The Learning Circuits Blog Big Question for July is 'how should e-learning developers choose their authoring tools given the proliferation of tools on the market?' Well, I posted on this subject just last week (see Confused of Brighton) and even listed my own top ten tools, authoring or otherwise, in a subsequent post. Nevertheless, I believe I should address the Big Question in a more measured way than in last week's rant, so here goes ...

The answer to the question, of course, is that it depends on what you are trying to create. If it's an e-learning tutorial that you're after, including the usual mix of multimedia and interactions, then you have to make an important choice, between tools that you install on your desktop and online tools:

• Desktop tools (Flash, Authorware, Lectora, etc.) will invariably have more sophisticated features and are quicker to use (because they don't have to keep sending messages back and forwards to a server). On the other hand you have to purchase a copy for every computer that the package is installed on, manage all your own assets, and upload the finished product when it's done. Experience shows that, for large projects involving teams of specialists (project managers, instructional designers, graphics people, subject experts, testers, etc.), there is plenty that can go wrong when the content is scattered on different computers.
• Online tools tend to be less sophisticated but really do facilitate collaborative development. I worked for several years with a UK tool called Accelerator and experienced first hand how easy it was to work with others to share assets and learning objects and to work together on creating and maintaining materials. Good online tools include Atlantic Link and Mohive - mind you, they're not cheap. For an open source alternative, try EXE.

Of course, if it isn't an e-learning tutorial you're after, then:

• for simple HTML content I'd use whatever tool comes with the LMS or content management system;
• for 2D games I'd use a specialist tool that generates Flash output;
• for rigorous assessments I'd use a tool like QuestionMark;
• for content that learners can contribute towards I'd use a wiki;
• for a 3D learning world I'd use Caspian's Thinking Worlds;
• for a software tutorial I'd use something like Captivate, Qarbon, Camtasia;
• for a PowerPoint conversion I'd use Articulate or Adobe Presenter.

It's OK to have lots of tools, if you can afford them. Just use the tool that does the best job for the task in hand.