Loose Ends

This semester in 681 was a great opportunity to gain enough experience with Adobe Captivate that I will be able to open the software in the future and be able to start a project without much review or direction.  While the two day Adobe sanctioned course I took was great, it was only two days so a lot of what I learned was somewhere between my memory and my notes.  By focusing on Captivate for 12  weeks I able to take what I had learned in both classes and hone those skills over a period of time which certainly will help my retention of content.

Our final class session was the final project review, where each student shared their project while other classmates listened to the dialogue between student and professor and also was able to observe the module.  I was able to get my project together in time and there weren't really any last minute mistakes that I missed before uploading to the server.  However, remember how long it took me to create those photoshopped multi-action buttons?  Well I took all that time but then saved them incorrectly, so while my presentation clickable button appear grey I would have preferred they the purple buttons which appeared as the default buttons.  Ultimately, I would like to go back in and update the buttons; I realized it is a simple yet time consuming task and I needed to ensure other parts of my project were suitable for submission.

During our final session I was able to view a few projects created by my classmates.  I really liked the way one student used the Slidelet tool to highlight their navigation buttons.  I have thought about replacing the zoom used to highlight specific tools with the Tool Bar with the slidelet.  I want to compare both and see which produced a clearer capture of the tool, as I found the Zoom tool to be a bit grainy.

Another of my classmates used images in their quiz by way of the matching question.  In the left column were the names of the paintings and in the right images of each painting, allowing the participant to drag and drop the images to it's name.  I thought this would be interesting to see if I could make the left column an image and then have participants drag the definition of the tool to the image of the tool they would see within InDesign.

Overall, I think it this semester has given me the opportunity to become comfortable working in Captivate which in turn will allow me to use Captivate successfully at work to create innovative training solutions for our internal clients.

Next semester I'm taking Project Management and the Principles of Training & Development (required course) - hopefully those classes will give me something to share with you all via this blog.

Until Then!

PS.  I can't forget about the Upcoming Races widget over there -->
Tomorrow night is the Boordy 5k I'm excited to run like the dickens through this field.  What I'm not excited for is the hilly, terrible, fabled Annapolis 10 Miler next weekend - let's hope it hurricanes!

Week Nine & Beyond

Greetings from Crunch Time!

Since Week 8 we had a few more review sessions and was able to see everyone's projects progress as the deadline got closer.  The computer I was building my project on was replaced, luckily I was able to save my files - the bad news was that it took forever for our purchasing department to reinstall Captivate on my machine.  In the meantime I downloaded Captivate 6, which is pretty cool except it is not backward compatible.  So in 18 days when my trial expires, my module will be frozen in its current state forever.  Unfortunately I cannot copy and paste between versions of Captivate so at some point I will have to recreate the module entirely.  This isn't a terrible thing, though since I have learned quite a bit since I started building the module and will the rework as an opportunity to perfect some techniques.

Capturing the simulations of InDesign were tricky.  For some reason the videos were capturing extra frames that didn't even show up during the recording, but once it was added to my project these phantom frames popped up and could not be covered.  After a bit of fooling around I figured out how to minimize the appearance of these frames and then was able to delete the slides it did show up in.

I did have a few issues while recording audio, for some reason no matter what headset I used and where I tried to record there was always an echo that didn't occur in the audio recorded a week earlier.  Eventually I reverted back to my audio safety net of Adobe Soundbooth.  I was able to record the last few pieces of audio in 15 mins using the amazing internal microphone on my macbook.

Macbook Mic - 1  Logitech Fancy Schmancy Headset - 0.

As things are winding down the next post will cover our final session and the great work put forth by my classmates!

Week Eight

Hello!

Week Eight was easy peasy and EXACTLY what I needed!  Our actually class for week eight was a bit different, in that we each had a specific review time slot where we reviewed our project with our professor.  It was a great opportunity to put out what we've already created, get feedback, and ask any questions.  While I was logged in just during my timeslot, a few my other classmates seemed to be present the entire time.  I did get in a few minutes early and was blown away by what some of my classmates have created so far - wowzaaaa!

 I have been bogged down trying to get my background template perfect in photoshop before I start actually building in Captivate - something I'm sure to regret within the next 3 weeks.  This is the same problem I have at work where I can't start the actual work on something until I have all the extras in play.  I don't know why that is, but I'm going to go with the excuse that it is in an effort to avoid have to change the entire layout at the end.  I will also credit this terrible tendency to the reinforcement I received in my Adobe sanctioned Captivate course, where our instructor created amazing graphics in Photoshop before importing them into Captivate.  He mentioned how he doesn't do a bit of work on a project until he has everything he needs from the client - this is my new approach.  So far this was worked out alright for me, but as my clients increase their turnaround time this may not be the best avenue for me to pursue.

