Why I Love the Articulate eLearning Heroes Challenges (2014 Recap)

When I first discovered the Articulate Community it was July/August of 2014.  I had only been exposed to Lectora for most of my career but I wondered what else was out there. I heard the buzz of Articulate Storyline and Adobe Captivate and it peaked my interest. I downloaded brief trials in previous years but just for curiosity sake and not testing. But I wanted something more! To learn the software, make examples, find a new place to communicate with other professionals and keep me glued to my email and Twitter for the um teenth reason. I kept telling myself "you've been wanting to up your professional development game", "you've been wanting to take a deeper dive into other software" and "these would make great portfolio pieces" but something held me back. One day after reading someone's encouraging comment that boiled down to "You just need to do it" I finally threw my hands in the air and wrote a blog post for an entry. From that moment on the Community and Challenges became my eLearning crack (sorry for the analogy but I can't think of anything better to explain it!).

I think what I love most about the Community is that the knowledge shared always seems to be right when I need it. I seriously thought the members were tapping into my computer for awhile and using my upcoming article ideas spreadsheet for their own use. Some of the other articles seemed to come from left field but still made so much sense. It has opened up my eyes to what I can do and it's helping to build my confidence as a developer. I figured it would be a good idea to share what I have gained from this experience and hopefully inspire someone who hasn't joined the Community or published their first challenge to JUST DO IT! You'll feel welcomed, accomplished and satisfied, I promise.

First: 

Challenge: #45 - Audio Recording Tips

Entry: Article

Easiest:

Challenge: #48 - Storyboard Template

Entry: PowerPoint Download

Reason: I already had this lying around so I spruced it up and reviewed it before sending it off to the masses.

Most Challenging:

Challenge: #8 - Create Your Template with Clip Art

Entry: PowerPoint Download

Reason: My brain went way to complicated on the idea. Then the image collection was hard because I tried to find a full set so I wouldn't lose the general look and feel of the food or cooking items.  Not to mention editing them when I finally found the right style. I really wish I would of just been able to use a Vector pack but hey it took me out of my comfort zone and I learned a new investigative skill lol

Favorite:

Challenge: #58: Digital Magazines and Interactive E-Learning

Entry: Storyline Demo

Reason: I love taking eLearning and making it "editorial". So many times you still see the zaney PowerPoint graphics or horribly posed stock images.  Doing this challenge really made me think like a designer, pay attention to how I presented things, and maintain the feel of a magazine. This entry was the one I spent the most time on but is also one I'm really proud of.

Honorable Mention:

Challenge: #64: Here's How E-Learning Designers Are Using Interactive Charts and Graphs 

Entry: Storyline 2 Demo

Reason: I took what I made in the challenge and turned it into a full course I loved it so much! What can I say....I heart Twitter!

Did you participate? What was your favorite? Comment below or find me on Twitter (@jvalley0714)