If eLearning is not interactive, then its benefits are limited. But when eLearning supports students to make their information meaningful, then students can really grow, and we will all see the benefits of eLearning.

eLearning can be interactive in a number of ways. It can be interactive on the virtual classroom itself, through forums, chats, and wikis, and it can also be interactive through other online activities. Getting students to create things online, or play education games online, can help their minds to stay active and on topic.

A strategy that gets over-looked a lot in eLearning is getting students to physically do things, and then upload them to the eLearning site (virtual classroom). This is a great idea I got from Cheryl.

Making student to physical things to learn caters for the kinesthetic learners, who in eLearning, generally get over-looked. I’ve provided some examples of ways to use this interactive eLearning:

1. Students who are learning about safety (at any level) can take photos of situations where safety needs to be improved in their school/ workplace, then fix the problem, and take another photo. They can then upload these to the site in an area that either just the teacher can see, or that everyone can see. It would be good to get students to write an explanation of why changed what they changed.

2. Another photo taking one- but getting kids to create their OWN digital portfolio of their work. Using the camera or webcam to take a photo of their work and put it up on their blog (edublogs is great for this).

3. Get students to create an instructional video (this is best for high school, vocational, or university students). I know that this can be done WITHOUT an eLearning classroom, but it works well as an option for flex students. Of course, you have to be careful not to just mark students on the quality of their video (unless this is part of their course), and more on the way they’ve explained it and their actual knowledge etc.

4. Conduct interviews. Get students who are studying a trade to interview a tradesman, leading hand or supervisor. Get them to ask questions about the subject they’re studying etc.

5. Write a script/ Make a movie. This is great because your students can be creative with what they’ve learnt. This is great in schools when you learn about a country/ culture, or in higher education learning about occupational health and safety, or practical things. A good assessment tool.

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