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Last time, we looked at rollovers as an interactive media writing technique. This week, we'll explore two additional tools in the context of creating training material.
Click to Learn More: Unlike a rollover, in which a part of the screen displays new information when the cursor is simply on the "hot spot," a "click to learn more" asks the user to click an area of the screen to cue a new event. Here are some ways to use the tool.
Say you're teaching about Native American crafts. Your screen displays photos of different forms of art: pottery, jewelry, baskets, etc. If the user clicks on a photo, it activates an audio or video clip providing detailed information about the item depicted.
Or, if you're teaching architecture, you might display a photograph of a building representing a specific period of architecture. Numbers can be superimposed on various features of the architecture. Clicking any of these numbers brings up a text, audio or video clip, or even a Flash? animation providing insight into the architectural feature.
Drag & Drop: The "drag & drop" feature is especially suited to placing steps in a process in the correct sequence. After you've presented the steps in a process, learners can be presented with a list of the steps in random order. They're instructed to "drag & drop" each step to new placeholders in the proper sequence.
Drag & Drop programming can also be used for matching activities-say photos of tools on one side of the screen and a description of each tool's function on the opposite side. The user drags each tool to the corresponding description to demonstrate understanding of the tool's function.
Of course, any of these techniques can be used in combination. Rollovers, for instance, can be integrated into a "drag & drop" activity. In the tool example, rolling over the tool brings up its name-the user then drags the tool to the description of function.
This ability to combine interactive techniques in a media rich environment is what unleashes the full potential of the interactive medium.
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