Flash Tutorials on Screenr
As a Adobe Flash addict, I am always on the lookout for tutorials and new tips and tricks that can make Flash development easier. Every now and then I peruse Screenr.com for Flash tutorials. Because screencasts on Screenr have a five minute limit, they are usually very succinct, which is what I like. They are also easy to search if you do a site search (flash site:screenr.com). Below are a few I found. I threw in one of my own too.
FYI: If you are interested in creating screeencasts, Screenr is easy to use and free. Thank you Articulate for offering this free tool. Also, if you are looking for Articulate tuts, they have plenty of those too.
To see the remaining tutorials for the paddle game, visit @paulkeenan59’s Screenr page.
Had to throw the last one in with the release of the iPad looming (feh).
If you are creating Flash tutorials on Screenr, please feel free to add a link to it in the comments section. Thanks!
Earthquakes Online
With the tragic news of the recent earthquakes, first Haiti and now Chile, I thought I would share some of the e-learning resources regarding earthquakes and tsunamis. Prior to that, it is important to note the valiant relief efforts so many are doing and the support they need. There are many relief groups in need of donations and it can be done easily online or via text. Mashable has posted a list of ways you can make online and text donations.
Here are some e-learning resources regarding earthquakes along with emergency preparedness:
- “Written in Stone” Earthquake Animations - SDSU
- Earthquakes - SDSU
- Earthquakes for Kids - USGS
- Forces of Nature - National Geographic
- Seismology Animations - IRIS
- The Tsunami Disaster Explained - BBC (2004)
- The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire - Bancroft Library
- Be Red Cross Ready - American Red Cross
- Are You Prepared? - 72hours.org
These are also now listed on the Free e-Learning page.
Free e-Learning Additions
It has been a while since I have added anything to the Free e-Learning page. With a little extra time this weekend, I have added a history section, which includes the courses below.
History
An Overview of American History (video) - Digital History
Ancient History - BBC
British History - BBC
Native Words, Native Warriors (Codetalkers) - NMAI
The First Thanksgiving - Plimoth.org
The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization - PBS
The Roman Empire in the First Century - PBS
U.S. History Timeline - Digital History
If you have any free e-learning that you would recommend, please leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail.
The Free e-Learning Page Hits 100
The Free e-Learning Page just reached 100 e-learning courses/tutorials. Here are the categories that have been established thus far:
- Archaeology, Anthropology and Paleontology
- Art
- Compliance
- Computer
- Finance
- Flash (Adobe Flash tutorials)
- Instructional Design
- K-12 (fun for adults too)
- Public Health and Safety
- Science
- Sports
- Wacom (graphics tablet)
- Misc.
I continually added course as I find them. New categories are also added, as needed. The page contains plenty of great examples of e-learning and all are absolutely free, take a look. And if you have an e-learning course that allows open access, please let me me know and I will be happy to add it to the list.
Hurricance e-Learning Resources
It’s hurricane season, so I thought I would add a few hurricane resources to the Free e-Learning page.
Here they are:
Forces of Nature - National Geographic
Hurricanes - KidsKnowIt Network
Hurricane Motion Gizmo - ExploreLearning
Be Red Cross Ready - American Red Cross
Hurricane Preparedness - Propane Exceptional Energy
Adobe FlashTutorials
I have been deep into numerous Flash projects. Some are WBT’s that contain Flash interactions, others are entire courses made in Flash. For some, I am delving beyond my current knowledge of Flash Actionscript. Thus, I have been visiting many Flash tutorials. Here are some of the Flash tutorial sites I found out there. FYI: These sites contain free tutorials.
http://www.entheosweb.com/Flash/default.asp - Entheosweb
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flash/ - Flash Development Center
http://www.w3schools.com/Flash/default.asp - w3schools.com
http://www.flashkit.com/tutorials - Flash Kit
http://www.gotoandlearn.com - gotoAndLearn()
http://www.flashandmath.com - Flash & Math (AS3 tutorials)
http://flash.tutsplus.com - Flash Tuts+
http://www.echoecho.com/flash.htm - EchoEcho
If you have any favorite Flash tutorial sites, please share. I am also adding a Flash Tutorial category on the Free e-Learning page.
NOVA’s Interactives Archive
I absolutely love seeing great examples of e-learning. While watching NOVA, I took a trip over to their website and found their Interactives Archive. It has hundreds of educational interactives. They are organized by interest and range from anthropology to technology. Here is the link, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/hotscience, take a look. It will be added to the Free e-Learning page too.
The Eagle has Landed - Apollo XI
One of my earliest memories as a child was the Apollo 11 Moon landing 40 years ago. With the anniversary upon us (7/20), I am promoting some of the great resources NASA has on the web celebrating this event.
NASA - Apollo 40th Anniversary
Explore the Apollo 11 Landing Site
Restored Videos of the Moon Walk
Real-Time Replay of Mission Audio (July 16-July 24)
you have to fight for the right TO BE ENGAGING
I just read a comment on a blog where a someone was very frustrated by bland, unengaging page turners. It got me thinking. How do you get a an organization out of the rut of making page turners and to start creating more engaging and effective courses? Here are my first thoughts:
- Put on your instructional designer hat and do everything you can to educate all involved (SMEs, clients, managers, and audience too) on what effective e-learning is and how all involved can benefit from it.
- Show all involved what effective e-learning looks like, actual examples. Here is just one place where you can find examples -http://minutebio.com/blog/free-e-learning/ (this my Free e-Learning collection ).
- Find case studies, articles, evaluations, etc. that support your case.
- Create a prototype to demonstrate the level of interactivity and engagement your organization can produce in a course. Get your co-workers involved so they will be vested in the “new approach.” This will earn you supporters and people who can rally against the archaic page turners the organization still wants to produce.
- When you launch your prototype/course and your audience provides positive feedback. Be quick to send that feedback to the powers to be along with any evaluation you have done. They will have a hard time arguing against more interactive courses then.
- Continue to evaluate your courses even after you have been given the go ahead and resources to create more interactive courses. If you can demonstrate positive results for all 4 levels of evaluation, especially “results,” they will have little argument for ever implementing a page turner again.
What else can be done to address the organization stuck in page turner mode? Please feel free to make suggestions. Thanks.
Developing With Flash Lite Video Series
Dale Rankine recently launched the first video of his video training series for Flash mobile developers. If you are interested in developing with Flash Lite, say m-learning, you will want to check this out. The videos are developed for delivery on Adobe TV, but he is also making them available on Vimeo. Here the link, http://vimeo.com/adobeflashlite.
I am looking forward to seeing more of these videos and will be adding this to my Free e-Learning page, of course.