So I've gotten not just my layout and custom buttons completed, but I've also made multi-functional buttons so when they are rolled over or clicked they have a different appearance.  This is the super-cool thing that has taken me weeks to do and I'm starting to wonder if they will even work since I don't have 5.5.  I guess we'll see, either way I now know how to change the hue/saturation to images within Photoshop - and here's a hint it doesn't work on jpeg but somehow on .pngs.  So as an earlier post states - I'M IN LOVE WITH .PNGs!!!

This past week I was able to attend an advanced training on Adobe InDesign - which is the topic of the modules I am creating for 681.  I learned so much about InDesign that I didn't know and I am trying to be very careful about "product dumping" on the audience of my intro module. 

Well time to get back to storyboarding (for work), catch you in week nine of the summertime!

Ahh rhyming, don't judge!

Week Seven

In week seven we learned about Audacity which is a free music editing software similar to Adobe Soundbooth.  We reviewed the Audacity interface and took some time to practice deleting portions of sound files.  We focus on removing the portion of a sound file that had singing and voiceover, in order to just have the background music.  This type of editing could be done to use the instrumental portion of a song as intro or outro music for an online module.  We also learned we could loop this section of music in order to extend its play time. 

We then moved into Captivate and learned how to add audio into our Captivate projects.  We saw how audio integrates into the timeline and practice adding audio to specific objects within a slide.  This could be useful in a situation where children learn sounds, for example by clicking on the cow a 'Moo' sound would be triggered.  In a professional instance, it could be used to help mechanics recognize 'bad' sounds of a specific piece of machinery. 

Next week we are using our class time to do individual reviews of our projects, my slot is at 7pm.  I've completed the storyboard for the first of two modules and am now working on solidifying the artwork for the layout of my modules.  I am working to develop custom buttons, which will vary in color depending on if they are active, have been clicks, etc.  I am also tinkering with Captivate and InDesign to determine the size of my recordings.  I have to find a nice balance between the space for the movie on the screen and the area for text, I am unsure if I will be using audio in my modules.  I actually am attending a two day advanced InDesign training this week, so hopefully with the feedback from my review and what I learn in training I will be even more prepared to begin building the module. 

Until Week Eight!

Week 5 (and a Thunderstorm delay)

Happy Belated 4th of July!  A few updates before we get into what was covered during Week 5.  

• Quickly after my Week 4.5 post, I figured out that I was supposed to post my Analysis Report & Objectives to the discussion board.  This synchronous class thing is a strange bird and hopefully I can get the swing of it before the semester ends.  
• Due to the serious thunderstorms that kicked off our nation's birthday Week 6 was postponed.  Luckily I somehow avoided the storm and any side effects that were going on.  So I took advantage of my time at the beach and enjoyed an impromptu "spring break".  

Week 5 was an exciting time in Captivate.  We were introduced to pointers, buttons, and highlights, we able to practice with each, and even took some time to learn how to do custom buttons.  I am planning on doing one or two custom buttons for the 'home' and 'quiz' function of my InDesign tutorials, that will mainly depend on my ability to find acceptable images from Fotolia.  Fotolia is the stock image site we use at my company and I suspect it may not be the best stock image site out there, but I'm not the one who pays the bill.  

Since deciding to pursue the InDesign module, I spoke with the Training Manager to let her know the new deliverable that will be available to her team.  I'm pleased to say she was excited and hopefully it will be a valuable tool to expand the facilitators skill sets.  

Well, its time to keep on storyboarding!  

Catch you at the end of Week 7!

Cortney

Week Four (.5??)

Happy Sunday!

Before I hit the pool I decided to search around Blackboard for some submission guidelines for EDUC648.  Paul has done a great job mapping out our summer schedule, with reasonable suggested guidelines which I know is a HUGE relief to me during this short semester.  So while the milestones are suggested, I'm not sure if I actually have to send submit anything before the end of the semester - remind me to ask in class on Tuesday.  In the mean I'm going to post my Analysis Report & Objectives here...

Crawl, Walk, Run:

Introduction to Basic Text Edits in Adobe InDesign

Rationale

It is currently common practice for training facilitators to frequently request minor edits to course materials between classes.  Often times there is a quick turn around time requested and this places stress on the training team, instructional designers, and the print shop.  Due to the timeliness of the request, the instructional designers are forced to put a hold on other projects to make basic edits; managing multiple projects while spending time completing repetitive yet time consuming tasks add further delay to printing.  By empowering the training teams within Professional Development, Organizational Development, and Project Office (PD/OD/PO), with the ability to use InDesign to make basic text edits the team has more control over turn around time and is able to gain experience with a piece of design software.  

Sponsored by the Instructional Design team (ISD Team), this course will provide the training team with a summary of the InDesign layout and how to navigate through basic text edits.  The modules will be asynchronous and allow participate to learn a tool, see a tool in action, practice using the tool, and ultimately be tested on use of the tool.  A single page job aid will be provided to participants along with the modules, this aid can be used as a quick reference tool to identify specific areas of the screen such as tools, properties, and exporting to a PDF.  

