The Logical Blog by IconLogic

TechSmith Camtasia: Tips for Trimming Content

If you're curious about the kinds of things we cover during our live, hands-on online classes, check out this snippet from a recent TechSmith Camtasia class. During this portion of the class, I taught attendees how to ensure they won't mistakenly trim more from a project than expected.

eLEARNING CLASS: Whiteboard Animation with VideoScribe

In the battle for online attention, video is KING. By 2019, 80% of ALL web traffic will be video. 64% of customers say they are more likely to buy a product online after watching a video. 59% of decision makers would rather watch a video than read a blog or article. On top of that, they are FUN and easy to create with VideoScribe!

 

Leave with the ability to fully create entertaining and engaging whiteboard animations with VideoScribe.

 

IMPORTANT: A free trial to VideoScribe is required to actively participate in this course. The free trial lasts for 7 days, so please time your free subscription to coincide with this class.

 

Learn more about this class (and sign up) here.

 

eLearning: Compare Adobe Captivate, Articulate Storyline, and TechSmith Camtasia

Welcome to the eLearning tool slug-fest. In this corner, it's Adobe Captivate. Over there? It's Articulate Storyline. And because this isn't a two-tool fight, look over there and you'll see TechSmith Camtasia. Attend this power hour and see demonstrations of all three tools. If you'd like to follow-along with your instructor, install trial versions of Adobe Captivate, Articulate Storyline, and TechSmith Camtasia (Mac or PC). Watch as your instructor, a seasoned eLearning developer and certified online training professional, puts each of these tools through its paces, compares their strengths and weaknesses, and helps you pick the tool that is right for you!

If you'd like to attend this live, online class, you can sign up here: http://www.iconlogic.com/compare-elearning-tools.html

The video below is a sample from a recent class.

 

ADOBE PRESENTER: Sidebar Video

by Kevin Siegel, COTP

Inserting and editing video in Adobe Presenter is as easy as accessing the Adobe Presenter tab on the Ribbon and then clicking the Video tool. Once videos have been added to a PowerPoint slide, they can be manipulated just like any other PowerPoint object.

 

I received an email recently from a new Presenter developer. He wanted to insert a video, but instead of adding the video to the slide, he wanted it to appear to the left of the slide, above the Table of Contents. He had heard such a thing was possible but had been unable to find the feature.

 

The feature he was looking for is called Sidebar video and it’s shown in the image below. Adding Sidebar video to a project is simple and I was able to talk him through it with a quick email. If you’d like to learn how, follow these steps.

 

 

To begin, select a PowerPoint slide and then, on the Adobe Presenter tab, Insert group, click the Video tool and choose Import. (This will open the Adobe Presenter - Import Video dialog box.)

 

 

 

Select the video you’d like to use in the Sidebar and, from the lower right of the dialog box, select Sidebar video.

 

 

By default, the Sidebar video will appear at the left of the Presenter playback window (as shown in the first image above). You can hide the Sidebar or change its location by clicking the Theme tool and deselecting Show Sidebar (to hide it) or selecting Right or Left from the Location drop-down menu.

 

 

 

If you'd like to see the Sidebar video feature in action, check out this sample Adobe Presenter eLearning project. And if you'd like to learn how to use Adobe Presenter, check out our skills and drills workbook.

 

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Kevin Siegel, CTT, COTP, is the founder and president of IconLogic. Following a career in Public Affairs with the U.S. Coast Guard and in private industry, Kevin has spent decades as a technical communicator, classroom and online trainer, public speaker, and has written hundreds of computer training books for adult learners. He has been recognized by Adobe as one of the top trainers world-wide.

 

 

TEACHING LIVE, ONLINE CLASSES: Engagement Is Not Enough

by Jennie Ruby, COTP

We hear it all the time: engage your learners, create e-learning that is engaging, make sure the students are engaged.

 

And so we create interactive eLearning. In our classrooms we call students by name and discuss things with them face to face. We ask them to raise their hands. In our online classrooms we have them click something, drag something, or move something every few moments. But does all this engagement automatically create learning? No.

