Storyboard Templates and Resources
For the last week I have been in storyboard mode for a large course I am creating. Since grad school I have been using the same format for storyboards, when I do use them. Some projects benefit from use of storyboards, some do not, but that is another post.
The storyboard I use is a very simple, but flexible format that we used in my school’s ISD program. I have made a few small changes to it. Here is the template, which is made in PowerPoint, but could easily be made in MS Word too.
And here’s what I include in my storyboards.
In the main frame:
- Textual content
- Graphics (even if rough representations)
- Screenshot or representation of animations, interactives, etc.
- Buttons and/or navigational features
- Page orientation
In the side frames:
- Navigational info (i.e. where each button or link will take the user)
- Text for pop-ups or rollovers
- Media info (e.g. info about the animation, video, audio, etc.)
In the bottom frame:
- Notes to developers, SMEs, or anyone else that may have access to the storyboard
- Notes that won’t fit in the side frames
- Any pertinent notes that don’t fall under “Navigation” of “Media”
- Color requirements, screen size, graphic sizes, etc.
Storyboard formats very widely. The above happens to be the format I like, but here are some more storyboard resources you may find helpful:
Multimedia Storyboard – Studio 1151
Storyboards for eLearning – The eLearning Coach
Free Storyboarding Template – eLearningLive.com
Creating Scripts and Storyboards for e-Learning – e-LearningGuru
Really Fast Storyboarding for e-Learning Projects – Learning & Performance Tips
Example of a storyboard in MS Word – Learning & Performance Tips
It Came From Hollywood – Storyboarding
At the moment I am busy storyboarding a course. So, here is what I would like to share today…a great video about the history of storyboarding, how it is done in the film industry, and its benefits. Please pay attention because much of it translates to what we try to accomplish in e-learning.
http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=-2412052664775629371&hl=en&fs=true
Developing With Flash Lite Video Series
Dale Rankine recently launched the first video of his video training series for Flash mobile developers. If you are interested in developing with Flash Lite, say m-learning, you will want to check this out. The videos are developed for delivery on Adobe TV, but he is also making them available on Vimeo. Here the link, http://vimeo.com/adobeflashlite.
I am looking forward to seeing more of these videos and will be adding this to my Free e-Learning page, of course.
New e-Book From e-Learning Guild
The latest e-Learning Guild e-book has just been released.
98 Tips For Selecting and Working With e-Learning Providers
FYI: All their e-books are free.
It includes 54 Tips for Selecting e-Learning Service Providers, 44 Tips for Working Successfully with e-Learning Service Providers, and an article by Evelyn Jackson, “Improve Outsourced e-Learning Quality with Consistent Standards.”
Android and Flash?
It was announced today that Verizon and T-Mobile are offering Motorola smart phones based on Google’s Android operating system. These will be available later this year. T-Mobile already offered one phone with Android, the G1, and will have the My Touch 3G during the summer.
Will these new Google Androids have Flash?
Well, according to Adobe’s 2nd quarter earnings call, they are releasing Flash for smart phones (Flash 10) this October. And it is expected to be on Androids.
If Android phones have Flash, they will have at least this edge on Blackberry and iPhone. This includes the ability to deliver m-learning created with Flash. I just can give up on using Flash/Flash Lite for delivering m-learning.
Where Organizations Go Wrong With e-Learning
A post on e-Learning Guild’s group on LinkedIn asked, “In What Ways Do Organizations Get eLearning Wrong?” This question really got me thinking. There are many organizations that get it right, but many get it wrong too. Here are my thoughts on pitfalls organizations must avoid.
- Not knowing the difference between an e-learning designer and an e-learning developer. Companies that only employ staff with development skills will end up with courses that look nice, but are not instructionally sound. Note: If the budget does not afford both a designer and developer, then find someone with both sets of skills.
- Letting subject matter experts write courses. Again, an e-learning/instructional designer is needed to create engaging, instructionally sound courses.
- Not conducting a needs assessment prior to creating a course. A needs assessment, even if done informally, is the only way to identify the audience’s learning needs, if any. Too many training departments act as order takers and end up creating courses that are not addressing the solutions needed.
- Not identifying if e-learning is an appropriate medium for specific training needs. Some things ARE best delivered in the classroom.
- Creating page turners, ugh! Courses can be non-linear. And they should also be interactive and engaging.
- Not evaluating courses.
