By Angie Mellor Police Sergeant and Adjunct Instructor of Criminal Justice, Bob Nordby knows a thing or two about the skills his students need in their future careers. That’s why he created a latent fingerprint activity for his Criminal Investigations class at Globe University-La Crosse. "The class was preparing for a large project at the end of the quarter where they will need to process a crime scene and this is one of the skills that they will have to use," Nordby said. The students began by watching a video and an in-class demonstration of lifting latent fingerprints. Nordby also emphasized the importance of fingerprints at a crime scene. "They were shown how to compare fingerprints and analyze how fingerprints can identify a person individually by characteristics and marks." Following instruction, students had to practice "lifting" three fingerprints off of items. The students then compared their prints against a "criminal database" they created in an earlier class after they fingerprinted each other. "The last part of the assignment was to post a photo of their prints and determine who committed the crime through analysis and comparison," Nordby said. Nordby summarized the activity in seven steps. "The students learned how to fingerprint a person, dust for latent fingerprints, why fingerprints are important, how to "lift" prints, how to analyze and compare fingerprints, how to document their findings for a court of law, and how to think creatively when problems arise." One Criminal Justice student noted, "I love doing these types of activities rather than lectures every night." Nordby agreed that the hand’s-on experience was very beneficial for his students. "The goal was to give the students actual experience that was part of the assigned reading," he said. "By having a practice exercise, the students develop a connection from what they have read to how they can apply the material." The post Students Discover "Who Dunnit" Through Fingerprint Exercise appeared first on Globe University Blog.

Commencement speech of Patricia Behrendt, accounting graduate, Globe University - Wausau campus "Congratulations graduates! Today we are the superheroes of the story, donning gowns and mortar boards instead of a cape or disguise like Superman, but superheroes nonetheless. Embrace it, own it, and make it matter. Patricia Behrendt speaknig at the Wausau campus commencement ceremony The definition of a superhero is someone who uses their knowledge and natural abilities to improve the world, thus giving others the courage and inspiration to do the same. We have spent our time as students perfecting our abilities and knowledge, which in time will seem like the easy part. We have also dealt with whatever personal kryptonite or villains that were put in our path. In reality, none of us will ever leap a tall building in a single bound, or bend steel in our bare hands. Rarely is any one person put in a position to save the world or to alter the destiny of humanity. But we can always return that lost wallet with the contents intact, or tell the truth when it matters, and stand our ground when it’s so much easier to just walk away. We all have a hero inside of us, sometimes we just need a boost of confidence or someone to help us unleash it, to whisper in our ear and say, ‘Go for it! You can do it, you will be successful.’ For many of us the voices whispering these words to us are those of our mentors, teachers, and trusty sidekicks. Look around, your sidekicks are the people sharing this moment with you. Not only witnessing the conclusion of this journey, but welcoming the new beginning it creates. My sidekicks along this incredible journey have been: My mom who continues to teach me perseverance, My dad for teaching me kindness, My sister for reminding me to stay fabulous, My brother for proving anything can be turned into something else, My niece and nephews for reminding me to make time for fun, and one in particular for helping with my homework when I needed it, And finally, my children, Julia and Lauren, who inspire me every day to become a better version of myself. In my opinion and circumstances, sidekicks are the most valuable part of the process. Without mine, I would have been lost before even getting started. Patricia Behrendt channeling her inner super hero In the end, superheroes inspire us to discover our strengths and use them to benefit others. They are made by the paths they choose, not the powers they are graced with. Batman said it best when he said ‘It’s not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.’ I hope you leave here today, channel your inner superhero, and go on to do many great things… A cape and tights are not required." The post Globe Graduate: Find Your Inner Superhero appeared first on Globe University Blog.

Examples of visual design are everywhere around you! As a student in #ETT511, each week you will take a photo of at least 1 example of visual design that you come across in your everyday life. Post the photo to Instagram using hashtag #etraeyespy and include in the description why in your opinion the visual design you’ve photographed is either effective or not. To receive full credit, a minimum of 1 photo each week with brief description should be posted to Instagram with hashtag #etraeyespy. Follow hashtag #etraeyespy to see the visual design examples your classmates "spy" and comment on the ones that you find most interesting.

Financial Aid Manager Elizabeth Augustine and Academic Coordinator Kirsten Wichern at Feeding South Dakota On Friday, June 19th, Globe University-Sioux Falls completed their sixth annual Community Service Day. Twelve faculty and staff members from campus volunteered at Feeding South Dakota, the local food pantry. Upon arrival at Feeding South Dakota, we were given a tour of the facilities. Food is sorted into categories, making the experience similar to grocery shopping. Hot-commodity items usually include meats and pastries donated by local stores and restaurants. Staff and faculty worked for two hours sorting donated items into assigned categories, including cereals, canned goods, canned fruits and vegetables, and boxed items. The food was then sorted into boxes that are shipped out to other facilities around South Dakota. Teamwork was definitely a necessity, as well as communication! "It was such a humbling and rewarding experience to serve our community and our Community Service Day was no exception. To see the thousands of donated food items and to be a part of helping get these supplies out to those in need, is an experience I will never forget." said Financial Aid Manager Elizabeth Augustine. Globe University staff and faculty members at Feeding South Dakota in Sioux Falls. "What I loved about helping Feeding South Dakota sort and package the food was not only do you realize what a generous, giving community you are a part of as you dig through the vast amount of donated goods, but as you begin to sort and package them, you also get to see a tangible accomplishment and realize how many people this will directly affect." said Director of Career Services Ann Kolbrek. We were able to sort through several tons of food in the short time we were there. We were very proud of our accomplishment and impressed with the staff at Feeding South Dakota for their hard work and dedication! Thank you to Feeding South Dakota for hosting our Community Service Day. We learned a lot about this valuable resource in our community and we are grateful for the time you let us spend there!   The post Globe University-Sioux Falls Spends Community Service Day at Feeding South Dakota appeared first on Globe University Blog.

