Raptivity

=[|Raptivity] - "Rapid Interactivity for Effective Learning"=

Resources and links
Home Page - @http://www.raptivity.com

Articles and tutorials- [|Raptivity's YouTube Channel] [|University of Kansas Medical Center's Use of Raptivity in their program.] [|Using Adobe Connect with Raptivity for better interaction online.]

Strengths:

 * Many tools to create interaction for learning
 * Meets course creator's needs in all areas "presenting content, reinforcement to assessment"
 * Features - "Presentation Aids, Simulations, Quizzes, Games, Videos, etc."
 * Essential Package includes 29 "Interactivity Templates"
 * Suite Package offers 70+ interactive templates and Raptivity Linker Package allows for even more customization
 * Intuitive interface to create content (no coding required)
 * Examples of each "interactivity template" available on site
 * Highly interactive and engaging designs
 * Excellent product support

Weaknesses:

 * Minimum start cost is $500 (pricing details)
 * Might only be worth buying if it were to be used by an entire department with instructional designers.
 * Limited support based on when package was bought "Technical support for v 6.9 and below has been discontinued by Raptivity from January 1st, 2014."
 * Doesn't appear to host creator's content so extra costs would be required for hosting
 * Requires sufficient time investment to prepare content to use with class

Opportunities:

 * Teachers and students can interact meaningfully in and outside of the classroom.
 * Students can be active learners while in the classroom as they can access the content with laptops or smart phones.
 * Plenty of opportunities to establish practice and reinforcement of content
 * Linear content can be made more interactive with choice in learning

Threats:

 * There are a lot of possibilities and the teacher may be tempted to create interactive content without considering the instructional design process or research-based practices.
 * Could be a distraction to learning if the teacher does not manage the classroom well.
 * There is great opportunity for interaction but it could be tempting to create individualized experiences and neglect collaboration.

Ideas for the Classroom:
Teachers could create a dynamic environment inside and outside the classroom. Teachers could use the survey interactive to ask questions during a lecture, use a "rapid check" right inside the classroom to evaluate student understanding, or even give a short quiz to keep students accountable for learning. The tool could allow teachers to establish practice games at home or even set up a flipped classroom where students learn content and come into the classroom ready to use what they have learned. The teacher could set up groups for learning and students could create content together online or in person using the tools.

One of the most dynamic uses for interaction over the internet could be with Adobe Connect. Please see the link above for details.