A reader last week wrote me and asked what PC I would recommend for her fledgling eLearning development shop. The ... , but I will make a case for the Mac being the ultimate eLearning development box. First, the hardware I’d choose ... evident from a product photo or spec sheet. Here are three reasons the Mac is the ultimate eLearning development ... grief. Nor do I. There are plenty of other reasons I love developing eLearning on my Mac, but I’ll stick with ... , and iMovie gives me a great little video editing tool. And I don’t get all the junkware/trialware that comes ...

I've been told recently that one of the things that people like most about my blog is the cool new tools I find and share with the eLearnDev community. Well, here's the motherload of all developer tool lists compliments of Mashable.com . It's going to take me weeks to get through this list, but I'm glad its there when I need to look for this kind of stuff. I've already found some seriously cool nuggets that I'm hoping will be as cool as they look. Let me know if you find something cool and use it for an elearning project. Enjoy!

Silke Fleischer blogged about the latest eLearning Guild Handbook of eLearning Strategy She also adds a WONDERFUL chart for Development Tool Selection. This is going to save me hours of explaining. THANKS Silke!!! Adobe solutions supporting the eLearning Development Model Download HERE DevLearn - The eLearning Development Conference & Expo Co-located with the Adobe Learning Summit November 5-9, 2007 San Jose, ...

... about those robotic text-to-speech tools that are being foisted upon the eLearning development community (note my rant on ... In an April post , I made my case for narration in eLearning. As a learner, I love it (when done right). So as a developer, I like to create narrated courses. Many of us, for budgetary reasons, have to do our own in-house narration work. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing - I made the point in that earlier post that professional voiceover ... ’s free (with any Mac) GarageBand, which has been a great tool for narration recording. I will detail my ...

I often get requests for visual timelines in eLearning courses. Typically I’ll try to cobble something together using PowerPoint’s charting or drawing tools (shudder). Sometimes I’ll create the timeline in Apple’s Keynote (much nicer charting tools) and bring the graphic into PowerPoint (since I do most of my development work in Articulate Presenter). I’ve also created timelines from scratch using something like Adobe Fireworks, which can be a time-consuming endeavor. Timeline from Bee Documents looks like an interesting application. Whip up ...

... features). I still harbor hope that TechSmith will see the light and develop SnagIt for Mac (and suspect they are ... Realmac Software . With the beautiful (both visually and functionally) website development app RapidWeaver in ...

My DVD ripper of choice is HandBrake . A great app, with lots of options and presets, and the best part of all: it’s free . The bummer with previous versions was you could only convert video directly from DVD. You couldn’t re-encode existing video files. So if you wanted to convert, say, a WMV file to FLV, HandBrake was not the app for you. Sorry, emphasis should have been on the word was . Because the DVD-only limitation is officially but a bad memory with the new 0.9.3 release. I had been relying on the excellent (but not free) VisualHub for my video conversion ...

... minus the price tag, of course). If you are looking for a free tool to generate interactive eLearning content, give Xerte a try. Blogged with the Flock Browser    Tagged: adobe, articulate, captivate, development, elearning, free, learning, presenter, resources, tools, training, xerte    ... Thanks to Jane Hart , I was introduced to Xerte today.  Xerte is an open source software package for creating interactive eLearning content. The learning object interface feels a little awkward, but that is easily overlooked ...

... outrageously pricey world of eLearning development software, is practically free . Not to mention all the typical testing ... results” to “anecdotal evidence.” Wish me luck. Mac-using eLearning developers, give Silverback a look . And non-Mac-using eLearning developers, what the heck are you waiting for ? ... to sneak in my personal MacBook or iMac and do some eLearning usability testing on some of our customers using ... -developed stuff is vastly better than our horrible LCMS-developed stuff . Sure, the email messages I receive from ...

After what seemed like an endless wait, my favorite eLearning development apps have finally been refreshed. Articulate Studio ‘09 was released last night, including all-new versions of Presenter, Quizmaker, and Engage, as well as a new app, Articulate Video Encoder. In addition to fixing the niggling flaws with the previous versions that ... added some amazing new features (branching, yay!) that, in concert, simply leave other eLearning development apps I’ve ... . The new versions are more beautiful and easier to use than ever. And the price (for eLearning development ...

... observations and discussions with colleagues.) Second, users are either hesitant or scared to use new tools like an RSS ... eLearning Weekly was just listed on a new web site called Alltop.com (actually, the eLearning Weekly link is on Alltop’s Education page ). Alltop is a project developed by Will Mayall, Kathryn Henkens, and Guy Kawasaki . At first ... , and doubt around these tools. What do you think? Do you use blogs and/or RSS at your organization? Has it been successful? Please chime in! Also see: Blogs in Plain English RSS in Plain English Directory of Learning Tools ...