Why should you consider blogging as an educator? Check out this article discussing the importance of teacher bloggers and offering blogging suggestions for teachers. http://www.teachhub.com/importance-teacher-bloggers

Sometimes a new job is just what the doctor ordered. Kayle Nieuwenhuis, a March 2014 graduate of the medical assistant program , had been working as a certified medical assistant for over a year and half when she decided it was time for a move- quite literally. As she began her search for a new job in a new city she turned to her experience at Globe University-Madison West. Kayle Nieuwenhuis on her first day at ProHealth I excelled at Globe University more than I could have imagined," says Kayle.  Her quest to become a medical assistant began with an externship in the Neurology department at Meriter Hospital. Some of the major skills she learned from her externship were EMG’s, lumbar punctures, Botox injections for chronic migraines, and the many other CMA duties while working with physicians on "the floor." When asked about her education experience at Globe University-Madison West, she stated that "being hired through my externship was such a compliment to myself and my teachers! The level of support I received from the faculty is unlike any other. I truly believe their support and my hard work helped me achieve employment before graduation." Like many people, Kayle was planning on moving to a different city at some point and was seeking assistance with her job search and updating her resume. Her advice to graduates in a similar situation is "after graduation remember to go back and work with the faculty and the career services department". So with a resume and cover letter updated, a few applications, a lot patience and hard work, Kayle was hired! In her new role, Kayle will be working at ProHealth Care in the Waukesha Family Residency Program. She will be working with medical students achieving their Doctorate in Family Medicine. Kayle had some parting words for current students. "From your school work all the way to the workforce, be passionate. Employers see that and it pays off, quite literally!", says Kayle.  We wish the very best of luck to Kayle and hope she continues her passion and drive as a certified medical assistant at ProHealth. The post Graduate on the Move: Job Searching in a New City appeared first on Globe University Blog.

As you look to build your own personal learning network, here’s a great collection of technology blogs specifically geared toward education that you might find of interest: http://www.onlinedegrees.org/top-100-technology-blogs-for-teachers ~ Dr. J

The faculty of Globe University-Wausau is pleased to name Marjorie Hanna of the veterinary technology program as one of the Spring Quarter 2015 students of the quarter. At GU-Wausau, GPA isn’t considered in any way in the selection of the Student of the Quarter. Instead, this award is meant to recognize hard work, attendance, attitude, professionalism, and exemplification of Globe’s We Care philosophy. Marjorie exemplifies all of these qualities on a regular basis. Marjorie said, "Yay, I passed pharm, and now I have bearded dragons!" "I’ve gotten to know Marjorie well," said Nora Craven, campus librarian. "She worked with me in the library, and I could always count on her to be there and ready to work. She would tackle any project with a smile, no matter what the project was! Marjorie faces her challenges with a sense of humor, and she demonstrates a positive attitude on campus." "When Marjorie first started working in the library, she was hesitant about working with the reptile pets," Nora continued. "But she dealt with her concerns and became a great caretaker for them, and even a fan. She made it a goal to get bearded dragons for herself when she passed pharmacology." Marjorie takes her studies at Globe University-Wausau seriously. She is committed to fulfilling her life-long dream of starting a non-profit to rescue abused horses and pair them with abused children to allow both to heal. Marjorie Hanna with Bankrupt "This dream started for me when I was twelve," said Marjorie. "I showed a Clydesdale named Bankrupt at the Fond du Lac county fair. This opportunity helped me find direction and kept me out of trouble. Because of my experience, I plan to name my non-profit Bankrupt’s Safe Haven." Marjorie is halfway through the veterinary technology program, and is excited about the future. "Globe has made my dream a soon-to-be reality," she said. "Down every hallway is an amazing librarian, teacher or staff member willing to help in any way possible. Even if they are not teaching your courses, they will reach out to you. When I was ready to give up once, a medical assistant teacher gave me a pep talk. Thanks to the amazing staff at Globe, I have stayed focused on my goal and now am halfway to it." For the entire summer quarter, Marjorie will enjoy a designated parking spot, complete with her name and photo on the sign. "I am flattered that I was picked as student of the quarter," Marjorie said, "But all the credit needs to be given to the hard working teachers and staff at Globe for always being there to help no matter what. You are all so wonderful and make the learning setting perfect for students like me to succeed in classes. Thank you all." The post Celebrating Another Student of the Quarter! appeared first on Globe University Blog.

