My group’s topic for our Interactive Learning Resource (ILR) is stress, and it is intended for intermediate aged children. While we have included videos in our ILR for students, watching videos is not the most interactive activity. This can be problematic, for a form of interaction is necessary in educational environments for learning to take place (James, 2022). In this blog post, I will be evaluating the interactivity of a video based on my group’s ILR topic. The video I selected can be played below, and I found this video by inputting the key words “stress” and “kids” into the YouTube search engine.
What kind of interaction does the video require from students?
Interaction occurs when students receive input from either an instructor or learning material, and formulate a response based on that input (James, 2022). Although the video above does not necessarily require interaction from students, a form of interaction is still being achieved. According to Bates, engagement with learning materials which does not produce any overt actions, such as watching a short video clip, can be considered a form of reflective interaction (2019).
In what way are students likely to respond to the video on their own?
While the video does not force students to respond by asking explicit questions, learners may voluntarily respond to the video. For example, when different strategies to manage stress are listed in the video, one suggestion is to make time for enjoyable activities (Health Texas, 2017). After this suggestion, students may respond on their own by reflecting on activities they find pleasurable. In this case, since it is not a teacher who is encouraging the learner to be active, but rather the video, user-generated interaction is achieved (Bates, 2019).
How could the video have been designed to generate more activity from viewers/students?
To generate more activity from students, the video could have been designed to include explicit questions. For example, at the beginning of the video, perhaps the narrator could have provided two different definitions of stress, and asked viewers to select the definition they think is correct. In doing so, the video becomes interactive, for learners are pushed to make a decision (Bates, 2019). Additionally, an activity could have been integrated into the video as well. In particular, when the video suggests prioritizing important tasks as a strategy to manage stress, perhaps the narrator could have asked viewers to list and rank three of their important tasks from highest to lowest priority. As a result, interaction would be be achieved: students are taking the strategy they learned from the video, and applying it to their personal experience.
How will potential learning barriers in this video be addressed to ensure inclusive design?
Regarding accessibility, captions should be turned on to reduce learning barriers for students who are hard of hearing, or whose native language is not English. Unfortunately, the captions for this video are auto generated, and therefore are not completely accurate. As a result, a transcript of the video can be handed out to students as needed. Further, if students are required to watch the video as a homework assignment, providing a transcript will ensure learning remains inclusive for students who do not have access to a computer or mobile device.
References
Bates, A. W. (2019). Teaching in a digital age – Second edition. Vancouver, B.C.: Tony Bates Associates Ltd. Retrieved from https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/teachinginadigitalagev2/
Health Texas. [HealthTexas Primary Care Doctors]. (2017, December 19). Stress 101 – understanding stress and how to manage it – HealthTexas Medical Group [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/9Hto1HeMrYQ
James, H. (2022, April 5). Interaction. EDCI 335 – Learning Design for Technology-Mediated Environments. https://edtechuvic.ca/edci335/interaction/
Pixabay. (n.d.). [Image of decision path]. https://pixabay.com/illustrations/decision-choice-path-road-1697537/
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