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What I Like About eLearning March 22, 2011

Posted by Eric Matas in eLearning, Theory.
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4 comments

I was never really good in art class growing up. I’d immerse myself in the project of the day and be proud of what I’d made, only to look up at the end and discover that everyone else had glued their macaroni or painted their plate just a little better than I.

I particularly liked collages, I think, because they offered the less talented more room for error — mistakes just look like creativity in a collage. Maybe elearning is like a collage. Some text here, a photo there. Some images I cut and paste along the edge.

And then maybe I move everything around and try another lay-out.

I like that. I like strategy and learning by experience. So mapping out a template and building it 14 ways definitely floats my boat. Rapid-prototyping was practically invented for the strategist and activator (StrengthsFinder) in me.

And I like a lot of other things about elearning:

  • Likable elearningHaving all these programs, and multiple instances of some, open at once: Captivate, Photoshop, PowerPoint, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer, Word, TweetDeck, Handbrake, Dropbox, Excel, and Project.
  • The Rapid eLearning Blog and tips like how to make a PowerPoint template.
  • Cathy Moore’s dedication to language.
  • That elearning people are into Twitter and Facebook (community from Cali to London to Austrailia).
  • Creative elearning people coming up with cool logos like the awesome little Litmos monster and the ninja photo of the eLearning Brothers.
  • Cammy Bean.
  • The beautiful, sleek, amazing app machine known as the iPad.
  • Screenr.
  • Saying, “How about a hover over?”
  • The writers I’ve read the most: B.J. Schone, Jane Hart, Tom Kuhlmann, and Clive Shepherd.
  • Nudging assets on the screen.
  • Tahoma, Verdana, and Kristen ITC.
  • Articulate — the authoring tools, the company, the blogs, and the online presence.
  • Drop shadows.
  • PNG files.
  • Editing the Captivate files being discussed during the conference call.
  • Putting secret doors throughout my elearning modules, mainly so I can jump around quickly, but also the occasional surprise room I hope some learner finds.
  • Absorb, the best LMS on earth.

LMS Spotlight: Litmos September 10, 2010

Posted by Eric Matas in eLearning, LMS Spotlight.
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4 comments

The face of the LMS is quickly changing. Five years ago, I could name only a half-dozen LMS options. Today I find new ones every week, and I estimate that there are more than 200 viable LMS choices.

I just completed an investigation of 35 LMS solutions, and found many cool companies and versatile tools. What I saw, and what I liked to see, was that many new LMS companies are trimming the fat off the traditional LMS behemoth. The newer LMS software offers only the options people actually use. And many offer complete hosting, which means you can make a decision without the interference/blessing of your IT department.

One of my favorite options is Litmos. The founders of Litmos created a tag line: “Love your LMS.” I thought: Yeah, right–an LMS is for bitter hatred. But not so with Litmos. This LMS is so stripped down that it might seem too limited by some users. But I think it’s tight focus is a challenge to elearning professional to assess what they really need from an LMS–and how much they want their LMS to get in the way.

Litmos is so light and agile that I was able to set up a demo site, add a few learners, add a couple of SCORM courses, and send a few email notifications all in less than 30 minutes. Minutes later, I was accessing the LMS on my smart phone. The Litmos experience is amazing–so different from the LMS nightmares I was used to with the larger LMS beasts out there.

Next, I was following Litmos on Twitter to learn more. Litmos posts updates on Twitter and on their blog, written by the “happy blogger” and General Manager, Nicole Fougere. I reached out to Nicole, and she provided me this nice summary of the strengths and features of Litmos:

Strengths:

  • Our mission is to build the most easy-to-use LMS in the world and have fun along the way
  • Litmos is Software as a Service (SaaS)
    • On-demand system delivered over the web
    • Instant access to trial, no downloads required etc.
    • Regular product and feature upgrades rolling out
  • Bare-bones LMS – development started with just the features you absolutely need to be successful
  • Easy navigation and intuitive design
  • Outstanding customer service
  • Young, small and agile team – rapidly growing company

Features:

  • SCORM 1.2 Certified by ADL
  • Custom themes and branding
  • People management tools: bulk import, groups/teams etc.
  • Drill-down and more selective custom reporting
  • Monthly billing based on active usage – only pay for those people who use your system each month
  • eCommerce – currently PayPal supported with a view to adding more payment providers shortly
  • API access – integrate the LMS with other systems
  • NEW: Basic mobile support for iPad, iPhone and Android – videos look great!

I recommend test driving Litmos. It has inspired many ideas for me. Check out this You Tube video: