Interaction: Click-a-Link

As you know from previous posts, I'm a big believer in chunking content. Today, I'd like to share yet another interaction you may use to chunk content on your screen. I call it a Click-a-Link.

Click the image in this post to view the interation. If you want to know how I created it, visit my website -www.allthingselearning.com and go the templates screen where you'll find more interactions and their directions -or click here instead.

As an aside, naming or numbering commonly used interactions is a great way to ensure you are ultimately organized. The interaction to be used can simply be inserted into your Storyboard under the Interaction column if you are using the template I provided in an earlier post. It also enables members of the training department to easily converse with one another when describing what they plan to do with a block of content. Everyone knows what that interaction looks like and how it works. Read more!

Out Sick

Hi Everyone,
Sorry for the lapse in posts. I and my family are ill. I'll be back with more content and interactions next week!

Have a great weekend,
Michele Read more!

Exiting a Captivate Course & Also Using Customized Navigation Buttons

Well, after selling some paintings on eBay I was finally able to purchase Capativate 4. I am soooooooooooo glad I can set the global parameters for all my clickboxes, textboxes, highlights, etc.

While recently creating some online learning for a client, I had to explain why a customized exit button shouldn't be used in the course's navigation. Yes, I could add some javascripting to the button, but I couldn't guarantee it would close the course because different browsers behave differently.

What did I do? I didn't want to publish the course with a full playbar showing the next and back buttons because I have chunked content on my screens that relies on the programming behind the customized foward and backward buttons. Therefore, I opted for the solution described below and pictured in this post. Please note that all content that identifies the client has been blurred using photoshop.

I published the course with a playbar altered to only show the exit button and table of contents. I set the background to match the rest of the course's background (white) and then drew a soft grey line to divide the playbar from the rest of the screen. These settings are shown the skin editor image in this post. Read more!

Interaction: Click-a-Pic

Let's take a look at an interaction I often use in my e-learning courses termed the Click-a-Pic. The learner clicks an image which envokes a pop-up box (heretofore called a PUB for short)containing more information or a scenario that can be applied to on-the-job situations. Click this post's image to view the interaction. Because it isn't loaded to an LMS and is in HTML format you will have to opt to temporarily allow the PUBs to display if you have your pop-up blocker on as most of us surely do.

Wanna see how I made this in Lectora 2007? Click here. You can also create this very same interaction in Captivate using version 2 or 3- I've done it. I'll post some instructions how to do that as well when I have a spare moment (hahaha).

Read more!

A Great Source of Inspiration for New Interactions

As we all know, it's fairly difficult to find interactions on the web that one can add to their asychronous online course. If you are looking for examples to inspire you to create something new and different to present content, then here is a really neat link I've been using as a source of inspiration for two years now. This link is to the Trivantis' showcase of interactions using Lectora and sometimes Flash. You may sort the interactions so that you only view those that do not have Flash incorporated in them. However, I view them all because even though I typically don't use Flash in my interactions I still obtain inspiration from looking at the Flash built interactions, as well as those that I know I can build because they only used Lectora. I have even adapted some ideas from this site and made similar interactions using Captivate. To obtain this link I signed in a couple of years ago and had to receive a phonecall afterward from the sales department. I had to explain that I alredy had their product, but was looking for inspiration. Just for you, though, Here is the saved link you recieve afte filling out an online form. Simply click it, then log in as a guest, and then click the work icon to view the working examples. Read more!

Adapting to New Version of Word

Even though this blog is about e-learning, I find myself using Microsoft Word quite often. I use it to create outlines, scope documents, storyboards, etc. Recently I upgraded to Word 2007 and found myself completely flustered as to where to access all the things I regularly use. Prior to this I considered myself to be a whiz at Word and really darn fast at formatting attractive documents. I was torn. I wanted to learn the new version of Word and keep up with everyone else. I was sure it probably offered some new features that would come in handy. However, I was frustrated at having my pace slowed to that of a snail on a bad day! I decided to do a little sluething on the Internet and I was pleasantly surprise to find an answer to my delimma.

I installed the add on Ubit Menu (for free) that allowed me to use the old classic style menu while at the same time keep the new 2007 ribbon style menu. I have been very happy with this little tool. I try to force myself to look for various menu selections in the new version, but if it's taking too long, I quickly access the Classic menu via a the Menu in the ribbon bar. This probably sounds confusing, but just reference the image I've uploaded and you'll understand. You can double click the image to enlarge it. Read more!

Interaction: Drop Down Bar

E-learning isn't just about having text and images on a computer screen. No, it's much more than that. You can use images, videos, audio, text, flash files, interactive diagrams, and much more to thoroughly communicate what you are trying to teach in your course. Instead of just filling your screen with a page full of text, strive to present the information using an interaction of some type.

For purposes of this blog an interaction is what we will call anything that requires the learner to move his hand to the mouse so that he can roll over, drag, or click something on the screen. Taking part in the interaction helps the learner to be more engaged because he is forced to physically move, interact with the content, and take control of his own learning. He's not just kicked back watching the screens display one after another as a monotone voice reads the text on the screen.

This entire blog is going to focus twice weekly on many types of interactions you can use in your courses. Each interaction-related post will contain a link to the live interaction and and directions on how to create that interaction. Specifically, this post covers an interaction called the Drop-Drown Bar Interaction.

To view the programmed interaction, click here. This interaction is one I often use in the following situations:

1) I have terms/concepts that I want to define, but also want to show these definitions side by side so the learner begins to make comparisons and contrasts between the terms/concepts.

2) I want to show categories with examples falling into these categories all on the same screen.

3) Instead of text, I might display an image of what something looks like when the term/concept is clicked.

This interaction could also be made to work so that the information displays below each header as the learner rolls over the header, instead of clicking it as shown in this example. For detailed instructions on how to build this interaction, visit the companion site for this blog. Click the instructions beneath the Drop-Down Bar interaction to open a PDF file with specific directions in it.
Read more!