Live Preview on Devices

Before Captivate 2019, if I wanted to preview my designs on a mobile device, I had to publish the whole project, upload it to my web server, email myself a hyperlink and then launch the course from my mobile device. In this video tutorial, I show you how easy it is to do the same thing just by using a simple QR Code reader in iOS or Android devices. No web server required. 

Best Deal in eLearning Conferences

I've said this in years past and I'm going to say it again. If you are interested in Adobe eLearning there is no better eLearning conference than the Adobe Learning Summit in Las Vegas. This year it's even better than ever. This year the conference is completely free! Watch my video to see what's included for that price. You might be surprised.

Be sure to come to my session C102: Create your first responsive eLearning course with Adobe Captivate, October 4, 2018, 14:00 - 15:00 (PDT) at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Also take advantage of great room rates as well. Get all the details and register using the button below.

Webcam Video Demo

In this video tutorial, I show you how you can record and insert clips from your webcam into your video demo tutorials recorded in Adobe Captivate 2019 Release. 

Captivate 2019 - Enhanced Fluid Boxes

In this video tutorial, I show you how fluid boxes have been enhanced and improved in Adobe Captivate 2019 Release. 

Virtual Reality Projects

For a few years, I’ve been listening to other Captivate developers talk about virtual reality and the dream to design 3D eLearning. That dream is now a reality with Captivate 2019. You can now create a virtual reality eLearning project that learners can view on their computer screen, mobile device and even using a VR headset. Learners can turn in all directions and view whatever environment you wish to display to them. You can make it truly interactive by adding hotspots to perform a variety of different actions. You can play additional audio, display additional images, show the learner a text passage and much more. I’m very interested in seeing how other developers use this feature. If eLearning was a video game, we’ve just gone from Donkey Kong to World of Warcraft.

In this video tutorial, I show you the new Virtual Reality Projects in Adobe Captivate 2019. 

Publish as an iOS or Android App

In this video tutorial, I show you part of the process for publishing your Adobe Captivate project as an iOS or Android app using the Adobe PhoneGap features available to you. While the Captivate publish to PhoneGap process is relatively easy, there are some additional steps and costs associated with getting your app up and running with iOS and Android. Here are some links to online documentation that may help you.

PhoneGap website:
https://build.phonegap.com/

Enrollment in the Apple Developer program
https://developer.apple.com/support/enrollment/

Apple support for building a developer certificate
https://developer.apple.com/support/certificates/

PhoneGap build instructions (includes a section on iOS and Android)
http://docs.phonegap.com/phonegap-build/signing/overview/

Multi Track Slide Audio

In this video tutorial, I show you how you can add a second slide audio track to each slide of your Adobe Captivate eLearning project. I also show you a bonus method to bring in additional audio attached to slide objects as well. Use your imagination to figure out how these two tricks can help you.

My WIIFM Story

One mistake that is often made within organisations who design their eLearning is with WIIFM. WIIFM stands for "what's in it for me?" (said from the perspective of the learner). This attempts to address the motivation for the learner to proceed and ultimately complete their training. The mistake comes when the WIIFM is written from the perspective of the organisation and not truly what motivates employees.

Here is an example that I experienced when I was working at the Toronto international airport. Consulting with my stakeholder and subject matter experts the motivation for a course on safety was for the thousands of passengers that visit Toronto's international airport and with an emphasis on the reputation of the airport as a safe place.

Upon further reflection I started to think about the employees who were going to be required to complete this course and realized that while we all want to be safe, an employees concern is not toward the reputation of the airport or to the thousands of strangers who pass through the airport daily, but instead for themselves, their families and friends (their loved ones).

It took some convincing, but my stakeholder agreed that reminding employees that their loved ones at some point will be passengers at the airport and their safety is what is ultimately important to employees. Also, concern for their own safety can be used in this instance as well. Everyone, including the families of employees, wants them to come home safe at the end of their shift. I managed to extend that even further to include their co-workers as well. Many co-workers become friends outside of work. We share in each other's lives and their families become our families.

Try to avoid towing the corporate line when writing your course motivation section of your eLearning. It becomes far more effective when it has real meaning to the employees and not some check mark on a corporate checklist.  

Samsung Gear 360 (2017 Edition) Review

In this review, I will talk about my experience with the Samsung Gear 360 (2017 Edition). I purchased this camera from Amazon from the following link: https://amzn.to/2O0zF34

I previously purchased and reviewed the Insta360 Air. My conclusion was the Insta360 camera limited your ability to use the camera in professional situations. You must mount the camera to the micro USB port on your smartphone, and you cannot operate it without your phone. What this means is that you will be visible in almost all of your photos or videos. Also, this camera is only 3k. I learned first hand that with 360-degree photography this isn't enough resolution to produce detailed images.

After sending the Insta360 back to Amazon, I purchased the Samsung Gear 360 (2017 edition). I ran the camera through similar tests as I did with the Insta360 hoping that the extra 1k in its 4k sensor would be more than enough. I liked the fact that it was a self-contained camera that didn't require your smartphone to function; however, the app for the smartphone made it easy to use the camera remotely. You can place the Gear 360 on a tripod or put it on a stable surface and hide behind an obstacle. This way you can take photos or videos of the area and keep yourself out of the shot, which would be more suitable for something like eLearning. Like the Insta360 the Samsung has two wide angle lenses that when stitched together produce a full 360-degree view. The Gear360 uses the dedicated app for your smartphone, or you can use the software for a Windows PC to accomplish the stitching. There is an iPhone app as well, but I didn't get a chance to test this out. 

Here are some sample videos I created to try the different resolutions in video mode.

I don't know if the camera I received was defective, or the issue was software related; however, I encountered a quality issue along the seam from one lens to another. It was as if one of the lenses was fogged up or perhaps the glass was damaged somehow. It seemed to be the lens that was closest to the source of light. I didn't attempt to troubleshoot if it was the front or the back. Also, I suspected that it might be an artefact from the stitching process. In either case, I decided that perhaps ultimately a 4k 360-degree camera was not going to meet my needs for eLearning and I eventually sent the camera back to Amazon.

Pros

• The camera can operate independently from the smartphone
• The camera has a built-in microphone
• The build quality is excellent. sturdy design
• The camera accepts MicroSD card for storing images instead of storing on a smartphone

Cons

• Quality is not sufficient to show viewers a considerable amount of detail required for professional situations
• The camera is top heavy, and there is potential for it to tip and possibly damage the lenses.
• The stitching seam is noticeable especially when an object crosses the seam during a video as the camera tries to correct for alignment.

While I anticipate that 360-degree photography will be available in eLearning in the very near future, I think I'm going to hold off until the price of the higher resolution cameras come down. In my experience, the only people who are asking about 360-degree slides in eLearning are fellow designers hoping to distinguish themselves. My actual clients are not asking for this. They might start asking once some examples are out there in the real world. Hopefully, by then there will be some better quality camera to purchase within my budget.
 

Samsung Gear 360 Unboxing

In this video, I unbox my new Samsung Gear 360. I previously reviewed the Insta360 Air but decided to send that back to the seller. I read the specs and reviews of the Gear 360 and while I acknowledge that this is not the best VR camera around, it's certainly an improvement over the Insta360 and perhaps will be a nice compromise of quality and price.

Get your own here: https://amzn.to/2Nf1TG0

Here are some interesting accessories for this camera
https://amzn.to/2zEMnRW
https://amzn.to/2zFpnSJ