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Storyline Accessibility and Mayer's Principles - Scissortail Creative Services, LLC
Storyline Accessibility and Mayer's Principles - Scissortail Creative Services, LLC
Kayleen Holt shares tips for creating accessible courses in Storyline beyond just adding closed captions. This includes tips for adjusting the focus order when you have animated content, providing a "skip animation" button for screen reader users, and allowing users a choice to autoplay media or not.
·scissortailcs.com·
Storyline Accessibility and Mayer's Principles - Scissortail Creative Services, LLC
TIP: The Eightfold Path of Troubleshooting - Articulate Storyline Discussions - E-Learning Heroes
TIP: The Eightfold Path of Troubleshooting - Articulate Storyline Discussions - E-Learning Heroes
Judy Nollet's tips for troubleshooting Storyline courses. Judy gives great advice in the Storyline forums, and she's seen a lot of the same kinds of errors come up over and over. Following best practices like naming your objects and variables will make your life easier when trying to track down issues.
·community.articulate.com·
TIP: The Eightfold Path of Troubleshooting - Articulate Storyline Discussions - E-Learning Heroes
Cognitive Load, Student Attention and PowerPoint Presentations
Cognitive Load, Student Attention and PowerPoint Presentations
Results of an eyetracking study of PowerPoint slides with tips on how to design slides so the information attracts attention and is easy to scan.
<h2><strong>Our top 5 tips for PowerPoint presentations summarised</strong></h2> <ol> <li><strong><em> </em></strong><strong><em>Less is more</em></strong></li> </ol> <p>To optimise student engagement and comprehension, use minimal text per slide and present examples before explanations.<strong><em><br><br></em></strong></p> <ol start="2"> <li><strong> </strong><strong><em>Keep text with diagrams to a minimum</em></strong></li> </ol> <p>Minimising text on slides containing diagrams <a href="https://www.innerdrive.co.uk/blog/the-split-attention-effect/">focuses students' attention on the visuals</a>, facilitating better engagement and understanding of complex information.<br><br></p> <ol start="3"> <li><strong> </strong><strong><em>Focus on how you present information</em></strong></li> </ol> <p>Focus on delivery by breaking down content into key words, bullet points or simplified blocks to ensure student engagement and comprehension when presenting extensive information.<strong><em><br><br></em></strong></p> <ol start="4"> <li><strong> </strong><strong><em>Draw attention to key information</em></strong></li> </ol> <p>Vocally guide your students through the content of data-heavy slides to ensure focus on essential information and accommodate varied scanning habits.<strong><em><br><br></em></strong></p> <ol start="5"> <li><strong> </strong><strong><em>Use handouts</em></strong></li> </ol> <p>Providing handouts alongside PowerPoint presentations can significantly enhance your students' learning by emphasising key points and consolidating information, offering a more engaging and effective reference tool.</p>
·blog.innerdrive.co.uk·
Cognitive Load, Student Attention and PowerPoint Presentations
Moho Animation Software - Professional 2D Animation
Moho Animation Software - Professional 2D Animation
For projects that need animation control beyond what's possible in tools like Vyond or Powtoon, you need dedicated animation software. Moho is an alternative to Adobe Character animator that can animate characters and lip sync animation to audio. The Moho Debut product for beginners is reasonably priced ($60 for a lifetime license).
·moho.lostmarble.com·
Moho Animation Software - Professional 2D Animation
The Pesky Challenge of Evaluating AI Outputs – Usable Learning
The Pesky Challenge of Evaluating AI Outputs – Usable Learning
Julie Dirksen observes that lots of people (myself included) talk about the importance of making sure that any content created by AI is reviewed by a person. The task of evaluating the outputs of AI is a challenging one though, and it's one worth paying attention to as we continue to explore the possibilities of AI.
First of all, you need <em>the expertise to judge an output</em>, and second you need <em>the discipline to exert the effort </em>required to assess an output.
