There comes a time when even the greatest instructional designer has a creative block. Although we have our various learning design principles to help us come up with good ideas, there are times when you are required to go beyond the conventional clicks and interactivities and come up with out-of-the-box ideas that will blow your learner’s mind. In this post, we will explore a few tips that will help you keep your creativity flowing! Collaborate: Good instructional designers don’t sit and wait for ideas to come to them; they go looking out for good ideas. They collaborate with other creative people and brainstorm. Two is always better than one. So, when you hit a rough patch, talking to other designers will help you find new perspectives or improve your existing ideas. These collaborations are not only a great learning experience but also provide an insight into the workings of a creative mind. Iterate: Never expect to hit the bull’s eye on the very first attempt! Even the greatest inventions in history were made after numerous iterations. In the same way, don’t get disappointed when the first design does not meet your expectation. Iteration is the key to your eLearning design success. Iterating your designs to a state of perfection by continuous refinement will make you think harder and better, stretching your creativity in order to come up with groundbreaking eLearning courses. Experiment: It is very easy to fall back on the tried and tested methods of creating an online course. But the grass is always greener on the other side. Always be open to experimenting with new ideas, and see where it leads you. If you succeed, there is nothing like it! However, if you fail, don’t be disheartened. Learn your lesson and move on. It takes great courage to try something new, and as the author Maya Angelou says "If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be!" Being creative is all about letting the artist within you to rise and create something magical for your eLearning courses. You will be surprised to see how your learners will appreciate your creativity and persistence. Related Posts3 Tips to Instructional Designers for Effective E-learning - An Infographic3 Interesting Ways to Design Elearning Intro Pages - Infographic3 Brilliant Ways to Present Timelines - An Infographic

Digital access, commerce, communication, literacy and etiquette… What do these words have in common? Well, for starters, they are all components of digital citizenship. In fact, these concepts—and many more—are part of an online code of ethics students need to know about in order to develop and maintain a positive digital footprint and online presence. As with any other type of education, we—as educators—can’t make assumptions that students have the necessary knowledge to make good decisions when surfing the web. And even if they do—they’re kids, so yeah, they constantly need to be reminded of what’s cool and what’s not. With the wide variety of resources available for teachers, there’s no reason we shouldn’t be promoting the importance of behaving safely and responsibly in the digital world. Speaking of resources, check out the nifty infographic shown below, one that can be used to address various aspects of digital citizenship. Props to Sylvia Duckworth for creating and sharing this very useful visual. Click here to view a full screen version of this sketch note. Classroom Connection: Use the infographic to teach students about how to be safe and respectful when utilizing digital networks and social media sites so they can create a positive online identity—one they can be proud of now and in the future. For more info about digital citizenship, check out the Teacher’s Guide to Digital Citizenship, a recently published article on Edudemic written by By Kristen Hicks.

Camtasia Studio 8 Tutorial: Cut Unwanted Media on the Timeline This Camtasia Studio 8 Tutorial provides information concerning the process of cutting unwanted media on the timeline. Specifically, it shows how to make, preview, and cut a selection. 0:20 - Make a selection 0:35 - Download sample script and .camrec 0:50 - Zooming in on the timeline 1:00 - Selecting an area to cut 1:20 - The space bar hotkey 1:30 - The cut icon 1:40 - Another example: cut from the middle 2:20 - Final example: cut from the end The post Camtasia Studio 8 Tutorial: Cut Unwanted Media on the Timeline appeared first on VivaeLearning: The Best Free Video Tutorials Online.

Audio is an essential component that makes your eLearning course complete. Effective use of audio in eLearning makes courses engaging and helps the learner retain information for a long time. When we develop an eLearning course, we spend a lot of time deciding on the visual elements and tend to ignore the audio. In this blog, I’ll discuss a few tips for effective audio narration in an eLearning course. 1. Have a Conversational Tone To make the course engaging, it is very important to use a conversational tone for audio narration. This helps the learner get connected with the course at an emotional level, and thereby, makes it interesting. The narration should be informational as well as motivational. In order to motivate the learner with narration, we can use certain phrases such as"Wow", "Sorry", "That’s Great" etc. 2. Ensure Appropriate Use of Audio It is important to know when the audio should be concise and when it should be elaborate. If you have heavy text on the screen, then the audio should provide the summary of the on-screen text. This is because reading the entire text on the screen increases the cognitive load on the learner. In the same way, if you have small stand-alone sentences on the screen, the audio must be elaborated and the concept needs to be explained in detail. 3. Use Descriptive Audio for Visuals Sometimes, we may have to show certain animations or complicated flow charts on the screen. In such cases, each step of the animation or flow chart should be explained clearly using audio as the on-screen text "runs". Effective use of audio and visuals helps the learner understand the concept clearly. 4. Emphasize the Key Points A learner would show more interest in the course when he finds it beneficial or relevant to him. The key takeaways of every must be emphasized using audio. This strategy gives a great learning experience to the learner. It is a very powerful and meaningful way to teach them. I hope you find this blog informative. Do share your views. Related PostsSteps for Effective Audio Narration - An InfographicUsing Audio - An Effective Way to Enhance your E-learning Course4 Effective Ways of Presenting Scenarios in E-learning Courses

