In this issue:

• Sneak Peek of V6/CONNECT
• Lesson Challenge Winners
• April Innovators: e-Notes: integrating Course Content with SoftChalk
• What SoftChalk Users Are Saying
• Connect with SoftChalk
• Learn More

Sneak Peek of SoftChalk V6/CONNECT

SoftChalk V6, with many exciting new features and a completely new Learning Object Repository (LOR) for publishing and sharing content – SoftChalk CONNECT™– are COMING SOON!! We're offering sneak peeks of the new features and enhancements this month!

At this webinar, you will experience:

SoftChalk RLOs – Convert SoftChalk activities and quizzes into Reusable Learning Objects (RLOs), then publish them to SoftChalk CONNECT and share them with others!

SoftChalk CONNECT™ – Share your SoftChalk RLOs in CONNECT™, and create POLL and RATING learning objects to use in your SoftChalk lesson, Web page, e-mail or blog.

SoftChalk publishing – “One button” publishing to major LMS/CMS as well as MERLOT... and one button executable lesson packaging, too! SoftChalk authoring – New Learning Activities and many more enhancements.

Available in May, SoftChalk V6 and CONNECT will once again show why SoftChalk is the educator’s only tool for easy content creation. Download a pdf of the new features and register for a sneak peek webinar today!

Register for one of our sneak peek webinars now: http://www.softchalk.com/webinar.

Congratulations Lesson Challenge Winners!

The second annual SoftChalk Lesson Challenge was a huge success! We received over 60 submissions! With so many extraordinary lessons and courses submitted, it was hard to choose only four winners, but here they are:

Best K-12 Lesson
Title: Basic Arithmetic: Decimals
Author: Marilyn Larsen, College of the Mainland

Best Higher Ed Lesson
Title: Introduction to Dental Terminology
Author: Richard Foster, Guilford Technical Community College

Best Corporate Lesson
Title: Swine Flu (H1N1 Influenza) Preparedness
Author: Michelle Leavitt, NetLearning, a part of Cengage Learning

Best Full Course
Title: BIOL 133: Principles of Microbiology
Author: Derek Weber, Raritan Valley Community College

Click here to view the full lessons for the four winners and the seven Honorable mentions

April Innovator Webinar

Check out our monthly series, which highlights guest speakers who are using SoftChalk in innovative ways.

e-Notes: integrating Course Content with SoftChalk

“e-Notes” combine the picture viewing capabilities of PowerPoint Presenter, the text constructing capabilities of Microsoft Word, and the media deposition capabilities of a Learning Management System (in this case, WebCT/Bb VISTA). To make this easy I, of course, used SoftChalk. These “e-Notes” include a chapter summary with embedded images and hyperlinks and related videos/animations hosted by sites like YouTube. Also embedded are instructor-developed virtual lectures that simulate a traditional lecture. At the end of e-Notes, students are able to assess their learning using instructor designed quiz poppers. Using this strategy, instructors can truly build a course that streamlines their material and provides a personal touch that is often lacking in online courses.

Click here to Learn More or to Register.

Straight From a Chalkie: Suzie Speaks Out

"I love having access to the media search tool. With this, I don't have to leave the SoftChalk application to find YouTube videos or photos and I end up using more media in my content. My students enjoy the interactivity and I feel as though it's making a difference in the classroom. Best of all SoftChalk is so easy to use! It's even easier than easy."

Dr. Suzie Cashwell, Thomas University

Become a Facebook Fan or a Twitter Follower

Keep up to date on the latest SoftChalk news, meet other SoftChalk users, and possibly win one of our contests by becoming a fan of SoftChalk on Facebook or following SoftChalk on Twitter.

Where to Learn More

Introductory Webinars
These 45 minute presentations introduce the key features of SoftChalk. We will view example lessons, then demonstrate how the lesson content was created using SoftChalk. The session ends with a question and answer period. For more information or to register, go to http://www.softchalk.com/webinar/.

Short Courses
SoftChalk is now offering online training sessions to everyone for FREE! Each Short Course is a live 1-hour training session conducted by a SoftChalk instructor using web conferencing. The course includes a presentation and examples, as well as, an opportunity to ask questions and receive assistance from the instructor. For more information or to register go to http://www.softchalk.com/training/.

Innovator Vignettes
Our Innovators in Online Learning presentations are so popular that we decided to give you quick look at what all the excitement is about. These brief vignettes might encourage you to check out the full presentations. For more information or to view the vignettes go to http://www.softchalk.com/lb_vignettes.html.