David Lindenberg

Screencasting – Initial Challenges

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In my previous post, I detailed my plan to start screencasting as a way of getting better at presenting. In this post I’ll talk about some of the questions and challenges I’m dealing with. These challenges revolve around setting up my recording equipment and environment.

Here is my original set-up.

  • Blue Yeti USB mic/headphones/pop screen
  • Mac Pro running Win 7 via VMware
  • Storyline 2
  • Camtasia

I’ve recorded myself before with a portable Samson Go Mic and a cheap headset mic. This was my first foray with the Blue Yeti. I’m not an audio engineer, so I’m mainly going by what I think sounds good (or at least passable). I tried recording a Storyline 2 demo in Camtasia and ran into a few snags.

Issue #1

The video recording was lagging a bit. I figured maybe this was something to do with my memory/processor? Maybe having Storyline 2 open and recording with Camtasia was too much?

Troubleshooting

I increased the memory on my virtual machine.

Issue #2

The audio sounded great through the headphones while recording, but playback was a different story. It had random bits of static throughout as well as places where it sounded like I stopped recording for half a second. My voice went in and out.

Troubleshooting

I tried multiple recordings and got the same result. I then tried adjusting things with the Blue Yeti mic, including gain, proximity to computer, padding on desk, etc., all to no avail. Next, I tried recording using Articulate Replay. Same result. I tried recording with the inline recorder in Storyline 2. Same result. Still static. I tried the Samson Go Mic and the headset mic. Same results. Frustration started to set in. I jumped online and looked for similar problems with this microphone and recording in general. I can’t tell you how many rabbit holes that led me down. Here are some of the suggested causes: the mic is too close to the computer, the mic needs to be in a sound enclosure, the cord from my USB mouse is interfering with the microphone cord, various settings on my Mac are off, it’s a problem with Camtasia, the length of the microphone cord to the computer is too long, etc., etc., etc. Ugh.

I tried several of these things. I unplugged my USB mouse and used a wireless mouse. Same result. I did try holding the mic in my hand and backed away from the computer as far as the cord would reach. This did help, but how am I supposed to do a screen recording when I am 3 feet away from my desk? So, next I decided to build a DIY portable sound booth for my mic. Here is a pic of my fancy sound booth.

diy-sound-booth

Then I realized after trying all of these options that I hadn’t tried recording directly into Audacity. Again, remember, I am not an audio engineer. I’ve used Audacity, but only used Normalize or Noise Removal. Well, I tried recording to Audacity and it was like night and day. It was flawless (well, okay, flawless compared to the previous 50 recordings laced with static). So what does that mean? I don’t think the mic is the problem. Is the static coming from using the audio recorders within Camtasia, Replay, or Storyline 2? Is the mic still too close to the computer. This Mac Pro is a beast and has a noticeable hum.

New plan. Since I can’t get the internal audio recorders in any of the programs to work without sounding full of static, I decide to record my voiceover audio in Audacity at the same time I record the video screencast in Replay. I’ll then export the audio as a .wav file and import it into Replay. Not ideal, but seems to be the only working presently.

First successful recording (see below). I’d love to hear your thoughts on how I did and the sound quality. Or any suggestions for any of the issues I ran into.

I should note that I made my first recording before I got the foam padding for my sound booth. I used a wadded up blanket and clothespins to attach it to the box. I’m still hearing some static in this recording, but nothing like the many, many test recordings that came before. I’m going to record my next screencast with the newly foamed sound booth. I’ll use the following setup:

  • Blue Yeti mic
  • Portable sound booth
  • Audacity for audio recording
  • Replay for video recording

I’m going to keep experimenting to try to get a cleaner end product. I’m also going to try to objectively critique myself on the points I mentioned in my first post. I’ll talk about that in another post.

Starting to Work out Loud

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forest-view

Photo from Mickey O’neil via unsplash.com

I’m reading Working out Loud by John Stepper and it is enlightening to say the least. I’ve made my first pass through the book and am now returning to the exercises on how to start working out loud. I’ve done some of this in the past, but I want to be more deliberate about it and make it a habit. In chapter eight Stepper discusses developing a growth mindset. To do this you must “focus on getting better versus being good.” This hit me like a ton of bricks. For much of my life I’ve strived “to be good at something” which often paralyzed me from growing or “getting better.” The first step in the guided mastery part of the book is to determine your goal for the next twelve weeks. So to that end, my goal is to work on getting better in my presentation skills.

As a step in this direction, I’ve decided to start recording screencasts on how to use Articulate Storyline. This will serve several purposes.

