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3 More Free Tools to Help Build Better E-Learning Courses
March 23rd, 2010 
Who doesn’t like a free application that’s going to make work easier? Today, I’ll share three free applications that might come in handy as you work on your elearning courses.
Two of the applications come courtesy of a couple of screencast tutorials I saw the other day. And one comes from a need I recently had publishing a SCORM course. These three applications are a great complement to this post I previously shared on nine free tools to build better elearning.
Artweaver
Artweaver is designed as a “painting program,” but for basic graphics editing it’s more than capable and works great. It lets you control layers, create transparent backgrounds, add text, and apply filter effects. After making edits, you can save the images in all standard image formats.
So if you’re on a budget and looking for a free graphics editor, give Artweaver a try. Brian Batt has a couple of Artweaver tutorials: creating a transparent background and applying a blur effect.
Karen’s Directory Printer
The other day I had to add a bunch of data files to a course that was already published to SCORM. Adding the files was easy because all I had to do was open up the data folder and drop them in. The challenge was adding the folder contents to the resource manifest which is a list of all of the files in the SCORM package.
Each file in the data folder has a line like the ones in the image above. Adding one line is no problem. But in my case I was adding almost ten multimedia elements which equated to about one hundred separate files. That would have been a lot of tedious work.
My challenge was to create a list of the all of the files I had in the separate data folders and then modify that list with the <file href=”__________”/> code.
That’s where Karen’s Directory Printer really came in handy. It let me create a list of the folder contents. I saved it as a .txt file and then did a quick Find & Replace to add the required <file href…> code. It made a cumbersome task very easy and fast.
So if you ever have to create a list of the files in a folder, Karen’s Directory Printer is a great way to go. Here’s a quick screencast to show you how it worked for me.
Poladroid
Use the free Poladroid application to create a Polaroid™ image that you can use in your elearning courses. The application’s really easy to use. Basically, it opens a camera on your desktop. All you have to do is drag and drop pictures on the camera and then wait a few minutes as it develops. Click on this demo to see it in action.
Once you have the image you can easily use it in your elearning courses. It would work well with that folder template I shared a while back. If you do use the Poladroid application, be sure to look at these two tutorials to get ideas on dressing up the images:
- Create a page curl drop shadow by David Anderson
- Create a transparent tape effect by Stephanie Harnett
So those are three free applications for which you can probably find real-world practical uses when building your elearning courses.
What other free applications would you recommend to those who build rapid elearning courses on a budget? Feel free to share them in the comments section. Include a practical tip on how you’re using it.
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37 responses to “3 More Free Tools to Help Build Better E-Learning Courses”
There’s a web-based tool for Graphic design and audio editing called Aviary. Not explored it completely but seems interesting! It is currently free.
Just wanted to say thanks for yet another useful set of information. I truly appreciate these pearls, and have used quite a few of the tools and techniques you’ve mentioned in the past to good use in our own elearning work.
Thanks so much.
Comics are a great tool for learning in the classroom. We invite you to try Pixton, a click-n-drag easy comic creator with movable characters! Your students will love it.
Cheers,
Clive a.k.a. The Jokester
Creator of Pixton
How does Artwaver compare to Paint.net? Used Paint.net on another machine and have limited space on this one. Why would you pick one over another?
Poladroid is off the chain! Those polaroidies work great as buttons.
Thanks Tom for another great post.
I only discovered your blog this year and have found it very useful. Keep up the great work.
I was just wonder what tool did you use to create the image of the man in the Poladroid example?
I haven’t used Xtranormal yet, but it looks like an interesting site. You can create movies online, with your own audio very quickly and easily.
Has anyone used it with Articulate yet.
Tom,
Thank you, great post, as always.
