The Logical Blog by IconLogic

CenarioVR: AI Wizard Makes 360-degree Scene Creation Cooler Than Ever

CenarioVR has caught the AI bug by adding an incredible AI wizard. The wizard lets you quickly add 360-degree scenes to your VR eLearning course faster and easier than ever!

To add a scene to a scenario, click the Add Scene icon.

From the right side of the Scene dialog box, click the AI Wizard button.

In the Scene Description field, type Four mice sitting around a table playing poker.

From the Select Category drop-down menu, choose any category that you like (note that I left my category set to the default, Realism)

Click the Use button.

Click the Done button to add the new scene to your scenario.

Preview the scene to see just how cool the AI Wizard is.

If you'd like to see the mice playing poker, and who wouldn't, I've uploaded the poker scene to my web server.

If you'd like virtual mentoring assistance with CenarioVR, email me.

Teaching Virtual Classes: Get People Talking

by Jennie Ruby, CTT, COTP

 

People like to hear themselves talk. I don’t mean that in a bad way. What I mean is that people like to express themselves and feel heard. Feeling heard helps us feel connected to the others we encounter, the people we interact with, and—here’s my point—the people we learn with. Connecting with the instructor/facilitator and the other students/participants plays a huge role in online class engagement. When you are the virtual instructor, make sure you are fostering this connection in your classes.

 

Your learners are not empty containers for you to fill with information. In adult learning, the learners are also teachers. Ask them to help you teach the class! Well, okay, maybe not literally like, 

 

“Fonzarelli! Would you like to get up here and teach the class?” 

 

But more like this: 

 

“Amy, can you think of a way you might use [what we just learned] in your work?”

 

Often in my online software classes, I stop and ask this:

 

“Have any of you used [this concept or technique] in your projects? Raise your hand or give me a green check.”

 

Then I call on one of the participants who signaled yes, and I ask them to come off mute and say hello. Once their mic is working, I repeat the question and invite them to tell how they have used the [concept] in their projects. They typically share one or more really good examples, express some degree of enthusiasm for it, and/or have additional comments or suggestions.

 

After that—and this part is really important—I invite the class to respond to what they shared.

 

“Does anyone else do something similar?”

 

“What do you think, Eliana, could you use this in your projects?”

 

The result? The class members are engaged with one another as well as with me. Those who share their experiences feel heard and appreciated. (Did I mention thanking them for the concepts they shared?) The class benefits from hearing a broader range of examples than I might think of alone. And voices other than mine are heard over the audio connection, adding variety and interest to that dimension of the class.

 

Bonus points: If you are discussing a later topic in the class, and it relates to what a class member shared earlier, make sure to recall what the participant shared, mention it again, and tie it to the new topic. Doing this makes the class feel more dynamic and alive and less like a canned presentation. Once more, the participant feels heard and appreciated, and everyone gets a little more out of the class experience.

 

If you'd like to become an awesome virtual trainer, check out our upcoming Online Training Professional Certification course.

 

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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.

Microsoft PowerPoint 365: How to Edit Icons Like a Pro

Let’s say you wanted to insert a checkmark graphic into your PowerPoint deck. You might do so from the Icons tool (Insert > Icons) by typing “checkmark” into the search field.

But, maybe, you have quite discerning tastes when it comes to your checkmark imagery. Perhaps you prefer a more bold and stocky variety of checkmark. You may even notice that the checkmark you desire exists within another icon, locked away just out of reach.

As it exists in its Graphic format, you cannot remove the individual checkmarks from the checklist icon. You can only edit the whole thing as one cohesive image. There is, however, a way to extrapolate that checkmark of your dreams, and I’m here to share it with you.

1. From that same dialog box, click on the icon with the checkmark-ed list and click the Insert button to place it on your slide.
2. With the image selected, head to the Graphics Format tab on the Ribbon.
    
   
   
3. On the far left, from the Change area, click the Convert to Shape

Your Icon, previously a Graphic, is now a Shape, which means it can be pulled apart and its individual elements harvested. You’ll know it’s a Shape because the Shape Format tab will appear in place of the Graphic Format tab on the Ribbon.

4. With the Shape selected on your slide, press [Ctrl][Shift][G] on your keyboard (or right-click the shape and select Ungroup from the drop-down menu) to Ungroup the shape.
   
   
   
   You are now able to pull apart and edit the individual pieces of your formerly cohesive graphic.

Sayonara skinny checkmark!