Phil Mayor: A Super Hero and Wellness E-Learning Super Star

We’re excited to introduce another new Articulate Super Hero, Phil Mayor, and tell you some cool things he’s been doing with Articulate Storyline. Phil’s been a regular on E-Learning Heroes since he first got hold of Articulate Presenter four years ago. Not one to shy away from a challenge, Phil first joined the community to learn—and ultimately master—Presenter. He laughs, “When I first started developing e-learning and working with Articulate programs, the community was my first stop for help and inspiration. A lot of what I developed initially was begged and borrowed from the community.”

Now Phil’s a regular in the community, jumping in to help whenever he sees recurring questions. In fact, his skillful presence led to a project with HealthTeacher, a U.S.-based company developing health-related content that teachers can integrate into classroom lessons. The company tasked Phil to create new interactive lessons that would engage students on computers, interactive whiteboards, digital projectors, tablets, and more.

In typical fashion, Phil tackled the project full-bore. Since he needed to create modules that would be interactive across a number of devices, he knew there was only one tool for the job. “I had a lot more flexibility building these interactions in Storyline,” he recalls. But what makes Phil’s work so great for the K-5 audience is that it’s physically interactive, too. Kids respond to the material by touching big buttons on the smartboard screen.

Take a look at this one from the Sleep Is Awesome! lesson.

View sleep calculator demo from Sleep Is Awesome! lesson

This calculator makes it easy for kids to see how much sleep they got. They just input the time they went to bed and the time they woke up. Phil built the whole thing with triggers and slide layers in Storyline. “If I did this with variables, I would have had to build 30 or so slides. Using slide layers, I was able to build it about twice as fast.”

Phil uses a variety of interactions in each lesson, such as drag-and-drops, true and false questions, questions with text fields, and even questions where students can answer on the interactive whiteboard with a whiteboard-enabled pen. And the interactive approach carries through to the delivery of the lessons. Rather than having students take lessons on computers or tablets individually, classes engage with the material together and then discuss it as a group.

View physical activity demo from Physical Activity is Awesome! lesson

According to Aaron Briggs, senior product manager for HealthTeacher, the new interactive lessons have scored big with the kids. “Of the 300+ lessons in the library, these six Storyline lessons made up 30 percent of page views in October, which is remarkable.”

View breakfast foods demo from Start Your Day With Breakfast lesson

There’s no question that the HealthTeacher approach resonates with kids and educators alike. The service now reaches over six million kids in 11,000 schools in hundreds of school districts. In fact, nine of the 15 largest school districts in the U.S.—including New York City Schools, Chicago Public Schools, and Broward County Schools in Florida—subscribe to HealthTeacher. It’s brought well-deserved exposure for Phil, recognizing his talent for building interactive e-learning. Yet, he’s quick to credit the Articulate community’s role with his success. “I wouldn’t have connected with HealthTeacher without the good folks in E-Learning Heroes. And then, with Storyline and all its community support, I had the tools to bid the project reasonably and deliver it with all the interactivity HealthTeacher wanted.”

Super Hero Fun Fact

It’s no secret that Phil’s an e-learning ninja—but did you realize he’s a true ninja as well? For the last five years, Phil has trained diligently in the martial arts. He’s an Articulate Super Hero and a real-life ninja—nice work, Phil!

Looking for Phil?

• Follow him on Twitter
• Send him a message in E-Learning Heroes
• Visit his website
• Read his book Storyline for Starters: The Manual for Articulate Storyline