E-learning app of the month – HTML5

Do you really know what HTML5 is and how it might work with Moodle? If not, read on!

OK, so the starting point of this conversation must be the demise of Flash.

As you will know, Flash was used for all sorts of cool (and sometimes simply annoying) animations and interactive content on the web.

Although we could point towards security as the main reason for the decline of Flash, Apple certainly didn’t help by ensuring the Flash would not work on the iPhone or iPad (the most popular smartphone and tablet for many years).  Once browsers started blocking Flash the battle was effectively over.

That is sad is many ways, because Flash was a very powerful technology, and for those of us who learned how to create Flash content, and actionscript (meaning we didn’t need to learn javascript), a sad loss.

You can now read on the internet that HTML5 is the replacement for Flash.

But that’s a very simplistic view indeed.

Before you go any further, you need to understand that HTML5 is not a tool for developing content, designs, video or animations (which is what most people think it is!).

It’s better to think of HTML5 as a full-fledged platform that lets you do various things, which may contain any of the above.

But HTML5 is not a single piece of technology to create a product/design/animation. To do this, you need at least HTML5, CSS and Javascript.

HTML5, the markup language, is the next version after HTML4, which is what almost all of us learned in the ‘old days’ of the internet.

Now, if you are not a programmer, it’s unlikely you will want to learn Javascript (it is a scripting language).

And although you can learn some basic CSS quite quickly, you really don’t want to be writing CSS unless you are a web developer.

So, if you want to create ‘Flash like’ content today, the best way is to use an application that will allow you to do this, as it will likely take care of the CSS and Javascript for you.

Over the coming months, we will be highlighting HTML5 applications and techniques in a series of posts here 🙂

• About
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Stuart Mealor

Managing Director at HRDNZ

Stuart is interested in all things e-learning, with specific interests in Moodle, e-learning strategy, and business development.His experience in education over 30 years, MBA in International Business, and knowledge of e-learning systems implementation, together with graphic design background, give him a unique skill set for e-learning projects.

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