Creating Effective PowerPoint Presentations

Microsoft PowerPoint is considered to be one of the most ubiquitous tools for corporate presentations as well as a rapid e learning authoring tool in the classroom. I have witnessed how it became part of learning and training as it replaced the need for blackboards, whiteboards and overhead projectors with acetate sheets. The user-friendly presentation software program made teaching and training a lot easier and lessons more engaging with its animation features and variety of graphics available.

I was interested in finding out if this extremely easy rapid e learning authoring tool have something more to offer than just your garden variety presentations so I researched about this application to see if we can somehow improve the way we use it.

elearning development tools

A little background. Steve Jobs jokingly (or maybe not) accused Bill Gates of stealing concepts from the original Macintosh computer. He’s right of course. And PowerPoint is just one of it. It was originally developed by Dennis Austin and Thomas Rudkin from Forethought, Inc. to be used by the Macintosh but in 1987, Microsoft acquired the company and continued to improve upon the software. This resulted to PowerPoint 97 which is pretty much close to what the present version is like. Only a few changes were made in subsequent versions.

In using the PPT, I’ve always focused on a single slide – adding text, graphics, and animation before moving on the next slide. However, it seems I was doing it all wrong. It is advisable to arrange and organize the outline of the texts first before adding graphics and animation. At the core of every presentation is the content so it’s important for a presenter to make sure the sequencing of the content makes sense.

If you can use graphs and visual elements instead of text, then do so. In a presentation, a visual representation often gives a more dynamic impact and increased retention if trainees and students can comprehend concepts visually. Having more graphics decreases the chance for boredom and let’s face it, no one likes to read that much especially on screen or on projection.

Check your text format. It’s important to choose colors that contrast with the background so that text is easily visible especially on projectors. Also, check the size of the font and don’t use anything lower than a 24 point size.

Cloud Computing as Cost Effective Training Solutions

Aside from social networking, cloud computing was another buzzword that flies around the IT industry bringing with it innovations that could determine where the next computing evolution is headed.

What the heck is cloud computing? You may ask. I’ve been talking with a couple of my friends who are in the IT field. One is working for a pharmaceutical company and the other a software outsourcing firm. The first one didn’t know what I was talking about and the second knew only the term but does not know the entire concept. Well it’s surprising to me as I’ve been suing my Google Docs for almost two years now. I guess what I’m trying to say here is that cloud computing has crept into our lives without us even realizing it. This cloud innovation blended seamlessly with the Internet that we are not aware of how applications have been migrating to this virtual place. A cloud is just another name for a remote server where applications and data are stored. While in the past, you need to install software on your computer to run program, today, you only need a browser and reliable computer to operate applications.


e learning development tools

This brings me to applications of the cloud to elearning. Elearning has been around for quite some time. In the past, cost effective training solutions like work manuals came in CD ROMs. You can learn new programming languages through programming simulations stored in multiple CDs. Since the broadband connection of the Internet allows for massive file transfers like streaming videos and audio, educators and trainers are not capable of delivering their lectures over the Internet where online learners and trainees can access their content anywhere in the world.

I marvel at this innovation and aim to use the technology even in informal or non traditional learning. Using Google Docs for example, I can collaborate with classmates in different locations through sharing my documents and worksheets. I’ve experienced learning through Moodle, an open source elearning website. Moodle is fully customizable and what’s more amazing is that it’s free for everybody.

The cloud has allowed cost effective training solutions not only for companies but for kids to learn outside the conventional brick and mortar schools. I believe that the future of elearning is already here and in the clouds.

Problem Roots of Virtual Learning

Let’s face it, elearning online has big faults on its own. Clearly the question that most academicians and software companies couldn’t answer well is the question why people should think critically about virtual learning.

Education, in general, and elearning online, in particular, suffers form problems that they cannot easily be avoided because of the nature of their methods. Virtual learning endures a constant strong case of hyperbole –characterized by strong claims that are neither borne from practical experience nor rooted in result driven analysis. This is partially why online learning is stagnant. Few people actually could rely on it since their mind is already set on the type of learning they have undergone in schools.

Consider the different cases in companies. While most companies would budget enough money to train their employees, it is usually set on the minimum because not all employees would guarantee even a 95 percent mastery of the skills and knowledge they’ve been taught. The second evidence that cyber learning has not attained its growth is the number of takers that is significantly small to even half a percent of the total population in the “dot-com” era.

Undeniably, the problem really is perspective rather than choice. Most people think the electronic learning is not effective enough to the user when in fact; it is totally up to the user to comprehend the matter. E-courses usually start on the basics of any subject regardless of complexity. Even before software is bought, the e-course will state the level of mastery required if it is for beginners, intermediary, etc. People will not meet their expectations if they don’t know their own learning type or what learning environment they prefer.