Click here to enlarge | Source: e-Learning Infographics The Instructional Designers’ Roles Infographic shows that the instructional designer is part engineer, part architect, part artist, and part craftsman. It definitely entails a lot of flexibility or the ability to balance roles. What other roles would you suggest be added to this diagram? Feel free to leave a comment with your ideas! Here are a few other resources related to instructional design that you might find helpful. 7 Steps To Become an Instructional Designer How To Get A Job As An Instructional Designer What Does An Instructional Designer Do? Infographic What an Instructional Designer Does? 3 Myths Revealed Is it necessary for an Instructional Designer to be a Subject Matter Expert? The Role of an Instructional Designer as Project Manager

As I’ve previously shared, I was excited to learn that my online course, ETT 510: Instructional Media and Technology, has received the distinction as a Blackboard Catalyst Exemplary Course for 2013. Here’s a brief course tour I’ve prepared to be included with other Blackboard Exemplary Course Award-winning courses that showcases a few of the highlights of this course. For those interested, below I’ve included more details about this course and the elements that the reviewers of my course agreed were exemplary. About the Course Design This course, ETT 510: Instructional Media & Technology, happens to be a required first-semester course for in-service teachers pursuing a Master’s Degree in Instructional Technology with a K-12 tech specialist endorsement. While I had taught this subject matter previously, this happened to be the first opportunity for me to teach this course at NIU and I would be the first instructor to teach this course in the online, accelerated format in Blackboard at NIU. While students in this course attended a face-to-face orientation at the beginning of this course, the remainder of the course was fully-online. As such, the course was designed as a fully-online course with interaction and collaboration, assessment, and learner support elements designed for a fully-online learning experience for students. Course objectives were written in measurable outcomes, easily located throughout the course, and made available in a variety of areas in the course (within the syllabus and each individual learning unit). Notable areas of the course demonstrating exemplary course design elements included: Welcome - Start Here The course entry point was a content area with an item that provides students with easy access to course description, objectives, orientation, getting started tips, online synchronous meeting dates/times, as well as contact information for course instructor and online support specialist who would serve as primary student support contact throughout the cohort program. Your Classmates In an effort to promote the building of an online learning community, photos of each student were taken at initial face-to-face orientation and made available as a cohort photo directory students can view within the "Your Classmates" area of the course or download as 1-page PDF, also available within "Your Classmates". These instructor-posted student photos turned out to be extremely helpful in developing social presence, especially given the fact that NIU has not yet enabled the cloud profiles feature in Blackboard. Units The course was organized into Units, with objectives for each unit included in the description of each unit folder as well as within the folder. Each unit contained an introduction and welcome to the unit from the instructor, overview, objectives, readings and resources, activities and assignments, and tips for success. In short, everything students needed for the unit could be accessed from within the unit folder. Units were made available to students in sequence on the day the unit began. Units were listed in reverse chronological order so that the current unit is available at the top of the page (this reduced the need for excessive scrolling). This same reverse-chronological ordering of items was carried through the Discussions area as well for consistency sake. Readings The readings and other instructional content items were organized by unit and available for the entire course in the "Readings" area of the course. All readings and instructional videos were made available to students at the beginning of the course for students who wished to work ahead on their readings. A CourseSmart e-textbook was used along with numerous visual and auditory elements. Calendar A link to the Calendar tool was included in the course menu, as it contains due dates and links to all course activities and assignments. Due dates were assigned to all assignments in Blackboard so they were automatically listed in the Calendar. Interaction and Collaboration Both interaction and collaboration were important components purposely designed and developed throughout this course. Utilizing a constructivist approach, plentiful opportunities for synchronous and asynchronous interaction were designed that promote critical reflection and other higher order thinking skills. Synchronous online class meetings conducted via Adobe Connect included activities that benefited from real-time interactions and facilitated "rapid response" communication. Communication activities throughout the course were designed to help build a sense of community among learners. Student-to-student interactions were required as part of the course, with quality expectations and rubric explaining evaluation criteria provided and students are encouraged to initiate communication with the instructor. The instructor actively participated in communication, including providing timely and detailed feedback to students. Notable areas of the course demonstrating exemplary interaction and collaboration elements include: Announcements I used communication tools, including Announcements, to provide course updates, reminders, special announcements, etc. I recorded a weekly introduction to the unit and embedded in an Announcement posted at the beginning of the unit as well as included within the unit folder. In addition to using Blackboard’s Announcement, Email, and Discussion tools for interacting with students, I also used a Remind101 texting list that all students joined for sending reminders and news items. Click image above to enlarge Discussions Participation in asynchronous discussion was required during units 1-8. During each graded unit discussion forum, students chose from among several discussion questions to post an initial response to. Forums were "post-first" so that students were not able to see the posts of their classmates until after them posted their initial response, promoting original thinking. Students were then required to respond to a minimum of two other classmates during the forum who didn’t already have two other responses. My Journal At the conclusion of each unit, students reflected on their learning journey during the unit and posted a reflection to their online journal in Blackboard. This journal was where students documented in their reflections any "aha" moments they had as well as poignant comments from the discussion, readings and resources, or any other takeaways. The journal was especially helpful to students when they wrote their Self-Assessment Paper near the end of the course. Students had the option to journal using either text or video. Groups Collaboration was a key to this course, with groups of 3-4 students each formed during unit 1. Students then worked with their group throughout the remainder of the course to research and give a presentation introducing an assigned instructional design model as well as to prepare a three-phased