When I need to do some photo or image editing, I use PhotoScape, a free editor packed with lots of features and very easy to use. It doesn’t do all the PhotoShop things, but there’s quite a lot you can do, using just simple preloaded menus. There’s even some sort of layering option, that can be used in a very creative way.
kind regards,
Gabriel
Don’t know if you’ve mentioned it before, but I love Pixie. Pixie is a free color picker that lets you hover your mouse over any pixel on your screen, and it gives you the color info: HEX, HTML, RGB, CMYK, HSV. See http://www.nattyware.com/
Thanks for all your great info!
Hello Tom. Thank you por all this information.
Iliana
Tom – I REALLY like your suggestions in this post and in nine free tools to build better elearning. Unfortunately, my company doesn’t allow downloads of free software. Is there some way that there can be an actual cost so that the software can be purchased?
I know, I know, in these economic times, you would think that free would be wonderful. That is, unless you’re IT.
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[…] He points to three more free tools here. […]
I am curious about the benefits of the Poladroid thing. I have seen the posts making the page curl, shadow effects, etc., and am wondering why the hassle and wait of using this site to create the polaroid effect? Couldn’t you do the same thing quicker and easier in PPT, especially PPT07?
I was also going to ask about differences and preferences between paint.net and artweaver, but I see that was already asked/answered. Since I don’t have any experience with either, I think I will try paint.net first.
Thanks for the tips and info!
Re: Lloyd:
I am not sure about all of these tools, but artweaver (and probably many others as well) have a portable version that would probably work for you.
Take a look at this article, especially the 2nd to last paragraph: http://www.online-tech-tips.com/free-software-downloads/artweaver-alternative-to-photoshop/
[…] 3 More Free Tools to Help Build Better E-Learning Courses […]
Hey Tom
Fabulous examples and tips, as ever…
Will your presentation from Orlando be available for non-conference-goers anywhere? I face an ongoing challenge in moving my organization from ‘click next’ courses to fully interactive learning experiences.
Thanks for the tips and info!..E-Learning will be much more important in 5 years..
Tom- Where did you get the artwork for the guy in the tie?
Artweaver’s download page unfortunately says the free version’s not for commercial use. (http://www.artweaver.de/download-en/)
@Mike: Couldn’t find a portable version of Artweaver. The article you mentioned is about 18 months old now, so maybe the portable version has been withdrawn since then.
[…] Poladroid: quickly create images that look like they were taken with a Polaroid camera. [original post] […]
[…] must be made to Tom Kuhlmann from the Rapid eLearning Blog who introduced me to the application for your desktop (wow, an app that isn’t for an iPhone […]
Photoshop has a free version available too called Photoshop Express Edition (http://www.photoshop.com). Use your existing adobe.com sign-in or create a new one (free) and you get access to all the Adobe resources that go with a profile, including 2GB online storage at photoshop.com. It is a Flash-based website,so it isn’t super fast, but there are many popular Photoshop tools available there, great for when you can’t get back to your full-installation version.
Hi, loving the tips – keep them coming! Just a quick question about using the avatar from Club Cooee. Does this have any copyright implications? Can I use my own avatar for learning materials that I am developing? They look great!
I absolutely love your blog, Tom. When I need to take a break from the course content I’ve been working on all day, I read your blog and inevitably find a helpful tip or an inspiring idea that motivates me to get back to work with a refreshed outlook. Keep up the good work!
Cheers Tom. Took your advice and they said it’s fine…..
Here’s what I wrote:
“Hello!
Hopefully this hasn’t already been answered, but I was wondering if it’s okay to see screenshots and video grabs of my avatar for an elearning package I am creating. This package is non-profit and is only to be used within my local organisation.
If you could let me know that would be great!
Many thanks,
Russ”
and here’s what they said:
“thank you very much for your feedback!
Yes this in no problem.
The team wishes you further on a great time in Club Cooee!
Regards,
Tom
(Club Cooee Support)”
I love Artweaver myself. Been using it for quite a while now. It’s got a much smaller memory footprint than Paint.net and does the basic stuff just as good.
Never heard of Poladroid, but it seems a nice little application. I just might give it a try.
Thanks for sharing.
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