... assumption. Fortunately, there are tools available to compensate for these shortcomings. Adobe Kuler comes to mind. Create your own color theme for your eLearning course with the online tools, or choose from thousands of themes ... Anyone who has ever taken an eLearning course or watched a PowerPoint presentation (i.e. all of us ) knows that the effective use of color is not a common human ability. Based on countless cans of unused interior house paint I have ... free) how-to video for Kuler . Now there’s no excuse for offensive color combinations in your eLearning ...

WordPress is now using Gears to speed up web site load times. What is Gears ? It’s a plug-in and API developed by ... eLearning and Gears? The most obvious answer is load time. If you produce a lot of courseware that people access either on your ... eLearning courseware is the low hanging fruit. What about mobile learning, or learning on-demand? You can cache ... applications, and applications that use Flex and Gears.  At this point, the future is wide open for Gears and eLearning. I haven ... have a huge impact on eLearning. You can get Gears and learn more at http://gears.google.com , or read the FAQ.

Rapid Intake collaborative eLearning development platform, Unisonâ„¢ is a web-based solution that lets designers and subject matter experts (SMEs) collaboratively capture, storyboard, develop, review, test, and publish Flash-based ... Rapid Intake has been quietly working on a killer elearning app. I totally dropped the ball on this one. I had the ... changes the game." I am a big fan of web-based tools (and SaaS...Software as a Service) and I was wondering when the elearning world was going to jump on a board and ride the next big wave of the Internet. As far as I can tell Rapid Intake ...

I'm knocking around this idea in my head and just wanted to see what people thought. Wouldn't it be great if there was a clearing house of eLearning Development Projects? I mean, let's say I'm at a high tech company and someone says, "we need all of our engineers to know the basics of thermal dynamics". So you're the developer that gets this rock dropped ... in business. My point is...we've all developed courses and had that aching feeling that we are reinventing the wheel ... . I'm just sayin', If someone built that Web2.0 tool, I'd be ALL OVER IT! (wink, wink) Maybe that already exists ...

... weeks two important eLearning software upgrades have hit the virtual streets: Adobe CS4 came out this week Articulate released the Studio 09 update to all their tools a couple of weeks ago Tools are constantly going through upgrade cycles, but these are two of the biggest names in the eLearning development tool market, so they caught my attention ... upgrade for eLearning developers. I will be upgrading my license at work as soon as possible. The full version is $1699 ... is arguably the most popular PowerPoint to Flash conversion tool available. That’s no fluke, the tool works ...

This week’s post starts with a simple question: At your organization, when you hold an instructor-led class, how do you give learners credit for attending the class in your LMS? I’ve seen organizations do this several ways, but I’ve never been a huge fan of how it gets done; it has always seemed like a workaround more than anything else. I’m going to list out a few of the ways I’ve seen. Please chime in if you know of other ways… Use a sign-in sheet Learners sign-in when arriving at the class, and then some poor soul has to go into the LMS after ...

Jay Cross cracks me up (in a good way). When he’s not sharing gorgeous travel photos (including pictures of some of the most unique food you’ll ever see), he comes up with gems related to informal learning and educational technology. One of his latest offerings is a chart that outlines a variety of Web 2.0 tools, including a brief description of their business value. This is great! I appreciate that Jay is able to succinctly articulate their business value, especially because many people still don’t take these tools seriously. Click below to view the ...

... presenting a session in Oct at the DevLearn conference (session 503) on using Secondlife as a learning tool. Mark and I ... to be along for the ride. Thanks to my fellow eLearning bloggers who have linked, and supported my comments and remarks ... ! UPDATE: I share my blog birthday/anniversary (whatever) with the tool that I use... BLOGGER: Born on this day in 1999 .

Corporate eLearning eLearning Design Authoring Tools Rapid e-Learning Tools eLearning (e-Learning) e-Learning Software Blended e-Learning e-Learning Tools Open Source eLearning e-Learning ROI and Metrics ... View of eLearning Development Approaches - Ease vs. Power : eLearning Technology ... , Blog, Email, Authoring Tools, Lectora, Captivate. eLearning Technology - 11:14 AM   4 comments links to View of eLearning Development Approaches - Ease vs.

... where Ease is roughly how easy (cost, time) is it to develop using that approach and Power is the ability of the tool to provide robust, complex learning solutions. Many learning applications do not require more powerful tools, thus ... Based on some discussions around What is Rapid eLearning? and Shift in eLearning from Pure Courseware towards ... Rapid eLearning, PowerPoint + Audio + Interactions, Form-based Authoring (LCMS), Interactive PowerPoint, Simple HTML, Dreamweaver, CMS (Content Management System), RoboInfo, Simple PowerPoint, Wiki, Podcasts, Blog, Email, Authoring Tools ...