- Thinking e-learning is only __________. e-Learning is a breadth of training approaches. It is not just asynchronous online courses. e-Learning is also synchronous courses, blended learning, informal or social learning, etc. And within these there are many, many types of delivery mediums and approaches. And more on the horizon.
Feel free to add to the list.
Financial Education – What's Out There
I saw today that MasterCard launched Learning Centres, which provides financial management tips for consumers. Are they doing the same here in the USA? I found they have a learning center on the U.S. site. And they have a DIY Guide for Young Adults. However, it markets their cards as much as it provides financial advice.
Full disclosure, I am employed by a financial institution, but I am also an advocate of financial education/literacy. As we has seen far too much of, people who are not up to speed with how personal finances, credit cards, and banking products work can get into extreme jams to say the least. And they are also easily taken advantage of . So, here are some resources provided without any marketing from financial industries.
Money Smart – FDIC
Fundamentals of Personal Financial Planning – University of CA – Irvine
Link & Learn Taxes – Internal Revenue Service
And to quote Shakespeare, “Neither a borrower, nor a lender be.”
Delicious, Take Two
I signed up for Delicious social bookmarking quite a while ago, but it just didn’t take for me. Perhaps the fact that I could not access it at work or that I was perfectly happy with using my browser for bookmarking. Either way, I set-up Delicious and just never really used it beyond the first few days. Why not give it another try. After all, I am trying move more onto the cloud, I can have my bookmarks in one place and I can share sites that I value. Let’s hope my new job does not block Delicious. I will find out tomorrow.
Here is what I like so far:
- Everything can be tagged – easy to stay organized
- Adding a badge widget to my blog, promote sharing my bookmarks
- Adding a Delicious tag cloud to my site or blog (see my Delicious tag cloud below)
- Viewing how many people, and who, bookmarked pages. It’s motivating to see someone tag my pages
- Finding new and interesting sites by viewing other people’s bookmarks
- Easy access from any computer, if Delicious is not blocked by the “man” at work.
- Customized descriptions of each bookmark can be added
So, I started with bookmarking and tagging the links I have collected on my Free e-Learning page and added a few blogs, blog communities and some e-learning resources.
And here is my Delicious tag cloud.
FYI: Here is a great video on social bookmarking and Delicious.
I am sure there are additional features on Delicious that I should be using. Let me know what Delicious tools and features you would recommend.
Economic Times – Impact on Distance Learning
Has the economic struggle had a positive or negative impact on online learning?
This question has been posed a lot on the e-learning blogs, for example.
The Boston Globe just published an article titled Where the Jobs are in Anxious Times. Distance learning and a few related fields are noted as being areas where there are jobs
Here are quotes from the article that pertain to distance learning, social media, cloud computing, and mobile technology.
Government stimulus funding has been creating new opportunities in education and energy, says Clark Waterfall, a partner at Boston Search Group. “We’re seeing activity in for-profit education companies, and companies geared to distance learning and corporate learning,”
A new role at many companies is a social media expert, who can help the company communicate with customers and prospects using new channels like Twitter, Facebook, and blogs. “Sometimes that job is called ‘community manager’ or ‘community rep,’ ” says Tom Summit of Rowley-based Catalyst Recruiting Corp. “But the people who can get hired are the ones who can relate online activities to quantifiable metrics. What are you doing for the company, aside from just starting a blog?”
Cloud computing – technology services that can be accessed over the Internet – is another area of increasing activity. “I also see a lot of interest in search engine marketing” – making websites more prominent in search results – “and engineers who know how to design websites with that in mind,” Summit says.
Keith Cline of Dissero LLC says one position that can be hard to fill at the moment is a mobile application developer. “If a company is trying to build an app for the iPhone, there aren’t a lot of people who have that experience,” he says.
Where the jobs are in anxious times
By Scott Kirsner
Globe Columnist / June 14, 2009
It is good to hear that there are opportunities out there in the fore-mentioned fields and probably more to come. From my own glances at job boards it appears companies are still hiring people in the distance learning field.
How Big is Moodle?
Moodle is getting more and more popular, but just how big is it? I am even starting to hear of more corporations adopting it. My experience has been that companies were weary of using open source software, but that appears to be changing too.
I decided to do some research. Here is what I found from Moodle.org.
Registered validate sites: 56,715
Number of countries: 210
Course: 3,047,685
Users: 32,815,756
Keep in mind, these are only the registered Moodle sites. Pretty impressive numbers!
Cyclops eLearning 