Sub-Badge: Analyze Technologies

Criteria: Evidence of describing emerging technologies and evaluating the benefits and limitations of the tool’s usage.

Artifact: A chart reviewing e-learning development tools

Reflection

For the competency, "analyze the characteristics of existing and emerging technologies and their potential use," I have selected a chart I created for a class, which I used as an artifact to review e-learning development tools. This chart is intended to compare three tools used to develop e-learning in the instructional design world.   The chart breaks down three tools: Articulate 360, Adobe Captivate, and Camtasia. I used software description, accessibility, usability, and web-based vs. desktop to provide different perspectives on each tool. Finally, based on my findings, I offered the pros, cons, and recommendations. 

            When I created this chart, I worked with Captivate and Articulate. I completed the certification for the older version of Captivate and used Articulate 360 for a few of my projects at my job. I also used both of them for projects in my earlier master's classes.   I had not used Camtasia, but I had seen it used by another colleague on their projects. This assignment taught me that Articulate and Captivate are continuously evolving. Both are great e-learning creation tools, and although Captivate was the more complex tool (it has since been revamped), it is often preferred because it is Mac-friendly, whereas Articulate is not. I also found that Camtasia is a premier technology for creating videos. It has also evolved to include a prompt that lets you generate text-to-speech instead of recording a voice video script; you type what you want to say. This makes it easier to do a voice-over without many takes.

            This chart gave me a perspective on how three e-learning tools can achieve different goals. It showed me that I have more than one option for creating e-learning, and that all the tools will continue to evolve to support it. I am getting training in Articulate 360 and certifications in Captivate and Camtasia to improve my skills with all these tools. I currently hold the certification for the older version of Captivate, but I would like to be certified in the revamped version. I also received my Camtasia certification in 2023. It expires this year, so I will recertify to stay current. Finally, I would like to learn more about Articulate 360. I do my work on a Mac, so to learn more about Articulate, I will have to use the online version. I want to continue learning more about these tools and, in turn, become a better Instructional Designer.