Well, I am just settling in from a tour of Orlando and the eLearning Guild Trade Show….   Most noticable difference this year?  No “tire kickers”  In other words, people attended for a reason this year.  I found that the traffic at the show was more about quality and less about quantity.  Great show this year.  Of my findings, here are the top 5 topics dicuseed with me from those seeking solutions….

1. Putting training online - as a REVENUE generator:  Online University applications seem to lead the way of the near future - with eCommerce of course.

2. eLearning ROI: More and more those seeking solutions were more interested in value over functionality.  I am guessing a next wave of eLearning attributes for rapid development are on the horizon with Adobe and others.  Captivate 4 looks very promising.  Adobe Presenter is a winner in my book.  Lectora has some great start up offerings. I am staying tuned.

3. API, API, API: Wow!!!! Not only do we need to develop content, it needs to have its own functions and business processes associated with it.  Catch the next wave of business focused eLearning by making it do more for the organization while training the employee.

4. Online meeting…with PUNCH.  Ok, so we all know the power of meeting on line…now we need to customize it… online meeting attendants,  auto logins, security, as well as fee to meet seems to be hot…for now.

5. CE / Certification Training: Everyone wants a way to calculate CE credits and print certifications.  Well, the future is today on this one.  Adobe Connect API’s are a great way to porvide this online. 

Overall, the show was a winner.  Brookwood learned some and shined more.  Our solutions were winners demonstrating eUniversity with eCommerce and CE Credits.  API development already exists and we had the demos to prove it….and Online meetings have been our follow up of choice with many we spoke with. 

I am looking to DevLearn in the fall….

One to Watch: iSpring - Check out their presenter tool.  Single flash output with API’s…. great for the unusual development requests.

Ed Stengel Seminars, eLearning Trade Show

The newest release of Adobe Captivate (CP), version 4, has greatly simplified the task of adding and editing closed captioning for the hearing impaired. For training developers under strict deadlines this upgrade is a gift from above. CP4 eliminates the need to cut & paste each and every line of text into the closed captioning dialogue box, which is what you must do when working with CP version 3.

This means having the source .ppt file open and the captivate version open and toggling between them for each line of text you needed to copy from one to the other. Even if you were fortunate enough to have dual monitors (thus eliminating toggling) you still had to copy & paste each line one line at a time or copy everything all at once and then edit text lines in the Captivate CC dialogue box. Either way…IT TOOK A VERY LONG TIME!

I want to talk about two very slick new features which Adobe has introduced in CP4 which now helps to make this all happen with very little effort.

The first feature that makes this possible is the ability to import MS PowerPoint slides directly into CP4. It converts the screens, animations and all notes content directly into a captivate project. It will not however import .ppc audio files from .ppt. But that’s OK, and here’s why…

What this means is that as long as you have your narrative text entered into the notes section of each .ppt slide, after it’s imported into CP4 the “Text to Voice / Closed Captioning” processing dialogue box (the second slick new feature) will display those notes and allow you to create an audio track by simply clicking a button. If you’re not importing .ppt files with notes you can simply type or paste text into the box and then convert that into audio as well. Once that audio track is in place, all you have to do is place a check mark next to the text you want to turn into closed captioning, save out the file and that is it.

Now of course you still have to go into the properties dialogue box and set your timing for animations and the skin editor to check the CC box so that it adds the CC button to the control bar during publishing, but who cares? The hard part is now done for you!

The Text to Voice feature provides you with a choice of Male or Female voice option…Paul or Kate. I prefer Kate; she seems to get her pronunciations better than Paul does. Granted, it sounds mechanically generated but it isn’t as bad as some computer generated audio I’ve heard. What’s more you can still import you own audio files just as you could in CP3 if you choose not to use Paul or Kate’s services. (They won’t mind)

The bottom line is that these new features have transformed a very tedious and time consuming task into one that is fast, new and exciting! Saving development time is saving money. You can take that to the bank! Thank you Adobe.

Gene Palocsko Training, eLearning

Well, here we are… it’s Friday… could be any Friday, but this one is the first Friday of the 3rd month of the year.  How far along are you with planning, budgeting, and developing your organization’s eLearning program?  Most organizations use the wait and see factor on training because of cost, travel, lodging,  and maybe hard costs like printing - looking to cut corners in a down economy.  Well, these are EXACTLY the reasons you should be in the midst of developing and promoting your organization’s eLearning program.

Did you know that eLearning can actually cut the costs of training in an organization?  All eLearning developed becomes an asset simply by being reusable, easily edited, and because it can be used as a resource for information almost anytime.  Additionally, there are no travel costs, lodging, and most of the time, no printing.  Why is it then that most organizations view eLearning as a wait and see item?  Tradition?  Timing?  Or is it a Trade off?

None of the above… most organizations lack the experience in approach, or resources.  This delays processes and promotes a last minute rush to complete this type of  initiative.  Here are 7 things to consider now, to be able to effectively deploy a successful eLearning program in the next month or two:

1. What is your organization’s learning culture?  Define it and make a online model of it.  The information is right in front of you, now you need to put it online.

2. How will your organization view this change? Is it really a change from how things are done, or just making it better for your organization?  Position your training online as a competitive advantage and a valuable asset for your organization long term.

3.  What are your resources? Define what and who you will need to make eLearning a success in your organization.  Find valuable resource partners (like Brookwood).

4.  What type of training?  What, and more importantly where, is the content you plan to convert to eLearning.  Remember, always start with a topic that speaks to a larger audience to gain acceptance starting out.

5.  What is your strategy?  Planning to deploy effective eLearning will require a map, usually within or part of a blended training program.  See what fits best online, and what works better in person.

