I was tasked with creating an interactive lesson using Articulate Storyline 360. The requirements for the lesson were that it needed to be approx. 10-15 minutes long, contain states, triggers, and interactive features from storyline throughout the lesson. Before using the interactive software, we were required to write a robust storyboard to assist with the creation of our lesson. Students chose the topic for the assignment and were asked to complete a storyboard assignment before using the software. The strength of completing this task was that my robust storyboard made it easier for me to arrange slides and graphics and input content into Storyline 360. Storyline 360 has many features similar to PowerPoint, but unlike PowerPoint, it has additional interactive features. These features took much practice and skill to master but were manageable in the time given to complete this assignment. The most challenging portion of the assignment was getting my project saved and made visible to participants. Storyline 360 requires cloud access to make your projects viewable online and in any learning management system.
The Approach
Topic
The topic I chose for my interactive lesson was accessibility in education. Accessibility is established by what individuals do and how they interact with their surroundings and are catered to fit their personal preferences. Educational materials are considered accessible to individuals with disabilities when they can acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions and enjoy the same services. It is important to remember that what is accessible to an individual with a physical disability is not necessarily accessible to an individual with a learning disability. For this reason, it is essential to ask to whom your curriculum is accessible, under what conditions is the curriculum needed or used, and what task is it used for?
Audience
For this interactive lesson, the intended audience are those individuals in education. These individuals can be teachers in K-12 and even instructors in higher education. This interactive lesson is intended to help participants understand the importance of accessibility in the classroom and provide them with ways they can implement these teaching strategies.
Theory Driven Approach
The interactive lesson was designed based on the Practical Inquiry Model. This model follows four phases which are the triggering phase, exploration phase, integration phase, and the resolution phase. The triggering phase is driven by a question, problem, or dilemma that stimulates inquiry. The triggering phase should encourage engagement and buy-in from participants. Additionally, during this phase, participants should be introduced to the "big idea" of the course. The exploration phase is driven by seeking new information and insight into the "big idea" of the course. In other words, it is considered the lecture phase of your course, where learners get to explore the content. This phase should include opportunities for learners to apply their understanding by being given formative assessments. The integration phase revolves around reflecting on how learners can integrate the "big idea" into their own knowledge. In this phase, learners will analyze, evaluate or even synthesize the information of the course. Finally, the resolution phase is where the instructor will wrap up the course and make further recommendations for participants to inquire about. Additionally, participants will take a summative assessment to test their knowledge of the information learned.
Technology Used
The technology used for this interactive lesson is Articulate Storyline 360, my laptop, and Microsoft word. Additionally, I used google images to provide my interactive lesson with dynamic graphics. Finally, I used Amazon AWS to make my interactive lesson viewable online.
The Final Project