I have been instrumental over the last 4 years in introducing many of the teaching faculty at the University of Adelaide to Articulate Studio Pro. It is three software tools that used together can create rapid access elearning.  I called their output Interactive Learning Modules or ILM’s.  When in May 2012 Articulate released a new product called Storyline (SL) and I realized it handled decision branching, simulations became possible and an entirely new world of pedagogy opened up.  ILMS changed meaning to Immersive Learning Micro Sims. The thought leaders in L&T on campus are now asking for training and support for simulation development with this powerful new tool.

As I have been exploring and learning SL, I have discovered it is not just software, but an entire ecosystem of products, digital assets and people benefiting from each other. SL is what I refer to as “80/20 software”.  80% of people will use 20% of the features and functionality 80% of the time and find it a satisfactory investment. (Some-what like Photoshop actually)  While the 20% of people who push the envelope, learn and use 80% of the power of SL will most likely end up as excellent educators, with outstanding student outcomes and even a few prizes along the way.

The purpose of this episode and blog post is to introduce you to the Storyline Ecosystem . There are many web links and resources here – if you are serious about interactive student centric learning and in particular simulations … bookmark them all and visit regularly. Much of what follows not only works in Storyline, but such other simulation development tools as Simwriter and even can be embedded in or linked to Apple iBooks and iTunesU courses.

• Interaction Design Fundamentals: A 3 hour 18 mins video based tutorial course on Lynda.com.  In L&T it is all about the students. When developing effective curriculum, it is all about starting with people and interaction.  Dr David M. Hogue teaches about people, what motivates them, how they think and behave. Master this before touching the software.
• Articulate Storyline: The next generation of eLearning development software.
• The Storyline Showcase: Imaginations the limit and this page show cases great examples of what is possible.  Not all of them were published as tablet friendly, but HTML 5 is always a choice.
• The E-Learning Heroes:  The Articulate Community, which at the moment is 107,816 e-learning professionals and growing.
• Tutorials on Building Better Courses: These are community resources with some “how to’s”.
• Storyline Tutorials: This is a Storyline specific tutorials and support page.
• Translating Storyline Content: In a global learning world, this resource is of special interest.
• Learning Storyline Launchpad: The motherload of Storyline links. This is where I start each session when learning SL. It is a detailed Mindmeister mind map  of resources and “how to’s”. It is a comprehensive visual representation of the Storyline ecosystem. Go and visit this and spend some hours there – you will learn a great deal.

Design Assets to add Professionalism to the Look and Feel

• Instructional Design Tips  and Graphic Design Tips: from the eLearning Brothers blogs.
• eLearning Template News and Assets: Another eLearning Bros blog to help.
• eLearning Brothers Library: eLearning templates, games and cut out people photos and illustrations and short video clips. These can take your look and feel to the next level of professionalism.
• eLearning Brothers Interaction Builder:  Quickly build eLearning interactions & games! The Interaction Builder is web browser based online software, that lets you choose from a library of interactions and games. You then input your information, download the finished interaction, and insert it into your authoring tool.
• eLearning Art:  20,000+ elearning templates and images great collection of eLearning characters adaptable for scenarios with cut out actual photos in hundreds of different poses. Also illustrations, speech bubbles and backgrounds. Backgrounds can be used with green screen photography, which will be the subject of another episode.
• Build Your Own Background: Hints and resources about how to construct your own backgrounds for scenes.
• eLearning Stock.com: Royalty-free stock for eLearning.  Illustrated and Animated characters images and authoring templates.
• 2conv.com: An excellent video and music converter, supporting all popular formats. This video to mp3 converting application is easy to use, handy and useful.
• Newspaper Clipping Generator: Create a realistic Newspaper image customized with you own content.
• Object2VR: Excellent software for both Windows and Mac for developing interactive 360 deg object movies Output can be HTML5 mobile friendly.
• Pano2VR: An application to convert spherical or cylindrical panoramic images into Adobe Flash 10,HTML5 (WebGL/iPhone/iPad), or QuickTime VR(QTVR) with features such as customisable skins, multi-resolution (gigapixel panoramas), hotspots and directional sound.

