Outfitting Your Pack: Tools and Interactivity
Embeddable Tools
As you outfit your pack for the journey of building an OER, you may discover that some useful tools are not packed directly into Pressbooks but can still be brought along when needed. Embeddable tools make it possible to add simulations, maps, forms, polls, and other interactive elements that support a particular learning objective or type of engagement. The tools highlighted in this chapter are ones we feel confident recommending and/or have experience supporting. They are not the only options available, but they can help you build a practical toolkit for the kinds of interactions you want learners to have. In this section, you will find grouped “tool belts” of resources, tools that can be embedded directly into your OER, and a few third-party tools that may be useful when chosen thoughtfully.
As with all tools, remember to consider each carefully through our Tool Checklist before embedding it into your OER.
Tool Belts
OER Tools: Documentation for Instructors, Iowa Open Education Action Team
A Google Doc of various tools that can be used for and in OER with a helpful index of documentation, use cases, and difficulty ratings for each tool.
Authoring Open Textbooks, Open Education Network (OEN)
A Pressbooks chapter, compiled by OEN, of their tried-and-true tools for authoring and publishing OER based on the experiences of their member institutes.
Built on the same frameworks as WordPress, Pressbooks has many third-party tools that can be embedded.
The Concord Consortium Interactive Labs
A nonprofit research and development organization, Concord Consortium offers free STEM learning resources, and while they are copyrighted, you can still embed them for use in your OER.
Embeddable Media and Interactives
While H5P is integrated into the Pressbooks interface, and social annotation tools like Hypothes.is can be used on any webpage or digital textbook, other interactives you might want to use can be placed in your OER by embedding using an embed code. Here are several that work well in Pressbooks:
PhET Simulations
PhET Interactive Simulations offers a variety of carefully created STEM-based simulations that can be embedded directly into your OER. Each simulation includes resources and potential activities for instructors and insight into their level of accessibility. Once you select a simulation, select the embed code icon to copy the embed code for use in your OER.
PhET Simulation of Projectile Motion
Select the arrow to read guidance for embedding a PhET interactive
Step 1: Select a PhET simulation at the PhET website.
Step 2: Select the embed code icon to copy the embed code for use in your OER.
Step 3: Select Copy to clipboard.
Step 4: In your Pressbooks page, select the Code editor.
Step 5: Paste [Cmd + V or Ctrl + V] the copied embed code. Save the Pressbooks page, and the PhET interactive can be seen and interacted with in the View mode.
Google Forms
Google Forms can be used to gather feedback on your OER or conduct anonymous surveys.
Note: Be sure to set the Google Form to not collect data or personal information before you embed your survey.
Google Form as a Survey
Go ahead and give us your feedback!
Select the arrow to read guidance for embedding a Google Form
Step 1: With the Google Form open, select the three dots at the top-right of the screen. Then select Embed HTML.
Step 2: In the Embed HTML popup window, select Copy.
Step 3: In your Pressbooks page, select the Code editor.
Step 4. Paste [Cmd + V or Ctrl + V] the copied embed code. Save the Pressbooks page, and the Google form can be seen and interacted with in the View mode.
Google Maps
Google Maps can be embedded to allow learners to explore and discover an area for things like climate change, paths of tornadoes, historic events, city planning, and more.
Google Maps – Chicago City Parks
Explore the map below.
Select the arrow for guidance on embedding a Google map.
Step 1. In Google Maps, select the menu (three horizontal lines) at the top-right of the map [1].
Step 2. Select Share or embed map [2].
Step 3. In the Share window, select Embed a map [3], and then COPY LINK [4] to copy the embed code for use in your OER.
Step 4: In your Pressbooks page, select the Code editor.
Step 5. Paste [Cmd + V or Ctrl + V] the copied embed code. Save the Pressbooks page, and the Google map can be seen and interacted with in the View mode.
Crowdsignal Interactive Polls
This is an interactive poll created in Crowdsignal, a third-party tool. Crowdsignal also has several types of surveys and quizzes available to create and embed. To use this (and some other) third-party tools, you will need to create a free instructor account.
The process of inserting content from an external source, usually by using an embed code, so that it displays inside your OER page and can be interacted with there without leaving your book.