<p>More thoughts to come on this, but for now, I think there are a few questions we should be asking:</p> <ul> <li>Does this person have the knowledge and expertise to judge this output?</li> <li>Is it reasonable to expect this person has the discipline to evaluate the outputs in detail?</li> <li>What is the risk if output errors are not caught?</li></ul>
·usablelearning.com·
The Pesky Challenge of Evaluating AI Outputs – Usable Learning
AI Story Generator (Free, No Signup & Unlimited)
AI Story Generator (Free, No Signup & Unlimited)
This seems like something that could be done with a combination of other tools (an LLM plus an image generator), but this is a tool that creates stories plus images to accompany them. It would be interesting to experiment with as inspiration for training scenarios. However, note that the site claims copyright of all stories created, so don't plan to use this for commercial purposes. Use it for inspiration rather than as the actual content of a story.
·datanumen.com·
AI Story Generator (Free, No Signup & Unlimited)
10 Rules You Need to Create Great Captioned Videos – Meryl.net home
10 Rules You Need to Create Great Captioned Videos – Meryl.net home
Meryl Evans shares rules for creating great closed captions. While these are described as rules for videos, this applies to other elearning too.
10 guidelines for accessible captions: Readable, accurate, synchronized, length, position, sound, credits, voice changes, speaker identification, and motion with one or two sentences describing each one.
·meryl.net·
10 Rules You Need to Create Great Captioned Videos – Meryl.net home
Twine Screen Reader: A Browser Extension for Improving the Accessibility of Twine Stories for People with Visual Impairments | Interactive Storytelling
Twine Screen Reader: A Browser Extension for Improving the Accessibility of Twine Stories for People with Visual Impairments | Interactive Storytelling
Twine exports stories to HTML, so in theory the content should be reasonably accessible to screen readers (as long as you add alt text for images etc.). In practice, some of the Twine-specific HTML elements don't always work well with screen readers. This paper discusses how the authors created a screen reader browser extension to improve the accessibility of Twine stories built with Harlowe and Sugarcube (the two most common story formats).
·dl.acm.org·
Twine Screen Reader: A Browser Extension for Improving the Accessibility of Twine Stories for People with Visual Impairments | Interactive Storytelling
960 Grid System
960 Grid System
A grid system for visual design. While this is typically used for web design, Jerson Campos shared how he uses this for designing slides in Storyline and PowerPoint. Using this grid can help you create better looking visual designs.
·960.gs·
960 Grid System
Prompt library
Prompt library
Anthropic (the makers of Claude AI) have shared a library of prompts. This is a combination of prompts for work and personal tasks. While there are no user-submitted prompts right now, they are accepting submissions and presumably testing them to include in the future.
·docs.anthropic.com·
Prompt library
My 25 favorite freelancing tips
My 25 favorite freelancing tips
From the "Double Your Freelancing" newsletter, this is a bunch of tips about how to improve your freelancing business. Some of this is the same advice I have given to others--track your time, spend time working ON your business and not just IN your business, etc. Solid tips if you're a one-person company or small agency, regardless of what industry you work in.
·app.bentonow.com·
My 25 favorite freelancing tips
Why DEI? - Learnlets
Why DEI? - Learnlets
Garvin, Edmondson, &amp; Gino wrote about learning organization <a href="https://blog.learnlets.com/2008/12/learning-organization-dimensions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dimensions</a>, and one of the four aspects of a supportive learning environment was “appreciation of differences”. I want to emphasize it’s not ‘tolerating diversity’, it’s&nbsp;<em>valuing</em> it! In exploring that space of solutions, the more diversity in the group, the more likely we are to cover a big range. (There’re caveats, of course, particularly that all have to share a commitment to finding an answer.) Homogeneity is the enemy here!
