“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
As a Brit I’ve always been aware of the US holiday that is Thanksgiving. I knew it was important to Americans – and that Steve Martin really wanted to get home for it in Planes, Trains and Automobiles. But I didn’t fully appreciate the moment of pause that Thanksgiving provides before the Christmas season kicks in. A moment of pause to, quite simply, give thanks.
2022 has been another busy and challenging year for me – as it has for so many of us – but I’m far more positive about the future than I was this time last year. Reflecting on how far I have come and what I have achieved over the last 12 months, I am genuinely thankful. The stalled ambitions, trials and tribulations of the last two years now feel less raw, as if they happened much longer ago.
So what have I been up to since my last blog? Read on to find out!
This entry is also packed with elearning freebies – my way of saying ‘thank you’ to all my friends and supporters.
Thriller In Manila
In September, I spent two weeks in Manila to meet my new team and work together on a key project. I don’t think I have ever met such a hard-working, friendly and enthusiastic group of people. It was a great experience and time flew while I was there.
I didn’t get to see as much of the city as I would have liked, but I fell in love with the place immediately. Whether it was getting a tuk tuk in the pouring rain, browsing the sprawling Mall of Asia or belting out Psycho Killer at the team karaoke night, I had an absolute blast.
But my fondest memory is of a meeting, when a junior member of the team, just a month into the job, made a suggestion that will revolutionise our course design at Entain.
Rosa, if you’re reading this – once again, well done!Last day in our Manila office with my fantastic team... pic.twitter.com/ZOFBO26jkU
— ᴊ ᴏ ɴ ᴀ ᴛ ʜ ᴀ ɴ_ʜ ɪ ʟ ʟ (@DevByPowerPoint) October 6, 2022
During my travels I still took part in the E-Learning Heroes Challenges.
While 32,000ft above Central Europe I submitted a ‘work from home’ themed demo for Challenge #389. (Oh, the irony!)
The following week, for Challenge #390, I shared how to make the humble next button more dynamic using conditional variables.
Want your 'next' button do more than simply 'click next'? Download this free Storyline template
Vegas, baby!
Back in 2020, I was all set to speak at DevLearn. My flights and hotel were booked and I was ready to go. But the Covid pandemic forced the conference to move online. So I cancelled my trip and made a recording of my session instead. No AI? No Problem! was well received but I quietly gave up my dream of speaking at DevLearn in person.
That was until this July, when David Anderson invited me to speak at this year’s Articulate User Conference at DevLearn.
Suddenly my trip to Vegas was back on! But what would I talk about?
Want to learn How To Build a Computer Opponent in Storyline without Javascript? The first 10 people to email me will get free access to my tutorial!
@DevByPowerPoint is an absolute legend in the @Articulate #ELH community. #devlearn pic.twitter.com/ilr62Llage
— Ashley Chiasson (@amdchiasson) October 25, 2022
Join me at the @Articulate User Con @DevLearn next Tuesday, where I'll show you how to 'level up' your quiz design.
— ᴊ ᴏ ɴ ᴀ ᴛ ʜ ᴀ ɴ_ʜ ɪ ʟ ʟ (@DevByPowerPoint) October 20, 2022
My session, 'State of Play', begins at 2:15pm. Here's a sneak peek! pic.twitter.com/FzzwgWsxXn
David suggested I present two 30-minute demo breakdowns and an hour-long workshop.
I couldn’t travel all the way to Vegas without talking about one of my favourite demos, Fear and Loathing in E-Learning!
I also wanted to share the techniques I used in my branching video scenario, Get Kimiko, to achieve a seamless tranistion between videos and an unbroken, continuous soundtrack.
During my workshop, I shared my tips for using game assets to create a quiz in Storyline that looks and behaves like a retro side-scrolling computer game.
Join me at the @Articulate User Con @DevLearn next Tuesday, where I'll show you how to 'level up' your quiz design.
— ᴊ ᴏ ɴ ᴀ ᴛ ʜ ᴀ ɴ_ʜ ɪ ʟ ʟ (@DevByPowerPoint) October 20, 2022
My session, 'State of Play', begins at 2:15pm. Here's a sneak peek! pic.twitter.com/FzzwgWsxXn
Couldn't make it to DevLearn but would like to see my presentations? Watch them here
The highlight of my trip was finally getting to meet my ‘online L&D crew’, Cara North, Jonathan Rock, Jac Hutchinson, and Joseph Suarez. Without their help and encouragement I would never have made it to Vegas.
Each is a master in their area of instructional design and elearning development and they have been so supportive of me and my work. We chat online so often that meeting in person wasn’t awkward at all – even for this naive Brit who had never visited the United States before! I haven’t laughed as much in ages.Jac and her husband Matt are Canadian but know Vegas well and really looked after me. On my first night in town they took me to see their local hockey team, Toronto Maple Leafs, play Las Vegas Golden Knights. It was my first ever hockey game and it was brilliant!
I’d also like to give a special shout-out to two new friends: Nick Tillem and Bre Fisher. I enjoyed our time together and our conversations, on elearning and more.
I was thrilled to meet many of the fantastic designers who take part in the E-Learning Heroes Challenges: Jodi Sansome, Samuel Apata, Ashley Chiasson, Yvonne Urra-Bazain and Kandice Kidd to name a few.
I geeked out about meeting Matt Pierce, Kassy LaBorie, and Tim Slade, whose work I have admired for a long time.
I didn’t get to spend as much time with Betty Dannewitz as I’d have liked, but meeting the host of If You Ask Betty in person was a highlight too. (We’ve since recorded another episode of her podcast together – watch this space!)
Russell Sweep is as engaging in person as he is online and I can highly recommend his weekly Project Club over at GLDC.
Over the past six weeks I have created some E-Learning Heroes demos that I am very proud of. They combine the Storyline skills I have learned over the years with newer elements such video effects and digital narration. I will add some of these demos to my portfolio when I update this website next year.
ELHC #391-396
For Challenge #391, I used screencasting to show the absurdly good visuals you can achieve with PowerPoint.
For Challenge #392, I used text variables and randomisation to create a Cards Against Humanity-inspired resume builder.
For the Halloween-themed Challenge #393, I poked fun at the pervasive nature of neuromyths in L&D.
For Challenge #394, I built a Vegas-inspired smoothie maker.
For Challenge #395, I returned to my old haunt, Lucifer Industries, for this devilish take on completion certificates.
Most recently, for Challenge #396, I mangled the English language and set transatlantic relations back by several decades with this gamified glossary of Cockney rhyming slang.
Fancy taking my smoothie maker demo for a spin? Download the master copy here
Want to add the current date and time to an in-course completion certificate? Download my template here
First things first: my wife and kids deserve a holiday! So we’re jetting off for week of sunshine just before Christmas. This will be our first proper family holiday since 2019 and I’m so looking forward to it. (I will not be packing my laptop.)
Will I return to DevLearn? I hope so. I already have a couple of ideas for a speaking proposal, but I don’t want to count my chickens before they hatch.
Will I keep taking part in the E-Learning Heroes Challenges? You bet! Even now, I learn something new each week that helps me and my team to build better courses.
Will I keep blogging? Yes! But I will try to keep my updates more frequent (and shorter) in 2023.
For now, thanks again, enjoy the freebies and see you next year.
Thanks so much for all the free goodies. You are the master of Engagment!
I’ve now given away all 10 free passes for my DDX 2020 presentation – thanks to everyone who got in touch.