Lectora Vegas Conference – April 30 – May 1

I was lucky enough to be given permission to attend the Lectora Conference held in Las Vegas April 30 and May 1, 2008.

For those that do not know, Lectora is a leading software application used to develop e-learning modules and works with almost any LMS or direct to web publishing. Lectora is a product of Trivantis and I have to give huge Kudos to Traci Connor who was a major reason this conference was, in my opinion, a huge success!

The two conference days were jam packed with educational seminars and break-out sessions designed to provide all levels of e-learning professionals, from newbie to the most savvy of designers, with something valuable to take home.

While many of the sessions were really good, there are two that stand out for me and left me with that "wow" feeling I was looking for.

Presentation 1

Title: Turning Heads Not Pages
Presented
by: Brian Doegen and Gareth Harris
Company: PriceWaterhouseCoopers

Why did I like this presentation?

Sorry guys – I didn't like the presentation based on the presentation skills however Brian, if you read this – you are the funniest thing when you roll your eyes! What I really liked about this was that the guys talked with the audience (not to us) and the information was really grounded. The major point of the presentation was that e-learning needs to grab the attention of the learner, and not just be like a book you read on the screen. The major required element for the training Brian and Gareth offer for PriceWaterhouseCoopers is in telling a story to engage the learner and keep them "inside" the training.

The examples shown of some of the low, medium and high tech (and high budget) modules included a fantastic "choose your own adventure" theme which allowed you, the learner, to step into what it would be like to be a mobile professional, with interactive audio, hot-spot elements to assist you in understanding tools you would use in your day to day life, and the ability to make choices and experience the repercussions without suffering the scars associated with on the job failures. It's all part of the real learning process and provides real world experience without the negativity.

Presentation 2

Title: Graphic Design for eLearning
Presented by: Diane Elkins
Company: Elkins, Alcorn, Ward & Partners

Shannon, another conference participant and I had serious reservations at the beginning of the presentation. For those that have been using PowerPoint and WordArt since way back in the day – oh say 1995 – then you will understand when I say that the screen she first showed looked like it was created by someone who had just learned the background colour formatting tools and the WordArt tools. As instructors, Shannon and I both recognized the childish and unprofessional message this title slide showed, but of course we were set at ease right away when Diane vocalized exactly what we were both thinking! ICK!

I will try to recreate a similar screen to what Diane used as the opener!

The take-away from this session was an excellent little tip sheet on thinking about the visual appeal and to minimize the clutter. Yes, I am paraphrasing, but I truly believe that when you use a couple of the recommended tips, like her first, and I do believe the most powerful tip:
"Just because you can't, doesn't mean you should."

That just screams don't clutter the page, keep is simple, sweetie! Just because you know how to use WordArt doesn't mean you should really use it. After instructing PowerPoint and Word for as many years as I have, one of the fun things we learn is how to use the tool – then I burst the bubble of fun and always tell the class that WordArt has special applications…and nothing is special enough to warrant using it! (of course I do still have some fun with text once in a while, but I tend to keep that simple too.

Diane was an excellent speaker, and her tips on creating top notch visually pleasing courseware were excellent – she showed everything from using the new PowerPoint 2007 SmartArt (which I love) to working with graphics in Photoshop! It was an amazing and very informative session.

The next Lectora User Conference is next year in San Diego – I plan to be there…not just for what you learn in the sessions, but also for the valuable networking opportunities, ideas generated and relationships formed.