Journal of Online Learning Research and Practice Volume 7, Number 2, 2019 | Page 32

Spectrum Educational Tool: Animated Scenarios for Teacher Preparation
mer methods of teacher training. Active
learning helps students understand
the content easily and remember it for
a long time (Yengin, Karahoca, Karahoca,
& Yücel, 2010). The style of the
interaction utilized in developing case
studies in the Spectrum educational
tool supports novice teachers in classroom
management and decision-making.
This project sought to implement
case studies for preservice teacher
training to reduce time and place constraints,
increase user interactivity, and
create a visual impression of classroom
experiences.
First Spectrum Version
We proposed Flash-based animation
for interactive case studies. At the time
of initial design and development, Flash
was the most popular method to animate
webpages. The first version of the
Spectrum educational tool involved developing
animated simulations of case
studies using Adobe Flash. Figure 1
shows a screenshot of this version.
Figure 1. Screenshot of the first Spectrum application.
This initial version had various
drawbacks. One was lack of user interactivity.
Learners could not interact
with the application. In addition, there
was an issue with the aesthetic quality
of the simulation: it did not look realistic
because the character animations
resembled a cartoon flipbook and were
not continuous. The transition from
scene to scene was not smooth.
Another drawback was the supportability
of the application in all
browsers. This application has no user
interactivity associated with it. The user
cannot control the flow of the application.
The current version of the Spectrum
application uses HTML5 and JavaScript,
which most devices support.
Table 1 shows the compatibility of
HTML video and Flash video in different
browsers or devices. This does not
require the user to install additional
software.
The Spectrum educational tool
consists of a learning environment for
preservice teachers. It is poised to replace
current environments, which are
not portable to multiple browsers and
platforms. This application supports
user interactivity. Its new version over-
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