It's not easy to try to revolutionize eLearning and online training, but that's just what Joshua Millage of Lifter LMS is trying to do. Joshua and I have a lot in common, which we talk about in the podcast. He has a passion to help teach more effectively, which is refreshing, since many people in the online course creation industry seem to be only trying to make money. But, if we truly seek to teach effectively, then our courses will be more effective and in turn we'll make more money. It goes back to the Zig Ziglar quote, "You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want." [Tweet "You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want." - Zig Ziglar"] There are a LOT of Learning Management System (LMS) options out there but just only a few options that integrate with WordPress. The Lifter LMS plugin for WordPress is one of the few that works easily to set up and create your first course and they are constantly adding more features. I learned about this LMS plugin for WordPress and paid for it, even while it was still in development...that's how much I believe in it. And while talking with Joshua on the podcast, I know that this WordPress LMS plugin will do great things for those that are wanting to create online courses, eLearning material or training content. It has robust features, yet is easy to manage, even for someone with limited website creation experience.
Jules Watkins (of InfoVideoHero, iPhoneVideoHero, ScreenflowVideoHero and more!) went from producing and directing MTV shows like The Biggest Loser and Pimp My Ride. And while he got to travel all over the world and meet interesting people, he didn't like his lack of control over his own schedule and income. In this podcast episode, we talk about the struggle of his "normal job" working in the television industry and how we uses his innovative and entertaining strategies to teach people how to make online courses. I like that he strives to make his online courses unique, engaging and humorous. We've all seen courses that are too dry and boring to continue, but Jules' courses are just the opposite. Jules started by creating courses around topics that he was already knowledgeable about. He then got feedback from his audience and create additional courses, which is where InfoVideoHero came from. One of the things that separates this course from others that teach you how to create an online course is that it has a live teaching component to it. You get personal access to him and his wealth of knowledge.
Jules Watkins is a former MTV and BBC TV Producer and Director who has directed global hit shows such as The Biggest Loser and Pimp My Ride. After quitting TV four years ago, Jules has worked 100% online as an Infopreneur, coaching business owners, experts and Marketers how to leverage the power of Online Video Marketing and to how to monetise their knowledge by creating their own online courses using Video.
Most people that are creating online courses these days follow a similar format. They create video, audio and text based content and sell it. However, Marc Grabanski of FrontEndMasters.com is doing something unique...and a little crazy. In this episode Marc talks about where he got started and how he's able to create video courses from workshops that are done live with audience members in the studio as well as having people online watching the live stream. This is no easy task and Marc shares his struggles and successes in this process. My company has extensive video experience so I was naturally interested in how he pulls of recording the teacher as well as their computer which shows slides and real-time examples of the code they are creating. Marc's setup is pretty impressive and while it's been a process to get to the point he's at, it was inspiring to hear that he didn't give up.
In July, 2015, Moodle launched Moodle Cloud, which allows you to deploy a Moodle LMS for free without installation or hosting fees. This is great news for people that want to dive into eLearning but don't have a large budget or student base. It lets you dip your toes into creating online courses without a large time or money investment.