Due to a technical issue, the ToolBook 9.5 SP1 download has been temporarily suspended. If you have already downloaded and installed SP1, and are experiencing problems publishing for the web, see this knowledge base article.
Once the download is again available, another blog update will be posted.
Thank you for your understanding.
We’ve just released Service Pack 1 for ToolBook 9.5. This Service Pack provides several enhancements such as faster Book Explorer performance, the ability to install ToolBook remotely, and a tool that can be used to automate activation in a networked environment. More information can be found in our Knowledge Base.
A patch is available to update 9.5 to 9.5 SP1, and a complete setup program supporting remote installation of ToolBook 9.5 SP1 is available. Check it out!
Aaron Smith
SumTotal ToolBook Team
The SumTotal Systems 2009 ToolBook Design Awards recognizes outstanding work by the ToolBook community in creating compelling learning. The competition — which showcases content with industry-leading ToolBook content creation software — honors the most talented content creators around the world.
Submissions are now being accepted through July 29, 2009. Submit now ›.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008 1pm ET/10am PT
>> Register Now
In today’s learning environment, organizations are facing more challenges than ever with shrinking budgets, increasing learning demands, complex technology and the frenetic pace of change in a global business environment.
A shared services model addresses these challenges head on by shifting the organization to an environment of collaboration, specialization, and defined processes. Nimble changes that result in scalable, efficient and adaptable operations. Join us to learn the inner workings of a shared services model and the pathway to taking your organization there.
In this webinar you will learn:
Presented by:
Daniel Abdo, Executive Vice-President of Services, Stranix.
We’ve been testing ToolBook’s Web content on the first publicly available Google Android powered phone - at least that I am aware of - the T-Mobile G1 . We have a bit more research to do but the results so far have been encouraging as the Web browser with the G1 phone is quite robust.
ToolBook content on T-Mobile Google Android device.
From a device perspective, I find the device very useful – especially the combination of touch screen and keyboard. As an iPhone user, I really wish I had a keyboard like the one on this phone.
- Brad
Brad Crain
VP Engineering
SumTotal Systems Inc
bcrain@sumtotalsystems.com
Introducing SumTotal ToolBook 9.5, Rapid Content Creation and Mobile Support
Wednesday, November 5, 2008 1pm ET/10am PT
Register Now
ToolBook 9.5 lets you develop more effective online training rapidly. Now ToolBook also includes Microsoft PowerPoint import and creating mobile learning for workers on the go.
Join us for a live interactive product demonstration of ToolBook 9.5.
Here’s a sample of what you will learn:
Presented by:
John Carmean, Marketing Manager, SumTotal Systems, Inc.
Michael Hamaoka, Solution Architect, SumTotal Systems, Inc.
Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008 1pm ET/10am PT
Register Now
With the rapid advancement in mobile device capability and the push to move learning to these new mobile platforms, it’s important to have an understanding of the core principles and best practices of mobile learning design.
Join us for this high-energy and fast-paced webinar where you’ll get a crash course in designing and publishing mLearning content to devices like the Apple iPhone. Business professionals, instructional designers and trainers who want to deploy online learning for employees and partners on mobile devices won’t want to miss this exciting SumTotal Presents… webinar.
What you’ll learn:
Presented by:
Brad Crain, Vice President ToolBook, SumTotal Systems, Inc.
John Carmean, Marketing Manager, SumTotal Systems, Inc.
Michael Hamaoka, Solution Architect, SumTotal Systems, Inc.
When you install ToolBook 9.5, you’ll see that it contains a new and exciting feature—the Publish to ToolBook PowerPoint Add-In. If you choose to install it, PowerPoint will have a new capability inserted into its Home ribbon—the ability to export the currently loaded slideshow as a ToolBook book.
Think about the implications of this idea for a moment. How many times have you, as a designer, sat down with ToolBook to pool some ideas about the training you wish to deliver, only to find that you’re hitting in a nail with a sledgehammer? You just want to table some content ideas, so you find yourself reaching for the simplicity and quick idea development of Microsoft PowerPoint. Once you’ve finished your storyboarding exercise, you then face the arduous task of copying all of this content into the tool with the real power to deliver your training: ToolBook.
