XML Master Basic Examination (and other things)

I'm excited to report an online examination from XML Master to obtain certification in - you guessed it - XML. As a proponent of open, free access to knowledge, this is a course I feel compelled to post about. I hope to see more opportunities like this to help people advance their skills, and it is my goal to offer avenues of my own as I become more of an expert in these technologies.

In conjunction with the goal of promoting knowledge, I downloaded DemoStudio today, an open source tool for making screencasts and presentations. There is a link to download it here. The near future will find me busy devouring this technology and creating learning tutorials via screencasts. If you are interested in other open source technology, Sharon Bett made a helpful table, which includes links - it's worth taking a peek.

Something I would like to discover more in depth is a method where content can be stored in XML and translated into powerpoint format, ready to use for a screencast tutorial. I was reading Towards Global Component Architecture for Learning Objects: A Slide Presentation Framework, where they detail how to reuse and repurpose learning object content. Using XML to convert into slide format and then adding audio and appropriate caption boxes would be a powerful way to efficiently and cost-effectively replace traditional, written online help. I think this will improve user support and achieve a goal of creating more knowledgeable, satisfied customers.