Still, elearning really did enjoyed success over time. E-courses have helped countless non-traditional learners as well as employees who want either enhance their skills or add extra ones. Elearning truly has grown slow within campuses yet somehow has managed to survive well within companies.

Truly, the problem both lies in the personal and individual preferences and what areas of human interest the developers of software have not yet been explored.

Corporate Learning Solutions for Sales Training

corporate learning solutions

In a global work environment where sales people are from every part of the globe, there is a need for training solution that can be delivered conveniently with uniform content regardless of diversity in language.

In my previous company, the need for corporate learning solutions became glaringly obvious when we started receiving complaints from customers. We traced the sources of the complaints and found out they were coming from recently opened branches in Asia.

Traditionally, sales training always involve face to face interaction. Apparently, the managers who trained in the US were not able to effectively translate and deliver what they have learned to their employees. We needed a new approach. I decided to try and come up with an online learning training course using simple authoring tools. Making use of tools like Youtube, CamStudio, and Rapid Intake’s Unison, I was able to use our training manual to design and create an effective ecourse, with the help of my team of course along with a few translators. Fortunately, we managed to effectively change their sales strategy and to make sure, we had our top sales trainer evaluate their operations.

What I’ve learned is although face to face education is the norm, elearning, more specifically, online learning could be one of the most cost-effective corporate learning solutions especially if the trainees are from a different location.

Another form of delivery is blended learning which could incorporate face to face interaction with technology-enabled learning. The combination or hybrid makes for the most effective corporate learning solutions I’ve ever encountered. We used this kind of training to facilitate the flagship stores’ annual team building and sales seminar. The tangible results are in the sales reports for the next quarter. A rise of up to 10% in one store alone. And I expect that this is just the beginning.

An Elearning Online Beginning

I recently enrolled myself to an elearning online course. The first time I heard about elearning was from a blog post from my friend. He said that e-courses was really good and flexible for working students; which of course, enticed me almost instantly especially that I have some part time jobs. I need money, you see.

When I think about it, I actually heard of elearning online before. I actually attended a lot of face-to-face lessons which eventually led me to take extra lessons because I couldn’t keep up with my part time job at Barley’s. It was quite the frustrating ordeal since it was mentally exhausting when the lessons were over then it was physically tiring during my work hours. This means that by the time I wake up the next morning I had totally forgotten the lesson the day before. For some reason my failing scores in Math have become a running joke among my group of friends.

Plus I get to stay at home. Staying home to complete all those stuffs, near bed, not much pressure, and not even much to care about whether the teacher would nag about how I didn’t listen to the previous formula because I was busy staring at Jen – that sounded good enough for me to apply for the e-courses. I can study hard as well as work hard all at a not so strict schedule.

Although in my opinion, electronic learning is good for those types of students who need enough time to get a certain lesson well-done in their head but for those types that really need classmates or teachers in real live flesh to get their learning mood on the go. I personally think that conventional or face-to-face training still remain relevant to any student or organization since most of the people grew up in such a setting. Elearning has become an integral part of training and development for many organizations, or so my dear friend Gumby blogs about.

Now I’m just excited to do all that elearning stuff, those online tests and exams with the online teacher in the next few weeks. Who knows, I might find new and better skills that I’m actually good at while I study.

Weighing the Good and Bad of Elearning

For me online courses have been a great help to the academic community. You see, the needs to positively respond to the changes in different sections of the academe have been increasingly difficult to bear with the tuitions inflating and cost of the educational programs are ballooning as well. The implementation of elearning development tools to the academe makes the costs easier to handle since there are no big fees to handle. It is only the equipments, and sometimes the lecturer if there is one, which relatively cost much.


corporate learning solutions

However, the online courses and elearning development tools are not without problems. As I have observed, it’s mostly the middle classes that partake in such virtual education. The quality of education primarily leans on the quality of the equipment and connection itself, leaving behind those with faulty machines or slow connections to a sluggish, troublesome course that they have to finish anyway since they already paid for it.

Another problem for online learning is the acceptance of the degree courses in higher echelons of the academe. To give fact, professors in universities highly disregard the degree held by cyber learning companies because for them, it seems that having a degree from an e-course is not entirely a sign of course mastery. The framework of their view is that there has to be a good accreditation. This problem would affect the student so much that eventually, after the period of education, unemployment may also become a problem for them since some companies would also prefer course work from a good university or at least an educational background that is good enough to pass for their basis of accreditation.