  1. It will help me become more comfortable presenting material (yes I realize I’m not really presenting to a group of people – baby steps).
  2. It will serve as a means to narrate my work. I can share the process I go through, challenges, successes, insights, etc.
  3. It will help me to learn Storyline better, because teaching someone else how to do something is the best way to learn it yourself.

After I record a screencast, I’ll check for the following things.

  • Delivery: Am I stiff as a board or lively? To borrow from A. A. Milne, am I a Tigger or an Eeyore? I readily admit I lean more toward Eeyore, so that is something to work on.
  • Cadence: Am I tripping over words or inserting a bunch of ums and uhs? Do I need a script? If so, how do I read it without sounding like I’m reading a script? Maybe just main points.
  • Mouse movement: Am I being deliberate in my actions or distracting by moving the cursor all over the screen?
  • Content: Did I get it right? Did I forget anything or show things in the wrong order? Did I present too much or too little material?
  • Opening and closing: Do I have a coherent introduction and conclusion vs. rambling into oblivion?
  • Sound quality: Too loud? Too soft? Humming? Echo chamber? Static?

Finally, after I do my initial check, I intend to share these screencasts and ask for feedback on the same topics from people who have more experience in recording screencasts. I’ll pick 3-5 people from my PLN and ask for honest assessments. In my next post I’ll detail some of the challenges I’m facing as I start this journey.

Building on Shared Assets

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Recently I created a nested timeline template in Storyline and shared the source file with the E-Learning Heroes community.

timeline-heroes

Click image to view timeline interaction.

In the spirit of sharing and showing my work, I’ve started sharing all of my source files. Not because I think I’m great and my files are the best, but because I have benefited from what others have shared in this community and feel it is only right to share what I’ve created too. Someone might be able to use a template or an interaction I’ve created to solve a problem or fill a need. Or someone might offer some helpful advice or critique that improves my design. Or, as I’ve done in my nested timeline template, someone might build upon the work others have shared.

Anyone who is part of the E-Learning Heroes community knows how amazing this community is, with its incredible user-base to it’s sharing blog posts, assets, and various tips and tricks. I’ve talked about how I feel about this community before. However, after I finished building and sharing my nested timeline example another thought struck me. This community is built on the generous sharing of many folks. I’ve used many a tip or asset I’ve found in this community in building my e-learning courses. But what is even more powerful to me is to see the many instances of building upon shared resources. Taking something someone created and adding to it, subtracting from it, enhancing it, or merely tweaking it to make it something new.

Nested Button Animation by Josh Stoner

Nested Button Animation by Josh Stoner
Click image to see it in action.

For instance, I built the nested timeline example on the work of Josh Stoner, who created a nested button animation, shared the source file, and wrote a guest-post on how he created the interaction. I was inspired by Josh’s work. I wanted to challenge myself to create another way to utilize the interaction.

Another instance of building upon shared resources, is the 10-minute E-learning Template Transformations series of posts written by Trina Rimmer. (full disclosure: Trina reworked one of my templates)

10-minute-transformFor each post, Trina took a community-shared template and completely reworked it with a different look and feel, and a different topic. The focus here wasn’t to take someone’s work and make it “better.” Quite the contrary. Trina saw something in each of the templates that she could build upon and make into her own version. Rather than re-creating the wheel, she worked from a solid base (that was freely shared in the community) and created something new. And, in the process, probably inspired someone else to build off of what she created!

Thermometer Progress Meter by Bruce Graham

Thermometer Progress Meter by Bruce Graham
Click image to see it in action.

David Anderson frequently uses this technique in constructing the weekly E-Learning Heroes Challenges. He usually presents the challenge and then provides several examples of similar creations either from the Heroes Community or from cool interactions he’s found on the Internet. For example, in the Progress Meters in E-learning challenge, he used the source files provided by community members Jeff Kortenbosch, Alexandros Anoyatis, and Bruce Graham as examples of how to make progress meters. By providing the source files, other community members could “look under the hood” and perhaps find inspiration in creating their own progress meter.

game-template

Steal this Template by Jackie Van Nice
Click image to see it in action.

Sometimes David finds inspiration in one community member’s source file and builds a challenge around it, such as using Jackie Van Nice‘s template in the Steal This E-Learning Template challenge.

 

As another example, Tom Kuhlmann frequently gives kudos to community members in The Rapid E-Learning Blog. In his post, Over 800 E-learning Examples to Inspire Your Course Design, he mentions an interaction created by Melissa Milloway. Tom shares the interaction, talks about reworking it, and then shares his reworked version. Tom explains how he built upon Melissa’s interaction by stating:

Melissa’s demo had me wondering what I’d do to make the diver look like he was changing position as he was dragged. I also wanted to include some air bubbles for effect. So I took her idea and then played around for a few minutes and created this.

