7taps® Pro or Rookie?
7taps® is Available in a Pro Edition in addition to the "Forever Free" Community Edition
Last month we talked about the brand-new authoring tool, 7taps®, that features a stack of cards you can customize as a microlearning asset. You will recall 7taps® entered the market in October 2020 and boasts it delivers an astounding 99% completion rate in corporate training*. Some questions remain from our last discussion. Such as: is the 7taps® product professional enough for big business? Is 7taps® still a rookie when it comes to authoring tools? What are the differences between the Forever Free and Pro Editions? Who is their target customer? Businesses or individuals? Lots of questions! Let's get to the answers.
Porter's Five Forces
First, if you've ever taken a marketing class, then Porter's Five Forces should be familiar to you. You can see the...
ID Bookshelf Part 1: Start With These
If you’re like me about a year ago, trying to learn about Instructional Design as a career, I’d bet that you have dozens of windows open on your laptop, computer, or phone, all presenting exciting information, but taking you on a detour.
If you then decided to focus your search and dive deeper, you might have selected some podcasts or Youtube channels to follow. You might have even enrolled in the IDOL courses Academy to guide you through your journey.
And then when you get a bit more confident, you want to read books to really feel knowledgeable.
I am with you. I was there.
I used to solely read fiction; I loved stories about unusual characters and different cultures. I still do. But when I started transitioning into Instructional Design from teaching, I went on a Non-Fiction binge.
If you ever googled “Instructional Design books”, you have come across lists of 10, 20, 40+ books, each of which could take weeks to finish when ...
7taps® is all it Takes: Trendy Microlearning
7taps is All it Takes to Realize 99% Completion Rates*
7taps® is a brand-new authoring tool featuring a stack of cards you customize for microlearning. It launched in October of 2020, confirming a 99% course completion rate for its corporate training.* Whoa! What? 99% completed the compliance course?* Who gets that kind of result?! Well, before 7taps ®, the answer was "no one."
Now, the answer could be "you," and it could also be "everyone!"
Each of us has an investment in technology and tech-related entertainment. As such, you are probably familiar with trivia cards. Well, as you'll learn in IDOL courses Academy online cards are not just for trivia anymore. Now, you can add another tool to your instructional designer toolbox as 7taps helps you create online card stacks framed as microlearning. Brilliant, right?
Microlearning is a Hot Topic in 2021
In weekly learning and development meetings worldwide, training managers and teams are clamoring to...
Interviewing: Land Your Dream Role with these 5 Tips
I don't know about you, but once I felt like my resume and portfolio were ready to share with the corporate instructional design world I knew my next step was to start applying for jobs. This is the part that scared me the most. I knew the time I spent learning in the IDOL courses Academy had given me the tools to build a strong portfolio and transition my teaching resume to instructional design. If your resume and portfolio are not quite where you want them to be, check out these two great resources before jumping into your first interview. IDOL Resume Writing Guide and Build Your Online Portfolio are helpful if you are looking for a jumpstart.
I also felt confident in my ability to perform my instructional design skills once hired as an instructional designer in the corporate space. The problem was that I hadn’t interviewed in over 8 years and that was for a teaching position. I knew I needed to prepare for my...
Power of the Portfolio: The Key to Becoming an IDOL
You’re thinking of becoming an instructional designer, or maybe you’re ready to start applying for jobs. You think to yourself, how can I make myself stand out to employers? How can I build confidence as a new ID? The answer: a portfolio.
Yes, really.
The power of a portfolio unleashes all of your darkest fears. Creating a portfolio allows you to take that leap into the unknown, and scream, “this is me and I want everyone to know it!” The first step to getting over imposter syndrome is to believe in yourself; so what better way to put yourself out there than with an organized, visual representation of who you are?
Who are you exactly? You are a learner, curriculum developer, problem solver, eLearning developer, and instructional designer - and so much more!
Here’s a little backstory.
I am new to corporate and higher Ed instructional design. Most of my pre-ID professional experience was as a high school science teacher. After...
ID Podcasts: Master Your Skills While Shopping, Running, or Cooking
Podcasts are awesome
- They’re free.
- They’re light and portable. You only need a phone and your earphones, which I would not leave the house without anyway.
- They can be downloaded. Therefore you don’t rely on your internet connection and your phone plan.
- They’re hand-free. So you could just put an episode on and carry on washing the dishes, painting the guest room or changing a nappy.
- If you subscribe, the new episodes are automatically marked in your app. No need to look for new content.
- You can find a podcast on any topic. ...
Peer Review: Make It Work For Everyone
I have used peer review in all kinds of professional contexts, from teaching in higher education to my work consulting with clients on instructional design projects now. My many experiences with peer review have included teaching others how to use it, as well as giving and receiving peer review from others. From these experiences, I have learned that peer review can be a rewarding experience for all involved, but only if it is practiced with the intention and care it deserves. These are my tips for effective peer review for everyone.
Tip #1: Peer Reviewers Are Expert Reviewers
Peer review is the process of peers giving structured, focused feedback on in-progress work. In this context,...
First Time Using Storyline?
Then, the Storyline for IDOLS® course came out and let me tell you! It was like the heavens were shining light on my self-doubt. It came equipped with several modules and a practice file. It was just what I needed to relieve my stress. And earning a...
Diving In to the ID Culture
I felt like a clumsy, awkward teenager trying to learn a new dance, a new style, and even a new language. I was attempting to blend in with a new culture, but in looking around, realized how much I still needed to learn before I could become a genuine part of this IDOL culture.
It was not long before I discovered...
Visual Design Part 2: How to Get Better
“Instructional Designer? What’s that?” I’m sure you’ve heard that question too. Most people would assume that we are designers working with our palettes and rulers. Well, they’re not far from the truth; we’re not called designer for no reason. We design instruction, job aids and courses because we understand how people learn. And because we understand people, we know that the visual design of these contents is equally important.
In my last blog post, I wrote about the importance of good and accessible visual design and introduced some tips on how to get started. In this post, I will use practical examples to point out what bad and good designs are.
No, I’m not swearing, I’m quoting an acronym from my favourite graphic design book author, Robin Williams from The Non-Designer's Design Book. This page-turner has hundreds of images to point out the differences between amateurish and easily achievable professional-looking...
