AS3 Learning Interactions? What should I do?

Casey’s gone back to school and things are settling down with the new baby, so I’m finding myself with a little free time again. When I posed the Creating a Flash WBT Framework post, I had planned to follow it up shortly with a few learning interactions, but I never found the time. Now I have some of that time. And being inspired by this conversation on the Pipweks board, I think that it’s something that would help out a lot of people.

I don’t plan to make them drop dead simple to use, like the old ones that were included with Flash, but I’d like to ask my (very few) readers: “What would you like me to do?” Are there interactions that you’d like to see?

I plan on making them class based, following the MVC pattern, with the data stored in an XML file. Should make it easy enough to modify, but the AS3 code would be intermediate level so it would require some effort there.

If I don’t receive any comments, I’ll just start wandering in a random direction and post what I come up with.

Update, 1/21/09: Well, things didn’t go as easily as I’d planned. Work was crazy and then I took a break for the holidays and just couldn’t get motivated to start on these. Excuses. But I’ve finally gotten around to turning the computer back on in the evenings, so I’ll be picking up on a few odds and ends soon.

Also – thanks for all of the comments!

13 Comments

  1. i think no matter what you create, it would help fill a void. :)

    i’ve heard rumblings about the need for a nice drag-and-drop interaction, one which can be customized for number of items and symbols used for dragging/dropping.

    for example, one person may want a 1:1 ratio (one draggable that targets one drop zone), while someone else might want an 8:3 ratio (eight draggables that target three drop zones).

    of course, the interactions would need to be scoreable and have some kind of hook for reporting (such as invoking a SCORM command).

    that’s a pretty good challenge, eh? ;)

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  2. suuuure, i’ll take that one up :)

    i’ll start with a simple multiple choice type to get the base data model classes right then move to that one.

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  3. can’t wait to see what you put out. we’re in the process of learning the pipwerks model and how it works within the interactions. this will definitely be a huge help in our learning process.

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  4. Have you thought about implementing QTI as your XML format? It’s such a pain to use that no one really is using it, but if there was a relatively easy way to do it, it might get better adoption.

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  5. @Erik

    Yes, I’ve thought about using both QTI and DITA as data formats, but they are overly complicated for any use that I’d imagine. All of the XML that I use is edited by hand, and while you could do that, it raises the level of complexity to the point where you need to know the schema of QTI to edit it rather than just filling the space between 2 tags.

    Are you using QTI or using an app that supports it? I think that Articulate Quizmaker does and QuestionMark, but are there other main stream tools that do?

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  6. @Matt,

    I find my way around in Flash/AS30/Classes.
    But connecting/writing/reading from my Moodle LMS SCORM 2004 is something I don’t get to understand.
    I am looking forward to your MVC, so maybe then I get the hang of it.
    If there is a KISS way to write and read my Flash data from a LMS, please let me know.

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  7. hi,matt,

    First, thanks for sharing.
    I use your WBT Framework to do a WBT courseware, then I have a question. When I add a new MovieClip into the page sprite MC, so how to control the button on the stage by adding AS code into this new MovieClip?
    Appreciate for you help!

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  8. @cor

    the easiest way to write data now is to use Philip’s Pipwerks classes. With all of the great work that he’s done, there is no need to roll your own anymore. Check out some of my framework samples – they use his classes and are pretty straightforward.

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  9. @jason

    I’m note quite sure what you’re attempting to do? Are you adding the button to the page sprite from the main timeline or are you doing it from code in the sprite? I think the best way is to just do any page specific stuff in the page sprite and not have the code on the main timeline touch it.

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  10. Thanks for replying.
    You know, your WBT framework is just a page show, there is no flash cartoon.
    I try to add a new MovieClip into the page sprite,in this new MovieClip, I already have created a flash cartoon in the timeline and at the last frame in this timeline I add code like this “next_btn.visible=false”,then debug it, thers is a error come out,so how to control the button on the main stage by adding code in the timeline of the page sprite’s new MovieClip?

    Reply

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