Tools: SoftChalk

What is SoftChalk?

http://softchalk.com/

SoftChalk is a powerful, award-winning e-Learning authoring solution that lets you easily create and share engaging, interactive content. If you can use a word processor, you can create interactive learning experiences with SoftChalk. Designed for educators and content experts, SoftChalk allows you to spend your time developing course content, not learning how to use complex software. And, content developed in SoftChalk is portable for use in virtually any learning management system or on any web server. Create. Engage. Share. "If it's not easy, it's not SoftChalk."

• SoftChalk web site
• SoftChalk overview
• SoftChalk feature tour

Getting Started with SoftChalk

Get up to speed with SoftChalk quickly by watching short video tutorials (5 minutes or less!)

SoftChalk offers free hands-on, online training. Check out the SoftChalk training calendar & register for online training workshops.

Recommended workshops:

SoftChalk Basics

• Overview of SoftChalk (1 hour)
• TextPoppers, Images and Hyperlinks (1 hour)
• Navigation Features and the Sidebar (1 hour)

Register for SoftChalk online workshops

Optional workshops:

SoftChalk Advanced Features

• Embedded Media (1 hour)
• Interactive Learning Activities The Presentation Group (1 hour)
• Interactive Learning Activities The Scoring Group (1 hour)

Register for SoftChalk online workshops

Online Help Resources

SoftChalk Support Center

Whether you’re looking for a quick way to learn more about SoftChalk or to get the answer to a question you have, SoftChalk’s online Support Center is the place for you.

From the Support Center, you can easily:

• Access the user guide
• Search for information in the FAQs/Knowledge Base
• Subscribe to a specific question to be notified by email if an update is made for the question
• Enter a help request

SoftChalk Ideas

Need ideas? See how other instructors are using SoftChalk.

• View sample lessons
• View SoftChalk Innovators in Online Learning presentations (1 hour each)
• Check out brief SoftChalk Vignettes (5 - 10 minutes)

Durham Tech StyleBuilder Template

Give your lessons a consistent, professional branded look by using the Durham Tech style template.View the template. Follow these three easy steps to use the DTCC StyleBuilder template in your SoftChalk Lessons:

1. Save: Save the Softchalk-style-DTCC.zip file to your computer by right clicking on the link and choosing Save Link As...
2. Import: Open SoftChalk, go to the Tools menu and choose StyleBuilder, click Import, find the Softchalk-style-DTCC.zip file saved to your computer
3. Add the Template: Open SoftChalk, go to the Properties menu and choose Style Properties, choose the DTCC template

Watch this short video for more help with StyleBuilder.

Where Can I Use SoftChalk?

Durham Tech Site License Info

Durham Technical Community College owns a site license for SoftChalk that allows the product to be installed on any college-owned computer. Under the terms of the license, full and part-time employees of the college may also install SoftChalk on their home computer(s) for their own use. SoftChalk installation info

On Campus

SoftChalk is installed & accessible to all full-time & part-time instructors in two campus locations:

• 321 Phillips (faculty/staff work center beside the TLC)
• 952 Tech Center (faculty/staff training center)

Publishing SoftChalk Lessons to Blackboard Courses

• Instructions for setting up SoftChalk to publish Lessons to your Blackboard courses
  

Note: Setup is required the first time you publish SoftChalk Lessons on your office and/or home computers and any time you use a public campus computer.

• Once the required setup is complete, publish your SoftChalk Lessons to Blackboard (instructions written by SoftChalk)