 

Don’t get me wrong, engagement is very important. In fact, it is a prerequisite to learning. If the student is not paying attention, not attending, then learning is impossible. But engagement alone is not enough.

 

In computer training—training that teaches people how to use software, websites, apps, or online forms—we have known since the 1980s that hands-on training is essential. The experiment was run: merely demonstrate how the software works? The viewers learn nearly nothing. Have the learners try it with their own hands controlling the computer? Learning is greatly increased.

 

The key to learning is that the learner has to apply effort. And as instructors, we have to act as learning facilitators. We have to create opportunities for our learners to apply effort, and then we have to supervise and guide their efforts.

 

How can we do that in our online classes? Here are some methods to try:

 

• Have the students work along with you as you complete a software activity—they are applying hands-on effort.
• Ask them to show you how they did it—you are assessing their efforts.
• If you are using Adobe Connect, upload an interactive eLearning software simulation. Each student works through the simulation and gets a grade—again, the learners apply effort, and you assess their efforts.
• In GoToTraining, you can give a student control over the mouse and keyboard of your computer. Use that technique to allow a student to try out a software technique, even if they don’t have the software on their own computer. They are applying effort, and you are either guiding, or supplying feedback, on their efforts.
• Adobe Connect and GoToTraining allow you to set up a scorable quiz for your participants right in your online classroom. The learners apply effort in trying to answer the quiz questions. Then you can review the answers and reinforce their efforts.

 

We would love to hear from you about what methods you use to go beyond engaging your students. 

 

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Join me early next month when I join Kevin Siegel and AJ Walther for the May edition of ICCOTP's Online Training Professional certification course. There are only a few seats left so don't delay.

 

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Jennie Ruby, CTT, COTP, is a veteran eLearning developer, trainer, and author. Jennie has an M.A. from George Washington University and is a Certified Technical Trainer and Certified Online Training Professional. She teaches both classroom and online courses, and has authored courseware, published training books, and developed content for countless eLearning projects. She is also a publishing professional with more than 30 years of experience in writing, editing, print publishing, and eLearning.

 

 

ADOBE CAPTIVATE: Continue Playing Project Option

by Lori Smith, COTP

I’ve been teaching and developing projects in Adobe Captivate for years. My particular area of strength is advanced actions. Just when I think I know everything about Captivate, a seemingly teeny, tiny option gets added by the Adobe engineers and I end up looking silly. 

 

Standard Actions, such as Show can be used to easily show a hidden object. The problem is that the project will continue playing after the action occurs (after the shape appears). If you wanted something else to happen while the learner is still on the slide (perhaps another object appearing), it’s too late because the learner has automatically been taken to the next slide after the hidden object appeared. 

 

To get around the problem in the past, you needed to create an advanced action that showed the hidden object instead of using a standard action. Why would you need an advanced action for something so simple? Because the Continue Playing Project behavior does not automatically occur with advanced actions like it did with standard actions.

 

That was so yesterday! There is now one of those teeny, tiny deals I mentioned earlier on the Properties inspector: a simple checkbox on the Actions tab labeled Continue Playing the Project. It is checked by default so if you use a standard action to show an object, you’ll still end up on the next slide. However, if you want to keep the learner on the current slide, all you have to do is deselect Continue Playing the Project. (In the simple scenario I mentioned above, there’s no longer a need to create the advanced action.)

 

 

The Continue Playing the Project checkbox originally appeared in Captivate 9. I missed it. In prior versions, it wasn’t possible to stop a project from continuing to play if you used a standard action. Because Continue Playing the Project is selected by default in both Captivate 9 and 2017, it’s an easy option to overlook, especially if you’ve been developing in Captivate for years like me. 

