25 Engaging Interactions for eLearning (BJ Schone)

e-Book: http://www.elearningpulse.com/eBook/EngagingInteractionsForELearning.pdf
Blog: http://www.engaginginteractions.com/

" The interactions presented in this FREE ebook (35 pages) are designed to be used within eLearning courses or in any other training scenarios where you see fit. The interactions are designed to wake up learners and get their brains into gear. We want them to be interested, inquisitive, challenged, and engaged. We want to throw puzzles and problems at them, and push them to stretch their brains. Who knows - they may even enjoy themselves along the way."

WHAT MAKES AN EXPERIENCE ENGAGING?

• Challenge!
• Decision Making!
• Problem Solving!
• Exploration!
• Allowed Failure!
• Adventure!
• Mystery!
• Puzzles!
• Games!
• Fun!
• Etc.

HOW OFTEN?

Only when it is beneficial to the learning experience! Yes, who wants to waste time saving 'Olive Oyl', if it will not facilitate in achieving our learning goal(s) or outcomes.

INTERACTIONS?
Examples (25 in all):

• Scatter Steps
• Myth or Fact (this one is great! Opinion Vs Fact!)
• Order of Importance
• Find the Mismatch
• Incomplete Stories
• What's Wrong With This Picture?
• A Customer's Perspective
• Branching Stories

REFLECTION!

I discovered this free ebook with 25 interactions to make learning more fun and engaging, while scuba diving in Tony Karrer's great eLearning Technology blog. As the ebook is only 35 pages, BJ Schone has managed to chunk it just nicely to one interaction per page (Description, Example, Interaction Level and Knowledge Type). Actually, this ebook reminds me of other books that provide you tips on how to facilitate more effective training sessions with activities.

I remember there was one book I saw in the bookstore a while back that had +100 learning activities. Gooooogling! Yeah, here it is 101 Ways to Make Training Active (Author: Mel Silberman). My memory is coming back! Gooooogling! Yeah, here is 75 e-Learning Activities: Making Online Learning Interactive (Author: Ryan Watkins). Coming to think of it, I bought that book last year (Expensive, too!). I better go home and explore it again, because I can't remember a single activity it discussed. The trick is to engage the learners with activities, but not let the activity outshine the learning goal (or objective). In other words, don't let 'Barney' outshine Gagne's 9 events of instruction (unless Barney is the learning goal) :)