Day 1

Lecture Notes:
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1- More interactivity to overcome limitations of captivate.
>> JavaScript can be used to get more flexible and effective outcomes.

2- Audio recording from the Hard disk.
>> By using Line in option (Narration recording settings on first screen)
That's an important point (because if i'm using a video with sound i can use this option.

3- Video recording and adding captions on it.
>> It can be done, but the video will be so slow (another solution is to add the video to the slide.

Lab work:
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Very good, creative examples were presented yesterday (thanks everybody)
just consider the following before starting the new project:

1- PLEASE plan ahead (design a draft paper before you begin)
Take your time to design it (so that it's meaningful)
Ask yourself:

A: Who is the audience? A movie designed for primary-school children will look and feel a lot different from one designed for software engineers.
B: What does the audience need to learn from the movie? These are the learning objectives, and the fewer - two or three - the better.
C: What is the audience's skill level regarding the content of the presentation? A presentation designed for people who have never used software will be a lot more basic than one designed for "power users". Knowing the audience's skills will also give you a good idea of the project's scope and complexity.

After you have determined the project's scope and understand the audience, you can then move into planning the movie's content. This is where the importance of a storyboard or script can't be understated.

2- We need to: "Focus on the user. NOT on the technology."
The message that the movie conveys, is far more important than the technology / tools.
When you view the project make sure it's self explanatory and never give the chance for the learner to wonder what he's supposed to do and where he should go.

3- MAKE it SHORT, SIMPLE and EFFECTIVE.
Quality is more important than Quantity...
We're not happy with so much of slides that isn't clear or interactive!

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Trouble shooting: (problems some people faced.)
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1- Buttons direction and handling.
>> make sure in the correct feedback you direct him in the right way.
>> you can add javaScript to that easily.

2- Clicks and slides are sometimes not easy to track.
>> Edit >>Preferences >>Recording >>Modes
It will automatically add captions at right places, u just need to rephrase it to be a meaningful one and if required you can add a character for help or extra supporting content.

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(p.s. add your problems here as comments and let's SOLVE it :D)
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References:
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http://elearningtech.blogspot.com/2006/03/captivate-file-size-tricks-for.html
http://www.communitymx.com/content/article.cfm?cid=A8847
http://writersgateway.wordpress.com/category/captivate/
http://pipwerks.com/journal/2007/07/10/captivate-javascript-limitations/

History

Hello everybody,

Welcome on board! this program is really powerful and easy to use;
we'll start by knowing the history of different versions as it would give some idea about it...

While the product started out as a pure screen recording utility known as Flashcam (Nexus Concepts 2002), it evolved into an e-learning authoring tool after San Diego-based eHelp Corporation acquired Flashcam and released it as RoboDemo.

Eventually, software firm Macromedia acquired eHelp to gain RoboDemo. Shortly before Adobe Systems acquired Macromedia, they changed the name of the product to Captivate.

Chronological order of versions:

Adobe Captivate 3 (July 2007) New features included multimode recording, automatic rerecording, XML export/import (XLIFF) for localization, find and replace, audio recording with preview, randomized quizzes, answer shuffle, new question types (sequence/hotspot), PPT import with animations, rollover slidelet, and slide transition effects.

Adobe Captivate 2 (October 2006) New features included branching view, simulation wizard, library, interaction dialog, zoom, skins and menus, Flash Video (FLV) support, export to Flash 8, step-by-step documentation output, customization options, and PENS.

Macromedia Captivate (October 2004) New features included timeline, audio editing, demonstration and simulation recording modes, customizable quiz questions, export to Flash MX 2004, smart full motion recording, 508 compliance, SCORM 2004, and Breeze integration.

RoboDemo 5 and eLearning Edition (Fall 2003)

RoboDemo 4 and eLearning Edition (Spring 2003)

RoboDemo 3 (Fall 2002)

RoboDemo 2 (May 2002)