Articles, Blog Posts and Online Resources

• Build Branched E-Learning Scenarios in Three Simple Steps: Introduction of the 3C’s model. Each scenario consists of a challenge, some choices, and then consequences of those choices. Worth a read.
• Ultimate List of Free Storyboard Templates for eLearning: Here you will find 72 Free Storyboard Templates.
•  Ultimate List of Free Music for eLearning Development:  34 websites to download royalty free and creative commons music for free.
• Free Survey Polls Quizzes Tools for eLearning:  27 tools that you can use for free!
• List of eLearning Twitter Hashtags:  104 to start and links to hundreds of eLearning Professionals using twitter.
• Feedback in Scenarios: Let them think! A blog post by Cathy Moore

Online Tutorials

There are links to tutorials embedded in some of the sites mentioned above but I have just seen a blog post posted (Apr 2nd 2013) titled “The World’s Largest Repository of Free Online Learning Tools” It contains a definitive list of tutorials.  I just had to revisit here and share the link. Tom Kuhlmann who manages “The Rapid E-Learning Blog” for Articulate guesses it contains about 3,000 tutorials and 250 hours of free training on building rapid elearning courses. I think he is really close and the list sure is a mother load of great tutorial resources. It is really worth a visit.

Soon I will post an episode about how to make your own movies using your own actors and dropping out backgrounds with green screening for embedding into Storyline and other products. Also how to create animated avatars giving realistic scenes and interactions superior in look and feel to what’s possible in Second Life.

If you have discovered further resources I have missed, then please add them to the comments below. Please help build the knowledge and join the conversation.

Tags: articulate storyline | cutout figures | digital assets | elearning | elearning templates | simulations

Thats quite a claim for someone who has experienced as many learning and teaching conferences as I have and interviewed and learnt from 200+ thought leaders in Higher Education for our podcast programme over the years. When I was selected by Apple for the Apple Distinguished Educator’s Global Institute in Cork Ireland in July 2012 I never anticipated what a mind expanding event the entire experience would be. I was thrilled to be one of the 234 ADEs chosen from the 600 applicants and to have the funds to travel from my university award prize money. More of this experience below,but let’s start at the real beginning of the learning experience

Cork minus Four Weeks: About 1995 one of the first pieces of online education jargon I learned was “click brick and click” The idea of starting a learning experience online with the click of a mouse, then meeting  face-to-face (the brick), then continue back online with more mouse clicks.  It is the concept that influenced the development of blended learning. However I have never really seen it work as effectively as I did with the build up to Cork.  A month before the event we started using BaseCamp an online project management tool and putting into practice Challenge Based Learning.  We had four big ideas presented and all 234 of us entered into online community discussion to identify the essential  questions.  The discussion forums were reflective, mind expanding and very active. By the time we arrived in Ireland we had all chosen one of those big ideas areas we were interested in.  It was in these communities around a Big Idea where we split into small working groups for the week to define our challenges and make our pitch i.e. presentations.

For years when I travel internationally I do what I call a network crawl where I visit people/institutions with which I have contact, to learn from them and teach into them.  This trip to the UK was going to be no different. I contacted some colleagues I have met at some of those conferences, and asked would they like to meet and would they like me to talk about iPads. I never expected the response.  Five universities in three countries asked for seven Padagogy Seminars and extra meetings about LAMS. Wow I thought I had better upgrade the iPad seminars we (Ian Green from Adelaide and I) have presented to over 600 participants in Adelaide and elsewhere in Australia.

Seminar Upgrade: I started with the skeleton of what we did and rebuilt it from the ground up using Keynote as the guiding presentation tool. The seminars by necessity are App centric and because not everyone has an iPad and if they do, nor the same apps the seminars need to be show and tell.  Their main function is to present a selection of apps that can be used for L&T.  I wanted more than this so I looked to the most well know learning model around the Bloom’s Taxonomy.  During the research I found all the great work people have done with Blooms and technology. However I had a interesting new idea of mapping iPad apps to the cognitive domain of the taxonomy and using the Taxonomy Wheel The Padagogy Wheel … it’s a Bloomin’ Better Way  to Teach was born. I also identified the need for a third more hands on workshop I will call PADAGOGY 301 which is under development targeted to a more specific audience.

