Interactive Learning Environments
Learning is a social process that takes place not just in school but even outside the school. The best learning is interactive learning.
Creating interactive learning environments should be the conscious goal of every school, teacher, or institution. With the aid of technology, learning is more fun-filled as interactive innovations are readily available.
Technology makes everything better, including learning. Interactive learning environments are designed to make learning more fulfilling, exciting, and enjoyable by creating a more interactive environment between the learner and different resources.
Education is all about learning, and learning is better when it is interactive. By designing activities that encourage students to enjoy learning through online and offline interaction, interactive learning offers innovative solutions and makes learning more wholesome.
A system that improves learning by developing specialized software and hardware that makes learning more innovative and interactive is known as a creative learning environment.
Interactive learning itself is a holistic technique that has involves online and offline inputs, intending to improve the overall learning experience.
The ultimate aim of Interactive Learning Environments is to use technology to produce the best learning environments as close to the traditional learning environment as possible and even better.
Moreover, Interactive Learning Environments provide a more inclusive learning climate, especially for naturally disadvantaged students due to different types of disabilities.
What are Interactive Learning Environments?
Traditionally, interactive learning environments consist of systems in software and sometimes with specialized hardware designed to support teaching and learning in education.
Over the years, it has been agreed, as has been tested, that professional teaching has evolved into a system that incorporates technology to the benefit of the teacher and student.
It should be noted that Interactive Learning Environments are relevant for the traditional learning system and even the unconventional learning systems.
Therefore, Interactive Learning Environments provide an approach to learning that facilitates more engagement and interaction.
This happens through better interaction between the student and learning resources. It helps to encourage space for students and all learners to develop practical skills through online resources.
Interactive learning involves problem-based learning, project-based learning, work-integrated learning, brainstorming, debates, quizzes, peer-review, and group activities.
At this time, when the world is moving towards more remote activities, schools and educational institutions have innovated several means of teaching virtually.
The greatest challenge of virtual learning is keeping the classroom interactive so that knowledge can still be shared as effectively as in a live class.
Such Interactive Learning Environments are specially designed environments that encourage practical and innovative learning among students with options for both physical and virtual learning tasks. With interactive Learning Environments, learning never stops.
Interactive Learning Environments are designed to work on mobile devices enabled by the Internet to keep learning ongoing without any distance barrier.
Theoretically, Interactive Learning Environments are designed with learning content that allows for broad exploration while creating options for feedback from the participants.
As stated earlier, Interactive Learning Environments are not peculiar to traditional or formal learning alone. Many workplaces also initiate different ILE techniques for optimal performance.
Benefits of Interactive Learning Environments
Technology, as noted earlier, makes things better. Here are some of the most prominent advantages of Interactive Learning Environments.
Improved learning
Students assimilate better when they are engaged in interactive learning. Many students have found it easier to deal with challenging subjects when studying through interacting learning environments.
The results speak for themselves. Even before the advent of ILEs driven by technology, many schools have developed different interactive learning techniques.
The output has improved learning among students, better communication with tutors, and a more exciting learning experience.
More inclusive
Interactive Learning Environments have helped solve the problem posed to those with different challenges. For centuries, education has never been inclusive, as people with disabilities were not factored into the learning process.
However, Interactive Learning Environments have provided a great alternative that extends qualitative learning to those with different disabilities.
With other options that keep participants engaged and encourage contributions from every member, ILE provides those with disabilities equal opportunities to learn and excel in their academic work.
Develop responsibilities
Interactive Learning Environments engage students in different ways. While it doesn’t foreclose physical meetings, it also encourages individual responsibilities.
ILE helps participants take up challenging roles and meet up to the task. Since there are several participants, no one wants to be the odd one out.
Learning improves when each participant is actively involved. More importantly, if members are given responsibilities, and the coordinator guides them to carry them out, the students are trained to be more responsible and dedicated.
The result is a better and more productive learning environment.
Improves Self Awareness
Interactive Learning Environments help students improve their self-awareness. Most traditional learning focuses on the tutor, and many students are lost and never feel important.
However, with ILE, students, and learners are made aware of their abilities, challenges, and shortcomings. Every member of the class is trained at their own pace, and there is more progress.
Interactive Learning allows the student to contribute what they can to the learning process, increasing their self-worth and promoting mutual learning.
Improves Social Interaction
A learning environment should be fun. One of the benefits of interactive learning environments is improving social interaction amongst students and teachers.
With the specialized features that encourage exchanging ideas, ILE makes it easier for participating students to interact freely.
Building healthy relationships
Also, Interactive Learning Environments help improve healthy relationships among students and teachers.
Emotional management
Interactive Learning better handles the emotional side of students.
Interactive Learning Environments Tools
To improve Interactive Learning, several tools have been created that have helped in no small measure to improve learning.
While this is not an exhaustive list, these tools are of great help in improving interactive learning.
- Google Forms – This tool allows students to collaborate by gathering data and analyzing them in real-time
- Google Expeditions – Provides hundreds of virtual reality tours with which students and teachers can visit essential places like oceans and space.
- Chatzy – used to continue learning conversation even after class is over.
- AnswerGarden – allows students to brainstorm or get feedback from the tutors.
- Backchannel Chat – This is a tool that allows for an ongoing conversation between the tutor and students, offering trends and insights into topics
- ClassKick – With this tool, teachers can post assignments and get feedback from students
- AudioNote – This tool combines a notepad and a voice recorder that aids students’ collaboration.
- ClassVR – This is a tool for primary school students which creates a Virtual environment for learning
- Animoto – provides an opportunity for students to share short videos of what was learned per lesson
- Flipgrid – allows for up to 5-minute videos.
- Coggle – This provides a means of knowing how students think
- Dotstorming – Used to generate discussions with virtual sticky notes.
- Biblionasium is a book-reading tool that challenges students to read and deliver feedback. It also allows for feedback from peers.
- Edulastic – Allows students to provide instant feedback to assignments.
- VoiceThread – Allows collaboration between students and teachers through videos and diagrams.
- Yacapaca! – Allows teachers to create quizzes and assess them
- Kahoot – Allows teachers to create quizzes via the Internet.
- ClassPulse – This tool helps to create more engagement for students
- Mentimeter – Allows teachers to ask questions and students vote on answers.
- Edmodo – Allows teachers and students to solve problems together.
- Peergrade –Allows teachers to assign peer work to students anonymously.
- Quick Key Mobile Grading App – Helps teachers with accurate marking.
- Naiku – Allows teachers and students to interact easily via mobile devices.
- Buncee – a virtual tool that creates a classroom from where students can interact with teachers
- Plickers – Allows teachers to collect real-time formative assessment data without the need for student devices.
- SurveyPlanet – Used by teachers to gauge learning by students
- Verso – A feedback tool used by teachers to set up virtual learning. Students can respond to teachers’ assignments with comments.
- Random Name/Word Picker – This tool allows the teacher to pick students, increasing engagement randomly
- ProProfs – allows teachers to test the knowledge of students with quizzes.
Conclusion
Interactive Learning Environments are essential to improve learning experiences. In schools and workplaces, various tools are used to make learning more exciting and rewarding for tutors and students.
As technology improves, interactive Learning Environments also improve to make learning more inclusive and fulfilling.
Resources:
- Unicef.org
- ELearningIndustry.com
- FrontiersIn.org
- EzTalks.com
- Resurchify.com
- NIH.gov
- Capterra.com
- Canva.com
- Springer.com
