The LodeStar™ online learning authoring tool helps trainers and instructors create engaging and effective activities in support of their online courses. LodeStar works with any CMI5 and SCORM conformant learning management system such as Cornerstone, D2L BrightSpace, Prolaera, Moodle, and Blackboard.
All of these solutions are provided as templates and are included in the authoring tool.
With ActivityMaker, an instructor or trainer can build responsive presentations (run on any device) with video, case studies, troubleshooting workflows, short answer questions, multiple choice, drag and drop, timelines, flashcards, and more.
With ARMaker, an instructor can take students on a walking tour, guided by a mobile phone and geolocations and content created by the instructor.
With CaseMaker, one can build responsive presentations (run on any device) with video, case studies, troubleshooting workflows, etc. With CaseMaker, one can easily add assessment items that include short answer questions, multiple choice, drag and drop, timelines, flashcards, word problems, true and false, and more.
WebQuestMaker is based on the work of Bernie Dodge, PhD, Department of Educational Technology, San Diego State University. The WebQuestMaker template is a derivative of ActivityMaker. WebQuestMaker provides a starter template for building WebQuests. WebQuestMaker provides the basic skeleton of the WebQuest building blocks: Introduction, Task, Process, Links, Evaluation, Conclusion and Credits. Like all LodeStar templates, WebQuestMaker is built on HTML5.
LodeStar occasionally includes templates that are experimental in nature.
LodeStar™ Free Trial for Windows and Mac
LodeStar, an eLearning authoring tool, produces activities that can be imported* into the following learning management systems: Inspire, D2L Brightspace, Moodle, Blackboard, SCORM Cloud, Prolaera and other SCORM conformant systems.
*Import is supported through the IMS content packaging standard, which is part of the SCORM specification.
To evaluate LodeStar, select the platform:
LodeStar has been used to create learning activities for every major learning management system by instructors and trainers from corporations, higher education, K12, and government agencies.
The LodeStar Community is an international community of higher ed instructors, K12 teachers, instructional designers, instructional technologists, informal educators, Open Educational Resource evangelists, and online learning enthusiasts. Swipe right for more testimonials.
I first became aware of the Lodestar authoring tool in 2012. After seeing all of the potential upsides of this remarkable product, I wanted to learn more. As an adjunct faculty member of Metropolitan State University, I began seeking out continuing education opportunities to learn as much as possible as to increasing my familiarity and proficiency with the Lodestar Learning tool. I subsequently incorporated Lodestar Learning into both my traditional and online courses, and was impressed with how intuitive this software is for even the novice instructional designer. I also saw the potential for this product beyond the classroom. I have worked with Bob Bilyk on leveraging Lodestar into training and development projects in the public sector, and could not be more satisfied. Anyone who is involved in training and/or staff development should seriously consider utilizing Lodestar Learning as part of your strategy moving forward. I am also the Executive Director of the Paragon Group. At The Paragon Group, we work with clients from around the globe who serve justice involved individuals. I am currently in the process of developing learning modules for those situations in which face to face classroom approaches simply are not on the table due to travel and other considerations. I am confident that my clients will be more than impressed with the products we develop for them with Lodestar Learning. I have surveyed comparable products, and nothing comes close to Lodestar when it comes to ease of use and potential for growth. I encourage anyone in the market for an e-learning authoring tool to consider Lodestar Learning.
LodeStar and its impressive array of project templates have been in my teaching toolbox for many years. Creating student-centered activities via LodeStar is easy and intuitive while being super well-received by students. I recommend the authoring tool for any instructor who values a platform that offers both wide creativity for the instructor, and the framework to make those lessons accessible and inviting for the learner. LodeStar has made a difference for SCTCC (St. Cloud Technical & Community College). LodeStar has made me a better teacher. Plus the support from LodeStar has always been personal and timely if an issue arises—which is rare.
I discovered and bought into Lodestar since the academic year of 2008-2009 when I organized, as the Director of the MERLOT Africa Network (MAN), a Pan-African Forum on Open Education Resources (OER) and Open Access. The current President of the LodeStar Learning Corporation, Robert Bilyk, traveled with me to Africa on many occasions and provided training to African scholars on the use of this excellent authoring tool to design educational resources adaptable to the continent. This was one of major highlights of MERLOT: to provide educational outreach to the African Higher Education institutions. I have seen a significant evolution in the design and versioning of Lodestar, in particular the functionality, the interface and the ease of use of the authoring tool. I must admit, as a global leader and advocate of the OER movement, that Lodestar has always been one of my primary tools for designing digital resources that can integrate with current Learning Management Systems. I am encouraging a broader marketing of this tool to higher education institutions in the US and globally, with a mission and strategic goal of integrating OER as a means of enhancing student success and college affordability.