instructional design document. Groups had access to all group collaboration tools in Blackboard as well as an Adobe Connect room for their group. Assessment A wide variety of assessments were incorporated into this course, including discussions, blogs, journals, group research project and presentation, and group instructional design document assignments, providing students with a diverse assortment of online assessment experiences to demonstrate their competence in meted stated outcomes. Assessments included were designed to mimic authentic instructional design environments, requiring higher order thinking including synthesis of concepts, analysis, and problem solving. Many self-assessment opportunities were provided through weekly self-assessment journals and Self-Assessment Reflection Paper where students reflected on their own learning progress and received constructive, meaningful feedback from the instructor. Within the "Assignments" content area, all assignment instructions were provided for students to view at any time during the course. In addition to interactive rubrics used for grading all discussions, journals, blogs, and assignments, rubrics were included in the description of each assignment. Assignments were deployed within the "Activities and Assignments" folder within the corresponding unit folder in which it is due, resulting not only in all required information for a given activity easily accessibly to students at the point and time needed, but assignments only available for students to complete when the corresponding unit folder is available to students in Blackboard. Adaptive release rules were used to control the availability of all Blackboard tools used (discussions, blogs, assignments, etc.) reducing cognitive overload as students could not submit assignments until the week in which the assignment was due. Students did however have access to the rubrics and all instructions and expectations from the beginning of the course within the "Assignments" menu item. Learner Support Students in this course, as members of a cohort program, were fortunate to have an Online Support Specialist assigned to them who was their primary personal support conduct for the duration of their program. Despite the fact that this highly available support staff member was available, a variety of other learner support elements were incorporated into the course design, including: Your Instructor The "Your Instructor" menu item included contact information for the instructor, in multiple forms of communication, including phone, text, email, and Twitter. Also included were details including expected response time for email replies, instructor’s role explained, etc. Click image above to enlarge Learner Support The "Learner Support" area of the course included clearly labeled tutorial materials explaining how to navigate the LMS and the specific course. Video tutorials by the instructor were captioned and fully accessible. Links to additional tutorial materials, such as Blackboard Help Manual for Students as well as Blackboard Tutorials for Students, and included to support multiple learning modalities: audio, visual, and text based. Links were included to mobile apps that students would use during the course. Contact information for NIU’s 24/7 Helpdesk were included. Technical accessibility issues were addressed with course materials using standard formats to ensure accessibility and videos all streamed directly from YouTube. Overview The "Overview" area of the course, while containing the syllabus and other general course overview information items, included numerous additional learner support items as well as links to institutional policies, materials, and forms of relevant learner success. Included were links to institutional services, such as the library and writing center, clearly labeled and easy to find. Overview > Feedback Student feedback was important in guiding future iterations of this course. Students had the opportunity to give feedback to the instructor regarding course design and course content both during course delivery and after course completion. Through the Mid-Course Feedback Survey (Unit 5) and End-of-Course Feedback Survey (Unit 10) students participated anonymously in course evaluation. There was also a "Glitches" discussion forum where you can report any typos, broken link, or other error in the course. Exemplary Practices The top three "stand-out practices" self-identified in this course include: Weekly Unit Introduction YouTube Videos To promote increased sense of instructor presence in this course, I recorded and posted unit introduction videos each week that introduced key concepts and activities for the upcoming unit as well as wrapped-up the previous unit discussions and activities. These videos recorded on YouTube were embedded as the first items within the Units content folders as well as within Announcements, automatically emailed to students when posted in Blackboard. Videos were also made available via an instructor-created YouTube playlist that students could access via their mobile device outside of Blackboard. These YouTube videos from me were all recorded using using YouTube’s built-in webcam recording capabilities as well as captioned with YouTube’s built-in captioning feature. A tutorial demonstrating how the instructor recorded and captioned videos is available here. In addition to the YouTube videos all being captioned with caption viewable by clicking the "CC" button in the embedded player, a downloadable PDF version of the transcript was attached to the videos posted in the Unit folders. Video Participation Option for Discussions and Reflection Journal Activities In the graded asynchronous discussions for Units 6-8 as well as weekly self-assessment reflection journals, students were given the option of participating using the Video Everywhere feature in Blackboard instead of the traditional text format. For an example, see the Unit 6 Discussion Forum. The instructor recorded and posted a screencast tutorial demonstrating how to post a video discussion response in Blackboard and denoted forums with video response options by including a video icon and instructions within the description of the selected forums. Several students did opt for participating in video and shared very positive feedback concerning the experience. Media Exploration Activities Posted to Assignment Blog To introduce students to emerging instructional media tools as well as provide them an opportunity to produce simple materials following principles of good visual design and production, Media Exploration Activities were assigned throughout the course where students explored a variety of web-based media tools which have direct instructional media application, creating a sample of each of the following instructional media: survey, edited image, multimedia poster, word cloud, flow chart, digital pinboard, and screencast. For each media tool explored, students created a sample instructional media item, following principles of good visual design and production, using the tool as well as shared a summary of their experience exploring the tool (such as what features they tried, what they liked best about the tool, what surprised them, etc.). For each activity, an assignment blog was setup where students posted their sample media item created and summary of their experience. Like the rest of the assignments in the course, Media Exploration blog posts were graded using a rubric and feedback provided to students. For examples of other award-winning online courses, see the 2013 course tour videos. I’m in the process of preparing a poster presentation for BbWorld 2014 and will share that here as well later in July.

