adobe – reflective Learning Blog

Adobe Animate is a computer program used to create animations. Animate is most commonly used to create animations for television programs, websites, video games and applications. These animations can be published for HTML5, WebGL and Flash player to name but a few. Adobe Flash used to be the main program for creating animations but it underwent a name change in 2016 where it became known as Animate.

Interestingly, I had the chance to try out this piece of software for myself last week. For my interactive courseware module in college I’ve been tasked with creating a digital learning resource. I’ve opted to create an online e-learning course to help DJ’s configure their music equipment. In order to make this digital resource more functional it will require some incorporation of animations. We were therefore given a workshop in how to use Adobe Animate so we could create the best digital resource possible. Although I wasn’t able to attend the workshop myself, the lab sheets were posted online so I could try them out in my spare time. In the lab sheets I learned about some of the benefits of using Adobe Animate and some of it’s key features. I was provided with instructions on how to manipulate layers, and import images and animated movies. I also learned how to create a very basic animation of a train driving on train tracks. To do so I was able to draw on the screen to create what was essentially a 2D painting. I was able to use shapes to create things like trees and the train itself. I made use of keyframes in order to rotate the wheels on the train. When animated these wheels started moving. Subsequently I was able to drag the train across the screen while the wheels were moving to essentially create an animation. Although I was able to complete the labsheet with relative ease I’m unsure if id be able to make my own animations without such instructions. It’s going to take plenty of getting used to but I hope youtube will have some useful tutorials. Being able to create my own animations will allow my digital resource to appear more professional and will add to the learning experience. Below is a screenshot of the simple animation I created!!

Articulate Storyline is an authoring tool used to create online e-learning courses. It allows users to create e-learning courses which can be delivered to a number of devices. It makes use of a block editing format where users fill blocks with content and connect them to each other.

Key features of Articulate Storyline include:

Audio-animation synchronization
Closed Captioning
Slide Layers
Multi device compatibility
HTML5 and CSS3 support

Recently I’ve had the opportunity to become acquainted with this software. As part of my coursework for a college module I’m expected to create a digital learning resource. While we’ve been given the option to use any software of our choice, I’ve decided to choose Storyline. A major reason behind this choice is that our course were given a workshop in how to use Adobe Articulate. Speakers visited us from a company called Novitas and delivered a presentation that showed the uses of Articulate. Storyline was one of the applications talked about in this presentation and I got a good idea of what it was about. I learned about its key features and how these could be used to create high quality e-learning courses. I therefore decided that it would be best to use Storyline, as there is no point trying to learn another software package that I know nothing about. It also seems that most jobs in e-learning require some knowledge of articulate. If I am to get a job in the field of e-learning in a few months time it’s essential that I learn how to use it. It will also look good if I can produce an example of an e-learning course created with articulate. At the end of the semester I will be creating an e-portfolio that I can show to future employers. Therefore using adobe articulate will benefit both my college grades and career opportunities. They sound like pretty good reasons for becoming an articulate master!