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Microsoft Office: 2013 Open for Preview

by AJ George 

Last week Microsoft announced its latest version of Microsoft Office and opened it
for customer preview. If, however, you're still running Windows XP or Vista, you're out of luck, as Office 2013 is only being offered for users running Windows 7 or newer. While it does not improve many application features, Office 2013 does clarify what Microsoft plans to do in the cloud to compete with Google's cloud services. 

Office 2013 is still being offered as traditional desktop software with a perpetual license, like its previous versions. The new sparkle, however, is that it is also available as Office 365, in which the traditional software is being bundled with a subscription plan, allowing you to access your Office products from any Windows 7 or 8 PC, notebook, or tablet with an internet connection. When purchased as part of an Office 365 subscription, the latest versions of Office 2013 programs and associated services are always available.

An Office 365 subscription means users can sign in from someone else's PC to work on a document or project and be able to access a cloud-based version of their own Office software, complete with settings and documents. When the document or project is closed, it will be removed from that PC. Google Docs may be free, but Microsoft is more feature-rich, so allowing this cloud functionality to stay competitive will likely prove to be a smart move.

And what about Mac? According to The Verge, Microsoft has confirmed that it will not be updating MS Office for the Mac with a new 2013 edition, but will be releasing a Mac update allowing users to access SkyDrive or Office 365. Now what's the difference between SkyDrive and Office 365? (Don't worry, I'm confused too!) Office 365 will allow users to access their fully functioning Office product from another computer, while SkyDrive provides cloud storage of documents as well as MS web apps. So with SkyDrive you'll be able to access your documents from other computers, but you'll be using a less robust web app version of Office. Office 365 will be a paid subscription, while SkyDrive is free.  

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AJ teaches a live, 3-hour class that offers tips/tricks for improving the look and feel of your PowerPoint presentations: Slide Sprucing: Remodeling Lackluster PowerPoint Slides for eLearning and Presentations. 

Adobe Captivate 6: The Theme for Today is Consistency!

by Kevin Siegel  

If you are creating a soft skills eLearning lesson (a lesson teaching a life skill such as conflict resolution instead of a software simulation), the appearance of each individual slide is critical. If you are creating a software simulation, the background is typically the application being simulated so that's one less thing you have to worry about. Not so with a soft skills lesson where you either start with a blank project or import a PowerPoint presentation.

If you've started with a blank project, you need to come up with the look and feel of each slide. Ask yourself, do the slide backgrounds look professional? Do the slides adequately convey your corporate identity when it comes to the object and background colors, and the use of fonts, fonts sizes and font colors? Are the slide objects placed consistently throughout the lesson?

One way to ensure the consistent placement of repetitive objects across slides is the use of Master Slides. Since Master Slides can't create or design themselves, you'll appreciate the power of Themes.

A Theme is a collection of pre-designed and positioned slide elements, master slides, object styles and Skins designed to quickly give your project a consistent look and feel. I want to emphasise the word quickly here. Once you select a Theme, the look and feel of your project is going to dramatically change, typically for the better, and faster than you might imagine.

Captivate ships with a handful of Themes. You can use, edit and save the provided Themes. If you've got a design background, you can create your own. You can elect to apply a theme to a brand new project, or apply a Theme to any legacy project on the fly.

To apply a Theme, first display the Themes panel by choosing Themes > Show/Hide Themes Panel.

From the Themes panel, it's now a simple matter of selecting the theme that best meets your design needs.

In the image below, I've created a project with perfectly good content, but zero design.



The image below is the exact same slide as it appeared just seconds after I selected the Blackboard theme.



Keep in mind that each Theme, at its core, is simply a collection of Master Slides and Object Styles. If you don't like any one particular part of a Theme, simply edit those areas and then save the Theme (via the Themes menu). The next time you use the same Theme in any project, the updated Theme will be used instead of the original. 

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Looking to learn Captivate quickly? We offer two live, online Captivate 5 classes. Adobe Captivate Essentials and Adobe Captivate Beyond the Essentials (Advanced). Our Captivate 6 classes will ramp up in August.

