Putting Power Point Online

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Craig Wiesner has used a variety of PowerPoint conversion/management products, including Breeze and Brainshark. "My absolute highest priority was getting the PowerPoint files converted into Flash files that were as small as possible (for fast Web delivery) and maintaining PowerPoint animation features and graphics without corruption."

According to Weisner, all the "gee-whiz" features of polling and tracking are nice, but if the key reason to use a product is to get information out to an audience in an easy-to-consume format, and to do so with an easy-to-use, no-brainer conversion process at a reasonable cost, no product works better than i-Create, which was originally developed by a company called Wanadu and now is called PointeCast Publisher and is offered by PointeCast in Lindon, Utah.

If the reader is looking for a product that "does a really terrific job” of converting PowerPoint to Flash, getting files easily onto the Web, and maintaining the features of PowerPoint slide-show settings, “give this product a shot.”

The desktop version sells for under $500, he says. “You convert and then ask your Webmaster to post the files and add a link. You're done."

If the reader needs tracking features, he can "go for the expensive portal version and poll and track his little heart out." According to Weisner, the portal version is SCORM-compliant and works with both Learning management systems and learning content management systems.

Amy Leschke-Kahle has been using Articulate for the last year and says the program is "very easy-to-use" and produces "very professional" Flash-executable files.

"It also comes with some built-in quizzing capabilities. You can purchase additional quizzing capabilities if you want more options, but I have found the ones that come with the package very suitable for my applications. I put the completed programs on an internal
server for easy learner access. The program itself is very inexpensive."

ARTICULATE KUDOS

Meanwhile, Leschke-Kahle's colleague Jon Goodney offers these Articulate kudos:

o Easy publishing interface. "We cut our development of SCORM-compliant test questions from a six-week turnaround with an outside supplier down to 30 minutes doing it in-house. Although we added slightly to our payroll, it is possible to use temporary help to do the final publishing. It is simple enough to train people who have very little knowledge of Web applications. We found that a person with a graphic-design background works best."

o Final product is efficient on the Web with a 56K connection -- even with high-end audio, graphics and learning interactions.

o Simple licensing agreements.

o Excellent, timely customer support. "You ask a question; they get back to you immediately."

o Reasonably priced desktop license available. "You don't have to buy a complete package of licenses to test the water. At the time of our research, Macromedia Breeze was offering an online conversion, not a desktop version, which conflicted with our firewall -- not to mention several other bugs we identified."

Finally, Goodney's colleague Tony Loyd offers these Articulate pointers:

o Create a nice master slide for your PowerPoint to add visual nterest and to guide learners. "For example, we have the lesson title and the topic in the header."

o Stick with the good old systematic approach to training. Start by listing your tasks, breaking them down to skills and knowledge and writing good objectives.

o Don't just digitize your lectures. People only retain about five percent of what they learn through lecture. In order to increase retention, you need to engage the learner. Be sure to use the built-in activities in Articulate and also be sure to package it with Quizmaker.

o Understand where Articulate content fits in with your total training package. "We use Articulate to build required prerequisite online learning. Everyone must complete the course and pass the test prior to showing up for the hands-on training. This greatly reduces the amount of time required for training, and it also is more satisfying to our students, who want to get their hands dirty instead of sitting in a dark room looking at PowerPoints."

o "We have the course professionally narrated and insert the audio. We also create a .PDF of the presentation as an attachment. If your learners prefer to read for themselves, sit back and listen, or a combination of the two, they have the power to choose."

o Think upfront about whether you're going to translate. Keep text on screen to a minimum. "As you know, when text is translated, it can grow in size significantly. We use Transware to translate the PowerPoint. Then, they publish using Articulate. They have native speakers who can insert the files and time the animations."

Blogged on 6:36 PM

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