia for the Mac a few months ago and “wowed” many with its release. The interface was very un-Windows like and appealed to many dedicated Mac users. Most of these user had been using Telestream’s Screenflow and in fact compared Camtasia to this application. In many ways they were very similar and for the most part a ScreenFlow user had no pressing reason to switch over to Camtasia.

Well, here’s the game changer. TechSmith has just released its 1.1 update for Camtasia for Mac. Prior to this update, Camtasia could only record in full-screen mode. This is also the case with ScreenFlow. Mac users who take advantage of Expose found this fine and worked around it. But if you wanted to record only one specific portion of your screen, you were out of luck or you could use TechSmith’s limited freeware, Jing. Now, with the 1.1 update, TechSmith has included region capture. For those that do not get the difference here, when you have to record full screen, then zoom and crop, aside from the additional steps you must perform, there are subtle differences in pixel clarity. It’s like being forced to take a picture of a crowd and zoom in to one person when you only wanted to take a picture of the one person anyway.

[...]

There is always something new, isn’t there? There is always a new toy, new app, something new to learn. The intent is that if you use all of these apps, you will be uber-productive, be ahead of the curve, on the cutting edge of tech and be raking in tons of dough. OK, so I may have been slightly tongue-in-cheek. But, two of the latest bits of tech that some have been buzzing about (awful pun) are the iPad and Google Buzz.

Now, Google Buzz, if you have not checked your gmail account recently, is a stripped down version of the GoogleWave that many have been patiently awaiting. This looks to be a competitor to Twitter. However, so far, although I’m sure that one can use anything productively if they try, I just have not gotten the Buzz as yet. The drawback for some is that you have to have a gmail account and the people you “buzz” and follow must also have a gmail account. Now, how is that different from Twitter, you say? On a basic level, it’s not…really. The winning assets for me currently are usability and availability. Many more folks are on Twitter it seems and it has become a social networking bear. Although, you can do the same things with Buzz, at the end of the day, on a business level, it becomes about reach. Right now, Twitter has the REACH that Buzz does not. Of course, humans are fickle and that could change at any minute.

[...]

It’s a new year and we have all made goals and resolutions. Haven’t we? Well, maybe its just me. One of my main goals for this year is to try new things. I know how easy it can be as e-learning providers to get comfortable with our tools and get stuck in its use. The flip side is that we can get sucked into so many new pieces of software and apps that we don’t ever really gain mastery of any of them. That said, I plan to focus a bit more on some of the tools I already use while trying to gain a balance with some new things. Not sure if Jane Hart has created her Top 10 for 2010 yet, but here are a list of 10 tools for 2010 that I am either already using or plan to use:

1. iMac – (Just purchased the 27 inch quad core. It’s a beautiful machine and transfer of all my info has been easy. I will post later on some of the things I am doing with it)

[...]

In creating eLearning,I face a challenge that the majority of users do not face.  I have to listen to the same audio again, and again, and again, and again while I edit and build different sections of my modules.  This is fine.  In fact, its an expected part of the process.  However, I do notice that there are times where I begin to go to sleep almost immediately.  Yeah, that could be a compliment or maybe its not.  There are some Barry White-style voices that are soothing and relaxing. But likewise, there are some voices that, while reading, can become almost monotone.  Once I have heard these voices a screen or two, I almost begin to tune out.  Worse than that, if I am watching a module where not much else is happening on the screen or I am not interacting with the module in any way, I am forced to listen to the voice.  So what do I do?  Zone out…go to sleep….daydream.

OK.  So, now it’s time to put yourself in the seat of the learner.  Get rid of the ego for a moment.  Yeah, I know you put your blood, sweat and tears into this thing and it’s hard to hear criticism, but listen for a moment.  Don’t worry.  I have to pay attention to this myself so I’m not preaching at you.  But, put yourself in the learner’s chair for a moment.  What would you want to hear?  What would keep you interested?  What would keep you awake? Some of us have the liberty of hiring professional voice talent while others are forced to cost cut and do certain things themselves.  Just because the word “professional” is before the name does not always mean the voiceover artists don’t need feedback either.  So there are some basic things that can be done to help bring a little more life to your elearning.

[...]

According to the Associated Press, it’s just about time for the release of Microsoft Office 2010. For some, this may not be a big deal. After all, it’s just Bill Gates & company putting out the latest piece of overpriced software that we obviously can’t do without because it’s bundled somehow in every Windows PC. Right? Well…..exactly. That’s why its a big deal. As an instructional designer or e-learning designer (or ‘elearning’, depending on who is arguing), whether I like the suite or not is irrelevant. Sure, you can storyboard in OpenOffice or pretty much any word processing software. But if you are working with a team and uploading to a centralized location, they are going to ask for a specific format, usually .doc. Additionally, PowerPoint is a huge basis of many rapid e-learning authoring tools such as Articulate Presenter. While I am sure Articulate will make sure that they are able to effectively interface with the new version of Powerpoint, there are still features that I am sure will be added that I will either have to watch out for or learn to incorporate. For some, the addition of motion paths and SmartArt in Office 2007 was a surprise and took some getting used to. The newer document extension, docx, is still an issue for some because some companies have still not upgrade to Office 2007 and therefore exchange of documents that use this extension is impossible. Will Microsoft force us to go towards the .docx or will they return to familiar .doc?

In this new version, Microsoft is adding web version of its apps. If you have used Google docs, then this is a step that Microsoft had to make in order to take advantage of the collaboration/networking market. In a slick move, they are also making this web version free to consumers. Of course, this ‘free’ version is supported by advertising. I am not sure how intrusive that will be but, I am sure there will be something that is intended to gently nudge the consumer toward a purchase.

[...]