by Brad Crain

Twenty years ago, the technology playing field looked vastly different. Most of what we used back then in terms of software and hardware has now either become extinct or been replaced. Only a select few companies and products have managed to survive—and thrive— in such a dynamic and competitive arena.

I’m pleased to say that ToolBook is among that elite group.

What sets ToolBook apart year after year is its proven innovation and adaptability. We’ve long understood that changes in the business world, and in the world of content development and learning management solutions, have to be reflected in the product’s features and functionality. For example, consider the increasing need for mobility among today’s busy workforces. We’ve ensured that ToolBook remains adaptable to this need by enabling content authoring for the platforms most commonly used by mobile employees—such as the Apple iPhone, iPod Touch, Google Android, and Windows Mobile Devices.

In our latest release, ToolBook 10.5, we’ve also taken the context of mobile learning a step further by enabling developers to leverage geolocation capabilities—which means that mobile courses can now dynamically engage learners based on where they are located when taking a particular course. Have an employee on the factory floor? Make sure that employee’s training is tailored to the production line in front of them. Have an employee doing fire safety training? Now you can be certain he promptly locates all the necessary fire exits. In other words, we aren’t just empowering users to train on-the-go, but we are helping businesses capitalize on mobility itself in order to get the most value and productivity from the workforce, wherever they might be. This combination of adaptability and innovation not only demonstrates why ToolBook is still around to celebrate its 20th birthday, but also showcases how ToolBook fits seamlessly into a business’s overall talent development strategy.

I’m also proud to relate that ToolBook’s excellence in the industry has been recognized yet again. Just this spring, ToolBook earned SumTotal two Excellence in Learning Technology Awards from Brandon Hall Research. The categories were Best Advance in Technology for Rich-Media Authoring and Best Advance in Technology for Mobile-Learning Authoring.

If you haven’t already done so, take a look at the Web page and updated datasheet highlighting the new features of ToolBook 10.5. I think you’ll agree that we’ve expanded the usability of the product beyond any previous version.

If you’ve got comments on ToolBook or other features you’d like to see in upcoming releases, please send them on. We look forward to your feedback and to another 20 years of innovative excellence.

If you are interested in getting your hands on Beta 2 (aka preview) of ToolBook 10.5, it is now available.

As with any beta release, it is not yet feature complete - and as we continue to develop ToolBook 10.5, you are welcome to take a look at what we have implemented so far and send us comments via the beta web site.

Visit this site for information and download instructions:

http://www.toolbook.com/preview

Thanks,
Denny Dedmore
SumTotal Systems, Inc.

We’ve released Patch 2 for ToolBook 10. This Patch addresses these issues:

• Opening previous version TBK in version 10 not displaying warning dialog
• Unable to force a Fill In The Blank question object to be in focus
• Unable to create a new catalog
• Unable to export a catalog category
• Image Object appears out of position by 1 pixel in DHTML
• Images within Recordfields missing in DHTML

More information can be found at:
http://kb.sumtotalsystems.com/community_kb_tb_display.asp?id=P23619

Denny Dedmore
ToolBook Technical Support

I’m quite pleased to inform you that ToolBook 10 is now shipping! If you don’t already know about the new feature of this release, you can find version 10 details here:

http://www.sumtotalsystems.com/products/content-creation/features_v10.html

Those of you with an active ToolBook Customer Support agreement will receive an email in the next few days from SumTotal on how to access and download the release. All others (those without an active ToolBook Customer Support agreement) can find information about purchasing a ToolBook 10 upgrade here:

http://toolbook.sumtotalsystems.com/?product=2798

Thank you,
Denny Dedmore
SumTotal Systems

September 15, 2009 1:00 PM Eastern Time (ET) - New York/Washington DC

Register now

Join us for an exciting and informative webinar introducing the newest version of SumTotal’s content development solution, SumTotal ToolBook 10.

Who should attend?
You should attend this event if you are already developing content with ToolBook or if you are interested in finding out how to complete online learning projects faster.

What will you see?
In this interactive event, a detailed demonstration of the new features of ToolBook 10 will be demonstrated.

1. New Quiz Summary feature. Now you can easily provide detailed assessment results and remediation options for learners right within the course they are taking. See how to easy it is to use the new Quiz summary feature.
2. Enhanced Microsoft PowerPoint import. Leverage the updated Microsoft PowerPoint import feature to bring in speaker notes and audio from your PowerPoint file right into your ToolBook course.
3. Advancements to Mobile support. Now includes new support for Google Android, in addition to existing support for Apple iPhone and iPod Touch.
4. Easily control voice narration playback. The new voice narration playback options allow your learners to stop and restart recorded voice narrations for more effective learning experiences.
5. Advancements in graphic support. ToolBook’s graphic support has been enhanced to help you produce better content with less work.
6. New collaboration feature for team authoring. Now your team can share authoring and reviewer notes to help produce content quicker and with fewer errors.
7. Improved user interface for the integrated catalog feature and much more…

Presented by:
Brad Crain, VP of Engineering, SumTotal Systems, Inc.
Michael Hamaoka, Solution Architect, SumTotal Systems, Inc.