 

Adobe TCS4 Suite Available Today!

Adobe just released the latest and greatest version of its Technical Communication Suite (TCS).

I'm a huge fan, and daily user, of the TCS. In my opinion, this suite puts all of the other Adobe suites to shame.

If you're a technical communicator, the TCS 4 contains the essentials tools needed to created technical documentation/PDFs (FrameMaker 11 and Acrobat), help systems (RoboHelp 10), technical illustrations (Illustrator CS6) and eLearning lessons (Captivate 6 and Presenter 8).

If you'd like to purchase the TCS or learn more about how the suite's tools work together, click here.

Writing & Grammar: Anatomy of a Rewrite

by Jennie Ruby  

This week I'd like to share a step-by-step edit of a paragraph sent in by one of my students. Here is the original paragraph. The challenge was to get this down to one sentence.

This section presents the key themes identified from this environmental snapshot.  Section 3.1 will present an overview of environmental IT-enabled quality measurement, Section 3.2 will describe possibilitiesfor the next generation of environmental IT-enabled quality measurement, and some critical challengesto achieving the next generation of environmental IT-enabled quality measurement will be highlighted in Section 3.3.

First, notice the reversal, where Section 3.1 and 3.2 are mentioned first, followed by a description, but then suddenly the description comes first for Section 3.3. Right away, this would be better if it were just a parallel list: Section 1 does this, Section 2 does that, and Section 3 does this other thing.

Second, notice that a bunch of the words are the same for all three sections. Repeating "environmental IT-enabled quality measurement" should not be necessary, so let's look for ways to use that phrase only once.
Third, find the words that are different. I highlighted them in bold above.

Fourth, eliminate the repetition:

This section gives an overview of the key themes identified from this snapshot of environmental IT-enabled quality measurement, and then explores possibilities and critical challenges for the next generation of this technology.

Fifth, depending on the audience for this piece of writing, consider rephrasing in more explanatory words exactly what "environmental IT-enabled quality measurement" is. That phrase is completely baffling to an outsider. It seems to me that it would make more sense if it were "IT-enabled environmental quality measurement."

Sixth, add the human element (our, we) to generate a personal connection with the reader:

Our environmental snapshot revealed ways we can use next-generation IT-enabled measurement systems to improve XXXXXX [whatever it is they improve]; but it also revealed some of the challenges this new technology must overcome to do so.

This Week's Challenge

Rewrite the following paragraph into two or three concise, clear sentences. Make sure to incorporate the personal element. 

This course provides an introduction to the world of motorcycle riding to non-riders and will help non-riders decide if motorcycling is for them. The topics will include: Why ride motorcycles? Is it dangerous to ride a motorcycle? Can motorcycle riding be learned by anyone? Familiarization with enhanced motorcycle maintenance logging and tuning procedures. It's easy to learn to ride a motorcycle. Provides the opportunity to register for any motorcycle safety class and get the textbook free. Courses are taught by instructors trained and certified in motorcycle riding instruction as well as maintenance by the Motor Vehicle Department.

As always, I look forward to reading your submissions.

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If you like Jennie's articles, you'll love her classes. Join her online and learn about Writing Effective eLearning Voiceover Scripts and eLearning: Writing Step-by-Step Scripts and Training Documents.

Artificial Reality & eLearning: LEAP Motion Coming soon

by AJ George 

I've previously thrown in my two cents on how virtual reality is a natural fit for eLearning. Back then (in 2010) I noted that we may not be able to carry out full virtual immersion (a la Avatar) just yet, but there was a lot we could do to incorporate virtual worlds into our training. Two years later we have already made quite the "leap" toward making full immersion that much more possible. A new technology just on the horizon will allow users to control their computers using gestures. It's called Leap Motion, and it will work on both Mac and Windows systems, finally doing for the computer world what Xbox Kinect has done for gaming systems. Leap Motion, however, claims to be "[about] 100x more accurate than any other motion sensing/natural user interface on Earth."

