Videos, Photoshops, and GIFs

Lately, I have been seeing a lot of animated GIFs being used to demonstrate certain tasks on the web. Because I like the simplicity and lightweight approach to creating a quick learning object, I figured I would try my hand at creating a basic one.

Google Forms - Customizing Forms

Since this was a new feature in Google Forms, I figured I would demonstrate how to customize the appearance of a Google Form using an animated GIF. This is a super easy process already, but I wanted to play around with this animated GIF concept with training materials.

 

Google Forms - Sending Forms

Here is a simple one without text or annotation displaying the steps for sending a Google Form via link. This one is a little longer than the other. Slowing down the process, but still looping the content repeatedly in order to provide learners with time to watch and then watch the steps repeatedly. I also played around with a different title. I think a title is helpful to let your learner know when the loop starts over.

 

Thoughts

GIFs are easy to create. Using Photoshop and other programs (like GIF YouTube or GIFLike) making GIFs easy and accessible to many teachers and learners. Here is a GIF created from a YouTube video entitled 360 Flip Super Slow Motion. This was a matter of seconds, which could be beneficial when creating a preview for a video you want learners to watch. This mini-clip could be used to entice them to watch the rest of the video.

    

It's something that can be made to "say" a lot in a short amount of time. It's just another great way to create media for learning and to me it has a lot of potential for creation.

Playing with Adobe Creative Cloud

Over the summer, my school system put together an eLearning conference for Northwest Indiana. I was part of the a three person team putting things together. As everyone else handled the analytical and logistical responsibilities of putting a conference together, I tried to focus my attention on developing my Adobe skills. I was glad to create the conference logo, work with the sign companies, develop the layout of the website, and create engagement tactics in the form of badges and levels for participants. It was a growth experience to say the least, and I was able to incorporate the use of Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop to create some of the following items displayed below. By clicking on any of the images below, you will be able to view the content and/or details more clearly.

Logo Work

All of these products were created using one of Illustrator or Photoshop. As an eLearning developer becoming familiar with these tools is essential for creating unique and eye-catching content. I'm not a pro, but I'm playing with these tools on a regular basis.

   

Marketing Images and Fun

These images were just fun and shared through Twitter. But, still another way to create and share content through another medium that all teachers should get to know. Becoming social media savvy is essential for a current teacher ready to reach their audience.

Conference Signs

This just one of the many signs I created to keep attendees informed at the conference.

engagED Conference Website

 www.engagednwi.com

Badges to Engage Participants

Levels to Engage Participants

Playing with Slide Decks for eLearning Templates

After reading a post by Tom Kuhlmann about creating eLearning templates from everyday inspiration, I started using PowerPoint and Keynote to create simple layouts/designs to help with eLearning projects. The following images are just a series of slide layouts I played with recently.

Mobile Media Production Studio Project

Extras

Reading, Creating, and Learning

I purchased a ton of eLearning books from Amazon and now it's time to read. I have read a couple of these since I ordered the books in April, but I have more to read and us a reference. But while reading, I have a general purpose to create practical eLearning courses, modules, or simple-one-time learning objects. Here is my excited Tweet and picture from when I received my Amazon order in April - ignore my mention of Amazon addiction. I just consider it my passion now.

An #Amazon addiction for #elearning pic.twitter.com/zOYUufK1Qw — Daniel Gibson (@hoosier_teacher) April 28, 2014