Still, the good thing is, those students who feel awkward or have problems in a classroom type of learning have the opportunity to learn more. Those students who can’t afford university education or have to work part-time now have the chance of getting a better education instead of simply stopping their schooling and continuing to work. And the best thing about all this, in my opinion, internet based academics have provided jobs for teachers, non-teachers, students and as well as part time work for those who need it.

Elearning Online or Traditional Learning?

Despite the steadily increasing popularity of elearning online in the various industries of today, a lot of people still claim that traditional learning is still best kind of learning experience. Admittedly, both methods have their perks and are equally effective depending on the type of learner. However, it cannot be helped that they possess flaws that results in a lot of skepticism and doubt from the public.

Traditional Learning


learning management system

From what I’ve gathered from my decades of experience, traditional learning indeed has its advantages and disadvantages. It is beneficial because aside from the delivery of lessons or courses that provide relevant knowledge and information, the social aspect of the setting allows students to develop in more ways other than just academically. A major disadvantage, I fear, is that not all learners are made to excel in such a set up. Sometimes, a competitive environment is detrimental to a person instead of inspirational. Learning while coping with self esteem issues is a turbulent combination that yields unproductive and meaningless results. Also, this type of environment can be restrictive and inflexible.

Elearning Online

Electronic learning is popular because of the countless of benefits it offers to the society of today. Everything is going so much faster and far more complex. Elearning provides students of today with features that allows them to cope better while addressing learning needs. It is convenient, efficient, easy, and flexible. It allows students to choose what they want to learn, at their own pace, at their own time. Since it is available online, people can learn their lessons virtually anywhere as long as they have a computer with internet access. However, it sorely lacks the human touch which makes learning more meaningful for a lot of people. Having to learn “like a robot” is very disconcerting to some. Also, it requires independence when it comes to learning because since there are no teachers physically present, students have to take the initiative to see their courses through.

Making the choice between traditional learning and elearning online all boils down to the person, his preference, ability and learning style. This is why it is important to thoroughly assess both before taking the plunge.

Elearning Training Solutions-Keeping Up with Technology

The turnover of trends in technology is oftentimes frustrating for a lot of people. A new technological update or version usually equates to new expenses and investment. However, we really don’t have a choice in the matter considering that technology is now dictating the evolution of culture, society and expectations. You shouldn’t expect to succeed in this lifetime if you have no intention of keeping up with changes.

In my opinion, the most significant transformation throughout the years is in the landscape of education. Learning and teaching is so diverse and dynamic that it tends to adopt a wide variety of innovations in order to remain effective and relevant to the times. But why is this so important? As I’ve mentioned previously, technology has shaped culture, society and expectations—in other words, the people themselves have changed, which only means that the way they learn new knowledge and skills have changed as well. Educators or trainers can no longer rely on traditional classroom text and discussions alone to keep learners engaged and interested. They have to leverage the new trends to such as the internet, social media and digital media to their advantage in order to deliver courses and lessons effectively. This is why innovations such as elearning training solutions are steadily gaining popularity and dominance in the training industry.



elearning development

Elearning is modern education. It harnesses technology and combines it with the familiar and the traditional to speak to learners in various depths. It is convenient, flexible, engaging, fast and cost-effective. These are all qualities of elearning training solutions that address standard expectations in school and the workplace.

Technology has a deep a steady influence on the world. We can gripe all we want, but we cannot ignore it, or the changes that result from it. We must therefore emphasize the need to keep up with the changes in technology in order to remain relevant in our respective industries and society in general.

Questions Regarding E learning Tools

I was interviewed once regarding some questions about electronic learning. As an expert, I answered the questions as exhaustively as I could, but here in this post, I will only put the highlights in easy to understand terms for any layman.


elearning online

Question: What can you say about the E learning tools in the Market today?
-There are only a few options in the market that I find to be reliable. Of course, the ever pervasive, ever basic Power Point is still, in my opinion, the most useful and reliable still. There are not enough elearning tools available in the market? I firmly believe this. Well, perhaps this is a personal standpoint. I think that my creative vision cannot be expressed fully since I am limited by the severely lacking capabilities of the electronic learning tools available in the market today.

Question: What considerations must be taken into account before buying e learning tools?
-This is a much more difficult question to answer because there are so many considerations that must be made. But I believe that the first question that must be taken into account is: What kind of functionality do I need in order to do my job? The next thing that should be answered is: what do my students need or what is the best output I can do?

Of course, depending on the situation, one must also consider the resources such as the amount of time that it might take to master an e learning software, the price, etc. Is it better to have a hosted solution or a turn key solution? There are just so many different questions that need to be asked before one finally decides on the best electronic education tools to purchase. It is a pretty big decision especially since such learning tools do not really come cheap nowadays.

