Bring your content to life.

Now you can make your instructional materials even more valuable. Microsoft Semblio provides easy access to the power of Microsoft .NET and Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) by tailoring the Microsoft development platform specifically to the education market. Get ready to create an immersive education content experience.

Click a thumbnail to the right to play a demo.

Send to a friend Enlarge video
Demos
Solar panel demo Gas lab demo
Demo 1 See how a lesson plan on the Law of Physics comes to life.
Demo 2 View a lifelike, multimedia demo on Solar Power.
Benefits of Semblio

Ready to create content that comes to life?

Using Microsoft Semblio, you can create rich, immersive multimedia learning material that’s highly interactive and fosters exploratory learning that teachers can customize, and that promotes collaboration. Because Semblio takes a platform approach to content creation—leveraging the flexibility of the Microsoft .NET Framework—it works across software, services, and learning management systems. This allows you to meet the demand for more customized solutions, while still providing you with control over how your material is adapted.

The Microsoft Semblio Software Development Kit (SDK) is built on Windows Presentation Foundation and provides a programming model and tools that facilitate the packaging and arrangement of .NET-based content such as:

  • Semblio content elements, from simple buttons to highly complex activities
  • Templates, wizards, and other supporting tools for use with the assembly tool
  • Complete interactive courses

But Semblio is not just a developer tool; it will also include an assembly tool, released with the next version of Microsoft Office. This will allow multiple content types to be combined into a single, rich, multimedia presentation, all in a single, familiar, and easy-to-use Microsoft Office-like application for educators. Also included is a player that students and educators can use to view and interact with presentations.

(fig. 01)

A screen shot of a sample lesson plan using Semblio.

Semblio screenshot

Leverage the .NET platform.

Because Semblio is built entirely on .NET, you get a flexible platform that enables you to build applications that work the way you want, in the programming language you prefer, across software, services, and devices.

  • .NET makes it easier to build highly flexible systems through easy integration, interoperability, and application extensibility.
  • With .NET and the Windows Presentation Foundation, you’ll get a superior user experience across a broad range of players.
  • .NET supports the programming language you prefer by providing one, multilanguage development platform.
  • .NET Framework 3.5 provides an intuitive class library framework, reducing the amount of code required.
  • .NET is supported by a set of tools and technologies, including Microsoft Visual Studio development system and Expression Studio design software.

(fig. 02)

A screen shot of a sample lesson plan using Semblio.

Semblio screenshot

Meet the growing demand for customizable content.

The demand for more customizable content is on the rise. Teachers are increasingly looking for more flexible, digital materials to not only reach their students, but also to engage them. Semblio puts you in control of delivering rich, dynamic content that your customers can tailor to meet their teaching and learning objectives, all from a single application that integrates easily with other educational systems.

  • Offer simple end-user editing tools within a familiar, easy-to-use Microsoft Office-like application.
  • Increase the value of your content by enabling educators to customize materials to their specific requirements.
  • Enjoy a seamless connection with educational services and software, such as learning management systems.
  • Engage today's students and foster exploratory learning with packaging and arrangement of dynamic, interactive, and rich instructional material.
  • Connect multiple types of content into a single application, so customers can find, package, organize, customize, and extend content easily.

Create new business opportunities.

Microsoft Semblio helps to improve your existing business model by boosting productivity, increasing the value of your existing assets, and enabling you to reach a broad customer base.

  • Improve efficiency during content creation by enabling nontechnical subject matter experts to participate in the content creation process.
  • Reach an even broader customer base by using tools that are part of the next release of Microsoft Office.
  • Increase the value of your existing assets and investments by extending the shelf life of static material into digital media with easy-to-implement conversion tools.
  • Reduce the cost of going digital by creating your content once, then delivering it to all customers regardless of platform.
  • Monetize your existing content with your knowledge of the Microsoft platform to create richer, superior user experiences, without decompiling and rebuilding.

What you need.

Getting started with Semblio is simple. You'll need to do a few things:

Learn more.

Want to get more detailed information about Semblio? Download the Semblio programmer's guide now.

Want to see how Microsoft Semblio works? Download the Semblio SDK and SP1 of the .NET 3.5 Framework. Then follow these simple steps to explore this interactive demo.

1 Save and extract .zip file to your computer
2 Inside the file select and open "Player"
3 Inside Player select "Load from File"
4 Select "Gas Lab" (same file as the player)

View interactive demo