This week I wanted to show you how easily you can create an automatic scrolling effect in Articulate Storyline 2. Hopefully you can find some good uses for this effect in your e-learning projects and add a bit of flare to your Storyline interactions!
Terminology Tuesday: User Groups
This week I wanted to chat a bit about something I aspire to participate in locally. Something I’ve wanted to create for some time now, but just haven’t found more hours in the day…User Groups!
User Groups?
A user group is a group of users of a particular software who meet regularly to share information related to the software, such as:
- How the software is being used
- Neat tips and tricks for using the software
- To talk troubleshooting
- Getting advice
User groups can help enhance your product knowledge and potentially streamline your development within the software. If you’re working in a silo, how can you reap the benefits of user tips and tricks when you aren’t interacting with these users?
Sharing truly is caring, and the main goal of a user group is to share information! Each individual user has a different perspective, and everyone can bring great ideas to the table! Not to mention, user groups give you a huge opportunity to network with like-minded professionals, which could benefit from an entrepreneurial perspective (e.g. if User 1 has too much work and needs to offload to another individual – the user group provides the opportunity to locate qualified sub-contractors).
I’ve been lusting over all of the Articulate User Groups, but have not found enough interest in an Articulate User Group within my demographic (Eastern Canada). I have the means of securing a location, but just need warm bodies…particularly warm bodies interested in participating in a regular Articulate User Group. If you’re one of those individuals, let me know!
Screencast Monday: Using Variables to Add Values in Storyline
I know I’m going to regret doing this, but I’ve added a new weekly feature to the site: Screencast Monday. I’ll regret doing this only because I am in a constant state of feeling like there are never enough hours in the day…but my hope is that it will be a very helpful feature for all of your lovely folks! Sharing is caring!
Inspired by the E-Learning Heroes Community screencast challenges, where I’ll be cross-posting videos, when relevance allows. The first instalment of Screencast Monday has been cross-posted to the E-Learning Heroes Community post Share Your Tips for Getting Started with Storyline’s Variables.
Using Variables to Add Values in Storyline
I write about this and many other neat Storyline concepts in my new book, being published in the next couple of months, Mastering Articulate Storyline, so if I peak your interest, stay tuned and grab the book when it comes out!
This week, I’m showing you just how easy it is to perform basic calculations using the Number variable in Articulate Storyline. This is a great function to use when it comes to mathematical quizzes, or scenario-based learning.
Check out the video below to find out how you too can add values using number variables, and let me know in the comments whether you’re excited about this new weekly feature and whether you want me to continue it!
Terminology Tuesday: Digital Citizenship
I often think about the ways in which people are using technology, and how the emergence of the Internet has impacted things such as bullying, where when I was young, you used to be able to escape bullying by going home after school. For these reasons (and more), I wanted to chat a bit about the concept of Digital Citizenship.
What is digital citizenship?
Digital citizenship is relates to societal norms and responsible use of digital technology and the Internet.
Who is a digital citizen?
A digital citizen can be considered any individual who is using technology and the Internet to participate socially (e.g. reading and writing blogs/wikis, participating in social media, etc.).
What constitutes responsible use?
Responsible use as it relates to digital citizenship would involve using digital technologies in a manner that will not negatively impact other individuals or which are illegal. For example, cyber bullying negatively impacts those individuals on the receiving end of the bullying, plagiarizing someone’s work is unethical, and downloading pirated films/tv shows/software is illegal.
But there’s so much more!
Digital citizenship isn’t just about being a responsible user of digital technology, it also involves being responsible when it comes to how you use digital technology. For example, using ergonomic principles and best practices, you can set up your workstation so that it does not negatively impact your muscles and body.
Resources
Nine Themes of Digital Citizenship from digitalcitizenship.net
Digital Citizenship: Developing a Culture of Trust and Transparency by A. Marcinek
5-Minute Film Festival: Teaching Digital Citizenship by A. E. Borovoy
Terminology Tuesday: Digital Natives
Piggybacking on last week’s discussion of digital literacy, I’m going to discuss digital natives…a topic somewhat inspired by the ‘free wifi’ at a resort my friends and I stayed at several years go.
