Trainers Talk Tech

I'm having such a dilemma and its driving me crazy. Here is what I'm struggling with: lately, several of my customers have asked me to create or bid on projects where they expect to be able to go in and edit the content, images and layout of the project after the launch. They want to be able to tweak every aspect of the project once its complete. However, they have no technical background and are not interested in learning the tech. As a result, I'm being asked to over-complicate the programming for ease of use later.

First example - a local area church has asked me to develop a web site for them that they can edit themselves. They don't want a CMS (even the free ones), they want to be hand coded. No problemo - I build it in CSS at a fixed width and height per the design from their team. After its built out and they want to start adding content, their editor (who picked up Dreamweaver specifically for this purpose), can't get the WYSIWYG screen to work with my hand coded CSS. Sometimes Dreamweaver, especially older versions, have a hard time rendering the CSS correctly in the WYSIWYG view. The code is solid and displays wonderfully in all browsers, but the client hates it and hates me because it isn't easy to edit in Dreamweaver. After a week of no luck with tutorials and phone assistance, I rebuilt it from scratch using old table code and layout techniques from 2005. They love it. It stretches how they want, its easy to add the content they want and they are super excited about their site again.

I, however, hate it and will not be adding it to my portfolio. It's filled with nested table tags, bloated JavaScript and is "old school" code that I rarely write anymore. However, the client LOVES it and loves me for making their lives easier. I have overcomplicated the "behind the scenes" so the WYSIWYG view works. What!!?

Case number two: I'm bidding on an eLearning project where the client wants all images but the interface to load dynamically and be stored outside the project, all video and audio to load dynamically and be stored outside the project, and all text and headers to be in XML and load dynamically at run time. OK...this is not rocket science, but in an effort to make their lives easier (they won't have to learn Flash to make edits), they are making it much more complicated to develop. It's so much easier to just dump it all into flash, export to .swf and deliver an HTML file and a .swf file and be done with it.

In an effort to avoid learning code or learning Flash, customers seem to be asking for "do it yourself" solutions, when I'm thinking that they should pick up a copy of Dreamweaver or Flash and learn it. It's much more complicated to dynamically load XML text than it is to type the text in the Flash interface. Now, there are very good reasons for using XML for text (I have another client who is going to offer multiple languages and wants to use the same .swf but load the different language XML which is cool), but for simple projects, why make it so complicated?

Couple thoughts:

1) They don't want to pay me to edit the files
2) They don't want to take the chance of me going away and not being around in 3 years when the files have to be edited
3) They expect lots of changes to the files
4) They expect to have to make changes in a speedy, real time fashion

I'm all about teaching a man to fish, but this kind of falls into the "just cause we can, we will." I am all about the straight line - get what you need accomplished in the easiest way possible. Learn Flash. Learn ActionScript. Who says editing an XML file is easier than editing a Flash file? Is this "Do it yourself" idea good for eLearning? Shouldn't it be "Learn the tool."

Am I alone here? Is this something I should just deal with? Since when do customers care about the intricate guts of a project, rather than its functionality, look and feel? Should I just grow up and understand that customers are getting more technical and are asking to "peek under the hood"?

Thanks for listening. Anyone else experiencing this?

It's that time of the year again, when Vegas calls the educational technologists out from their dark work rooms, and when instructional designers and facilitators alike decide to figure out this eLearning stuff and come out to Las Vegas for the ASTD TechKnowledge Conference.

This is going to be another great year with ASTD, and I wanted to let everyone know that I will be presenting three separate sessions regarding Flash CS4.

I'll be presenting a "Getting Started with Flash" pre-conference session on 1/26/10! Its a fun primer to get you up and running using Flash, but is targeted towards the eLearning professional. It's for the new learners, but will be a full day of Flash related fun. (Can you say "Flash Related Fun" ten times fast?)

Also, I will have two Creation Stations on Flash called "Flash Animation: Basics of Making Things Move" on Wednesday the 27th and Friday the 29th of January. This is a 90 minute hands-on session where you will learn the basics of symbols and tweening in Flash CS4. Yes, it's pretty basic, but will be a blast, especially if you are brand new to Flash CS4.

I'll be blogging and podcasting from the General Sessions and sometimes from the concurrent sessions I'll be attending.

I am coming into Vegas on Monday night and leaving on Friday afternoon, and I am usually walking the floor or expo when I'm not in session. Feel free to say "hello" if you see me wandering around! Also, I will be attending the "Meet to Eat"sessions in the evenings, so if you want to connect with me ~ I'd love to talk tech!

It's been a while since I had a podcast, but I am setting a new one up for this upcoming weekend! My topic will be Learning Management Systems (LMS). Love them or hate them, they can be an important tool in any organization. For the tracking, storage and reporting on learner activity, they can be an amazing asset.

However, they can also be a major pain in the butt! From installation issues, vendors over-promising (that never happens anymore does it???) to data integration and SCORM course issues, LMSs can be a nightmare.

I have an expert lined up who will demystify LMSs, talk about the reality of the LMS and hopefully give you new ways of thinking about this software. Keep your eye on this site...as soon as I am able to get into the studio, the new podcast will be up!

During my ASTD Essentials webinar series this past week, several people asked about the fundamentals of good eLearning design and where they could go to learn the basics of good eLearning design. I joked that I can teach you to mash buttons in Flash, Dreamweaver and Photoshop, but I can't teach you to have that "eye". However, there are some resources that can give you a jump start.

Technology for Trainers
by Thomas Toth (Me)
Yeah, I have to start with my book. Sorry about the shameless plug. It's really a great foundational book that's easy to read. It's only 182 pages and I have a whole chapter dedicated to the elements of a good interface. However, if you want to dive into a monster of a book, then:

Designing Web-Based Training: How to Teach Anyone Anything Anywhere Anytime
by William Horton
This is a monster book - 640 pages - but its really good stuff. This book has been called a good reference book, I find it chock full of ideas on developing good eLearning.

Multimedia Based Instructional Design
by William Lee and Diana Owens
While a bit dated (original printing was 2000, this is the 2004 update), this book provides you with the templates, storyboards and other paper-based tools to help you organize your multimedia and online learning elements. I used this quite a bit during my early years.

Anything by Michael Allen
Michael Allen is widely considered to be an eLearning guru. I find his books excite me and challenge the way I think. Although I challenge some of the things he says, suggests and does, I find that anyone who can make me think is someone I enjoy associating with.

There are also some very good books on web design in general, but from an eLearning perspective, these are good places to start!

Would anyone be interested in videos, tutorials or seminars on the elements of good eLearning design? I hope to put some of this stuff on myelearningguru.com (the stinky Joomla project...still in development...grr...), but what about synchronous sessions? Maybe an online class or two? Let me know if you would be interested in something like this. Post a comment or contact me directly!

Now, go build something cool!

This is a web log dedicated to the training and development professional who is looking to get into the world of online learning. It's a completely new skill set, and many people I talk with are scared, nervous and, quite frankly, don't know where to begin. That's where this site comes in!

As this site grows and develops, I hope to pride you with ways to think about your eLearning, tools for helping you develop your eLearning and ways to take new, emerging and existing technology and put it into your eLearning. After all, with very few exceptions,no one is creating technology exclusively for learning.

Think about it...did people invent the telephone for learning purposes? The web? The iPhone? WebEx? What about RSS feeds, blogs, podcasting, second life, HTML, Joomla, Flash, etc. All of these are amazing technologies, and I hope to help you think about them and how to incorporate them into your online learning.

I'm very opinionated. I'm very open to good discussion. I'm very passionate about online learning. Thank you for stopping by. I hope that I can give you something to think about!