Scenarios < 100

Taking hints from the eLearning Uncovered eLearning Tips in 140 character or less Twitter campaign and HubSpot’s (In Under 100 Words) blog series here is my definition of a scenario (in relation to eLearning) under 100 words.

A scenario is a realistic situation in which a learner can relate to a character in a familiar setting that is presented with a problem and is required to find a solution. The learner is presented with information (the set up) and then is asked to make a decision (the crossroad) on how to handle the situation. Feedback is given (the result) which tells the learner if they are performing the actions correctly or explains what tactics and information should be used correctly work through the problem.

Keep your eye out for a post on a call center scenario for the eLearning Hero's challenge of the week.

Free (or cheaper) eLearning Tools

While working on a recent project I found myself going on a frantic search for just the right picture.  Having the right resources at your disposal can definitely make or break the amount of time you spend on a eLearning project.  So, I decided to update my toolbox and possible solutions with some resources that are free or lower cost than the mainstream product.  The items marked with asterisk are ones I've personally used for one project or another.  

Do you have an "I can't live without" website or service? Please feel free to add any resources I missed by commenting below or tweeting me (@jvalley0714).

Audio

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ *

http://download.cnet.com/SoundCapture/3000-2168_4-10079089.html

http://krut.sourceforge.net/

http://camstudio.org/

http://vocaroo.com/

http://www.chirbit.com/

Course Authoring

https://www.easygenerator.com/

https://www.microsoft.com/learning/en-us/lcds-tool.aspx#tab1

http://www.smartbuilder.com/product/smartbuilder

http://www.authorgen.com/authorpoint/index.htm

http://www.jetdraft.com/eng/index/

http://www.izzui.com/

http://www.udutu.com/solutions_udutu.html

http://www.quicklessons.com/

http://www.adobe.com/products/presenter.html

http://www.ipresent.com/Pricing

http://www.quicklessons.com/

http://www.zebrazapps.info/#!pricing/c8ja

http://zembl.com/

http://goanimate.com/

http://softchalk.com/

http://memorize.com/

Video

http://www.techsmith.com/jing.html *

http://www.screenpresso.com/

https://placeit.net/

https://www.screenr.com/

http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/

http://www.techsmith.com/camtasia.html *

Sounds/Music

https://www.youtube.com/user/RoyalTrax

http://audionautix.com/

http://www.cctrax.com/

Image Manipulation

www.gimp.com *

http://tinygrab.com/

http://www.pixlr.com/editor/ *

Color

https://kuler.adobe.com/create/color-wheel/ *

http://www.pictaculous.com/

http://design-seeds.com/

http://paletton.com

http://www.colorhexa.com/ *

http://colorpicker.com/

http://www.javascripter.net/faq/rgbtohex.htm

Image/Icon

http://www.freeimages.com/ *

https://elearningart.net/

http://designinstruct.com/category/free-resources/

http://publicdomainarchive.com/

http://littlevisuals.co/

http://deathtothestockphoto.com/ *

http://nos.twnsnd.co/

http://www.gratisography.com/

http://pixabay.com/ *

http://roundicons.com/

https://picons.me/

http://www.mightydeals.com/free_stuff

http://morguefile.com/

http://picjumbo.com/ *

http://unsplash.com/ *

http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Graphics.shtml

http://www.freeimages.co.uk/galleries.htm

http://www.freepixels.com/

http://www.public-domain-photos.com/

http://search.creativecommons.org/

http://subtlepatterns.com/

http://thenounproject.com/ *

http://www.toasto.com/

http://stockphotos.io/

http://www.stockvault.net/

http://www.public-domain-photos.com/

http://www.stockpholio.com/

http://pixelperfectdigital.com/

http://www.photogen.com/

http://openphoto.net/

http://www.kavewall.com/stock/index.html

http://imagebase.net/

http://www.freefoto.com/index.jsp

http://www.freepik.com/

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

http://www.cgtextures.com/

Inspiration

www.pinterest.com *

www.dribbble.com

www.behance.com

www.canva.com *

http://www.siteinspire.com/

http://land-book.com/

http://community.articulate.com/blogs/david/default.aspx *

LMS

http://www.talentlms.com/index/  

http://www.edubrite.com/oltpublish/theme-eb-www/cms.do?view=pricing

http://www.sharepointlms.com/

http://www.efrontlearning.net/

http://www.growthengineering.co.uk/demo/

https://www.easygenerator.com/

Font

http://www.dafont.com/ *

http://www.google.com/fonts/

http://losttype.com/browse/

http://www.urbanfonts.com/free-fonts.htm

http://www.fontsquirrel.com/ *

http://copypastecharacter.com/all-characters

http://www.1001fonts.com/brandname-fonts.html

http://www.whatfontis.com/

Proofreading

http://www.polishmywriting.com/

http://paperrater.com/

Storyboard

https://www.storyboardthat.com/storyboard-creator

Other

http://www.onlinecharttool.com/  - Not near Excel….have no fear

http://dictionary.reference.com/ * - Because who doesn’t need help spelling

http://thesaurus.com/ * - To help you pick the right word

http://lite.launchlist.net/ - Check your website before it goes live

http://www.speedtest.net/ - Speed test for your computer

http://evernote.com/skitch/ - Free annotation creator

https://evernote.com/ - Keep everything you need together all in one place

Articulate eLearning Hero's Challenge #45

On Friday the Articulate's eLearning Hero Challenges administered task #45 and asked to share your audio recording setup and provide tips.  Here is my response.  Let me know in the comments if you participate in these challenges and leave a link to your submissions and I will check them out.

Tell us about your recording setup.

• I use a Logitech headset that was provided to me by my company. 
• I create my scripts in Word or email them to myself. 
• I record directly into Camtasia and then edit in Camtasia as well. 
• I am unable to use my cubicle because I'm in an open area so I usually use a conference room to record in. My company is talking about dedicating a media room for audio and video production but it's not an immediate change.

Show us your audio setup.

Share your three favorite audio recording tips.

1. Use concise and relate-able wording with emotion and emphasis (bold/italic) when needed
2. Read through your script until there is a level of comfort and to check for any potential slip up areas
3. Smile and/or record to someone (I usually have a screen shot of my kids up)

See a full list of tips in my post called How to Make Audio More Than Just Noise

and

Check out my thread in the LinkedIn group Instructional Designers