Elearning Tool Review—Grademark for Hassle-Free Checking and Grading

Teachers are joining the digital age and now prefer the submission of written work in digital form instead of printed hard copies. In the past, checking and grading are two of the things teachers find the most wearisome and tiring of all their responsibilities. But with the help of elearning tool Grademark from Turnitin.com, checking papers have never been more convenient and easier!

Turnitin.com is a subscription-only suite of tools that provide services for plagiarism detection, work submission management, digital grading, and peer review or commenting. Subscribing is necessary in order for the teacher and students to enjoy the benefits of using the elearning tools and services. Grademark is one of its add-on components.


elearning online

Turnitin has become part of campus culture all over the country, and faculty members are simply over the moon about it. According to them, one of the cleverest features they enjoy is how it deters student from plagiarism. Students have been forced to work well and genuinely exert effort on the quality and authenticity of their work considering that their paper will be submitted through a service that has anti-plagiarism tools. However, to some, the changes in students are more important. By having to submit through turnitin.com, students became more responsible since they have to upload their work at a set due date.

Grademark gives teachers or instructors the opportunity to grade and comment on student work submissions through a full-featured digital environment. The feature that makes it a truly reliable tool are the following: it allows inline highlighting of text, marginal commenting, predefined palettes for inline comments, standard proofreading marks, punctuation and common grammatical errors, user-defined palettes for inline comments, a generous space for numerous general comments, and user-defined rubrics.
All in all, I think that this elearning tool is definitely something significant both online, and in a traditional classroom setup. It provides instructors with ease and convenience and helps them to cut down on lost time grading mountains of hard copies of paperwork.

Review: The Crane Barbados Travel Hotels

The Crane is one of the swankiest Barbados travel hotels available in the island. This hotel is set on the very well known Crane Beach which is in front of the perfectly surreal azure sea; this is also the Caribbean's very first hotel and resort complex. It was built way back in 1887. But now, the hotel is fully refurbished, restored, and also expanded. It is undoubtedly a one of a kind place where the ambiance is both elegant and tropical. The facilities of the hotel are top notch and guest feel safe in their privacy. There is really nothing bad that once could say about the hotel as well as the beach resort. But there is something that can be said regarding the service.

There are a lot of people who could easily complain about the service of this most private of Barbados travel hotels. And the same could be said about my own personal experience in the island. The people seemed to be on the rude side and could not care less. In our experience, the room attendant that was tasked to cleaning our room only cleaned it on the fourth day. And she even had to complain about changing the bed sheets which was her job anyway. And there were also one attendant in the beach who seemed to have been so passionate about being whiny. It felt like asking him to kindly do a simple task like ordering a couple of drinks were equivalent to making him walk through a bed of burning coals. Another really bad thing about the resort was that there were so many shady people near the beach. There were actual drug dealers there that always wanted to offer me whatever smack he was selling. Of course this type of thing is not uncommon, but the resort should at least have some security. I mean, I was not asked once but three times if I “wanted to party.” No, just because I am a young tourist does not automatically make me a junkie.

Reviewing Elearning for Goal Achievement

Organizations are joining the bandwagon of elearning because it really does provide an effective and convenient solution to the many quirks and problems of training and education. It reduces the time allotted for it, and increases productivity. But the greatest appeal it has to these businesses is its contribution and support to their alignment with and achievement of business goals and objectives.

Supporting the main objectives and goals is ideal in any organization because it allows them to fulfill the purposes of their businesses. If their purposes are fulfilled effectively, then this means that there is a substantial, motivating amount returned to them in the form of maximized revenue and profit.

But how does elearning specifically support an organization’s goals and objectives? The following discussion will give you an idea how.


e learning

First, it gives way to improvement in training costs whether it is online or not. No matter what other people may say, the creation and production of course content is not easy. It is time-consuming because it has a lot of important details that require attention. Electronic learning improves ROI (Return on Investment) every time it is accessed because fixed production costs are divided by the number of uses. Furthermore, there are more savings made on less travel, reduced material and hopefully an increase in performance.

Second, there is exponentially less costs in materials. Since the environment necessary is available online, there is no need to stress over costs associated with use, set up and clean up. So compared to a real learning environment where it would be essential to invest in chairs, tables and other classroom equipment, elearning is obviously so much cheaper.

Third, productivity skyrockets. The training’s impact on production can be controlled by providing the actual training during down times since it is not bound by geography or time. This is a great way to provide learners with tools and skills they need in order to enhance their performance despite the tough economic climate.

Fourth and last is the provision of standardization. Created content becomes more consistent in terms of process and delivery. Time is likewise compressed, so there is more efficiency and at the same time guaranteed high quality learning for all learners.

Free auto insurance quotes California

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