Corporate eLearning eLearning Design Authoring Tools Rapid e-Learning Tools eLearning (e-Learning) e-Learning Software Blended e-Learning e-Learning Tools Open Source eLearning e-Learning ROI and Metrics ... Incredibly Cool! Vision of Future of Application and eLearning Development ... Incredibly Cool! Vision of Future of Application and eLearning Development Permalink: Incredibly Cool! Vision of Future of Application and eLearning Development Bookmark this page ...

Posts on eLearning Tools: What is Rapid eLearning? eLearning Tools - Wikis, Blogs and More eLearning Course Authoring Tool Satisfaction - More Authoring in eLearning 2.0 / Add-ins & Mash-ups Use of Wikis as Compared to Other Tools Captivate and Articulate for Interactive Slide-Based Presentations Shift in eLearning ... Future Platforms for eLearning Solutions View of eLearning Development Software - Ease vs. Power Point Solutions vs. Suites and Composition in eLearning Solutions Rapid eLearning Tools Virtual Classroom Instruction - ...

Corporate eLearning eLearning Design Authoring Tools Rapid e-Learning Tools eLearning (e-Learning) e-Learning Software Blended e-Learning e-Learning Tools Open Source eLearning e-Learning ROI and Metrics ... eLearning Tools : eLearning Technology Posts on eLearning Tools: What is Rapid eLearning? eLearning Tools - Wikis, Blogs and More eLearning Course Authoring Tool Satisfaction - More Authoring in eLearning 2.0 / Add-ins & Mash-ups Use of Wikis as Compared ...

Corporate eLearning eLearning Design Authoring Tools Rapid e-Learning Tools eLearning (e-Learning) e-Learning Software Blended e-Learning e-Learning Tools Open Source eLearning e-Learning ROI and Metrics ... eLearning Authoring Tools : eLearning Technology ... posts on authoring tools that I think serve as good foundation. eLearning Course Authoring Tools Satisfaction - More ... Use from Pure Courseware towards Reference Hybrids What is Rapid eLearning? and Rapid Authoring Tools ...

If you don't get the reference in the title then here is a little reminder... ...are you LOL? Actually, I'm wondering if you are using Director11 or plan on using it for eLearning. Director is still one of the most powerful multimedia authoring tools available and I'm excited to see what eLearning Developers are going to do with it. Especially the Serious Games developers...oops...I meant to say Immersive Learning Simulation Developers. Will you be turning your eLearning up to 11? Let me know. Or just let me know if SpinalTap brings back any memories for you ;-) ...

... somewhat skeptical of niche tools (see eLearning Course Development ). In June 2007, I added a few more rapid eLearning ... eLearning Guild members consider rapid eLearning development tools including Apple Keynote, Microsoft Word, Trivantis ... different than what I would consider to be the norm in Rapid eLearning Development tools. Based on a couple of recent ... Rapid eLearning Tools Satisfaction from the eLearningGuild Research reported Feb 2007 - Course Authoring and Rapid eLearning Tool Satisfaction See also Software Simulation Tools . Page update Mar 2008. When the above graphic ...

... somewhat skeptical of niche tools (see eLearning Course Development ). In June 2007, I added a few more rapid eLearning ... eLearning Guild members consider rapid eLearning development tools including Apple Keynote, Microsoft Word, Trivantis Lectora ... different than what I would consider to be the norm in Rapid eLearning Development tools. Based on a couple of recent posts ... Corporate eLearning eLearning Design Authoring Tools Rapid e-Learning Tools eLearning (e-Learning) e-Learning Software Blended e-Learning e-Learning Tools Open Source eLearning e-Learning ROI and ...

I didn’t get to attend the Adobe Summit or DevLearn 2008 this week in San Jose, CA, and I’m totally jealous of everyone who got a sneak peek of Adobe Captivate 4.   Thankfully, Philip Hutchison posted an excellent overview of all the new features on his pipwerks blog .  Captivate 4 will be part of the new Adobe eLearning Suite .  You must check out Philip’s review. Thank you, Philip! For anyone who is not familiar with Adobe Captivate , it is an eLearning development tool that “enables anyone to rapidly create powerful and ...

... discussing this very issue: When is it appropriate to use rapid eLearning development tools? For procedural, how-topics ... debate around the purpose of these tools. Clive Shepherd tells us - Rapid e-learning is swimming in too small a pond His main point is that Rapid eLearning Tools should be aiming at the SMEs, but according to Clive, at the panel session ... agree with Clive that this is part of the intent of rapid eLearning - pushing the tools to SMEs to allow them to easily ... are here trying to learning about Rapid eLearning Tools, then this is definitely poor quality. But, the intent of ...