Rivertown Communications has used LodeStar to deliver specific learning applications for the past several years. We especially appreciate the way custom templates can speed and standardize course development. The LodeStar staff has been very supportive in helping us explore new training applications and we're excited to make use of the new geolocation features in LodeStar.
I have been using LodeStar learning for 12 years now at an online charter school in St. Paul, MN and rely on it heavily to allow me to give virtual comprehensible input to my Spanish language classes. I am able to support even absolute beginners in their learning with audio, video, visuals and a nice variety of interactive pages. Parents tell me that students want to do their Spanish lessons first. Some students have told me that they save mine for last as a reward for getting their other work completed. I highly recommend this program. Lauren ~ Spanish 1 - 6, Cyber Village Academy, St. Paul, MN
Lodestar is the engine used on our historical tours produced at LensFlareStillwater.org. We use the Augmented Reality (ARMaker) part of the learning tool. It has worked well in this exciting new way to tell historical stories and show historical graphics related to being on a historical site . It is easy to use, it will function anywhere where you can receive a data signal and a GPS signal. Thank you for your help!
LodeStar supports both a perpetual* license model and a subscription model. Perpetual model is the least expensive over time; subscription is the least expensive way to get started and is ideal for students. Nonprofit is designed for government agencies and other nonprofits. Choose the option that is best for you:
* Perpetual Licensing means:
Subscription Licensing means:
Non Profit Licensing means:
Corporate Licensing means:
Email salesteam@lodeStarLearning.com
LodeStar Learning Corporation accepts direct orders for LodeStar in the form of institutional purchase orders or checks.
Submit the purchase order or check to the following address:
LodeStar Learning Corporation, 16270 110th Street North, Stillwater, MN, 55082
Our blog explores instructional design strategies and wrestles with online learning issues. The primary audience of the blog is composed of educators, but any student of instructional design and instructional technology might find it interesting.
We’ve just completed LodeStar 10 and continue to test it. We have no current plans to interface with AI. Our focus is to help designers start with simple projects and then offer them more capability as their designs grow from simple present-and-checks to short simulations, story-telling, decision-making scenarios and CCAF (Context Challenge Activity Feedback) projects that the five influential instructional designers would endorse.
In this article, I write about augmented reality and geolocation storytelling. I dive into the details of how I created the latest augmented reality/geolocation story in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Stillwater fire department. I purposefully cover this in great detail for the benefit of anyone who wants to get started with this new medium.
On the eve of LodeStar 10’s release, I am taking stock of standards and other influences that had a strong bearing on where our product is headed. Like all toolmakers, I am keeping an eye on effective strategies as well as emerging and maturing technologies and am imagining the opportunities for designers as we work to make these technologies practical and accessible.Here is a list of standards and strategies that are central to LodeStar’s current development.
Instructional Designers are skilled at using text, media and graphics to help meet learner objectives. But design often extends beyond the visible into the functional. Designs might require tracking user performance, branching to an appropriate level of instruction, saving state, and creating highly individualized, interactive, learning experiences.
I recently heard an interview with Christopher Kimball, formerly of America’s Test Kitchen. Two things he said that stuck with me: First, he described himself as being a home cook rather than a chef. Secondly, he talked about introducing recipes to other home cooks that were slightly out of reach of their comfort zone and knowledge but not way out of reach.
My efforts are a modest version of that. I’m interested in helping online instructors reach out and embrace new ways of interacting with their students. I’m trying to connect to that inner instructional designer in all online teachers. And I’m trying to introduce strategies that are within reach but may require a stretch.
The complaint against eLearning is all too common: eLearning applications are boring page turners. The implication is that students flip through the material, learn enough to pass the exam and move on. The experience is transactional; not transformational. No behavioral change. No cognitive change.
Interactive case studies are one strategy to remedy the problem – but, frankly, they are a bit of a challenge to create. In past articles, I’ve introduced some of the research that supports the use of case studies. I also introduced interactive fiction as a way of getting started. If you haven’t read those posts, I’ll introduce a new example in this article and then move on to ‘first steps’.
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LodeStar Learning Corporation16270 110th Street NorthStillwater, MN 55082
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