Or, perhaps you’re a trainer, and you use PowerPoint slideshows in your training room presentations. You wish to convert some of these to e-Learning solutions, so you set about copying content into ToolBook, much like the instructional designer above. Or, because saving your PowerPoint graphics as picture files and importing them into ToolBook one-by-one is an even more daunting task, you re-create the whole thing from scratch.
Well, we heard enough of these scenarios to respond. The Publish to ToolBook Add-In will create a brand new ToolBook book from your slideshow’s pictures and text. You can then open this file in ToolBook and complete its conversion to a fully featured e-learning presentation.
Again, consider how your organization could use a tool like this. In addition to the scenarios described above, which are largely a reaction to common usage, consider how you might actually use such a product strategically.
For example, there may be those in your organization who are more technically minded, and have a strong sense of what works in an e-learning solution. We may call these people the instructional designers. Also in your organization are those who do the training, who are familiar with all of the information that needs to be conveyed, and what the training requirements are for a given course. We call these people subject matter experts, or SMEs (pronounced “smeez”) for short.
The instructional designer can request that the subject matter expert put together a series of PowerPoint slides. These slides convey the content just as the SME would like it presented, with text, graphics, layout and slide order being purely the choice of the SME. The SME then returns the slideshow to the designer, who exports it as a ToolBook book using the Add-In. He/she adds assessment items to the book and deploys it to the web as a SCORM-compliant e-learning solution.
In order to kick start a process like this, a designer may select a certain look and feel for the slides (in the form of a master and some layouts) to give to the SME. Similarly, a SME may also be given this choice. To facilitate and feed in some ideas for layout, we also provide 11 PowerPoint templates with the Publish to ToolBook Add-In. These are modeled on (but should not be confused with) ToolBook’s SmartStyle layouts.
The above scenario reduces the process to two human roles, but there could easily be more—for example, a third person could be in the mix, whose job it is to know what legal compliance requirements there are. So, the question of how this Add-In will serve your specific needs and workflow will ultimately be answered by the person who matters: you.
And did I mention the Add-In is free? Install ToolBook 9.5, and it will be there as an option for you. It’s worth noting that you’ll need PowerPoint 2007 to support the Add-In, although slideshows created with earlier versions of PowerPoint can seamlessly be loaded into PowerPoint 2007 and published.
Happy developing, and I look forward to hearing your feedback.
Drew Gillies
ToolBook Development Team
One of our new features in ToolBook 9.5 is the ability to add a voice recording to a page. All that’s needed is a system capable of sound and a microphone and any page can have a voiceover. This feature allows you to record and review a voice recording, then save it for use on the page or cancel and try again. When I was trying out this feature, I know I had to go through a few tries before I thought I sounded right.
When inserted onto a page, the voice recording automatically starts to play when the page is loading. Voice recordings inserted onto one page in a book can be copied to other pages. These voice recordings can be used to provide a personalized introduction to a page, augment information from other languages so that the other language can be heard instead of just read (how does one properly pronounce sine qua non?), or can simply restate the text on a page to enhance learning and retention.
If you have sound files that have been created elsewhere, you’ll still want to use our Universal Media Player, but for adding a new and personal touch, add your voice to your ToolBook with our new voice recording feature.
Malinda Mitchell
ToolBook QA
One of my favorite features in ToolBook 9.5 is the Certificates feature. I’ve provided support for ToolBook for many years and it has been a common inquiry from customers on how to create a certificate within a lesson, complete with score and user name. ToolBook 9.5 answered this need by introducing a new Certificates catalog category.
This feature offers a default certificate page to start with and allows you to adjust it to suite your needs. It also provides for a variety of graphical frames to be used to border your certificate, though you can always use your own image file instead.
Various add-on objects within the Certificate catalog category can be optionally added to your certificate to provide for things like a signature block, quiz score, and user name just to name a few.
The addition of this feature in ToolBook 9.5 will undoubtedly save ToolBook users many hours of work designing lessons.
Denny Dedmore
ToolBook Technical Support
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