The goal with this new desktop technology is to revolutionize how we interact with our computers, much like the introduction of the mouse years ago.  I see this being particularly useful in training people to do physical procedures (in the medical field, for example).  It could also be great for a sign language course.  Additionally, I think it could take eLearning games on desktop computers to the next level.

In the article linked above, I referenced a study by Stanford undergrads in which it was found that students showed an actual bodily change in their heartbeats and their brains while controlling their avatars, and they genuinely seemed to care about what their avatars did, even though the avatars existed entirely in a virtual world. Those avatars weren't even controlled by physical gestures. Perhaps the addition of the gesture control could strengthen that student-avatar bond. What are your thoughts? Do you think this technology could take virtual learning up a notch, or is this just another passing fad? 

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AJ teaches a live, 3-hour class that offers tips/tricks for improving the look and feel of your PowerPoint presentations: Slide Sprucing: Remodeling Lackluster PowerPoint Slides for eLearning and Presentations. 

Adobe Captivate 6: Become a Groupie!

It's such a small thing, but as a long-time Captivate user I have always been disappointed with the fact that there was no way to group slide objects. Sure, you can select multiple objects by [Shift]-clicking, but you have to repeat the selection process every time you want to do something to related objects. In a word, that's annoying!

As with many Captivate shortcomings, grouping is now available in Adobe Captivate 6. And I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by what you can do with grouped objects.

Creating a group is simple. All you need to do is select two or more slide objects and choose Edit > Group. (Note: You can create multiple groups on a slide.)

Once you've created a group, take a look at the Propertiespanel and you will see a new Group area. Use the Name field to give your group a name. 

  

My favorite thing about creating groups is the ability to quickly update all of the objects in the group. For instance, if you select a group on the Timeline and use the Properties panel to apply a different Style, every object in the group will take on the new style. Need to change the Timing for multiple objects? No problem. Group the objects and then, using the Timing group on the Properties panel, change the Timing as needed for the group.

Are you a grouping groupie yet? No? Okay...  there's more. If you've got multiple groups on a slide, you can send one group behind (or in front of) another group by right-clicking (or dragging one group above another on the Timeline). You can make entire groups hidden on a slide by default and then, using Actions, make all kinds of objects appear (or disappear) on a slide. 

You can duplicate groups, copy/paste groups to multiple slides, merge a group with a slide's background and even rotate groups. And if you get tired of the group, sure you can delete it, but you can Ungroup too (Edit > Ungroup).

I admit it, I'm a Captivate group groupie. Go ahead and give groups a whirl. I predict that you'll be a groupie too!

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Looking to learn Captivate quickly? We offer two live, online Captivate 5 classes. Adobe Captivate Essentials and Adobe Captivate Beyond the Essentials (Advanced). Our Captivate 6 classes will ramp up in August.

Writing & Grammar: Answers to Last Week's Comma Challenge on Compound Sentences Versus Compound Predicates

by Jennie Ruby  

Correct answers to last week's challenge came in from nine readers (including a number of first responders--thanks for joining us!) Doug Blackley, Jimmy Moon,Sonia, Nancy Upchurch, Kara Jones, Jing Ping Fan, Linda Craig, and Larena Jackson.

Jing Ping Fan offered these correct answers with explanations in parentheses.

1. The ice cream truck entered the neighborhood and turned on its loudspeaker. (no comma for compound predicate)
2. The loudspeaker sputtered to life, and children came running. (needs a comma for compound sentence)
3. Children were not the only patrons of the ice cream truck, but the adults tended to arrive more slowly. (needs a comma for compound sentence)
4. Icy-cold confections soon moved through the neighborhood and dripped multicolored sweetness on the sidewalks. (no comma for compound predicate)
5. A dog licked the sticky pavement under its owner's feet and a cat looked disdainfully down from its perch on a porch railing. (needs a comma for compound sentence)
6. The truck trundled to the end of the block and turned out into the traffic of the main street, but it left an indelible mark on the memories of the children. (needs a comma for compound sentence)

JP also offers these ways to tell whether you've got a compound predicate or a compound sentence:

The way to tell if it is a compound sentence:

compound sentence =[subject + verb] + conjunction + [subject + verb]

Note:  verb can be a real verb or predicate.