By Popular Demand: I have learnt from the responses in Padagogy workshops, that academics are very interested in Simon Smith’s e-assessment system of marking assignments. I knew I would get heaps of questions from the floor in Singapore and the UK so I recorded a podcast episode with Simon. Quality Feedback: It’s all about the Students. explains more about this innovative e-assessment  workflow using iPads. I mention this in Padagogy 201 and now there is a resource for people wanting more. Its a total win/win for all stakeholders. The teachers save significant time and can enrich the feedback and the students reap the benefit of more personalised feedback.

Let the Games Begin - First Stop Singapore: The time in Singapore was very productive with four workshops/seminars well attended at the new Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine at the Nanyang Technological University.  It is an exciting new joint medical school by Imperial College London and NTU they are developing a very innovative curriculum using LAMS and iPads. The “Padagogy Wheel” created quite a buzz. I presented each of these seminars twice in two days

PADAGOGY 101 What’s all the fuss about iPads in HE: This is an introduction to the iPad and contains reference to 29 iPad Apps from Document Readers to Project Management and links to 12 Video tutorials

PADAGOGY 201 It’s a Bloomin’ Better Way to Teach: This seminar gives ideas of the latest use of the Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy and how the iPad can serve the pedagogy. It has reference to 62 apps with 18 video based tutorials.

I had a great interview with Paul Gagnon Director of eLearning at Lee Kong Chian. Collaborative Learning … What No Lectures!: is about how they are taking Team Based Learning and adapting the pedagogy to use iPads and LAMS.

Next Stop London and a trip down the River Thames: This was a busy time with visits to four universities, but what a way to start, visiting the place where time starts and stops … Greenwich.  Simon Walker head of the EDU at Greenwich University had invited me to meet and talk LAMS.  When I got there I discovered they were doing some ground breaking work on Graduate Attributes. In the podcast episode Graduate Attributes – Spin or Education Simon talks about the long term initiative the University has to develop their academic skills and framework and push this into a pedagogical framework. How they involve the students and the tools they have developed is worth reflection.

Kingston University M25LTG:  When invited to present at this event while in London, I had no idea what that meant.  We caught the tube and some buses and eventually ended up at Kingston University for the M25 (thats the Motorway) Learning with Technology Users Group. A innovative users group of LT professionals from the different universities across the wider London area.  Note to self – we need to start this in Adelaide South Australia. It was also great to meet Dr Ian Green my fellow ADE from the University of Adelaide while in London – it was unexpected. He joined me in the rest of the visits and seminars.

Blended PADAGOGY 201 and 101 seminars: were needed at London University and the University College London:     Tim Neumann a colleague and good friend from the London Knowledge Lab had organised a 2 hour iPad Seminar at London and another Australian colleague who works for UCL organised one there.  Both were well attended and Ian and I did our joint presentation as we always do. The response was very positive.

Transforming global education: (and learning a bit of Irish) reads the tee shirt we received on our arrival in Cork. Thus began an incredible week of professional learning managed by Apple but the real learning happened in the small groups.  The video at the start of this blog entry gives you an insight of what it was like and the visual journey is stunning thanks to the great photos that were taken there and shared by Daniel Woo of the University of NSW.  As the saying goes “It ain’t over ’til it’s over!”  Everyone who attended the event has committed to work to an October deadline to publish content on the ADE iTunesU. There will be significant curriculum published for the developing of teachers as an outcome of Cork.

Finally Scotland and The University of Edinburgh:  This was actually an email type I call “a G’day email” I literally looked up the university website ans found the team running a post graduate elearning course ans said “G’day I’m visiting Edinburgh and wondered if ….” four or five emails later we had set up a PADAGOGY201 workshop that filled up with registrations in 24 hours from announcement and had a waiting list. They said it was the fastest response they have ever had to an elearning event.

We had a successful  seminar and the next day started the marathon journey home. Edinburgh to London… changed planes.  London to Singapore overnight no sleep …. thank goodness 4 hours sleep in the airport hotel then back on the A380 now that’s a plane and overnight to Sydney still no sleep… then change planes again and home to Adelaide. Over 48 hours travelling… but it was worth it.