Scuba Steve by Melissa Milloway

Scuba Steve by Melissa Milloway
Click image to see it in action.

Tom Kuhlmann's version of Scuba Steve

Tom Kuhlmann’s version of Scuba Steve
Click image to see it in action.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The point I’m trying to make is that sharing is more than just posting your course, template, interaction, etc. in the community. Sharing involves interaction. Building on shared assets is a win-win all around. The person sharing gets to see their work re-purposed or enhanced. The person building upon the original work has seen the value of someone else’s work and used it as a starting point for their own creation. Finally, the rest of the community benefits by having access to two shared examples. And who knows? Someone else make take those two examples and build another. How are you sharing your work? Are you interacting with others in the community? Are you sharing built assets or building on shared assets?

 

E pluribus unum: Building a single-slide template

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Of late, I’ve been focusing a lot on single slide design. I recently shared a video menu template and then revamped it into another video menu template. For this go-round, I decided to create a single slide template that could be used as a “get to know the company” motif for use in an onboarding course. This started out as a full-blown course template, with each menu item linking to a separate slide. The beauty of building in Storyline is that you can always find multiple ways to create the same thing. In the end, because I’m on this one-slide kick, I went that route.

I went for a clean and minimal design. It’s short and sweet. I really like using washed out background images and layering them with transparent shapes (in this case the purple menu and content blocks).

corporate-timeline

For some good examples of making your own background images, check out this E-Learning Heroes challenge.

I’m including the source file if you would like to tinker with this template.

Launch Demo

Source File

Working Out Loud – 30 Minute Slide Makeover

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I recently shared a video menu template in the E-learning Heroes forums. Here is a screenshot of what it looked like.

nature-image

I was happy with how it turned out and thought I would share it with the Articulate community. I knew it was pretty specific, what with the nature theme and all. It would have to be re-worked (new images, new videos, etc.) to be of use to most people (unless you happen to work for a nature organization). But, I thought it was a decent base to work from.

However, over the next few days, I started thinking more and more about the design. I started thinking about being a new or relatively new Storyline user. Would I take the time to swap all of that out? Would I be overwhelmed with the thought of doing that? Would I think, “It’s nice, but I need something more practical or suited to a work environment?” Would I look at it and think, “This has no business relevance to me. How could I use this at my company?”

And so, within a few days of creating this template, I was already thinking about how I could improve it. I still think it is a decent template. But, I think it might be easier for someone to imagine using it if it had a different look and feel.

I didn’t want to start from scratch. I felt the basic structure was solid. I decided to go with a more modern, casual look (laptop, coffee, etc.) I used this image as my background.

coffee-shop-image

 

 

 

 

 

Rather than clicking on each image to view a separate video layer, I wanted it to be a bit more seamless. I decided to ditch the linked images. Next, I made the labels smaller and made those the links to the videos.

new-navigation-image

 

 

 

 

 

I clipped the sizes of the videos so they would fit next to the labels where the old linked images were located. I added hover states to the labels for better clarity.

layer-one-selected-image

 

 

 

 

 

I decided to leave the CLOSE button for each video layer. The learner can either close each layer, and return to a blank space with the “Select a topic to learn more” text or click through each of the labels to start a new video. Since the video layers each have a Fade transition, the fade in and out from one video to the next works particularly well.

layer-one-close-image

layer-two-selected-image

 

 

 

 

 

Finally,  I changed the color of the banner background at the bottom to align with the label links. I think this pulls the slide together a bit better.

banner-bottom-image

While I liked the first template, I’m more satisfied with the look and feel of this one. Hopefully, it will be a bit more appealing and easier to re-purpose.

So, what do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I’m including source files for both templates. Happy Storylining!

 

 

NEW TEMPLATE

banner-bottom-image

Launch Demo

Source

 

 

 

 

OLD TEMPLATE

nature-image

Launch Demo

Source

 

What I do

Over the last ten years I’ve had the privilege to work as an instructional designer in the corporate learning space and also as a freelance ID/e-learning consultant.

I’ve designed and built courses, job aids, video tutorials, and yes, paper training manuals in the areas of software, sales, compliance, customer, IT security, data protection, healthcare, financial, and more.

Need help?

Need help on an e-learning project? Need a course or maybe just an interaction? Not sure what you need? I can help with that too. Courses aren’t always the right solution for your business need. Let’s connect.

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