Learning Management Systems And PowerPoint, Flash And Authoring Tools
Monday, October 4th, 2010Most training professionals want their training content to look more fluid and not like a PowerPoint. While PowerPoint can be effective to generate your web-based content, and may be the starting format of choice, it may not have the look and feel you want.
A number of affordable software products are available to convert PowerPoint into Flash format for a faster, more web friendly delivery. These products include Captivate, FlashSpring, Power Converter, to name a few, and they have advanced in ease of use, features and options. A FlexAuthoring feature and a PowerPoint conversion option can help the content developer move with ease from PowerPoint to online course production.
The integrated FlexAuthoring tool allows the training designer to add an external URL or web page template to display a web page within the learning screen. The frame of the learning screen displays the content as part of the authoring tool functionality. As with all templates, the navigation and bookmarking allow the students to move through and tag the learning content. Web-deliverable content created in third party authoring sources, such as PowerPoint, Web URLs, HTML, Flash, etc., can be included as independent learnign sections or as part of a more comprehensive course section.
Ability to create Flash Slides (FlashSpring option). Flash slides are an important advancement for PowerPoint conversion options. You have the option of converting the entire PowerPoint to a Flash Movie or HTML format. These are excellent options but don’t allow for bookmarking to the specific slide where the student leaves the section. PowerPoint provides the option of saving JPEG image slides that can be used in FlexAuthoring to achieve the bookmarking functionality, but it is difficult to create the same quality in the image compared to actual PowerPoint. Also, since the image is static, any animations or audio created in the PowerPoint are lost. Audio for image slides need to be imported to the FlexTraining Media Library and then matched to the image and learning screen.
To product an individual Flash object slide that will reflect the original quality, Flash slides capture the audio and animation contained in PowerPoint. This Flash slide can be added to a FlexAuthoring template so the learner has the option to navigate and bookmark the designated learning screen.
Now you have two options. You can import the Flash slides into the Media Library to be embedded through the basic multimedia template of FlexAuthoring, or you can utilize the new External URL template and simply point to the Flash slide you want to use.
The transition from PowerPoint to the “Web Content Look” continues to get easier, and with more options.
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