 

Though the Continue Playing the Project option means that you no longer need to create an advanced action for the behavior I’ve described above, you will still need to create advanced actions if you want an interactive object to perform multiple actions once clicked. If advanced actions have you a bit intimidated, join me for my Captivate Variable and Action Deep Dive series. The 101 class starts with the basics. As we move through 201, 301, and 401, we will continue to build your skills and practice with Captivate Variables and Advanced Actions.

 

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Lori Smith, COTP, is IconLogic's lead programmer and Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) in Captivate. Lori has a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from MIT as well as a Master’s in electrical engineering from George Mason University. She has been working in the field of software engineering for more than 20 years.  During that time she worked as an embedded software engineer at Raytheon (E-Systems) and ARINC.

 

 

Online Training: Learn to teach live, online classes on just about any subject!

 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: Stay Current or Perish

by Kevin Smith, COTP

Not that many years ago, computer technicians were limited to being just that: computer technicians. They installed memory chips (RAM), replaced hard drives, changed video cards, and instructed users on how to use these new and mysterious machines

 

As user confidence increased, the PC technician’s knowledge requirements grew horizontally but at a much more rapid pace. How did the technology support industry keep up? They added more technicians and in doing so added industry certifications.

 

Every product or service that enters the marketplace requires technical sales, installation, user training, product repair and service, ongoing support (help desk), upgrade services, and update training. In addition, every technical product has an end of life, and its disposition can also be the responsibility of the PC technician.

 

Without turning this article into a lecture or a history lesson, you need only look back 10 years and compare the technologies then to what’s available today. Nothing is the same. And, what about new technologies? The best technician who changed fields or retired 10 years ago would require a technology skills update if re-entering the field today or run the risk of being left behind (or perhaps unable to find employment).

 

Take a glimpse into the future via this YouTube link about Microsoft HoloLens. The systems and devices shown in the video require technical sales, installation, configuration, training, support, and upgrades.

 

With all the new technologies along with the existing ones, it is education, training, and maintaining your skill level that makes the IT Technician such a valuable component in the industry. When called, will you be ready to meet these new challenges?

 

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Looking for IT training? Check out our live, hands-on, online classes.

 

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Kevin Smith is a service veteran and has been teaching the CompTIA A+ Certification prep course since 1999. He has served CompTIA as an A+ Subject Matter Expert for several versions of the A+ examination. Kevin, who is the author and publisher of the “A+ Study Hall’ electronic courseware, which includes practice testing, received his A+ Certification in 1997 while owning a small computer service company. 

 

Kevin is a graduate of the SUNY Buffalo system, holds the CompTIA A+ Certification, and is a Certified Online Training Professional (COTP) with the International Council for Certified Online Training Professionals (ICCOTP).

ADOBE CAPTIVATE: Free Troubleshooting Guide for Screen Recording Issues

Both Jennie Ruby and I have been teaching Adobe Captivate onsite and online for years (you can see our huge Captivate course lineup on the IconLogic website). During class, there are a few issues that routinely occur. Have any of these happened to you?

• You can’t see the red recording area/can’t make it snap to your application.
  
  
• When you record in Training and Assessment mode, you get no interactivity and no captions.
  
  
• When you try to record, you get an error saying something about high-density monitors.
  
  
• You're on a Mac and you're having trouble recording. (You get an error message, get no captions when you record, etc.)
  
  
• Your application menus open outside of the area of your application, and therefore don’t get recorded.

You'll be happy to know that Jennie put together a troubleshooting guide that you can use to work through any or all of the issues mentioned above. You can download the guide for free from IconLogic's eLearning Resources page.

eLEARNING: The Struggle for Online Attention

by Karin Rex, COTP

Which of the following statements do you think are true?

 

A. By 2019, 80% of ALL web traffic will be video.

 

B. 64% of customers say they are more likely to buy a product online after watching a video. 

 

C. 59% of decision-makers would rather watch a video than read a blog or article.

 

If you said all three, you are correct (Source: Hubspot, 2017). 

 

The impact of video is astounding... and growing! Whiteboard videos have proven to be especially attention-getting as they allow a story to unfold in front of your eyes on a blank canvas.

 

Why Whiteboard Animation Works

 

Whiteboard animation, or scribing, is a novel take on video that has been proven to be three times more likely to be shared than a talking head video. Scribing brings a message to life through visual metaphors, captivating the viewer and holding attention until the last scene plays out. Why?

 

Viewer Completion. One of the secrets of video scribing is the concept known to artists as “viewer completion.” When you see two circles and a curved lined, your mind instantly jumps to the conclusion that you’re seeing a human face. Your brain fills in the details, completing the image.

 

Viewer Anticipation. Scribe videos also kindle viewer anticipation by inviting the brain to speculate about what is being drawn. Anticipation creates surprise which then rewards the brain with dopamine. Viewer anticipation helps explain how mesmerizing whiteboard videos can be–it can be tough to tear your eyes away from them.

 

Scribes are Judged Differently

 

If you’ve ever tried to make your own professional video, you know how difficult it is to produce anything that resembles what a high-price videographer using professional equipment can create. The visual simplicity of whiteboard animations puts them in a category of their own and lets them be judged differently. On top of that, with today’s software, anybody can learn how to make a professional-looking scribe.

 

Watching a scribe is an immersive experience, which gives them great staying power. A scribe reveals information gradually, sparking curiosity and allowing information to be processed one small chunk at a time. When viewer anticipation and viewer completion kick in, the message is processed at a deeper level and the message is more likely to be retained. 

 

The Data

 

Cognitive psychologist Richard E. Mayer established that combining images with a voiceover to be the most effective way of communicating information – 50-75% better, in fact. Three groups were studied:

 

• Group 1 listened to the content. 
• Group 2 watched the content. 
• Group 3 listened and watched the content simultaneously. 

 

The result was kind of a no-brainer: those in the Group 3 had more accurate recall and retained the information longer.

 

Mayer’s research also concluded that people learn best when corresponding words and pictures are presented closely together; people learn better from animation and narration than from animation and onscreen text, and people learn better when extraneous material is not included. (In other words, the simpler the better.) Does that sound familiar? These are pretty much the central principles of video scribing!

 

Scribe vs. Talking Head

 

Sparkol, makers of VideoScribe, sent 1,000 people a whiteboard animation and another 1,000 people a talking head video, both of which used the same audio file and provided the same content (a business coach making a pitch for new clients). After watching, viewers answered a set of questions that tested their comprehension, retention, enjoyment, and inclination to respond positively to the pitch. 

 

The scribe video outperformed the talking head video in all tests.

 

Those who had seen the scribe performed better in four out of five memory tests. The scribe was three times more likely to be shared and more than twice as likely to be recommended. Twice as many scribe viewers said they would buy the service. The scribe video came out on top in all age brackets and for both sexes. 

 

Examples

 

To see scribing in action, check out a few of these examples:

 

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vkahn9v81k8
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKlgn-yDBQc
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcft5B1c-JE

And here's a sample video that I created with VideoScribe to promote my IconLogic class: Whiteboard Animation with VideoScribe.

Learn to Mesmerize

There’s something mesmerizing about a drawing coming to life. People are drawn to scribe videos like a crowd gathering around a portrait artist at the fair. In my new three-hour intensive course, you will learn to tell your first story using VideoScribe.

 

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Geeky Girl Karin Rex is an online learning pioneer and whiteboard animation evangelist. Since 1989, Karin has owned Geeky Girl, LLC, a boutique learning organization, where she devotes her time to writing, course development (instructor led and eLearning), and teaching.

 

Karin has authored several technology books, including: Office 2010 Demystified (McGraw-Hill) and hundreds of user guides, reference manuals, and tutorials. She’s also developed an extensive number of learning programs for a wide variety of global clients.

 

Karin is a Certified Online Training Professional (COTP), certified synchronous facilitator, designer, and producer, with a master’s degree in professional writing. Additionally, Karin teaches undergraduate writing courses for Penn State University and is the Instructional Design Lead for InSync Training.