Target Population

The target population of this course is primarily the facilitators and program managers within the Professional Development, Organizational Development, and Project Office Department (PD/OD/PO) at Aerotek.  This course will serve as an informal offering for the members of PD/OD/PO and therefore can be completed by any team member regardless of title, however access to an Adobe InDesign license may be limited.  Participants can be anywhere from a few weeks to years in their current role.  Being training professionals in one capacity or another, these individuals are invested in and eager for training.  While they are eager for training, some individuals may have a difficult time finding time to complete the course, due to their training or project schedules.  Participants are likely to be comfortable asking questions and are most likely to identify a member of the ISD Team as a resource.  

Course Description and Modules

The Introduction to Basic Text Edits in Adobe InDesign is made up of self-guided modules which will take approximately 20 minutes to complete.  The instructional methods will include web-based presentation, participant interaction, and knowledge checks.  The modules are to be completed asynchronously and can be completed individually or in groups with each individual working on their own laptop.  The modules will be delivered by way of Captivate video, Adobe Captivate Viewer may be a required download depending on each individuals current programs, and printable job aid will be provided to all participants.  

The course will be offered in the following modules:

•   Module 1: Introduction to layout of Adobe InDesign and basic tools.
•   Module 2: Making basic edits to training materials.   

Terminal Objectives

Given the content provided by way of Computer Based Training (CBT), a quick reference job aid, and access to laptops and Adobe Captivate Viewer, the participant participating in the Crawl, Walk, Run course should be able to make basic text edits to training materials in Adobe InDesign.  No deficiency will be allowed, and the participant must repeat text exercises until a level of success to be determined by the ISD Team Manager and the relevant Program Manager to ensure integrity of our training materials.  

Enabling Objectives

Module 1 - Introduction to layout of Adobe InDesign and basic tools: Given the content provided through CBT, the quick reference job aid, and access to laptops and Adobe Captivate Viewer, the participant should, without much error, be able to:

       1.  Identify tools areas of the Indesign interface such as the Menu Bar, Panels, specifically the Properties panel, and the Tools   

            Panel.  

       2.  Define the functionality of the Selection, Direct Selection, and Type tools.  

Module 2 - Making basic edits to training materials: Given the content provided by CBT and access to laptops and Adobe Captivate Viewer, the participant should, without much error, be able to:  

       1.  Identify common tools to be used during text edits, such as the Selection, Direct Selection and Type tools.  

       2.  Identify the Color panel and practice changing color of text.

       3.  Identify the text editing tools to alter font type, size, and alignment.

       4.  Complete basic text edits in a test environment.  

Evaluation Strategy

Participants will complete a level 1 evaluation to measure their reactions to the course and asynchronous environment.

A level 2 evaluation of this course will consist of built-in knowledge checks throughout each module and brief quizzes at the of each module.

Learner Prerequisites

Participants in this training must be a member of PD/OD/PO, in the future the course may be shared with other departments if required.  They must be nominated for participation by their Manager or Director.  Participants are required to download Adobe Captivate Viewer prior to completing the modules and they must complete the training individually on their laptop. 

Deliverables

• Analysis Report
• Storyboard
• Computer Based Training Modules (with Level 2 Evaluation built-in)
• Level 1 Evaluation materials
• Quick Reference Job Aid

Week Four

In Week 4 we finished up a few exercises in Captivate and then spent the majority of our class in Photoshop.  We were able to create a banner using 3 different photos and a bit of text.  Additionally, we were introduced to .jpg and .png files.  Over the past few months I have learned that .pngs are my best friend; not only do they interface with Captivate and become part of the file, but .pngs are also how I am able to insert images, logos, wheels, etc. with no background color, so the image is able to lay seamlessly over the background. 

You may noticed on the left hand side of this page there's a box listed upcoming races.  This idea made PERFECT sense when I thought I had decided to create the running module for my project.  So as I sat and tried to write my Rationale and Target Population, I began to realize that perhaps the running module was not the best choice, but we'll keep the race countdown for accountability reasons (and because I like it!).  Ultimately, I have decided to go ahead and create a module on basic text edits in Adobe InDesign.  So next on my plate is to finish up my Analysis Report and begin my storyboards (I've already been storyboarding in my head for a few weeks, so this should be easy peasy).

Next week we are scheduled to cover buttons, pointers, and highlights.  I'm excited for this lesson and am hoping to have some of my custom buttons developed my next Tuesday so I can work those into my practice exercises during class.

Not only am I up to my ears in Captivate, but so is Sophie!  Speaking of ears, aren't hers the best?!?!?

I told everyone about Soph on the first night of class & promised she'd be featured in an assignment or two over the semester, so hooray for following through!


Welp, until next week!


Cortney