It’s been a busy month here at the home of Lectora® and CourseMill®. We’re close to kicking off our annual user conference, we made a few exciting announcements and there’s more to come. In case you’ve been just as busy, we gathered up some great blogs that you might have missed this month. Happy reading! 1. Announcing Lectora 12.1 with eLearning Brothers Awesomeness Learn more about the latest e-Learning game changer in this article announcing the new integration between Lectora® Inspire and the eLearning Brothers Template Library, Cutout People and Interaction Builder. 2. Trivantis Talks Learning Solutions 2015 - A Recap If you weren’t lucky enough to attend Learning Solutions 2015 this year, our very own Laura Silver can tell you what you missed. She sums it all up in this great post. 3. eLearning Tip: The Difference Between Copyright Free and Royalty Free Brother Danny from the eLearning Brothers delivers some helpful knowledge in this article. Make sure you know the legal rights of the images you’re using! 4. Timesaving Design Tricks for e-Learning Developers Learn the secrets of the ultra-speedy e-Learning developers that you’ve always envied. You can save time just like them. So go ahead and hit snooze—you have five extra minutes! 5. How To Get Involved In the e-Learning Community The e-Learning Community is a great place to learn from e-Learning experts and users. Get involved in the e-Learning community today with these 5 tips. 6. Five Keys: Designing and Delivering Effective Global Training Programs Learning Solutions Magazine never disappoints. Check out this helpful article on designing your global training for success. 7. Write a strong goal: Sell it to Scrooge Learning expert Cathy Moore talks about the importance of understanding the true goal of your training program. 8. 7 Game and Gamification Guidelines for Your Organization Get your game on! Karl Kapp shares some guidelines developed from multiple implementations of games and gamification within organizations. 9. text&form at the 2015 Lectora User Conference Everyone is getting excited for Nashville and the LUC 2015! Learn more about what text&form is presenting on in this article. 10. Spring 2015 CLO Symposium Day 3: Viva Learning in Miami Find out what you missed if you didn’t make it to the Chief Learning Officer Spring Symposium event. For more monthly summaries of e-Learning articles, free resources and exciting product news, subscribe to the Lectora e-Learning Blog. The post The Best of e-Learning in April 2015 appeared first on .

It’s going to be a wild week here in Nashville as the 2015 Lectora® User Conference kicks off. First, we’ll be getting our palms read at the "Find the Future" Welcome Reception in the Renaissance Hotel Bridge Bar and Belmont Room, overlooking downtown Nashville. And then we’ll be discovering the future of e-Learning from some of the best e-Learning experts in the industry! Here’s a brief highlight of what we’ll be seeing and doing here in Music City: Amazing keynote speakers: Donald H Taylor, Chairman of the Learning and Performance Institute; Shelly Sanchez Terrell, author and champion of e-Learning; and Ross Dawson, leading futurist and entrepreneur Dozens of e-Learning breakout sessions with award-winning e-Learning practitioners and valuable one-on-one opportunities with Lectora e-Learning software developers Two exclusive networking events at downtown Nashville locations Fun contests like QR Bingo and a #FindTheFuture hashtag contest on Twitter Hundreds of e-Learning professionals from all over the US and around the world will gather with colleagues and new friends for an unforgettable agenda Special events for CourseMill® users Get more information about what’s happening in Nashville this week, like keynote speakers, breakout sessions, networking events and more at 2015 Lectora User Conference. Follow us on Twitter with #FindTheFuture to stay up-to-date with the Lectora news, plus download the free "2015 LUC" mobile app from the App Store or Google Play for more conference details. The post The 2015 Lectora User Conference Begins Tonight! appeared first on .

On the last day of the school year, my daughter’s junior kindergarten class was featured on the Rockford evening news as her teacher received the Rockford Teacher of the Week award.   My daughter Madigan is the one pointing to the letters of the alphabet at the 0:42 and 1:14 marks in the video.  The full story is here on the WREX website.

Sometimes all you need is a little nudge in the right direction to get your inspiration flowing. That’s where the eLearning Brothers Lectora® Page Layouts come into play! These templates are a great way to help you organize your content and give it a professional look. And now they’re accessible within Lectora® Inspire 12.1! You don’t even have to leave your favorite authoring tool to use pre-built templates and graphics from the amazing eLearning Brothers. Not sure how to use page layouts? Check out this quick how-to post from the eLearning Brothers: Did Leonardo Find Inspiration with Lectora Layouts? Remember, if you’re current on maintenance with Lectora Inspire, you can download the 12.1 update for free. If you’re not current on maintenance, or you’re a Lectora® Publisher user, just email us or talk to your account rep about how you can get access to all this eLearning Brothers awesomeness—from page layouts to HTML5 games and more! Subscribe to the Lectora eLearning Blog for more how-to tips, product updates and free resources. The post Page Layouts: the Foundation for eLearning Masterpieces appeared first on .

Do kids today know how to work a late 70s/early 80s home computer?  Watch this video titled "Kids React to Old Computers," to see a group of young children who are shown an old Apple II computer one at a time. Then, they react. What was the earliest computer that you used? How would your childhood have been different if the technology available today would have been available back then? Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts!

