Introduction
A Web page can be more engaging for the viewer if it is interactive. This
could be as simple as providing text based feedback, or it can extend to
multimedia and the use of complex scripting tools. In this lesson, just a few
of the many examples of interactivity are provided.
Example 1. Text-Based Feedback
Providing feedback to students is a critical element
of instruction, and with online Web pages, it is possible to take
advantage of some special techniques to do this automatically, where
automatic feedback to the user is appropriate. Here are three ways to
provide text-based feedback.
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Example
1A. Pop-up Answers
The following example uses pop-up windows to provide
feedback to the page viewer.
HTML Code
Here is the code for the first of these five words. It
calls a separate Web page called riometallicsal.htm.
<p><a href="javascript:" onMouseOver="win =
window.open('riometallicsal.htm','','resizable=no, status=no,
location=no, directories=no, menubar=no, copyhistory=no, toolbar=no,
scrollbars=no, width=350,height=140');return true;" onMouseOut="
win.window.close(); return true;">
<font size="2">A. Aluminum</font></a>
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Example 1B. Colored Text
In this example, students are asked to
solve a geometry problem. The answer appears after the word: "Answer =>"
but is of the same color as the background. To reveal the answer, the
student clicks their mouse and drags it over the answer, highlighting it
and thereby temporarily making it appear.
 Geometry
ProblemA typical picture frame has four 90o angles. Each piece of the
frame is cut with a miter cut at a 45o angle to produce the
typical picture frame corner. What angle would I use for the miter cut
if I wanted to make a pentagonal frame with equal sides and angles?
To see the answer, click and drag over the area below.
Answer => 54o:
The sum of the interior angles is (n - 2) * 180o or 540o,
giving each internal angle a measurement of 108o. |
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Example 1C. An Interactive Form
It is possible to create your own forms in a Web
page to supply feedback to users based on actions they take. The
following form was developed using the instructions found at
a tutorial from the University of Washington's TRIO training site.
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But text-based feedback is limited. Through the use of scripting languages,
it is possible to create media-rich interactivity.
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Example 2: Interactive Applets |
Example 2A: An Interactive Applet on the
Doppler Effect
The following applet and text can be found at the
Davidson
College Physlet Archive and is enabled below:
Vary the velocity and notice the wavelength shift ahead of and behind the source. A
shock wave, i.e., sonic boom, can be seen to form if the speed of the source is comparable
to the phase velocity.
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Example 2B: A Screenshot of an Interactive Applet Used
to Teach about Reading Vernier Calipers.
This applet allows the user to slide the jaw to any
location, type in the value, and receive input on their answer, or to
automatically see the correct answer. The graphic below is just a
screenshot, but you can see the applet in action
here.
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Summary
We have only seen here a few examples of how a Web page author might use
interactivity, and many more exist. Interactivity can personalize a user's
experience when they visit a Web page.
In addition, Web page authors can suggest outlets for interactivity that
extend beyond their pages, such as asking the viewer to join a separate
discussion forum, to contact an expert, or to engage in a face-to-face
discussion with someone nearby.
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