Online SoftChalk Version 4 Demos

If interested, SoftChalk will demo their next version of SoftChalk LessonBuilder (which we license at JCCC) this afternoon (March 13) from 3-4 PM. Three additional sessions are scheduled in the next couple of weeks. See http://www.softchalk.com/webinar/ for details and to register. Register early if you’d like to see the next version of this product.

New features include:

• New Style Builder tool – create your own styles
• Internationalization – new language options for generating lesson content
• Two new activities: Interactive TimeLine, Slide Show
• Create internal bookmark links within a lesson
• Ability to name pages in the Table of Contents
• New online score tracking options
• New CD-ROM packaging option
• 40 New pre-built style options
• New Multi-page print option
• Ability to integrate PodCasts and YouTube video as a media type
• Ability to optimize image sizes and automatically convert image file types

Enhancements include:

• Text wrapping around aligned images and image resizing in the editor window
• Improved “list” handling, allowing nested lists and improved list editing
• Equation Editor within activities
• Increased image size provided in Hot Spot Image and Labeling activities
• Option to increase text size in Flash Card activity
• Crossword activity allows special and foreign characters
• Improvements to table editing, including visible borders when the width is zero
• Display of point values for quizpoppers and activities
• New Keyboard shortcuts that match those in Microsoft Word
• Page footers can now include links, text formatting and special characters, and images
• New easier installation process
• New software update process allows control of update by user

Microsoft Word's Not a Native Web Format

While Microsoft Word is ubiquitous, it’s still not a native web format. In other words, it’s not a file format that is opened by a web browser without a plug-in or without having the application on the recipient’s computer. Further, Microsoft Word 2007 files are often misinterpreted by Blackboard (and other applications) as zip (or compressed) files. The moral of the story is when possible use “native” web formats in Learning Modules and elsewhere in Blackboard rather than using Microsoft Word files (.doc or .docx). The best options are to use .html files (web pages) and PDF (portable document format) files. For images use files saved in either the .gif (line art) or .jpeg/.jpg (photographic image) format.

You can convert Microsoft Word files to .html in several ways. The best options are to cut and paste into Blackboard’s HTML Creator tool or to use a product like SoftChalk.

SoftChalk and Setting Column Widths

If you use SoftChalk LessonBuilder to create Learning Modules, you may find that including tables enables you to better layout data (place text and images). By default, when you create a new table the column widths are uniform in width. You can modify column widths (to create varying width columns) in 4 easy steps.

To set the width of a table column:

1. Click anywhere in the column,
2. Select the Table command on the menu bar,
3. Roll over the Column option, and
4. Choose the Set column width option.

Keep in mind that only the most recent version of SoftChalk (Version 3.03.07) has this option. If you don’t see it, open SoftChalk and if your computer has Internet access, the application will automatically upgrade itself.

Printing from a SoftChalk-created Learning Module Page

Faculty members using SoftChalk to create Learning Modules for use in Blackboard have found that when the student uses the Blackboard Learning Module Print function, the top of each printed page repeats the table of contents (TOC). Here’s the response from SoftChalk regarding this problem.

"What is happening is that when you print a page using the WebCT/Blackboard print function, Blackboard is just grabbing the "text" of the html page. When you created your lesson pages, you included the page navigation at the top of the page and the "drop-down" Table of Contents link in the sidebar. Normally when the student views the page, this information is formatted as the navigation bar across the top of the page and also as the drop-down TOC link in the sidebar. The navigation bar displays as it does because of the CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) that is "behind-the-scenes". But when WebCT/Blackboard displays the page for printing, it doesn't reference the CSS, so all of the text for the navigation bar and the TOC sidebar link appear as a list of items at the top of each printed page.

"You could easily get rid of the TOC appearing on the printed page by just removing the TOC drop-down link in the sidebar of your lesson. You will have to decide if it is more important to have the TOC as a drop-down link in the sidebar, or have the TOC info print when the student uses the Blackboard print function.

"In our next version of LessonBuilder, we plan to include a new "print all pages" option that will appear on each lesson page. Then, your student could click that link and it would print all of the lesson pages with the correct formatting. But until then, I would suggest that you might want to remove the sidebar TOC drop-down menu."

Preparing for Change

If you’re concerned about the possibility of a change in your LMS (from one version to the next or from one vendor to another), here's what I would suggest. As you create or modify your course materials, use SoftChalk (content pages, inline quizzes, pop-up glossary/definitions, sidebars, crossword puzzles and more), Respondus (assessments), or StudyMate (educational games). Each of these applications enable you to easily import content into any of the more common LMS products.

As an example, SoftChalk is an easy to use web page authoring system (operates very much like Microsoft Word). It enables you to "package" content (e.g. multiple web/html pages) which can then be imported into Blackboard CE or Angel or Desire2Learn. Once imported, you can unzip the packages file and organize the pages to offer course content. SoftChalk enables you to add features to a web page that you normally could not include without programming skills. SoftChalk requires no programming skills.

There's online training available for SoftChalk (http://www.softchalk.com/lb_demo.html) and JCCC has a site license which enables our faculty to install the software on any home or office computer as long as you're employed by the college (available at https://acsdb.jccc.net/softwaretracker/ with your JCCC log-in, the same site that gives JCCC faculty access to Respondus and StudyMate). Further, your ETC Designer (JCCC faculty members only) can assist you as needed.

So, if you’re concerned about LMS changes in the future, move your content to SoftChalk, Respondus and StudyMate. You’ll be able to easily improve the design of your course materials and prepare for any eventuality.