Have you ever thought about how to add additional information to your Lectora® titles, but you’re not sure how? You can easily display information to your student with Web Windows. Web Windows allow users to view external or live web resources within a title. Select from the following web sources: Local web-based content Web Address Page in Title Google Maps Location Wikipedia Entry Google Document 1. To add a web window, select the Insert ribbon and select the Web Window icon. 2. The Web Window option provides you with a variety of options which will allow you to add LIVE web resources within a title. Select the window source from the drop-down in which you want to include within your Lectora title. 3. Once you have selected a window source, you can embed the URL or location of where the content resides. As an example, let’s say you want to embed a Google Maps Location to show your student where your company offices are located.  Within the URL you would place the address: 311 Elm Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. **You’re able to preview your content within this window before placing it within your Lectora work space. 4. Once you’ve embedded a web window, Lectora will provide you with a placeholder in which you can resize and style to your liking. Use the Style ribbon to add a border, border color, margin size and scroll bars. 5. The last step would be to test the functionality of the Web Window in either Run or Preview mode: Web Windows provide you with a ton of flexibility and functionality to include within your titles.  Get creative and let us know how you use Web Windows in your Lectora titles! Subscribe to the Lectora e-Learning Blog for more Lectora how-to tutorials and tips. The post Adding Web Windows in Lectora appeared first on .

The Find the Future 2015 Lectora® User Conference last week was full of inspiring ideas and exciting news. Lectora users, CourseMill® users and the Trivantis team all met at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tennessee, for this incredible eLearning conference. LUC attendees ready to "Find the Future" in Nashville Wednesday and Thursday were packed with keynote speakers Donald H Taylor, Shelly Sanchez Terrell and Ross Dawson, tons of awesome breakout sessions from our Lectora users, an Ask the Experts panel, plus One-on-One Sessions where attendees got to meet with a developer and work through questions. The Trivantis Ask the Experts panel The Trivantis team also made a few exciting announcements at the conference, including the new Lectora® Inspire 12.1 with eLearning Brothers Template Library, Cutout People and Interaction Builder. To see why everyone’s so excited about effortless authoring with built-in eLearning Brothers awesomeness, sign up for a free trial of Lectora Inspire. John Blackmon sharing exciting news about the Lectora Inspire 12.1 with eLearning Brothers integration We even hosted the inaugural CourseMill Day this year, which was a huge success. Thanks to all the CourseMill users who attended this first-ever event—we were so glad to have you join us in Nashville! The LUC 2015 included two networking events. Our "Find the Future" Welcome Reception was at the Renaissance Hotel Bridge Bar and Belmont Room, where we had fortune tellers and some future-themed fun. The Closing Reception was at Tequila Cowboy on the famous Broadway strip—complete with a build your own taco bar. The "Find the Future" Welcome Reception Thanks to all our users who attended this year’s conference. Your Lectora enthusiasm is what made the LUC 2015 a success! For more highlights and photos, check out the LUC 2015 Social Wall. Subscribe to the Lectora eLearning Blog for more news, helpful tips and eLearning fun. The post Future Highlights: 2015 Lectora User Conference Recap appeared first on .

In this video David White (@daveowhite) of the University of Oxford explains how the Visitors and Residents model provides a framework to understand individuals’ engagement with the Web based on motivation and context. In part 1 of this series, he argues that the metaphors of ‘place’ and ‘tool’ best represent the use of technology in contemporary society and allow us to better adapt to the challenges of new forms of academic practice. In part 2, David explains how the Web is changing academic practice and challenging traditional notions of credibility and authority. Do his thoughts resonate with your experience with the Web? Leave a comment with your thoughts!

Getting exactly what you want can feel like magic. Do you want a tabbed interaction with 10 tabs? The eLearning Brothers are here to grant your wish! In this great video tutorial, Brother Bryce will teach you how to add as many tabs as you want. Watch now: How do I add another tab in a Lectora Interaction? Thanks to our recent partnership with the eLearning Brothers, you can now do all this right inside Lectora® Inspire! Find out more about the eLearning Brothers awesomeness built into Lectora Inspire on our website. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Lectora e-Learning Blog for quick tutorials, product announcements and more. The post Making Magic: Tabbed Interactions in Lectora appeared first on Trivantis e-Learning.

"Netiquette" refers to the rules of etiquette that apply to online communication. Follow these 15 rules shared by Touro College to make sure you sound respectful, polite, and knowledgeable when you post to your class’ online discussion boards. via Online Education Blog of Touro College Before posting your question to a discussion board, check if anyone has asked it already and received a reply. Just as you wouldn’t repeat a topic of discussion right after it happened in real life, don’t do that in discussion boards either. Stay on topic - Don’t post irrelevant links, comments, thoughts, or pictures. Don’t type in ALL CAPS! If you do, it will look like you’re screaming. Don’t write anything that sounds angry or sarcastic, even as a joke, because without hearing your tone of voice, your peers might not realize you’re joking. Always remember to say "Please" and "Thank you" when soliciting help from your classmates. Respect the opinions of your classmates. If you feel the need to disagree, do so respectfully and acknowledge the valid points in your classmate’s argument. Acknowledge that others are entitled to have their own perspective on the issue. If you reply to a question from a classmate, make sure your answer is accurate! If you’re not 100% sure when the paper is due, DO NOT GUESS! Otherwise, you could really mess things up for your classmates and they will not appreciate it. If you ask a question and many people respond, summarize all answers and post that summary to benefit your whole class. Be brief. If you write a long dissertation in response to a simple question, it’s unlikely that anyone will spend the time to read through it all. Don’t badmouth others or call them stupid. You may disagree with their ideas, but don’t mock the person. If you refer to something your classmate said earlier in the discussion, quote just a few key lines from their post so that others wont have to go back and figure out which post you’re referring to. Before asking a question, check the class FAQs or search the Internet to see if the answer is obvious or easy to find. Check the most recent comments before you reply to an older comment, since the issue might have already been resolved or opinions may have changed. Be forgiving. If your classmate makes a mistake, don’t badger him or her for it. Just let it go - it happens to the best of us. Run a spelling and grammar check before posting anything to the discussion board. It only takes a minute, and can make the difference between sounding like a fool and sounding knowledgeable. What additional tips would you recommend be added to this list? Leave a comment with your suggestions!