Digital Natives
Marc Prensky originally coined the term Digital Natives when looking for a term for a new generation of students: the first generation of students to grow up with digital technology. My generation, Gen Y – commonly referred to as Millenials, grew up with the emergence of digital technology. We were there for enormous CRT monitors, 14.4k dial-up modems, shouting at our parents for picking up the telephone when we’re trying to use the Internet, and have experienced many of the technological hiccups that have helped shape digital technology today.
Today, this group of digital natives seem to innately understand how to use technology. Which brings me back to my Mexican resort experience in 2013 – the resort claimed to have ‘free wifi’ in the main lobby, but neither myself nor three of my other millennial pals, who work with technology every single day, could figure out how to get connected to this elusive wifi. Meanwhile, children between the ages of 2 and 8 surrounded us, as if we had entered some digital playground, successfully connected to the Internet and doing more than the least of which we wanted to do…I just wanted to check my damn email!
Why Do I Need to Know This?!
Understanding Digital Natives is important! Why? Because as Learning and Development professionals, we need to better understand how to effectively develop training for our target audiences. This is a fact that is important for anyone working in Education. In my day-to-day, I come across individuals who are very out of touch with how their students are learning, and refuse to adapt their traditional methods of instruction (e.g. stand up lectures/chalk and talk) to address the needs of these individuals. I do see movement to adapting these teaching methods, but there’s still a great amount of resistance and frustration.
Ultimately, it’s important to understand that digital natives seem to be more comfortable when working in the digital realm than they do in more traditional contexts. While this doesn’t mean that we need to trash traditional methods entirely, it certainly does mean that we need to make certain adaptations.
When you consider digital natives in tandem with online learning, making these adaptations may also stand to increase overall accessibility to high-quality education, so while digital natives may view these educational means as an environment in which they can thrive and are eager to enrol in, we will inadvertently address accessibility issues for other generations!
Resources:
Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants by Marc Prensky
Terminology Tuesday: Digital Literacy
When I was working through my undergraduate degree, majoring in Linguistics, I was always fascinated my the broad concept of literacy, particularly I lived in an industrialized country that still had high instances of illiteracy. As technology becomes more prevalent in our society, the issue of digital literacy is of equal interest to me.
Digital Literacy
Digital literacy involves having the general knowledge/skills/behaviours to use digital technology such as computers, smartphones, and tablets that are (in most circumstances) connected to the Internet. For even the most novice of digital literates, one should be able to troubleshoot digital technology issues, even if that troubleshooting involves a simple google or youtube consultation.
In the Learning and Development (L&D) community, digital literacy should be a priority. With an aging workforce, our training really does need to cater to the younger demographic. However, we need to ensure equal access for those in the workforce who are not considered ‘digital natives’. The younger generation is accustomed to using and troubleshooting technology; some of these individuals may not even remember dial-up internet or corded telephones, but they are most often than not extremely literate when it comes to using digital technologies.
This is why, in developing e-learning, content should be geared toward the digital literate, but should also consider elements that are important to those not so literate, such as navigation help, interface explanation, etc.
When I think of digital literacy (which I often take for granted), I think of my parents. My mom who is fairly literate in the technology world, but keeps a bag of computer cables ‘just in case’ (most of which have become obsolete and will never be needed), and my dad who has maybe done an internet search 10 times in his entire life.
In taking for granted my own digital literacy, I’ve noticed that my mom can now outperform me when it comes to getting around on her Android tablet, and my dad is keeping me updated on all of the latest media streaming services and how to use them. In considering this, I realized just how important it is to be continually learning, as even though I work in a technology-driven industry, my skills and knowledge can become just as outdated just as quickly as technology.
I suppose my point is this: digital literacy might be taken for granted, especially in the world of L&D professionals, who are entrenched in creating cutting edge training programs. As professionals, we need to ensure we’re being just as inclusive to those non-digital natives as we would be for programs requiring 508 compliance. Just because it seems logical to us, it might not be as straight-forward to our learners.
