Create a Chalkboard Template with These Simple Tips & More Than 40 Free Graphics
December 14th, 2010
Many of the rapid elearning courses I see use whiteboards or chalkboards. You can buy stock images of these, but it’s easy enough to create them in PowerPoint. So today, I’m going to share a few simple ways to create your own boards. Even if you don’t need to use them, there are some good PowerPoint tips that you could apply to other projects.
Blackboards and whiteboards are made up of a few key elements. There’s a frame, the board area, and the assets like ...
I like to use hand-drawn elements in some of my conference presentations. In the examples below, I combined hand-drawn shapes and characters with a hand-written font to give it more of an organic look. What I like about this approach is that it is less formal than if all of the shapes and images were created in PowerPoint. I think it makes the presentation seem less ...
It’s funny what you find when cleaning out your computer files. In this case, it’s a tutorial that I created over two years ago after a rapid elearning workshop I had given. For some reason, I never ended up posting it. So here it is. The output of the workshop is an interactive tabbed notebook. But the focus is really on learning some core rapid elearning tips when working with PowerPoint. ...
Recently, I’ve done quite a bit of traveling. In the past few weeks I’ve been to Vermont, Louisiana, Pennsylvania (twice), California, and New York. I’ve been able to meet quite a few rapid elearning developers and blog readers.
The Blog Readers Keep the Job Fun
By nature, I’m a bit introverted. But I can tell you that getting to meet some of the blog readers around the country is really energizing. I’m always overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and the kind and encouraging words that are shared about the blog. In this ...
Last week I took a stroll through New York City’s Central Park. While walking along the paths, I saw a black squirrel digging for acorns. I’m not sure how many black squirrels live in Central Park so they may be somewhat common. But for me, they’re uncommon and that got my attention.
After seeing the first black squirrel I surveyed the park to look for more. I didn’t see any others, but I did see a lot of ...
The other day this guy asked me how to develop color schemes for his rapid e-learning courses. Like a lot of guys, he has some issues with color perception so he wanted an easy way to match colors.
I have the same challenge. In fact, my wife’s probably getting annoyed with me always asking which shirts and pants match when I pack for the conference trips. It’s a good thing I can trust her. Otherwise, I might show up at the conference ...
The other day I was reviewing an old PowerPoint file that I used for the blog post on 
A favorite feature added to PowerPoint 2007 is the design theme. This lets you quickly modify your slides by changing templates, color schemes, and fonts. It opens the doors to thousands of quick customizations. Today, I’d like to share a free PowerPoint add-in that lets you expand your color scheme options. It’s built by Shyam Pillai, the same guy who gave away the free animation add-in I featured in the blog post, 
I like syncing services like 
Are your elearning courses starting to look like they belong to NASCAR? Are they plastered with all sorts of slogan, logos, and other corporate branding? If so, you’re not alone.
One of the biggest complaints I hear is that of branded elearning templates. Your client or organization wants them; but the templates can really make your courses look kind of junky.
E-learning templates and corporate branding is one of those issues where you can go round and round and never really end ...
When I’m on the road, I try to squeeze in some informal Articulate jam sessions to answer quick questions or offer a tip or two.
For example, I’m going to be in Baton Rouge next week. I’m doing a 
PowerPoint has some great animation features. They’re simple and easy to use. I covered 
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