While many vendors rush to create mobile applications, Lectora® has quietly led the way with a foundation built around what would emerge as mobile. While many vendors struggle to shed their "Flash" skins and claim open-ness, Lectora quietly embraced "open" from the get-go. Lectora was designed to be flexible, and in essence, was an HTML and HTML5 code generator. The beauty of code-generators is that they have powerful foundations but shield average, non-highly technical users from the fear of coding. And yet, the power is still there for the more advanced users that want and desire it. In Lectora® Inspire 12.1, the latest iteration, Trivantis continues to improve and make the tool even easier than it has ever been. Lectora was long known as a "difficult" tool to learn; however, the team at Trivantis is sending out a clear signal that "difficult" is an adjective that describes many other bug-ridden tools, but not Lectora. Vendors are scrambling to make their tools easier with PowerPoint-like user interfaces that soften the learning curve for the new users. Starting with Version 11, Lectora has done the same by making its UI look much more like PowerPoint with ribbon menus. While I’m not the biggest fan of what Microsoft has dumped on us design-wise, I do see the value for many users in minimizing their learning curves… In 12.1, Lectora improves upon the PowerPoint experience and goes way beyond in many ways. Trivantis now includes the very well-received and liked content library from the eLearning Brothers and makes it easier than ever to insert content directly from their massive library into your Lectora title. This feature alone saves a ton of time for beleaguered instructional designers that have the responsibility of being UI designers, graphic artists, writers, interaction builders, and game designers. Did anyone ever notice how many hats IDs wear? Gone is Flypaper™ from Lectora Inspire, replaced by the eLearning Brothers content libraries and Interaction Builder. Camtasia® for Lectora and Snagit® are still there to handle screen recordings and captures, video and audio editing, and more. Lectora has always had one of the most intuitive navigation schemes of any eLearning authoring tool, and I’d say it’s the best one out there. While others may be more "visual" in nature, Lectora sports a book metaphor with chapters, sections, and pages. This approach is instantly understood by instructional designers and architects, authors, scriptwriters, and more. You can see the outline of your course or the Slide view, which shows the content as you would with PowerPoint slide thumbnails. The slide outline shows you every object on a slide and makes it very easy to make changes as needed. Moving chapters, sections, and pages around is also quite easy to re-organize a course. There are shape tools, as well as something I find extremely useful—grids and guides with snap-to alignment. It’s a small thing, but very powerful and easy to use—just like in Photoshop! Lectora also supports text style sheets like CSS. You can define text styles, and tools are provided to make global changes to text as needed. These tools save more time in development than you can imagine, trust me! There are two flavors of Lectora. One is desktop based and the other, Lectora® Online, is browser-based and hosted online. They are almost exactly the same and can provide single or multiple authors the power and flexibility needed to work alone or in a collaborative team environment. Other things are not so obvious but huge pluses for Lectora users. These include: 1. A brand new Community that is more interactive, dynamic, and helpful than ever before 2. Tight integration with CourseMill® or CourseMill® Wave and all other learning management systems that support SCORM or AICC 3. Third-party developer integration for tools like BranchTrack from www.branchtrack.com for scenario-based training 4. Responsive templates which were shown recently at the 2015 Lectora User Conference and are coming soon I’m so excited about the potential for Lectora moving forward that I’ve created a new video broadcast/podcast called "LectoraLive! Your Inside Track into Lectora." We’ll be doing interviews with Trivantis staff and leaders in the Lectora community. We’ll also be offering a large set of tips, tricks, and tutorials to make everyone’s learning of Lectora easier than it’s ever been. And no, we’re not getting paid to do this by anyone! Lectora Inspire 12.1 is a strong step forward for Lectora users both old and new. It’s the right tool at the right time in an industry that demands easy tools that don’t sacrifice power and are solidly tested for performance and lack of bugs. Download a free 30-day trial of Lectora Inspire to check out all the new features in 12.1 for yourself. Editor’s Note: Rick Zanotti is the founder of Relate, a professional training and media development firm. Rick runs a number of leading industry broadcasts, including eLearnChat. He’s an experienced IT and training pro, broadcaster, avid reader, collie lover, writer, and martial artist. Here at Trivantis, we’re big fans of Rick’s work, and we were thrilled when he generously agreed to review Lectora Inspire 12.1 and share his thoughts with our blog readers. And we didn’t even have to bribe him with candy, money, or free puppies—possibly because he already has two adorable dogs of his own! The post Lectora Inspire 12.1 Review by Rick Zanotti appeared first on Trivantis e-Learning.

