There are gender wars, and then there are casualties. It wasn’t until 2011 that the behemoth toymaker LEGO acknowledged girls’ desire to build with bricks, even though the company had long before made a seemingly effortless pivot to co-branding, video games, and major motion pictures. So it’s little wonder that girls face all-too-real obstacles when […]
Read moreEnriching the learning experience with interactivity.
 Students become disengaged and learn less when information is presented passively, such as through lectures or static text. |
Although your web site may contain a wealth of educational information, the way the information is presented may not be engaging your visitors. When learners aren’t engaged, they don’t assimilate the information presented.
Some subjects are naturally difficult to teach – such as how to fly an airplane – while others can be perceived as tedious – such as memorizing the solar system. Using static words, photos, and illustrations can make it difficult for learners to assimilate the information presented.
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Some subjects are difficult to teach. Even this illustrated flight manual for the WWII-era B-29 is far removed from the real experience of flying the four-engine heavy bomber.Incorporating interactivity into the learning experience allows you to more easily teach certain subjects. How could pilots be trained, for example, if they only had manuals to guide them and didn’t use flight simulators?
Interactivity also changes the dynamic of learning, from one of passivity to one of engagement. The Constructivism theory of learning supports the use of interactivity for what is termed “scaffolding,” where students use their existing knowledge to help them bridge the gap and grasp information that might be slightly above their current ability. Therefore, students are motivated to increase the breadth and depth of their knowledge by actively participating in the learning process. Rather than studying a manual about flying in bad weather, for example, students can introduce thunderstorms into their interactive learning experience and actually test their piloting abilities.
 Learning to fly a B-29 bomber using a flight simulator not only engages students by mimicking the realism of piloting the aircraft, but it also allows students to study the aerodynamics and physics of flight, as well as to introduce a myriad of variables, such as flying in bad weather. |
Presenting educational information in an interactive form enriches the learning experience and leads to better assimilation of information.