TechnicalTrainer.org

First, I want to teach you some critically important considerations in evaluating software.

1. FREE IS GOOD! - Not great, not spectacular, but overall it is good. Some of the best software out there is free. Heck, you are reading this blog on a website. Both, Apache (which serves up the website) and Wordpress (which serves up the blog) are not only free, but they are the dominant software packages in their markets. Having said that, there is lots of free junk!
2. NETWORKED IS ESSENTIAL - Your software must take advantage of the Internet. It could simply do something as check itself for updates. But, I look very suspicious at software that isn’t at least network savvy enough to check itself for updates.
3. COLLABORATIVE IS BETTER - In general, if you are looking at two software packages, and they are very close in your evaluation, give the edge to the one that support more collaboration. Get used to software like Wikis, Blogs, Forums, Listservs, Social Networking, etc. All of these allow collaboration in one form or another.

So, looking at these considerations, let cover some resources to get you the tools you need.

1. Jane Hart is a masterful resource. Her e-Learning Pick of the Day is regular reading for me. And, her master directory of Learning Tools is simply stated The Best Resource of its Kind on the Web! Honestly! In most cases, if Jane doesn’t know about it, it doesn’t exist.
2. Free is good, but sometimes you need solutions that aren’t easy to achieve with free tools. The Best of the Best and MUST BUY tools for learning belong to Adobe. If you are building website, you need Dreamweaver. If you are building interactivity, you need Flash. If you are building e-Learning, you need Captivate. Bravo to Adobe for supporting our industry. Support them. They are well worth it. AND! News worth reading … ADOBE HAS A FREE SOLUTION, and it looks like a killer web application. Go an visit Acrobat.com.
3. Need an LMS? Does FREE sound good to you? Try Moodle! It really is one of the best LMS systems out there.

Finally, I have my own list of Trainer Resources. It is no where near as good as Jane Hart’s list. But, you may find it more to your liking.