As Quincy Jones once remarked, "I’ve always thought that a big laugh is a really loud noise from the soul saying, "Ain’t that the truth." That said, Edu-fun Friday is a series devoted to adding some humor to the lives of teachers who visit this blog. After all, there’s nothing better than ending the week on a positive note! Plus, do we have the best topics to provide us with some comic relief or what? Maybe it’s my twisted sense of humor, but this one produced a laugh out loud moment for me—probably because I feel exactly like this on days when I’m trying to convince others that devices suchas iPads really do have educational value. ***Sigh! OK, so it’s not really an edtech comic, but it’s funny nevertheless. And considering that today is the beginning of the last full and totally crazy month of the school year (in most districts anyway), teachers may actually find this strategy to be very useful-ha!

Integrating Knowledge Management Systems Into Corporate eLearning Platforms: 5 Top Benefits For eLearning Professionals Merging corporate eLearning platforms and knowledge management systems could be a solution to this mess of dealing with corporate systems of various types that they all serve the same organizational purpose: knowledge sharing. Leaving corporate web sites out of discussion, as they typically address to the general public and do not include "confidential information - for internal use only", I foresee a back to the basics approach with eLearning platforms substituting the traditional "intranet" and serving as a single point of reference for all employees. Some of the top benefits of such an integration are presented below: Easier updates. Reusability of resources. No duplicates. Easier updates of files in accordance to ISO qualitative standards and reusability of resources for common sections are elements that cannot be overlooked. The same online training content, uploaded only once in a single system may target different audiences, saving valuable server space, though at the same time the eLearning platform provides features that allow for customized views with different online content for each group/department, according to the permission rights assigned. Lack of duplicates also raises employees’ confidence that they access the correct version of the information they are looking for. Different access rights and better tracking through activity reports. Different access rights for managers and staff allow the HR department to have better control of who has access to what. The activity reports feature that most eLearning platforms nowadays offer, enable better tracking of employees’ performance on the online training material, eLearning course completion rates, possible knowledge gaps, etc. Employees’ direct feedback can be received through online suggestion boxes, though a knowledge sharing organizational culture can also be promoted through the use of chats and discussion boards in order for the employees to share professional experiences and best practices. Formal and informal training in a single eLearning platform. In terms of eLearning content, videos, press-releases, product knowledge material with features and benefits, selling techniques, customer service approaches and best practices are only some of the examples of the type of information the eLearnng platform may contain in non-downloadable SCORM format for security and confidentiality purposes. Therefore, apart from a great resource center, the eLearning platform could also serve as the ideal training tool for synchronous, asynchronous and blended learning, with the corporate trainer’s role enhanced, as an e-moderator. Sense of community. Loyalty. Through the integrated eLearning platform new employees not only would be allowed to quickly familiarize themselves with their new working environment, the organizational structure, "who is who" etc, but also such a system would give them access to FAQ sections about their role in the organization, best/worst practices discussion groups, as well as "Ask the Expert" sections where they would have the opportunity to stay tuned with their new colleagues, managers and corporate trainer(s). Bulletin boards. Last but not least, the eLearning platform could also serve as a bulletin board for all company-related announcements, new hires, job openings and other type of corporate incentives that have been proven to reinforce a sense of belonging in the community  and to increase employees´ loyalty in the company. Never before had the human resources and training department been closer to their common aim of professional development of employees as through the integration of the company’s knowledge management system with the eLearning platform in a single communication and training tool available on a 24/7 basis. Want to learn more about how an organization can enhance the knowledge and skills of its employees? Read the article 6 Tips For Creating A Winning Performance Management Online Training Strategy to get tips and techniques you may use to create a winning performance management online training strategy for any organization. This post was first published on eLearning Industry.

E-learning courses are used extensively by companies to equip their staff members with the needed knowledge and skills. According to Ambient Insight, global self-paced eLearning market reached the $49.9 billion mark in 2015, registering a compound annual growth rate of approximately 9.2% over a five year period. Do you wish to jump on the online training bandwagon? Then, how can you make error-free, high-quality eLearning courses to deliver top-notch training to your people? Well, you need to follow certain standards to create the perfect course. The Association for Talent Development (formerly ASTD) has come up with various instructional design standards which help eLearning designers produce highly effective courses that captivate learners. Here is an info-graphic that lists 7 of these standards and explains why they need to be adhered. Hope you find this post useful. Do share your views. Related PostsHow Important is Standardization for E-learning Curricula? Importance of Standardization in E-learningWhat Are The Trends in E-learning Design and Development? - An Infographic

Camtasia Studio 8 Tutorial: Add a Callout to Direct Viewers’ Attention This Camtasia Studio 8 Tutorial provides information on how to add a callout. Specifically, it covers the following topics: 0:00 - What are callouts? 0:10 - Examples of what callouts can do 0:40 - Add a callout to your video 1:30 - Finding a new callout shape 1:55 - Callout positioning on the canvas 2:00 - Re-sizing and rotating callouts 2:15 - Changing the visual properties of your callouts 2:35 - Callout placement on the timeline 2:45 - Tips for good callout placement 3:00 - Adjust the fade in and fade out properties 3:10 - Adjust the callout duration period 3:25 - Duplicate a callout 3:50 - Layering callouts on the timeline The post Camtasia Studio 8 Tutorial: Add a Callout to Direct Viewers’ Attention appeared first on VivaeLearning: The Best Free Video Tutorials Online.

