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Interactive Media 

The list of interactive media for e-learning is almost endless. Some examples would be flash cards, interactive video (with questions to answer as you watch the video), drag and drop activities, hot spot activities, memory games and interactive timelines. Each of these different options have different sets of criteria as to when to use them, most of the time based on the outcomes of your activity.

Relating Infographics to Instructional Objectives

Class of media: Interactive Media

Characteristics: digital learning activities

Application to types of learning:

Cognitive objectives:  Depending on the interactive media, any of Bloom’s Taxonomy could be referenced: remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating and creating.

Psychomotor objectives:  limited application

Affective objectives: interactive media could have audio or visuals that allows for some type of affective reaction

Advantages and Disadvantages of Interactive Media

Advantages

• Portability. Information can be accessed and used anywhere on mobile devices such as laptops, tablets, and cell phones as well as desktop computers.
• Easy to produce. The Web 2.0 apps provide user-friendly tools for creating and sharing digital content such as podcasts or online videos.
• Authentic audience. When developing literacy and communication skills, interactive Web 2.0 tools such as blogs and wikis offer opportunities to reach an authentic audience of readers beyond the classroom who can provide valuable feedback.
• Connectedness. Web 2.0 communication among students facilitates, encourages, and supports collaboration.
• Social awareness. Students become more sensitive to others through social networking sites where they have access to information to learn about each other.
• Free. Many Web 2.0 tools are available for educational uses at no charge.

Disadvantages

• Access to necessary sophisticated hardware. Some interactive Web 2.0 tools require hardware capabilities not available on less expensive mobile technology models.
• Instability of open source apps. Because many Web 2.0 apps are open source (free) and thus not purchased and licensed, teachers may plan to use a particular application, only to find that it is no longer available or is now only usable if you pay a fee.
• Quality of messages. Because they are easy to produce and free, many types of Web 2.0 postings are of poor quality and not well prepared.
• Credibility. Just because something appears on the Web does not make it an authentic or authoritative source. Web 2.0 tools make it very easy to post information that may be inaccurate.
• Bias. Blogs may be highly subjective in nature, written by individuals as a way to express their ideas and positions to an audience.
• Safety issues. Because of the open nature of the resources, it is essential that teachers ensure students understand the need for caution and obtain parental or guardian approval before sharing personal information.
• The possibility of cyberbullying. Cyberbullying can range from annoying an individual online to far more dangerous situations, if not handled properly. The Cyberbullying Research Center provides examples of actual incidents and contact information for seeking assistance.

 Considerations for Selecting and Developing Interactive Media for Instruction

• understand which type of interactive media might connect better with the students who will be using it
• some interactive media can be graded and some interactive media can not be graded – this usually depends on the tool that is used to create the interactive media.
• make sure that the interactive media works on the computer/devices your students have access to. Older media may have been created in Adobe Flash which is usually not mobile friendly. Look for HTML5 tools for the most accessible interactive media.

References:

Smaldino, Sharon E., Deborah Lowther, Clif Mims, James Russell. Instructional technology and media for learning, 12th Edition. Pearson, 20180110. VitalBook file.