Templates – growing at quick clip. This will become one of the biggest features in 2012 – especially with people wanting to create simulations without being an e-learning developer. PowerPoint – Ability to integrate or use PPT in your courses. Some vendors push heavily on PPT, implying that a great WBT is really a PPT converted to Flash. More vendors seem interested in PPT, then having this as a spec in their product. MORE

In turn it is this jargon that can create confusion and misunderstanding not only for newbies into the space but also for hardened veterans. If someone says to me, you can create game courses, then it has some type of actual game elements. The same applies to those who have created e-learning games. . On the other hand, they may use templates, I mean playing “glossary” or “jeopardy” is so awesome – I could play for at least 30 seconds. . MORE

Templates with some learning objects? The Macromedia set typically would toss in Director, which created an equally impressive array of course capabilities, but a deep learning curve. People who are not WBT instructional designers or content developers or have a deep background in either field and are now handed off the task of creating content/courses. WYSIWYG templates (either one flavor or multiple flavors) and minimal capabilities inc. MORE

Themes and customized templates- Many have it including the ability to do a custom skin of your own colors and branding. While I am thrilled to see more templates, what I am not thrilled about is the number of templates. Some are really lame and I would be unimpressed if I was a learner taking a course with that template. If you are wondering if the “publish once to all” means the vendor is using PENS, the answer is no, they are not using PENS. . MORE

Feature sets – they have to be more than PPT to Flash or add an audio clip and video clip to the course. I loved that the background templates can match with a specific scenario, such as the healthcare one I saw with their avatars. Yes, it offers the social learning authoring features – robust actually, which most vendors in this space does not, but it has added task management and PENS. #7 MORE

In the authoring tool world: PowerPoint focused authoring tool, Basically you know PPT, love it and want the ability to build within it and then convert your PPT to a Course. You have objects, elements, layers (in many cases) along with an option to go tree or not, with some allowing the “slide” like view too; you can also create a course with PPT slides only, but that is not the ideal target. MORE

So far in 2014, the authoring tool space hasn’t really come out with anyone earth shattering, that would make you stand up and scream “Brussels Sprouts are the new “spinach” Avatars and background templates continue to “in” - A few vendors are now adding “real life” scenario backgrounds- but “real life” is open to interpretation. Some vendors use chapter-page approach with PPT, but there are plenty who do not (why?). MORE

The Secret to Creating Your Own PowerPoint Templates for E-Learning. Most PowerPoint templates are designed for standard bullet point presentations. This means that you’ll have to create your own templates that work better with the rapid elearning software. This post will share with you my secrets for creating custom templates in PowerPoint. And since we’re in this gift giving season, you can have the templates I designed for this demo. MORE

An authoring tool solution is supposed to be all about the ability for folks to create, build courses that can be linear (A to B to C) aka click-click or non-linear (why WBT was empowered in the first place, where the learner can bounce around A to C to G, focusing on what they need to learn, and returning as often as they want). . PowerPoint still reigns – If you are a course purist, the idea that PPT should be seen as an authoring tool should make you grumble with disgust. . MORE

You can sort a cup of miscellaneous pens in 10 different ways, and certain pens will group together based on certain characteristics. Each pen, while it may have commonalities with others, is still unique. Hopefully some of those detail oriented 17 bullets per PPT slide will get that some of us dont CARE about or need all that detail that they crave. Creating Social Presence in Online Classroom (ID. Template by Tina Chen. MORE

A sample.mp4 video that has been completed and ready to post to an online service (Camtasia PPT Green Screen Experiment). So as you said we’re using Camtasia today, but for this particular project the video that we’re going to create is how to upload a video to YouTube. Now in order to prepare for this, I had some other content that I created. So I had a script that I created for this project. He said create your templates. MORE