Setting off the fire with eLearning - Ideas for Fire-safety training at your workplace Welcome to today’s blog post. Since the enactment of OSH Act of 1970, workplace safety has moved up the agenda of every company. As a part of this initiative, employees are being made aware of the recognized hazards at their workplaces and the safety measures to be followed during an emergency situation. One such training program that is very important for employees is the fire safety training. To be honest, I do not have a clue about where the emergency exit is or where we can find the fire extinguishing equipment in our office. In this post, I will try to discuss a few ideas to implement fire-safety training through eLearning at your workplace. Have an Expert Guide Them Through: Guided learning is ideal when it comes to safety training. It’s not that we do not want to learn or listen to someone. We all like to learn provided, it comes out of an expert. And, we wouldn’t be accepting computers or other machines govern and tell us what to do, what not to (even though it is the current scenario). Hence, the computer is ruled out of the list of experts. Let’s bring in a virtual expert in to our course. We call them avatars. These digital characters will guide your learners throughout the training, generating a "bond" with them. In our case, we can use a fire-man as an avatar (not to forget that firemen are often looked up to in many countries). This fire-man will talk to your learners, introduce them to the fire hazards at the workplace, explain to them the actions to be taken during a fire breakout and evaluate their learning. Exploration is the Key: All these years, I’ve created training programs for several types of audience. Some learners complain about being restricted on how they go around the courses. They express an interest to learn at their free will. Here’s where the strategy Explore-and-Learn comes in. Employing this strategy to teach fire-safety is an interesting task. One idea is that we create a digital layout of the workplace, some kind of a map. In this, we can mark the areas of recognized hazards which the learner has to click through to learn in detail. The information on safety measures can then follow. Game-it-on!! Dealing with tough learners that carry low motivational levels to work? We have an idea. We all love to be challenged, as long as there is a pretty good chance of winning. This paved the path for video games. Not everyone may be a gaming freak, but I’m sure most of us have tried our hand at one form of a game or a puzzle. Gamification is the most engaging form of digital learning. It demands great amount of learner involvement and also generates a sense of competitiveness. These two aspects work in our favor when it comes to lackluster safety training. You can first display an animation with the steps required to be taken during a fire emergency. The same can then be simulated for the learner to try on. For example, if we have to teach the learner about different types of fire extinguishers, we can first demonstrate their usage with an animation and then present a few scenarios to the learners to use the appropriate extinguisher for each. The user responses can be calculated, and a score can be displayed. These are just a few ideas to go about fire safety training using eLearning. I’m sure we can also apply other learning strategies such as storytelling, case-studies, etc., to present the information to our learners. What is your approach for conducting safety training effectively at your workplace? Please share your views in the comments section below. Happy Reading!! Related PostsCreative Ways to Present Click on Tab Interactivity in E-learning Courses - An InfographicShield Your Employees with the Right Safety Training at the WorkplaceType of Training Required for Service Staff

Even though there is always a mind-boggling amount of invaluable info shared on the Discovery Educator Network (DEN), one of the best resources available is the Spotlight on Strategies (S.O.S) series, a must-see DEN favorite designed to provide teachers with simple yet effective instructional practices for using digital content to support student learning. To date, there are 70+ teacher tried and tested strategies featured on the DEN blog and now thanks to Lance Rougeux, Vice President of Learning Communities and Educational Consultants at Discovery Education and all-around DEN tech guru, I will now be featuring these techniques on my space. Two thumbs up to this guy! So, enough of that. Let’s fast forward to the really good stuff… This week’s feature—Concept Circles—is an instructional strategy that strengthens vocabulary skills. Big Idea Concept Circles (Vacca & Vacca, 2001) are tools which help students move beyond memorization of terms and definitions by focusing them on analyzing the relationships between those words. In this strategy, students use a circle organizer to analyze how vocabulary words are or are not related through a concept or topic. There are different models for the circle: some are simply a circle divided into quarters; others, like the one used in the example below, provide space for note taking and identification of the concept. Now that I have your attention, all you have to do is click here to snag a PDF version of this super cool strategy which includes info related to materials needed, steps for integrating the Concept Circles strategy into lessons, an example and extension activities. And there’s even a video overview you can check out here. Pretty cool, eh? Better yet—click here to check out the entire S.O.S. series on the DEN blog! So, there you have it: Another S.O.S. trick to add to your edtech toolbox. Stay tuned for additional ways to activate learning in your classroom… Like what you see? Then be sure to check out other ideas in this series: » Reading Between the Lines » ABC Summary » 6-Word Stories » What Did They Say? » A-E-I-O-U » Snowball Fight » Whittle It Down