H5P has become a buzzword since we adapted to online learning. It has been touted as a way to integrate interactive, self-assessing, and media-rich learning objects into an online course. This is true, but many instructors quickly learned that even though H5P presents a relatively intuitive authoring method, the number of tools and associated options make this process overwhelming.
In the Avenue training system, this issue was identified and the scaffolding to learn H5P authoring was spread across three stages of training.
Stage 1: Managing H5Ps in an LMS course, including hiding, showing and reordering.
Stage 2: Create simple H5P activities and position them on Avenue courses. Locate, download, and use H5P from the Tutela resources.
Stage 3: Create complex H5P activities and position them on Avenue courses.
Whether they are downloaded from a third-party site such as Tutela, developed on the H5P site, or within an LMS such as Moodle, H5P learning objects can add relevant learning activities that will assist learning. Whether it is a simple true or false question or a complex interactive video, students can demonstrate and master content through exposure to rich media, repetition, prompts, scaffolding, ubiquitous access, and independence.
| Demonstration Webinar Join us, if you want to see these tools demonstrated, at Tutela for a TESL Ontario webinar on Sunday, January 30th at 7:00 pm. |
Power Tools
There are dozens of tools within the H5P authoring structure. The H5P power tools offer seemingly limitless combinations of features that allow instructors to create truly original activities. Browsing through the Tutela H5P collections validates that H5P power tools create H5P learning objects that have been used to enhance learning through patterns. These patterns may include media engagement, navigation, interactivity, questioning, sequencing, speaking, writing, listening, and more. It is important for instructors to take their time to learn these tools.
Question Set
The Question Set feature allows developers to include Multiple Choice, True False, Drag and Drop, Fill in the Blank, Mark the Words, and Drag the Words questions in any combination or volume. The questions are accessed through a horizontal navigation menu at the bottom of the screen or through a set of arrows, based on the author’s selection. (Question Set exemplar)
Interactive Video
The interactive video tool allows you to create custom learning objects with online video. Teachers can overlay resources and interactive features over a video itself. This optimizes the learners’ video viewing area. Until now, interactivity with the video occurred under the video, on the playback bar, or as a fly-out menu to the left or the right of the video. Overlain interactivities on a video make the students’ experience intuitive. Items such as comments, true/false questions, or links to further information can be strategically positioned over the video and timed to focus attention on specific parts of the video screen.
(Interactive video exemplar)
Column
This feature allows teacher developers to operate a variety of H5P interaction elements into a vertical sequence of learning events. The following H5P elements can be included in the Column: Accordion, Appear in for Chat and Talk, Audio Clips, Fill in the Blanks, Collage, Course Presentation, Documentation Tool, Drag and drop images, Drag and drop text, Tables, Text, Iframe Embedder, Images, Image Hotspots, Find the Hotspot, Interactive video, Hyperlinks, Mark the Words, Memory Game, Multiple Choice, Single Choice, Interactive Summary, Timeline, Videos, True or False Question, and Twitter User Feeds. These elements are separated by a horizontal line. H5P columns are suitable for students using tablets or smartphones as the lesson flow moves downwards. Unlike the Course Presentation feature, the Columns feature does not provide a summary of the user’s activity on the lesson. (Column exemplar)
Course Presentation
This feature allows instructors to provide a variety of H5P interaction elements into a horizontal, slide-driven sequence of learning events. It can include Fill In the Blanks, Multiple Choice, Single Choice, True False, Drag and Drop Images, Drag and Drop Text, Select the Best Summary, Interactive Video, Mark the Words, And Dialogue Cards. At the end of each activity, the learner’s performance is displayed on the summary slide. (Course Presentation exemplar)
Interactive Book
The H5P interactive book displays content in a series of pages that are listed and linked by a vertical menu. Each page can stack several activities in a columnar format. It is really a series of H5P Columns presented as one learning object. This is very powerful for instructors who want to modularize a lot of content into one link in an LMS. The interactive Book has a convenient ‘summary and submit’ button. This feature allows learners to view their results and the results to be sent to the LMS grade book. The following H5P elements can be included in an Interactive book: Accordion, Audio Clips, Audio recorder, Collage, Course Presentation, Dialogue cards, Documentation Tool, Drag and drop images, Drag and drop text, Essay, Fill in the Blanks, Guess the Answer, Tables, Text, Iframe Embedder, Images, Image Hotspots, Find the Hotspot, Interactive video, Hyperlinks, Mark the Words, Memory Game, Multiple Choice, Question Set, Single Choice Set, Interactive Summary, Timeline, True or False Question, and video. The Interactive Book tool is powerful as it offers more tools, including all of the other Power Tools including the Course Presentation, Question Set, Interactive Video, and columns. If your learners can navigate online programs and require variety in your learning objects, this may be the best power tool. (Interactive Book exemplar)
Final Thoughts
If you wish to provide students with targeted, individual activities within your online courses, then use one of the forty-plus H5P content types. To create meaningful learning events that will have an impact on learning, try using one of the H5P power tools. If you have thoughts on using H5P power tools, please comment below.
Resources
Avenue, https://avenue.ca
H5P Open site, https://h5p.org
H5P Hosting Site, https://h5p.com
LearnIt2teach/Avenue, H5P help files, http://learnit2teach.ca/wpnew/help/avenue-support/avenue-support-stage-3
Tutela H5P Collections, https://tutela.ca/Collections?query=h5p
John Allan @mrpottz
Hi—I'm John Allan. I am an educator who works in the technology enhanced language learning field. I create online learning opportunities and mentor instructors on the Avenue project. I have experience teaching ESL and EFL in Canada and the Middle East. I hold an MSC in Computer Assisted Language learning, a M.Ed. in Distance Education, TESL B. Ed., a B.Ed. (OCT), and a variety of TESL relevant certifications from TESL Canada, TESL Ontario and the Ontario Ministry of Education. For more articles, learning objects, projects and blog links see https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnharoldallan
Have you had a chance to take a look at Lumi (https://lumi.education/)? It’s an offline editor for H5P interactions which allow you to create separate SCORM packages. Interesting option if your institution has a platform (Canvas, Bb, etc.) that requires a subscription to use H5P content.
Thanks for the tip Kenji! I have a few colleagues using Lumi but have not had the time to explore it extensively yet.
cheerio
Kenji, once again thank you. I have it open on my workstation and it is a great way to develop outside of the LMS.
John