[Press Release] Tablets are in many ways the ideal mLearning device. They are the right size, have great sound, screens and graphics, are reliable and (with 3G) are online all of the time. The iPad, which will have a stranglehold on the market for the foreseeable future, has one big issue… it does not support Flash or Java.
Impatica for PowerPoint Version 5, which will be introduced at DevLearn 2011, converts fully narrated, animated and interactive PowerPoint files into a format compatible with Impatica’s new HTML5 player. Content now can be built once and delivered everywhere, even on iPads and iPhones.
The challenge
In the 90’s, Microsoft PowerPoint became the standard way that content was presented in the classroom. Ten years or so ago when folks started to make classroom and other courses available online they went searching for tools that would turn their existing presentation content into compelling eLearning objects. They found a number of packages that converted PowerPoint to Flash, and Impatica for PowerPoint, which converts PowerPoint into a highly compressed file that uses a proprietary Java player.
Shortly after the launch of the iPad in April 2010, Steve Jobs published an open letter on Flash. The world changed. HTML5 now had the backing of the biggest innovator of our lifetime. It was now a legitimate and viable technology to replace Flash. It offered a single, standard, firewall-friendly and plug-in free way to deliver sophisticated content, both to computers and to mobile devices.
Corporations, universities, colleges and other organizations have been flooded with iPads. The way we work and consume content has been changed forever. Except for the fact that there is no Flash or Java, tablets seem ideal for mLearning.
Given that existing conversion software does not do the job, eLearning professionals are faced with a decision to purchase tools that allow them to create their content directly in HTML5 format. That would mean drastic changes to workflow, a major undertaking to re-create existing content, and a commitment to make two versions of content in order to support HTML5 as well as and legacy platforms.
The Impatica solution
The player in Impatica for PowerPoint Version 5, which will be demonstrated at DevLearn (booth 308), uses HTML5 when it is available and Java when it is not.
A simple drag and drop is all that is required to convert PowerPoint content into high-quality online presentations that will play everywhere: on computers, iPhones, iPads and other devices. That means users can continue creating great content using the tools they know without having to worry about where and how it will be viewed.
Deployment
Most customers use Impatica for PowerPoint at their desktop. They create their presentation in PowerPoint including narrations, animations and transitions. They convert or “impaticize” the presentation and upload it to an LMS or Web server. It is really very simple!
Julian Richards of Julian Richards & Associates in the UK observed, “The IT police in some organizations may impose restrictions on browser updates, causing a delay in support for HTML5. That is why I like the solution Impatica offers of Java as an automatic fallback. I believe Impatica’s new tool could be just what our customers have been looking for.”
OnPoint Digital of Savannah, Georgia has been an Impatica partner and customer for almost nine years. Three and a half years ago, OnPoint licensed Impatica for PowerPoint and integrated it into their award-winning CellCast Solution. Their customers simply upload their PowerPoint content. CellCast converts and stores the impaticized version. Users install an app on their mobile device to display and interact with the content.
After reviewing Impatica for PowerPoint Version 5 Robert Gadd, the President of OnPoint Digital, said, “I am very excited about the release of Impatica for PowerPoint Version 5. HTML5 support means we can eliminate the need for players and use the capabilities of the browser on the device. Improved support for SmartArt, artistic effects on shapes, pictures and text (e.g. shadows, 3D effects, reflection, etc.), charts, graphs and WordArt will be a big plus for our users.”
The result
Making the transition from legacy technologies to HTML5 can be simple. With Impatica for PowerPoint version 5, organizations can build once and deliver everywhere using the skills and content they already have.
For more information Contact Michael Doyle at:
(800) 548-3475 ext 279
Skype: michael.g.doyle
Twitter: @Impatica
