THE MISSION
This week’s eLearning Challenge was using JavaScript in Articulate Storyline. I haven’t used JavaScript, except for one project that had a print button. However, I really enjoy entering these more difficult challenges because I find that I learn a lot and it pushes me creatively.
THE INSPIRATION
I read through a list of common Javascript functions and decided that I would use the random command. This was appealing to me because I know that that can be used that to simulate a dice roll for online games, which is something that I’d like to try. I then tried to think of some scenario that would require the use of the random function. First I thought of a daily horoscope, I could enter a several forecasts and have JavaScript randomly select one. Then when I began to think about what imagery I could use, I decided that I’d use a fortune teller instead.
THE PROCESS
I found the perfect image of a fortune teller and I looked through YouTube and found a Russian tarot card reader who had a great accent that I used for my fortune teller. I made 7 audio clips of her predictions that would randomly be chosen when the viewer clicked on a doorway on the first slide. I have an old version of Crazy Talk software that I used to animate my still photo of the gypsy. I added a transparent image to the crystal ball to coincide with each prediction. I also used JavaScript to display the current date at the top of the screen.
THE OUTCOME
Here’s what I ended up with, I wasn’t sure how difficult it would be for a novice like me to use JavaScript, but I found that it wasn’t as hard to do as I anticipated. It’s another tool that I can add to my elearning kit. I’m sure that JavaScript will open up some new creative possibilities for me in the future.
