Need a good video transcoder?

Handbrake is an open-source program (free) that converts video.It is available for PC, MAC and Linux platforms.

I discovered Handbrake when I was converting PowerPoint presentations to video for iPAD distribution. The PowerPoint Save and Send as Video function converts the PPT to a WMV file. I used Handbrake to convert the WMV to MP4 format.

Start by selecting your source file (or files). Handbrake scans and sets up the GUI for the selected source file. Select your destination and configure the output settings. Choose a preset from the Preset list. This will automatically set up the all the required settings. Press the "Encode Video" button. If you have a source with multiple titles, you can queue these up using the "Add to Queue" button.

 Check it out:http://handbrake.fr/index.php

Apture - free pop-up glossary

Apture is a free browser extension that works with most major browsers. 

When you highlight a topic, a "Learn More" bubble pops up but you don't leave the webpage you are viewing.  Click the bubble to get a pop-up window with more information. 

Check it out:  http://www.apture.com/

Free Webinar 11/8 - E-learning Trends: Learning & Talent Systems & Services

Tue, Nov 8, 2011 12:00 PM - 1:15 PM CST

This webinar will deal with the latest trends around Learning & Talent Systems and Services. They will share a portion of a clip from the ELCE show, where they asked the “founding fathers” of the LMS industry, “With the growing trend towards social and informal learning, what do you think the role of the LMS will be in the future.”

Who were these “founding fathers” and CEO’s? You know them all: Bobby Yazdani of Saba Systems; Alan Todd of KnowledgePlanet/Mzinga, now CEO of Corporate University Xchange; and Frank Russell, the former CEO of GeoLearning, and now the CEO of Prositions.

Register at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/970415786

Screen Captures using Office 2010

Did you know that there is a screen capture tool built into Office 2010? 

Access the tool in any Office application (Word, Excel etc.) by clicking the Insert ribbon and then clicking Screenshot. 

1. Available Windows will allow you to capture a screenshot of an entire window you already have open
2. Screen Clipping option will let you draw a box around an area so you can pick and choose your screenshot area

View and show PPTs on iPAD via free app

SlideShark is a free app that allows mobile professionals & educators to view and show PowerPoint® presentations on the iPad®.

If you're an iPad user, you may have noticed that there isn't a PowerPoint or Microsoft® Office app for viewing PowerPoint files available in the App Store. In their absence, mobile professionals & educators have had to come up with "workarounds" that end up falling short.  With SlideShark, you can easily and reliably convert PowerPoint into a high fidelity iPad-optimized format that keeps animations, fonts, colors, and graphics intact. That way you can view and show PowerPoints on the iPad the way they were meant to be seen.

Check it out:  https://www.slideshark.com/default.aspx