Quick and Dirty Image Effect for E-Learning Cover Slides #377
E-Learning Cover Slides #377: Challenge | Recap Can You Judge an E-Learning Course by Its Background Image? Need a quick way to set the stage for your course content? Try using a custom background image. Background images are the largest object on your slide, making them one of the best ways to establish context while creating a sense of location. This works equally well for content and course cover slides. But not all projects require custom themes or visual treatments. For example, most e-learning courses are built from existing templates that are modified based on the course content. That’s okay because there’s a background trick for those courses, too! Creating Custom Backgrounds Images Using Transparency In a recent post, Tom Kuhlmann shared a visual design tip commonly used in advertising and high-end product photography. The effect is achieved by using the same image for the focal point and background graphic. The background version is scaled beyond the slide size, and transparency dialed way up to blend the image into the background. Here’s a before-and-after view of the effect: Notice how the faded image fills the background without dominating the slide? This is one of the quickest ways to add richness and depth to your slide backgrounds. And that's what this week's challenge is all about! Challenge of the Week This week, your challenge is to create a cover screen for an e-learning course, real or fictional, using the transparent echo technique. You can share a static image of a cover slide or add a cover screen to an existing project or challenge entry you created. Share Your E-Learning Work Comments: Use the comments section below to share a link to your published example and blog post. Forums: Start your own thread and share a link to your published example.. Personal blog: If you have a blog, please consider writing about your challenges. We’ll link back to your posts so the great work you’re sharing gets even more exposure. Social Media: If you share your demos on Twitter or LinkedIn, try using #ELHChallenge so your tweeps can track your e-learning coolness. Last Week’s Challenge: Before you uncover your slide designs, check out the creative ways course designers build templates from stock vector illustrations: E-Learning Templates from Illustrations #376: Challenge | Recap New to the E-Learning Challenges? The weekly e-learning challenges are ongoing opportunities to learn, share, and build your e-learning portfolios. You can jump into any or all of the previous challengesanytime you want. I’ll update the recap posts to include your demos. Learn more about the challenges in this Q&A post and why and how to participate in this helpful article.Using Mad Libs to Create E-Learning Word Games #216
Mad Libs in E-Learning #216: Challenge | Recap Mad Libs® is a popular word game where random words are used to fill in the blanks of existing sentences to create funny and nonsensical stories. The games are often used in the classroom to teach vocabulary, parts of speech, and reading comprehension. For course designers, Mad Libs® style games are an excellent way to practice working with variables. Using Storyline’s text entry fields and variable references, you can create engaging word games that learners can play over and over with different outcomes. And that’s what this week’s challenge is all about! Love Letter Mad Libs Here’s a delightful Mad Libs® example shared by Alyssa Gomez in a previous challenge. The first slide uses text entry fields to capture a series of words from learners. Those words are then displayed using variable references to create a funny love letter on the second slide. Brilliant! View project | Download source Generating Random Mad Lib Stories Storyline's random number variable can be used to present different stories each time the game is played. The number variable is randomized each time the slide loads. The continue button will take the user to one of three slides based on the current value of the variable. View project Challenge of the Week This week, your challenge is to share a Mad Libs® style interaction. If you’re new to Storyline, focus on the technical basics of working with data-entry fields and displaying their values with variable references. If you get stuck, ask in the forums and we’ll be happy to help. For those more experienced with variables, what other ways can you think of to design Mad Libs® style games? Resources Here are a few resources to help you find the right word and design idea for your challenge entry. Mad Libs® website and Teacher’s Guide Storyline 360: Working with Data-Entry Fields Pinterest resources Last Week’s Challenge: To help you find the perfect words and designs for this week’s challenge, take a look at the technology-inspired course starters your fellow challengers shared over the past week: Course Starter Templates for Technology #215: Challenge | Recap Wishing you a _________ week, E-Learning Heroes! New to the E-Learning Challenges? The weekly e-learning challenges are ongoing opportunities to learn, share, and build your e-learning portfolios. You can jump into any or all of the previous challenges anytime you want. I’ll update the recap posts to include your demos.