As part of the 2014 Teaching with Technology Institute at Northern Illinois University, I led a breakout session for faculty where we explored creating a course wiki.  We looked at both 3rd party wiki tools as well as integrated course wikis within the learning management system (Blackboard), using a sandbox wiki on Jottit. The following are links to the resources and I shared regarding wikis during this session: What is a Wiki? Collaborative website where all participants have equal ability to make change to content Key features: Easy to use History of contributions Ability to revert to previous versions Why Wikis in Higher Education? Facilitate constructivist approaches to learning Equal "voice" for all participants Students retain access to constructed knowledge after course ends Can be public or private Easy to use; no advanced programming skills needed View and contribute from any Internet connection Uses of Wikis E-portfolios Group collaborations Soliciting input from others Presentations …any collaborative content creation activity! Wiki Activity Ideas Brainstorming of ideas Outlining text materials Drafting weekly summaries of instructional content Collecting bibliography of supplemental resources Creating interactive glossary of key terms …the list goes on, limited only by your imagination! Sample Wikis Blackboard Tips Wiki Course Wiki - EDT 6020 Spring 2010 Team Wiki Template - EDTC 6536 - wiki template developed by Jason Rhode for team project, with separate pages created for each team member and project milestones Emerging Technologies Wiki - wiki by Alec Couros containing useful information on digital literacies & emerging educational technologies HornLab - NIU Chemistry Professor Jim Horn’s wiki Free Wiki Tools Wiki Tools - directory of 30+ free wiki tools compiled by Jane Hart, Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies DokuWiki - open source wiki software which can be installed on your own web server Jottit - wiki tool that makes getting a website as easy as filling out a textbox MediaWiki - open source wiki software that powers Wikipedia WikiMatrix - compare multiple available wiki tools Wikispaces Selecting the Right Wiki Tool Does you institution already offer and/or support a wiki tool? Is free hosting available? Is a "WYSIWYG" (What You See Is What You Get) editor built into the wiki? Is special "wiki markup" needed for advanced editing? How long with the wiki be available to students? Can pages be made either public or private? Can other files be uploaded & stored with wiki pages? Can other media elements be embedded in wiki pages? (e.g. videos, spreadsheets, calendars, etc.) How well does the wiki tool integrate with other online services? How stable is the wiki hosting provider? Wiki Resources Wikis in Plain English 7 Things You Should Know About Wikis Tips on Developing a Wiki Community 6 Steps to a Better Wiki Experience STOLEN principle for using wikis educationally How Wikis Streamline Student Collaboration Projects Blackboard Wikis Quick Guide (NIU) Tips for Teaching with Wikis Decide whether to use single wiki for class or multiple wikis (e.g. each group) Provide suggested organizational structure or create empty pages (recommended) Customize navigation for easy access (ie: links to pages) Create sub-pages within hierarchical structure Tips for Designing Wiki Activities Specify clear purpose for use of wiki Provide expectations and structure for contributions Allow time for students to become familiar with the wiki tool (e.g. make contributions to individual page) Include instructions for use and/or links where students can find more information (e.g. screencast instructions) Wiki Issues and Limitations Authorization of users (ie: users must have a login to the wiki tool) Monitoring for inappropriate user Risks to allowing manipulation of site data Structuring initial content and pages can be a challenge How one accesses information, navigates, creates links, etc. must be addressed early Represents collective perspective Blackboard Wikis vs. 3rd Party Wikis   Blackboard Wikis 3rd Party Wikis Access Only registered students and instructor can access in Bb course Can be made available for anyone to access publicly without a Bb login Availability Available to students and instructor for duration of course Available to students, instructor, and potentially others after course ends History History of changes tracked and can easily be compared, reverted back to History of changes tracked and can easily be compared, reverted back to Integration Can be easily graded using interactive Bb rubric and feedback securely provided to students in Grade Center No integration for grading in Bb Security Student-created content is secure and only available for other students in the course to view Depends on the wiki tool selected Support Support offered by Blackboard support personnel Depends on the wiki tool selected

Who’s winning the eLearning development race? Are you in the lead—or are your deadlines beating you? As any time-crunched eLearning developer knows, deadlines can be a formidable opponent. Meet your new running coach: Lectora® Course Starters. What’s a Course Starter? Oh, just a beautiful designed, cohesive course template that the eLearning Brothers kindly made, so you don’t have to. Need a safety-themed course? A corporate background and style? It’s all in your Course Starter. And if you have Lectora® Inspire 12.1, you can access ALL the eLearning Brothers Lectora Course Starters right inside Lectora. Here’s how to use Course Starters in Lectora: Ready, Set, Course Starters! Get a Head Start in Your eLearning Race. Don’t have Lectora Inspire 12.1? Try a 30-day free trial. Subscribe to the Everything eLearning Blog for more how-tos, news and resources. The post Want a Head Start? Course Starters Are the Way to Go! appeared first on Trivantis e-Learning.

Want to create engaging, interactive learning? The beauty of Lectora® is that it’s incredibly easy to do so! And the release of Lectora® Inspire 12.1 and our partnership with the eLearning Brothers has made it even easier than ever. You can now access the eLearning Brothers Interaction Builder directly inside the Lectora Inspire interface. Check out this video to see how easy it is to add an interactive game in your eLearning course! Brother Bryce’s Best Lectora Interaction Builder Basics Subscribe to the Everything eLearning Blog for more eLearning examples, how-tos and free resources. The post The Basics of Building Interactions appeared first on Trivantis e-Learning.