Penny For Your Thoughts:Simplifying e-Learning for Business
Five Things to Consider When Choosing eLearning Authoring
Tools GraphicsGraphics
11stst in a series of 9 in a series of 9
© 2010, All Rights Reserved, Albany Analytical, Inc.pennymondani.com Graphics page 2
About This Presentation
This PowerPoint Show is taken from my blog
Penny For Your Thoughts: Simplifying e-Learning for Business,
where the posts can be read in their entirety.
© 2010, All Rights Reserved, Albany Analytical, Inc.pennymondani.com Graphics page 3
What is an Authoring Tool?• A pencil and a piece of paper. • A knife and a tree large enough to carve
something in the trunk. • An eLearning authoring tool is software
that allows us to create and publish our material in electronic format.
Wikipedia says: “An authoring tool is a software package which developers use to create and package content deliverable to end users.”
© 2010, All Rights Reserved, Albany Analytical, Inc.pennymondani.com Graphics page 4
Five Things1. Will it add value? Based on the training design for my
audience, what features and functionality do I need? Which are nice to have? Which are not relevant?
2. Do we have the skill to do it or the time to learn it? What can I (or my employees) do and what should we contract out to others? Is this how we should be spending our time?
3. What are my options? What applications are out there and what are the trade-offs regarding price, ease of use, and capability? Which is better: Open Source or proprietary software?
4. What functionality do I need? What do I need the application for? To create, to edit, to view, all of that? What will my students want it for and what is best for them? What applications are highly specific and which are “multi-taskers” that I can get more value from?
5. Will it work in my LMS? How will these applications work together in my eLearning environment?
© 2010, All Rights Reserved, Albany Analytical, Inc.pennymondani.com Graphics page 5
Features of GREAT eLearning• GraphicsGraphics (pictures, illustrations, tables, etc.)• Moving Media (audio, video, flash animation,
screen casts• Assessments (quizzes, tests, surveys)• News (forums, RSS, streaming)• File sharing (students and teachers; uploading
and downloading)• Collaborative efforts (web meetings, chats, wikis)• Student “records” (grades, participation, profiles)• HTML (text, links, etc.) content• LMS to package it all up together and deliver it to
the students.
© 2010, All Rights Reserved, Albany Analytical, Inc.pennymondani.com Graphics page 6
Will it Add Value?
Sketches for an event planner teaching room layouts
Photos to show just about anything, from food display......to how to recognize water damage in a wall
Screenshots for teaching how to use an application
Clip art to tell a story or soften a difficult topic
Tables and charts to show how to collect and display data
Yes, if it reinforces the lesson and isn’t just a showcase of technology.
© 2010, All Rights Reserved, Albany Analytical, Inc.pennymondani.com Graphics page 7
Do I Have the Skill?• Can you draw, by hand or with a software
application?• Do you have an “eye” for color?• Can you imagine graphical ways to show
something you want to say?• Are you skilled at moving objects around,
clipping, copying, uploading...?
© 2010, All Rights Reserved, Albany Analytical, Inc.pennymondani.com Graphics page 8
What Are (some of) My Options?• Crop, size, save as other formats, organize in an
album:– Picasa (free)– Easy Thumbnails (free)
• Basic shapes, simple recolor: – PowerPoint or Freelance (also has clip art, usually part of suite)– Paint or Paintbrush (usually free with your computer)– Photoshop Elements (also crops, sizes, and organizes for $70)
• Really awesome images with layers and effects:– Photoshop ($700)
• Don’t have the skills? Buy images, starting at $1 each: – iStockPhoto– Dreamstime– Veer
© 2010, All Rights Reserved, Albany Analytical, Inc.pennymondani.com Graphics page 9
What Functionality Do I Need?
• Must have:– Right format (.gif, .jpeg, .png)– Right size (inches or pixels)
• Should have:– Ability to crop out the white space and junk– Basic clip art, simple shapes, and recoloring
• Nice to have:– Layering– Special effects– Ability to edit and reuse
• Don’t need:– Anything that does not fit the audience or situation– Anything that does not reinforce the lesson
In an authoring tool, you need whatever functionality you have the skill for, plus what you need to suit your audience and
topic.
© 2010, All Rights Reserved, Albany Analytical, Inc.pennymondani.com Graphics page 10
Will this Tool Work in My LMS?• Almost certainly yes!• Check to see what format it accepts• Check to see what file sizes (bytes) and
image sizes (pixels) are acceptable
© 2010, All Rights Reserved, Albany Analytical, Inc.pennymondani.com Graphics page 11
Next Time...• Moving Media
– Audio– Video– Screencasts, Screen Recordings
• Outputs of Moving Media– MP3– MP4– HTML– SWF
© 2010, All Rights Reserved, Albany Analytical, Inc.pennymondani.com Graphics page 12
Follow me...Contact meRead the rest of this post and more at
PennyMondani.com
Follow me on Twitter/PennyMondaniJoin me on LinkedIn (/in/PennyMondani)
View Moodle Demo Courses at BeeLearn.com
Learn more at AlbanyAnalytical.com