Top tools for creating great learning content

Are you struggling to get started creating content? Stuck knowing what tools are the best ones to use? At a recent networking event, members of the Charity Learning Consortium shared their expertise for creating learning content on a shoestring. Here are their recommendations.

Video learning
Adobe Rush – Video editing software which is perfect for using on mobile devices.
Powtoon – Recommended for being easy to use.
OBS Studio – A free tool for making screencasts, which are great for creating how to videos.

Virtual Reality
In house development tools and VR cameras aren’t that comprehensive yet. The National Autistic Society outsourced instead, to create powerful VR content for its Too Much Information campaign. The aim was to understand what it’s like for people with autism by using VR to give a sensory experience. The charity has also created a 360 degree experience and you can purchase cardboard goggles to experience it from the National Autistic website.

Teleprompt tools
There are various ones out there, but using a teleprompt means people look directly into the camera when reading a script.

YouTube for subtitles
For automatic subtitling, simply upload a video to YouTube and it creates a transcript which you can edit. Videos don’t have to be public.

Top tip: Find subject matter experts
Make friends with other departments to help create content. Find the expertise within your organisation for filming and creating, as well as subject knowledge. Encourage people to create and post videos about their learning experiences, to share within the organisation.

Handy guides
The Charity Learning Consortium also has some helpful guides specifically on creating and using video learning on our website.

Authoring tools
Articulate Storyline – Allows you to storyboard and is really simple and responsive. There’s a charity discount but you have to ask as they don’t advertise it. Ask for a three year subscription to get a better deal! (The cost will be in dollars). Articulate Rise was also recommended as an authoring tool, as you don’t need to use code and it’s really intuitive.
Elucidat – Another authoring tool, which includes a feature which means text can automatically be transcribed into different languages.
Powerpoint – Can be used to create quizzes for courses as well as screen recordings (if you have the 2016 version or later, look under ‘insert tab’ and ‘voice recordings’).
Noun Project – Has loads of free icons and is good for generic images.

Other tricks and tools
PageTiger – Useful for creating online, interactive PDFs for all sorts of things.
DocuSign – CIWF uses this email platform to send out documents for new starters to sign before they join. They use this system as part of an internal onboarding process.
Google Slides – Put Powerpoint presentations into Google Slides, save and upload onto your LMS for a clickable presentation
More free tools: Sam Taylor has also created a handy PDF for the Consortium, of free tools that she has found useful for creating content. Download it here.