The conjunction can be any of the these: and, but, so, or, for, yet, nor.

This week's challenge

I am offering no explanation this week, because I just want to see what you all think of these sentences. Well, ok, a little explanation. These are examples of complex sentences (not that they are that complicated--complex is a technical grammar term), which contain an independent clause and a subordinate clause. When the subordinate clause is on the front of the sentence, as we saw a couple of weeks ago, it requires a comma. But when the subordinate clause is on the back, it requires a comma only if it is nonessential. Give these a try, because I am eager to see how people make these decisions. 

1. We came upstairs to see what was going on because the electricity had blinked off and on.
2. Leaves, twigs, and hail battered the windows while a vicious wind tore at the screens.
3. We could see the branches of all the trees in the woods surrounding the house whipping horizontally although the tree trunks were nearly invisible for the torrents of rain.
4. A sickly green cast from the evil-looking sky lent an eery feeling while the hair on the backs of our necks stood on end.
5. We ran back down to the basement because we were afraid the heavy, tall trees around the house would fall.
6. We emerged into a leaf- and branch-bestrewn neighborhood after the storm had passed.
7. We walked down the middle of the street while neighbors checked their cars and houses for damage.
8. We did not know that a microburst had occurred over our neighborhood until we saw the evening news.
9. A mile away a parked car was crushed when the roof of a building flew off and fell in the street.
10. Our fence was crushed by a fallen tree although our house and shed were spared.

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If you like Jennie's articles, you'll love her classes. Join her online and learn about Writing Effective eLearning Voiceover Scripts and eLearning: Writing Step-by-Step Scripts and Training Documents.

Adobe Captivate 6: Hyperlinks within Text Captions

by Kevin Siegel  

The ability to create a text hyperlink has always been somewhat of a challenge in Captivate. If you wanted to create a hyperlink, you had to first insert a click box and position it over the text. Then you needed to visit the Action group on the Properties panel and choose Open URL or file from the On Success drop-down menu.

Adobe Captivate 6 makes quick work out of creating text hyperlinks. All you need to do now is highlight a word or phrase within a text caption and, from the Format group on the Properties panel, click the Insert Hyperlink tool.

 

The Link To dialog box will open. From the first drop-down menu, select Web Page. Type the address of the intended web page within the text field and then, using the second drop-down menu, choose New. (This option will ensure that the link will open in a New browser window.) 

 

The text you selected in the text caption will take on the tell-tale attributes of hyperlinked text.

If you preview the project, clicking the hyperlink will open the web page specified in the Link To dialog box. If you'd like to edit the hyperlink or remove it, simply highlight the same text and revisit the Format group on the Properties panel and you'll see two tools that will get the job done nicely: Modify Hyperlink and Delete Hyperlink.

 

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Looking to learn Captivate quickly? We offer two live, online Captivate 5 classes. Adobe Captivate Essentials and Adobe Captivate Beyond the Essentials (Advanced). Our Captivate 6 classes will ramp up in August.

eLearning: Google Gets Into Online Learning with "Power Searching with Google" Course

by AJ George 

I have recently written about how to use Google to search for eLearning images you can actually use and how to search specific websites using Boolean operators in Google search queries. Those skills, however, are just the tip of the Google search iceberg. Starting today (July 10), you can take a free virtual course called "Power Searching with Google" straight from the folks at Google. The virtual course will be spread over two weeks and consist of six 50-minute interactive lessons. According to the Google blog, the course "blends the MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) learning format pioneered by Stanford and MIT with [their] social and communication tools to create what [they] hope is a true community learning experience."

You can learn more and sign up for the course here. Even if you are not particularly interested in expanding your search knowledge, it might not be a bad idea to check out how a big name company like Google is presenting its online learning. 

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AJ teaches a live, 3-hour class that offers tips/tricks for improving the look and feel of your PowerPoint presentations: Slide Sprucing: Remodeling Lackluster PowerPoint Slides for eLearning and Presentations.