ICT and TLC

Whilst doing my regular check of the Go2Web2.0 site, I discovered Flypaper, a fabulous free program that allows you to create interactive “stories”.

As an ICT Trainer, I am always on the look-out for new ways to present content to teachers.  The basic version is a 59MB download and also requires the Microsoft .NET Framework.  The installation required a little patience but was well worth it!

The beauty of this program is that users with basic skills in presentation software can make an interactive story.  Although the use of software such as Fireworks, Flash or Photoshop can certainly help to enhance and personalize a presentation further, it is definitely not necessary.  Instead, users can access a vast library, or “Flybrary”, as it is known, of exciting templates.  Templates can then be easily customized.  For me, the Flybrary is a key element to the success of this program and one reason why educators will love using it.

An example of a high quality template that I have used is the “Photo Grid”.  My very limited knowledge of Flash would be nowhere near enough to create this type of feature yet, I can download it from the Flybrary, personalize it with my own images, audio, colours and even animation to create a highly impressive interactive image presentation.

Of course, as teachers, we are fabulous at “thinking outside the square”, so you soon realise that you don’t necessarily have to import pictures or photos!  You can use standard presentation software such as PowerPoint or Keynote to create a slideshow, save the slides as jpg images and import those.

Another very appealing aspect of Flypaper is the ability to share your stories in a variety of ways. 
Users can choose from Interactive Web Story, Produce Video or Email the Story.  Within each of these options are others to choose from including uploading your story to the Flypaper Community Site, copying the code to embed your story into your own site or uploading to popular sites such as Facebook, MySpace or YouTube.  It is even possible to create an executable version of the story.  The file is zipped in order to send via email.  Something for everyone!

After uploading a test story, I was surprised to be contacted by Flypaper Staff, asking if I would like to participate in the Flypaper Producers Program.  This has given me the opportunity to access the Flypaper Pro software and be listed in the Partner Directory.  There are some wonderful examples of stories by other Flypaper users.

So, if you’re starting to tire of the same old slideshows, Flypaper could very well be the answer to renew your passion to create exciting, professional-looking interactive stories!