DEScribe
DEScribe 1.2.5 Release
Submitted by thetrick on Mon, 12/07/2009 - 13:05MAF-LT is excited to announce a new release of DEScribe! DEScribe is a course authoring application that supports exporting to DEViewer. This release of DEScribe includes several smaller enhancements:
- Added a selected icon to the cascading style sheet display in the metadata tree. This is useful if a package contains multiple css files.
- The styles in the cascading style sheet are now automatically displayed in the WYSIWYG drop-down styles menu.
- Added the list of panes under the Windows menu item. Each pane can be shown or hidden from this menu.
- Added additional file types to the file-type selector in the insert images and resources dialog box
A set of completed tickets for this release is located on the DEScribe Trac site for release 1.2.5.1.
For more information and to download DEScribe 1.2.5, please visit the DEScribe product page.
Learning DEScribe Session 3 - Getting to Know It
Submitted by jmanley on Fri, 09/11/2009 - 10:40Now comes the fun of poking around a new program.
Connecting again from the coffee shop, I found DEScribe listed in the Program menu. After opening and loading, I created a project entitled, “How to Blog on the MAF-LT Website.” But that seemed too long. “How to Blog” sounded better.
I couldn’t find any easy way to rename the project, so closed the project, opened Windows Explorer and navigated to a folder entitled, “My DEScribe Projects.” Under that folder, I found my project and renamed it, “How to Blog.” That folder contains two items: a sub-folder called, “My Package” (holds the project assets), and the master project file named, “How to Blog.ltproj." When I reopened DEScribe, clicked on the File menu and then “Open Project”, my project “How to Blog” sat there ready to use (At this point, notice came that version 1.2.4.0 was available for download. My comments reflect that upgrade.)
DEScribe 1.2.4 Release
Submitted by thetrick on Thu, 09/03/2009 - 16:03MAF-LT is excited to announce a new release of DEScribe! DEScribe is a course authoring application that supports exporting to DEViewer. This release of DEScribe includes a task panel, an HTML exporter, and numerous enhancements:
- Added a task panel (see image below). This allows the user to add task items that are associated with particular pages within DEScribe and assign a priority to the task. This task panel was built entirely by a volunteer!
- Cascading style sheets (CSS) can now be edited directly in DEScribe. Clicking on the CSS file will open it in a new tab. Once the changes are made and the file is saved, the changes take place immediately.
- Added Expand All and Collapse All items to the Project Explorer context menu. This allows the user to collapse or expand all child items of the selected item in the tree.
- An HTML exporter has been added. The content in DEScribe is displayed in a browser allowing the user to save it to the computer, or print it to PDF. The HTML page contains a table of contents of the items in the Project Explorer tree within DEScribe
A set of completed tickets for this release is located on the DEScribe Trac site for release 1.2.4.0.
For more information and to download DEScribe 1.2.4, please visit the DEScribe product page.
Learning DEScribe Session 2 - Download and Install
Submitted by jmanley on Fri, 08/14/2009 - 15:15Today, I came to the MAFLT website via the WiFi link at a local coffee shop. Once at the site I did not login as administrator. Instead, I viewed it as “the public” would see it. I wanted to confirm your experience of downloading and installing DEScribe without any special insider tricks. I navigated to the DEScribe page via the Products tab then clicked on the DEScribe link. By the way, the correct pronunciation is “D - E - Scribe” which includes word play for “DE” as a moniker for Distance Education and “Scribe” as an ancient writer.
I clicked first on the “Training Materials” link and got a surprise - the site asked me for another user name and password. After a couple of quick back-and-forths I read the text below the links to discover instructions that included the required codes. At this point I doffed my outside user hat, logged in as the administrator and edited the instructions. Now, it’s clear before clicking the links that registration is required.
Learning DEScribe Session 1 - The Challenge
Submitted by jmanley on Tue, 08/11/2009 - 14:39OK, confession time. I’m a writer, not an educator. But, our team needs blog training and the task falls to me. I know the material, so it ought to be simple - right? Gather everyone into a class room, lecture for a couple hours and voila! Bloggers.
Trouble is, their work scatters them and their schedules across the planet. Getting everyone together in one place at one time demands effort and expense far beyond anyone’s budget. An asynchronous (students participate on their own schedule), online course could solve that dilemma. And, our Tool Team created a product expressly for this purpose - DEScribe.
But, I’ve never used DEScribe. In fact, I’ve never created any kind of online curriculum. Perhaps you haven’t either. If that’s the case, join me on a climb up the DEScribe learning curve. Over the next few days I’ll share the good, the bad and the ugly as I download and install the software, figure out how it works, and then create an actual course.
Comment as you like. This should be fun.