Tags: Bloom's Taxonomy | Digital Taxonomy | education | elearning | graduate attributes | iPad for learning and teaching | iPads | University of Adelaide

Team Based Learning: Group Work that Works from UT Austin CTL on Vimeo.Paul Gagnon is the Director of eLearning of the new Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.  In this podcast episode Paul talks about their innovative approach to medical education, based on the concepts of Team Based Learning  which is gaining traction around the world, especially in Medical Science education. However Lee Kong Chian is taking it to the next level.  They are moving away from the paper based approach and going mobile. It is exciting to see how they will be using LAMS and iPads to connect with the students, engage them and sustain that engagement.  They are calling it Collaborative Learning and believe it will address the challenge that medical students need to have mastered the fundamental foundational body of knowledge and that the teachers must be confident that they know what the students know, as well as what they don’t know. Paul shares how TBL has an advantage in this over Problem Based Learning.  Others in the Medical Education marketplace are very positive about what Lee Kong Chian is doing with technologically enhanced learning and how they are planning to immerse the students in the learning process.

Please listen to the audioboo interview and should you have further questions about TBL there is a great web resource at the Team Based Learning Collaborative.    Two of the really interesting things about the video above, from the University of Texas, is that it shows TBL is useful across faculties and it also helps improve engagement and learning  in large classes.  Any HE teacher with big classes should think seriously about this.

Tags: Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine | NTU | University of Adelaide

When I received the invitation from the new Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, I decided to completely upgrade two seminar workshops. Dr Ian Green from the School of Education here at Adelaide and I have used Padagogy101 (introduction to iPad in HE) and Padagogy201 (more advanced use for L&T) to train over 600 faculty from universities in Australia. For Singapore, Ian wasn’t going to be with me and I was solo, as well I needed a better way to leave resources in place for people to revisit. However I was completely surprised at what else happened. During my research I saw lots of great work done by others using Bloom’s Taxonomy including the Revised Taxonomy which has now become the Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy. However when I discovered the excellent pioneer work done by Kathy Schrock with “Bloomin’ Apps” I got the idea for the Padagogy Wheel. Dare I say it but it is the next version for mobile learning of the ongoing importance of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Bloom’s is still fundamental to good teaching and learning.

It was a huge amount of work to meet the Singapore deadlines and involved quite a bit of lost sleep. However it has been more than worth it. These two revised workshops were met with a very positive response at NTU and people are already talking about the Padagogy Wheel in England my next stop. How does it work? I’m not apologising for the frequency I use this term, but it is truly all about the students. Teachers as many of you know, strive to define learning outcomes across more than one intellectual behaviour of the taxonomy. I personally strive to set a learning outcome from each of Remembering/Understanding, Applying, Analysing, Evaluating and Creating. I encourage teachers to spend quality “caffeine-charged” time with the action verbs. Next ask yourself the question “By the time the student/learner completes this workshop they should be able to (add the action verb)“. Then think about what activity or product which might achieve this.  You are well on your way to defining learning goals which are higher order thinking skills.

I have added 62 iPad apps to the wheel and put them where they could serve the pedagogy. These are not necessarily the best app for the job and many of the apps can be used in different realms but it is a good start. I hope it helps you rethink the iPad’s use in Learning and Teaching… it is not about the tool nor the app … it’s all about the students. Also if you have discovered a better app to serve a creative pedagogical use, then please share it in a comment to this blog post… there is always a better way!

When I first posted this blog entry I had the files and resources for the presentations in my Public folder of my dropbox.  The amount of interest and visits has created problems so I have reposted them to another website. They are now available at

1. PADAGOGY 101 What’s all the fuss about iPads in HE: This is an introduction to the iPad and contains reference to 29 iPad Apps from Document Readers to Project Management and links to 12 Video tutorials URL: http://www.unity.com.au/pad101
2. PADAGOGY 201 It’s a Bloomin’ Better Way to Teach: This seminar gives ideas of the latest use of the Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy and how the iPad can serve the pedagogy. It has reference to 62 apps with 18 video based tutorials.  URL: http://www.unity.com.au/pad201
3. INTRODUCTION TO THE PADAGOGY WHEEL: A 2 minute video introduction to how the wheel works. URL: http://tinyurl.com/padwheelvid
4. THE PADAGOGY WHEEL POSTER: This has been requested by many … it is a larger format PDF file. The apps are still linked and will look acceptable when printed as an A3 size poster if required.  URL: http://tinyurl.com/padwheelposter

Think outside the box and consider the possibilities!

The Padagogy Wheel by Allan Carrington is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.  Based on a work at http://tinyurl.com/bloomsblog.

Tags: Bloom's Taxonomy | Digital Taxonomy | iPad for learning and teaching