Feature Preview Release #3 for ToolBook 10 is ready for public download.

If you are interested in getting your hands on the preview version (aka beta) of ToolBook 10, it is now available.

As with any preview release, it is not yet feature complete - and as we continue to develop ToolBook 10, you are welcome to take a look at what we have implemented so far.

Visit this site for information and download instructions:

http://www.toolbook.com/preview

Thanks,
Denny Dedmore
SumTotal Systems, Inc.

September 29, 2009 2:00 PM Eastern Time
Register Now

You’ve been tasked with creating an e-learning program at your company—but where do you start? More important, how do you create a consistent program quickly? In this session, you’ll get a valuable checklist for jumpstarting an e-learning program, even if you have limited resources. You’ll also learn tips for basic content creation, while discussing the importance of scripts when working with subject matter experts (SME).

Register now and Learn:

1. Where to start with your E-learning program
2. The importance of a standard template when creating E-learning
3. The importance of a script when working with (SME) subject matter experts

Presented by,

Rita Hartman, Customer Education Specialist, SunGard Public Sector

Register Now

July 28, 2009 1:00 PM Eastern Time (ET)
Register now

With the rapid advancement in mobile device capability and the push to move learning to these new mobile platforms, it’s important to have an understanding of the core principles and best practices of mobile learning design.

During this high-energy and fast-paced free webinar you’ll get a crash course in designing and publishing Mobile Learning content to devices like the Apple iPhone and Google Android. Business professionals, instructional designers and trainers who want to deploy online learning for employees and partners on mobile devices won’t want to miss this exciting SumTotal webinar.

What you’ll learn:

1. Best practices for creating learning for mobile devices
2. The Do’s and Don’ts of creating learning for Apple iPhone and Google Android based devices
3. How to create rich mobile learning using the SumTotal ToolBook product
4. View few exciting samples created for the Apple iPhone

Michael Hamaoka, Solution Architect, SumTotal Systems, Inc.

Register now

August 4, 2009 1:00 PM Eastern Time (ET)
Register now

Product success depends in large part on keeping up with demands for speed, power, and adaptability — and the newest version of ToolBook does just that. With breakthrough enhancements to enable rapid content development and ease of use, ToolBook 10 is yet another way that SumTotal continues to set the pace and industry standards for e-learning.

ToolBook Version 10 is a much-anticipated release and we are as excited as our customers. Join us in this for a webinar for a sneak preview of to get a hands-on experience on ToolBook Version 10, whether you already use ToolBook or are considering ToolBook for the first time.

Register and get a sneak preview of ToolBook 10:

1. Create more effective learning. The new Score Summary feature enables you to easily provide detailed assessment results and remediation options for learners.
2. Enhanced Microsoft PowerPoint import. Leverage the updated Microsoft PowerPoint import feature to bring in speaker notes and audio from your PowerPoint file right into ToolBook.
3. Easily control voice narration playback. The new voice narration playback options allows your learners to stop and restart recorded voice narrations for more effective learning experiences.
4. New collaboration feature for team authoring. Now your team can share authoring and reviewer notes on a page by page basis to help produce content quicker and with less errors.
5. Improved user interface for the integrated catalog feature and much more…

Presented by:
Michael Hamaoka, Solution Architect, SumTotal Systems, Inc.
Paul Haeck, ToolBook Sales Manager, SumTotal Systems, Inc.

Register now

We hope you’ve had a chance to try out the new SumTotal ToolBook 10 beta software. Of the numerous product additions, I think the new Quiz Summary feature is pretty exciting. A popular user request, this feature will help you provide even better learning experiences for your users. Here is a screen shot of what you can produce with this new feature.

Quiz Summary Output Presented to Learner

We plan to have numerous pre-defined styles for this by the time ToolBook 10 ships, plus you can build your own formats. When you build your own Quiz summary format, you can define:

Which questions to display based on how they are answered (correctly, incorrectly, partly correct, not answered)

The question and answer elements to display (question text, question name, question type, correct answer, learner’s answer, number of attempts, time, score, review link)

Desired display format settings (border, colors, line separators, print)

You’ve heard us talk about what’s new and what we think is cool, but now it is your chance tell us about your experience with the beta.

To get the beta software.

To provide beta feedback and report bugs/problems you encounter.

We’ll be doing a live webcast next week to review what is new in ToolBook 10. To sign up for that web cast, click here.

We will see you in next week’s webinar!

-Brad

Brad Crain
VP Engineering
SumTotal Systems Inc
bcrain@sumtotalsystems.com