Databases for Interactive Activities in jQuery

Databases for Interactive Activities in jQuery

by Marielle Lange -
Number of replies: 6

I have been trying to use database as a way to quickly encode lists of questions for interactive activities in jQuery.

Local tests suggest that it is fine. However, I am a bit rusty with Moodle (I used it a while ago). I would appreciate if you could let me know if this works for you. I tested it in Moodle 2.0+ but it should work as well in older versions (1.9).

Presets:

jQueryRacing-preset-..>

csv to import:

jQueryRacing.csv

If successful, you should see something like this:

jquery racing game

Early draft. I am only trying to establish if this works, for now. If successful, more activity types will follow. This is part of an open source project of mine:

http://widgeds.wikispaces.com/

You can see the code for the jquery plugin, ready for remixing, at: http://jsdo.it/widged/6jZd

In short, what I am trying to do is provide a way for people to add extra interactive activities without having to deal with php. html+javascript+css should be all that is needed.

Comments and feedback, welcome!

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In reply to Marielle Lange

Re: Databases for Interactive Activities in jQuery

by Itamar Tzadok -

If you missed one you have no way to win the race. smile

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In reply to Itamar Tzadok

Re: Databases for Interactive Activities in jQuery

by Dan McGuire -

This is a great concept, but might it not be more useful to create a filter/input device to take the results from 'generic' games and bring them into a Moodle database, not necessarily a Database Module, but that would be fine, I think.

There are so many people creating so many games, many of them very useful learning tools;  I think it would be good if Moodle just provided a method of recording the results in with other results in the Moodle course.  That way gaming could be added to the gradebook.

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In reply to Dan McGuire

Re: Databases for Interactive Activities in jQuery

by Itamar Tzadok -

You can always embed the game in a quiz question. I have explained down the quiz forum how to transfer a value from an iframe or a script for that matter to a shortanswer field of a cloze question, such that once the game is completed the result is stored as a response to the question and graded upon submission of the quiz. smile

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In reply to Dan McGuire

Re: Databases for Interactive Activities in jQuery

by Marielle Lange -

Which games do you have in mind?

The racing game is just a very simplistic example. What is of more interest is the discovery that you can very easily use database activities to present interactives with editable content.

jQuery was used, but there is no reason flash or processing content could not be embedded as well. I was trying to find a way to make it easier for educators or devigners (designers who can cope with a bit of scripting) to contribute engaging content into Moodle. Creative types can find their ways with jQuery and Flash. They rarely are very fond of PHP.

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In reply to Dan McGuire

Re: Databases for Interactive Activities in jQuery

by Marielle Lange -

Hi Dan,

Storing Data. Agreed 100%.

Some may say that it depends how much you believe in the value of formative vs summative assessment. However, even as a proponent of formative assessment, there is value in allowing students to track their progress and know that they are improving over time. As a teacher, you want to know, at least if the student finished or not the activity.

The obvious option I had been considering was the Question Engine. Thanks for pointing the gradebook. I will check it up.

To meet my constraint of having these activities not tied up to a specific environment, I have also been looking into using Google spreadsheets as a flexible storage place. Thanks to the API, storage from a remote location is quite straightforward - https://gist.github.com/720874

But then it wouldn't integrate with other courseworks in Moodle. Ok, that's an important info I need to keep in mind. Thanks!

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In reply to Itamar Tzadok

Re: Databases for Interactive Activities in jQuery

by Marielle Lange -

Hi Itar,

Thanks for checking smile. You should be able to miss 2 on 10 in most runs... but each car progress is semi-random (random within in a range of values). It is guaranteed that you will win if you get them all correct. But there is no guarantee on how many you can get wrong.

I hear what you are saying. It would be good to be able to modify that setting. Be very forgiving early in the learning / discovery and far less so late in the learning / assess performance. I am still trying to figure out what would be the best way to store options in Moodle.

My short term constraint is to make it to work exactly the same in different environments (Moodle, wikispaces, wikimedia, and soon google apps, web app export to packaged as native app on tablets and devices--run without internet connection)..

Extra features (like saving data between sessions)  will come as soon as I have these basics sorted.

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