6. What’s your budget and whats’ the cost?  Believe it or not, most eLearning has a positive ROI for the organization.  Brookwood can help you with our ROI calculator services.

7.  What is the business case for the implementation of an eLearning program in your organization?  Most organizations utilize eLearning as a competative edge in communications or education, whether internally or externally, where they can deliver a measurable and consistant amount of information.  When planning your business case, where in your organization can you reduce or eliminate training costs via eLearning?  Detail what content needs to be conveyed in a standardized format.  Summarize the benefits in measured results.

Ed Stengel Business and Budget, eLearning Strategy

Podcasting has come a long way since its start as a vehicle for individuals to distribute their own radio-style shows over the Internet. Today’s podcasts can combine audio and video files to provide a rich user experience.

With their ability to be syndicated and downloaded automatically whenever new content is present, podcasts have many practical applications beyond virtual broadcasting. Universities are largely responsible for the increased popularity of podcasting by leveraging it as an educational tool. Now, students have the ability to download a missed lecture to view on their MP3 player, phone, or laptop anywhere, anytime!

http://www.brookwood.com/elearning/distancelearning.cfm

Laura Haas Green Solutions, Training, Uncategorized, eLearning

Captivate 4 Training Now Available

Captivate is all NEW and more powerful than ever! Captivate 4 gives you the capability to capture screen shots on your computer and quickly turn them into interactive movies adding images, captions, rollovers, clickable areas, typing areas and sound effects. This course will introduce you to the essential Adobe Captivate 4 skills you need to know to get up and running with Captivate as quickly as possible.

Also look for Advanced Captivate 4 training available in May 2009!

Register Today! http://www.brookwood.com/training/Captivate4Training/Captivate4Training_captivate4.cfm

Reduce Travel, Reduce Costs and Save the Planet with eLearning!

Laura Haas Training, eLearning

Going green is a way to help the world become a better place and make your organization become more efficient by eliminating waste, resulting in savings now and long term.  Today, a competative edge could simply be moving training from in person to online, reducing or eliminating travel, lodging, food and other expenses associated with instructor led training.  Organizations that seek the ability to go green should look internally at training and provide online meetings in leu of travel, web based training in lue of paper/person training, as well as provide web based anytime, anywhere resources for information exchange.  Not only will this save organizations time and money, but also provide information not otherwaise accessable unless carried with the individual employee or client.

Ed Stengel Green Solutions, eLearning Business

The days of classroom based training and education are fading.  Today, more than ever, organizations are seeking to provide more information and training with less cost, effort, and resources.   eLearning is the answer.  A blended learning environment will not only provide information anywhere and any time, but alos reduced training time, paper waste, and becomes a resource that is recycled over and over for maximum ROI.  The abiltiy to edit without waste is a major benefit of eLearning vs. traditional; allowing new content to be utilized with out the traditional outcome of outdated paper based learning when new materials become avaiable.

Ed Stengel Business and Budget, eLearning

In a marketplace of doing more with less, Brookwood can make the defining difference in achieving your training goals. Our years of experience assessing, creating, and deploying enterprise and custom eLearning solutions produce effective and engaging learning results.

From consulting and strategic curriculum development, to custom design, development and enterprise eLearning roll outs, Brookwood has the experience, expertise, and resources to effectively meet your organizational training objectives on time and within budget.

Brookwood Capabilities Include:

• eLearning Strategy and Consulting
• Instructional Design and Support
• Custom Module Development
  • Audio
  • Video
  • Multi-media
  • Assessments
• Strategic API’s
  • eUniversity
  • mLearning
  • Interactive real-time
  • LMS Lite
• eLearning Development Templates
• eLearning Best Practices Guides
• Enterprise eLearning Deployment
• eLearning Support
• Training

Brookwood Partnership Provides:

• Industry Leading Technology and Solutions
• Veteran Experience in Solution Development
• Proven Capabilities that Yield Results

Ed Stengel Business and Budget, eLearning

Brookwood at Annual eLearning Guild Meeting in Orlando FL

Stop by for a FREE eLearning Demo!

Now, more than ever, results matter. You need to produce effective eLearning content in the most efficient manner possible to ensure maximum impact on performance and the bottom line. That is what the Annual Gathering 2009 is all about; helping you identify technologies and strategies for driving organizational value while enhancing your personal skills and knowledge.  AG|09 is focused on helping you create value with emerging technologies that truly enable learning anytime and anywhere in an environment characterized by extreme budget cuts and increasing demands.

http://www.elearningguild.com/content.cfm?selection=doc.1087

Laura Haas Seminars, eLearning

A green solution (from Brookwood) can extend the budget you have by reducing hard costs associated with traditional business operations.  A green solution incorporates efficient work flow processes though application development that improves processes by reducing or eliminating time, effort, waste, or spending.  Simply streamlining a manual process with workflow automation can impact an organizations bottom line expense in varied ways driving profit margins little by little, and some times great.  How can you improve your organization’s processes today through automation? Think about it, everyone can, how can you?

The implementation of eLearning in place of or in addition to instructor led training may have some up front cost, however the return on investment by deploying a system of knowledge transfer that is easily accessible and self paced will not only reduce the cost of that knowledge, but also can become a competitive advantage overall.  ELearning as part of a blended training program can yield higher results by always being available as a corporate or client resource of information that requires little effort to maintain.  This in and of itself can be a service differentiator that will win extra business for your organization, or provide the right answers to those who seek it, driving visibility and credibility.  How can you implement some type of scalable eLearning program within your organization? It can make a big difference in the way you do business, and the way your clients view your business.

Ed Stengel Business and Budget, eLearning