Design Your E-Learning as a Team for Better Results with a Collaborative Storyboarding Solution Interactive storyboarding environment engages your entire team with visual multimedia authoring and live collaboration capabilities, enabling coordinated planning and designing of detailed project outlines/blueprints for use in the subsequent development phase. OTTAWA, Canada, October 30, 2006 - XStream Software Inc., a leading developer of advanced software technologies for e-learning, content & assessment authoring, streaming media, learning management, and web-based communication/collaboration technologies, today announced the upcoming release of XStream RapidShare™ Storyboard, a web-based visual storyboarding environment that will facilitate enterprise-wide team authoring, management, and collaboration on instructional design projects. This technology, which will be available as a secure module within the hosted or client-installed XStream RapidShare digital workspace environment, is scheduled for release in Q3, 2007. The Storyboard Module will enable project team members (including course builders, graphic artists, media producers, instructional designers and SMEs) to visually outline screens and media assets (video, text, graphics, animations, interactive elements, links to resources, etc.) that will form the basis for the development of online courseware, assessments, and other types of e-learning content. As part of the storyboarding process, reviewers and managers can utilize the module’s built-in communication and collaboration features to give guidance, monitor progress, contribute information, exchange feedback, discuss strategies, and ultimately review and approve the final storyboard content. Upon completion, the storyboard content may be exported for development using either XStream’s authoring technologies or third-party technologies. Key features of the Storyboard Module will include: -
Course Map – Enables team members to visually represent and sequence the various elements that make up the course/content structure, such as units, lessons, exams, pre-tests, post-tests, content screens, menus, overviews, etc.
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Visual Authoring Capabilities – Built-in, drag-and-drop Flash Editor enables developers to directly create and modify screen layouts and populate them with multimedia assets (text, graphics, audio, video, interactive elements, etc.). Learning objects can be added, viewed, and edited directly in the storyboard.
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Interactive Collaboration – Each storyboard is created as a secure, interactive shared web environment with access for authorized team members across the enterprise. Developers, reviewers, and managers can communicate and collaborate via threaded discussion forums, interactive chat sessions, e-mailing capabilities, and more.
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Media Repository – Maintains a centralized repository of media resources as well as storyboard elements.
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Time Sheets – Users can create personal time sheets to track time spent on tasks. Administrators can view consolidated time sheets for the storyboard project as a whole.
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Customized Levels of Access for Each User – The system provides the flexibility to define rights at each level of the storyboard to control what functions users and administrators can perform at each level.
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Sign-Off Authority – Designated project leaders can be given administrative authority to electronically sign off on a storyboard once they have reviewed and approved it. This allows leaders to control the transition from storyboarding to production.
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Exporting Storyboard Content for Development/Production – Once completed, storyboard content can be easily exported to XML format and then imported into an XStream authoring technology or third-party authoring technology for the development/production phase. Exporting to XML format is a great time-saving feature since it enables developers to enhance and build upon the pre-developed storyboard content instead of having to embark on the development process from scratch.
"For an e-learning development team, the ability to effectively collaborate is especially critical at the initial pre-production stage, when concepts, ideas, plans, and designs are refined and finalized. Unfortunately, project managers and team leaders have traditionally lacked a central organizing medium that can coordinate the activities, contributions, ideas, and feedback of a widely dispersed design team," says Sunil K. Sethi , XStream Software's President and CEO. "XStream’s Storyboard Module will provide exactly the type of networked, interactive storyboarding and collaboration environment that will facilitate coordinated team planning and design, reduce development time and error probability, and enable management of project workflow from design to production."
"Coupled with XStream’s advanced e-learning authoring technologies and web-based learning management solutions, the Storyboard Module will effectively complete the project management cycle by enabling end-to-end team collaboration from project design to deployment," adds Mahendra K. Agrawal, XStream Software's Vice President of Technology . The Storyboard Module is scheduled for release in Q3, 2007. If you have any questions about the upcoming release, contact XStream Software at info@xstreamsoftware.com or 613-731-9443. About XStream Software XStream Software Inc., a 6x brandon-hall.com award winner and a winner of several other prestigious awards, is an ISO-certified software/hardware development, services and sales organization. The company specializes in the research, design, development, marketing, sales and distribution of world class knowledge transfer (KT) products and services, which encompass (but are not limited to) e-Learning, multimedia content authoring, communication and collaboration, learning management, content and media management, and advanced sharing and exchange infrastructure. Related professional services offered by XStream include instructional design, content development, training delivery (both instructor led and web-based), systems implementation, mentoring and facilitation, and more. In addition, XStream offers technology transfer (TT) and design services encompassing blended sourcing services in the areas of research, design, development and implementation of custom hardware/software and embedded systems technologies. XStream has a base of 2,500+ corporate clients that use its products and services in small, mid-size, and large implementations spanning such industry domains as finance, banking and insurance, manufacturing, high technology, government and the military, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, utilities, retail and food services, as well as professional associations in multiple sectors. To learn more, please visit www.xstreamsoftware.com , or call 613-731-9443, or send an e-mail to info@xstreamsoftware.com. |