·blog.learnlets.com·
Why DEI? - Learnlets
GitHub - danieltalsky/twine-css-template: Twine2 is a great tool for beginners to make games, but there aren't customization options out of the box, and the way to use CSS is not well documented. This template is a well-commented basic reset that allows y
GitHub - danieltalsky/twine-css-template: Twine2 is a great tool for beginners to make games, but there aren't customization options out of the box, and the way to use CSS is not well documented. This template is a well-commented basic reset that allows y
A CSS template for customizing Twine games
·github.com·
GitHub - danieltalsky/twine-css-template: Twine2 is a great tool for beginners to make games, but there aren't customization options out of the box, and the way to use CSS is not well documented. This template is a well-commented basic reset that allows y
Tip 7: Be Strategic About Structure
Tip 7: Be Strategic About Structure
Hadiya Nuriddin shares examples of how the structure of a story shapes the audience's understanding of the content and the overall message. Note that Hadiya isn't talking about the "hero's journey" or some other overarching classic structure here (which I often find more problematic than helpful for scenario-based learning, especially branching scenarios). It's more about how information is revealed and how the action is organized in the story. In this article, she summarizes three versions of a story where a secret is revealed at different times to show how the structure affects the message.
How, when, and why a reader is exposed to information in a narrative matters because it determines how the plot unfolds and impacts the audience's understanding and engagement with the story.<span class="white-space-pre"> </span>
·linkedin.com·
Tip 7: Be Strategic About Structure
Chatbots for learning - Part 1
Chatbots for learning - Part 1
Natalie Laderas-Kilkenny explains how chatbots can be used to support learning, describing a recent project where she built a chatbot coach and virtual tutor.
<p id="ember38" class="ember-view reader-content-blocks__paragraph">Here are four ways chatbots optimize learning. They:<!----> <!----> </p> <!----> <!----> <!----> <!----> <p id="ember39" class="ember-view reader-content-blocks__paragraph"> <!---->1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Offer an opportunity to practice without judgement.<!----> <!----> </p> <!----> <!----> <!----> <!----> <p id="ember40" class="ember-view reader-content-blocks__paragraph"> <!---->2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Promote mastery and retention of knowledge and skills.<!----> <!----> </p> <!----> <!----> <!----> <!----> <p id="ember41" class="ember-view reader-content-blocks__paragraph"> <!---->3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Reinforce complex concepts with probing questions.<!----> <!----> </p> <!----> <!----> <!----> <!----> <p id="ember42" class="ember-view reader-content-blocks__paragraph"> <!---->4.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Provide quiet time for reflection.</p>
·linkedin.com·
Chatbots for learning - Part 1
Tip 6: Show, Don't Tell
Tip 6: Show, Don't Tell
Hadiya Nuriddin continues her series of tips on writing stories with "show, don't tell." Specifically, she talks about adding descriptions to focus on the emotional aspects, not just over-explaining what things look like. Hadiya includes several examples.
Always lead with emotions when showing instead of telling.
·linkedin.com·
Tip 6: Show, Don't Tell
Mighty | Maestro
Mighty | Maestro
Mighty is a paid Chrome extension for adding additional functionality when building Rise courses. This includes visual customization like fonts, lists, button styles as well as some new blocks like an open reflection block. This is currently in beta, and the price is high enough that I think it only makes sense for people who do a significant amount of work in Rise. Still, it's an interesting possibility if you need those specific functions. h/t Karin Rex
·maestrolearning.com·
Mighty | Maestro
Vidnoz AI Tools: Create FREE Engaging AI Videos 10X Faster
Vidnoz AI Tools: Create FREE Engaging AI Videos 10X Faster
Vidnoz AI has several tools. Their AI video generator is similar to Synthesia, although the voices and avatars seem to be not quite as good. if you want to try out AI video generation, this looks like a great option for experimenting and exploring because you can generate 3 minutes of video for free. This site also has other tools, some with a freemium model, such as face swapping and background removal.
·vidnoz.com·
Vidnoz AI Tools: Create FREE Engaging AI Videos 10X Faster