I was recently tasked to explain a concept with the use of an online/digital format. Fortunately for me my company has an enterprise license for two of the most well known authoring software products on the market: Adobe Captivate and Articulate Studio. However, without a dedicated server to publish the content to, those two optioned would not serve my needs.
While searching for online presentation tools I came across several viable options - Prezi, GoAnimate, emaze, and PowToon. I have had limited exposure using those tools in prior classes and wanted to try something new. My partner for the assignment suggested a tool I had never heard of before - Moovly. The company's slogan is "Create Animated Content like a Pro". After seeing that I thought to myself "sold!".
After the first few minutes of building my content I found Moovly's interface somewhat user friendly. It wasn't until thirty minutes into my project that I began cursing myself, questioning my decision to use this application. For the record, I do not blame my partner for selecting this tool. As I just mentioned the interface is user friendly.
There are several reasons why I will never go back to Moovy:
- Server is EXTREMELY slow
- Timeline adjustments for interactivity too cumbersome
- Characters, props and backgrounds limited
- Cap out at 10 min (free version)
- No mobile functionality
- No option to work offline
As mentioned at the forefront there are many online presentation/authoring tools to consider. Which ones have you used? What were the pros/cons?
I like your focus, Jason. I haven't tried Moovly, and based on your evaluation, I doubt I will! One of the tools you mentioned, Powtoons, is relatively new to me, but I've been enjoying it so far. I've been particularly impressed by how easy it is to use, as well as its reliability. So often, free online tools can be temperamental, but so far, Powtoons has offered a pretty solid user experience.
ReplyDeleteJason,
ReplyDeleteGood overview of presentation software and Moovly. I personally haven't had the opportunity to use Moovly. But as Allan mentioned, I am reluctant to try it after reading about your experience.
My husband just created a whole training module with 50+ slides with Articulate Storyline. Unfortunately, this is not for public view and is a training module exclusively for his company. The trouble he had is with publishing. His department does not have a serve that is immediately available and he cannot publish it as a standalone project either, given that it is not for public use. One of the drawbacks with Articulate Storyline is that it does not make publishing easy, not unless you make it public. A heavy project cannot be emailed either. Another drawback using that tool is that you cannot get feedback via email nor can you receive learners' scores. This makes it quite difficult for the trainer who wants to know how the learners performed. But I will say this... It is very user friendly.
Compared to this Adobe Captivate has a huge learning curve. It has some awesome feature for complex elearning topics. That said, it provides another method of publishing as PDF which is great. The media is all embedded and ready for use. The results can be sent via email too. This makes this software a true champion in elearning industry.
As far as Powtoon is concerned, it is a fun tool to use but I am not sure how the business world will look at it. For instructors like me, it goeas a long way. Moreover, unless you have their expensive subscription, you have limited time (5-10 min) of content you can create. Whereas the subscriber who pay a large sum/year have 60 minutes of content that they can create.
My take on this whole issue with technology is mix and match depending on the topic one deals with. Now that PowerPoint has become obsolete, it might me of use in certain situations. But I would like to try different tools for different situations.
Good post Jason.
Shyam Mourouvapin
I used Powtoon. It was my first time trying anything in these types of technology. It was pretty user friendly and easy to upload to You Tube. I didn't like how expensive upgrading was and that when you upgrade it is only for one style of presentation not all of them. I upgraded and when I found out what little I got, I canceled the upgrade.
ReplyDeleteKristen
Thanks for the information Jason! I am not a very creative person so I am consistently looking for new programs that I can use to trick people into believing that I am creative. Of the programs that you mentioned, Prezi is the only one that I have experience with.
ReplyDeleteI have looked into using some of the other programs, but cost or time turned me away. As a high school teacher, PowerPoint is my main presentation program for several reasons. It is free, easy to use, and quick. My students and I do get sick of the same program, do you have any suggestions for presentation programs other than PowerPoint and Prezi?
Thanks!
Thanks for vetting Moovly for me. I won't be trying that one. I like good ol' Google for a lot of my presentation tools. I hope you get to use Adobe more, its suppose to be great.
ReplyDelete